New build thread - My son's first car

[dlshady]

All this recent talk of youngsters in the hobby got me to thinking that I should start a build thread for my 12 year old son Daniel's new summer project. He worked with my Dad and I in our restoration shop all last summer helping with whatever small projects we could find for him, but he told me a few months ago that he really wanted a project of his own for this summer.

After kicking around a few different ideas we all decided that a Model T speedster would make a great first project because they're fairly inexpensive and parts are plentiful, so we started looking. We checked out several leads but couldn't find anything in our price range until a strange twist of fate had me on the phone one evening talking Model A's with fellow FordBarner Racur96. During the course of conversation he mentioned that he had a 26 chassis that he wanted to sell, and it just so happened that the price was right and he was fairly close! Daniel spent his Spring Break working around the shop to earn money and we sold his dirt bike on Craigslist, so before the week was up he'd managed to earn enough to buy the chassis. (The SMOKIN' deal that Racur96 made us certainly helped! Thanks Adrian!) I had to laugh because he had a can of PB Blaster soaking down everything on the chassis before we even got it off the trailer!

I'll try to post periodic updates and make this a build thread of sorts, so here's the first couple photos.

Deron

[[email protected]]

Way to go kid. Sure glad you picked a T. Everything else is just a Ford. But a T is something pretty special. By the time you get done with your speedster you'll know a lot of stuff that'll make you realize Henry Ford was a genius. And you'll also realize the guy wasn't hooked up right. JK Glad to see you're starting with pictures. That'll give you a written journal by the time your done and something to share all your life. And we can all rejoice your from Alabama and not Wisconsin. Not that Wisconsin is a real bad place it's just that there's some shady characters from over there that are just kind of, how should I say it, different. Well ok let's get to the point. It's not all of Wisconsin. It's just the guys on here that are from Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Good Luck Daniel.

Mike

[CharlieB]

A great, complete chassis. What a learning experience. It's a grand thing when a Son takes an interest that leads to the family business. Got your work cut out for you but so many have started with so much less. Good Luck.

[Steve Jelf]

Excellent, and one lucky kid. My family was non-mechanical so I didn't get that experience.

[yachtsmanbill]

Hey Steve... I may be out of place, but Id like to welcome you here! Without going into semantics, its wayyy more user freindly! ws

[Steve Jelf]

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You're in place, Bill. Thanx...

[dlshady]

Now that school's out for the summer Daniel is starting to make a little progress on his speedster, so I thought I should post an update (being that I did title it a build thread...) We dug out an old frame that I had stashed away for another project and he's using that to dummy up the body out of cheap pine. This way he's learning a lot of valuable skills such as laying out patterns, keeping things symmetrical and most importantly keeping his workspace clean! So far I've been very proud of his progress because we showed him how to make the first bulkhead pattern and he's been off and running by himself from there. He just informed me that tomorrow he's planning to finish the next bulkhead (or station) which will serve as the door latch posts. Once he gets all the stations erected we'll rip some thin pieces of wood and string them front to rear along the body to see how well everything flows, and then make whatever adjustments are necessary. So far his eye for that kind of stuff seems to be pretty good, but time will tell. He does have some funky ideas floating around in that little head of his... Once he's got all that like he wants it then we'll go back and build the body structure out of ash, but he'll need help with that since I'm not yet comfortable letting him use anything but the band saw.

So far I think the proportions look pretty good with the exception of lowering the steering column. I told him that I'd help him dummy up a seat tomorrow so that we could figure out just what needs to be done with the steering column.


Stay tuned!

[Roadster5040]

Nice shop lucky kid to have you and a shop like that to start his first project.

[vwgary]

The look of pride on his face says it all. Way to go!

[Farmallcub49]

Putting padding on the running board braces is cheating. Everyone needs to skin there shins on them at least once or twice before you learn to cover them. That is why it is called the UHK or University of Hard Knocks.

[meyek91974]

My son's only four, but part of my interest in my building a T truck is that my son and I can not just build a truck for me but a future 'first car' for him. - It's great to see someone else' child doing the same. - He's doing a great job!

