Deuces Limited run, Texas 28/29/30 Sept.

First photos from the Deuce reunion happening right now in Texas...thanks to Dale Grau for getting these photos so quickly....love his roadster pickup...follow his story of the event at www.thedeuceguy.blogspot.com

Weather was a bit overcast, but has cleared up by the look.

Bunch of 32s in every style...love the pickups 

Extremely rare......Bruce Burroughs roadster pickup.

Luv to have this one!!

Screams "HOTROD"

 

Dale will send me more photos as the event progresses...don't you love the technology that I can contact him thru Facebook to his I phone to have him send these photos so quickly.....it's still Sat night/Sun morning  there when these came through!

Dale Grau on the left with event organiser most years, Charlie Duran

How'd you like a Deuce drive by like this!...we can only dream of this many in one spot down under!

Some of the trophy winners.

Little bit of rain kept the numbers down, but those that went still managed to have a great time!

september stimulus

Friday...managed to get all the lines finished, bolted the toploader to the 350, and set her in the frame...time to do the exhaust.....note the new front tires (see last blog)...TireZone had these neat narrow tread 145 15s for $95 each, fitted n balanced...much better than the dodgy old 12 year old Michies I took off!

For my birthday last Saturday..(not too late to send presents!)..KB invited me to the Vintage Speedcar event at Redcliffe Showgrounds...it was a pretty good event even though there was only about 30 cars...of course, my favourite had to be the uncaged V8-60 cars...cool!

Another V8-60...this race car was built in 1937...the owner also has a restored 37 Ford he just got in from Texas...it also runs a V8-60! Will make a great tow-rig.

Warm up time!

Doug and Robyn hiding in the trees.

Eliminators show and swap today....I had been to the Albion Comedy Club for my b'day last nite, saw a late start today saw me arrive at the gate at 7am....WTF!..they had three spots only left, and they managed to get me this beaut spot 1/2 way between the swap and the oval...perfect!..I'll have to come late more often. This was a great day considering that early Valla rodders were not there..the Jamboree was on at Willowbank, and probably other events...but the place was packed!

 

Tuesday nights tautology

Some of you have heard me mention about the possibility of my dropped axle bending...still unsure about this, but the square of the floor isn't wrong...about 3/8th difference on the RH side, and 5/8th on the LH side..maybe time to fix it!!

And while we're fixing things...have you checked your tyres lately? Hot rods tend to see years go by without wearing any tread, problem is sometimes the "shelf life" might catch up on us. These tyres are on my Americans, that went on the Tudor about 3 years ago...I had them for a few years before fitting them, so in total, I've done maybe 5000 miles on 'em...this is the OK one, see how it is still relatively flat across the tread..

Now the other side...it had blown out of shape in about a 12" area...I probably wouldn't have known except I have these on my project roadster while I run my Halibrands on the Tudor....this could have been bad if it let go....Mal Case had a rear let go in the middle of traffic...scary!... It is easy to work out when the tyres were made from the coded markings..sort of...prior to 2000, if it has, say 019, like mine did, that means they were made Jan 1999..(or it could be 1989, or 1979), but after 2000, it will say e.g. 0411, which is April 2011....I "googled" this info on how to de-code them. Another tyre that almost let go on me was a BF Goodrich on my Landcruiser...I had been to Cape York and Darwin...thousands on Kms, got home, checked tyres and their were chunks missing and steel exposed....but still good tread.....this was in 2010...the tyres de-coded to 2001 manufacture!!...So better make this an item you check from now on!

 

Back to fitting my fuel line on the roadster...I was short 3 clamps!..I needed to make some line clamps and found this scrap of sail track left over from my caravan...hard to see, but the extrusion lends itself to the correct shape for a 5/16" or 3/8th line...saved me going down the road to buy some more line clamps

I wanted to run the fuel line at the top of the rail, but the exhaust will be right up near it, so I welded about 30" of 3/4" flat near the top of the rail, so it will act as a heat shield...well, that's my theory anyway! The home made clamps are on this section where they are not visible from below. Just need to finish the front of the line, and make up the clutch cylinder linkage, and I can re-install the 350/toploader combo, then it will be time for the exhausting work..haha.

Mondays motley morsel

Busy week at home this week....had a few visitors...Chris Dansie was down for a 'cuppa" and a chat in his cool coupe.

But the local wildlife were getting restless....first I pulled a drowned Bandicoot out of the pool...then a dozen ducks got stranded in the pool...then this pair were lurking, casing the joint, I think!!

Then, the dog took off in my Model A...I tried to stop him...he doesn't have the correct licence for this...think he's barking up the wrong tree...

