Lakes Modified Roadster

[guilld]

I did bondo one piece in and I may change to that method.

 

[Gerry]

Years ago a friend told me that American Oak was the only wood with the same coef of expansion as Glass. Thats why he used it. No greater or less movement than the glass, so no cracks or splits in either.

 

[guilld]

Did not know that. I went with oak because it is stronger than pine or poplar.

 

[DonnyRay]

I also read that many years ago ( oak & fiberglass having same expansion rate ). I plan to make all of my upholstery ribbing out of fiberglass. I will make 3 identical forms ( the finer glass can be trimmed to fit ) . The forms will be taller & longer than necessary. I will glass 3 sides of each form. I will predrill holes & install brass grommets in each hole before i glass in each rib. I will use a red sharpie & color each grommet. I will install some clear plastic panels ( they resemble cardboard ) which some upholsterers prefer to use. Tap plastics has a supply of these panels.

 

[Spanky]

(post moved)

 

[guilld]

It really is like riding a bicycle….


I have been practicing my welding a bit before I begin and it seems to be going ok. I am getting good penetration and they are cosmetically acceptable to me. I do not plan to totally try and smooth and fill all the welds so cosmetic is important to me. I think a decent looking weld has a certain appeal.

 

[TheYeti]

It really is like riding a bicycle….


I have been practicing my welding a bit before I begin and it seems to be going ok. I am getting good penetration and they are cosmetically acceptable to me. I do not plan to totally try and smooth and fill all the welds so cosmetic is important to me. I think a decent looking weld has a certain appeal.

I agree. I like to keep the welds if they are pretty. No need to grind them away.

Is that your MM35?

 

[guilld]

Yes it is on old miller matic 35. Does not have all the fancy settings of today but welds good.

 

[TheYeti]

Yes it is on old miller matic 35. Does not have all the fancy settings of today but welds good.

Mines old too. Either a 1973 or 1974. I can't remember which. They weld great.

 

[fletcherson]

Nothing wrong with old tools. If it works and you can use it, what else matters?

 

[guilld]

I am starting the fabrication of the all important frame. If Mykk had not already used the threat title “ The T in My Head” that probably would have been my choice. I tend to search, plan, and build in my head before ever starting to build something of this magnitude.


My plans are for the car to be very low, like six inches ground clearance. The frame will have a Z at the firewall to help achieve the low stance. Also I am hoping to build a frame that allows the seats to be between the frame rails thus lowering the seats about 4 inches. It works perfectly in my head. I am not naive enough to think everything will just work out perfectly but hopefully I can overcome any problems.


The frame rails under the body will be 2 x 6 x 3/16 wall rectangular tubing. The frame rails under the engine and the rear kick will be 2 x 4 x ¼ wall rectangular tubing. So here we go…….

 

[guilld]

A few more pics......

This may be all for a while?

 

[old round fart]

I also wanted to sit low but what I did was drop the frame from the firewall to the back of the body to the bottom of the frame. Haven’t finished it but haven’t found a problem yet. Two by six is overkill in my opinion plus’s it cost you seat height.

 

[choppinczech]

I tend to search, plan, and build in my head before ever starting to build something of this magnitude.

Me too. I spend 10 times more hours thinking, planning, drawing and building jigs than the actual work.

 

[Spanky]

Nice work, guilld. I, too, wanted the low look, resulting in a 5" channel, and seats on the floor. I considered making a footwell that would drop down the width of the frame rails and allow for a little more comfortable seating, but chickened out a the last minute. I sit low in my car (I'm only 5'-4"), but there isn't much foot room. Maybe a future project . . .

 

[DonnyRay]

I like how you're forming your frame. Keep up the great work.

 

[Neshkoro]

They say that practice makes perfect. I’m on my second bucket. The first one was 50 years ago when I was still wet behind the ears. The second one was 40 years ago. My ears were dry but I still had a lot to learn. Maybe after number 10 I’ll get it right. That’s the benefit of buying one from one of our sponsors. They build a lot of them!

 

[DonnyRay]

I use 3 sponsors : RPM , SPIRIT CARS & SPEEDWAY MOTORS ! They're the BOMB !

 

[guilld]

On hold....

The modified has be relegated to the corner for a while. I got the A Model pickup back from paint yesterday and it is close to finished. I have had the truck for a couple of years working on getting it painted and interior. I have to finish it first! I will be back on modified soon I hope.

 

[Spanky]

That's a sweet looking little truck, G.