Project $ 3 K Is Underway

Brian: Well, I've sort of been avoiding adding up where I am, but you guys are too sharp, so I guess it's time to "weigh in."

In July I posted this tally:

Initial purchase of body/frame on Ebay..........................$ 530.00
(frame ended up getting cut up and turned into a table, it was unusable )

New 2 x 3 , 3/16 wall tubing (20 feet)..........................$ 125.00

20 feet of 1 & 3/4 inch DOM tubing for crossmembers.......$ 85.00

Total Performance front spring perch.............................$ 30.00

" " " tubular front crossmember......................................$ 25.00

Model A rear crossmember (Ebay) .................................$ 50.00

Speedway early Ford biscuit engine mounts.....................$ 20.00

Model A rear spring (Ebay)............................................$ 50.00

Speedway rear spring perches, rear spring mounts, and
new front spring .........................................................$ 145.00

Front wishbones (Ebay)................................................$ 100.00

Superbell front axle (Ebay new)......................................$ 190.00

Chevy Blazer rear axle (junk yard)...................................$ 125.00

Early Ford pickup front shock mounts...............................$ 50.00

2 used chrome front shocks (Ebay)..................................$ 20.00

Chevy 3 speed trans (Ebay)...........................................$ 29.99
Shipping on the above ...........................................$ 90.00
(But it included a brand new Hurst shifter )

Chevy bell housing (Ebay)..............................................$ 32.00
(including UPS)

Chevy tranny mount (Advance Auto)...............................$ 5.00

Total Performance smooth perch pins for front axle..............$ 60.00

So, my total so far is........Drum roll please........................$ 1762.00


Now, on top of that, I am going to use the brand new rear slicks and custom made solid wheels I had built for my '39. The wheels and tires cost me
about $ 750.00, so this puts my total so far at $ 2512.00.


Since that time I have added the following:

$ 1000.00 for the front spindles, '40 Ford brakes, Buick drums, wheels and tires I pirated off of my '27. I figure that is an honest cost if I had to buy them.

$ 450.00 for the turbo 350 I just bought. But, I can back out the $ 129.00 for the three speed I didn't use, so net cost is $ $ 321.00

I also sold the bed off of the T on Ebay, so deduct another $ 135.00

(I'm fightin' for every penny here :D :D :D )

$ 53.00 for fiberglass supplies

$ 20.00 for sheet of plywood

$ 25.00 for the windshield

$ 75.00 for the Corvair steering box

$ 80.00 for a sheet of 3/8 inch steel plate

$ 50.00 for my headlights

$ 20.00 for headlight bar

$ 103.00 for steering parts from Speedway

And, I think that is it. If I have forgotten anything it is unintentional.

So the total is about $ 4124.00


Oh, I forgot I didn't use the Chevy bellhousing either, deduct $ 32.00 more. Grand total, $ 4092.00. Whoops, forgot the rear wishbones, approx $ 100.00, so back up to $ 4192.00.


So, I am a little over, but have added some expensive options which have inflated the cost a lot. Still, not bad, considering. Maybe $ 2000.00 more will wrap it up? I hope so. In this figure are about $ 1750.00 worth of slicks and front end stuff that I could have done without. If I would have used cheaper tires and regular '40 Ford brakes I could have shaved quite a bit from this figure. But sometimes the little touches become the soul of a car.

Thanks for asking,


Don

Don. I don't think moneywise your doing bad at all. Had you stuck with the original goal (a safe, well built, basic hot rod which you originally intended for your son as I recall) you would have been very close to your original estimate.

Following along with your project it also shows that sometimes circumstances and plans can often times change during the course of the build. Who the car is now intended for and ultimately what you now want it to be is justification enough for the added expense into the car.

Regardless of cost you are building a very impressive car.

Thanks Mike, it is just a bare bones, basic hot rod, but I am kinda getting into it a little. I can't wait til I fire it up, it has been 6 years since I have driven a rod, and I better do it before I get too old to climb over the side. :LOL: :LOL:


Last night when I was at the shop working on it, some guy who has a shop in the same complex was evidently tuning his drag car because I could hear the cammed up idle and open headers. It was a real incentive to get moving, especially when he would blip the throttle. Sounded really mean and took R's very quickly. Made me rethink keeping the stock roller cam in it........I want mine to idle on the ragged side too.