[meyek91974]

Help/question from/about second pic where he's posing in blue shirt during the day and it's a angle view of the passenger side...... as I look at the pic, it looks that the straight stick of the frame is about 2"by about 4"under where the cab will be and at about the firewall and behind body the frame tapers to about 2"x3"??? Do I see on the side of the passenger side of the frame by the fire wall a distinct line on the frame as if it is bolted together??? I dont want to build a box tubing generi-stick frame like the custom t-bucket and cant find a frame so I am trying to find how to build one.

[dlshady]

Thanks guys,

He's having a blast and seems to be learning a lot in the process, so I'm thrilled. There has been a lot of discussion lately (and not all good) about the younger generation and their interest in the hobby so I thought some of you guys might like to know that there really are young people out there who have a genuine interest in this old scrap iron. Heck, he's already asking about whether or not he can take his driving test in this thing 3 1/2 years from now!

And Andy, those rags wrapped around the running board brackets were one of the first things we did when that frame came into the shop. We're doing a 32 Plymouth for a customer right now and I can't tell you how many times I whacked my shin on those, so I figured I'd just save everybody the hassle and cover 'em up. He's almost finished with that coil box you sent too, and I'll be sure to post photos when he is. I had to laugh the other day because I showed him how to fill small rust pits with glazing putty and he worked on that thing nearly all day. You'd have thought it was the Mona Lisa the way he was working on it....

Near the end of the day he went outside to paint it and came back in almost in tears. When I asked what had happened he explained that something must be wrong with the paint because it had run really bad! All I could do was laugh and try to explain that those things happen when you try to put too much paint on something too fast, and that he'd better put his big girl panties on because it wouldn't be the last time it would happen. I don't think he understood what I was trying to say, but he'll get it eventually..... Some lessons we just gotta learn the hard way...

Thanks again guys,
Deron

[Dana Barlow]

Thats great,looks like fun! Best of times
I just finished Dec. of 2011 one with my son too,we built a 1923 hot rod Ford roadster w/v8 350 SBC,he's having a ball going to the car shows with it.

[joncrane]

Deron
What a fabulous set of pictures and wonderful project. My son built a 30 Ford speedster and it was a great project. High quality time and it kept him busy. Good grades and he is now and engineer.
Enjoy it because they do grow up. He is acquiring a skill set and knowledge and memories that will last a lifetime.

[Fartman]

great thread,i to will be building a 1927 Ford T pickup with my 11 year old boy when i finish my 33 coupe,keep us posted,

[Jason in TX]

Great job! Way to get 'em hands on!

[B-O-B]

It is soo refreshing to see a young fellow into something besides heavy metal music & body piercing & tattoos. looks like you are doing a fine job Deron. Keep us updated I like these kinds of posts.

[The Hot Rod Grille]

Cool pics.....cool project......cool kid! Congrats all around!

Jim

[V848 Ford]

Great project keep it up I wish dad would have been more saportive when I bought my ModelA at 19 . He did warm up to it later.

[1949FORD]

I would love to work on a model t but i got me a 49 ford, and i love her! this is a really fun business to go into. and the guys on here will help you out! keep on keepin on with the T. I love seeing kids in my generation getting into the classic restoration business. i never see kids these days working on and restoring old vintage cars! keep us updated!

[jkelsh]

Keep up the good work Daniel! It looks great so far!

[Gwhaley]

Good job Daniel! The smile says it all......

[dlshady]

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. So far he's enjoying it, and I have to say that he's been a really good sport to be able to work with two generations of stubborn old guys on the project, but I'm sure there have been times he wanted to clobber us both. It's amazing how much more enthusiasm (and energy) he has compared to me or Dad! Ahhh, youth....

Today we took a break from body building (Model T body, that is...) to fiddle with the engine a bit. We had the local speed shop surface the head and picked it up yesterday, so today he cleaned the deck surface of the block and learned how to lap valves. The valve stems are severely worn so I don't expect miracles, but if it'll get us to next summer without a rebuild then great. I really didn't budget for an engine rebuild this summer, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it...

[jkelsh]

Looking Good! When do you think you'll have her running by?

[dlshady]

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Running, or running well?

Hopefully he can get the head back on this week, and then the misc. other parts that he's removed. I think the only big item that hasn't been addressed is having the radiator checked for leaks which we should be able to get done this week. Hopefully next week we'll know if it's going to run well enough to get him by until next summer.


Deron

[TBone69]

Awesome project!

