The Old Car

Pictures

2011-10-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some neat pictures my wife took of the Le Mans and the rattle trap '27. You need to click on each photo to get the full effect; I think they came out wonderfully! The '65 Le Mans is wearing its "new" wheels...and I love them! I think I am completely sold on Rally I's now. I pulled these wheels from a neat '64 GTO project car that I picked up last year and proceeded to have the wheels sandblasted, then painting them with Valspar DTM epoxy primer, followed by Valspar base/clear in an Argent Silver. The center caps showed these were '66 or later Rally I wheels because they had the inner circle unpolished and painted semi gloss black. After LOTS of stripping and hours of polishing with both the die grinder and the big buffer they turned out smooth and shiny. I then chose the thin whitewall radials ( I was too cheap to order bias ply, even though they would look even better) and had them mounted. The wheels look perfect on this car!

Here is the '27, with that gaping hole between the body and frame. It is part of this car's character...stop laughing! The wife's picture of this car really turned out nice; I like the lighting and the full profile.

More Oldsmobile

2011-07-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Ouch! See that seam I just made? After all the careful work I am now just welding it shut! And the reason for covering my replacement seam (which I made specifically to reproduce the factory lead seam) is the frustration with lead. I filled the seam with lead (actually lead-free solder) three times, each time the lead seam cracking after bodywork. I also was warping the metal too much with all the heat of three rounds of solder.

It is very possible I could have left it, scored the seam and been fine. But it was driving my susceptibility to paranoia crazy. I kept imagining the flux stained innerds of the new joint rusting fast, pushing a bulge of lead up; which is exactly why I removed the seam in the first place.

The last picture shows the seam totally covered, getting the plastic filler treatment.

Here is the lower driver 1/4 that I fabricated, finally getting filler and some left over urethane high build primer. The little spot just below the emblem holes also got some filler after hammer and dolly work.

Sneek peek above! After selling the '64 Le Mans, I stumbled on this amazing "parts car" for the '64 442. It is in unbelievably excellent condition: virtually NO rust, runs perfect, and the interior is in excellent original shape. I am scared to tear this car apart as a donor for the 442 even though I need almost everything from it. It is just too nice of an original. True treasures still exist!

Here is the whole '62, slowly coming along. Why is it that a car that needs comparably little bodywork still demands so much time, so much decision making?

Passenger rear spot that I replaced sheet metal on is getting filler and blocking.

More filler on the pass. quarter. Lots of dents on this side of the car, forcing me to improve my hammer and dolly methods.

Here is the upper fender lip, showing the painstaking work of stripping without removing the fender. I remove one bolt, strip with a small wire wheel on my die grinder, then replace the bolt and move to the next spot. The plan is to keep the fender aligned.

This last picture is referred to at the end of the first picture's description. Body work is actually a painstaking project! Especially the straightening and forming, the blocking and filing.

And there is still much more to do...

More Progress 2.0

2011-04-16T20:38:00.001-07:00

I thought welding was over! This seam where the 1/4 passenger 1/4 panel meets the body just behind the rear window has just been replaced. The above picture show the replacement pieces tacked in place, which below I'll show the process of making and fitting them.

The reason I replaced this area is because the passenger 1/4 panel was replaced in the '60s, and anywhere lead was reapplied (joint seams) I have stripped, since most of the leaded areas showed bulges starting to appear. When the lead was removed here, I found rust creeping into the joint. I also discovered that the seam had been aligned poorly, with the new 1/4 being mounted higher than the package tray area it meets to, and then banged at the edges down in an attempt to level things up. There was also a lot of lead, and it wasn't just for the seam.

The factory joint was an area where two 90 degree angles meet, giving two flanges that meet underneath to be spot welded together. Then lead was applied to cover the seam, but still scored with a small groove that shows in the finished paint job, giving a neat appearing seam line. I would imagine that the seam line is scored into the lead at this place to channel flexing and shifting in the body from opening the heavy trunk. Kind of like seams in concrete that prevent cracks forming and allow expansion.

Not only was the flat area of the seam needing help, but the part that angles down into the trunk channel was hammered rough, brazed, and gobbed with lead. It was crusty and rust prone, as well as holding the misaligned 1/4 seam from lining up smooth. So I cut the area out, and will have to make patches for it.

This picture shows how out of alignment the top edges were, requiring the new edge to be banged down and lead slathered all over.

Here in the above picture you can see the huge gap that was brazed and leaded. This gap size scared me; It appeared that it would be more prone to stress cracks and I didn't want to dump tons of lead back into it. Also, it was pitted with rust which I did not want to clean out.

Here is one of the flange areas cut out. This one was the package tray side, showing where an original spot weld had been drilled out when they removed the original 1/4 panel.

After cutting the flanges out, I made this little pattern to compare the new pieces to as I made them. This way I wouldn't have to run back and forth between the shrinker-stretcher and the car, checking for fit.

To make the repair pieces I just used a brake to bend the angle, and just a tiny bit of stretching on the downward flanges.

Both pieces are formed and stretched to proper contours, ready for trimming to fit.

Here shows the 1/4 panel piece is trimmed down and ready to place.

Above shows the piece tacked to the 1/4, fitting nicely.

And here is the other piece trimmed and fitted, ready for tacking on. I went on to tack weld it on, and as the first picture of this post shows, I was able to gently position the 1/4 panel edge down to perfect alignment with the package tray area, with the seam meeting just as the factory one did. Now I can move down to the trunk channel area and start making pieces to fit.

One thing I forgot to do is punch holes in the inside flange. Now it will be a chore figuring out how to plug weld the flanges underneath together. Oops! Other than that, the repair is working nicely. I just need to make sure I weld the flanges together before I start making the pieces that extend into the trunk lip. Now I think a small spot welder might come in handy...

More Progress

2011-01-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

I am still cranking away at the '62 Oldsmobile. It feels like grunt work when I think of the entire process; never ending with no finish in site. When I recount details of what I've accomplished, though, it becomes a satisfying progress sheet. (That is the main reason for writing a boring blog about fiddling with old cars!)

The other benefit of these labors is I am learning. Learning real-time, even at the risk of doing it "wrong." I like to call tearing into a car the "school of hard knocks"...literal hard knocks! I am learning, tuning, even kind of perfecting, if I dare say, this craft. It actually does improve with time, too.

Next chance I get, I'll brush some toxic slime on an area not yet stripped and start massaging sheet metal as I wait for the slime to do its job. And I will do so with patience, knowing I am making progress on the car and my skills at the same time.

Speaking of toxic slime, I've managed to remove the paint and filler from almost all of the driver side. I use Aircraft Stripper, and it works good.

I am beginning to bump metal here on a spot at the edge of the hood. It is harder than I thought, yet already very rewarding. I'm finally learning to do it correctly. I also am learning to stop when I've reached a good point, instead of bumping too much and making things worse.

This above picture is a happy one. I have just finished stripping all paint and primer from this lower portion of the passenger fender and it is smooth! Clean! No dents or rust! This is what we hope to find everywhere, but never do.

Here I have just masked the trim holes and door edges to protect from stripper seeping into places I don't want it. It is VERY powerful stuff (and dangerous, too) so I keep it from getting anywhere other than the major outside areas. At the rear 1/3 of the door's center is a spot I've bumped back into place. This area was bent inward right along the trim line, and required careful hammer-off-dolly to bring the steel back to proper contour. It is not perfect, but an exciting improvement!

Just a full shot of the hood, stripping and light bumping of small, shallow dents being completed. Now I have small surface rust spots to remove and final sanding. Then it will be ready for spot filler (if it actually needs any) and primer.

This above shot is a close up of the passenger door area that was banged inward. It came out better than I expected.

This last picture shows an area that began as a frustrating find. I was simply removing what appeared to be light filler when resorted to using my propane torch to soften and remove a deep chunk of Bondo in both areas. The car had been banged here, and the previous bodyman had used a slide hammer to attempt to pull it out. The screw holes where the slide hammer attaches were still there, only filled with the Bondo. And the dents hadn't been pulled much at all. There was still a depth of about 3/8" at the deepest point of these dents that the plastic filler had been used to cover. (Why even use the slide hammer if one isn't going to pull the dent out much at all?)