How is your engine build coming?


Don

JUst got back in from the shop a little bit ago, both the Hemi's are now long blocks. They still need the valves adjusted, intakes installed, primed and broken in. Hopefully the 354 for the Plymouth will be test fired and the cam broken in this weekend and the 331 for the 37 Dodge will be the following week. Got a lot of carbs to build between now and then, plus change the setup on the test stand to get the Hemis in it.

I'm planning on doing a Part 5 to the 4 part Hemi info I did a while back that covers the engine builds and shows some different options on doing these.

I'm planning on doing a Part 5 to the 4 part Hemi info I did a while back that covers the engine builds and shows some different options on doing these.[/QUOTE]

I saw you said this in another thread, and I hope you do it. This would be really a lot of fun to see and very informative. Please do it.

I wish a lot of other members would do threads and updates on what they are up to and are building or working on. I have been having a blast doing the Project $ 3K thing, and it has actually helped me keep moving because I know a lot of eyes are on me to get it done. I would love it if other members would let us into their garages and see what they are doing. All it takes is a digital camera and a few minutes to sit down and type up the most recent progress. This kind of info would be so helpful to others thinking of building something of their own.

I hope some of you will consider doing it.

Don

Don, your doing a great job. I know what you mean about wishing people would post more about the progress on their rods. I really enjoyed all the posting that I did while building the roadster pickup.---I also found that the most expensive part of building a car is the last 30 percent of the build. Thats when the damn money seems to take wing and fly out of your pocket.

Don if i was building a car from the ground up i wuold love to post my progress, as it is i only get maybe 5-6 hours a week in the garage, so progress is slow, plus all ive been doing is boring body work, plus i have not taken to many pics

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Thanks Mike, it is just a bare bones, basic hot rod, but I am kinda getting into it a little. I can't wait til I fire it up, it has been 6 years since I have driven a rod, and I better do it before I get too old to climb over the side. :LOL: :LOL:

Don

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get a passanger side door kit, if that happends :LOL:

let me get some pics togther, I'll put a progress update on my '51 Chevy. been wanting to do that for about 1 month now, it's really going to come togther over the winter, I'll have it step by step. the final bill should be somewhere in the ballpark of $3000 or so, spent about 2k on interior and paint over the summer.

Don
Most of what I've done on my 53 Ford in in my galery. No captions but pictures are there

well i will post some builds. i will soon be building a set of step tube headders for a small block ford with AFR heads on it. in a old t bolt look alike and some howto on some big block chevy stuff. if i can get the photos to fit in the post maybe some block repair if there is any one that want to see this stuff????

I can't wait to see each of your projects and posts. This forum is kind of like standing around the water cooler every morning.........we all tell what we did the night before.(well, MOST of what we did the night before :D :D )

I think it was Street Rodder Magazine, or maybe Rod and Custom that had a feature every month called Garage Scene, where they featured pictures and stories about what 2 or 3 average rodders were building in their home garages. These were "in progress, not finished" rods and customs, and was my favorite part of the magazine. I would turn to that section in the back of the book as soon as the new issue arrived every month, and look at what the other guys were doing. This forum is like that for me, and has replaced TV. I love to check in every day to see what you guys and gals are up to, and when you post some pictures that is just icing on the cake.

As I've mentioned, sometimes I feel sheepish posting some insignificant little bracket I have built, but I have come to feel that each of you on here are friends, and friends share this kind of stuff with each other.

As a side note, I have to tell each of you that another member called me at work today. I won't mention his name, not that it would matter, but he doesn't know I am going to mention this, so it would not be fair to him without his permission.

He and I struck up conversations while we were both surfing/members of another auto forum, and I gave him my phone number so we could BS a little. He made a comment today that echos exactly my feelings about this forum. He said "I am so glad I turned him on to CHR." He has been on other forums and found, like I did, that the atmosphere on those is totally different than on here. We have a group of men and women on here that respect one another, are friendly toward one another, and who sincerely care about what happens to the other person.

