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Track T / How To Build a Cheap Hot Rod Progress

My latest book project (See News page for an update) will actually have me out in the garage building a hot rod in addition to writing the book. Although you will have to wait until late 2007 to read the book, you can follow along here on the website for the highpoints. Please feel free to send comments about the project to me via e-mail.

Hot rods have been popular for decades, but they have become increasingly expensive to buy or build. Unfortunately, this leaves many hot rodders on the sidelines. How to Build a Cheap Hot Rod addresses the situation, showing how a hot rodder of even modest means can build themselves a cool, fun-to-drive rod.

The reader will watch as the author builds a car for less than the cost of a new Hyundai, in this case a quintessentially cool Model T, a.k.a. "Track T" roadster. The book will cover the entire build-up of the Track T.

Second, the book guides the reader so that he or she can build a car of their own. The book will provide specific answers to common questions and serve as an inspiration for anyone who might want to try the same thing. Every aspect of the budget hot rod build is covered, from establishing the target vehicle and budget to finding parts, building the car, and fine tuning the finished vehicle on the road. Critical to this mission will be providing readers with an ample supply of information and leads they can use to build their own cheap hot rod, no matter what it is.

Money-saving tips and step-by-step how-to sequences provide the essential information anyone needs to make sure their hot rod project gets built right, and for the right price. A full resource guide and recommendations for further reading will be included as well.

As this is written, it is merely nine days until the 2007 NSRA Street Rod Nationals that will be held in Louisville, Kentucky. Morfab Customs honcho Keith Moritz and I were planning to drive hot rods to the Nats this year...he in his '32 Ford three window and me in the Track T. What is it that they say about the best laid plans??? Neither Keith nor I will be attending the Nats this year. There just wasn't enough time in the day to get the Track T assembled in time to get it legal before going to Louisville. Keith, on the other hand is busy finishing up the M&S Coupe that will be running at Bonneville the following weekend.

Some minor bodywork, windshield frame and glass installation, state-approved safety inspection and then I can get this on the road ...legally.

Oh, you noticed the Halibrands... They are what I wanted for this car all along, but they didn't really fit the "cheap hot rod" aspect. Now that the book is completed however, I thought I should add the lighter wheels in the name of improved handling and performance.

Like they (whoever "they" may be) say, necessity is the mother of invention. Not having what I consider enough fall between the gas tank filler and the tank inlet, I have decided to make an opening deck lid. This will allow me to pump gas directly into the fuel tank. By removing the flush mount filler neck from the deck lid (and filling the hole), I'll also be able to install a louvered deck lid skin. Fabrication of the skin and louvers will be handled by KBS Fabricators.

Not being able to find an alternator bracket that would fit, I designed my own. The bracket isn't easy to see in this photo, but the adjuster is. Both pieces were machined by Rick at LP Tool & Die.

Another piece of machine work by Rick is an adaptor that fits between the oil filter and the block that accepts the oil pressure sender. The original location was made inaccessible by the installation of the Vega steering box.

Although they aren't anything fancy, the front turn signals seem right at home on the combination front shock/headlight mounting bracket.

The battery will be safely snuggled behind the driver in the marine grade battery box.

It looks pretty rough in this photo (partly because it is in real life), but the body is in a coat of primer surfacer at this point as I head down the stretch to get it on the road. Much more bodywork and block sanding will be done before the body gets any paint.

Finish up the wiring, connect the throttle and kickdown cables to the carb, and a few other relatively minor tasks and this rascal will be ready to turn the key.

The Track T kit from Speedway Motors included a fiberglass hood top and aluminum hood sides. KBS Fabricators built a better fitting aluminum hood top and louvered all three pieces for me, along with installing Dzus fasteners to hold everything in place. The louvered aluminum hood sure makes the Track T look better.

I planned to install the exhaust right after installing the engine and transmission, but they are under about three inches of snow on the deck. When I painted the exhaust, the weather was around 70 degrees, so I rattle canned them and then left them to dry thoroughly. Now I can install the exhaust when the spring thaw comes...

I ran out of room in the garage, so I sat the body out on the trailer so that it would be out of the way until I reinstall it. As this is written, I think the body is frozen to the trailer as we had lots of freezing rain, sleet, and then snow at the beginning of December.

The chassis is reassembled and the gas tank installed. Engine and transmission are installed (man is that a bear to do by yourself or what???). Brake lines are all but finished and I want to run the fuel line before I put the body back on.

With now less than three months until the book manuscript is due, I have been spending just about every minute possible either working on the car or on the book itself. Now that the chassis and suspension components have been painted, and the body in primer, the next step is reassembly and then working toward getting the car running. I am realistically thinking that I may be able to have it running by the middle of January, 2007. I'd like to be at that point sooner, but I don't foresee that happening.

