Hot Rods The "Whatever" project

Not going to be much progress for a few days. That weight jacker and the buggy spring took its revenge for not getting used after all. I dropped it on my left foot yesterday and did a little bit of damage to my left big toe mainly. Losing the nail in a couple of days and still oozing blood, but doesn't hurt. Well it probably does, but the damage to my back keeps the message from getting thru. So there is a brighter side to that.

So until next week, I'm not going to be in the garage so nothing new to report for a few days.

I can hear some saying yeah so what's new? Shaddup already...

 

Get well soon Dave.
I'm dealing with a similar back issue after overworking it doing yard cleanup. Car stuff is on hold.

 

Dave,
Don't know if you ever got the T5 tag cleaned up enough to read it. One I have looked just like yours. I was able to blast it using coal slag. Unfortunately, mine was not the World Class unit that you have. I would imagine that Gimpy told you that the WC in a Muncie style case is pretty rare. If that were mine, I would look for a WC Camaro/Firebird unit with the 2.95 first gear and swap the guts.

I'm curious as to what the tag number is for that transmission, just in case I ever found one.

 

The tag is just too damaged to read. I'm keeping my ears open in case I hear of a wc v8 T5 just for that reason. Of course the down side is I already got the adapter for the current one to make it work with a sbc without any modifications to the transmission. But think about the possibility of using say 2.50 ish gearing in the qc, and still having a good launch and ridiculous top end...

Well that's what I'm telling myself right now.

 

I'm not understanding the need for an adapter with what you have. If it has the Muncie style bolt pattern, you should be able to bolt it up to the common Chevy bellhousing. What am I missing here?

 

Input shaft length?

 

It turns out that the I-4 T5 had a longer input shaft and throw out bearing collar (or whatever it's really called). So if you shorten up the 2 parts to match the normal length of say a v-8 T5 or a Muncie or Saginaw box, you have to lengthen the splines towards the transmission. Or buy/make a spacer like the one that I bought. I know, I wussed out! Could have bought a piece of aluminum tooling plate and machined it out myself. But at under 150 bucks...

 

You guys and your backs. I did the other side and fell face first onto a concrete step a back in November.Still have some sore spots and sprung wrists. Something about getting old and taking longer to recover comes to mind.

 

Yeah and cold weather doesn't help either. Also there's some home projects to get done in the next couple of weeks. Got a tractor gauge/cowl panel today courtesy of my nephew ratrodder, via his parents. It might be cut up and turned into a dash. I also had to replace a coffee maker. Scavenged the power cord and a couple of internal parts, one being the boiler such as it is. It's got a stainless steel housing that looks like just the right diameter to become a housing for my mechanical tach.

So typical of all of us packrats, what can we make without spending money by repurposing something from left field.

 

Dave
Did you see the shifter surround/boot mount for my roadster?
Started out as an aluminum cook pan from Goodwill and the switch box was found at an electronics junk store. Also, that e-brake surround is a B&M auto trans shifter cover.
That was a frivolous (read that expensive) what-if purchase just to see if I could pull it off.

 

Yes that's what I'm talking about! That is clever re-use! See, and they say gearheads aren't environmentally friendly. Reuse reduce recycle they say, well hot rodders qualify as early environmentalists then!

The tractor panel delivered yesterday looks like it's got potential to be a gauge panel in the Whatever project. If not it's going into my mini same thing...

 

You mean you're not going to use it for an engine test stand gauge panel?! I'm verklempt...
Glad it's going to good use, it was just taking up space before.

 

Well that's the 3rd choice. But if that happens, make room in the new house plans for it. Roughly 4ft by 6 ft. You need to be able to walk around it in use...

 

New seats on order! Speedway bomber seats, free shipping! Under 500 bucks! How times change. Pictures next week when they are going in.

Maybe steering too... have to pace myself you know

 

Saw this mug Dave.
Thought of you.

 

Now that's fitting! You know, when this thing is done I'm going to have to have a sign painter/striper put it's name on it.

Good news today. Got the new Speedway bomber seats. I won't bore everyone with pictures of seats. They look just like in the catalog. And the most important thing? My deriere fits!

So tomorrow andFriday, fit the seats and finally finish the pedals and steering. It's supposed to be approaching 60 for the next couple of days, so it won't take too much to get the cold soak out of the garage.

 

I did it!I got out in the garage today! Realised that I'm going to have to get the door kit from Speedway for the body. Stepping over the side to climb in and out of the Whatever is a real killer for my back...

First thing I did was try the new seats, Speedway bomber seats. The former seat was a Kirkey Vintage seat, before the lightening holes. 2 of them would be a bit much width wise for the body. The bomber seats fit with plenty of room. I'm going to have to raise the new seats up about 3 inches, not a big problem. A 3 inch riser between the mounting pads and the framework previously made should do just fine.

Now with that established, I was able to determine the position of the steering column. Made a quick bracket to mount a support bearing for the intermediate shaft, and cut the shaft to length. File a notch in the ends to clear the tightening screw on the u-joints, and viola, the steering is established. Not fully mounted, but it gave me an idea of the next step. OOPS! Something is giving me issues today posting. Only wanted 1 picture, got 2. I'm going to reboot and see if it helps... back soon.

