my 1932 datsun replica build

The real car had a little skirt between the rear fenders. if you look closely, you can see that it had little cut outs on each side for the back end of the leaf springs and frame to stick through.  (I didn't know that when I had the leaf springs from the station wagon shortened to fit into the low-cost style frame.  I would have left the springs longer, if I had known.)

Down the road, the plan is to build fenders and a skirt.  After that, I can move the parking lights to the skirt and remove metal from the bracket that hangs below the license plate.  

I'm not very good at chess, and a lot of this build feels similar; i.e. thinking three steps ahead while still worrying about what I am doing now.  I need to clean things up and make them work right now, while still keeping them changeable/reversible so that I can position the light differently in the future

Ok, the new bracket is now functional; i.e. the rear parking lights and turn signals still work, but they are now held in place with screws, not zip ties.  The dangling wires are gone....all of the wires to run the lights now pass through a gromitted hole in the body. 

The wires are now run properly; i.e. going under the sheet metal of the back deck (where the rear seat would go) and over the gas tank.  I had to drop the gas tank to do it, and now I'm trying to get it back into place, but at least the wires will be nicely routed for inspection. 

Nice looking attention to detail on the wiring!

You need to come out and help me on my 90's truck with the 70's engine!!!! But seriously, I ought to good at it - I do I&C work for a living, I just have no focus these days. I keep asking my wife, "will I ever get my brain back"... not sure I really want an answer!

As always, love seeing your progress

I had a nasty panel gap - too big to cover with welting - between the cowl and the "frame rail," but added metal to the lower flange to reduce the gap. 

Now the welting fits and covers the gap.

Now, with welting between the cowl and the frame

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I'm trying to figure out how to replicate the look of the bottom of the windshield frame on the datsun type 12.  You can see it well in this video. I'm leaning towards putting a flat decorative panel at the bottom that resembles the base of the original frame.  Here's a first draft of a template showing what that might look like.

Today Dad and I borrowed a trailer, loaded up our datsun replica, and headed to a truck stop to get her weighed so I'll have the necessary weight slip to show the DMV.  The truck stop scale says she's 2100 lbs.

Awesome 

Patrick said:

Awesome 

Thank you.  

I passed the DMV inspection, and now have a title

JoeyM said:

I passed the DMV inspection, and now have a title

JoeyM said:

I passed the DMV inspection, and now have a title

Double awesome!

In reply to JoeyM :

Congratulations!!!

Thanks guys!

It definitely feels good to have made it this far, but now I need to find a company who's willing to insure a scratch-built locost-type car.  I just found out that hagerty will do kit cars, but they have an aversion to vehicles where the owner builds both the body and the frame 

We'll figure it out, though.... I've been at this too long to give up.

It's official, I'm street legal! I found insurance, and I got my license plate from the tag agency this morning, put it on the car immediately, and took a spin around the block as a street legal car.

There's still a ton to do before the car looks and handles the way I want it to, but I'm still breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Congrats, Joey, long time coming!

Congratulations!!

It's a great feeling to drive your creation on the street.

nocones said:

Congratulations!!

It's a great feeling to drive your creation on the street.

yes it is

Hasbro said:

Congrats, Joey, long time coming!

thank you.  I am so relieved 

Heck yeah!

Wow...this is great. Was kinda worried about where it had gone since the insurance post.

Pete

nice!

NOHOME said:

Wow...this is great. Was kinda worried about where it had gone since the insurance post.

 

Pete

Thanks for the kind words.  I was worried, too.  

The difficulties started after the DMV staff decided to title the car, but not do so as a "streetrod" even though it meets that legal definition*.  It also meets the "assembled from parts" definition, and that's what they chose to do.  That limits what kind of licence plate I can use, and it makes it a little more difficult to find insurance.  It still allows the car to be on the road, though.

--

* - in FL, to be a "street rod" you must a) resemble a car manufactured prior to 1948, b) have been produced after 1948, c) have a body made of non-original materials.

AngryCorvair said:

nice!