What will it take to prepare...
What will it take to prepare this brand-new Brookville body for paint? Well, considering this roadster will be fenderless with only half a hood, and since the door edges are intended to overlap anyway, this shouldn’t be too bad—but let’s examine what’s necessary for a body to get fit.
The John Martin Special is a sentimental project, and a tribute car of sorts. With the exception of a genuine Riley four-port head that the first version should have had anyway, this will be a very close recreation of the ’29 roadster that Guardrail Willie Martin’s father and grandfather raced together back in the ’40s. In the project’s early inception, as word of Willie’s intent spread through Riverside, California, a parts pile began to materialize. First came a salvageable frame, then a pair of ’29 headlamps, a windshield frame, a usable steering gearbox, and so on—Willie’s friends all but threw parts at him. A body however, was not so easily acquired, and so began the quest for that precious metal.
After a while or two it became clear that the ’29 roadster body supply had run dry and the good ones were gone … or were they? Then, during the L.A. Roadsters Show, it happened, right in front of Brookville’s sheetmetal Mecca of a vendor’s space. As Willie’s wife and friends cheered him on, a wallet came out, a deal was made, and the missing puzzle piece was soon after delivered to Willie’s shop, Ed Martin Garage. The rest will be history … in the near future.
Our fabricating friend Jim...
Our fabricating friend Jim Grady has squared away Henry’s frame using Dagel’s boxing plates and X-member. As Mrs. Rotten and I take over, we’ll first check for even tire pressure. If the dead weight of the currently dead motor had been available to us, we’d have mocked that into position as well.
For our panel alignment assignment,...
For our panel alignment assignment, the radiator is the starting point. With the benefit of radiator mounting slots that have never been hogged out, we’re confident that our radiator will stay located—at least fore ’n’ aft.
To ensure that our radiator...
To ensure that our radiator stays put from side to side, we’ve included rectangular rumble seat washers into our mounting hardware. The lower washers have teeth, and with a quick trim to the inside edges of the upper two, they’ll fit precisely against the straps, leaving the tightened-down radiator nowhere to go.
While they’re not enough by...
While they’re not enough by themselves, an assortment of shims will be helpful for achieving alignment of the hood, cowl, and doors. With the radiator already located and locked down, we’d like to be able to move the body on the frame as necessary—even after all the bolts are loosely in place.