Hot Rods Spalding Bros Repro, for "Too Tall" Ganahl.

I second that. Your attention to detail is amazing. Can't wait 'till you start the RPU project.

 

Thanks to all of you for the kind words, this build is special to me. Not only because of my love of Track Roadsters, but to build it for Pat, my friend for 30 years.

 

Dean, We need to talk about details of the chassis the RPU, as I plan to get started on it this Fall.

 

George, It's been a long pull to acquire the tools and equipment that I have, and it certainly makes the job easier and a better result. When I built my first car from the ground up, I had a hand drill, some basic sockets and wrenches, and my Brother loaned me his acetylene torch. Between borrowing an arc welder, and a disc grinder, we got it built, that was over 50 years ago !

 

I stumbled onto a deal about 4-5 months ago where I got a whole bunch of stuff at once. Wire beading rollers, really STURDY homemade bead roller, 6' finger brake, tons of shot bags, shrinkers and stretchers, tucking pliers, all kinds of home-made clamps, dollys, t dollys, ect. basically a lifetime worth of serious professional metal shaping equipment. Now I just gotta learn how to use it properly!!

 

Whoh!! Please tell me you guys are gonna clone Deans RP!! Build thread!!!

 

You know, this is what I really love about the best race cars, they are so elegant in their simplicity. I can look at the photos of the Leaver and Esser chassis that were in TRJ for hours. They really are beautiful.

 

You know Marty I look back and wonder what I was thinking. I didn't have many more tools than you and only an old wooden shed in the back yard to put it. I did have a set of torches and a Monkeyward buzz box and I was a little older in my mid 40s when I found the project.
Gary

 

With Dean as an adviser, I am planing on building it as close to the original as possible. Pat tells me if it resembles Dean's, he has offered to paint it for me, and even have Junior mix the paint !

 

Oh man, is THIS ever gonna be cool! Do you plan to do it with the WCFB's and beanie caps, or Hilborns and Halibrands?

 

A little Hint, I am going to need some shorter stacks !

 

Hot damn!!

 

Gary, It looks like you had a good candidate to start with, and you turned it into a great car that has served you well. When do I get to take it for a drive ?

 

Marty I wish you lived closer you could drive it all 150 miles on the reliability run leaving Petaluma a week from Saturday.

 

He lets anyone drive that car. Hell, he even let Chip drive it!

 

Better start looking for a pair of Austin Healey buckets Marty. Those may be the hardest pieces to find. At least affordable ones!

 

I have a nice pair of TR4 buckets in my stash, not sure where I will use them yet, but they will find a home, too cool not to.

 

Marty, could you toss us a bone... how long are the front bars / arms and how much weight is on the front end? Just wondering... Gary

 

Hey Marty, I think I have the stacks you need. Call me, G......

 

Gary, All 4 of the bars are 26" long, and the arms are 8" long. I am in the process of adding some weight, to all 4 corners prior to setting 4 scales under the frame at those locations. That way the un-sprung weight will not be a factor in the numbers. Schroeder has standard 26" bars in small increments, so they will supply what we need.

 

Gary, I would love to take it for a drive someday. During the 8 years I owned my old #7 Roadster, I let no less than 75 people drive it. Still to this day, my favorite response was from Mike Bishop, after he finished an early morning photo shoot for American Rodder. We were in an orange grove a couple of miles from Famoso Drag Strip, I asked him if he wanted to drive it, and he said "Sure"! I followed him in his blue 29 Roadster, and a friend of his named Jack, was behind me in another 29 Roadster. When we drove into the strip, he immediately pulled over and walked right past me, and on to Jack, I heard him say, "Jack, I can't believe it, it does everything better than mine" !

 

Gary, Hey wait a minute, how many guys named Gary, do we have on here ! That sounds great, will you be going to the "Toutle Drags" on Sunday ? I always enjoy your company, Old Friend !

 

Dean, Those seat are Austin Healey, and not Bug Eye Sprite ? I have some friends locally that deal exclusively in British Cars, and have quite a selection of parts. I am also looking for a pair of seats out of a Triumph Spitfire, for my Simca project, down the road.

 

George, Marty
Only three people have ever driven my roadster EVER! That includes me and Chip. The other is my friend Al who was in on the build and early trips to LARS. You two are on the list in the future. I would really like to see "Too Tall Ganahl" in it.
Gary 1

 

Gary for sure we gotta meet up one day, Marty too. I put both you guys in the "friends Ive yet to meet" category.

 

Sprite seats are the same as Healy seats. I took the seats in the red car from a Healey in a bone yard in 1960. When I built my '28 Tudor in '73 I used seats from a Sprite and they were exactly the same.

 

Looking good Marty!!!

 

Noticed the rear hubs. Tell us about them. What are tye and what type brakes do you have on them. They appear to be sprint car stuff.

 

They are 4/C Racing (San Jose,Ca) Hubs and brakes, they were used primarily on Supermodifieds, and some Stock Cars. Not sure of the origin of the backing plates, they have a 4-C stamp on them, are self-energizing and have wider shoes than the early Fords. Unlike the Safety Racing hub and drum assys on the black car. The red car has a set of Frankland units, They all evolved off of the OEM 39-41 3/4 ton Ford rear hubs, like on my #7 car pictured above.

 

Oops, I forgot to load a picture of the Frankland units.