FAULTLESS SPEEDSTER PROGRESS PART 1

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: FAULTLESS SPEEDSTER PROGRESS PART 1
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Monday, September 17, 2012 - 01:23 pm:

Hello all.
A few of you know me from the initial start of this project: June 2010. I had begun the project with my 16-year-old daughter, Nicole. Shortly after we began she became quite ill and we nearly lost her this June. She is recovering ( fingers crossed) and every day is a blessing. As a result, all my shop projects sort of ground to a halt. I started the Faultless Speedster project full-time again this September after a two year break.

I think it best to start from the beginning so I will post some photos of how the project began and where I left off. Some of you may have seen the first pics before. Over the weeks I will take you up to the point I am at now which is moving much quicker. I can't promise any of the excitement, ingenuity and great journalistic coverage Clayton Paddeson provided us this past year on his project, but at least it's something new to follow. I'm also hoping for some great tips & tricks from fellow members because I'm winging this on my own and I do a lot of things the hard way, it seems, simply from lack of experience with Model T's and a Speedster build.







I must give credit to several well-known forum/MTFCA group members (you know who you are) who provided me with endless support, photos, answers and suggestions. The body is a facsimile but not a replica of the 'Faultless Speedster' body kits offered in the 1920's & early 30's. These 'kits' would simply 'bolt on' to a Model T or 1920's Chevy chassis. The frame and floor is entirely ash & oak, the majority is ash cabinet grade plywood (the stuff with more layers rather than the cheapo Home Depot stuff. The body skin is plain 22 gauge CR steel sheets. The entire body is simply three pieces of sheet metal. You could do it all with out welding ( I did some mig work on mine to make it easier). The main feature of this simple boat tail body design is that you do not need to slip roll, machine bend or hammer work the three body sheets to form the graceful curves you just work and finesse them over the wood braces while tacking them down with ring shank nails. There is certainly a little hammering skill involved in working over the edges of your sheets however (especially on that back spine). If ever the rule measure twice - cut once did apply, it's here! Better still, measure twice and then have a beer come back and measure it again. Materials are expensive these days and a mistake can ruin your day and your budget.






Budget is key with this project. I've done it all on a shoe string. I used battered scrap grade hoods and spares others didn't want. I had enough spares of my own to pretty much assemble a rolling chassis (less wheels). I've been trying to keep the entire build under $2,000.00 but I must stress I had 80% of a complete chassis, several engines & two trannys in my garage when I started. The budget will likely run over when it comes time to purchase 3 new tires ( I have a good rear), new battery, have one of several old radiators repaired, have the seat & padded trim made, you get the picture.


Made from 3 scrap hoods. Good enough for the race track!



I'm not posting this project to provide a detailed essay; How to Build a Faultless Type Speedster 101. My mentors build and sell these and I don't want to give away all of their trade secrets. There are no actual 'plans' floating around for these Faultless Speedsters. The project starts and ends from the same measuring point, the distance from the fire wall to the front of the frame. Everything else sort of reveals itself as you progress. It is also necessary to make good rigid templates for your body panels and install them carefully with a staple gun. Big sheets of very thin cardboard (such as the kind that may come between your 4X8 sheets of steel) or plain old roofing tar paper works well also. I used them both and I'm still not sure which I prefer.








We all should know what a T chassis looks like so we shall skip that section. All I say is that this particular project started with a 1919 frame, 1915 wheels (a donation/trade from a kind member) and some high 23 hoods and a modified radiator surround. The hood was made from several very damaged examples. I joined the best four salvage sides together with piano hinges as the original loop & rod hinges were rusted away. The louvers were crushed flat from bad storage so I made a positive hardwood form of a louver and just worked them all back out and in to shape (not one teaspoon of filler). The only radiator surround available was a short one and it was lengthened to fit (thanks for the donation Wayne S.!). After all, this is a replica racing car from the pre-hot rod golden age when young people built them under a shade tree not a polished diamond show car! You can use any chassis, wire or wood wheels modified or stock. For the sake of simplicity I am showing this build on a stock T chassis (no lowering, you can find all that stuff out from the more experienced members). The key to this project is LOW BUDGET (don't let the older Mercedes mislead, Nicole's illness has depleted hobby money to near zero). The average T enthusiast will likely have 'most' of another T lying around someplace and if not, I suggest you find a very complete T to start with and you have the advantage of needing none of the body so you can go pretty ratty on the donor T you use or purchase.

