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

Me again...
I just read what I posted and I forget I no longer have copy editors, so please excuse my typos.
And to Protype: Yes I'm using the Mopar filter that came with my engine, using screw-in hoses, and I even found a filter to fit it. Next time.
Pat

 

@ Pat: when is the next book and what topic?

 

Not too much info Pat. Love this kind of post.

 

X2 what Dean said^^^!

 

Pat, As your most inexperienced student / observer, I must say; this good reading. Great photos, too.

 

I thought I would share this picture of my old roadster that I received yesterday. After completing it in '98, I drove it about 12,000 miles, raced it on dirt over 20 times, and sold it in 2006 to some folks in Seattle. I must say, it couldn't be in better hands, thanks to Roger and Dave !

 

Are you guys still looking for these? https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/roto-flo-shocks.1063269/

 

Pat, do you know how many times the original Spalding car was raced on a track (as opposed to lakes)?

 

I have a project in the shop that might be of interest to some of you. It belongs to some friends of mine, the Bradshaw family, that hold the Portland Transmission Show every Spring. It was built by Diane Bradshaw's Father, Harold Langdon, in the late 50's / early 60's. My task is to replace the seats and carefully trim the sheet metal behind the seats, to make more room for the occupants, so they can enjoy driving it. At first glance, it resembles a Bugatti, and my old friend Ken Crawford said, "Harold must have been a true blue Soup Jockey, to have had that kind of hardware" !

 

pretty

 

Cool.

 

I like it, too. Gary

 

With a BB Rajo that thing should fly!

 

Very nicely put together machine.With a great selection of go fast goodies.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

I realize that blue T is a family heirloom and all, but it sure could use a color change so it doesn't have the Bugatti look.

 

Hello folks. It's been a little while. I assume Marty's busy doing something on that cool Rajo. Meanwhile, I've been doing more work than I expected on son Bill's '64 Riviera, which I volunteered to paint for him. Ninety per cent of any good paint job is prep, but it's boring and ugly. This morning I finally got a coat of Bill's custom pearl lavender shot on it. Photos don't do the color justice.


However, between coats I've made some progress on the engine. First was a little schmunda and some hammertone paint on the oil pan, which is now bolted on.


Next was to complete the oil system, which started with cutting a gasket and then making a plate from 1/4" aluminum which I drilled and tapped for screw-in hoses, then polished. My theory is that race cars should look as good as they run. Hopefully that will pan out.



And here's the Mopar oil filter with the new hoses attached, same as Spaldings'. From more research, I found this a '46 Chrysler filter, and amazingly my great parts store (Master Auto Parts, Sun Valley CA) had a correct cartridge on the shelf. It's a Wix 51062. This completes the full-flow oil system. Next step is to fill the pan and run the pump with a drill and long screwdriver blade to see if it works (or leaks). Wasn't ready for that today.




Finally, I checked the fit of intake gaskets I made to fit the head quite a while ago. I can see some trimming is in order. But this is enough for today. More paint coats tomorrow. Then we'll see.
Pat

 

Somehow the last photo disappeared. Here it is.


PG

 

Pat, Marty got done with the Rajo today ! My task was to mount Bomber seats on hinges to tilt forward, and to carefully "moon out" the back rest area. Rather than cutting and welding,(I didn't want to disturb the paint anymore than I had to), so I formed and attached some aluminum moldings. I also replaced the gold anodized front floor skin, with a fresh one that I will have clear anodized. When the upholstery shop makes the seat cushions and covers the seat backs, they will make a snap on wrap to cover the modified area. The next thing on the Spalding will be the side nerfs, and the hand brake linkage and lever.

 

Looking good Mr G.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Excellent work on such a cool car


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

It's been a while since you've heard from Marty or me, so here's a quick update before Anna and I take off for Wash. D.C. tomorrow. It's been an unusually busy summer, and between trips I've been trying to get final clear coats on the S.S. Riviera for Bill. In the meantime, at the L.A. Roadsters swap meet, Don Ferguson told me he thought he had at least one of the Spalding ignitions, complete with a tach drive, so I went to check it out a couple weeks ago.