My 9 year old son and I are working on a model A chassis. I am sure he will get a kick out of this thread this evening.

Subscribed and looking forward to the progress.

[jkelsh]

I'd love to see a movie of it once you get her started! He looks likes he's having a blast!

[yachtsmanbill]

Thats utterly fantastic. Lapping valves brought back a lot of memories!! I just know that as he learns this youre explaining what the valves do plus timing etc. Sometimes that may not make sense to a beginner, but thats where we all learned from. Best to you and the boy! ws



Me and dad in 1968 ( I was 13 and pops was 46) before a 1000 mile tour around lake Michigan from Chicago to the Soo to Door County and home.

[ScottNW/Ohio]

This brings back many memories - my dad bought me my Model A pickup when I was 14
He'll learn skills that no one teaches in schools anymore
(ask your local auto 'tech' about valve lapping - and see what kind of look you get)

[yachtsmanbill]

First the tech gas to don the blue nitril epidermis protection, if he's NOT latex allergic, then plug in the anylizer after he puts down a seat protector to keep his white shirt looking crisp! ws

[Steve Jelf]

The presence of a water pump suggests that the radiator may not be up to snuff. It could be that decades of vibration have separated the fins from the tubes so it won't cool. That would call for replacement. Or if you're lucky it may just need a good cleaning.

[dlshady]

We dropped the radiator off this morning to be cleaned and checked, so we should know in a couple days. It's an old honeycomb radiator, so no danger of the fins seperating from the tubes but the downside is there's no way to rod it out. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I can see that water pump ending up in my box full of other water pumps....


Deron

[dlshady]

Well, the last couple days have been busy with other craziness and Daniel hasn't had much time to work on his speedster but tomorrow should be a bit more productive. The three of us decided that in order to locate the next bulkhead in the body, the seat position needed to be figured out a little better than the makeshift cardboard one already onboard so Dad showed Daniel how to measure for it and allow for the thickness of the body sills (which are yet to be made). They got their dimensions figured out and roughed in a plywood seat, and tomorrow we're going to put it on the chassis to figure out where it needs to be relative to the pedals. Once that's determined he can clamp it down on the frame that's being used to build the body and figure out where the next bulkhead needs to go. Hopefully this weekend we'll make some good progress!

Sanding seat parts (without the ventillation fan running...):


Oh, and a preview of the planned paint scheme . War Eagle!!!!!!




Deron

[yachtsmanbill]

Excellent choice of color! GET SOME SAFETY GLASSES TO MATCH, PLEASE!! ws

[meyek91974]

Dang! You're doing a great job there buddy. I can see that and man-o-man I hope my son; he's four; takes to the older cars as you are. Yer doin a great job.

[1949FORD]

I seriously wish i had as much work space as you guys have!

[63fairlane]

That is an AWESOME build. It is great to see younger guys getting into classic cars. It helps so much when you have family that fosters the passion!

Good luck!

[Cody_1948]

Originally Posted by 1949FORD

I love seeing kids in my generation getting into the classic restoration business. i never see kids these days working on and restoring old vintage cars! keep us updated!

I'm with ya Bro, Even since Im 23, I love seeing kids and young people working on old cars and trucks myself ;-).. Keep up the great work guys...
Cody

[Richard]

I am thinking about a "t" myself or an "a". I love em.

[1949FORD]

Hey guys, hows the build going?

[Bill in NJ]

We need an update please

[1949FORD]

Originally Posted by Bill in NJ

We need an update please

I agree

[Bill in NJ]

Rumor has it there is an update in the works. Stay tuned !

[dlshady]

John Lennon once said "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans" and after the past couple months I can attest to the fact that truer words have never been spoken! Between an insane workload, Daniel starting the 7th grade and a number of other outside distractions there hasn't really been a lot of free time to spend here on the internet. In fact, when I logged on tonight to post this update I noticed that the end of July was the last time I visited FordBarn. So I guess it's really true what they say about good intentions..... This past summer flew by so fast that I still haven't really figured out where it went!