I should also express another rule of thumb I developed over the years. If you actually want to enjoy your speedster as soon as possible, don't get hung up building a race engine with all sorts of expensive mods. Just get her running on a stock chassis first so you can drive it for a season. See if you like it and only then, if the spirit moves you,build up a speedster engine and do all the other chassis mods later.

Before I started chopping up expensive marine grade plywood, I made cardboard and cheap 1/4inch ply mock ups to be sure I was on the right track. The rest of the pics are self explanatory. I used three coats of diluted marine polyurethane before applying the exterior brown finish to the wood frame. This helps water proof your body shell and interior should you get caught in the rain on a long rally and also seems to give a little more solid feel to the wood frame. The other advantage is, if you are not the worlds best joinery expert (moi) it's a good way to cover up all those screw up areas where you used filler to cover your mistakes.

THAT TAKES US TO WHERE I LEFT THE PROJECT. I'LL MOVE US FORWARD TO CURRENT ON THE NEXT INSTALLMENT. MORE PICS TO FOLLOW IN THE NEXT 24-48 HRS

Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Karlsson, southern Sweden on Monday, September 17, 2012 - 01:40 pm:

Great project! I like the budget-without-sacrificing-style theme. Prayers for Nicole's health :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry VanOoteghem on Monday, September 17, 2012 - 02:11 pm:

James,

Looks very good. Looking forward to reading more about it as you progress.

As someone who owns a Faultless "copy" as you are making, please take some advice. Do NOT count on those ring shank nails to do all the work of holding the sheet metal on the wood skeleton. It works well if you tack weld the two halves together, along the spine, every inch or so. Also, where the metal attaches to the firewall and seat frame, there should be a more secure means of attachment. On mine, I made a thin "angle iron" on my sheet metal break, then, with a shrinker/stretcher, formed to piece to the curvature of the body. This formed "cap" fits over the sheet metal edge and bends down, over the wood panel. It's pop-riveted to the sheet metal every inch, with steel pop-rivets, and bolted through the wood. My biggest fear was being rear ended and having the sheet metal edge rip loose from the seat frame and proceed towards me. You can imagine the result. The ring shank nails are o.k. to get everything in place and fixtured but they are not good for "road use" with its vibration, bend, twist, etc.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Monday, September 17, 2012 - 05:09 pm:

Jerry V.O.
Very good advice! Regarding the ring shank nails,point taken and I do plan on sort of tack welding them along that spine. I've already done so in several other areas.

Regarding the capping band along the rear seat frame: Yes, my 'teacher' L.S. has just such a device on all of his. At first I assumed it was more for aesthetic reasons but the potential rear end 'Razor Blade' situation you've pointed out makes it perfectly clear that it serves a better purpose. I have a break and shrinker & stretcher so it will give me yet another chance to use it.

F.Y.I. Also for safety (and looks) all open ends of sheet metal (such as the cockpit) have a heavy rolled edge of split, hydraulic, steel tubing that's lead soldered in place.

Please keep the comments and tips rolling in, I can use the help! Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 01:42 am:

Before we get current. I found some more earlier pics that may be of interest.

This shows the underside of the tail section pretty well and also the taper



This next was sort of an afterthought mistake. The tank I had really didn't clear the rear spine so I had to notch it a bit to fit. The exhaust/muffler is simply stored out of the way and not installed. I did install a nice big emergency brass shut off valve on the underside that can be reached pretty easily from outside the vehicle.




