The excitement is building

[Island Girl]

I guess I was looking for way to get it done without major surgery on the body, frame or rear end. None of the options are easy or inexpensive.
Darlene,
Did you buy the wheels and tires from Spirit?

I did not get the wheels tires from Spirit, but for the typical width rear wheels we are accustomed to on T's, 4.5" of backspace is right in the main stream. I'd have to go back to an 8" to 10" wide wheel to get it in only 2.5" backspace.

They really did use a too narrow rear, as far as I'm concerned.

The spacers will let me get the car running and drivable, and once there, I'll go back over the options . . . I'll probably be seeing things a bit differently by then anyway . . .

 

[Neshkoro]

That’s kind of the problem with doing things piece meal. It’s hard to point the finger in the right direction.
I’m trying to have a garage built on some property I own in Wisconsin. There needs to be some excavating done to get the ground ready for the concrete pad. I’ve contacted one builder that wants about $5,000 more than the 3 other folks (excavator, concrete mason and carpeneter) to put up the garage.
If I go with the cheaper version and I have a problem, I don’t know who to go after. So it’s save 5 grand and gamble or pay 5 grand more and have peace of mind if there’s an issue.

 

[2old2fast]

What you pay has little bearing on whether or not someone stands behind thier work !!

 

[scar]

thanks for the answer Darlene , sorry on the panhard bar ......I must have missed it , cheers Scar

 

[Island Girl]

I've come to the conclusion that this isn't going to be as smooth or problem free as I expected or hoped for . . . .

Realized last evening that the bolts and gaskets for the headers are not amongst all the bits and boxes that arrived with the car, so another Summit order on the way. I really want to fire this up and see what she sounds like. . . . .

I'm due for some positive feedback from this, thus far, rather expensive yard art . . .

 

[Island Girl]

thanks for the answer Darlene , sorry on the panhard bar ......I must have missed it , cheers Scar

No problem, it's easy to miss, as it's a bit hidden behind the axle from most camera angles.

 

[JetMech727]

I've come to the conclusion that this isn't going to be as smooth or problem free as I expected or hoped for . . . .

Realized last evening that the bolts and gaskets for the headers are not amongst all the bits and boxes that arrived with the car, so another Summit order on the way. I really want to fire this up and see what she sounds like. . . . .

I'm due for some positive feedback from this, thus far, rather expensive yard art . . .

Never is. Building a car from the ground up requires more thought and planning than the actual work. Especially if you shy away from the norm. That's best left to those that have built a few. It is also the reason we build the car first and then blow them apart for paint. Just putting a chrome bolt order together takes me several hours and makes my brain hurt. Imo Spirit should of given you some direction, but I don't know the full story there. That is also why a lot of cars are never finished and sold for pennies on the dollar. I could go on but won't as I feel your pain.

Not sure what happened on your header bits but mine came with gaskets & bolts. Some do & some don't but the people you bought all of this from should've made extra sure you were getting everything you were suppose to. Especially because of where your located.

Imo you would've been better off buying a driver. Jm2c Keep your chin up, take a deep breath, step away for a bit to collect your thoughts and come up with a game plan. These things aren't built overnight. I could tell you the story about what I went through with the painter of my car some time. That's sure to make you feel better.

 

[DonnyRay]

CENTERLINES have various widths & offsets. You can get different positive / negative offsets.

 

[Spanky]

Imo you would've been better off buying a driver.

NEVER! The whole point of building a ground-up car is to get it the way you want it. Risks? Yes, a miscalculation like this one (whoever is at fault) can be expensive, but in the end you get a ride that is uniquely yours, and "pride of authorship." You go, girl!!!

 

[Island Girl]

NEVER! The whole point of building a ground-up car is to get it the way you want it. Risks? Yes, a miscalculation like this one (whoever is at fault) can be expensive, but in the end you get a ride that is uniquely yours, and "pride of authorship." You go, girl!!!

I'm with you on this one . . . .

I can deal with the problems, just feels cathartic to rant about them a little.

As far as Centerline wheels, the ones we came to know and love that have graced many a hot rod have been gone for a couple years now.

Centerlines were my first choice, until all I could find was some old stock of the least popular sizes, and that was last summer.

The name and maybe trademark has been bought out, but it's not the centerline from before.

 

[409T]

NEVER! The whole point of building a ground-up car is to get it the way you want it. Risks? Yes, a miscalculation like this one (whoever is at fault) can be expensive, but in the end you get a ride that is uniquely yours, and "pride of authorship."

Absolutely!

 

[Island Girl]

Hey Gang, . . . Great news

Just got a chance to chat with Josh, and they're working with me to get the right width housing.

Looks like I'll be sending back the narrow one with the axles for a wider one.

You just can't go wrong with Spirit, these guys have always come thru.

 

[EX JUNK]

Hey Gang, . . . Great news

Just got a chance to chat with Josh, and they're working with me to get the right width housing.

Looks like I'll be sending back the narrow one with the axles for a wider one.

You just can't go wrong with Spirit, these guys have always come thru.

That says a lot about the guys a Spirit IMHO.

Jim

 

[2old2fast]

......

 

[choppedtop]

They have always been more than fair from my experiences with them.

 

[JetMech727]

Glad to hear the problem will be resolved. Progress moving forward once again.

 

[AusBucket]

Great outcome Island Girl, from what I've seen in previous threads I figured they would sort it for you with a minimum of fuss. I tips me lid to the Guys at Spirit.

 

[2old2fast]

^^^^#354 had a big thumbs up , I don't know what happened ?....

 

[DonnyRay]

I'm learning good things about spirit cars. I know from previous experience that RPM is GREAT !! Looks like spirit cars is also.

 

[Island Girl]

Weekend Update . . . .

With a great resolution in the works for getting my rear wheels located properly, I still needed to measure how wide the current rear is, and establish how much wider it needs to be.

Since I had 2 sets of 1.250" wide wheel spacers already here from Summit, I figured I'd see how much it took to get the wheels to bolt up, and how much more it would take to have good clearance between the tires and body.

I've also been dying to see what the car looks like and how it sets with the wheels and tires I initially chose for it.

So I put one spacer on the passenger side and checked the wheel fit . . . It does bolt up and clear the body by maybe a half inch, max.

On the driver's side, I added two spacers and then put the wheel on. . . . .

This gave another 1 1/4" of clearance, and looks about adequate, though another small fraction wouldn't hurt or look bad.

I measured 56" axle face to axle face, so getting one that's 62" should be perfect, giving me right about 2 1/4" clearance on each side between the tires and body.