Anyway, I ended up pulling the panel out farther with my slide hammer and welding up the holes. The bottom area I bumped extensively with the hammer and dolly, but was still too warped and stretched for me to leave. So I cut the spot out, remade an inside wheel well lip (patch) and welded in a new piece. Whew!

More Olds!

2010-12-29T21:02:00.000-08:00

I am back at the '62 Oldsmobile, this time finishing the last rust areas and a leaded area that started bubbling. The passenger rear corner had bulges in the lead applied to cover the overlap seams where the rear corner piece meets the 1/4 panel. The factory did this the same way after spot welding the panels together. This particular area was redone when a new entire 1/4 panel was attached sometime early in the car's life. The liberal use of lead indicates this to me.

The body man attached this area of panels with brazing and sheet metal screws, with welding elsewhere. Then the seams were covered with lots of lead. I would never have messed with this area, but here is where the lead was bubbling. After removing lead from the seams I found pockets where something didn't get along with the lead and steel living together. I wonder if it was a sort of oxidation, impurities in the lead, or the steel base not being totally prepared.

So I began to remove all of the lead with careful heating, pushing soft blobs away and wiping the wet lead with a rag. The lead used seemed extensive; I also didn't want to put lead back onto a not-so-perfect seam full of crevices and overlap, being afraid that no matter how clean I get it, there would likely be remaining impurity issues. I didn't want the bulges to reappear after I finish this car. So I decided to remove the overlap areas entirely, and weld new sheet metal patches level with the outer area.

Forming little pieces was not difficult, as I had a nice pattern to follow. The curves were very easy since the patches were so small, only requiring using my hand and pliers to shape them. The main reason I made one small patch (and attached it) at a time was to keep the overall shape of this panel in line. This helped me avoid moving the middle panel out of alignment with the shape it needed to follow.

This is the only time I needed any other tool than my hand held pliers. I just needed a little bend on the brake.

Second to last piece being fitted for trimming.

Careful grinding, filing and a little picking with the body hammer left the pieces pretty smooth. Now I can use a little bit of filler and the area can be fully cleaned/scuffed for adhesion. No lead needed, either.

Not too bad!

Here's an area under the pass. door where I needed to make a new patch. The brake, stretcher and hammer-on-anvil were used for this little patch. Welds still look nasty, just waiting to be carefully ground smooth.

Woodward Fab Bead Roller Modification

2010-12-19T10:54:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to try a bead roller. Ever since I began setting up the construction of my '30 Model A coupe I have wanted to be able to form floor panels and body patches that would use beads, grooves and flanges. Problem is, I don't want to spend $1,000 or more for a decent roller and set of dies. But through online searching I've found actually good information on the cheapo bead rollers from Harbor Freight and others. There is just one catch...they need major stiffening side to side and up and down.

The picture below is the one I decided to go with. It is from Woodward Fab, and comes with 6 sets of dies. It is made of solid steel plate, just shy of 1/2" thick, and has an 18" throat. It feels better than the Harbor Freight one, being a thicker plate (HF one is 3/8") and having grease fittings. It is also identical to the Eastwood economy model, likely from the same Chinese factory. Plus, the Woodward Fab tools in general have a good reputation, especially compared to HF.
The above picture isn't my attempt at advertising- I was just too lazy to remove the "super low price" artwork.
So I pulled my Woodward Fab bead roller out of the box, installed it on the vise, assembled it and gave it a try. The dies do their job, and it stays fairly lined up, but the frame plate has tons of flex! And most noticeable was side to side flexing. Now the plans to reinforce (and make it look pretty) begin...

The picture above shows one of the patterns I made for cutting the bottom plate. The green line is where the purchased frame plate would meet the added curved reinforcing plate that this pattern produces. I formed this and a top pattern (after lots of sketching) on Masonite with my little jigsaw, and then aligned the patterns to some 1/2" plate and plasma-cut the pieces.

Here is a picture showing the top plate and bottom plate welded to the Woodward Fab frame. I tried to give it an industrial look, like a tool in a vocational shop that has form-following-function (or maybe the other way around...) with an earlier appearance. You can see the welds are ground down and the paint from the original piece is ground off.

After using scrap from my generous boss Matt (Owner of the company I work for) and a '28 Ford torque tube, I came up with this neat stand assembly. It has an almost antique industrial look, but also spartan. It is still going to be top heavy, so I will bolt it to the floor.

Above shows another view, this of the backside. The 2"x2" square tube is actually the major reinforcement; it does more work than the vertical pieces I meshed with the original plate. This idea was copied from the very cool ideas I found online. The vertical round tube is scrap pieces I cut and lined up for holders of the dies not being used. I like the curvy-shaped plate I added to the pedestal tubing. It calms my fears of weak spots, and looks good too!

Here it is bolted to the floor. I used those female thread anchors that stay level in the concrete, so I can easily remove the bolts and move the assembly out of the way. The paint is the last drops of DuPont Variprime leftovers I had, given to me for free by an old neighbor. It is a 2-part etching primer, and I didn't want to see it go to waste. Plus, now I have something paint can bite to.

These two pictures show the assembled bead roller and the extra dies sitting on their holders.

This above pictures shows the first experiments with scraps from Creer Sheet Metal. This bead roller is going to be wonderful for floor pans, body reinforcements, and even patch panels. I see lots of possibilities!

This last pic shows the completed project including the wheel I made to operate it with. The crank it came with is not nearly as usable. I made this wheel from the foot rest of a broken bar stool, and the spokes/mounting assembly from channel scrap I scrounged from a spiral staircase I helped remove. It works with no noticed flex and cost was very low, unless you count my time and tools. But I wanted to build it...!

'62 Olds: More Updates

2010-11-29T21:10:00.000-08:00

Here's a little peek at more progress. I finished replacing the driver side infected lower 1/4 area, and started experimenting with paint stripper on the driver fender and door. As long as I put it on thick, keep it moist and wait at least 45 minutes, it works well. This time I've decided to slow down, focusing on one part of the project at a time.

The pics below show what is done so far.

'62 Olds Updates...

2010-10-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

I made the first repair piece for the '62 Olds. This one worked better than expected, especially with the crease that fades away to flat. Test fits required multiple trimming, twisting, hammering and shrinking. And it finally reached this stage! The pictures below show the final shape, fit and attaching of the piece.
The last picture shows where welds were ground. I am frustrated with the weld area sucking in so much... I am thinking I didn't give consistent cool down times in between welds. Other than that, it is now part of the car and fitting good.

1962 Oldsmobile Dyanmic 88

2010-10-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

Timing has finally allowed me to get my hands wet again... well, dirty at least. The recent changes have put my old car religion on hiatus for months now, but this past Saturday I was able to sneak out.

I have been wanting to paint the '62 Olds. It is a neat car, a sort of "gentleman's sleeper". It has 68,000 original miles, runs perfect and came with the optional 330 horse 394. It also has only one (although ugly) repaint since new.

So at the dangerous risk of sidetracking, I moved the Olds in and started removing trim. I quickly realized that the rear seats, door panels and driver hood hinge had to be removed in order to remove the side trim! So the hood had to come off, too. The only other option listed in the '62 chassis shop manual was to unbolt the fenders and move them out enough to reach the nuts inside that attach to the trim clips. Wouldn't that mean removing the hood anyway?

Above shows the repaint that has bubbled and flaked off over the years. I will have to carefully remove all paint, even where it is not bubbling, because it is not worth the risk to leave it. I just don't know the process that was used, and I want to seal the metal with a good epoxy.

First on the list: address the small rust areas. Here's the lower 1/4 wheel well just behind the driver rear wheel.

And above shows the front of the same wheel well. A little picking with a big screwdriver quickly showed this rotten spot.

So the stripping begins. I start with the flap disc on a 4 1/2" grinder, mainly just at the areas where rust shows as the paint is removed.

I then go to the pneumatic 6" DA sander (I think I used 220 grit) cleaning away paint, primer and tiny debris without thinning and warping the metal. I just need to expose clean bare metal leaving room enough for the patches.

As always, I discover pits and pinholes throughout the length of the bottom. I began to mark the lines where I will cut the eroded sheet metal.

Here's how it looks on the inner fender panel.

And here is the pile of dirt and rust that piles up in that crevice. Anytime water leaks down from the gas filler door, or the trunk lid not perfectly sealing, it draws junk with it and eats away at these inner pockets. And this rust is nothing...! The Olds received relatively low exposure to the elements and salty roads.