Having said that, all of the chaos of daily life hasn't allowed us to devote as much time to the speedster project as we'd hoped, but we've made a bit of progress nonetheless. Daniel and Dad made some good progress on the rear section of the body buck, but after getting the main station profiles worked out they decided that it was a bit too flimsy so version 1 ended up in the kindling box and version 2 was born. The back section is pretty well done but it still needs to be sculpted to smooth out the sharp edges. Here's a few photos of the first and second designs:







Here's how it ended up:







On the days that he wasn't working with Dad on the body buck he worked on getting the engine running, and we did manage to get it fired up without much drama. Unfortunately, once it was running it didn't take long to figure out that we had a much bigger project ahead of us that we'd originally hoped. The motor was pretty noisy, which itself isn't too big of a deal, but we also found that the block had previously been welded along the driver side water jacket and the welds were weeping water. I suppose that it could be re-welded but since I had another motor laying around we decided that it'd probably be best to just build it instead. He spent a couple days tearing it down and it's been delivered it to the machine shop for cleaning. Once we get a final gameplan of the work needed, we'll have the local machine shop do the boring, decking, valve job, etc. and then deliver it to Robert Carden in Newnan, GA for the babbit work. Now I just need to get the little stinker to put the parts back that he robbed off my '13 to get his running....
















In addition to the body and engine work, he also worked on some miscellaneous piece parts such as a the coil box and front axle components. The coil box is primed and ready for paint, the wood is assembled and the terminals are all soldered, so that's checked off the list and set aside.



He conned me out of my only pair of 26/27 spindles, then he installed new bushings and we had the local machine shop hone them to match the new spindle bolts, so they're done and put aside as well.









And here's a photo of our best Craigslist find so far. An elderly gentleman in Columbia, TN had put these aside 30 years ago for a project that never materialized, and we were able to pick them up for a VERY reasonable price. That left him with a total of 9 wire wheels so he got to learn how to go about picking the best set.





So we're making a little progress. Kind of like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.... I think he and Dad are planning to devote some time next week to the body buck, so hopefully we'll have another update soon. Stay tuned!

[dlshady]

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Here's a video I took of the engine running, but the audio is pretty lousy. Might want to turn your volume down a bit before hitting play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbolh8ronHE

If one of you guys knows how to embed a YouTube video, be my guest. I'm aparently not smart enough to figure out how.....

[Fartman]

good work guys...

[dumb person]

Originally Posted by dlshady

If one of you guys knows how to embed a YouTube video, be my guest. I'm aparently not smart enough to figure out how.....

Seems fordbarn does not allow imbedding of the actual videos, just the links to them.

[TonyM]

Lucky kid. My strict / paranoid mother wouldn't even let us touch the lawn mower let alone own an automobile at age eleven.

[yachtsmanbill]

Hey Daniel... Looking good pal!! You can fix that water letter outer on that radiator by installing one or two RAW eggs and run it up so it gets hot. Mine was WAY worse and has now held water all summer and runs at about 175 F under load.
A few things... is it the video sound or is there a pretty good miss in there? Did you get the clutch to release yet? Those wheels seem pretty free rolling at idle. Any brake linings left in the back? ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Had to load some youtube vids... takes time! These show the radiator leaking (now zero!) and the very first start. The smoke is never sieze burning off the exhaust nut.
Have fun kid! We are all pulling for you!! ws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVzr5...ature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8fZ1JHLZAU&feature=plcp

[Lahti35]

Its so much fun to follow these father/son threads on the various auto forums I follow. Thats going to be one cool ride!

[dumb person]

(Not trying to throw the thread too far off track) Hey yatchsmanbill? How do you keep the battery charged? no visible generator.

[yachtsmanbill]

Originally Posted by dumb person

(Not trying to throw the thread too far off track) Hey yatchsmanbill? How do you keep the battery charged? no visible generator.

I converted over to a 12 volt starter and lights and she starts with a flick of the switch, then switch over to mag. Havent needed a charge all summer, but, I do also have a new 12 Volt geared alternator to put on. 12 volts is the best thing Ive ever done to a T. Where in the south Pacific are you? Guam?? ws

[dumb person]

Originally Posted by yachtsmanbill

Where in the south Pacific are you? Guam?? ws

Oh 12v ok. The place i am at is ok if you ignore most of the locals.

Now we return to our scheduled programming of speedster build.

[Bill in NJ]

Thanks for the update. Is the body going to be steel or alumium ?

[dlshady]

Originally Posted by Bill in NJ

Thanks for the update. Is the body going to be steel or alumium ?

