Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[Itoldyouso]

So, what are you going to do with the milk crate now that you don't need it any longer to sit on and make RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR noises?? Main problem with those milkcrates is that they leave a waffle pattern on your backside if you fall asleep in the car for too long.

That all looks really good and comfy Jim. I bet you will end up using this car a lot when it gets done because of the fuel efficiency it should have.

I didn't really get a chance to ask your Son at Billetproof how much he is enjoying his sedan. Is he using it much?


Don

[J. Robinson]

The milk crate is in the house now. I'm standing on it sometimes while I help the wife remove some wallpaper in the kitchen. Why do wives always want to start remodeling projects just when we're trying to make progress on our cars?

The trick to keeping the waffle tread pattern off your butt is to top the milk crate with a pizza box (remove the pizza first ) or a stack of fresh shop rags. Without the "burning" feeling on your backside, you can sit and make "VROOOM VROOOM" noises a lot longer.

Yeah, with gas prices edging toward $4, this little 4-banger could see a lot of use. Also, I've never had a roadster; always had closed cars, so this will be a new experience for me.

Oh yeah, Jim Jr. rarely misses a chance to drive his sedan. He still drives his PT Cruiser to work because it's a 45 mile "flog" each way in heavy traffic, but the sedan goes just about everywhere else. We took our cars to Daytona for the Spring event a couple of weeks ago...

[J. Robinson]

I continued with seat fabrication today; since I was on a roll with it, I thought I would finish what I started so I wouldn't lose my place. In order to make the seat platform and back fit correctly I needed to cut and fit the side panels. I used an old box top to make a pattern (poster board wasn't big enough) and then transferred the shape to some 1/4" Luan plywood. I secured the side panels in place by putting one screw into the seat riser on each one. (Later, the body will be properly wooded and these can be properly attached. This installation is temporary for fitting purposes.)

Once the side panels were in place, I was able to re-fit the seat bottom and back and then fabricate the wrap-around sides for the seat back. This brings me to the point where I can re-engineer the steering support hoop under the dash and (finally!) finish the roll bar assembly...

[Itoldyouso]

Everything fits in there really well, like the steering column and shifter. Should end up being a very comfortable rod to drive.

How was the Spring Daytona event? I've never been to it, even when we lived right there in Deltona. Not sure why, but we just forget it is here until it is over.

Don

[J. Robinson]

Daytona was good. The Spring event isn't nearly as large as the Turkey run. I don't know the actual count, but I'd say attendance is probably about 2/3 of what the Turkey Run draws. The swap meet area is smaller, too, but still pretty good. Some of the big-name vendors don't show up for this one, but I have noticed the last few years that fewer of them are showing up at runs all over. I suppose that is a result of online shopping becoming a major portion of their business.

For the last several years I have been going to both Daytona runs in my truck as a spectator because I was hauling home loads of parts. This is the first time I have taken my hotrod and gone as a participant since about 1998.

[oldrodder43]

WOW, you sure make things look easy J. Robinson. And lots of ingenuity to boot. I can't think outside the box, you know? If I see it I can do it, but I can't imagineer things. Too stuctured. Lots of talented builders on this site. I love it. Perley

[Hotrod46]

Lookin' good JR.

Looks plenty roomy for a T. Comfortable too.

Any idea when you'll have it on the road?

Mike

[J. Robinson]

Thanks, Perley. Builders are notorious for copying each other's ideas. I've been playing with cars for over 40 years and I still learn things on this site...

Thanks Mike. No, I have no idea when I'll be on the road with this one. I only have a few more things to fabricate and I'll be ready to blow it apart for finish-welding, painting, and final assembly. Maybe late summer??.. Only time will tell.

[Itoldyouso]

I'm sort of like you Jim, we like taking a truck or trailer because you never know what you will find in the swap meet area. This year I did take my T to Turkey Run, but I will never stay at a hotel on A1A again if I take my car . Parking is so limited that once you park in the afternoon you can't take your car back out to cruise because when you get back you won't have a parking spot. We stayed at the La Playa this past November because we felt it would be in the heart of the action, and while that is true, it also makes parking and using your car impossible.