Although comments from readers have been minimal, I did receive an e-mail from Steve Gilmore (Stilmore Designs) that has proven to be very interesting. Steve was an intern at Hot Wheels for a time, with the Hot Wheels Track T being one of his pet projects. Since that project was so near and dear to Steve, he contacted me after finding this website. Long story made slightly shorter, he is doing some sketches for me. The drawing above should give a pretty good idea as to what my Track T will look like when completed.

This is what the body looks like after its first coat of epoxy primer. It looks better after the second coat, but I forgot to take a picture of that.

While Tim Kohl is spraying chassis components, I fit up the windshield frame. Just for the record, this is a job that would benefit from an extra sets of hands. The center windshield post still needs to be added, but the larger pieces need to be trimmed first. The brass frame will be chrome plated before the Track T is finished.

Although I painted the frame the Ford Toreador Red under hood color in my home garage, the chassis components were taken to Tim "Mayhem" Kohl for cleanup, primer, and paint. Tim excels in artistic airbrush work (as seen in my latest published book, How To Plate, Polish and Chrome), but he also knows how to handle a spray gun.

The frame then received a couple of coats of black PPG DPLF epoxy primer.

Engine, transmission, gas tank, radiator, and suspension components were then removed from the chassis. The frame was cleaned up with a wire wheel on my trusty Makita grinder.

The stainless steel gas tank is fabricated, welded, leak tested, and installed.

The new radiator from Portell's Radiator looks great! If it cools as great as it looks, this will be one cool running hot rod.

Speaking of radiators...to verify that my dimensions would really work before ordering a radiator, I built a mockup radiator out of 2x4's. This verifies that my dimensions will work with the slope of the nose and the "pinch" of the frame rails.

After much concern regarding how to mount the aluminum grille to the nose, I decided to simply secure the two together with three stainless steel 1/4-20 bolts with countersunk heads. The bad thing about this method is that to remove or install the grille, the radiator must be removed.

Not being able to find a production gas tank or fuel cell that would fit the available space, I had this one bent up out of stainless steel material. Its amazing what calling in a favor can do for you when you really need it (thanks, Dean)...I installed the filler neck and fuel level sender, while baffles, vent tube, and supply line will be installed by Keith at Morfab Customs prior to him welding the two piece tank together.

OK, I scrapped the idea of a fiberglass dash and went with steel instead. I'm certainly no metal smith, but I think that with a skim coat of filler, some sanding, primer, and paint, the dash should look ok.

Can you say "Vroom, Vroom"??? The exhaust has been installed, however one of the mounting ears broke off the passenger side exhaust manifold in the process. Evidently it had been damaged previously and had been "repaired' with JB Weld. It has now been sent to a local machine shop for a more durable (and lasting) repair. With the side pipes mocked up in place, you can see that this car will sit low enough.

Aluminum hood sides need to be trimmed at the top (as indicated by the masking tape) and then secured in place by Dzus fasteners. Louvers will be punched by KBS Fabricators.

This is the pattern for the mold for the fiberglass dash that I will build. The dash will have the same curve at the top and bottom as the cowl. Eventually, a set of VDO Series 1 gauges will be installed.

A third brake light from a Dodge Neon has been installed. The rolled rear pan has been trimmed to fit and installed, but is not shown in this photo. Eventually, I plan to build a license plate recess, but that will have to wait until after the gas tank is installed. Room at the back of the car is getting very tight.

The nose has been notched to clear front suspension and the upper shock mount/headlight bracket, and is now bolted in place. Front shocks and headlight buckets are now in place as well.

In an effort to keep making progress, my "to do" list intermingles difficult tasks with some that are not so challenging. Although they are not wired (no where near being ready for wiring yet), installing the '50 Pontiac taillights was a pretty easy task. Other than locating where to put them (the horizontal hoop of the chassis is located just below their location), installation is as easy as drilling a small pilot hole, then a 2 1/4 inch hole to allow for the back part of the light fixture, and then the two small holes for the mounting screws. Even I could do it...

I have the brake lines run to the tee at the rear axle. I just need to run them to each wheel. The front brake lines are going to be a bit tricky as the exhaust, steering column, and brake pedal are fighting for room just ahead of the master cylinder. Most likely, I'll wait until the exhaust is routed and the steering column location determined before running brake lines to the front.

The rear suspension is in place due to a fair amount of bracket welding by Donnie Karg. Donnie also welded nuts into holes on the top of the chassis for bolting the body in place. After I run the brake lines, I'll be fiber glassing the floor in place, and then priming the chassis and any other components that are prone to rust. By the way, the wooden 2x6 is not a structural support. It is merely a perch for me while I make vroom, vroom sounds and dream about cruisin' down the highway.