It's going to be aluminum, Bill. Should be easier to work with and a little lighter as well. I'm afraid that I've created a monster though because we went touring Friday and Saturday with the Central Alabama Model A Club and now he's talking about wanting to build a Model A next....

[norton,kel]

Great! I just started my first T build also, At the young age of 63, Ha! You've got a few years on me. I'll keep following this one, keep up the good work, and congrats to your dad and grandad, your one lucky young man!

[FRANK PKNY]

Very well done, whish I had that kind of shop when that age, we only had a dirt driveway and some old hand tools. Keep us posted , enjoy to see the progress. Frank

[Racur96]

Looks like its coming along nicely.

[Bill in NJ]

I just put a check in the mail to help fund his project.

[dlshady]

Well, so much for good intentions I guess. I had really intended to post updates more regularly but seeing that I had to dig down 10 pages to find this thread it seems that I've failed miserably in that regard. Bear with me guys, I promise to try and do better from here on out!

First off, I want to thank Andy Loso for the generous donation of the coil box and Bill in NJ for his donation. I started this thread for a couple of reasons, first because there seemed to be a lot of negativity toward young people in the hobby (at the time) and secondly because I always enjoy watching other people's projects take shape, but the last thing I ever expected when I made that first post was that anybody would be interested enough to actually make a contribution to the project! We really do appreciate it guys, and I wish I could find a better way to express that!

Having said that, there's been a lot of progress over the past few months even though it might not look like it. A lot of time was spent sculpting the body buck to be sure that the lines flowed well and there weren't any funky lines (and unexpected whoop-de-doo's) in the body. Lots of file work and then gluing strips of 1/8" plywood to the ribs in order to make sure that all the lines were right. The three of us decided very early on that there's way too much work in this project for it not to be as "right" as we can make it, so a lot of time was spent going back and massaging little areas to be sure they looked right. One of the main areas of concern (at the time) was that we felt the opening around the passenger compartment was too "square", so some more wood was glued on and shaped so that now the sides of the cockpit will gradually slope up and roll around into the dash area. It might be hard to see in the pictures, but in person it seemed to make a big difference.









Once the buck was finally completed (or so we thought...), we used some welding rod to define the door opening, mocked up a couple wheels and then stood back to have a look at our progress, but it turned out to be one of those "Oh crap!" moments because something just didn't look right. There was too much empty space between the rear wheels and the door outline! My first thought was that maybe the lack of a tire was causing it, so I dug around and found a Model A wheel with a tire, but that only helped a little. After some head scratching we determined that the only way to fix the problem was either move the rear axle forward several inches or scoot the body back on the frame. Shortening the wheelbase didn't seem like the best alternative so we finally decided that moving the body back would be the least amount of work to get the look we were after, which in turn caused another hurdle because the firewall needed to remain in the same place due to pedal placement. After some deliberation we decided that 6" was the magic number and that it would need to be added in the cowl area. We figured that worst case, if a 6" stretch in the cowl looked funny then it could be shared between the cowl and the hood, with the extra length in the hood overlapping the cowl, but after all was said and done the stretched cowl looked pretty appropriate. We took the plywood seat and put it on a spare chassis 6" back from where we had originally expected it to be, and as it turns out Daniel has grown so much in the past year that the 6" setback was actually necessary! I guess it's really true that everything happens for a reason!











Wheel moved 6" forward to see how it looks:



Scooting the body back 6". Kid looks like he's having WAY too much fun cutting this thing up!











Once that was all figured out Dad started shaping a little aluminum...







We also got a couple of the wheels blasted and primed with some tinted primer that should be close to the finished color. There's a lot of time in just straightening bent spokes and filling rust pits, but the end result should be well worth the effort! In case you haven't noticed from the photos, Daniel is a huge Auburn fan ( It seems like the only clothes the kid owns are Auburn T-shirts... ) so the color scheme is going to be a sliver chassis, orange wheels & drivetrain and a dark blue body. War Eagle!

