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Posted

It's a show car. You could section the bellhousing and transmission and nobody would notice. Except all of us!! Haha. 

 

  • Thanks 1
Posted (edited)

This is one of my favorite builds on here for a WHILE…we don’t get to see enough really wild builds!

Nice work on this so far…keep going!

Edited by OldNYJim
  • Like 1
Posted

Many decades ago there was a magazine article about Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and the pictures showed him slinging fiberglas cloth and resin everywhere and him grinding it all into shape, etc...that's what this reminds me of.  😉 (it's a compliment)

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)
On 8/18/2025 at 10:35 AM, Spex84 said:

It's a show car. You could section the bellhousing and transmission and nobody would notice. Except all of us!! Haha. 

 

Thanks Chris…I will only do that as a last resort.

8 hours ago, OldNYJim said:

This is one of my favorite builds on here for a WHILE…we don’t get to see enough really wild builds!

Nice work on this so far…keep going!

Thanks for the encouragement Jim. I am learning as I go and doing my best to keep motivated.

16 minutes ago, customline said:

Many decades ago there was a magazine article about Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and the pictures showed him slinging fiberglas cloth and resin everywhere and him grinding it all into shape, etc...that's what this reminds me of.  😉 (it's a compliment)

Thanks Jim. I’ve thought of it as hacking my way through the jungle at night with a machete. Every once in a while I come across a clearing where I can see the stars and get my bearings. Then I stay the course or head off in a different direction.😳

Edited by NOBLNG
Posted (edited)

I finally got this front suspension glued together into one solid chunk.🥵 I swear I had more trouble just assembling this unit than building tiny aluminum hinges from scratch.🤯 I reduced the amount of “zee” in the frame from 3/16” to 1/8” and hogged out the trans tunnel slightly to raise the power train a tad and glued the frame rails back onto the floorpan.

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Then I drilled the rear diff to accept a 3/32” tube. I shoved a piece of wire that nicely fits the hole in the wheels into the tube and used that assembly to locate the differential fore and aft. Wheel height can still be tweeked when I add the rest of the suspension components.

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Then added a couple of new crossmembers and pinned the diff in three places so it is positively located now.

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I haven’t glued the front suspension crossmember in place yet, as I want to do a bit more detailing yet, but the stance is pretty much set. Thanks for lookin’!🙂IMG_0245.jpeg.3446304c01b42f2d4fe13319d051e444.jpeg


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Edited by NOBLNG
  • Like 11
Posted (edited)

Ok, I’ve glued the front suspension in place. I shortened the ‘37 Ford tie-rod and converted it into a rack and pinion steering box🤪 and added a steering shaft.

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Edited by NOBLNG
  • Like 6
Posted

Fantastic stuff, Greg. Love the style of this build. 

I realise you have your engine to ground clearance sorted out, but just a thought here; you could add a dry-sump system with its attendant low profile oil pan, which would give you 3-4 inches of extra clearance.

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  • 1 month later...
Posted

Thank you all for the enthusiasm and encouragement. I’m tending to a few other projects at the moment, but this one is still next to my bench and I contemplate my next steps often.🙂

  • Like 2
Posted
15 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

Thank you all for the enthusiasm and encouragement. I’m tending to a few other projects at the moment, but this one is still next to my bench and I contemplate my next steps often.🙂

Yeah, the squirrels are getting to be a problem around here too. 🥴

  • Haha 2
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
On 10/2/2025 at 10:49 AM, customline said:

Yeah, the squirrels are getting to be a problem around here too. 🥴

Face it Jim…the squirrels OWN US! They decide what get worked on and when.😳

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

I finally had an idea how to go about making a grill for this thing. I started by drawing a profile of the rake I wanted. Then cut three pieces of styrene to shape and glued them together.IMG_1556.jpeg.609b604ab202e946d1b94e23ad3bd275.jpeg

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I used a method of layout affectionately known in the hvac trade as “rollation” to make a pattern for the screen.

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This first attempt worked perfectly, and I would have used it except that it proved to be too tall to look good. So I made a second, shorter one. I traced the grills from a ‘37 and ‘40 ford to get the upper and lower shapes. I considered just chopping the bottom off of the’37 grill and using it, but I was worried that it would still be recognizable as a vintage ford grill.🤔IMG_1561.jpeg.c1c0278c01d25620da5830999143b94a.jpeg

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I trimmed the frame rails back as far as possible and capped them with a piece of .030” Evergreen, then used some double faced tape to locate the framework where I wanted. Then drilled and pinned it .IMG_1571.jpeg.aa6fb0fe1da0e4c73ba58cfd27d2773a.jpeg

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I put a strip of tape on the inside of the screen in line with the mesh to make it easier to align my pattern. After creasing the centerline, I just rolled each side around a hobby knife to get the curve approximately. I may put some small trim of some sort over the outer perimeter of the screen yet?IMG_1575.jpeg.4e3a3f4c6453475492d01729215cbf60.jpeg

I’ll have to make some headlight mounting brackets to mask the ends of the frame rails that are protruding…or I might make yet another grill that stays the same width as the frame rails?🤔

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I can now begin building a radiator to mount on the backside and also a hood. I made a rough cardboard pattern, but need to make something with some shape and contouring to it. Thanks for lookin’.🙂

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Edited by NOBLNG
  • Like 1

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