Is "On the Ground After About 15 Years" considered an update?
- Thread starter GAB
- Start date
Bill Pedersen
Member
It look good George!
Gerry
Well-Known Member
Good engine choice GAB. 
Our model A rumble seat coupe:
Russ
Our model A rumble seat coupe:
Russ
one finger john
Active Member
Lets see, turtle deck...Ck. , knock offs (real knock offs)...Ck. , radius rods straight...CK. , simple & lite weight...CK. , maybe another 300 lbs. to finish...CK. , total wt. 1450 lbs. (?)...CK. , maybe an Esslinger head w/Webbers or maybe an Esslinger head w/turbo...Ck. (maybe). GAB can we see the plans? Could we see the car less body? Will it have a hood? Really like it. Will plans be available? Is that a stretch body and whose is it? So many questions. How long til running? KudosIt certainly wouldn't be considered a new project!Anyway, here is the proof that it has finally happened.
John
one finger john
Active Member
Boy, that edit thing locks me out quick. Stick or auto?
GAB
Member
First of all, thanks for the nice words gang. they are appreciated.
A little history on how this came to be. A buddy of mine got the hots to build a car after seeing the article in Hot Rod Magazine about a "Buck A Pound Roadster" where a donor car was cannibalized for as many parts as could possibly be used. This was in about 1976. He found a Pinto that was in decent condition and the fun began. It was a 2300 with a manual trans. We used the engine, transmission, rear end, front spindles and entire brake system, radiator, and a ton of little parts. About the only major thing that was not used was the rack and pinion. A Vega box eliminated the bump steer issue.
The finished car weighed 1385 and was a lot of fun to drive. We built another one that used a 260 Ford 60° V-6 and had another fellow that wanted one and had already bought his Pinto and stripped it out. He got transferred to the west coast and wasn't going to have anywhere to work on a car and so I bought his parts to offer to anyone who might want to start a project. Several were interested but just wouldn't pull the trigger. The parts got stored and around 1995, a fellow that I had helping me and my son thought they would like to build something, so we dug out the jig and the parts and started on this car. We worked on it for about a month's worth of weekends and got busy on other things as it was set aside. Our objective in building it was to build as much as possible rather than buy. How is that for being ironic. I make my living building hot rod parts and I'm trying to keep from buying parts.
Anyway, It has set over in the corner for all of these years and collected dust. With the economic slow down, I've had some time to drag it out and get it off the jig and on wheels.
Here are a few more pics that might answer some of the questions:
A little history on how this came to be. A buddy of mine got the hots to build a car after seeing the article in Hot Rod Magazine about a "Buck A Pound Roadster" where a donor car was cannibalized for as many parts as could possibly be used. This was in about 1976. He found a Pinto that was in decent condition and the fun began. It was a 2300 with a manual trans. We used the engine, transmission, rear end, front spindles and entire brake system, radiator, and a ton of little parts. About the only major thing that was not used was the rack and pinion. A Vega box eliminated the bump steer issue.
The finished car weighed 1385 and was a lot of fun to drive. We built another one that used a 260 Ford 60° V-6 and had another fellow that wanted one and had already bought his Pinto and stripped it out. He got transferred to the west coast and wasn't going to have anywhere to work on a car and so I bought his parts to offer to anyone who might want to start a project. Several were interested but just wouldn't pull the trigger. The parts got stored and around 1995, a fellow that I had helping me and my son thought they would like to build something, so we dug out the jig and the parts and started on this car. We worked on it for about a month's worth of weekends and got busy on other things as it was set aside. Our objective in building it was to build as much as possible rather than buy. How is that for being ironic. I make my living building hot rod parts and I'm trying to keep from buying parts.
Anyway, It has set over in the corner for all of these years and collected dust. With the economic slow down, I've had some time to drag it out and get it off the jig and on wheels.
Here are a few more pics that might answer some of the questions:
one finger john
Active Member
Did you make the wheels too?
GAB
Member
Youngster, Here is a pic of the transmission mount:
There is a pair of brackets that bolt to the tail shaft housing and that have a tube sleeve welded to them that house a urethane bushing and sleeve. A pair of spacers give enough room for the transmission to drop out. A shaft that is threaded on both ends keeps the whole thing together.
This might not be the best idea that I have ever had. The front motor mounts use the same urethane bushings arrangement and when combined with a 4 bangers natural tendency to shake, it might get interesting. I would have used stock front mounts and consequently a stock rear mount if there had been enough room to do so.
The wheels are homemade items. I just wanted to do something a little different. I have always liked the looks of the old Halibrand sprint car wheels and the thought of making a true knockoff and pin drive got me intrigued so I drew it up and decided to have a go at making them.
I retained the 4 bolt pattern to simplify things and as I plan on keeping the motor a stocker, I don't plan on any blasts of horsepower, it's just a cruiser. I traded some work for the 8" blank rear rims and located a close by company that makes 4" blanks for the front. I made a pattern and flame cut the centers. Some machine work on the center hole and the pin drive holes and they were ready. I made a pattern and had a foundry cast the aluminum pressure plates. The threaded center locator and knock off were flame cut flange and 3 bar nut and single point threaded tubes pieces. One of the most time consuming task was machining the studs the hold everything to the axles and front rotors and serve as the drive pins.
As far as plans for this thing goes, there aren't any, but I would be happy to help anyone with any specific questions or dimensions that they might have.
There is a pair of brackets that bolt to the tail shaft housing and that have a tube sleeve welded to them that house a urethane bushing and sleeve. A pair of spacers give enough room for the transmission to drop out. A shaft that is threaded on both ends keeps the whole thing together.
This might not be the best idea that I have ever had. The front motor mounts use the same urethane bushings arrangement and when combined with a 4 bangers natural tendency to shake, it might get interesting. I would have used stock front mounts and consequently a stock rear mount if there had been enough room to do so.
The wheels are homemade items. I just wanted to do something a little different. I have always liked the looks of the old Halibrand sprint car wheels and the thought of making a true knockoff and pin drive got me intrigued so I drew it up and decided to have a go at making them.
I retained the 4 bolt pattern to simplify things and as I plan on keeping the motor a stocker, I don't plan on any blasts of horsepower, it's just a cruiser. I traded some work for the 8" blank rear rims and located a close by company that makes 4" blanks for the front. I made a pattern and flame cut the centers. Some machine work on the center hole and the pin drive holes and they were ready. I made a pattern and had a foundry cast the aluminum pressure plates. The threaded center locator and knock off were flame cut flange and 3 bar nut and single point threaded tubes pieces. One of the most time consuming task was machining the studs the hold everything to the axles and front rotors and serve as the drive pins.
As far as plans for this thing goes, there aren't any, but I would be happy to help anyone with any specific questions or dimensions that they might have.
Thanks Georgefor the reply. Interesting mont. I agree, a banger dose vibate. The T I built with the ChevyII 4 in it turned up with some issues so I switched to stock type mounts ... much less chassis vibs.
For my drop outs I like to have them bolt up from the bottom so they can be shimmed down there or up between the trans and mount to help with engine/driveshaft tweeking.
Ron
For my drop outs I like to have them bolt up from the bottom so they can be shimmed down there or up between the trans and mount to help with engine/driveshaft tweeking.
Ron
I think we are simular in one respect, the real fun is in building. Typically my finished cars godown the road to the next owner with less than 2500 miles on them. By that time I'm on the next project with at least one more after that in mind. LOL .. time's wasting and there are so many more cars to build.
Ron
Ron
Very cool George, there are some neat ideas there.
jmr122848
Member
I think a Falcon was the doner, he made the grill from the stock brake lines
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