Thread: 28 Model A Pickup

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Nice work, nice parts----but where are the front brakes???? Is the cage complete, or are there more bars in it now?

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Nice work, nice parts----but where are the front brakes???? Is the cage complete, or are there more bars in it now?

Thanks Dave. No front brakes, it will ruin the look of the front end. I ran a roadster for many years without front brakes. I think I'll have a chute though.
I was going to run rear disks but I was told that they won't hold it at the line as well as drums, since I'm not going to run a trans brake, just a 4500 converter.
Yes I'm going to add more to the cadge when I pull the body off. Originally I mocked the body up on the frame and then built the cadge inside and then mounted the body to the cadge. It's clean and simple. Does a car like this ever get completely finished ?
I'm just finishing the floor pan, it's aluminum diamond plate (had to use that, I,m a fireman) and am fabing the interior door panels and the trans cover out of .062 wall aluminum.

Thanks John

Welcome to nostalgia racing. Bakersfield is a great place to race, their safety crew is top notch and it's my favorite track in Calif, Ariz, Nevada. If you make it to the March Meet this year stop by and say high. My son and I race a light blue VW in the Hot Rod bracket class.

Best advice I can give is to build the car to meet or exceed the NHRA safety spec for the speed/ET you plan to run. When you choose to upgrade to a cage you will be required to upgrade other equipment like window nets, or arm restraints like we are in a "cloth sunroof" car. Every track I've run at uses the same NHRA rules as their standard. Make sure you place the shoulder and side bars "as per spec". Also pay close attention to seat mounting and seat belt angles. They cover this in detail in their rule book which you can find online.

Big drum brakes "rear only" will stop a 2900# car just fine. But, without front brakes you will not be as consistant doing your burn out. If you stay with treaded tires do not drive through the water box going to the line. Also many different brake pad materials are available. Softer holds well when cold, but fades when it gets hot. Hard or sintered lining stops great on the big end but is hard to launch with an automatic transmission. Just drag the brakes to warm them while doing the burnout.

Have fun

Hi John,

Thanks for the welcome and the suggestions. I am looking at the rules closely, and building accordingly. I was hoping to make to Bakersfield this weekend but I'm jambed at work and the car is not quite there. I will meet up with you at the next meet, like to see what you are racing.
Well I got the steering column mounted and the floor pan in place and mounted the radiator behind the cab, getting closer. Just got some tinted glass for the windshield.

John

To quote Clint Eastwood's character in FIREFOX: "What a machine!"

Looking good so far.

I'm not an expert on NHRA safety rules for each class, but I have been through TECH many times with our car. Each track TECH his different view on the rules IMO, but the basics must be installed. A couple of things that I see will be an issue. Door bar placement (no door bar), shoulder bar placement for shoulder straps and back of seat support. Will the roof be left open?

You might want to have a NHRA TECH look it over before you plan to race it.

And I just thought mine was a tight fit inside