This is the first S-W "tach drive adapter" I've ever seen in person. Unfortunately it's been modified to fit a Wayne front-drive assembly, which mounts the ignition vertically at the front of the engine and drives it off the front of the cam. The distributor is the type that mates the big Nash cap, rotor, and dual points to the original stock Chevy distributor, except this one has had the lower shaft (with cam gear and oil pump tang) cut off, and the Nash "dog drive" added at the bottom. This could be made to work in my engine; I definitely prefer this type of tach drive. But he wants big dollars for it (I don't blame him), so I'm considering....

Meanwhile Dennis Webb has been working on the nose, and he said I could come see it today.




I gave Dennis some more photos, especially of the nose, of the real car, and said "Make it look like this." So that's what he's doing. Don't be misled by the size of the opening. The grille, which he'll also fabricate, is considerably larger.



This profile, including doublers you see inside, will eventually get cut out to fit around the axle and torsion bars/shocks. But it was made from the duplicate of the original Ingles buck, which Dennis has. The buck you see in the background is for a Kurtis midget nose, one of which you see in progress on the floor.
Hopefully more news soon. Pat

 

I am just wondering how that front suspension can work since the connection between the front axle and the torsion bar arms do not have any allowance for movement, since as the arm rotates (either up or down) it will want to shorten.
Surely a shackle arrangement would be needed on at least one side?
I am certainly no expert on this stuff, so if I am way off forgive me and let me know how it works.

 

The RH torsion arms (front and rear) are slotted and allow movement, and the driver side arm keeps the axle centered with the chassis. That's how the original was done as well.

 

Great and thanks for clearing that up, I was curious how movement was managed.
Clean, simple setup and surely comfortable and adjustable.

 

I have been busy with a variety of make up projects this Summer, and will be back on the Spalding soon. One of the tasks was retrofitting an Ardun in place of a flathead in a land speed car, a lot of changes were necessary. In one of my old posts I showed my "in the works " '40 pickup, I finally got the side-boards done. My friend Mitch Kim really did a job for me, he is truly a master with a brush! His wonderful work, is my motivation to get it painted Washington Blue this Winter, and wrap it up. Pat is planning on bringing some major parts up to me soon, and the Fall and Winter will be productive !

 

Wow, Marty! Real classy work. You have some serious talent. Hope all is well--Dale Seaholm

 

Dale, I don't know about my talent, but it's like cheating to have Mitch as a friend. BTW, your project is certainly looking great !

 

It's been a crazy-busy summer. People told me this is how retirement would be. That must be it.
We've been neglecting this site. So I was going to post an apologetic update yesterday, but Marty beat me to it (minus any apology--rightly so).
Last week son Bill came down to pick up his finally finished (and seemingly interminable) pink pearl Riviera...and left a now-very-sits-right '33 Fordor in its place. He (South City Rod & Custom) did a wonderful job on the chassis and running gear, which you will see soon in the pages of Street Rodder mag. Meanwhile I can uncover and move things around in my garage...


...And get back to work on the Wayne Chevy for the Spalding car. Not only did I get some more parts massaged and bolted on yesterday, but I've also been hunting everywhere for Spalding ignition stuff, with some recent luck. Here's a sneak preview. More 12 Port news very soon. I promise. Pat

 

Thanks Marty for the kind words. I'm trying to work on it some everyday. It needs finished up. Updates coming soon. Man, I just love how you do things. Ever since Ruthless you have been on my radar with your talent and taste. Keep rockin' man. You should post pictures of that digger. I'm sure a lot of people here have never even seen it.

 

Dale, It's funny that you should mention "Ruthless", I first met Pat and other California Luminaries when I was racing a Fuller Car in 1986, those connections have opened many doors for me. My fondest memories of that period, has to be my involvement with Tom Willford. The resto of the Ron Bizio truck, and the Don Long car we called "Ruthless". Much of the credit for the re-construction, detail, and just putting up with me, should go to my old pal (since the 5th grade in 1958) Bobby Mead. The whole atmosphere was one of camaraderie, notice the guy in the middle in the 2nd shot? People that weren't around in those days, will never know great those times were, and will never be duplicated, I was just one of the lucky ones !