Forward, reverse, forward.

That's how the progress went, once again I had to back up before I went forward. These things would be easier if I knew what I was going to do before I went ahead and did it - but as it stands I change my mind...alot.

I realized that the 1x1 support tube that ran from post to post I put in during the chop was completely in the wrong spot. The biggest issue with that is it is one of the first things I put in the car so I had a bit more to remove than just that bar. Once the visor, support, upper trim pieces and the like were cut off I set on making a new bar to hang the hinge on.

I picked up an aluminum windshield hinge from Snyders and I drilled then riveted it to the new front header which now sits about 1" higher than the previous one. Then I started rebuilding the visor/pillar/front roof sections.

Starting on the windshield

I purchased a windshield of unknown origin on the old auction site that appeared to be close enough for what I want.

The windshield had to be chopped, the width didn't seem right for the look and the mounts that attach the sides to the top were rusted together solid. My first steps here were to chop the windshield, widen it slightly and get it hinged up - however when I did that I ran into a few things I didn't care for, which I will cover in the next update.

Small brass ones

I replaced the zinc hardware I put on the header turnouts with some brass screws that seem to fit the style a bit more. I don't have a large update here because when your 8 year old son asks you to play some baseball you have to turn off the tools and head outside - progress be damned.

Gear Drive headers - worth every penny

So I have been buying and trying all sorts of homemade and used header designs and I just wasn't happy, but I was bound and determined to not spend the dough to buy what I really wanted - until spring started getting closer.

I finally broke down last week and gave saltflatmatt (HAMB vendor) a call to get some headers built for my project, it was a short conversation but he know what I wanted and I felt like he was the right man for the job so I handed over my money and sat by the window eagerly awaiting the brown Santa Claus to come with my presents.

I came home from work yesterday and saw the package sitting on the porch. Once I saw the shipper tag, I realized it was time to get this car done. I got changed and set out to the garage to get these things fitted up. Once they were on I have to say I am more than happy with the construction and even moreso that it was money well spent. I have not fired it up yet so I cannot comment on the sound but if it sounds 1/2 as good as it looks I am in for a treat.

Anyway, on with the pictures!























A big thanks to Matt, excellent work - you've gained a customer for life.

Edmunds

I have been checking out Vintage Speed for some time now, they have some really unique vintage items that I just felt I had to have. Since this was my first order with them and I had heard that it sometimes took awhile to get merchandise I figured I would start small. They are a small shop there and have acquired the rights to reproduce Eddie Edmunds speed parts from the '50s. While there is little communication after the sale and I ended up following up about a week later to see if everything was OK the wait was worth it. All-in-all it was just over a week and I had my parts not too bad for a small custom shop.

The parts I received were a work of art, handcrafted and crude. I had to clean off a bit of polishing compound out of the filter and modify the choke bracket slightly due to the vacuum port on my primary carb (which was noted on the product) then everything went smoothly and I am more than happy with the results.















The guys over at Vintage Speed are definitely in my catalog now, I plan on doing business again.

A little here & there

I did quite a few updates over the last couple days;

Ran some new brake lines



Finished the cowl blisters



Installed a new brake pedal pad and accelerator pedal, both from Lokar - These are the lakester series.





And finally installed the light switch with a .45 casing knob for now

Itty Bitty Braille

On my never-ending quest to find the perfect battery (yes, I've bought hundreds of them) I have decided to try out the Braille battery in lieu of the Odyssey I used previously. The one I have here is from Summit and has some pretty impressive specs, I won't go into detail too much here - check out the link for more info.

This battery will be mounted under the cowl, behind the passenger side of the dashboard. The frame was made from angle iron and has provisions for a battery cut-off switch, grounding point and hold down bracket. I will be adding a foam liner to the inside once everything is welded in and painted.

A more better firewall

A few things were bothering me about the firewall and I think it was because I started to get used to the clean look of nothing there. I took some time to fill a few holes and create a couple blisters to go over the steering rod and the brake lines.

I cut the shapes out of a piece of exhaust tubing then cut a frame around them out of sheetmetal with the plasma cutter. I ran a bead alone one side to go over a firewall bead and the whole assembly will be attached with a couple hidden bolts through the firewall.