I had to pass that along, and thank each of you for making me smarter, and for doing that in such a pleasant way.

Don

You don't need my permission Don. So I guess I can take off these glasses with the fake nose and mustache?

Folks, you need to stand up give yourselves a pat on the back.

This is by far one of the BEST sites I've had the pleasure visit.
You are true craftsmen/women who share a love for the Hot Rod.
It shows in your willingness to help others without bias or contention.
The sense of community is apparent in the replies to posts and threads started. Questions are answered quickly, not just by a few but by many.
There is a honest desire to see others conquer their challenges and inspire motivation when the project grows teeth or starts to get old.
There's the good natured ribbing that allows us to laugh at ourselves, where at other sites it would result in a Flame War only rivaled by Napalm.

I'm truely grateful to Don for inviting me and to all of you for being such gracious hosts.

So please Stand UP and take a Bow!
I'll be in the front row clapping my ass off.:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Supa Roosta

I'll be in the front row clapping my ass off.:D

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You do that and you'll just fall off the chair.

I haven't fallen off of my chair since...............well..........last week.:LOL: :LOL:

Don

My project on the T bucket tonight is going to involve some electrical wiring. It really isn't time for wiring yet, but I want to do the underdash wiring while I have complete access to it, rather than having to lay upside down with a flashlight in my teeth, like I did on my '27. By doing it now I can not only do it easier, but neater also. My plan is to make up my own harness rather than to use one of the commercial units, like a Ron Francis, or Painless. Do not follow my example on this. The commercial kits are the way to go in most cases. They are better, easier, and end up costing about the same when you factor in what the wire, fuse box, terminals, etc. end up costing individually. Plus, each wire is marked as to where it goes, so these kits are very user friendly. They are fantastic.

So, if they are so good, why am I going to make up my own wiring harness? For a couple of reasons. First of all, I like to do wiring, and can customize the layout of the components. Secondly, the commercial kits have things I don't need on this car, like turn signal and air conditioning circuits. I am not going to have either of these, so the wiring on this car only needs to be very basic. Today I will pick up the wiring and components I need at work ( I always use marine grade wiring and components because they are tinned well and made to stand up to harsh elements. I did the wiring on the '27 about 17 years ago, and have never had one problem with corrosion or anything on it.)

Tonight I'll post some pictures of the start of this project, and show how I will begin the layout and placement of components.

Don

HE realy gets them cheaper from work so he can try staying within his budget:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
Though I make up my own harness also unless I'm doing somthing stock. I enjoy wiring it keeps the bugs out of your brain.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cffisher

HE realy gets them cheaper from work so he can try staying within his budget:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
Though I make up my own harness also unless I'm doing somthing stock. I enjoy wiring it keeps the bugs out of your brain.

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Cheaper heck, it's FREE. I steal it all.:eek: :eek: :eek: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

Don

I didn't want to infer that. But when I was building my 38 a bunch of things came real cheap that way. I had our layout man in the weldshop make my rocker panels. Axle brg. were free from berry bearing. Stainless bolts OH yea.

In the Fortune 500 companies they call these PERKS. Some guys get Mercedes company cars, I get 10 feet of wire. Something is really wrong with this picture.:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

Don

Tonight I worked on the dash wiring, and didn't get as much done as I hoped, but at least I know pretty much where everything is going under the dash.

The first thing I did was make up an exact duplicate of my dash out of a piece of masonite, right down to the gauge holes and ignition switch hole. By making it exactly the same, when I transfer the wiring harness I am going to make over to the real dash, it should fit perfectly. You can see from these first couple of pictures how much easier it is to wire the underside of the dash while it is in the open like this. I have total access to the backside of the gauges, switches, etc so that I can run wires without any problems.

Here are the first couple of shots of the front and back of the dummy dashboard.

