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Old 01-05-2014, 12:40 PM   #1
the shadow
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Default A Pre-War Midget restoration

Thought I’d make up a build thread for a pre-war midget project I purchased in late 2009 from a guy in Springfield Ma. He was a collector & restorer of vintage race cars but was getting rid of projects he was not going to finish. The car itself had no notable history and all he knew is that it was originally a flat tail pre-war midget (the head blister was added later) and it ran out of the upper new York & new Hampshire area’s? when I bought the car he had straightened out the middle body cowl & rear body section & put them in epoxy primer and he cut and welded a larger aluminum sprint car nose to fit the midget chassis to replace the damaged & hideous (his words) old front nose. He had also cut out the original rear lead spring cross member & tacked it in the chassis further back in an effort to lower the chassis like later midgets.
Let me start by saying I had no experience with midgets or sprint cars before 2007, other than seeing pics of my uncle in his & knowing he lost his life in one. Since starting these projects I have attended several local dirt races to watch the USAC midgets, very fun! I wanted to try to stay 99% accurate if at all possible on the restoration but without pics it would be hard. Many older Midget “Guru’s” over on the Hamb told me not to commit to being so accurate because these cars were all different. Each car & owner put what ever worked for him at that time when they were racing? My interest in this early style midget was because it looked like a traditional “High Tail” midget like the one my Uncle raced and unfortunately lost his life in a race in 1957 in an incident with Jonny Mann. A few years earlier I had built a sprint car or “big car” as they were called and painted it up in my uncles car colors as a tribute to him & my family. I made that car big so I could fit in it, I won’t be getting gin the midget (not even with a shoe horn). I built the big car from scratch & after the experience I decided to tackle the real thing and soon after I found this midget on the Hamb site.
here are some pics of the midget as I got it as well as a pic of my uncle car from 1957.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Hatfield_Polis.jpg (103.1 KB, 165 views)
File Type: jpg midget%20hamb%20001.JPG (65.6 KB, 160 views)
File Type: jpg midget%20hamb%20005.JPG (69.0 KB, 144 views)
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File Type: jpg ebay5 - Copy.jpg (31.4 KB, 60 views)
File Type: jpg ebay19.jpg (36.1 KB, 67 views)

Last edited by the shadow; 01-07-2014 at 09:40 PM. Reason: add pics
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Old 01-05-2014, 12:50 PM   #2
the shadow
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

In the purchase I got a complete original chassis with its original narrowed model- A front I-beam & narrowed model- A banjo rear, 3 halibrand 12” X 5 lug magnesium wheels & 2 homemade steel wheels. These wheels had tires on them, 4 asphalt slicks & one dirt. I also got one complete 1939 ford v8-60 engine (stuck) one bare set up block, 1 set of stock aluminum heads, a CAE mini In/Out box , a model A trans & a bucket of parts said to be a steering box?
After finding no history on the car I decided to do a restoration of the original car the way I got it & paint it in the colors of my uncles midget (white & red) with his number and call it a “tribute car”. His car was similar and was Hilligess with a tube axel & tube torsion bars. My new project also had torsion bars but they were solid steel ¾” rod and they had been stick welded (if you want to call it that) to the I-beam. Over the years the rods had been bent ,beaten & hammered and it was time to let them go. I Opt’d to put a Kurtis style radius rod on it and use cut down model A rear radius rods on the back.

I only tend to work on this project in the spring & fall ,mainly because in the summer I am too busy with outdoor house chores and in the winter it’s too cold in the garage. First thing I did for a few months was to scour the internet & books to try to find any pictorial history from the 1940’s- till the 1960’s in the upper north east racing circuit that may show this midget in action or give me a hint as to who owner or drove it. The things I looked for that would ID the car were its use of all model A running gear (suspension/I-beam) as well as the rear push bar (flat vee off the frame & not a tube type push bar) & 5 lug wheels and not the normal 6 lug midget set up. I also knew at one time the car was dark red almost maroon in color.
Some of my first projects were to figure out the correct steering box. Early midgets used Franklin box’s & since they are hard to find & afford, my search ended early on that box. After picking the brains of more than a few midget guru’s I was told a model A box would also work + it fell in with the model A theme on the original car. I found & used a thread on the Hamb to make a stock model A box a “Cowl” center steer set up & it worked perfectly.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 005 (3).JPG (130.4 KB, 61 views)
File Type: jpg model a box 2.jpg (127.0 KB, 57 views)
File Type: jpg model a box 3.jpg (116.9 KB, 59 views)
File Type: jpg model a box 4.jpg (116.4 KB, 55 views)
File Type: jpg model a box 5.jpg (120.4 KB, 53 views)
File Type: jpg model a box 6.jpg (95.6 KB, 53 views)
File Type: jpg midget model A steering rack.jpg (79.1 KB, 66 views)
File Type: jpg midget model A steering rack 2.jpg (35.8 KB, 55 views)
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Old 01-05-2014, 01:13 PM   #3
the shadow
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