FAST FORWARD - SEPTEMBER 2012

Here's the cowl after its first fit. I wasn't happy with the cut out and used some gold pin-striping tape (all I had) to find a better contour. Worse, I bucked the skin a bit when trying to get it to curve tightly around the dash board frame. I didn't like the sharp corner on the floor board where it makes its taper either. I was able to smooth it out a little better later.



There was a considerable gap around the entire dash so I elected to pin it directly with ring shank nails. I think forming a slight curve where the bends start over a barrel or a big slip roll would solve the problem but it was too late so here's what I did. It now has a nice snug fit and wont rattle on the road. This also solved the bucked section. Those may look like big patches for some counter sunk nail heads but I slather the filler on pretty thick and then sand 60% of it off as I like to apply enough the first time.










See it gets better!



Notice the simulated wire roll edge.





And here's how she looks with the other half. The rivets give a nice period look and even though I tack welded the two halves the rivets are functional for added strength. Notice the dash, that about six coats of hand rubbed black lacquer and finished with carnuba wax.



Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Solak on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 12:39 pm:

Great thread, James. I'd suggest keeping a common term in the title of the thread, like Clayton did with his so that we can search easily to find it on the thread listing page.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob McDonald-Federal Way, Wa. on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 01:08 pm:

James
That is great. How is you daughter doing well we all hope. I find I always stay on budget when I misplace or lose a few of my receipts, makes me feel much better when I look at the bottom line. Grin. Keep up the good work.

Bob


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 01:10 pm:

Thanks Bob,
Due to the low response, I fear it's getting lost already so I posted a 'Heads Up' notice today. A little frustrated but I'll keep it going if you wish.

Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry VanOoteghem on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 01:21 pm:

James,

My split brake line edge capping is soldered on too. My cowl is not as well reinforced as yours and flexing, over the years, has caused the solder joints to break and the capping to work loose. If it's not too late on yours, I would suggest tack welds to secure it better. I'll need to do that with mine eventually, and naturally, it will screw up the paint job. Yours however does look more solid, with your instrument panel going down to the main body rails, so maybe you're o.k.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob McDonald-Federal Way, Wa. on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 01:24 pm:

PLEASE DO Jimmy Some of us are interested in following your progress. There are many that lurk and may not respond but there interested also. I get the same feeling about my Snow Bird project, but will keep it going. Just different strokes for different folks. Great hobby anyway.

Bob


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry VanOoteghem on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 01:26 pm:

I like the grab handle for your passenger. It's very needed!

Mine is located on the seat riser, in the middle, between driver and passenger. The passenger can grab it with their left hand which gives them good support when I'm turning left, (and going too fast).


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mack Cole ---- Earth on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 01:33 pm:

I just got a chance to look over the thread.Good job and keep up the good work.
2 of my modern rides have decided to check out and I have been to busy working on them.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 01:35 pm:

Well, here's where I'm at now (see pics). The back boat tail sections are the challenge when it comes to getting things in line. I was struggling and cursing alone in my garage when I noticed three Mexican guys from our village road crew staring at me. One chap asked me if I need some help and with a sea of hands holding it all in place while I applied clamps I had the stubborn sheet in place in minutes. I supplied them with ice cold bottles of pop for there lunch break and we all walked away happy!

I'm a little concerned that I may have made the cut out too large but it's too late now. I plan on adding rolled & padded leather trim around the cockpit which will and several inches of height. Or like my old TR-3 Triumph maybe some side curtains. ;-)



It took a lot of hammer work to get that sheet to fold nicely over the spine but it seems to have worked out okay.



This picture (tranny & dummy fire wall) is going backwards but somehow it vanished from the earlier posting. It shows how I started using cardboard and cheapo 1/4 plywood to get a feel for the shape & dimensions before cutting in to expensive ash & oak woodwork.



This last picture shows the solid oak firewall. I had designed it to be covered with a sheet of steel but decided to leave it for now in the satin black wood finish you see.



That's it for today and thanks for your support!
Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 01:49 pm:

Jerry VO,
We seem to be on the same page. Yes. I have tack welded the split tubing about every five inches. Around the dash, I tacked from the underside where it would be less visible.