I want to keep the dash totally clean, and only have 3 gauges (oil pressure, water temp, and voltmeter) in it, plus the ignition switch. I have built cars with the ignition switch under the seat, and in other hard to reach places, and will never do that again. It is very hard to hit the hole with the key when it is in places like that, especially when it is dark. So the only thing that will go on the dash switchwise will be that ignition switch.

The other switches are simple toggle switches that will mount under the front edge of the dash. All that I am going to have there will be my headlight switch, headlight dimmer switch, fuel pump switch, and electric fan override switch.

Rather than use a traditional fuse box, I am going to use individual panel mount fuse holders like those used in boats (surprise :D ) I am going to spread 7 regular sized ones across the passenger side of the dash (also tucked under the front lip of the dash) and one larger sized one to handle the higher amperage items.

To hold all of these switches and fuse holders I made up a piece of 1/8 th inch x 2 inch aluminum about 28 inches long. It goes clear across the underside of the dash, and will hold all of these items, plus 4 relays (1 hi beam, 1 lo beam, 1 fuel pump, and 1 electric fan. If I ever need to work on any of these, the aluminum panel is going to drop down with a few thumbscrews for eash access.

Here is how the switches and all mount under the dash.

I have to pick up another toggle switch and a bunch more fuse holders tomorrow at work, as well as 4 relays. Then I can start doing the actual wiring for the dash. I still haven't figured out where the cup mounted tach will go, but one place I am thinking about is the steering column support. I'll have to see when I get to that stage.

Now, it may seem out of sequence to be doing the dash this early in the build, but when building a car you have to be thinking 5 steps ahead of where you are, because if you don't, when you go to mount something you will find you haven't left room for it and you will have to possibly tear out what work you have done and reengineer it. We can't plan for every contingency, but if you are thinking ahead and sort of planning where other items are going to go, you will save yourself many redos. There have been a million times I have something all painted and realize I forgot to make a hole or space for some part, so I have to redo all of that work and start over.

Here are two pictures. The first one shows all you will see of the toggle switches under the dash, and the second shows the fuse holders. If you ever have to change a fuse you simply turn the cap on the fuse holder and the fuse pops out.

Thanks for looking, time for that late night shower and dinner I am getting used to.


Don

Last night I kinda took a nap after work, and woke up about 11PM, and decided to go to the shop and get a couple of hours work in on the T. When I got there my Son was just wrapping up working on his '29, because he had to go to work this morning. We both like working on our cars late at night because it has cooled off somewhat, and nobody is around to bother us.

Well, that sort of changed last night. Had a very weird experience. At about 2:30 I am in the shop with the overhead doors wide open, and some guy says to me "excuse me sir, have you seen someone walking or driving around here?" I said no, and he walks toward his car. Curious, I follow him and ask what is up. He tells me he has a shop down a few doors from us, and is working the night shift, and some guy walks into his shop. Somehow this escalates into him telling the guy "look, take anything you want, just get out." Then he runs into the office and locks himself in so the guy can't hurt him.

The whole thing didn't add up, and I said "did he threaten you, or what?" and he really never answered me, but he was all out of breath and shaking like a leaf. He says he called the cops, and a few minutes later they do show up. They went into the shop with the guy, and I was talking to the other cop and I asked him, does any of this add up to you? and he says he can't get a straight story out of the guy either as the guy seems to be really afraid.

So I end up back in my shop, kind of not sure what has just happened, and not real comfortable hanging around there, so I packed it in and left. I have always worried, particularly for my Son, because he stays a lot of nights until 4 or so, with the doors wide open, and he is all alone. So today I am adding a new tool to the shop.............a .38 revolver in one of the tool box drawers. With us busy grinding and the stereo blasting anyone could sneak up on us, and with some of these drug hungry dudes out there, you never know what is on their mind.