The next project was to find device to put power to the rear. The car came with a CAE mini I/O but I knew that was way to modern (70’s) & the model A trans would not bolt up to a v8-60 so I found & rebuilt a v8-60 trans. This set up ,bolted to the v8-60 block did not clear the inside of the cowl framing where the dash is located and it put the shift tower way to far back in the chassis so I knew that it didn’t have a stock 3 speed (some did?). I was on the hunt for a vintage I/O that I could afford, I found several from the 1940’-50’s but they were super pricey, I stumbled on a Cornis I/O that was of that early era and un-used (never drilled or mounted in a midget or sprint car)& got it for a decent price. Again I had to consult the Guru’s on how to connect it as it is smaller than the v8-60 bell? They informed me that I’d have to cut the rear bell housing off & make a midplate to bolt the I/o direct to the crank flange. I was able to see one picture of a cut block (w/no I/O on it) & decided to give it a whirl.
I did a lot of measuring & took the block to work where I cut the rear bell off 1/8th” proud of my finish line. Then I took it to my good buddies engine shop & told him what I was doing, he set it up on his block mill & cut it true. Next I made up a drawing & template & took that to work & had it transposed onto a disc so I could have it cut out on a plasma table. This ended up being my mid plate, after I laid out all the bolt holes & tapped them etc. I had to find a way to secure the mid-plate to the block. I was told they used to braze threaded inserts to the underside of the old bell housing. I decided to drill & tap the top so I could use clips to hold alignment + pull the plate in flush. The main means of securing the plate came from 2 grade 8 bolts that went through the original side holes in the casting. I also had to make a new crank drive flange for the gear that came with the Cornis I/O, sometimes called a “dog gear” this flange with the gear bolts to the rear crank, so it is always live running at engine rpm with no clutch. You engage the I/O front gear onto it with the lever. When you disengage the main gear the dog keeps spinning with the engine & you can’t re-engage till the engine is stopped. I used a stock v8-60 cast flange plate from a flywheel as a template & burned a new one out of steel stock to have the steel gear Tig welded onto it.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg cae 001.jpg (138.2 KB, 38 views)
File Type: jpg cae 004.jpg (132.4 KB, 35 views)
File Type: jpg cae 006.JPG (142.4 KB, 42 views)
File Type: jpg cae 005.JPG (165.5 KB, 43 views)
File Type: jpg v860trans.jpg (67.1 KB, 40 views)
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File Type: jpg 003 (3).jpg (29.1 KB, 15 views)

Last edited by the shadow; 01-07-2014 at 09:04 PM. Reason: add pics
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Old 01-05-2014, 01:27 PM   #4
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