Grab handle: If you look at the position and shape of the grab handle in the first pics you'll see I threw the black, screen door looking job away. I found a nice antique handle at a flea market changed the mounting position to an angle and 'sport wrapped' it in waxed-cotton string for a vintage racing look. I was going to do the same with the steering wheel because it was cracked up and Bondo repaired but I came across a very good one 'when I wasn't looking' for just a few bucks
Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Husa on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 03:14 pm:

Any thoughts about lowering the suspension?
My speedster has about a 4-5" drop front and back.I know that a Calif. Co sells a kit!
I like the way it feels and handles!
Keep up the good work!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary White on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 03:42 pm:

Unreal! Want to build me one? :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 11:05 pm:

Steve, Earlier in this posting I mention that this one is being built on a stock chassis to save time. Eventually I will build a separate full race chassis for it with friction shocks and all the lowering tricks. For now, I'm in the "Git er Done" mode so, high off the ground she will stay for now. I posted this picture on the other thread today but I'll show you all here also. I have a donor car or hot rod or what ever the hell it is that I bought at a farm auction simply because just about every part used to build it pre-dates WWII (obviously the aluminum tub was installed a bit later -yuck!. A number of items you see on that thing will be used at some point on my racing chassis. Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - 12:33 am:

Jimmy,
Sorry I didn't read this sooner. I am a couple days behind in my forum reading. I have been out of town a few days for a family function.
I have often wondered why you had not been making progress with the Faultless project. As I recall, you were hoping to have it running so your daughter could drive it for a special event a couple years ago. It saddens me to hear it was for an illness, especially since it was your daughter who was ill. My prayers are with you, and your daughter.
The car is coming along nicely! Do you have a new target date or event?
I agree with your statement of get it running with a stock engine etc. Drive it and enjoy it a bit while you decide just what you want to do next. I have done several speedsters that way, including my current boat-tail (of unknown origin).
Good luck to you, and your daughter.
I look forward to updates on both.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - 01:39 pm:

Howdy Wayne,
Thank you for your thoughts. So you recognize that radiator shell? Nope, no target date. As you see that hot rod parts car I picked up came with one but I'm sticking with yours. The rod's seat was covered in one of those omnipresent rainbow colored Mexican blankets & I immediately thought of you Callifunny guys when I first saw it.

The speedster body will certainly be ready for a spin in 2012. It's all about getting a running, stopping & driving chassis together as far as what needs to be done. All the little details, I can do next year. She'll probably stay in the iron oxide tinted chromate primer for a while which doesn't bother me.
Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - 01:45 pm:

Jerry VO,
I thought you'd appreciate this fine grab handle idea somebody sent me a while ago. No idea who those nice looking folks are. Notice the large tubing that was used around the cockpit. It probably adds considerable rigidity to that body.
Jimmy

NICE GRAB RAIL.jpg


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 12:24 am:

Those are two of the many fine members of the Jorgensen model T family posing in their fantastic speedster. It is neatly trimmed with aluminum "half-round" (actually somewhat less than "half"). Around the edge of the cowl, it is used both inside and outside the sheet metal creating a nice handle once it was cut out, and trimmed on the forward edge. The car is extremely well built and nicely restored.
Many members of the family are very active in the Santa Clara Valley Model T Ford Club. They all do a lot for the club. More than I can ever claim to have done. A wonderful family.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 11:57 am:

Wayne, thanks for the identification. The stuff around the cowl appears flat on the sides. Is this something available or did they modify some sort of half round alloy stock?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry VanOoteghem on Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 12:20 pm:

Jimmy,

I almost missed that there was a speedster in the photo, let alone a handle. I've not had the good fortune to attract such a lovely passenger.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Brian Sullivan, Powell WY on Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 03:17 pm:

I found these threads very helpful. Also a photo, discussion, and diagram of the half round material:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/179374/207842.html?1303833970

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/29/47541.html


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 09:05 pm:

I URGE EVERYBODY TO CHECK OUT THE THREADS Brian S. PROVIDED ABOVE. THEY LEAD TO A WEALTH OF USEFUL INFORMATION (including a complete photo essay of the Jorgensen Speedster build we were discussing above).
Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Friday, September 21, 2012 - 02:41 am:

Guess I don't need to answer your most recent question. Thank you Brian S. It was fun looking back at those other threads.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Friday, September 21, 2012 - 04:54 pm:

UPDATE: FRIDAY SEPT. 21st

Raining and cool today so I'm jumping around doing several things.

