Covid Project - 80's Project T-Rod

[LongJohn]

That fuel cell is a perfect fit! Like your build.

 

[Spanky]

Good work, Randy. And thanks for all the pics!

 

[Randy Steel]

Finally got the floor installed and screwed to the frame. I used the long bolts and rubber expansion anchors from Speedway. I decided to take my chances at doing upholstery. I've never done upholstery work, so I took my time and did the best I could. I used 3/4" plywood for the bench frame, 2" medium density foam, and black marine vinyl. It's nice that you can purchase pleated vinyl. I ended up buying a Singer 66 for $50 off of Craigslist, and then cleaned and lubed it up well. I purchased a quilting walking foot, and it did a nice job with moving the vinyl. In some situations, I had to sew through 4-layers of vinyl and it actually went through it fairly well. Overall, the seat bench turned out OK, by no means is it excellent, but it will work for my situation. The seat is by far, the hardest part for getting all the corners and front roll bump completed. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but overall, it's not bad.

 

[Houch]

Finally got the floor installed and screwed to the frame. I used the long bolts and rubber expansion anchors from Speedway. I decided to take my chances at doing upholstery. I've never done upholstery work, so I took my time and did the best I could. I used 3/4" plywood for the bench frame, 2" medium density foam, and black marine vinyl. It's nice that you can purchase pleated vinyl. I ended up buying a Singer 66 for $50 off of Craigslist, and then cleaned and lubed it up well. I purchased a quilting walking foot, and it did a nice job with moving the vinyl. In some situations, I had to sew through 4-layers of vinyl and it actually went through it fairly well. Overall, the seat bench turned out OK, by no means is it excellent, but it will work for my situation. The seat is by far, the hardest part for getting all the corners and front roll bump completed. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but overall, it's not bad.

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Great job! Looks good.

 

[Randy Steel]

Another update...I finally got the steering column and linkage completed. I discovered that the "cheap" chrome Double-D U-joints are junk. I thought it may work, but it started binding when turning the steering wheel. So, I went and bought a quality Borgeson u-joint and it worked great. Borgeson and Sweet Mfg. u-joints are the best on the market.



Quality Borgeson U-Joint

 

[Spanky]

When it comes to safety items like steering and brakes, quality matters.

 

[fletcherson]

I have a considerable investment of effort and money in the steering column/gearbox/etc. I’m sure it could have been done with boneyard pieces but I was using different parts, so some ingenuity was required and ordering parts was simpler.