Well, time to head back over there and work on the underdash wiring. Don't think I'll be staying QUITE so late tonight.:eek: :eek: :eek:

Don

Don
You could go to radio shack and get a sensor to place across the door openings that would turn OFF your stereo if someone comes in. That should get your attension. They aren't that expensive and it could put your mind at ease about you and or your son working there late. I had one to turn on a rotating light but when your welding that won't help

Don---If your ever working late some night, and you see an old, bald, fat guy with a white beard trying to sneak into your shop---DON'T SHOOT!!!! Its either me or else your working on Christmas eve----Brian

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brianrupnow

Don---If your ever working late some night, and you see an old, bald, fat guy with a white beard trying to sneak into your shop---DON'T SHOOT!!!! Its either me or else your working on Christmas eve----Brian

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Good, bring some of that Canadian beer with you.:D :D :D :D


Charlie, you have a great idea there. I was thinking about maybe a metal screen that was still open to air, but that we could pull across the opening and lock people out, but I like your idea much better. I could even hook it up to an alarm.

Don

Went to the shop about 8:30 tonight, and worked until 3:30 AM, my Son was there working on his '29, so it was nice to have someone else there after the goofiness last night. At least we didn't have to shoot anyone.:D :D :D :D


Did some more work on the dash wiring. I am really glad I decided to do this while the body is off, there would be no way to do it after it was mounted on the frame. My '27 was bad enough, but the underdash area on that one is huge compared to the '23. There is almost not enough room for the components I need to put there for the electrical system. Most T buckets have the wiring under the seat, but I want my seats to be almost at floor level, so that ruled out putting the components there.

I used a "Riv-nut" tool my Son had bought to fasten the aluminum strip to the underside of the dash. If some of you have never seen one of these, they are very similar to a pop rivet except the pop rivet has threads inside so you can put a machine screw into them. They come in all different sizes (#8. # 10, 1/4 inch, etc.) and I used a # 10 size as this will be strong enough.

Here is a picture of what the riv-nut looks like after you use the tool to install it into a hole you drill. You can use them to mount all kinds of stuff to things like frame rails, and other places where you can't get behind to put on a nut.

After that was done I mounted all of the switches, relays, and fuses to the aluminum strip to see if it would all fit. Luckily it did, but not by much.

Here are a couple of pictures of the components all in place and ready for wiring.

Finally, after all of this it was time to start doing the actual wiring. I am going to use a 30 amp circuit breaker right at the battery to protect the entire main power supply. From this I am using 10 gauge marine grade wiring and crimp on terminals. I know some people say soldering is the only way to do a wiring job, but I like the good crimp on terminals with heat shrink tubing on them. It is all a matter of personal taste in this regard.

That 10 gauge red and black is bringing good 12 volt power to a junction block, and from there I have branched it out to the individual panel mount fuse holders, and then also to the switches and relays. I am color coding the entire system to make future repairs and tracing easier. I am using 12 and 14 gauge for most of the circuits that run the lights, ignition, etc.

In the pictures below I am about 1/2 done with the wiring under the dash. Once I finish up the gauges, lights, and ignition I will loom it all neatly and set the harness aside until the car is all painted and ready to have the engine and lights wired.

But this puts me pretty far ahead, and pretty soon I can start wooding the body.

Thanks for looking,

Don

Don---Nice work. My wiring jobs always start out that neat. They always seem to end up, well,----lets talk about something else.

I agree with Brian, nice work. I actuall enjoy wiring (close the shop doors turn the stereo on and start running circuits.

One of the things I do is start out with a basic list of circuits/componets than will go into the car (lets me figure out how many fuses I'll end up with).

With that I then draw up a working wiring diagram(s) and write in the color coding/guage as I go along. After all is said and done I then go back and do a finished wiring diagram (in the case of the Plymouth, there are actually 4 seperate diagrams that cover various sections of the car. It takes a bit of time but it's a god-send if you ever have to trougble shoot down the line and it's something nice if the car is sold to someone else.

One other little thing I also have started doing is to run an additional 2-3 circuits in the wiring looms under the hood and to the trunk. If I ever decide to add something else the wire is already there already neatly wrapped in the loom and I don't have to figure out how to get the new circuit to where it needs to go.

I always wire my own cars, too, simply because I enjoy doing it. It's kind of a quiet change of pace after welding, grinding, spraying, etc. on the rest of the build.