Next November we are going to find a spot down near the Speedway.......all of you who stayed there said you had no problems getting in and out.

Don

[Gastrick]

Your T is really shaping up nicely Jim. I really like the way the interior area is coming out. Sorry I missed you at Billetproof.

[J. Robinson]

Thanks, Bill. Sorry I missed you in Ocala.

Yeah, the interior is not what I originally envisioned, but I think I'm actually going to like it better. I originally bought two tractor bucket seats for it, but they sat too high. This arrangement puts the driver and passenger almost two inches lower in the car. Now I have room between the rollbar and my head without having to raise the rollbar up any higher.

[oldrodder43]

Good day from the North Jim. Just got home yesterday. Glad to be home (and with my little dogs). It was a real pleasure meeting you and looking over your Coupe and T project. I sure wish we'd had more time, I could have asked you a million questions about building. You sure do exceptional work. Like they say, the pictures don't do you justice. Sorry about bringing along the cooler northern air with us!! Anyone need a quart bottle of sun block?? Actually the weather was perfect for us, and by the end of the week it was getting uncomfortable warm, but real nice by the pool. Maybe another year we can visit again. Best of luck to you, Perley U.

[J. Robinson]

Well, I'm back again.., finally...

As you can see from his post, Perley came by for a quick visit. Unfortunately, we didn't get to visit long (35 - 40 minutes?), but I can tell you all that he's a nice guy and doesn't look his age.

OK, where were we? Ah, yes. I had mentioned that there were a couple of things I needed to take care of before I weld up the roll bar assembly and bond it into the body. First of all, the hoop that is positioned immediately under the dash was going to be in the way of installing my gauges later. I could have raised it up about an inch and a half, but then I would have trouble bolting on the windshield brackets. I decided to "dogleg" the bar away from the backside of the dash panel in the gauge area. I did this by using two pieces of 1" x 2" rectangular tubing for the offsets and another piece of the 1" round tubing (same stuff the hoop is made from) for the cross piece.

As you can see in the pics, I welded the offsets and new tube in place first and then removed the original piece. By doing it this way, I was able to do all the fabrication outside the car and assure that nothing moved.

[J. Robinson]

The other thing I wanted to do is add a support for the sector shaft extension on the steering box. The extension I made will be under constant forward / backward stress whenever there is any input from the steering wheel. Eventually, even though everything is made from some beefy material and welded on both sides everywhere, the constant stress could cause the metal to fatigue and fail. I had the steering fail in a stock car once; that was the ultimate "Oh Shit!" experience. I stood on the brakes and slammed the fourth-turn wall. I DON'T want that to happen in traffic where there are vehicles coming the other way. My solution was to build a bracket that attaches to the support hoop just inside the body and eliminate the forward / backward stress and flex of the extension. With the bracket in place, all the stress now is rotational which does not (in this case) cause metal fatigue.

Look at the pics while reading this; it will help this make sense. The sleeve part of the bracket was made from a piece of tubing and two 3/8-16 coupling nuts. After welding the nuts onto the side of the sleeve, I simply cut it in half with a hacksaw and then drilled the threads out of the coupling nut halves on one side. Now it bolts together sort of like a connecting rod. Half of the sleeve is welded to the 1/4 x 2 flat bar with the radius cut in one end. This assembly is bent slightly and bolts to another bracket that is welded to the steering support hoop.

Now I can reassemble this inside the car and finish welding and bonding the roll bar assembly...

[J. Robinson]

My son sent me the link to a local news group that took pictures at the recent New Smyrna cruise-in. Our cars are about 2/3 of the way down. The guy liked his sedan so much he shot and posted 3 pictures of it...

http://yes2localnews.com/08-gallerie...tCoastCruiser/

Also, both cars showed up on Hotrod Hotline in pictures from the Spring Event at Daytona Speedway. They're on the 7th of 10 pages.