50 Ford

[geezerman35]

I'm still waiting for wheels from Perry's Resin for the AA/FA, finished Blue's T and have it shipped back to him. So, I grabbed the other 50 Ford convert. Don't exactly know where I'm headin on this, but I have a couple of ideas.
First,. I have the kit's big rear tires on a set of my homemade deep steelies. I then cut down two of the tires for the front. They are too small for the car to set off the ground using the lowered option and look crappy using the normal axle location.
I'm not using the kit's Flathead that has the hole thru the block for the axle rod to pass thru. I'm using a blown engine with no hole.
This meant I had to fabricate some axles to attach the front wheels to. I ended up using 1/16" brass tubing to go into the holes in the backing plate of the wheel, and smaller brass rod that fits into the brass tubing to mount to the frame.
Using the top (lowered) holes with this smaller rod, leaves me some minimal tiebar clearance. The thickness of that scale ruler is all there is. about 1/32". Here is the front end, blocked square and the brass rods epoxy'd to the frame. I have used similar methods before to eliminate that full length metal axle passing thru the front. This, by the way, doesn't look too bad. I have the epoxy painted black and the upper A arms mount just above it.

I probably should have tried to cut some treads on the tires, but I figured I was pushing my luck just cutting them down that much on my Dremel.

.

So far, it seems I'll have a pretty good rake on this build,

[gerg]

Man that is workmanship right there!!! I have seen you use brass rod in several applications, out of curiosity, where ya get the stuff. I wouldn't mind this on those ugly thru axle engines myself.

[geezerman35]

Gerg,
Ace Hdw. has a good selection of brass and aluminum, as well as piano wire. All shapes and sizes. I have to go 30 miles to get to a decent hobby shop.

Ben,
I emailed Perrys and he is in business, but is going to start limiting his resin to bodies mostly. I'm getting close to the top of the 6 to 8 week window he wanted to deliver.

[gmckid]

It looks like another killer geezer build is in the works.
I will be watching this thread for more updates.

[geezerman35]

I think I want this to look like some squirrel's street rod, but not as raggedy as the JC Whitney special. I want to use the resin Carson top Gerg sent me.

[geezerman35]

Got the engine and tranny in the frame all right. Had to notch the firewall a bit, so figgered that we better check the interior tub. This always seems to be the hang up when you start changing things. Sure enough, new tranny wouldn't clear the hump. Igor and i started shaving the plastic underneath the tub. No significant help. Started shaving the corners, then the top of the tranny itself. Still no help.
So, I'm thinking.....This is Geezer's Garage, Not Foose or Coddingham, what would real squirrels do?
Igor was out in the garage bay whacking off

the rest of the top of the tranny. I stopped him and said we'll do this right. I like to imagineer, but am reluctant to overly do things that would be downright impossible on a 1:1. Like gluing tires to the bottomside of fenders to lower a model.
Ok. real squirrels would cut a hole in the floorpan and then possibly weather seal it with duct tape.
So Igor and I built a new top for the mutilated tranny


and cut a hole in the floorpan

[qdog]

Oh Nice!

Qdog

[geezerman35]

Getting close to assy now. Was wondering how I wanted to paint it, but seems like primer is good choice for squirrel steet machine..
Using the kit's chopped top with Greg's Carson top.

[gerg]

Looking darn good!! I new you would find a use for that top!! I like everything about this one so far!!!

[geezerman35]

Have finish fotos on the way to Bob.
Grill turned pretty neat if I say so myself.
Thanks, Greg

[geezerman35]

Bob is SO on top of it this morning. Fotos in Fotki and I'm putting them in the completed section.