Front of wheel well is marked for cutting and pattern.

Bad piece is off and becomes a pattern for making the repair panel.

Here is the pattern. I now get to cut, bend, hammer and weld some sheet metal to become the donor piece. the top will be tricky because it has a slight peak that follows the body trim line and fades to flat towards the bottom. I think I will bend a second crease on a slight angle, and then hammer the panel back to flat as I work down. I will then need to pie cut the flat front in order to "shrink" so that the inner 90 deg. bend can curve from down to going forward, as the pattern shows.

Here it is on jack stands, getting off to a good start. I will get those patches made and show how they work out.

The Model A coupe is not abandoned, I just needed a change of pace!

Stance 2.0

2010-05-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

After lining up where I will locate the springs, I cobbled everything together and wheeled the little body over to the chassis. It may seem too high, but it is about right where I want it. With the actual sprung weight of the completed car, the rear should sit about 1" lower. All in all, I like the high look. This is no rat rod; it is a "cute" rod! There, I said it. And stop laughing...!

This view shows the long '36 rear radius rods and the front split Model A wishbones. I chose to run them long and close- it gives balance and breakup to the car's tall profile and to the smaller Model A frame. This first complete mock up puts the suspension, body and rake right where I want them to be.

Stance

2010-05-18T15:18:00.001-07:00

Stance is the big issue now. I need to determine where and how I want the body to sit in relation to the wheels, frame and wishbones. And one must actually put stuff together in order to really see the pieces relate. This is why the wheels and tires are connected to the axles, and axles are being set to their fore/aft positions. I can then begin to determine ride height goals and possibilities concerning the springs and frame. I am now at the stage where I can see how far I can alter the parts I have to make the car's rake.

The wheels are Wheel Vintiques 16x4.5" front and back. This is how I want them to look. I painted them with single stage Martin Senor urethane that Brian's Auto Napa mix for me. It is excellent paint. The tires are 7.50x16 Nanco rears, with a perfect traditional tread and pie crust edge. (And these tires are WAY cheaper than original reproductions of the same size). The fronts are the B.F. Goodrich 5.50x16 Long Miler that Coker sells. These are a little taller than the 15- inchers on the Model T roadster, and I chose this because the A coupe body is bigger mass. It needs a better (bigger) proportioned tire/wheel combo to match up like the little coupes from the '40s and '50s did.

Above shows the rear Model A spring, with alternating leaves removed, before I installed it on the axle. It ends up still much too tall, which required more ideas...

Here is what started as Speedway's rear spring weld-on perch. I had to severely cut and shorten the perches, and then add new plate to them for proper fit on the '64 GM A-body rear end. This ended up being a perfect width rear, and I am planning to use the lower control arm brackets to connect to the wishbones. These modified spring perches now sit as close to the axle as possible without allowing the spring eye to bottom out. And the perches are spaced at 49.5 inches, which is where they are on the original A axles.

After trying to make the rear spring set the car lower by removing leaves, I realized it wasn't enough. The Bishop/Tardell book shows the rear Model A spring main leaf reversed. So I decided to give it a try. Above shows the pattern traced on the floor of the main leaf before reversing, and the reversed leaf. I simply used my shop press for two full hours of slight bending, checking, bending, checking... And the end result is a good piece! After installing the rear spring wih the reversed main leaf, the frame sat much closer to "proper" in relation to the axle.

Chassis Mockery

2010-04-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Chassis mock-up is in full swing. I have bolted up the front end using the So-Cal 4" drop forged axle, Speedway 29" spring, and original Model A front wishbone. The above picture shows that I am using Speedway spindles and disc brake adapter kit. Disc brakes...it's a shame, I know. But I got the rotors and calipers for free. Plus, I am wanting to make a cool little backing plate that will make the disc brake assembly look old. Or weird. Maybe old-weird...
After the front is put together completely, I get to mount wheels and then start estimating where and how to mount the rear end. And all this stuff will be assembled and disassembled more than once! After I determine the chassis assembly, I have to remove everything and weld up the frame mounts, drill body mount access, etc. Mock-up stage, its a big part of the build. BIG!

Here is the mount for the driver side split wishbone. I used weld-in 11/16 bungs and Ford 7 deg. rod ends. The mounts are made from Speedway tapered generic mounts that I lengthened.

Above shows the front of the driver side split wishbone. I decided to flip these '29 'bones to allow for my tie rod to clear; hence the reversed forged end. I still wanted the factory weld of the 'bone to face the ground, so the rest of the wishbone is facing up-just the front is flipped. The two welds show the flipping and the pie-cutting, which give me 10 degrees caster. I figured I would be safe this way, since there will be rake to the car once the wheels are installed.

Yikes!

2010-01-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

Yikes was right when I took this body panel off! I am apprehensive to go this deep into the core of an antique automobile...especially one I've never familiarized with. But the initial fright has slowly subsided as I find out how the basic body structure fits together. A big benefit is the body is bare steel, and was carefully mocked up in it's assembled form before I brought it home. So removing a few tack welds and fasteners have made learning the kindergarten version of Ford Model A body assembly run smooth.

The only reason I'm side tracked on the body is because I made its first mock fit on the frame so I could become familiar with proper mounting locations and clearance (since I've boxed and "Z"d the frame). And this shows me where floor changes need to be made, involving sheet metal work. And sheet metal work tends to get me noticing other body needs...

The above pic is the "yikes!" one. This is the passenger side body panel separated from the inner structure piece.

Above shows the close up of the lower quarter patch I just finished on the big panel. It is a repop patch that came with the car when I bought it. The small compound curve piece is one I made on the brake and the shrinker/stretcher. I used thicker 16 gauge and had to do a series of partial bends to get the wide curve angle that matches the existing shape of the inner wheel structure. It took lots of shrinking, checking, hammer form, more checking, more hammer...

This above picture shows the inner structure that supports the big body panel right inside the door edge. The bottom 4" of the vertical channel and the bottom plate where the angled support connects were rusted through, so I made these patches again from heavier 16 gauge and with the metal brake and shrinker.

And this picture shows the driver door test fit. I just finished chopping this door a true 3". I was a little paranoid- I wanted to be sure I matched the existing chop of the body structure. The 3" chop was already done on this coupe body, and was a major plus when I considered buying it. Any more chop to me is too much, and would look "rat rod" more than "neat old hot rod". I like to think this one is going to at least look the part of a traditional hot rod.

Here's the mock up stage, full view. Now I have to figure out where to modify the firewall...

Above shows my modifications to the factory style trunk floor. This is an upside-down view of the side rails and raised hump that I made. These allow for clearance of the rear crossmember and stepped frame rails; necessary because of the now "Z"d frame.

Top view of tunk panel. I made the hump with the brake, shrinker, stretcher and my cheapo punch/flange tool (for the even weld holes).

Above shows the modified trunk floor installed as it will be viewed from opening the decklid.

And here's another view of the mock up. It is starting to get my ideas flowing...

The Model A Coupe

2010-01-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

Change has been happening. (Heck, I have spent the last two months just moving tools!) But even change becomes a "has-been", and I slowly grow almost comfortable again. Amid getting accustomed to a new place, I am actually starting a new project...and it's an intimidating one. Recently I have carefully scrounged parts and pieces for building another hot rod, and finally the job is underway. From the free engine (thanks to the Wiscombe family!) to the unbelievably cheap frame, I am now officially working on a '30 Ford Model A five-window coupe.

The almost professional picture above is actually about the coupe body, not the ladder... I picked this body up from a gentleman in West Jordan. It was nicely chopped only 3", and came with an entire new floor section as well as lower patch panels.

Here's the start- an excellent '28-'29 Model A frame. I have just finished a very moderate step to the rear frame/crossmember, following the measurements of the Bishop-Tardell rear frame stepping procedure. The only difference is I "Z'd" the rear kickup rather than straight cut. Same end result, but the overlap feels better to me.

This picture shows the passenger side of the frame and rear crossmember, and the flush cut edge of the crossmember as done in the Bishop-Tardell book. This is for body clearance from the now kicked-up rear portion of the frame. The "Z" shape is welded and ground smooth.

Above shows the driver's side rear frame area (same process), with 10 gauge fillets welded in and the area ground clean.

