Projects My Dale Velzy/Sam Conrad Roadster Build Thread

Met Dale Velzy many years ago, probably mid 90's. He had a red ~34 Ford pu sitting outside his fence, visible from the road with a for sale sign on it. Stopped to take a look and this guy came out covered in dust and shavings. Didn't know who he was, asked what he was doing and he said building surf boards. Had just dropped off the 14 year old surfer son at Stewarts board shop so asked if the son and I could come back and see his board construction. When we went inside his fenced area there was a building that had a sign that said Velzyland. Son ask him if he knew Dale Velzy and he said 'I am Dale Velzy'; that made that kids day for sure! He showed us the surfboard museum there and his workshop. Always regretted not buy that pickup!

 

Any updates?

 

Sorry for the interruption. As I mentioned before, I’m sharing caregiver duties in 24 & 48 hour stints. I certainly see now why my sister had a meltdown and wanted more help. Giving 24 hour care to to a mostly helpless person is more taxing than I remembered. Maybe it’s because I’m no spring chicken myself.
If you’ve seen my other thread, I’ve been rebuilding the Treadle-vac power brake unit out of my Stude pickup among other little bench projects. But the roadster has progressed as well.
After the frame returned from ‘blasting and epoxy coating I cleaned it and scuffed it in preparation for some high build primer. I molded all of the welds and filled and blocked the areas that were to get body color paint. I masked and painted the inside, from the firewall back with Krylon Rust Tough semi-flat black. It’s been my go-to chassis paint for years. It has the right tone, gloss and most of all it doesn’t fade much so it touches up well. I know that I will have to make a few mods as I go forward so those changes won’t be readily apparent.

 

I gave the black paint some significant drying time since I knew it was going to require back masking when I sprayed the body color. I contacted TCP Global and ordered ‘63 Buick Diplomat Blue Metallic single stage acrylic enamel. I sprayed an old hood and I wasn’t impressed with my application or the color. So I ordered several other metallic blues (at about $100 a pop) and did test sprays. The truth is that while I like the intensity and color of the later model colors, they just look too late model. I took a break from color selection.
During this break is when I bought my Stude pickup. As fate would have it, it was painted with the same Diplomat Blue way back in the ‘60s and although it was lacquer and is checked and faded, I really like it. It says ‘60s hot rod to me loud and clear. My roadster would be painted with a ‘63 color just like Sam’s was back then. (It’s the same paint code as Corvette Daytona blue metallic). So I cleaned and re-masked it and shot the color. Again, I rolled it into the shop and left it for weeks. I’ve got plenty of other stuff to do; I built up two dual quad setups for the 389 Pontiac in the Stude, also a factory 3x2 and a couple of distributors.
I seem to have lost my paint mojo. I’ve painted several cars for myself and for friends and customers over the years using lacquer and acrylic enamel, but I just haven’t found the combination to do great work with the new stuff. I’ll figure it out.
Here’s the color….

 

I also prepped and painted the narrowed ‘60 Olds rear axle housing. Once again, good old Krylon Rust Tough, only gloss black this time. (The yellow fender was a color test for my Morris Minor woody that I need to paint)

Now to find and paint the 3rd member…. I know they are in here somewhere.

 

So where were we? Oh yeah, rear end. I had the rear backing plates powder coated when I dropped the front drums off to be sandblasted. I’m not a big fan of powder coating but he saw them sitting in the van and offered, so I did it. I rebuilt the wheel cylinders and reassembled everything. The brakes and drums were almost new when I bought the rear end so I just cleaned everything. I had to clean the PC out of the center hole and the mounting holes but overall it looks pretty good.

 

Love your build, it takes a lot of time to make it look period correct and not over do it. It's all the little details that make it look like the original build. Frank

 

I’ve collected several Olds/Pontiac 3rd members over the years. I’ve got 3.08, 3.23, 3.42 posi, 4.56 posi, and a 5.57 spool. All bagged and labeled stashed around the shop. I got out the 3.42 posi and inspected it but then I started thinking about driving my ‘56 Chevy (3.55s) and my red coupe (3.70s) and of course the $5.49/gal cost of gas. The Hydro has a steep first gear and our local roads are all 45-65 mph, no stop-n-go city driving. So I decided to put the 3.42s back and start with the 3.08s. I found the 3rd member and opened the bag. It was an oily, crusty mess. Usually, I clean stuff up before I store it. Oh well.
My red oxide primer was too orange and too flat to look right so I fogged on some clear to help get the factory looking color for the 3rd member casting. I chased the threads on the studs. A new gasket and the long factory nuts with new copper washers and we’re in business. I must have been holding my mouth just right, that big ol’ thing dropped right in first try.


