Lakes Modified Roadster

[guilld]

I am going to start this build thread although I have not done any real fabrication work. I have primarily been gathering parts. For a long time I have wanted to build a T roadster. My son and I built the 32 starting 15 years ago and both of us have the itch to build something new. It will be hard to sell the 32 since it was our first hot rod and we built it together starting when He was thirteen.

I just hope we do not look back and wish we had not sold it. So here goes with the good, the bad, and probably some ugly.

 

[guilld]

Gotta have a 5 speed....


Daniel was adamant that the roadster would have a 5 speed. I am a Chevy guy so I started looking for an S10 with a V6 5 speed. I have a 4.3 S10 and felt like the motor would be more than adequate. S10’s with a 4.3 and a 5 speed are rare birds. I looked for a couple of months within a 200 mile range of my home with no luck. Also I wanted something old enough I could run a carb on and not have all the electronics.


I stumbled up on what appeared to be a perfect candidate except it was a Ford. 95 Mustang GT, 302, with a 5 speed. The car was only showing 150000 miles which is quite acceptable with today's engines. My S10 has over 300000 on it and it runs well and uses maybe a quart between changes. This car was sitting in a tow in lot and not running. We went and looked and the engine turned over ok.


What I do not like about Fords are all the changes. Ford changes things like I change underwear. A Chevy small block remained basically unchanged for decades. Also all aftermarket parts are more costly.


Well we bought the Ford!

 

[old round fart]

If you can keep the Ford I suggest you do so. I sold my t bucket and my ‘32 5 window and have been sorry ever since.

 

[Spanky]

For a long time I have wanted to build a T roadster. . . . So here goes with the good, the bad, and probably some ugly.

Happy to hear you're starting this build. That 'Stang should provide good 'bones' for your T, and you and your son will have a ball driving it when done. Congrats!

 

[guilld]

One of the best tools to disassemble a Ford….


Pulled the ford into the shop and started taking it apart. It went pretty well and we had the engine out in a short time.

 

[DonnyRay]

My neighbor Cisco has a Mustang with a 4.6L modular v8. He has thrashed that motor repeatedly & it hasn't scattered like a hand grenade. Most of my former engine swaps have been Chevy small blocks ( 327 & 350 c.i.d ).

 

[guilld]

First Gotcha!!


We got the engine out and I took it to a mechanic friend who likes Fords. I planned on putting a new intake, new carb, new distributor, new starter, headers, new water pump, new pulleys, etc. on the engine.


That is when I got the phone call “ you need to come by and look at this engine.” A picture is worth a thousand words. Underneath the intake looked like the la brea tar pits in California. Evidently the oil had never been changed in this car.


I paid $1700 for the car hoping to get a decent running gear. The mechanic advised me to buy a reman engine vs rebuilding the one I had so that is what we decided to do.


This could have gone the other way and it worked just like I hoped but it did not.

 

[guilld]

Got the new Engine....

I am not going to mention brand of reman engine because there is probably someone on here that has had a bad experience with them. I researched it the best I could and found bad reviews on everyone. I have an old friend that is a dealer. I think if I have any issues he will help me out.

I used the por15 MG maroon paint on the engine. I like the way it went on pretty smooth and a good coat. It only takes like a pint to paint the engine.

 

[Island Girl]

First Gotcha!!


We got the engine out and I took it to a mechanic friend who likes Fords. I planned on putting a new intake, new carb, new distributor, new starter, headers, new water pump, new pulleys, etc. on the engine.


That is when I got the phone call “ you need to come by and look at this engine.” A picture is worth a thousand words. Underneath the intake looked like the la brea tar pits in California. Evidently the oil had never been changed in this car.


I paid $1700 for the car hoping to get a decent running gear. The mechanic advised me to buy a reman engine vs rebuilding the one I had so that is what we decided to do.


This could have gone the other way and it worked just like I hoped but it did not.

May not be as bad as it looks . . . .

I'd opt for a few cans of Gunk, and a pressure washer, and and another look-see before writing it off

Might be a dingleball hone, some rings and bearings are enough to put her right

OK, after seeing the new one, I can see ignoring the tar pit cleanup

 

[old round fart]

Back in the day that is what Quaker State motors looked like even with oil changes. Haven’t seen it in years so I guess they changed their formula.