Frame Boxing

2010-01-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the preliminary stuff, I am now boxing the '30 Coupe's frame. The process is rewarding so far, and I haven't had to buy any of the metal! I am using 10 gauge, lining it up on the spot and scribing a mark line. The picture below shows the first piece (placed for marking) under the c-clamps.

Then I take the piece to my flimsy table and mark a Sharpie line 1/8" inside of the scribed lines. This gives me a line that makes up for the oversize pattern that comes from scribing the piece from the outer edges of the existing frame.

Here's the marked piece with makeshift guides clamped along the pattern markings, about another 1/8" outside of the marker line. This allows the drag tip of the plasma cutter to rest against the clamped guides, and lay the cut right on the Sharpie line.

And here's the plasma cut piece test fit on the frame. The space next to the middle crossmember is left open so I can remove the crossmember before completing the boxing. I left the center 'member in to assist keeping the frame true while welding the rear. It will then be removed to allow full boxing.

And above shows the frame sitting flat, with both rear sides boxed and welds cooled, allowing removal of the center crossmember. I just cut and ground the rivet ends, and hammered out them out.
The welds are turning out less than good due to the inner frame being still full of impurities, as well as my skills at the 250 MIG being very rusty! Even after cleaning the welding edges with a flap disc, I am leaning toward using the stick welder and DC 7018 rod on the front boxing sections. I am still easing into the big MIG though, and I was even able to get it to run better towards the end of the day (well, after re-spooling the .035 wire, replacing the tip twice, and...) All in all, the car is an intimidating task. But it also happens to be an old car. An awesome old car!

Rare!

2009-08-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Rare cars come along every once in a while. Sometimes rare cars are cool, sometimes weird, sometimes ugly. And the term "rare" is also often applied to cars that...um...aren't. When I stumble across any old car that I deem desirable, it usually fits the rare category just because it comes from a different time. Any "old" car is rare, when comparing it to what is on the road today.

But then there is a rare car. I mean rare. Those cars that are your personal favorites, and limited production models that are only in pictures (or imagination) of a history you never even lived in. I'm talking those cars that magically appear as a quick blip on the screen, once in a decade, if ever at all. And I am just thankful my eccentric car views stumbled on to this rare one.

This little worn out creature (read: another junker) is a rare car, rare indeed. And it happens to be one of The Originals according to the opinions that clog my brain. It is a legitimate 1964 Oldsmobile 442. This car was released quickly, late in the production year, as an answer to the competition posed by Pontiac's new GTO. The '64 GTO was selling far better than anyone expected, and Oldsmobile decided to bust out a last-minute option on the F-85/Cutlass line to try and catch up to speed. The 1964 442 became the addition of the B-09 option code, which was the Police Apprehender package. This included the Cutlass 330 c.i.d. engine with a different camshaft bumping horsepower from 290 to 310. The package also gave front and rear sway bars, fully boxed lower control arms, and extra frame reinforcement. And the new little 442 name meant four barrel carburetor, four speed transmission, and dual exhaust. This was also the only year that the moniker "442" meant its original meaning. None of the '64 442s were automatics, and they all had the B-09 option. The rusty red hardtop I just picked up is one of only 1,842 hardtops made in '64; 2,999 total '64 442s being made. Compare that to the production numbers of the '64 GTO, which I also consider rare. There were 32,450 of those built. Big difference.
The '64 is hard to document, and can only be considered a real 442 if it has the correct B-09 options. This little clunker has 'em all, even the extremely rare (and expensive!) dual snorkel air cleaner. It is a long way from its original condition, and will likely be my first body-off-frame restoration of a car. I am planning on replacing entire rear 1/4 panels, welding on new floors, trunk, window channels, and more. This little car is going to be a huge project. But it is also a huge piece of automobile history...to us lovers of old American cars, anyway.

Bel Air Minor Details

2009-07-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

Minor details are finally getting the attention they deserve. I stripped the yellow steelies, sand blasted and then primed them with Variprime. Then I sprayed the wheels with Martin-Senour gloss black catalyzed urethane. This stuff is wonderful paint...and very affordable compared to the other brands. My local Brian's Auto Napa store carries the whole line of Martin-Senour. Brian (the owner) mixed my 1/2 quart of "Pepsi Black" himself . And the paint turned out excellent.

The trim is slowly getting attached to the Bel Air. It is tedious but rewarding. Most of the trim pieces are in good shape, just requiring bufffing with tripoli. Attaching the trim is slow at best, and I'm finding out I will have to make or buy some of the trim clips and fasteners. The photo below shows the taillight mounted...it looks like a car again!

Paint is On!

2009-06-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

The '54 Bel Air post coupe is finally painted, and it looks good considering I did it in my drafty small garage. The picture below shows more primer coating and blocking work just before paint time. After I blocked and sealed any more needed areas, I removed all masking and cleaned the surface, scuffing any new sealed spots with a fine Scotchbrite. Then I re-masked the entire car again, mixed up the paint and sprayed it on.

I mixed the catalyzed urethane as per instructions and sprayed one fog coat followed by two wet coats. The paint is Hot Rod Flatz 30% gloss Dark Gray Primer Tone, an actual color with UV inhibitors meant to be a final coat. This stuff is known to cause tiger stripes when sprayed by professionals, but I was happy to see it turn out actually very even on the Bel Air. There are still imperfections, but it turned out better than I expected! I just hope it resists chalking and fading as it is supposed to. Also, the paint turned out true 30% gloss, which settled my fears of it looking too shiny. Many example cars covered with this brand end up looking too glossy, but this matte finish is just right. The work has paid off!

Just need to straighten and polish the trim, and then I can put this car back together.

More pictures show the matte dark gray urethane. It coated and blended well.

And no, the wheels are not going to remain bright yellow! I am leaning towards full gloss black or maybe a neutral green or tan...
And yes, the plain steel wheels stay on the car.

Bel Air Due Process

2009-05-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

The '54 Bel Air is wading through its facelift on schedule, without too many problems. This is a first...! The rocker panels I formed (in the previous post) are done and safely covered in etching primer. The picture below shows the pass. rocker panel with its next (epoxy primer) covering. I started tearing into this car after the rocker panel rust repair by removing all the trim. And boy there is a lot of trim clips! After all trim, lights, and bumpers were removed I started the arduous task of lining up the body panels. The driver fender was mounted too far forward, and with the help of my brother I managed to line it back closer to the door. The hood required much adjustment, including moving the passenger hinge location forward and up. I had to pry the springs from the hinges in order to line up the locations properly. Last adjustment was the passenger fender. With the help of body shims and loosened bolts, I moved this fender inward and a little upward.

After all the body adjusting and trim removal, I started scuffing the existing paint and primer, focusing on any areas where surface rust had flashed underneath the primer. I ran 80 grit on the 6" random orbital sander to strip the thin pools of rust, and to thin the flame job that was much thicker than the rest of the car's primer coat. Then came general blocking with 80 grit on the 17" power inline sander. I just ran it up and down at 45 degree angles, keeping the movement flat. This showed any new pockets of underlying surface rust.

After all of the initial scuffing and blocking, I treated all the bare steel areas with Valspar etching primer as well as Dupont Variprime etching primer. Then, started the masking process and shot three heavy coats of Valspar LIC epoxy primer, which is very high solids stuff. It was almost impossible to mix the stuff, it is that thick. After this, I sprayed a fog coat of cheapo rattle can black and started blocking away...

The above picture shows a couple of the blocking tools I am excited to begin using. The small manual one is an excellent product that Scotton Tools makes in California. I bought their set of high quality block sanding tools at Pomona from the company owners, and I am amazed at the quality and price. These are excellent tools, and the price is low...too low! I will take these USA made Scotton Tools any day over the more expensive ones available at local autobody supply shops.

The red pneumatic sander is a nice little Viking V101 that I picked up at the UVU swap meet for ten bucks. It was new, and after taking it apart I simply had to carefully file off a burr on the piston. Now this $250 Viking tool works great.

Here above shows the arduous process of blocking all that thick primer, removing the black fog coat until all is gray. That shows it's flat. You can see I have still a ways to go downward.

Back view in above picture shows I'm almost done blocking the trunk. I have been going with 180 grit to break through quick without going too rough.

Top of hood shows where blocking has been going, and front shows the fog coat still un-sanded. Again, I just block until the fog is gone. The front of this hood also received filler on small flat spots where original emblem holes were welded shut.