Went to Warren Wilkies 60th Bday get together up the mountain....., always nice to catch up with all our Toowoomba friends.

Took a couple of candids of Josh Cases long term 32 tudor project.....and look at it...don't you wish we could just drive 'em like this here in Qld...love the almost finished look.......would love to show a photo of all the bent and rusted bits that went into making this into what you see here.

Hot hot highboy.....2013 nats is the deadline!

Finally got all the brake lines plumbed on the roadster project, and now to finish the fuel lines, and then stick the motor and trans back in...as Big Kev used to say.."I'm Excited!"

Tuesday mornings "maladresse"

Last weekend we had our annual club run at Drifters Caravan Park, and also invited other owners of 1932 Fords to turn up on the Saturday. We had 22 from memory, a tribute to the 80th year since henry made this model!

Fitting winner!...Keith is our newest club member, joined on the weekend, and took home the framed 80th anniversary photo. Thanks to Julie and Ken Brown for making this , and for all the help in making the weekend run smoothly.

Of course, we get to talking about what other things we do in life, and for me, it's ten pin bowling...I look forward to this as much as taking my 32 out, or going away in the caravan!...and at out increasing age, it's good to have other intersets.

Not saying I'm any good...far from it...but our team is on the top of the ladder, hope we stay there for the end of year...the bowling season goes from Late January to early December...............you should try it..it's fun, being in a ten pin league!

Then there are grandkids that keep us busy...here is Ryan doing some fine tuning on his new hotrod pedal car....won't be long before he wants to borrow the 32!!

If all else fails....you can just take up stamp collecting...haha...main thing is, we all need to have a variety of interests in life, and not get "one tracked', so try something different, even our coffee get-togethers and just sit and talk is well worth the effort.

few extra pics from the Deuce weekend....Warrens black 5 window has been on the road for 50000 + miles now, and Kennys black 4 door has been a hot rod in various forms from the early 60s...Les Winters black sedan always looks good..was a top day!

Fridays faute de mieux

Yes....I know I have the 32 for sale at the moment...but work is still progressing, last week, I made up these bits to hold the mufflers.....using my same principal of trying to "use up" all the bits I have lying around, I had a pair of hot dog style mufflers that Warren Wilkie made for my roadster back in 1997....They were too loud then!....just what I want for the 11:1 350 to scare the neighbours!!

Frame is back out of the jig and going back together again, note the hi tech design from the mufflers to see where the exhaust will route.....the dogs chewed up my pool vacuum hose...now it makes a neat flexible pipe guide........hmmmm!

Brother in law Col came around to do what I told him was a one hour conversion of putting the CJ5 Jeep shifter onto my Ford Toploader.....we got it finished 5 hours later....we don't work too fast in retirement!....And it would have made it easier if I had bothered ordering the new gaskets needed...lucky we can put them on later.

All the parts from my US buying trip are at home now, and I am putting most on either e bay or various magazine adds.....The 331 Hemi is listed, as well as quite a few intakes, some 36 Ford radius rods etc., and of course the two Model A Fords. I was happy with the 30 model, in as much as the motor does turn over, and I can't find anything missing, so will make an easy resto ot rod. The 29 is much better than I thought....I have been driving it around the yard every day...Nita and the dog just shake their heads,,,,think I'm crazy...but I would love to be able to keep this old girl and just drive it as is....Might even try my 15" merc rims on it to get it a bit lower!!

Sundays "pour passer le temps"

Well, my container finally got here, but the Quarantine Department has a new system where they have to look first to tell if there is anything dirty and needing washing...in my best Yamba voice, I said......."Hello....old cars and parts...I can see the dirt.....so of course they do"..........How come we have to pay once for them to come say this, and pay again when the re-inspect....and they had to send two AQIS officers!! ............Now, when I become Boss of Australia...things will be done differently!!

Anyway, all will be cleaned and passed (hopefully) by Aug 27.....looks like I've cornered the market on '36 radius rods..........probably start putting pieces on E buy next week, once I decide what I need to sell off.....Worked out that this 23 day trip to USA cost me $39,600, so need to start selling off all the bits I gathered up.

The biggest expence was this extremely straight 1929 Ford Coupe, it started up and drove out of the container....I paid a premium price for it, hence the $21,500 resale price...but it is soo nice, I want to keep it, I've even put the project deuce roadster on the market....one has to go, can't afford them both, I do have a plan, but it involves sponsorship from Golden Casket or Keno to keep them both!!

The 30 model sedan in the background is up for sale at $13,000, and I also will decide which of the Chrysler Hemis I will sell, looks like I have a 1955-331, a 1956-354, and a 1957-392, but will decode them properly when they are home.