During my “on & off” build I was always looking to acquiring needed/missing parts for the midget. When I got the project it was missing one magnesium wheel. Just by dumb luck I found one on eBay & bought it, quickly. You see the 5 lug 12” magnesium midget wheels are super hard to find (one collector told me he didn’t even know they made them?), & if I hadn’t found one I would have either had to run a crappy old 12” steel wheel that came with the car or switch all the wheels to 6 lug costing me more to switch over all the hubs etc. I took the other steel wheel I got to work & blasted the rust off then sanded, primed & painted it.. I wanted to use this wheel because it was made skinny just to be mounted on the front inside left of the car. It was made by welding a fabricated 12” wheel rim to a Model-T ford drake drum center. I was told this was a common early trick they used to make midget racing wheels. That same ebay’r was a vintage midget racer & restorer that was liquidation his stock, he had everything I could want but I had very little cash at that time. What he did sell me was the needed 5 lug wheel + 2 good 12” slicks with tubes, a 13” midget steering wheel, a couple raw aluminum hub castings & a set of used v8-60 headers.
I purchased an eddie meyer front plate to get rid of the stock water pumps & cast mount & needed to get the engine in the frame permanently, so I consulted one of my uncles on how his brother did it & he showed me pic’s of the mount they used. It was a bent piece of 5/8” pipe that mounted off the face of the block & was secured to the frame with pads. This set up also doubles as a front hand hold when lifting the engine in & out of the frame for service. By grabbing this bar with one had & the rear tube of the header with the other 2 people can pull the engine & I/O out in one shot. I measured up what I would need then bent & welded one up to fit. I also took some time to see if the stock v8-60 aluminum heads would polish up, they did.
More of the build later.....
Attached Images
File Type: jpg FRONT MOUNT BAR.jpg (27.3 KB, 59 views)
File Type: jpg sidemount.jpg (26.4 KB, 50 views)
File Type: jpg mount.jpg (60.2 KB, 66 views)
File Type: jpg 007d.jpg (130.7 KB, 75 views)

Last edited by the shadow; 01-07-2014 at 09:31 PM.
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Old 01-05-2014, 01:45 PM   #5
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

Very nice project. You have found a lot of history and details coupled with fine craftsmanship.

John
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Old 01-05-2014, 01:46 PM   #6
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Nice project Shadow ,Thanks for posting ,.was it a common thing to weld two fenders together to form the rear section ?
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Old 01-05-2014, 02:01 PM   #7
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

Is the #2 car pictured the car you have?? If so there are people around that have copies of old race programs that may show your car in it. I have a Sawen midget that raced at Seaconcos R.i track in around 1945 and have one of the roosters, I'll look and see if there is a number 2 car. These roosters list both the owner and driver. G.M.
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Old 01-05-2014, 02:03 PM   #8
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

thanks for the good words. flatheadted - I guess you could, my rear section ,nose & center cowling is all aluminum. I have seen sheet metal flat tail midgets over on the Hamb site.
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Old 01-05-2014, 02:16 PM   #9
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

That aluminum gear cover is after market. The original ones had the round 60 water pumps. Did your engine have a belt or shaft driven pump? On my midget the pump holes are blocked off and has 2 -3/4" copper pipes from the top radiator tank to the bottom tank WITH NO WATER PUMP. It is gravity flow and ran around a stock car track on a warm night for about 30 laps it ran in the normal temperature range.
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File Type: jpg 1946 FORD v-8 60 HP MIDGET.jpg (74.8 KB, 69 views)
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Old 01-05-2014, 05:55 PM   #10
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

GM -it had conventional belt driven system & cast covers, My uncles car ran an aftermarket cam gear cover and a crank driven water pump. My intent is to do the same either with an original used crank pump or a speedway motors knock off (just have to save up some mulla$$$) LOL I have been schhooled in the "Tea pot" set up you described when you don't use a pump, I am just not going that route. thats a nice midget is it a hilligess the nose kinda looks like one? Also thats the first all 5 lug midget I have seen besides mine, NICE!
thanks for the info
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Old 01-06-2014, 04:15 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by G.M. View Post
Is the #2 car pictured the car you have?? If so there are people around that have copies of old race programs that may show your car in it. I have a Sawen midget that raced at Seaconcos R.i track in around 1945 and have one of the roosters, I'll look and see if there is a number 2 car. These roosters list both the owner and driver. G.M.
No that #2 car is my uncles, in the picture he is in the pits at Hatfield speeday 1957. after his crash the car was repaired by my grandfather & sold first locally & later the family was told the car was up in central ny area?
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Old 01-06-2014, 04:38 PM   #12
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