The Bel Air is actually very straight, and I didn't have to do any more straightening or rust repair. I will definitely need to prime and seal the car again after this first blocking, but then I should be close to paint time. The Bel Air is finally in the works, and it is going much quicker than I ever expected, especially since the injury. It is nice to be progressing in the old car obsession-I actaully feared this would no longer be possible after the TBI. But here it goes!

Pontiac is Dead...Who cares, Right?

2009-05-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Pontiac is announced to be no more, just as Oldsmobile was a few years ago. The economic recession (putting it easily) is of course reasonable as to why. And who really cares? I mean, Pontiac wasn't true Pontiac after 1979, when the Pontiac-specific engines finally died. Golly molly, I secretly think that Pontiac's lost their beauty closer to 1970.

So I hear the news about Pontiac's final resting place, and I feel, um, a little sentimental. And I'm still wondering why...nobody likes ponchos nowadays, right? And I always preach that American cars aren't what they used to be. What's with the empty feeling that Pontiac is no more? I guess it's that sentimentality thing. Look what Pontiac used to do. Observe the cutting edges they would reach throughout the '60s. Man, I wish they could have continued past the big break of the oil embargo and emissions crackdown at the beginning of the '70s. I wish the design and concepts would have lead a different path after 1970. I wonder how interestingly mean the Pontiac engines would have become if the GM brass wouldn't have restricted engine size, warranty, etc.

Check out the ads and pictures below. This is what it once was...These are just a glimpse of what happened, and what could have been.

Remember the awesome OHC Sprint, a totally different approach that John Delorian designed? Over-head-cammed six banger with a timing belt and a Quadrajet, reeking of European flare, yet so U.S.A.

These '66 and '67s had a neat trim line and that wild OHC 6 in them. Cool, rare, different.

Remember when Mickey Thompson was the Pontiac racer? This guy raced the Super Dutys, the Bonneville Salt Flats streamliners, and more when Pontiac motors were kings. The above ad shows how in-depth M/T went with the Pontiac's.

The above ad shows the '62 Grand Prix. These eat, ate, and will continue to eat all of the other full-size cars of 1962 for dinner. Their design: Simply unmatched.

Yes, 1970 shows not just a last hurrah, but rather a capstone. Look at the lines of the '70 GTO/ Judge. Look at the cute/cool/tough-yet-appealing ad. The Humbler. That car's looks alone dwarfs all the other musclecars of the day. Yes, all of them.

Look at the above '68 cover of Hot Rod. Here's unbelievable stuff old McKellar at Pontiac was coming up with. Those aren't plastic models, and those aren't copies. What if those engines could have ever seen production...this is when the sky was the limit.

Remember when NASCAR wasn't just for rednecks, and the cars really were unique to their builder/racers? I don't either! But in days before my life, this is what happened. Look at the Catalina above. Nope, not a generic clone of every other car on the track with an identical c.i.d. motor. And it's not ran by a giant corporation that blankets a bunch of other cars. Yes those are the real trim, bumpers and headlight bezels. This is when Pontiacs were the leaders. This is also when the term "NASCAR" still actually meant what it says: STOCK Car Auto Racing. I don't get the generic bubba vibe from these early years, when a stock car had to be one sold to the public. And when small-time guys would still be contenders, even if the car they raced was a couple of model years old.

Testing the Supercars? And leader of the photo pack is none other than the single-most cool factory car ever made, the 1965 Pontiac Lemans GTO.

More of the same in the above picture? Yes, but I happen to like it. The prom queen at the small-town football game. And the flashy '65 Tempest Lemans convertible, red with Rally I's and the proper thin white-striped bias ply's. This is what I remember hometown being. This is what I want hometown to stay.

The above ad shows the first real musclecar's meek first step into the world. And from this little '64 GTO's beginning came the rush that was followed by all the others.

Fifties cars, did you say? Yes, I'll take this '55 Pontiac any day over the common tri-five Chevy's. No offense, I just miss my '55 Catalina 870!

This last picture shows the unbelievable style achieved by Pontiac in 1960. This ad (done by AF/VK, the best illustrators of any car ads ever) displays the unmatched front end offered by Pontiac. The other '60 full size cars don't even come close to the lines of a '60 Ventura, or Bonneville, or Star Chief. The '60 Pontiac feels like a tiny taste of art deco, mixed with Bellflower-era custom jobs, yet totally spot on. Not wannabe custom; just beautiful design. And you should see the back of a '60 Ventura. In 1960, nothing came close to these Pontiacs, and that is why custom builders (from Bellflower or anywhere) didn't change a thing on them. Remove trim? No. Add a custom grill? There is no better custom grill. All that was acceptable was a 2" drop, or like my dad's '60 Ventura, a cool set of chrome reverse wheels on the back with bigger "drag" tires, and plain steel wheels on the front with baby moons.

I guess this is why losing Pontiac left me feeling a little sad. I miss the Pontiacs that the old timers miss, the ones that ended a long time ago. But hey, they still lurk in the shadows...every once in a while an old jewel like these can still be found!

Out with the Old, In with the...Old!

2009-03-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

Since the '64 is officially outside for it's completion, The 1954 Bel Air got the indoor spot. And the Bel Air is getting it's share of attention lately, since the cold spring weather has left the car hobby indoors. I have been wanting to strip and repaint this car for a long time, but there are a few things that I need to do in order to get to the painting stage. This past week I started replacing the rocker panels, and am now almost done fabricating and installing the passenger side.

The rockers were actually well cared for considering the rusted panels were not replaced, but carefully 'glassed and filled. The problem was that the panel's covering had become exposed to moisture since the car was never finish painted...it was left in regular primer. The water was then able to get to these places and formed slight rust underneath the fillers and fiberglass. So I decided to rip the filler off, cut out the panels and fabricate new ones.

Above shows the 'glass and filler removed, and a small section chopped off. This also shows the extensive rust in these rockers that was previously ground and covered.

Here's the picture of my pattern I used to make the new rocker panels. This is the small piece I cut from the gap shown in the previous picture.

Above shows the progress I've made after removing the rest of the rusted area. I used nice sheet metal strips on my homemade metal brake, bending the small angled areas. I then punched the overlap and contact sides with my cheap-o pneumatic flanger tool. This allowed the top panel to slide under the original flooring, and still meet the floor's edge flush. The bottom pieces had two bends formed, and then were carefully laid on the floor upright, while I leaned a 2" piece of exhaust tubing gently on the center. This leaning pushed a matching, gentle radius into the piece, making it fit the concave shape of the original rocker.

The welds will require being ground, but the whole project is turning out fine.

Am I sidetracked? Umm, not really...I mean, I did move the car that I claim to be focused on (the '64 LeMans) outside, and brought the Bel Air in. But hey; out with the old, in with the old!

Completion (version 2.0)

2009-03-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

I managed to get back to finishing the '64 Le Mans. It is officially outside, which means I can continue color sanding, buffing and everything else that was abruptly stopped last May. As said before, this car is many lessons learned. It is also a little bit of a cobble job, but I do still like it...

This Friday I pulled the window channel and wheel well trim from the garage rafters and started the process of getting them presentable and back on the car. The wheel well trim is polished and on the car, as well as the windshield and rear window trim. The pictures below show what's been done, with a little explanation under each.

The above photo shows the little holes on the trunk area that patiently await their emblems. On the left side will sit a Hurst Equipped badge, and the stock badges go where the other holes are.

This shows the windshield trim I finally got on. I had to tap out the few dings, then sand with 220 grit carefully around tapped area. Next used 400 grit wet, then buffed on the small buffer wheel with medium compound and finally on the big 8" buffer with the fine compound. The stainless wasn't perfect, but came out ten times better than it was!

This one above shows the polished wheel well trim on the passenger rear. This piece fit well, using the stock holes and not fighting with the usual "Bondo sculpture".

Here's the left rear wheel well trim just installed, and it hides a multitude of sins...or scars, at least. This entire lower quarter panel was welded in by yours truly, and wasn't exactly an accurate piece, given it was a Canadian repop that had been cut off a GTO. The panel was welded on wrong and warped, so a kind Pontiac lover chopped it off and gave it to me. After much cutting, fitting and MIG work it became this LeMans' quarter panel. I even had to stamp the correct well edge into the area where the trim sits, since the Canadian reproduction panel isn't exactly accurate.
Now, years later as I am putting the shiny wheel well trim piece on this spot, I can honestly say it doesn't exactly fit like it should...but hey, it looks good in the picture. I just have to remember, this car is a nice 20-footer; any closer and your eyes start noticing the hodge podge!