[dlshady]

On the mechanical side of things, we've had a lot going on trying to get an engine, transmission and both axles rebuilt. We were fortunate enough to pick up the remains of an old speedster for super cheap, and that netted us a spare engine/transmission as well as a 26/27 big brake rear end, so Daniel got to work tearing apart the rear axle. Then we delivered the parts to the local speed shop for hot tanking but once everything was cleaned we realized that the ring gear was severely worn, so he tore apart a spare small brake rear end I had put away. Unfortunately it ended up being just as worn out so we admitted defeat and ordered a new 3.00:1 ring and pinion, along with the other parts necessary to rebuild the axle. For sake of longevity I thought it would be smart to buy the roller bearing conversion kit that replaces the original babbit differential thrust washers, but in talking to some folks lately that have experience with them it seems like the bronze replacements are a better alternative. Being that I'm not a fan of doing the same job twice, I think we're going to order a set of the bronze thrust washers and go that route. In the mean time Daniel was busy blasting the housings and various other parts to get them ready for paint.















Our local speed shop (R&R Speed and Machine, great guys!) installed hardened valve seats, opened everything up for larger valves (of the foreign type, you know, those guys with the bowties...), decked the block and then bored it .020" over. Once that was completed Dad and Daniel delivered it to Robert Cardin in Newnan, GA for the babbit work which should be done by any day now. We also had the magnets recharged by R.V. Anderson and then started on the transmission. We found that our reverse drum was scarred pretty bad so Daniel pulled the transmission off of the spare motor. It turned out that it had a really nice reverse drum but the gear was badly worn, so we ended up using the drum from one transmission and the gear from the other. Once we'd picked the best parts from the two transmissions we pressed in the bushings and had David at R&R hone them on their Sunnen machine, so now it's just matter of balancing everything and getting it all assembled. One other thing we decided to do was put a little effort into finding a way to prevent oil from leaking around the pedal shafts, so I did a little homework and found a CR seal that was just the right size. I ordered a cutter from McMaster-Carr to counterbore the holes and a little while later we were in business!










From day one this was intended to be a low-buck build utilizing parts that we either had laying around or could find for cheap, but we've always thought it would be really nice to have an overdrive so I decided to place a "Wanted Ad" for a Warford or something similar. Oddly enough I placed that ad on both the HAMB and the MTFCA websites one evening and within ten minutes I had a reply from a fellow that had one for sale. It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world and looked like it had been in the weather for years, but it was in our price range (cheap!) so I figured that it was worth the gamble. Unfortunately it ended up being completely locked up, but a 30 minute bath in a 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone freed it right up! It's now at R&R being hot tanked and once we get it back we'll get busy trying to locate what we need to get it back in working order, but in the mean time it's allowed us to go ahead and shorten the driveshaft and housing.

[dlshady]

Now we're to the point of looking forward and trying to figure out things like spare tire placement, windshield, gauges and other details. I happened to be surfing eBay one night and stumbled across this killer dash from a 1927 or 1928 Essex, and before I knew what happened I'd bid probably twice what it was worth, but you can see from the pictures that it's absolutely stunning. It dang sure wasn't in the budget but hey, you only live once... Right now we're thinking that having the gauges rebuilt and re-screened with the winged Ford logo will be just right for this project.







Stay tuned guys. This thing is starting to take shape!

[dlshady]

Here's a few more random photos that I had taken. Transmission parts cleaned and ready for bushings:



And after the bushings were installed:




And here's a couple of the buck after being re-done from having to move it back 6":

[Steve Jelf]

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Looks great! Makes me want to get started on a speedster. What a lucky kid.

[dlshady]

Originally Posted by Steve Jelf

Looks great! Makes me want to get started on a speedster. What a lucky kid.

Well, I know where you'll be able to find a body buck in a few months...

[TonyM]

Someone buy this kid a pair of Safety Glasses. There are times that I have to admonish some of the guys I work with. I say to them, "You want to see your kid grow up? Put on the safety glasses." And they do. Kid, if you want to see your future, wear safety glasses.

By the way, good job on the car. It is looking like it is going to be really scrumptious.
TM

[32forddump]

You must be really proud of that boy. I remember working in the garage all winter with my father rebuilding anything from antique compressors to lawn mowers. My father was not a mechanic but we had plenty of ambition and that counted for a lot. We had the wood stove going and I only wish that he let me work on a project of my choosing. He is a lucky boy. Keep the pictures and writing coming.

