Hot Rods Nature Abhors a Vacuum, Or, The Hemi A Roadster fills a void.

I got tired of looking at the top of the transmission from the cockpit, and started making a trans tunnel. The top is a piece of the extra 'glass deck lid that came with the car (but didn't fit). I need to get a shifter now and mount that, then I can cut a hole for that and 'glass the whole she-bang to the floor and firewall. It's ugly now, but it'll look fine all 'glassed in and a little finish work. I can't see the need to have it removable, so it won't be.

 

I fixed the left hand “Chicken Foot” I’d cut off at the frame kick, and made some quickie cardboard door panels to see if my upholstery idea is workable.
Yes it is.


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Leather I have for upholstery. Red and embossed if the car is blue or black, black, and embossed if it's black or maroon. Decisions, decisions...

 

The red one reminds me of a chick I used to date that always wore a red leather jacket...go with the black.

 

It's cold. Outside, and since I have a marginally big enough pellet stove for heat, it's also cold in the shop. So, for something to do, I cut some scraps of acrylic and made proper templates for the windshield(s). It looks better in the shop mocked up with these in, if nothing else.

 

Today project, make throttle linkage for the roadster. I used the cool aircraft starter pedal, just slips over the DeSoto pedal, hook to the DeSoto bell crank on the firewall with a homemade linkage rod.


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Cool pedal!

 

I bought an under dash heater, will use thes ‘36 horn grills for defroster vents, and run another hose (it has 3 ports) into the Southwind housing for floor heat.

The left brake drum needed a little encouragement to come off...


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Maybe Washington blue? The stupid filter used makes these look too bright, but you get my drift...


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Toned down a bit.

 

Many shades to pick from.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/index.php?threads/924894/

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I pulled the body from the chassis yesterday. Had to pull one of the radius rod mount tabs and adjust that, got the Panhard bar bracket tacked on, then spent a lot of time staring at the shrinking space for 2 1/2” exhaust tubing.


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Today was exhaust day for the roadster. I'd intended to run the pipes on each side, but, there was NO WAY to get 2 1/2" pipe over the Panhard bar and rear axle without hitting the floor. So, I kicked the left side pipe over to the passenger side and ran it tight alongside that one. I like them tucked tight together on one side or the other, looks sort of European to me, so, it's all good.

The "High Quality Shifter" came, and, it looks OK for the price. The heater came damaged, one of the outlets had the mounting tangs broken off and were inside the housing, but since I'm using defroster tubing to duct them to the defroster and the Southwind housing, I'll just epoxy it to the box. That'll be less hassle than sending it back. The fan actually moves a LOT of air, and the 3 speed switch works great and will fit in the opening in the Southwind housing as well. Bonus.

It's gonna go together pretty fast now.

 

Well, that’s a wrap. Now to pull it out and finish welding the joints that have to welded, and try not to weld the ones that don’t. Wish me luck...


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I like the dash, the vents and the windshield. Keep it up. You have probably already posted, but what is that dash out of?

 

Nice work on the exhaust, Brian.

 

Looks like "exhausting" work B!

 

This. ‘52 DeSoto that the Hemi came from. This dash was an extra that came with the car. The wagon got a significantly larger Hemi...



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Coming along nicely!

 

That shifter is “High Quality “, it says so right on the box. It works, the price was right, so I like it fine. I REALLY am happy with the exhaust, it looks fantastic. I’m thinking of doing the exhaust tips like a Duesenberg, dual 45’s. The windshield is a rip-off of an Auburn, so, it’s appropriate.


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Today I got , I think , all the fabrication for the roadster finished. Front Panhard bar, done. Front shock mount brackets , done. Dipstick tube I broke lift the body off, fixed.

Tomorrow take it all apart and prep for paint!

 

I' I know you're all wondering what I did today, right? The answer is, almost nothing. We went to the Gilmore Museum here with some friends and had a nice visit, and then, mid afternoon, I went out to the shop, undid some of what I did (wrong) yesterday and did it over.
I've come to appreciate that one of my most useful skills is the ability to cut welds without wrecking whatever I've welded on in the wrong place. The Panhard bar at the rear was too low, and slightly out of line with the rear axle, because I was trying to route the exhaust pipe over it. That didn't work, so, I fixed it.
It's all about the "do-over".
At the museum, I looked at a couple of the Duesenbergs there, went home and finessed my Duesy inspired exhaust tips. I ordered 4 hangers from Speedway with those silicone insulators in them, made some brackets on the chassis to hang the pipes from, and just sat on a stool for a few minutes and admired my work.
It's coming together. I'd hoped to have it all apart and prepped for primer, but, it's only February, and I'm really enjoying this build, and the '52 DeSoto wagon. They've been life-savers this year.

 

That exhaust does look good paired the way you did it. Going to look great with the wire wheels.

 

I'm irritated. I don't care for the cheesy, cheap looking, piece of crap knob on the cheesy, cheap shifter. What I want is something cheesy that's my taste, like, an old 8 ball. Which, for $15, the cheesy shifter company retailer, "Johnny Law Motors" has. Problem is, they don't have the little detent release button. So, I called them. Got some young guy who knows NOTHING about the products, but, he listened while I told him what I wanted. He came back with this shopping list, the shift knob, 14.95. The adaptor to put the knob on the lever so the whole knob acts as the detent release (which I get), $29.95. A set of adaptors, to use ONE to put the knob on the main adaptor, and ANOTHER set of adaptors, to put the adaptor, with it's adaptor to the knob, on the lever. Total, $95. For a $15 shift knob. I'll get an 8 ball, drill and tap it, cut the detent rod down so it's always pushed in, and forgo $80 worth of adaptors.

 

I have the 8 ball shift knob that came on my LoKar shifter you can have. It has the button, not sure if it will work though.

 

And it's used to staring at a Desoto

 

At first glance Billy, it looked like the park brake handle was the distributor!


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Weird, I was packing up the 8 ball last night and must have been speaking out-loud when I muttered "will this work on Brian's roadster?" This was the response. So I think we are good to go. On it's way B!

 

Well, there you go! Carma!


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