The posi that I didn’t use….

 

The axles I ordered from Mark Williams worked perfectly. Being lazy, instead of pulling the bearings and the retainer plates from my axles and sending them to MW, I just had them include new everything. Well their competition bearing retainers are thicker than the stock Olds ones. I had cleaned and painted the stock retainer bolts and I was sure they would be too short. Nope, it all fit back together perfectly. I must be living right.
I just need to clean and paint the rear drums.


Done and waiting for drums….

 

A while back I confronted the rear spring. I think it’s a ‘40 with the center ground to fit in the ‘32 crossmember. It didn’t fit well, kind of a crooked press-fit. I ground it some more so it could be installed straight. While I was messing with it, I thought about using the technique I saw on here for reversing the eyes. But the height is just about like Sam’s car and it’s easier to install the spring when the eyes are stock so I left well enough alone.
Handy tip for cleaning spring leaves, a 6” paint removing wheel like a Paint Eater. One wheel made quick work getting the leaves free of rust and old paint and down to bare metal. More Krylon Rust Tough semi-flat black and it’s ready to go. I’m using some old dropped shackles that were on it after sending them to the chrome shop. Pictures to come.

 

So you have to be almost ready to drive this thing right now? And it looks great! So far.

 

Up front, everything is either chrome or polished stainless. I bought some chrome CPP spindles and had some steering arms chromed, including an old hairpin style steering arm and an old Pitman arm I had from a previous project. The spindles that came with the car had been turned down to accommodate a homemade disc brake conversion.
I made frame brackets for the hair pins and they also got plated.
When I started getting ready to assemble the mess, I found a pair of chromed stock Ford spindles in a box up in the loft that I forgot that I had. Well I’ll be. I guess I’m not as organized as I like to think I am. Lol. They didn’t have king pins so I tried one of the CPP pins. It seems like they put new bushings in the Ford spindles but never reamed them. So I ordered king pins and waited.
While waiting, I put it together with the CPP spindles. The new spindles with “fitted” king pins had a ton of slop! I checked the axle - all good. There was an extra set of bushings in the box that the CPP spindles came in. Now I know why. I’ve used CPP spindles many times and have never had a problem.
I have the proper piloted reamer and have done many king pins but I decided that I need to visit my friend Willy at the machine shop and send a little money his way. He knocked them out on his Sunnen machine.
Here’s the hairpin brackets and the first mock-up with everything.

 

I was ready to drive it this summer, unfortunately the car wasn’t ready! I’ve just gotta find a faster shop! This guy is slow as winter molasses.

 

The front brakes…..
As mentioned, it had disc brakes and I’m not a big drum brake fan, but they are a big focal point on the front end, so I scrounged around and I had enough stuff to put together a good set of Early Ford brakes so why not give them another chance. Besides, chrome E. Ford backing plates with the painted recess are what Sam ran and they take me back to my first couple of cars.

Funny thing, my ‘33 5w had these same brakes and the same rear end. I drove it everyday back in ‘68-‘70 including making passes at Lions every Wednesday and Saturday that I could. It usually ran low 12s with a best of 11.86 at 117. When I took the front end apart to install a Corvair IFS w/Camaro spindles and brakes, I found out that the front wheel cylinders were frozen solid with corrosion. All that time I was stopping with rear brakes only! It seemed fine to a young guy more interested in going fast than stopping!

 

Sounds like we both go to the same shop.

 

@bchctybob, congratulations again...you get some cool stuff...those color shots are sure alluring...still hard to believe how stuff so nice ends up a beater like that...oh well it's yours now...and I'd say it's a damn lucky ole Hotrod at that, being you're it's new restorer of sorts...

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence Stog.
I’ve been dreading finishing up the body work and paint but I think one of my old high school buddies is willing to take it on. He was reluctant at first because he usually does high end, base coat/clear coat type stuff and I want a single stage ‘60s style paint job. He saw what I’m doing and he understands. I need to finish the firewall mods and a couple other details and it’ll head north to his shop. That’s a big hurtle for me and should really help to keep this thing moving forward.
Thanks again.

 

Wow! Great build!

 

Between this and the Stude Pickup we have a lot to look forward to this year from you and I bet you feel the same...