This above pic is the rear window trim finally on the car. This feels good-the '64 LeMans has been a long learning project. The trim polished up nice with the previous mentioned process.

Here is a side shot of the interior work that is in the still-unfinished stage. You can see the new headliner is almost done, and the new correct dome light is installed. So far, I'm happy with how this car is coming out, even though it is truly a first-timer in most ways. I just remember to keep people at least 20 feet away and to take fuzzy pictures in low light. Using those strategies always lets this old '64 look great.
Yes, it looks awesome, doesn't it? Please, don't get any closer...!

Progress

2009-02-23T22:08:00.000-08:00

Jenna took some neat photos of the little buggy car while we took it on it's maiden voyage. Here's one of 'em:

More on the Floor

2009-02-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

Floor boards are finished and trial fit. I think they look actually fine, too. The flooring was all fabricated using small angle and square tubing, and the floor panels are plywood, carpeted covers. I made the panels and console all removable, and then formed some rocker trim on my metal brake. I also made a nice fitting master cylinder access panel in the driver's side floor. All in all, I like the way the flooring looks, and I like to be able to remove panels easily for shifter work, brake adjustment, etc.

Above shows the pieces beginning to get mounted, and the little brake master cylinder access panel.

Close shot of shifter and access panel area.

Here's the inside view of the console. I made this by shortening an old large drill press top cover, cut the forward angle and lined up all points for the shifter assembly.

Here is another close shot showing the rocker trim I made from more kind freebies at Creer Sheet Metal. I bent them on my homemade metal brake and formed little notch area with tinsmith pliers.

Here is the brake access panel area shown installed. Fits well, only two trim screws hold it in place.

There is the entire setup with the seat baseboard in place. The shifter is a Lokar nostalgic automatic-trans unit. Not exactly period correct, but looks good.

This shows the side-tracking I often do from my old car obsession. I decided to make a dolly for my DC arc welder, since the mobility it comes with from the factory is a little useless. I can wheel it around now, and keep the cords mounted out of the way. Yes, this fits under the more "obsessive-for-tools-because-of-old-cars" category... but who needs a stick welder for old car restoration? I love my MIG's but this little monster can make some strong, X-ray quality welds on bigger stuff (like frames) inside or outside, with safer DC amperage and 7018 rod. See, I have no need to worry, I always justify my tools...(cough)...somehow!

Consider it Done

2009-01-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

Done: The rear view mirror that I cut, welded, threaded and finally decided to install. I got this little mirror for pennies at a scooter repair shop. I had complained to Jenna about the need for a set of mirrors that would look acceptable on the Model T. And I didn't really want to fork out the money for plastic cheapo hot rod aftermarket ones, let alone "billet" style newbies...yucky! I mumbled to Jenna that I needed small, thin, round mirrors with a baby fixture that I could modify. She told me to check a...(cough)... scooter store. Scooter store? I vowed never to affiliate with such annoying falsities long ago, when I saw the Vespa craze creep into style. She just couldn't be right- what kind of replacement mirrors are they going to have, anyway? Well, I was the wrong one! These turned out amazing after a little for-mentioned cutting, welding, etc. And they were CHEAP compared to anything out there, not to mention stainless and chrome plated steel all the way through.

Done: Steering column fabricated, oldie 'wheel center and gauges installed. Column was fabricated from scratch and some old u-joints. Gauge bezel is an old piece of brass I machine-turned and cut to follow the factory lines where the original dash items would sit. Column mounted tach, old Signal Stat 900 turn switch, oil pressure and coolant temperature gauges are in and done. Oh, and they actually all work!

Done: Fabbed a seat framework that will allow me to sit at a decent level, without being too high like the stock ones. That, and the original seat frame/riser panel was long gone. I made this little scrapper out of angle and light square tubing from old cut off ends in the drafty garage. The seat frame is set to hold a single sheet of plywood, and the foam cushion will rest on that. I've tried the plywood on there, it works good. The seat's angle is comfortable, and will look fine.

Hot Rods of the 1940's

2008-12-18T21:35:00.000-08:00

Neat stuff here. These are photos of dry lakes and dual-purpose roadsters. Notice the inherent beauty in these individual builds, and the differences. And also notice they are all the same car...'26 and '27 Model T Roadsters. I especially like the little black one in the background of the last picture. Very genuine, very little! And very "hot rod" for that time.

Also, look at the green beauty with the gal waiting inside. Windshield and lights are just removed as it waits for the opportunity to make a speed trial. Little '40 caps on white walls front and back-very hard to find in the WWII era. Notice the fronts are motorcycle tires, white-walled on both sides.

I like these little beetle bugs. I like the history of their making. I like how they look. These aren't overdone. These aren't Bling Bling. Gosh, they don't look mean, either. They look like jalopy projects built by experimenters, modifiers....but so fitting and proper. This is what real hot rods looked like, because these were...are... real hot rods.

Thanks to Don Montgomery and Robert Genat for the wonderful books I stole these pictures from. Want to learn about real hot rods? Read their books, as well as articles in The Rodder's Journal.

Spreader Bar The Right Way!

2008-12-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

Here's more completion on the little buggy car. Its the spreader bar- that little rod going from one frame horn to the other right at the front of the T-V8. This little abandoned project car had a spreader...but it was just wrong. The bar was about 2" diameter heavy tube welded to each frame horn, with the original mounting holes all welded shut. It was way too big, way too fake, and welded on. They aren't supposed to be welded! That is not how the early hot rods were done. They should be bolted on through the existing frame horn holes where the little splash apron originally would attach.

So I cut the oversize welded-on pipe off and drilled the original frame holes back out, pinpointing the location from the inside frame view. I then cut a piece of smaller tubing and welded nuts into large washers on the tubing's ends. The nuts were off centered in order to push where they would allow the spreader bar to sit: right at the front of the frame horns. After careful fitting, I welded up the assembly and bolted it on. Now that is how they are supposed to look.

Why am I so opinionated about the spreader bar, yet allow the car to appear old, weathered and unfinished? Well, it is old, weathered and unfinished. Just like it is supposed to be. Just like many a little jalopy bought and torn apart by eager boys after WWII, stripped of fenders and running boards and hopped up in the most literal and genuine sense.

Sheet Metal Brake

2008-12-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

I'm still on the "make it yourself" thing. Well truly, I'm always on it. And this one is no different. The above pic shows my messy, tiny table where I use my standby vise (given to me years ago by my employer). And in the vise is my homemade sheet metal brake. I built this because I recently got Eastwood's shrinker/stretcher set, and I needed something to make nice straight bends to try out on the shrinker/stretcher. So I made this little 20" attempt at a brake, and it turned out fine. The steel is scraps I have around, and the handles are old ones from a broken drill press. This little thing works...hows that for post traumatic brain injury time? Woo Hoo! So now I can make window channel pieces and fender well strips out of sheet steel by simply making a straight bend on the brake, and then forming the proper radius or curve on the shrinker/stretcher. Man alive Jackson Five, I like doing this stuff...

More progress...

2008-12-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

Wiring diagram and harness is now officially done for the '27. And it was actually fun to do. I was forced to look at books and diagrams, to wrap wire leads, and to install everything neatly and safely. The battery has room only in the trunk, so I decided to use the remote solenoid as sort of the main junction block for positive voltage. I ran huge wire from the battery terminal through and under the body, and up to the firewall outside. The big wire was installed with good protection and lots of supports. During this project I quickly realized that the body needed final mounting before I could secure the wiring that passes under, through, around, etc., the body. And this became a rewarding but tedious project its self. I did not realize the body would flex and bend as much as it did while making body mounts and securing it to the frame. But soon it was done, after much spacing, adjusting, etc. And now I have all the wiring hooked up, tested and working right.

The picture above is the harness diagram I made. It shows how I wired the buggy and what choices I made. The headlights are Dietz-type 7" sealed beams and the rears are '39 Ford. The front has turn signal lights from a '68 Mopar, and the turn signal switch is an old Signal Stat 900 that doesn't come with an indicator light on the switch. (That is why it only had 6 wires, not seven like all the plans I saw explained).

