This is fun. Great thing about speedsters is anything goes, and you're going with what you know. Traditional? When I found my speedster, the orginal steel floor had been cut out and replaced with tongue-and-groove, some time in the early '50s. Nice old-growth clear, but rotten to the core. Keep posting!
the wood looks good, but I see a clueless granddad telling his rascal that this car was a woodie. I weld '47 truck hood side's ford script into my '33-'34 panel below the deck... the above granddad told his young'un that my '34 was a DELUXE because of the script... buddies and I laughed all day about that one... still get the "that a deluxe" from the boys now and then...
Sloppy Jalopies I think listening to the stuff people say when trying to play "car expert" is half the fun of going to a show.I had a guy once tell me my Y block wasnt a ford engine because the distributor was in the back------
Are you planning on a modern Bimini top or more along the African Queen canvas and rope deal???? Just kidding! Pretty neat. What is the source of those wooden strips??
We made them ourselves. Atlantic White Cedar, which goes by the common name of Juniper down here, but isn't a real Juniper. Used a Wood-Mizer portable bandsaw mill to rough them out, then a table saw with a power feed, a thickness planer, and a shaper with the same power feed. You can buy them from outfits that specialize in strip-built canoes, though. Thank you to all for the support. It's just a extreme low budget, mess around kind of deal. I think I have just over $1,500 in it so far, not counting labor and leftover parts and such.
I missed this one the first time around but it shows that you can build something pretty nifty with the skills you know best and the material you work with well.
Got the frames glued in and started sanding. And sanding. And... Anyway, I took a break from that and wheeled it around to my little picture spot so I could take a few. I find it useful to study them. Right now, I'm trying to decide on the bottom edge profile. It's parallel to the frame rails, which I like, but I might cut a little off and raise the edge. Probably wait until I get it painted, though. That can change the appearance a good bit. To the fellow that suggested painting it clear, that would be pretty, but I think a little too pretty. This thing is really kind of rough, which suits me fine. I think a plain old brushed on paint job suits it. Forgive the dust and the dead leaves in the floorboard. Back to sanding, I guess. Eventually I'm going to have to get a real steering wheel and make one of those little offset cowl doohickeys to keep it from sticking out there so prominently.
Well, I tied the hood down and toodled around the yard in it a good bit yesterday, and a couple of things stood out. One was that you can tell a noticeable difference in the temperature around the engine with the hood on. Nothing to be worried about, just interesting. Another was that the frame twists some and kept popping the front corners of the hood past the radiator shell, so I trimmed it up. I didn't want to just raise the line parallel to the frame rails, because it came up too far on the radius of the firewall and looked funny to me, so I swooped it. I like the way it turned out, seems to kind of mimic the fender line of a stock Model A, so it looks kind of familiar and right to me. It cured the issue with the radiator shell. These old cars just flex a lot. I imagine the stock body and sub-frame added a good bit of stiffness. That blue strap isn't permanent, by the way.
I like the swoop. Hoping you have a plan for the wheels. I'm not digging the front-to-back combo as it currently sits. Just me, of course.
No, not just you. I don't like it either. Those are 600x16's on the rear, 4.75-5x19 on the front. I need 700x16 on the rear and either see how they look with the skinnies up front, or move the current rears to the front, or buy a couple more 19s for the rear. Right now the diameter of the fronts is larger than the rear. To be perfectly honest, I ordered the wrong rear tires. Just dumbass clicked the wrong tab. Didn't send them back because it was my fault, and .... At least they were on sale.
I tell ya...you have the perfect place to bomb around in that once its all together which isn't very far away...Simplicity can just be the cats meow... Just to ponder wheel balance...thoughts...to close? Ok? just playing...
I think I dig the 19's. They fit the style of car better. I dont think on a car like this you are worried about stance. i
My opinion, the thin 19s look more speedster, the thick 16s more hot rod. I think 19s are a better match for what you’ve done here. I went with 16s on mine, because they matched the vibe I was going for. EDIT: Stogy’s mock-up shows what I mean. More of an aggressive look with those 16s—OK if that’s what you want. Big and Little’s, on the other hand, scream hot rod. Also, on a speedster with no tail structure, they impart kind of a tractor look, in my opinion. All that’s missing is Buddy Ebson and the Green Acres theme song. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
V2_19's I'm pretty sure @rwrj is looking future thinking for a more fitting steering wheel and perhaps a more vintage gas tank just thinking out loud... wheel first tank 2nd... ...these just sorta stand out as out of sorts a bit but for all I know the tank could be from the 40's...dunno
I'm leaning toward the 19s, but maybe a more subtle color. Thank you for the photoshop stuff. I used the 16s for sentimental reasons, but I think I'll save them. I have the other two rims that came with the chassis with some dry rotted rollers on them. I'll throw them on tomorrow or the next day and see what you all think.
Remember, what we think doesn't mean jack. You have gotten this far thinking outside the box, no reason to start listening to us now. Run with what you like
Honestly what we say does mean something. I don't comment for the sake of filling posts I gather with others and interact. Nobodies forcing anyone here...This is about opinions, individuality, good times... and period Hotrods/Customs and all related...We have a diverse group of people here...many have been down the road others are starting and the rest are everywhere in between. I am always open to opinions.
Stogy, I hope you never stop posting, I find some of your posts incredibly helpful and informative. All I was trying to say (in perhaps a heavy handed way) is if he has a sentimental attachment to those rear wheels a thousand votes against them from us shouldn't sway him from what he wants. And since we are talking about opinions, I like the 16s best. Gives it kinda the same feel as this guy.
Ya know, there are some REALLY outstanding threads on the HAMB. I'm talking legit show winner stuff. And this car, in all it's "roughness" is right at the top. I think beyond all the magazine cars and jaded memories of "how it was done", this is truly what kids were building 90 years ago. Congrats and keep up the great work.
RW you have a tough choice with the wheels...best thing is they all fit so to me it's the best of both worlds...I'm curious about your other set you talk of...are they different to the 2 types I used for the visuals? I bought a set of 35 wires for my Hotrod to create different styles of look...haven't used them but I got them with the swapping in mind. I was even thinking WWW/BW to generate more visual impact. I should photoshop my own...
Stogy, The other two are just the same as the front ones, but with crappy (but the same size) tires. My original thinking with the 16s was something like what Mike Santiago did with his white speedster. I don't want to stick a picture of it here, because I don't want to presume. That is one of my all time favorite cars, though. Mine's not a copy, by any stretch of the imagination. It aint ever going to be perfect, but it rolls and runs. I'll just keep monkeying around with it. I sincerely do appreciate all of the opinions, though. Burkedore, That flathead T looks just right, but I'm not feeling the 16s all around on mine. Something just jars me there. (On the photoshop, not the T) tfeverfred, I really can't agree with you about my car being all that special (I'm flattered, though). I guess I do see what you mean about the spirit of it, if you mean I'm knocking it together as cheap as possible from what I can scrounge and re-purpose with no shop, oxy-acetylene as my only welding equipment (and skill), mostly hand tools... As far as those things go, I guess it's pretty authentic. Except I'm no kid.
The Jalopy Journal