I totally understand farming work out...it just makes good sense many times...

These will be very fun rides Bob...

 

So enjoy watching you pros work. Not only do you always know the answer to "what's next", you usually have one lying around that you collected years ago. Very impressive. The Sam Conrad hot rod is one of the benchmark classics, so cool that it was the boyhood neighborhood car that stoked your fire!

 

Enjoying this one.

 

Mixed in with the roadster activities is finishing up a few things on my red coupe, I want to get it to an upholstery shop for carpet and headliner. Needed some clean&paint action and seat belts.



And strip and paint on our Morris woody….15 y.o. primer had to go.
I’m in desperate need of drip rails for this one.

 

Thanks Brer but I’m no pro, I just stumble along and do what I can within the confines of my skills, tools and budget. I was fortunate to grow up in the golden age of hot rods and drag racing surrounded by cool people and cool cars. And, of course, encouraging parents.

 

Just found this thread...killer car, great work Bob! Looking forward to seeing it come together.

 

Back on the roadster chassis. I needed to do some brake lines, so I got out my brake line making tools and ordered some 1/4" line and stuff from Speedway. I've always used my good old Snap-on flaring kit and the cheapie line bender from the swap meet augmented by my thumb. This time I stepped up and bought a K Tool flaring tool (like Eastwood's but a whole lot cheaper) and a neat old Imperial bender. Well, the flaring tool is great, but I don't like the tight radius of the Imperial bender. The tight radius looks too "industrial" to me, so I used my swap meet bender again and my thumb. I had to use my Snap-on flaring tool on one flare and it did it's occasional screwed up offset flare. We'll see if it seals up properly. The K Tool flares are perfect.
The pictures look a little busy, but you get the idea.

 

Decisions, decisions. I can't tell you how much time I waste trying to decide on stupid details. Ordering stuff only to find that I don't really like it for my style of build; for instance, what line clamps to use for the brake lines.
R to L: Speedway's modern stainless clamp, Summit's Chinese Adel clamp, a modified Summit to look more like the real thing. Nah....


I only had two of the real aircraft surplus Adel clamps in my stash and I needed six minimum.


I found these on eBay. They looked right in the pictures. They are better, but still not right. I figure I could grind a little off of the fastener area and they will do. Hey, nobody sees this stuff, right?

Well, in the end, I found another coffee can with some real Adel clamps and I ended up with enough to do the job right. I wish I was as organized as Hitchhiker or ekimneirbo but my organizational choices involve eating lots of lunch meat and drinking lots of coffee....LOL.

 

I’d swap ya organizational skills in a heartbeat!

 

When it comes to organization, sometimes I'm ok....


and then sometimes.... I'm not

I keep thinking; after I put this car back together it won't be so bad.... but I keep tearing shit apart (?)
See what I mean?

It's a sickness.

 

With the chassis brake lines mostly done I figured that I could make preparations to take the frame out of my hokey rotisserie and down on the ground. I need to have the rear end in before locating the flex line bracket and doing the final hard line.
I had previously cleaned up the drums, had them turned, etc, but inside the bearing area needed a little more work. I cleaned and packed the bearings.... Damn, no grease seals. I ordered those and decided they could be installed later.
These spindles are real Ford and were a last-minute decision. I had ordered new aftermarket ones and then, of course, found these in a box upstairs. So, I decided to use them. Always better to use real Ford stuff if you can. They are installed, backing plates on, everything ready.... the spindle nuts won't screw on. WTF? New nuts and washers, the spindles don't look smashed or anything. I cleaned the threads with carb cleaner and a wire brush and inspected more closely, nothing obvious? They masked the threads when the spindles were plated so that's not it. So, I tried a regular used 3/4-16 nut from my stash and it went right on. Huh? I chased the new nuts with a tap, and they did clean up some, but they still didn't want to start on the spindles. I ran my thread files over the end of the spindles. I spent most of the damned day digging out more Ford nuts and trying this and trying that, but I finally got a pair that screw on properly. Sheesh.
Now I've seen where someone has hammered on the end of them for some reason and mushroomed the end of the threads, but there was no obvious damage.
Looks OK to me.... and they both gave me fits.

Well, they're on there anyway. I chased the threads on the studs, now I can put the wheels and tires on.
Anyone know what year these drums are? I guess it doesn't really matter, just curious. They came off my '33 pu.

 

Drums look like 40-46 to me. The hub is inside the drum so that's the give-away. Nice build. First time seeing it.