 

[fletcherson]

Back in the day that is what Quaker State motors looked like even with oil changes. Haven’t seen it in years so I guess they changed their formula.

Yep, QS was notorious for that.. I liked Kendall but haven’t seen it recently.

 

[AusBucket]

Oven cleaner and a high pressure washer would get the worst of that off so you could check it out properly and work on it.

 

[DonnyRay]

Wear a particle mask style respirator if you're going to spray EASY OFF oven cleaner. That stuff will get down your throat real quick. You'll be coughing like a first time cigarette smoker.

 

[guilld]

Second Gotcha!!!


I purchased a 27 roadster body off ebay probably a couple of years ago. I got it, looked at it in the crate and put it in storage.


After the bad news about the Mustang engine we pulled it out and set it up on a table. I am a carpenter/contractor by trade so things that are a bit skewed catch my eye. Looking at the body I noticed a twist in the body below the door on the passenger side. Well that sucks. Then I took the doors out of the box to set them in the door jamb. Guess what? The doors were too large for the openings.


I have no experience with fiberglass and I was not sure if I wanted to get my experience trying to straighten out a body and cut down the doors. If I had the expertise of Choppinczech it would be no problem.


I called Ron Pope to see if he had a big boy body in stock. My son and I went on a road trip to Sevierville. 1. I wanted to see if the body was proportioned right. 2. I wanted to see if it was somewhat straight (most glass bodies are a bit skewed).


The body was both so we bought a big boy body and hauled it home. The body is slightly different on the passenger side but I can make it work.


$1700 for the Mustang motor that was trash. $900 for the Ebay 27 body that needs repair. I hope there is a correction coming soon.

 

[choppinczech]

You can see the quality in Ron's Big Boy Body. Well worth the cost.

Are you going to have a turtle deck or pick up bed?

 

[guilld]

Neither. I have purchased a repo Model T tank to mount behind the body. This T should look sorta like the satin black nostalgia T speedway built. The big boy body is pretty good.

 

[guilld]

Wood worked for Henry Ford and Morgan Motor Company..


Started adding some wood to the body. I am using 1x oak cut 1 ½ inches wide. I am using whatever length will lay flat. I cut several sample lengths from 1 ½ inches to 8 inches long. I just test fit and find the best length that will lay flat. Initially I thought I would scribe each piece to fit but that did not work as planned. After the wood is in place I plan to add additional glass over the whole thing so I do not think it necessary to have long pieces of wood.


I had posted a question on bonding wood to glass and got the info that the 3M 5200 marine grade adhesive was the best (and it cost like the best). I am disappointed in the cure time. It says on the tube 72 hours and until tacky and then 5 to 7 days until cure. They are not kidding, it is slow as molasses in an igloo.

 

[guilld]

Change of Plans…..


My original plan was to use ¼ elliptical springs on the front and the rear. After studying it I have changed my mind. I want my frame a particular way and am afraid...


1. The car will end up too low in the front without any way to fix it.

2. There are lots of ways for me to screw up the suspension and the driving of the car.

3. I just do not have the confidence to tackle that suspension on the front.


I decided to go with the traditional spring over axle in front and use ¼ elliptical on the rear. The traditional front end is pretty much a bolt stuff together and it will work and should drive well (after all Ford designed it). The 32 we built drives pretty good for 70 year old technology and I have learned a bit tweaking the front end on it to make it even better.

 

[fletcherson]

I used bondo/resin slurry to bond oak to glass on the doors. The old pine that was bonded with bondo was over thirty years old and still so strong that the wood came apart, leaving the bondo and wood remnants still attached to the glass, having to be ground/sanded off. I drilled shallow holes in the oak to give it more teeth, but it seems very strong. I too disliked the cure time on the 3m adhesive.

 

[choppinczech]

I am disappointed in the cure time. It says on the tube 72 hours and until tacky and then 5 to 7 days until cure. They are not kidding, it is slow as molasses in an igloo.

Bondo works beautifully and you just hold it in place for a few minutes until it stays put.