Looks good so far!
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Old 01-07-2014, 09:11 PM   #13
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I decided I wanted the rear in it’s original “sprung over” location and cut out the rear cross member that the previous guy had moved & moved it back to its old spot with the addition of some new custom bent extensions since he cut the old ones off when he moved it back further into the chassis where it tapered. The cross member is a Model T and it held a model t rear spring that was adapted to the model a rear with spacers (another old race trick- not sure why)? While the rear was in the chassis I was able to figure out what the length of a new drive shaft would have to be as well as t-tube.
After fitting the engine & I/O in the chassis where I wanted it and putting the rear in the chassis where it was originally, you could see the t-tube & drive shaft were about 4” short so I would need to get another model A drive shaft shortened for it + make another outer t-tube.
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File Type: jpg 010.jpg (33.7 KB, 22 views)
File Type: jpg 006.jpg (107.6 KB, 22 views)
File Type: jpg 007.jpg (134.6 KB, 27 views)
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Old 01-07-2014, 09:19 PM   #14
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

The next hurdle was to take the seized original rear apart to fix it + figure out a new drive shaft as the original one was now 4” too short along with the original t-tube. Getting the rear apart was no easy task but I did get it apart. I was all surface rusted the carrier was a homemade spool set up, they covered the outer holes & poured lead inside to lock the carrier up! The gears ended up being a 4.55 ratio. I was able to clean up the inside, salvage the ring & pinion (wire wheel) & replace the bearings, pinion nuts & races in the center section. I will have to go into the rear again & replace the gears but for now it’s just to get it rolling. I had took to work & media blasted it earlier.
I hooked up with a fellow Hamb’r Pat aka “Da’Bomb” and told him I needed a stock model a dive shaft ,that I had bought locally & cut to length, re-splined to fit the v8-60 u-joint. Pat said no problem & I sent the shaft off to him with the u-joint. What nice work he did, affordable & a fast turnaround to boot! The old t-tube ended up being the same size as a piece of Schedule 40 pipe so I cut one down to the size I needed at work & welded it to the old t-tube rear flange.
More to come....
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File Type: jpg 006.JPG (123.2 KB, 25 views)
File Type: jpg 001.jpg (40.5 KB, 21 views)
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Old 01-07-2014, 09:27 PM   #15
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

A few other odd ball pics (out of order)? original v8-60 oil pan before I skinned it of it's old starter cover, painted set up block (also the display block till I build the other engine).
The frame was Swiss cheesed with holes from years of racing & bolting things on so I broke out the mig & a copper spoon & filled in all the holes I wasn’t using. Then sanded & primed the frame rails , then threw on a coat of white paint. This frame was a manufactured midget racing frame, not a homemade one. This was bought as a race car as evidence by the clean bends & the way it was assembled & gas welded together. It looks similar to an early Pop dreyer style manufactured frame?
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 014.jpg (125.2 KB, 25 views)
File Type: jpg pan.jpg (57.9 KB, 23 views)
File Type: jpg oct 028.jpg (50.1 KB, 25 views)
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File Type: jpg oct 017.JPG (81.4 KB, 19 views)

Last edited by the shadow; 01-08-2014 at 05:48 PM.
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Old 01-12-2014, 10:52 AM   #16
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

I had to make up a belly pan for the midget, normally they just used a belly pan for a floor (.060-.062” aluminum) but the previous owner had tacked in bent framing I presume to secure the belly pan too? I later found out that midgets used the belly pan as there floor but I decided to keep the framing and us it as an inner floor support to attach some expanded metal too. I thought it would give the driver a flat gripped area to set his feet rather than a smooth sloped bottom?
The belly pan ended up being made out of what I had on hand and since money was tight I used a piece of .125” soft aluminum (it was free). I made a template of the radius I needed & took it to work to be bent. A buddy in the Fab shop said he’d help me as he ran the bended and was very proficient with it. We decided to use the shops accurpress hydraulic press brake so I needed to make up an upper shoe to use against the widest lower die to bump the piece of aluminum to the fit my desired radius on my template. I used a piece of 3” sched 80 pipe & welded 2 1/5” mounting tabs on it to slip into the upper jaws. Then we did a test piece & bumped the piece into shape. Later I made end plates & we welded them onto the pan.
The frame already had studs that had been brazed to the frame so all I needed to do was mark the holes , drill & install the pan. I still have to do some metal work to the pan, it does have very slight bend lines from bumping it around between the dies but they will file & sand out.
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File Type: jpg 006.jpg (61.8 KB, 24 views)
File Type: jpg 007.JPG (57.1 KB, 25 views)
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Old 01-12-2014, 11:16 AM   #17
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

