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

Well, you sure do make it look that way!
Awesome workmanship here. Again, thanks to you and Pat for keeping this thread up to date and letting us follow along. The posts on the CHRR were fun to follow too - sure would love to make it there some day!

 

What a treat to watch this process! Thanks again!

 

George, Jeff and Jerry switched to Alcohol after they blew-up the gas engine, about 8 seasons after they bought the truck in 2003. They also told me that Jim Oddy helped out with camshaft selection and setup the injector. When we walked into the track last Friday, I heard the familiar "Rump,Rump" sound, and told my buddies that it sounded like the truck. We hustled toward the noise, and sure enough, it sounds just like it used to. I just had to pose for this shot, to revive old memories !

 

Roo, I certainly enjoyed the visit, it's always great when you finally meet someone, that far exceeds your expectations in character, and I expected plenty. It was also fun to get in on your bargaining on those covers !

 

the last time I saw it was probably 2004/2005. Are there any blown gassers left in the NW?
Like the hat! Last time in Vietnam, I got a Hawaiian Punch hat, I gotta keep an eye on it so my wife doesn't throw it out!

 

Marty
So I'm sitting in the stands with no hair, hat, sunglasses, not even any sunscreen and I say to my pal that I sure wish I had brought my gardening hat, he looked at me kinda funny.
Two places you don't wanna show up at without a hat, Bonneville and Bakersfield.

 

The only blown Gassers in the NW, that I know of are the modern ones, quite different from the ones we revived the class with in the 80's.

 

God I miss that....

 

I got quite a sunburn several years ago, it took a while to heal. Some of my old buddies in their 80's are dealing with skin cancer, I get a lot of remarks on my big hat, but I don't mind.

 

I got my Hawaiian Punch hat after Deuce Days, man I got fried! My wife HATES it. If I ever make it to Bonneville, I gotta get a Pure pith helmet!

 

Well, today between posts, I got the roll bar installed for a preliminary fit. I intentionally cut the legs a little long, so for now It's "Too Tall", kinda like the driver ! After I get the top edge of the body trimmed, rolled and welded, I will cut it to the proper height.

 

Hi Marty

Nice fit on the hoop into the body

In about 65' here in so-cal George Boltoff ran his blown gas 92' like the truck with just a wisper of black out the pipes in the day light, so everybody knew that it was his digger and they sure do sound good that way

DND

 

The turtle deck has some rust in the driver side front corner. Rather than make a section to repair it, I am looking for that section (2" wide) off of an original 23-25 deck, to fit and weld. If anyone out there knows of one, PM me. Thanks.

 

Geez Marty,

I figure with your skill you could knock that out in about 10 minutes. Piece of conduit as a hammer form and tack that baby in there.

 

Bruce, I could make that part, but it would be easier and faster to fit real "Henry" steel in there. I would use a bead roller instead of conduit, however.

 

Geez Marty, trying to take the easy way out . I have to agree, no matter how good you are, some things are still better if you can get a original replacement.

 

Dale, What a great visit with you, on our way back from CHHR. Keep those projects and chassis kits going ! I have already received a PM, on the possibility of the replacement sheet metal.

 

I worked on the belly pan today. Using 18 ga electro-galvanized steel, I bent the sides around a 1" tube bending shoe. Some notching was required to clear suspension brackets on the outside of the frame rails, and the bellhousing area. It's just blocked up for a visual, it will be bolted to the outside of the rails. I will also bend up and install a 3/4" round tube frame, inside the pan for support and protection around the driver's feet.

 

Yes Marty, it was a great visit, although a bit brief, especially when Bob decided he hadn't spent enough money in Backo

 

Marty,
Being serious now:
When you say you formed that around a 1" diameter 'bending shoe' is that the piece in the Brake? I see how the upper clamp is moved back, but what keeps the tube from just being pushed up when you start the bend? Is there a flat bar welded to the tube?
As you can tell, my metal forming is more closely related to blacksmithing.

 

Bruce, Yes, there is a 2" wide strip of 10 ga welded to the tube, I have them in all diameters, from 1/2" to 5-1/2". It makes it easy to hold bend centers.

 

Good guess mate. The fingers/leaf in the brake is pinching a flat bar/strap that is welded tangential to the tube.

Damn--holeshot by Marty.

Roo

 

The larger tube version shows the strap 'under' the tube. My guess, before I saw that, would have been 'tangential' to the O.D. Does that make sense?

 

Correct. I've used that method to build dragster wings.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

" Tangential" ? Where did you guys get that "Big Word" dictionary ?

 

Here is a couple of better shots, showing the entire car. The top edge of the body will finished next.

 

I liked the way it sounded when Roo typed it. I was an Autoshop Teacher. I used to come up with words like that for the kids to define and explain. Kinda like applied math.

 

I worked on the top edge of the body surround today. With aviation snips, I trimmed off the vertical flange, and with a hammer and dolly, I flattened and trimmed the flange to the proper width. After adding the 2 filler pieces, I shaped the flange over the round tube and skip welded the total perimeter. Now I can shorten the roll bar to the proper height.

 

Looking great Marty!

Steve

 

While Marty's doing the heavy lifting up in OR, I've been busy scrounging small parts. Earlier I mentioned two things: (1) This re-creation will be as exact as possible, but also practical, given my budget and the car's intended use. (2) Given No. 1, I can't afford a dash-full of 1st-series, curved-glass, smooth-bezel S-W gauges like the ones you see in the original photo of the dash. Next best, I figure, are the much more affordable and available 2-5/8" black-face, step-bezel Stewart-Warners. I just found an NOS in-the-box fuel pressure gauge at the CHRR swap, so here's a look at what I have so far.
The large mech. tach I got free and just had rebuilt by No. Hollywood Speedo with the correct drive. Now I'm looking for any sort of pre-'63 Chev/GMC distributor (Mallory, GMC truck?) incorporating a tach drive, that I can mate with one of my 12-plug Nash tops.
I don't need the vacuum gauge, and a couple of the pressure gauges. What I do need are two Fuel level gauges, preferably a working 12V one with a sender. The Spaldings apparently hooked the other to a sender in the pan to read oil level. If it looks correct in the dash, that's good enough for me.
The best find--thanks to a tip from Dennis Webb--is the Bell dash-mounted fuel pressure pump. The guy who had it, Dean Bernstrom, said he had it in his lakes Model A in '48, and that it's been in several race cars since. It's in great working shape, and the best part is that it has Bell Auto Parts embossed in the fluted handle.
Next I'll try to get some progress shots of the engine at Bob McKray's. And I'm looking for someone in So-Cal who can groove dirt-track tires.
I'm very glad Marty's doing the heavy lifting.
Pat Ganahl