First off I (re-made) a template for the right side of the tail. Rather than tar paper, I made the new template using light cardboard that allows for the corrections I made on the left side. Some may ask, "Why not just flip the left one over and use it on the right"? Well, in theory, that should work. Reality, I'm apparently not that good at building a mirror image on both sides and my metal sheet will be off.



Next step is simply cutting it out. Sounds easy but depending on what you use to cut you sheet metal, it can be a breeze or a royal pain! It's still raining and I need to do it outside for lack of space so I have no pics of the cut out tail yet.

IMPORTANT DISCUSSION TOPIC: What's the best tool for cutting 22 gauge sheet metal. Turns out there is no single tool that can do everything. I learned through trial, error and asking others who know more than I do. Here are some of the tools I've narrowed it down to (see photo)



First for making big cuts and knocking down big sheets to smaller sizes the Eastwood-Woodwardfab-Harbor Freight electric shears are great. I think the Harbor Freight version is the same as the more expensive Eastwood shears I bought.

PLUSES: FAST, SAVE YOUR HANDS FROM FATIGUE, EASY TO USE, CAN BE ADJUSTED TO CUT LEFT-RIGHT-STRAIGHT OR IF YOU BARELY TIGHTEN DOWN THE HEAD YOU CAN GET THE HEAD TO SORT OF SCROLL AROUND A GENTLE CURVE.

MINUS: REAL HEAVY (AS HEAVY AS MY MILWAUKEE HAND DRILL). CUTS ABOUT AN 1/8TH INCH WIDE CUT. LEAVES A SLIGHTLY SERRATED SHARP EDGE THAT REQUIRES DE- BURRING OR A HAND FILE.

AVIATION SNIPS; (3 pair) You must have these to finish edges, detail work, and small cutting. Don't buy those cheapo Chinese snips! They are a waste of money. Splurge and buy good ole made in USA new or used if you can find them. I use Lennox brand as that's what the aviation guys use who work across the road from me preferred. You need a Right,Left,& Straight or you'll be cursing eventually if you try and do it all with straight cutters.

JIG SAW: Here's the one that slips through the cracks. A good (variable speed) jig saw with TOP-OF-THE-LINE BI-Metal blades. Don't be fooled and think DeWalt or Bosch makes the best blades either. Get the real deal STARRETT BI-METAL Universal saw blades. Made in USA and none better. If you have your sheet laying out properly so the edges can't vibrate there is nothing that cuts as fine, as clean an edge like a jig saw with a STARRETT blade. If you can't find them, go on line or eBay. Even with postage I think I paid about half price.

GLOVES!!!!! I should have included them in the picture. If you don't, I promise you, in addition to: money, sweat & tears you will add blood to your build.

Other tools for cutting sheets? I'd love to know, I'm still learning as I go.




Because of the rain, I jumped over to think about making some vent scoops. It's gonna get warm in there so they will not only add to the general form but the will have function. The example IS NOT a template. I've just created a shape to get a general idea of placement and approx size/shape. This idea is highly subject to change.





This is simply a detail I wanted to show you before I forgot. I created a hood forming band on the firewall from oak. I will line the top edge with the standard welt that goes around the metal firewall lip. Everything is a little messy in this photo because it still has all the wet sanding run off. Still not sure if I want to first cover the firewall in a steel or aluminum sheet with some bead roll designs worked in or just re-paint this wood in satin black & leave it. Opinions???

