Project "Obie" Got it's first parts.

[EX JUNK]

Dale, you can consider yourself a very lucky man to have a lady like that as my wife is the same. Every project that I've done in the past she has stripped it to bare metal that looked like it had just come off the stamping presses at the original plant where it was made. I tell everyone that my wife is a stripper and she doesn't need any music. When I head to the garage she always asks if there is anything that she can do. As a matter of fact, when my '37 was featured in one of the street rod magazines they had a picture of her blocking the underside of the body in preparation for paint. She is very feminane and weighs in at about 114 pounds soaking wet and stands 5' 5'' tall. However, she says that some women don't do windows and she does not do stick. So that is why all my builds have been automatics.

Jim

 

[meangreen]

My wife has no desire to help me in the garage (she's afraid of some of the tools I use and she abhors getting grease on her hands), but I think I'm still pretty lucky. She does not complain about the time I spend; she says at least she knows where I am. She likes to go to rod runs and cruise-ins, she rides her own motorcycle (Harley Sportster), she has sewn some interiors for my projects (she is a very accomplished seamstress/tailor), and she can drive a stick! 3, 4, or 5-speed - no problem. I've known some guys who's wives have griped and bitched about every penny and every minute spent on a project and I even knew one who's wife refused to ride in the car when it was finished. Yep, guys, we are truly lucky.

 

[bobs66440]

I consider myself lucky too. I've had a pretty much non-stop string of racing, different classic cars & projects for the last 25 years and she doesn't complain at all. She doesn't have any interest at all either, so I do everything myself or get a buddy to help when needed. And she rarely if ever rides in any of my cars or goes to any meets or events either. But I have a good group of friends that I meet up with, so it's all good...

And she does drive a stick. In fact she preferred it in all her cars until the last two. She grew up on a dairy farm so she drives tractors also...

 

[baddawgcustoms]

Ok don't laugh at my cardboard wheels and tires! It was ExJunks idea and a good one, and his car turned out kewel!!! He advised me to try this and see how the tire height looked before shucking out the money for the real ones and then not liking it. The back is 29" tall fake tire and the front is 24. Thinking of using 255 70 15's in the back and 195 60 15 up front. Or going with a 14" wheel with 70 series tire still at 24" height to get a softer ride. . The frame is 6" ground clearance front and 7 in the back but I think I'll try 5 and 8 and take a few more later. Also trying to decide how far out front I want the front tire but think it will look better closer in with the long body. Opinions?

 

[meangreen]

Try the rear end at different heights, one inch at a time, up to about 10 inches and move the font wheels back and forth with the rear at each height. Take a side view picture at each position. Then you can compare them all side-by-side and pick the look you like best.

As for opinions; from what you are showing here, I like the first pic where the radiator is behind the rear portion of the front tire. Try that wheel position with the rear raised up about 2 or 3 inches.

 

[EX JUNK]

I agree with "meangreen" on the position of the front tire. The others look too ungainly as if they are an after thought. His thoughts for the rear are spot on also.

Jim

 

[baddawgcustoms]

I agree with "meangreen" on the position of the front tire. The others look too ungainly as if they are an after thought. His thoughts for the rear are spot on also.

Jim

This one is 2 1/2 higher in the back and I like it a lot better.

 

[baddawgcustoms]

FINALLY got a model A crossmember for my T, which was one of the biggest things keeping me from laying out the frame. Been outbid 4 times now right at the last second, but this one looked good enough I tossed in a bid that finally won. $125 with shipping and I'm NOT complaining. I've watched them go for more than that. I love the way the car I'm posting a pic of below has the crossmember fitted up into the rear kick, and left the the crossmember ends on, so it looks like wings sticking out. Stealing that idea. Just looks cool to me!

 

[bobs66440]

This one is 2 1/2 higher in the back and I like it a lot better.

I agree. A little rake is good. It will also be slightly easier to engineer & build...

 

[Chief]

+1 I also like that little bit of rake

I also think cardboard tires are a great Idea......that worked out well

 

[baddawgcustoms]

Not a lot to report except my parts pile has grown larger. I ended up going with a 98 model s10 rear. I had Ron at RPM build me a funkadelic front perch with a 2" drop, some extra long front hairpins, 4" drop axle with adjustable height spring mounts on the bat wings to get it in the grass up front. I also had him build me rear adjustable buggy spring mounts extra long so I can tuck the rear close to the body and run my shocks between the rear and the spring. Planned on using an original T spring from one of the 3 original T frames I acquired for a steel body T build I'm collecting parts for but it was to wide to use so I wound up with an aftermarket narrow T spring. I did a little mock up with the new parts to measure out the frame now (measure 10 times cut once) so Finally I have all the dimensions I need to lay it out. Got one frame side cut and it was back on the road for me so hopefully I can at least get the frame mostly together this weekend. And had to take a pause to take my little one out for ice cream!! And if anybody knows where a good T coupe body is, I could use some more parts for my other build. Don't care if the top is FUBAR it'll be a roadster!

 

[bobs66440]

Looks awesome!

 

[baddawgcustoms]

Finally got off of work long enough to at least get something done that resembles progress! It ain't much but it's been a long time coming. That was MUCH harder than I anticipated. Ought to be able to ease on along now!

 

[RPM]

Finally got off of work long enough to at least get something done that resembles progress! It ain't much but it's been a long time coming. That was MUCH harder than I anticipated. Ought to be able to ease on along now!

If you put one rail on top of the other, they need to be exactly the same.

 

[baddawgcustoms]

If you put one rail on top of the other, they need to be exactly the same.

I clamped and welded the first one up, and then laid the other rail on top of it, clamped it all up tight and welded the second rail with it all clamped together. They are exact twins!

 

[bobs66440]

Taking shape now! It'll be a roller efore you know it

 

[RPM]

I clamped and welded the first one up, and then laid the other rail on top of it, clamped it all up tight and welded the second rail with it all clamped together. They are exact twins!

That is the way to do it.

 

[baddawgcustoms]

That is the way to do it.

Now for the tedious part of getting it squared up perfectly. I'm going to channel the rear kick into the body and notch out the bottom of the top kick to fit the crossmember up into it. I'm loving the idea of being able to say "I did that" but there is that voice in my head saying "dummy.....you should have let Ron build your frame!"

 

[baddawgcustoms]

Finally got the frame together and channeled the rear kick up into the body. I've been down with a pulled tendon in my getting older leg so not much done so ANY progress feels good right now. Now that the big job of the frame is done (almost), I can whittle off some smaller projects. Next task is at least get the floor cut and seat bases mocked up to see where everything else needs to go. (Pay no attention to my arc welding, it's going to a welding shop to get wired )

 

[bigblk1177]

FINALLY got a model A crossmember for my T, which was one of the biggest things keeping me from laying out the frame. Been outbid 4 times now right at the last second, but this one looked good enough I tossed in a bid that finally won. $125 with shipping and I'm NOT complaining. I've watched them go for more than that. I love the way the car I'm posting a pic of below has the crossmember fitted up into the rear kick, and left the the crossmember ends on, so it looks like wings sticking out. Stealing that idea. Just looks cool to me!

Looking good sorry to hear about your tendon pull. On the model a crossmember I usually attach my taillights on the part that sticks out past the frame. Just an idea. Keep up the good work.