Posted for Sam Welch. He will fill you in on on of the MOST unique shifter knobs around!

Rex Pedersen
5/5/2006 2:18:55 PM

Thought those of you who weren't in Reno would like to see the nearly finished shifter knob for my 1928 Model A pickup truck. The trigger is the horn button. I say nearly finished because I will add some scroll on the brass grip frame. The gold flames are to match the flames I intend to paint on the hood. This is a floor shift tranny (1939) and the shift column is made of rifle barrels so a wire can be passed up to the cylinder for a grounding button. When you pull the trigger, the hammer goes forward to ground the horn. Not shown in the photo is the shift pattern and the word HORN in gold on the back of the recoil shield and hammer.

Sam Welch
5/5/2006 3:21:40 PM

A close up of the scroll work


5/5/2006 3:40:38 PM

hey SAM .. looking great i had the pleasure of seeing this shifter while in Reno . photo don't do it justice . thanks SAM for posting .. now sam you have to post some photos of the unique steering wheel .. Ron p.

Ron Nott
5/5/2006 9:37:50 PM

Hi Ron, and thanks. Maybe I will post the wheel next week. Never have gotten a photo of it that I like. S

Sam Welch
5/5/2006 10:05:52 PM

OK SAM I WILL BE LOOKING FORWAD TO SEEING IT AGAIN AND I AM SURE THAT EVERY BODY ELSE IS .. RON P.

Ron Nott
5/6/2006 9:09:14 PM

Hi Sam.
That's stunning. I would love to see photos of the car as well.

Best regards
Andrew Biggs

Andrew Biggs
5/7/2006 7:21:27 PM

Hi Sam
That shifter is absolutly incredible Thanx for sharing.

K. David Gruber
5/8/2006 8:10:08 AM

Hi Sam
So.. when do I see the car on display and the Durango Car Show???? Looks great..

Martin Rabeno
5/8/2006 8:24:35 AM

Andrew and David, thanks. I will check on the car photo. Marty, careful what you wish for!

Sam Welch
5/8/2006 8:35:50 PM

are the scrolls brightcut after the gun is blued? how do you do that peticular type of finish. it's awsome.

K. David Gruber
5/8/2006 9:03:33 PM

David, the scroll work was cut with a square carbide tool in the usual manner, not bright cut. After the parts were run through a hot dip bluing tank, the blue was removed from the scroll areas using Oxysolv, a product sold by eastwood.com for the auto restoration crowd. It is a rust remover, similar to Naval Jelly, only more liquid in form. It leaves a much more uniform finish than Naval Jelly and requires almost no rubbing with an eraser. I painted chipout ground around the edges and then dobbed the Oxysolv on with a Q tip, then rinsed with hot water. Done! A light oiling followed. You can just see an area of the same scroll work, retaining the blue, on the recoil shield. Regards.

Sam Welch
5/9/2006 8:54:09 AM

PS...the chipout ground was removed with alcohol. It had not dried but for a couple of minutes so a stronger solvent was not needed. I am told that fingernail polish works just as well as chipout but I have never tried it. Should do that sometime just to see. The chipout is expensive due to shipping costs.

Sam Welch
5/9/2006 8:57:55 AM

Here's the steering wheel.
It was cut from 1/8 inch stainless and the pierced scroll work is 1/16 inch aluminum.


Rex for Sam
5/9/2006 4:07:12 PM

Hi Sam

It just keeps getting better. That is truly stunning and inspirational work.

Best regards
Andrew Biggs

Andrew Biggs
5/10/2006 12:11:37 AM

1928 Model A roadster pickup I purchased in 1956 for $15.00. Has 48 Merc flathead V8 (also purchased in '56) 39 Ford tranny, 56 F100 truck front brakes, 46 Ford rear brakes, 68 Mustang steering box, and lots of mods I made myself. And yes, it is now a member of the family and my son will not allow it to be sold...so don't ask!


Sam Welch
5/10/2006 7:45:12 AM

thanks SAM for posting photos of the wheel .. i saw this wheel and the shifter knob when i was attending the fega show in Reno and i can tell you that the photos dont do it any justice , in person it really looks good .. Ron p

Ron Nott
5/10/2006 9:28:29 PM

15 bucks!!!!!!!!!!!! and 2 years before I was born. I think it's worth slightly more than that now. Amazing

Cheers
Andrew Biggs

Andrew Biggs
5/10/2006 10:01:42 PM

Sam
What color are you going to paint the car when done? ..and of course you can park this car in my driveway when you do the Durango car show..hehehehehe

Martin Rabeno
5/11/2006 7:59:06 AM

Well now Marty, that sounds good. Your legs are too long to operate the foot pedals so don't worry about having to drive the thing! S

Sam Welch
5/11/2006 8:43:02 AM

Oh, I forgot...some shade of red with black fenders and hopefully an off-white top. S

Sam Welch
5/11/2006 8:44:11 AM

Wow. Words fail me. Bravo.

David O'Hanlon
5/11/2006 9:31:53 PM

Hi Sam
I had the pleasure of meeting you for the first time at the FEGA show in Reno this year. We must have talked 45 minutes about your various engraved car parts as well as your hotrod and restoration projects. The Studebaker(?)is quite a restoration and conversion also. Your craftsmanship is present in everything you do.
Thanks again for shareing your time.
Kerry

Kerry Bogan
5/12/2006 10:26:44 AM

When talking about something I am really interested in Kerry I do ramble on. Yes, it is a Studebaker, 1938, I'm building for a highway cruiser. Hope you enjoyed Reno as much as I. S

Sam Welch
5/12/2006 10:18:24 PM