The Ford C4 transmission is a fairly easy fit. However, there is always something that needs modification. With the master cylinder mounted in the logical location, the brake pedal arm is going to need some major surgery. It will need to be modified to clear the steering column and be on the right side of said column.

OK, the Track T is back at my house now. The Assembly Manual from Speedway Motors warns against choosing an engine that has anything protruding from the lower left front portion of the block. Well, wouldn't you know it that is where the oil pressure sender, the thermostat housing, AND the mechanical fuel pump were all originally located on this engine. By working some of his magic, Donnie Karg at Karg's Hot Rod Service shoe-horned the Ford V6 between the frame rails. We'll use an electric fuel pump in order to eliminate part of the problem. The thermostat housing is pretty much there to stay however. I'm sure there is another location that we can tap into for oil pressure, but I haven't found it yet. If anyone has any ideas on where else we can obtain an oil pressure input from, please let me know via e-mail. I have found that the engine is a Ford 60 degree V6 Cologne block.

I already have a set of 1950 Pontiac taillights and also plan to install a third brake light just below where the upholstery will roll over the top edge of the body. I sure don't want anyone not seeing me if I am stopped in front of them.

When the engine and transmission are installed, the front suspension should settle some. If not, we'll need to start removing leaves from the spring, as this altitude in front is simply too high.

I have trimmed the body aprons and drilled pilot holes for the body mounts. Now that the car is back at Karg's, Donnie can weld in the body mount nuts in the top of the frame rails, fabricate the motor mounts, install the transmission crossmember, the master cylinder, and the nose assembly. Even though there is still lots of work to be done, with the hood and nose roughed into place, we begin to get a better idea of what this is gonna look like when its finished.

For now, the work on the Track T is finished at Karg's. I'll trim the body aprons to fit, mount the body, and then the Track T will go back to Karg's. Its starting to look like a hot rod...

Before the engine mounts can be fabricated and welded in place, the body aprons need to be installed, which will raise the body slightly. We want to raise the engine as high as practical, however we don't want to cut the firewall any more than necessary.

Raising the engine and transmission will also help with driveshaft clearance toward the rear of the chassis. As this photo shows, this crossmember may need to be modified to have adequate clearance, but this can probably be avoided by raising the engine. We just need to wait to find out how much.

Although we will still have to do some cutting on the firewall, this Ford V6 and C4 automatic transmission will be more suited to this project than the smallblock Chevy and Powerglide transmission that I had previously planned on using. We will have to raise the engine up some to make sure that the thermostat housing and steering box can play nice together.

Since I have not yet melted enough welding rod to feel comfortable welding suspension components and brackets into place, I enlisted the help of Donnie Karg at Karg's Hot Rod Service (www.kargshotrodservice.com). Donnie and his dad, Jack, are very knowledgeable when it comes to building hot rods and are great to work with.

I already had this nine inch Ford rear axle housing earmarked for another project, but the Track T came along first. The nine inch will be overkill in the mild mannered Track T, but it was available. A trip to Danny Miller's Rear Gears and the rear end was fitted with new 3.70:1 gears and a set of drum brakes.

After a temporary delay (writing How to Plate, Polish and Chrome), I can get going on the Track T once again. The front suspension is installed already. Soon this pile of parts will be going to Karg's Hot Rod Service so that the engine/transmission and rear axle can be installed. Getting the pinion angle correct is very critical, plus several brackets need to be welded on the rear axle, so I will defer to Donnie Karg for his expertise.

You'll have to buy the book to catch the step by step process, but I have most of the front suspension installed at this time.

I haven't quite made a final decision on the paint colors for this project yet, but when I do, I'll go ahead and paint the steelies. This way I can go ahead and mount the tires and get the project up on all fours. For now though, here is what the wheels and tires look like. I'm pretty sure that I'll go with some sort of light tan on the entire vehicle, complimented with scallops and steelies painted in a darker brown to match the interior upholstery.

This gives a little bit of an idea what the nose will look like. I should probably polish the aluminum grille, but I may paint it to match the scallops that will surround it. I will run aluminum hood sides that will most likely be louvered.

A Speedway Motors '27 Track T kit is the basis of this hot rod project. This is what it looks like the day after being unloaded from the trailer. A long way to go, but it should be a very fun project. The rake is just about right, but the entire car needs to sit lower. These rear tires are going to be replaced by a shorter set of BFG radials as these are just a little too much tire for this car. I always like to have a tall tire in the back, but with no opening doors, the car needs to sit much lower or I'll have a rough time getting in.

www.DennisParks.com