 

Well that was fun. Couple of minutes to reboot and try again. Computers always do what you tell them to do, not what you want them to do!

Where was I? Oh yeah, talking about the steering. So now that the bottom of the steering column is located, the next thing is to make a support structure to attach the upper column to. I was going to plaigerise Marty's setup in his #10 roadster, however the side bars get in the way of the door on the passenger's side. So instead, I remembered that he had done a double hoop arrangement on the Fiat (I think it was a Fiat...) roadster he restored. I'll copy that idea using 1 inch od 1/8 inch wall dom.

 

Fingers are also too fat! Went to post apicture, and hit post reply by accident. So here goes again...

1 hoop up against the firewall, 1 hoop at the edge of the cowl, a couple of cross braces, and I'll have a structure to attach that steering column to. Altho rope could work...Well no!

So next week get some tubing, build a couple of hoops, make a cowl support structure. Made a list of tasks for the next few weeks as well... And those seats don't look half bad! I'll have 'em upholstered locally somewhere down the road, maybe...

 

A door is one option. Another would be putting a retractable foot pad that telescopes inside the body when you are seated. My friend had a '23T altered that his wife drove and because she was small he made a retractable step for her to climb over and in. When it was retracted it was barely noticeable, kinda like a retractable radio antenna looks.

 

Dave, since you have decided to go to a pass side door, I thought this picture might be of interest to you. One of the Roadsters I built around 20 years ago, had an opening door, as the the older guy had leg braces and simply couldn't climb over the side. So, as the picture shows, I did it a little different. It worked out great, and still had the dash hoop and same windshield frame as the others.

 

Thanks guys. Both ideas are doable, altho I still like the side bar idea. There's not much between you and the outside world sitting in the fiberglass body. My ot 1st mini had door bars like you showed Marty. It was 1 bar per side from being fully SCCA GT5 legal when I built it in 96. It was more than legal for vintage racing. I thought building that thing was tough, what with fitting 10 pounds in a 5 pound bag... The new one I removed the roof, it's easier to get a cage in that way. Otherwise it's like a ship in a bottle. It's essentially a tube frame car inside a unitized body shell. Enough about that one...

Maarty, do you have more pictures of the structure in that car? It looks quite a bit different from what you did for #10. Thanks...

I have considered a step of some sort on and off, however SWMBO is not able to step over the side of the body, and really wants to be able to get into it with me. And since she's on board with me spending retirement funds on it, Iguess I better accomodate her. Of course that means a step will be required also as we have a step to help her get into our daily driver, a Chevy Equinox. So pictures of that fold away step would be appreciated if you have any. Besides, I may need one for the driver's side anyway.

 

Dave, I will look for more pictures, as far as a step, aren't you going the have side nerfs ?

 

Yes, I'm planning on it. So FF's idea of fold under, hide away steps could be incorporated into them. I'm picturing the bars angling out from the frame starting about at the edge of the fireway/cowl, to just barely as wide as the rear tires. Probably a dual tube arrangement, lower tube horizontal, andthe upper tube roughly 10 inches higher at the back, tapering into the lower tube.

When I made nerfs for the modifieds I kept them wide front to back between the wheels, as I didn't want to have someone's wheels get in-between ours. I don't think I need to worry about this on a hot rod, but you never know...

 

One other thing, Marty, does the rollbar taper top to bottom? I.E. is it wider at the top or is it just an optical illusion from the angle of the picture above?

 

Dave G, nice progress.
Stretch

 

I used to run my RPU at the Friday night street drags. When I won more than "my share" they instituted a rule "door cars only". So I took my sabre saw and cut out a door in the side, added hinges and jambs, and painted a sign on the inside of the door "Got Door?" just to p.o. the tech guys should they see if it opens.( I need to get after the crumpled body - trailer ramp incident LOL.)
Be sure to substantially strengthen the bottom half of the opening so stress cracks don't start in the paint.

 

That looks like a fun ride. Big Ford 6s seem like a good choice of inliner. Regarding the bottom of the body, I don't think there will be a problem. I plaigerized Marty Strode on how to mount the body, and had some 1/8 inch steel bent to 90 degrees, and then profiled it to match the shape of the body. It's welded to the frame rails so that the bottom flange of the body is supported from the firewall to the rear seat bulkhead 100%. And if my frame flexes when I finish welding and x-bracing it, I'm going to return my engineering degrees, my PE licenses, and all my tools and take up stamp collecting.

I do however still have to decide what way I'm going to support the turtle deck. Marty's method is nice, I'm just uneducated in fiberglassing. I guess I'll learn as there will be glassing involved with the turtle deck, so I might as well have my first efforts be hidden inside. Did you read this ratrodder? Hint, hint...

But it's gotten cold again, and I don't feel like heating the garage, as it's also snowing, so the door is going to be opened to get the snowblower out. Ah New York, don't like the weather? Just wait 10 minutes, it'll change!

 

Thanks. So how's the wiring coming out? I got to stop over soon and see it...

 

Dave, it is wider at the top.