And the best reward was the test drive(s). The little gauges are tachometer, oil pressure and water temp, nothing more. And the test drive got me quite excited as well as it tought me to adjust and tighten the rear 4-link setup I made. A rear end has a tendency to hinge up and down if the 4-link bars aren't tightened. I knew that....no really...! It's good I was able to see the reason the driveshaft kept getting closer to the floor (and fuel line!). Nowadays my new plan is to remember what is in mock-up stage and what is not. You see, I have too many untightened bolts!

Notice the old headlight switch- I used "PARK" setting for low beams, and "HEAD" for high beams. This way I don't have to install a brights switch.

Make it yourself!

2008-11-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

I'm back to the wonderful old pastime of working on my 1927 Model T Ford Roadster. It is just like old times: I walk into my drafty shop and start fiddling around with tools until I actually feel like I've fixed or built something. It's nice to feel close to being back in the car groove, even though I don't last as long as the pre-injury days! But I get a few precious hours every week to tinker with the clinkers (since the doctors still haven't released me to work). Pictures below show what I've been doing lately with the '27 jalopy.

The above picture shows my completed door panels on the pass. side. I finished the actual door-attached ones last winter, but the rear panels I did in October. Don't worry, the bottom seams are covered when a seat gets installed.

You can see my fiddling with the floor area and the shifter porch/ trans tunnel cover. I still haven't decided what I'm going to finish there.

Here's the rust zone on my driver's door. Both doors need lower patches, so I marked where the replacement panel will fit. I then grabbed some sheet steel (kind freebies from Creer Sheetmetal's scrap!!) and began trimming it to shape on my band saw. I originally made a paper pattern enabling me to trace the shape onto my sheet metal, leaving it long enough to be curved into proper shape and still fit the entire needed area. The piece got it's enjoyable run on my homemade English wheel, where I realized it isn't as easy as I thought it might be. Well, it wasn't that bad...

Speak of the devil, the above picture shows my homemade attempt at an English wheel! This is the tool I used to shape the vertical and horizontal curve of my door's patch panel. I made this baby from a foundation buck that I cut up and reinforced, as well as a trailer jack (adjuster) and a big clunky caster wheel (upper anvil). My friend's dad machined the caster wheel's surface flat, and I welded up this behemoth. It is a far cry from anything any reputable company makes, but it was a fun distraction involved with the old car obsession. And yes, if you're noticing my "reinforcements", the English wheel does flex. (Cough)... too much flex...

But I ended up with this, the lower door patch that will be welded in this weekend! After cutting it from my pattern I formed the curves on the wheel, test fit a million times, formed some more, and finally punched the overlap areas on the top end with my pneumatic tool. It actually fits well! And again, thanks to Creer Sheetmetal for hooking me up with nice pieces from the metal salvage bin. One of the main guys there has a beautiful '39 Ford Coupe that is stunning...Oh Boy!
I will cut the bad zone of each door soon, and make a mirror-image patch panel for the passenger door, too. It is fun, this old car stuff! And I like the idea of making stuff yourself!

Completion

2008-10-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Here's the orphan car that patiently waits. It's my '64. It is also the first real all-around project I've ever started. And no, it isn't done...but I can finally say that it's getting close. The picture to the left shows the exciting progress milestone-I finally got the back of the car put together! It has been a long wait, but the rear lights, taillight housings, trim pieces, gas door and rear bumper are on! And no, this car is not even close to perfect. But taking this long on a first time car "restoration" is many lessons learned. It is also an irritating cause of wanting to do every prior step over again. As time passes and experience increases, my ability to detect shoddy workmanship (my own shoddy workmanship) increases. I just have to remind myself this is part of the journey, and that I'm not the pro I often think I am.

The '64 is looking great for a careful budget project. Heck, it's definitely worth the "20 footer" status, and maybe even ten feet on a cloudy day! Jokes aside, it is still a cool old clunker and I enjoy working on it again.

The car has, again, been many lessons learned. I made the floor pans and trunk pan from scratch, and welded in 1/4 panel repairs as well as fender patches. Fitting the car together has been a big obstacle, and I realize more and more how much this car has been wrecked, bent, rusted, twisted or replaced.

But I have the back of the car looking like it should for the first time in almost five years! And that was rewarding to be able to do, given my injuries and the junky-ness of this car. The bumper is a re-chromed one from back east, and wasn't exactly straightened like it should be. Also, the rear frame extension showed visible damage from a wreck, but the mounting holes looked right. Well, they weren't right! Here is what I had to do to get the bumper to fit...

As you see, I had to cut the bracket in order for the holes to line up, as well as cause the bumper to twist into proper shape. I tacked the new position of the bracket, put everything together for test fit, then removed and fully welded the bracket, including patch pieces to strengthen the new setup. Again, this shows that the car is just one problem after another. But it also allows me to learn! Besides, I like old cars.

The Originals

2008-09-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

I like cars, old cars! And I've delved into some interesting types, styles and eras. Heck, I'm sure on a kick about early dry-lakes and street roadsters lately, as well as GM full sizes from the golden years of '60, '61 and '62. But these wonderful moves still take their place when my mind reverts to it's original beliefs about cars. The Originals. Original to me. Passed on by dad. And golly molly, very good lookin'!

I mean the GM A-bodies from the early part of the "kings of the road." You know, the "M" word: musclecars (which isn't exactly my favorite word). I hate to admit, but I am very opinionated here: these are the finest examples of what I consider the best automobiles ever made. This section of favorites starts in 1964 and ends in '65.

My picks are, again, very opinionated . Hopefully no one takes offense, but the cars shown on the beautiful 1965 May cover of Car Life magazine (above) are the all-timers, the great ones- with exception of the '65 Coronet. Mopar fans, I apologize. I don't hate the Coronet in the above pick, but it doesn't make The Originals. Not even close. Yes, I admit it is probably faster than all three of the others. But my list of ultimates only includes the other three "supercars"on that cool old magazine cover.

And there are others that don't quite make the list. No Mustangs, no Camaros, and not even the first Firebirds. And the venerable Road Runner doesn't get on the list. No 'Cudas, no Chargers, no chopped Mercs, no hot rods or their many imitations. People, I don't even allow the '54 Bel Air or fastback early GM's like '49 Pontiacs and Cadillacs.

Ferrari and Lamborghini are not contesters, and Bentley or Rolls don't quite measure up. (Yes, even old ones, and obviously the new ones!) I hate to say it, but Porsche doesn't even make the list (although I still secretly desire a pre-'68 911 or 912, maybe even a 356..). And sorry for this narrow-minded judgment I'm about to relate, but Porsche broke old and esteemed traditions when they released an SUV. Porsche SUV!? That's sacrilegious!

Guys and gals, don't hate me...but Corvettes aren't included. I do actually think the Blue Flame Six babies of Corvette's first yearlings are beautiful. I also completely adore a 1960 Ventura, the coolest '60 full size car ever made. I like the beauty and mystery of rare cars like the '62 bubble top 409 Bel Air. I also dig '67 Chevelles in total stock trim. But these above mentioned don't get the list either.

People, I know I am guilty of a simple-minded American old car mentality. And my trumped-up claims of car knowledge are not only biased, they're probably weak sauce! But the blame lays in the old car gene I received at birth. And it suits me just fine; heck, even naturally. I didn't simply learn to live with it, I ate it for dinner!

There's many automobiles I love, but even most of them don't make the list.

Nope, just these, The Originals:

1965 Pontiac Lemans/GTO Either one, they're the same thing. Converts and hardtops.
1965 Olds Cutlass/442. Again, same thing, but boy there's something about a real '65 442.
1965 Skylark /Gran Sport Again, same thing! But there is something about the GS in particular...
1964 Pontiac Lemans/GTO 'Nuff said.
1964 Olds 442

Now, one of the reasons I became so sentimental about The Originals is because I had to work on my clunker 442. It is a project car that patiently awaits it's turn for restoration, but I run it every month or so to keep things oiled and seals from cracking. Suddenly it wouldn't start, so I busted it out on Saturday and massaged it back to life. And boy this clunker got me remembering... I walked in to put my tools away and saw the '27 T roadster, my buggy lakes-style car. It looked cool as ever, but for once I consciously remembered what The Original favorites are!

