Introducing The Nelson Garage..

Basically, The Nelson Garage is a dream of mine. I want to open a shop specializing in traditional hot rods and customs as well as doing some high-performance builds.. Aesthetic value, taste, class, are all a very critical element of any car build so I emphasize on those. So, without a question, I don't do "rat rods." Period. I'm not a professional by any means, nor do I claim any kind of "holier than thee" stand over anyone. I just believe that automobiles are a work of art. I'm not a shop that can offer my services to the public however. I don't even own a shop. I'm only 24 and still pursuing a degree in college. To be more specific, my name is Matthew Bridges and am from Amarillo-Canyon and currently studying Printmaking at West Texas A&M University. The plan is to get my BFA then begin on my Master's next year.

I do have a car build going on however. It's my first ground-up build and I have been learning a tremendous amount from this build.

I began with a 1928 Ford Model A Sports Coupe and have cut every panel of the body to alter it in some way aside from the cowl sides and trunk lid. This Sports Coupe is getting converted into a roadster. It will be labeled a "Coupster" by some people but by definition, this is a roadster as in this car has no side windows nor does it have top that is permanently attached to the body.

The tech sheet on this includes a 1957 Chevrolet 283ci V8, a 1939 Ford 3-speed, a closed driveshaft with torque tube attached to a late '40's Ford banjo rear axle. I'm hoping to find a Weiand WC4D intake which will be where I mount 4 Holley 94 carburetors on top. The front end consists of a dropped Model A axle with later spindles, Ford juice brakes on all 4 corners, '40-'48 Ford steel wheels that will get chromed, blackwall 4.50/.75x16" Firestone bias-ply tires on the front and 7.00x16" Firestone bias-ply tires on the back.

The roadster will be an as-period correct-as possible build for 1959 which means that all parts have to be older than 1959 with the exception of perishable items like tires, paint, a battery, fuel, radiator fluid, et cetera, et cetera. The body will have a long list of modifications in the pursuit of aesthetic perfection. The rear edge of the cockpit opening has been cut off and moved forward 7 inches so the cockpit opening is dimensionally the same as a stock Model A roadster's, the door frames for the windows have been cut off, then the doors have been narrowed and will be capped. The A-posts have been sectioned as has the cowl brace on top for a sleeker profile. The gas cap on the cowl will be cut out and replaced with a vent or filled. The body line on the door has been sectioned half an inch in between the upper and lower body lines to give it a slightly different profile and the body line will continue around the rear edge of the cockpit opening. Then the body will be channeled 4 inches over the frame to bring it closer to the ground.

The frame has been upswept 5 degrees which appears to have brought 2 to 4 inches of drop. I need to check that however. The rear has been Z'ed several inches and the rear crossmember moved rearward to relocate the spring to the back of the axle, again to lower the car itself. The lowest point of the frame will be at 7 inches at the front of the cowl. Updates on this car will be few and far in between because this blog has been created to record my automotive thoughts. I won't be updating this blog on my roadster exclusively as I have a FaceBook page for that and a thread on the Hokey Ass Message Board..

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nelson-Garage/209201702478948

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=594849

I will, however, share a couple of photos to give you an idea of what's to come..

Originally as found..

Fixing the damage to the rear quarter..

Moving the rear edge of the cockpit opening forward..

 

Sectioning the A-post..

The motor and transmission..

Mocking the body up before Z'ing the rear of the frame..

And finally Z'ing the frame with the quarters mocked on..

As you can see, I have a ton of work in this already. It's been a little more than two years since I officially began on this build. I've worked on this in my spare time while at school and during my summers. I have most of the parts to get the body done, the frame rolling minus the tires, and the motor and transmission mocked up on the frame. The goal is to get the frame totally done this year but I doubt I'll accomplish that.

I also have a 1948 Chevrolet 1500 truck that will get finished after this build, then a 1968 Chevy C10 that I use for general truck purposes. I currently drive a 2007 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as my daily driver. I also have some more Model A parts that may become another project down the road.

There is no shop here in Amarillo that specializes in primarily traditional hot rod builds so my primary goal throughout this is to find a reasonable shop to move all of my stuff into and hopefully begin my dream as an actual shop offering my services to the public.

Thank you for reading through this.

-Matt