It wasn't always that way, though. I remember wiring my first hotrod (a C-Cab delivery replica) 30-some years ago. I thought it would be cool and look less cluttered if I used only one color of wire - black! I worked slow, one complete circuit at a time until everything was done. Miraculously, everything worked when I was done, but it looked like a big clump of black spaghetti under the dash and under the seat. I drove the car that way for about a year and then traded a paint job for a re-wire job. I painted a friend's T-bucket and he rewired my C-Cab with me watching and learning.

Don, are you sure about the wisdom of having no turn signals in your roadster? With all the old geezers driving here in Florida, you need all the visibility you can get. I build all my cars with turn signals, brake lights, four-way flashers, and my coupe also has a 3rd brake light/turnsignal lights in the rear window...

Brian: I know exactly what you mean. When you are all done there are wires running around that are hard to get to run the same direction as the rest of them. No matter how you plan it, there are some wires that just screw up the bundle because of how they have to go. I start off wanting the wiring to look all neat and uniform, but it ends up being what it has to be to work.

Mike: I like the idea of putting some extra circuits there that have no purpose today, but may be used in the future. We add something later on, and just run some random wires to make that work, or we modify some existing circuit and find we need another wire or two. I think I will do that also. I know I need to have some wires there to run my tach, even though I don't know yet where it is going to mount, so I will do what you have suggested and just have an empty plug sitting there to tap into. The drawing is another good idea. In fact, I think I will laminate one and keep it in the car for any roadside troubleshooting.

Thanks for the feedback guys.


Don

James: Didn't mean to exclude your comments, you and I must have been typing at the same time. Dan and I just had this same discussion last night about the turnsignals. I have them on my '27, and still supplimented them by always sticking my arm out and using it to indicate I was turning. I just didn't trust those little '47 Chevy taillights to be seen. On this car I am only going to run one taillight.........a huge taillight. I bought one on Ebay a while ago that is about 7 inches in diameter, and it says "STOP" across the face. Having the one light limits me to not having turnsignals, although I could add a couple small ones in the frame corners.

I know what you mean though, and I am still pondering that decision, but the tried and true arm out the window gets their attention because you rarely see that anymore. In fact, if I am making a left handed u turn at a red light, I still hang my arm our the window of my regular car, because I want the car behind me to know I am doing more than just turning left into the next intersection, I am going to go in a U. Saves them climbing up onto your rear bumper sometimes.

What do you mean about Florida drivers? I've never noticed anything bad about them. NOT !!!! I think all the other States have some law where they deport them to Florida.:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:


Good comment though, and I may regret that decision and have to change it down the road.

Don


James: I did exactly the same thing one time. My first wiring job I thought it would look much better not to have all those different colored wires running around, so I did it all in red wire so it would blend in nicely with the red paint. Then I found out why they do it this way when I had to fix a problem and trace the wires. I went crosseyed trying to follow that one wire. lol

Thank God for black electrical tape. It covers up more sin than people will ever know.

In regard to turn signals & hand signals....
I question how many 20/30 somethins know what the hand signals mean.. The younger ones may equate it with a ' drive by ' going down ',.... ( & I don't mean crusin' ). the good thing is you can turn faster , since you don't have a cell phone stuck to your ear. JMO

You are probably right. They may sort of understand the signal for a left turn, but wonder "why the heck does he have his arm stuck up in the air?" when I would be making a right turn.

I see a lot of drivers here with their arms dangling out the window, TOSSING THEIR CIGARETTE BUTTS ON THE ROAD.:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: Don't get me started on THAT one, it is one of my pet peaves. These idiots hear all the time about how Florida is a tinderbox in dry season, and they still keep tossing lit cigarettes out the window. There are times when I would love to be a cop.


Don

" .....I question how many 20/30 somethins know what the hand signals mean......"

I tend to agree fourty1. I built an old Harley bout 10 years ago and elected for a bit cleaner look on the bars and front forks by deleting the turn signals.

About getting nailed a couple of time was enough for me, it got signals. I was courious and have asked some of the 15-25 year old kids over the years (especially when the suject of bikes come up) if Drivers ED teaches arm signals. The answer....NO.

drivers ed here in ny dosn't teach hand signals ither. I do know the signals anyway.