[dlshady]

Thanks guys, we're all having a lot of fun with this project! I spoke with Robert Carden today and he's hoping to have the babbit work done next week, so maybe we'll have an assembled engine before the end of next month!

Also learned something very interesting last week that some of you speedster guys might be interested in knowing. There's a thread going over on the HAMB about Multi Aldrich's old roadster and the discussion turned to the wire wheels he was running back in the 1950's (as shown in photos from that period). They were obviously smaller in diameter than the stock 21" wheels, and someone mentioned that they had heard a 1932 Studebaker had the same bolt pattern. I've been working on a 1932 Plymouth PB lately and happened to have one of the wheels off, so I figured that I'd check one of these just for giggles. As it turns out, the 32 Plymouth 18" wire wheels are a perfect fit for original Model T wire wheel hubs! And as luck would have it, the fellow that owns this Plymouth happened to have a spare set of wheels at home!





Being that we've already got two 21" wheels almost ready to paint and the tires are already bought, we're going to finish the car with original wheels and then restore the 18's for future use.

[dumb person]

Are 18 inch wheels better?

[yachtsmanbill]

Id guess less prone to wobble and probably a lot easier to get tires for IMHO... Also would contribute to more reduction if diameter is smaller. Just don't run mopar hubcaps! ws

[dlshady]

Originally Posted by dumb person

Are 18 inch wheels better?

I wouldn't necessarily say better, but the smaller diameter tire would probably ride better and be a bit more stable at highway speeds. I just figured I'd throw it out there just in case...

[OLDTGUY]

This is a great thread, Thank you for posting. Your son is a lucky young man to be able to learn these skills, and wind up with a great car.
JJ

[Bill in NJ]

Could you tell me approximately how many hours it took to build your buck and cost for wood ? Please also tell me that body would not fit on a model a ? Nice job so far !

[dlshady]

Good questions Bill. In all honesty, I have no idea how many hours are in that buck but it's a lot. I'll ask Dad tomorrow and see what he thinks, but I suspect that he could probably duplicate it in maybe 80 - 100 hours knowing what he knows now. I wouldn't be surprised if there were double or triple that many hours in this one because of all the nifty things we learned along the way. There were a lot of little 1/8" strips of wood glued onto the ribs in places, just to get the contour "just right", and all of the ribs in the rear were re-made at least once. Then there was that whole "moving the body back 6 inches" deal, which necessitated cutting out some of the inner bracing and relocating the cutouts for the rear spring. There was a huge learning curve for all of us, but so far we're pleased with the results. Another reason I don't know how much time it took was because there were a lot of "30 minutes here and 30 minutes there" work sessions. Often we'll sit down to eat lunch and study the project while it's quiet. Once we're done eating it's not uncommon for one of us to jump on a project and get a few minutes worth of work done before time to get back to work.

In regards to the wood, that's another story in and of itself. We started out using whatever scraps of plywood we had around the shop but quickly realized that it was going to take WAY more than we had. Dad happened to be surfing the local Craigslist one night and ran across some fellow with pieces of birch plywood (can't remember if it's 1/2" or 5/8") for sale for either $1 or $2 each (boy, my memory is getting worse... ). Anyway, they were all the same odd size of something like 23" by 47", and the guy said he had all we could possibly want. As best we can tell they were drops from a cabinet shop that this guy had saved from a big job, and we were all too happy to take them off his hands! I think there ended up being 60 or 70 pieces total.

Funny you mention this fitting a Model A chassis because we were discussing that very thing a few days ago. I haven't taken any measurements but my guess is that it could be adapted with a little effort.

[32forddump]

Cant wait to see some more progress on the speedster. I know it is tough to get much done in the middle of summer.

[dlshady]

Not much progress to report lately, but we did get a call from the fellow doing the babbit work and the motor is ready to be picked up! Dad and Daniel are going to head down to south Georgia later this week to pick it up, so we should have a decent update next week sometime. Stay tuned!

[foresthunter]

I have to join the chorus and say how cool this is to see your progress and working together as a family - awesome. My daughter (8) and son (10) are crazy about model As and I wish I had the skills to do what you're doing here - still, we are having a great time following along. The wood framing (buck?) is gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing.

[FL&WVMIKE]

As several others have said, "lucky kid".
MIKE

[VeryTangled]

Really love this thread dlshady! Thanks for taking the time.