That's it for now. Cheers! Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Semprez-Templeton, CA on Friday, September 21, 2012 - 08:55 pm:

Jimmy,

You are doing it correctly as far as I'm concerned. I had the honor of observing a Steve Foose (the dad) trained body builder as he created a 60's style dragster for a client.

He uses a sabre saw and a block of bees wax to lubricate the saw blade when cutting metal. There is no "right way" to cut metal he says, ... power shears, nibbler, air chisel with metal cutting tool or high speed grinder with a cut off wheel, what ever works for the task at hand.

I would leave the wooden fire wall, cause it looks more period correct. JMHO

You are the craftsman now, and we can all learn from you! - John -


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Hoshield on Friday, September 21, 2012 - 10:01 pm:

James ..

Yes. please do continue posting! I don't have the tools, nor likely, the patience ... to do such work, but am very envious of those that do! My dad did body work when he was younger, but only a short list of tools survived him. Most of what I remember is doing some body work on my '53 Chevy when I was in high school. We still used body lead and 'did it right'. :-)

It's fun watching your posts, and your creativity in coming up with body parts!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 12:28 pm:

Dennis,
I think the beauty of this sort of project is that it dosen'r require a high degree of skill or experience. The curves almost form for you if you take your time. The body is only as good as the wood frame & the templates you create. Sloppy templates = messy body panels. The rest is just 'learn as you go'. Important to ask questions when you feel you are in unfamiliar territory. In many cases you will catch your mistakes when you temporarily mount your templates to the wood frame.

Yesterday for example,I found what would have caused a nasty buck in the upper cockpit area caused by a bevel in the seat back frame's edge. The fault was caused by the use of a cheap Harbor Freight type jig saw I used before I splurged for the fancy Bosch saw. Now my cuts are all spot on & beveled only when I want them to be. Jimmy

P.S. I don't count buying tools as part of my original budget. Hopefully I'll get to use them 500 more times before my grandchildren are fighting over them. As my Dad would have so elloquently expressed it, "Tools is tools".


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 04:56 pm:

SATURDAY SEPT. 23, 2012

The rain stopped and I was able to cut out the final sheet for the tail section.



The scuffed up appearance is due to 220 grit paper with an orbital sander. This seems to give the primer more to grab. I also wipe the oil film off the sheets with acetone. I do this once before I start drawing the outline and again once the sheet's mounted.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MENTION MY MISTAKES. TODAY I NOTICED AN OBVIOUS OVERSIGHT. NORMALLY I WOULD KNOW BETTER. I THINK I GOT A LITTLE ANXIOUS TO HANG THE FIRST SHEET LAST WEEK. DO YOU NOTICE SOMETHING I MISSED?



Nope, it's not the cut outs for the FLOOR pedals (I have a good reason for not doing that yet that I'll mention it later). I forgot to paint the inside of the #@*!!!%* sheets before installing them! Now I'll have to crawl around cutting around everything in there with a mini roller and 1" sash brush. A silly mistake. If that's the worst thing I do during this build, I can live with it.

Stand by - I should get the last tail section on tomorrow.
Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry VanOoteghem on Monday, September 24, 2012 - 01:55 pm:

Jimmy,

I like your vent scoop idea, very cool! Consider putting something like a "weber grill" style vent closure on the inside of the cowl however, in order to "turn off" the vent. Being exposed as you are in a wide open car, being too warm is seldom the issue. Even when it's mid-70s outside, it's still kind of chilly in a speedster.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Monday, September 24, 2012 - 06:15 pm:

Good point Jerry. New to a T Speedster but I've some experience with breezy cars; 63 VW bug, triumph TR3, 58 AH Bug Eye Sprite and a +4 Morgan all had the issues you mention. Never warm enough when you were cold and too warm in the cockpit in the summer (no to mention wet & leaky when you wanted to stay dry). Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Thursday, September 27, 2012 - 09:08 pm:

END PART I
SEE PART II CREATED (SEPT. 27TH)


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