Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[J. Robinson]

Hi Mark.

I sent pics to both of the e-mail addresses I have for you. Let me know if they don't come through.

Jim

[Henry Rifle]

Don,

That eBay track roadster just SCREAMS for an I-beam front axle.

[Itoldyouso]

Yep, that was the one thing I didn't care for on it. Looks too offroadish.

Don

[J. Robinson]

I agree, the frontend on that car needs work. One thing that might help right off would be to put some smaller tires on the front. Those big fat things look out of proportion.

The twin-I-beam frontend that Ford put on their trucks for years was probably one of the worst engineering fallacies that was ever perpetrated on the American truck-buying public. It was strong and rugged, but, no matter wat you did, it was always out of alignment as soon as you changed the load. Now someone is selling split I-beams for hotrods (I can't remember if it is Posies or Fatman) and that's even worse! The slightest change in ride height, spring rate, or load ( different weight passengers?) causes a change in camber and it may be different from one side to the other!

That little roadster (above) has some potential to be a nice car. The first thing I would do is torch out all that twin-I-beam junk and put a different front axle under it (I'd also lower it an inch or two while I was at it). Anybody know what the selling price was?

[Bob Parmenter]

Now someone is selling split I-beams for hotrods (I can't remember if it is Posies or Fatman) and that's even worse!


Anybody know what the selling price was?

The split axle you're describing is done by Fatman, he originally made it for a tube axle rather than beam, the pivot bungs weld into the tube. Here's an article where he adapted it to a beam axle. http://www.webrodder.com/article.php?AID=283&SID=16 He calls it Vintage IFS.

Flaming river has also brought out a setup that is more like the Ford design, they call it the Dominator (?); http://www.flamingriver.com/index.cf...349/prd349.htm

As for that roadster, I don't think it sold at auction as it was on Craigslist a week or so ago. If I remember correctly he was asking $7500.

[Itoldyouso]

This is how it ended up. Didn't make reserve.


US $7,100.00
Reserve not met

Buy It Now price: US $9,999.00


Don

[J. Robinson]

With the radiator mount done, the next step was to make the brackets for the nose. I started, of course, buy mocking the nose up in place. I cut four pieces of bed rail angle iron 1" wide. Then I held them in place inside the nose, against the support hoop, and marked where to cut the short side off to fit (see pic). After I cut and drilled them, I welded a 1/4-20 nut over each hole on what would be the inside.

Next, I tack-welded them in place, removed the nose and welded them solid. After the welds cooled, I put the nose back in place and marked the inside for the mounting holes. Finally, I drilled the holes and mounted the nose with 1/4-20 button head bolts.

I could have glassed in some mounting tabs inside the nose and made hidden brackets, but I am attempting to keep this thing closer to how it might have been done in the early 50's. If you look at pics of old midgets & sprint cars, you will often see bolts, screws, or Dzus fasteners holding the nose in place.

[J. Robinson]

Here it is with the nose mounted. I couldn't resist rolling it out for a couple of "full view" pictures.

[J. Robinson]

A lot of other people must agree with us if the maximum bid on that roadster only reached $7100. I would bet that with different wheels and tires to change the stance it might bring at least its reserve price. That thing seriously needs some "bigs & littles" and they need to be blackwalls. I have nothing against wide whites, but those are just plain ugly on that car.

[Itoldyouso]

Car looks great in the Florida sunshine ! Profile is right on. Are you gonna make a full hood, or partial, or none, and what are you going to make it out of?


Don

[bluestang67]

Jim looks like a new project over there with four doors. Wondering now on what plan you have for it also.

[J. Robinson]

Don - I am intending to run a full hood on it. According to my books by Don Radbruch, almost all of the old track roadsters ran with at least a hood top. I suppose it must have been required by the rules. Many of the nicer cars had fully enclosed engine bays. I will probably make it from aluminum or steel.

Bobby - The 4-door in the background is my son's project. It is a '31 Model-A Murray body Town Sedan with slant windshield. He has been working on it for a couple of years now. Most of that time was spent in salvaging the body which was unbelievably rotten. The local "restorers" all shied away from it because they considered it too far gone to save. My son bought the body for $260 and went from there. Here's a picture before we blew it apart for finishing and painting.

[bluestang67]

Body sures look clean now . Jim the track is looking good also . Getting really close to plumbing at the rate your going .

[J. Robinson]

When he got that sedan the sub-rails were completely gone on both sides, the lower cowl sections were rusted away, the lower 10 inches or so of the rear body panel was rusted away, and the rain gutters were completely gone. Worst of all, the inner door jamb structure around the driver's door was rusted out. I had to tack-weld the doors shut to get everything squared up. Then we climbed inside and X'd the body in a few places with conduit so that we could lift the body off the frame without destroying what was left of it. After trimming out some remaining rust scraps, we fabricated new sub-rails from 1" x 2" rectangular tubing and then started fabricating patch panels. After we did all the patchwork welding and filled the roof (with the roof panel from a 1986 Toyota van), we removed the conduit bracing from inside and cut the doors loose. We welded 5/16" round stock where the gutters were and he molded it in while he was doing all the bodywork. It's a pretty nice, solid body now...

The Track-T still has a long way to go, but I'm pleased with the progress so far. I would probably be moving a little quicker on it, but I am trying to accomplish a few things on the wife's honey-do list while helping my son and a friend on their cars, too. Also, (Don will understand this) some days I go out to the garage, poke around for a few minutes, and decide that the heat is more than I want to tolerate, so I just go back in the house...

[Itoldyouso]

I've seen a few guys post that the heat has driven them out of the garage, and I khow it sure makes me go to the shop later and later every day. And even at 8 pm it is still 90 in the shop.

JR, you are really making great progress on the T. Every time you post you show us so much more getting done. I really envy you for that.

I didn't know your Son had that fordor. Cool little rod ! Nice to see he saved one nobody else wanted.

Don