Author Topic: Building my first Streamliner  (Read 160749 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline kustombrad

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 366
    • Project No Bucks '49
Building my first Streamliner
« on: February 24, 2014, 01:04:07 PM »
Hi! I Figured I'd tell a bit about myself before I jump right in. I've been a Striping/Lettering/Custom Paint/Artist guy for many years and have been fortunate enough to work with some of the biggest names in hot rods and race cars (I even lettered the Pierson coupe when Pete restored it) and have played with some fun car projects. I've always had a passion for drag racing and Bonneville and decided when I turned 50 last year, I needed to quit talking and get busy before my window of opportunity got smaller! Last summer I started playing with some drawings of what I was thinking. Seeing Jack Costella's stuff (He's my hero!) and the size of his cars, decided the direction I wanted to go! I sat down in front of my computer and using Coreldraw, I started laying out what I thought was a good plan. Once I had it drawn to scale and to where I figured I could make it work, I took the files (side view and floor plan) to Kinko's and had them print out both views also to scale. I now had some basic blueprints to play with. Now this is my first attempt at building any kind of race car and I decided on a streamliner because the engine possibilities are unlimited. I bounced the idea off my neighbor and told him my plan. He had an older Mittler Brothers drill press tubing notcher he donated to the cause so I save a few bucks there. Since a 2 car garage isn't big enough to do this my friends Mike and Roger at Romic Shocks told me I could use the back area in there shop to do this. I scored a 20'x26" wide fab table that was Mel Swains before he retired (it has a whole lot of history) set up my band saw, disc/belt sander, drill press and welders and I was off! Here's the bottom print laying on the table   this gave me something to lay on the floor and take all my measurements from. I took the bottom drawing to my friend Ron at Victory Race Cars and he helped me bend up my bottom frame rails so the fit right in with the drawing. After cutting and notching all the cross braces , I started squaring everything up to tack together . I used my Mig to tack everything together because it was just easier having to do it all by myself .

Offline fordboy628

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2342
  • GONE FISHIN' . . .
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2014, 01:16:26 PM »
Wow!   Nice project.   Keep up with the posts.

 :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
Fordboy
Science, NOT Magic . . . .

I used to be a people person.  But people changed that relationship.

"There is nothing permanent except change."    Heraclitus

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."     Albert Einstein

Offline Freud

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5419
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2014, 01:19:31 PM »
Build your rotisserie NOW.

It will save you a lot of time and worry.

Here is a link to the one used in the Target550 build.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/156_rotisserie_clamps/index.html

FREUD

Since '63

Offline Speed Limit 1000

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1396
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2014, 01:23:07 PM »
Outstanding craftsmanship  :cheers: Looking forward  :cheers:to the build :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
John Gowetski, red hat @ 221.183 MPH MSA Lakester, Bockscar #1000 60 ci normally aspirated w/N20

Offline kustombrad

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 366
    • Project No Bucks '49
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2014, 01:50:43 PM »
Fast forward a few weeks... basic chassis all done! my friend Mike Loyd who's an outstanding TIG welder came over and finish welded the whole thing for me! It came out awesome!  Here's some of his welds I'll post up some more stuff soon!

Offline kustombrad

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 366
    • Project No Bucks '49
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2014, 02:18:53 PM »
That rotisserie came out pretty cool!

Offline kustombrad

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 366
    • Project No Bucks '49
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2014, 02:42:30 PM »
Here's the rear with one of the wheels mocked up and another at ride height I'm roughly 5' 10" and I wanted to get an idea where it was at. I used 1 5/8" and 1" .095 chromoly which might be a bit overkill but I figured better safe than sorry with some of the engine combinations I want to play with.

Offline Freud

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5419
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #7 on: February 24, 2014, 02:43:38 PM »
That rotisserie came out pretty cool!

and very useful.  It is a time saver.

I failed to include the next diary page that is much bigger then the first one I sent.

Check this out:  http://www.target550.com/gallery/157_frame_on_rotisserie/index.html

That quite well covers it.

FREUD
« Last Edit: February 24, 2014, 02:53:18 PM by Freud »
Since '63

Offline kustombrad

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 366
    • Project No Bucks '49
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #8 on: February 24, 2014, 02:54:01 PM »
The steering I based off what Jack Costella did but tried to take it a step further.  I found a 120 degree gearbox to make getting in and out a whole lot easier and using funny car hatch latches to hold it down. I can also get out when it's down just in case!

Offline kustombrad

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 366
    • Project No Bucks '49
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #9 on: February 24, 2014, 03:02:36 PM »
Since I didn't want to be playing dancing feet at speed and since room in the footwell was at a premium, I decided on a handbrake. After climbing inside numerous times to figure out an exact angle, I made up a cardboard template and carved the handle out of some 1/4" aluminum.

Offline Frankie7799

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 457
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #10 on: February 24, 2014, 06:48:47 PM »
Very nice build. I know of Ron Williams and Victory Race Cars from my years in drag racing. Nice to have someone like that to help out on stuff. Cant wait to see more updates.

Offline kustombrad

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 366
    • Project No Bucks '49
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #11 on: February 24, 2014, 07:39:52 PM »
I had the front suspension kinda figured out in my head so I drew more parts up. This where using the computer really is a plus. Since I'd drawn in all up to scale, it made it easier to figure my dimensions and playing room, but it's going to be tight. After drawing all my brackets up, I sent them as a CAD file to my friends at Western Fabricators to get cut out on the laser. Here's part of the suspension tacked in place . Spindles are from Strange and the mock up wheels and tires came from Brad Anderson and his daughter Shelley's top fuel car. Here's mote laser goodies to support the spindles With the spindles tacked in place and pivot bushings fabbed up, was time to measure the 2 link arms. I made a template out of cardboard and a jig and cut the chromoly flat stock on a jigsaw and made my 4 arms. Here's 1 flipped over so I could weld plates on the back side

Offline kustombrad

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 366
    • Project No Bucks '49
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #12 on: February 24, 2014, 07:41:46 PM »
Thank you Speed and Frankie!

Offline Seldom Seen Slim

  • Nancy and me and the pit bike
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 13158
  • Nancy -- 201.913 mph record on a production ZX15!
    • Nancy and Jon's personal website.
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #13 on: February 24, 2014, 08:33:28 PM »
Brad:

Nice going, and nice diary.  But -- I think I'll offer to help you figure out how to post your Photobucket photos so the text isn't starting way the heck over there or over here or under that.  I can read along -- but it takes a bit of effort - effort that I'd rather spend enjoying the build itself.  Send a PM or email so I get yours and, if you are interested, I'll see if I can help figure out how to get things more "presentable". 

This in no way should be taken as an insult, please.  Thanks. :-)
Jon E. Wennerberg
 a/k/a Seldom Seen Slim
 Skandia, Michigan
 (that's way up north)
2 Club member x2
Owner of landracing.com

Offline Richard 2

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 465
  • 2 Richards Racing
Re: Building my first Streamliner
« Reply #14 on: February 24, 2014, 09:03:14 PM »
very nice work Brad
219.648 mph F/BFMR 2010 Record
4 cylinder Esslinger
Could of had a V8