I was reading Sports Car Market, Sept 2013 issue, and on page 144 I came across this auction report. I though of you'all. I am posting for you to use it as motivation.

-VT/JeffH

[Clatterville trolley]

I had to chuckle when I found this thread and saw that it was dlshady from Alabama. I thought that I might know him, but on closer inspection found that I was a generation behind! However, I knew that he had to either be related or was working at Dan's shop or both because in one of the photos I saw shop towels folded neatly and stacked very straight on very neat and clean shelves. Also, in another photo I noticed the tools all laid out like a surgeon would for surgery.
I had the pleasure of meeting Dan a few years ago at MetalMeet in Oblong, IL and have watched some of his other work on their site over the years. I remember that several on that site kidded him that he must check his stack of shop towels with a framing square to get them stacked that straight and neat.
Great to see that he is not only passing on his skill in metal work / restoration / wood work, but is instilling the same ethic in keeping everything in place and ready to not only find quickly, but use effectively.
His grandson will never forget this and other lessons Dan has most likely passed along to him and his dad as long as he lives.
My own father always had trouble letting me do anything on my own and would either do it for me or take it out of my hands to do it 'right'. So, it took me a lot of years to feel confident enough to tackle any project, but through persistence and the old, but effective, school of hard knocks I managed to at least have the confidence in myself to take on larger projects that I wanted to do, such as antique car restoration. Still find that I have a hard time finishing projects and am too quick to launch off on yet another project when the first (or was that ten) project(s) aren't completed.
What has helped me more that anything is the realization that I just really like to work on old cars and trucks and if I finish one that is great, but if I don't, so what I've had a great time working on it. Really noticed that attitude helped free me up to do a lot more work and get a lot more accomplished - not feeling like I HAD to finish it has freed me to finish more - go figure!
I talked to a recently retired gentleman the other day that had a great outlook on retirement: "If I don't enjoy doing something I just do something else I enjoy, retirement should be all about that and not about what you did for a living if you didn't enjoy what you did for a living."
Way to long of a post, and a long way around to saying - Way to Go!! Dan, Dlshady, and 12 year old son for taking the time to do this together. Terrific project!!
Jay Self

[dlshady]

Thanks for the kind words Jay! We got an inch or two of snow/ice out of this current winter storm so we're snowed in this evening (no wise cracks from the northerners... ) and I'm actually sitting here working on a long overdue update for this thread. The past few months have been really busy with regular work and daily life, so progress on the speedster has been slow at best. We've also had a few setbacks with the engine build as well, but things are starting to look up. Some of the metal skin is now made and it's really starting to look like a car!

Look for an update later this evening!

[QGolden]

That young'un will learn that perseverance is a valuable skill, and that nothing worth having comes quick, easy or cheap. All good life lessons.

[Buckelew]

When that transmission starts coming together I'd love to see it -- I have lots to learn.

The other day I noted compression for #7 in the hot rod motor was way down. I think the visits to your shop lit a fire in my son -- he decided to turn the first bolt to remove the heads Now he's calling himself a gearhead.

We found all the rings well-worn, and the top half inserts needing replaced.

Thanks, dlshady, for showing that really old cars -- Model Ts! -- are cool.

[VeryTangled]

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Originally Posted by dlshady

Look for an update later this evening!

Loving this thread! Any more shots of the sheet metal coming?

-VT/JeffH

[CWT]

Does somebody need to come steal that Mustang so we can get some updates and progress on this unit Deron? I hope this hadn't got pushed to the side for a ol foxbody. ha

[Ford20]

Way to go Daniel, The smile on your face says it all. I think a lot of us can relate to that moment when we got our first car to Restore, what a feeling, still hasn't diminished for me after more than 40 years, hope you keep the passion.

Keep up the good work Daniel and above all enjoy yourself

[d.j. moordigian]

Deron,

Looks GREAT !

[Bill in NJ]

We need pictures or update please

[Randy in ca]

Pictures are all gone - the big drawback to using a photo hosting service rather than loading them directly into Fordbarn.

[Bill in NJ]

Any new updates ??

[downundernm]

If you are the one with the 1930 roadster, is it sold? My email address is
([email protected])

[woofa.express]

Daniel has a face like a cat walking out of the dairy.