Next I decided to rebuild the stock front spindles, they were still sealed & full of grease so all I did was clean ,inspect & repack the hubs, no problems there. I did need to install some new wheel studs so I did all 10 up front while I was at it. The old front I-beam & suspension was intact so all I did was media blast it all prime & paint it. The frame needed to be re-blasted clean after welding up all the holes so off to work it went (skipped lunch in favor of blasting many days) I needed to fab up a new front spring mount since the old one had been cut off and was pretty beat as well. I made up a new one & welded that on. The paint ended up being rattle can white & red, in fact it looks too good for a midget racer I may have to beat it up some or leave it outside for a month or two under the old pine tree’s? I also painted the rear banjo & springs while I did the front end.
During this time I decided to go with a hair pin radious rod in the front instaed of the torsion arms that were on there originally. I bought a set of hair pins from speedway then cut them down & re-tapped them for the tie rod & clevis ends. I had to buy the radious rod adapters for the I-beam as well. I took the new stuff to work & blasted it all to give it some character & match the texture of the other metal on the car that was already blasted. those parts were primed & painted a metallic silver to off set the red & white.
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File Type: jpg 005.JPG (78.7 KB, 23 views)
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Old 01-20-2014, 08:40 PM   #18
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Sad news!
I took some time off of my midget restoration after thanksgiving to re-coup some cash & because it just gets to damm cold in the garage in winter. the last major project I did in november was to get the car on the wheels rolling with some new (used) slicks & I accomplished that much.
So I go into the garage last friday night to get some tools for a road trip & I notice mouse in a trap by my tool box next to a plastic container that is supposed to be on my work bench, not unusual to get a mouse, what was odd was the container on the floor? thinking the mouse knocked the container off the work bench I decided to check to make sure no mice had climbed into my dragster and made a nest out of my seat upholstry or the car cover on the dragster. As I lift the cover a grey cresent shaped ring falls from under the cover and makes a muffled metallic ding sound when it hits the floor?
I pick it up and can't figure out what it is or why it's half under my dragster cover, finally it dawns on me that it is magenesium & is from a 12" wheel! I have one spare wheel that I have been moving around alot (always in the way) & I assume I dropped it & broke it, after finding the wheel it's intact? I get a sinking feeling & go over to the midget in the other bay. Both the rear wheels are flat (and they weren't 2 days earlier when I was in there because I rolled the car a few feet forward) and the side wheels facing the dragster are fine? I got to the other side & find the rear left wheel had exploded & sent the cresent shaped "bead" of the rim flying into the side wall where it ricocheted off my welder to the back wall hitting the plastic container then bounced into the back of my dragster!
I'm pissed because the 5 lug halibrands are really scarce,it took me 2 years to track one down before & I paid over $200 for it to boot. I don't know why it blew up or why both tires went flat at the same time? I did have that tire put onto that rim after an old dirt tire was removed & came to 2 conclusions. One - the rim may be too narrow for the slick which is a 5.0 X 12 and the wheel couldn't hold it so it blew at the bead area (FYI- I know it's on the wrong side - I put 2- 5.0/12 slicks on the rear for now, my spare race wheel & slick is a 4.5/12 for the rear left)?
Or when the guy flipped the tires for me he cracked the rim during mounting or dismounting & it just took time to finish cracking?
In either case why didn't it blow when when it was mounted or soon after...why a month & a half later? we did have a problem with the bead not seating on that wheel- it popped but was'nt right (maybe it was already cracked?
I guess I will never know the real cause, just needed to vent & I'm glad I still have one spare halibrand with the 4.5 slick on it!
Paul
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Old 01-20-2014, 08:42 PM   #19
the shadow
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Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: southeastern Pa
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

on a lighter note, heres a few picks of my dash. almost done still need to polish it up.
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Old 01-20-2014, 09:25 PM   #20
ken ct
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Default Re: A Pre-War Midget restoration

What a project in fabrication,nice work keep at it it will get done. nice. ken ct.
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