Below the picture of my orphan Olds shows some of the good, and not so good. But it's a cool clunker! It used to have a sunroof chopped into the top, but thankfully came with an entire roof cut from a Cutlass. I replaced the roof when I first got the car. Please don't ask why there are Dodge turn signals on this car. And no, it will not sport the 15" Chevy rally wheels when it is done. Lucerne Mist, correct steel wheels, Olds dog dishes and red line bias-ply's are what it will get. Just like Lansing made her in the first place.

Stop laughing, the above-pictured car really is one of the best...no really...! And if you think I'm a redneck, go see my little brother. He has two documented 4V- code '65 442's. One hardtop and one convertible. And if you're weird like me, you'll be excited to unearth such rare classics. These are The Originals. I've known it since I was a little peanut: it's an actual passed-on gene characteristic of the slightly more common "old car" gene. And I got my old car gene from Dad, of course.

Attempts Successful...Kind Of

2008-09-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

Having been electrocuted and all the extras that came with it has been, in summary, exhaustion. Even though the whole list of effects from such an interestingly extreme injury is about ninety feet long, exhaustion seems the biggest reminder now. The others are bad enough they don't deserve attention. But man alive I get tired! I mean tired!

Today I started the legendary Saturday as close to normal as I have since getting zapped. I put on my work pants, my dirty shoes and a Clydeco shirt, and headed out the door toward the fit and deserving pastime of Saturday. I naturally accessed the situation inside my drafty garage, realizing that another test drive was in order for the '27 Model T. I also justified such a move because the little car shop was a mess, and I must move cars in order to properly clean where they live!

So the job began. I started first by putting tools away. Everything I found appeared like a surprise- I honestly don't remember leaving my electrical testers and wires out, or my welding helmet on a rafter. And I didn't remember buying a generic wiring harness for the '27 which I found in its box. I had to look at it, and then I remembered. I thought, "Oh yeah, I was going to start wiring that little buggy, I remember why I bought this harness now." Weird feelings. It's like I lost contact with life for a century, and finally the memories are coming back.

And then the job progressed! And the time came to sweep the floor! And I saw the little T roadster, and felt he needed to come out in order to do a good sweeping! So I hooked him up to 12-volt negative-grounded DC voltage and mechanically pumped carbureted gasoline, and pulled that hot rod out.

I drove my hot rod, the little buggy, out of the shop and into the front yard. My neighbor's young boy called to me as he saw the car through his front screen door, and proceeded to tell how he made a goal in his little soccer game today. The funny kid then asked me what I was doing with "the buggy car." It caused an immediate grin from me. Another memory came back- this little boy originally called my '27 a "buggy car" the first time he saw it. HE came up with that- I didn't teach it to him. And my smiles kept coming. He's absolutely right-he shows the purest opinion and observance. How come adults can't tell the difference between a "rat rod" and a little buggy car? Or a real classic car verses a tricked out monster machine? Like I said, he's right. It is a buggy car. It's my beetle-bug car. And it's supposed to be traditional.

After these small moments I took a quick seat on one of my roller stools (covered in dust), in the car shop. And this "quick" break turned into a long break. I was completely exhausted. I looked at my old walls, at the Kendall Oil sign, the old ads and parts I stick all over the place for decoration. I looked at my cracked concrete floors and the shifters hanging on the wall. I got up, put away a few more tools, and sat back down again. I just sat and rested, again totally exhausted. And I noticed how drained I really was. Looking outside at my tarp-covered collection of old cars in various states of disrepair, I remembered what the little neighbor kid said. That '27 Model T is a buggy car. It's my beetle-bug. And I continued to sit, just sit there, enjoying that little boy's statement.

Oh no...Oldsmo!

2008-08-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88. It's a quintessential Dad-style car. It's one of the "flagship three" of 1962; the best full-size roof design, as shared with '62 Impalas and the leaders of the pack: '62 Grand Prix. Now am I opinionated? Only correctly...! And I am daring to say that the Dynamic 88 beats it's more luxurious and more expensive brother, the '62 Starfire. Here's why: The Starfire has two-too-many taillights. The 88 uses one set each side. Also, the Starfire has that giganto-barge metal trim along the entire sides of the car. Way too much, way too silvery! The 88 has simpler, stylized side and tail trim.

I traded my little brother John a '65 442 convertible for this car. The 442 is a tough project car, but it is documented and it includes most of what it needs. An extremely uncommon and true flagship of Oldsmobile's attempt at a real musclecar . (Attempt was successful, by the way!)

So I got the Olds Dynamic 88 in return, and it is quite a car. John faithfully replaced the original 394 (factory 4bbl. and 330 horse -very uncommon on '62 88's). He used an identical 100% correct replacement, 60,000 mile 330 horse 394, from a 4 door Olds that was untampered with. Dad paid over 3K just for that old parts car, hoping he could swap the identical motors and still keep the original, which needs block and head repair. When Dad's health and mind began to fail him, John took over and replaced the 394 and slim jim trans by himself. Dad couldn't quite do it anymore. John did an amaizing job. Everything hooked up right...even painted heads, block, valve covers, etc. the correct hues.

This IS an old man car, plain and simple. It is tempting to lower it, paint the top heavy 'flake white, the body silver and add Astro Supremes with small whitewalls. It would fit the bellflower crowd as much as it would the traditional East L.A. look. But I'm not gonna' do that stuff. I think the Olds will get to keep the stock dog dishes and trim rings, the factory stance and the quiet grandpa exhaust.

After all, it is an old man car. And it truly is a quintessential Dad style. My Dad's style. And boy I sure do miss him.

WooHoo... another car I get to strip, straighten and repaint. I'm getting tired!

394 Olds. Very cool motors.

70, 000 miles original. Look at that interior-never redone or repaired.

Electrocuted!

2008-07-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

The lull in posts happened because I took a two month stay at the U of U hospital, with six surgeries and many painful days! I was electrocuted and got a nice set of brain injuries, as well as some other extra hard stuff. But I still like old cars, of course, and I will get to work on 'em possibly later this year.

Headlight Stands

2008-04-24T17:34:00.001-07:00

Besides other things, I made some headlight stands out of scraps. I tried the lights at every height and depth possible, coming up with this. Pretty low but so is the chopped grill. This height looks as good as it gets for this car.

Those "other things" include making a spring spacer to raise the frame 5/8" up and to put the spring on a 6-degree tilt so it matches the front axle. I made the spacer out of scrap and beveled it on the disc sander. It is rather crude, but it's strong and does the job out of sight. The only problem now is the axle can still top out on the frame under bumpy conditions. I can't raise the car higher or it will look stupid, so I may have to notch the frame above the axle as it is currently notched for the spring. You can see the spring notch in the picture below, as well as the headlight mount.

Plus, I finally waxed the convertible. And I took a picture. And I like the picture. So I posted the picture..!

Test Drive

2008-04-12T18:43:00.001-07:00

I slapped the car back together for a test drive. Boy was that fun! The car rode absolutely terrible-I felt every pebble. Also, I don't think the trans is shifting into third! Crap...but it was still a blast to drive this thing around the block.

In other news, I got my State-issued VIN number last week. WooHoo!

Chassis!

2008-03-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

Don't those skinny bias ply tires look cute on green steelies? And you just can't beat '40 ford caps either...
Anyway, I think the chassis is coming to a close. Still some loose ends but mainly it is ready to mate to the body, this time maybe permanently! The four link is done, albeit somewhat imperfect, but I think it will work fine.
Besides rolling the T-V8 chassis out, I got all the junkers out for spring cleaning. Moved the '64 Lemans outside and put the '54 Chevrolet inside. It is good mild weather for wet sanding and buffing the '64, hence the swap. Also, I ran the 442 around the block a few times. I'm surprised that heap still moves!

Showing the bracket and bushed end of my lower control arm (split 'bone).

The ultra-rare and ultra-junker 442.

Lower links

2008-03-24T20:16:00.001-07:00

Now to make the lower links of the 4 link system. My entire plan comes together here- I want to make the split wishbones function as bottom links without losing the look of a split 'bone. Hopefully no hardcore traditional rodders are watching- I am about to butcher a set of '36 bones. But I still plan to use the spring hangers, and everything should look clean when done.

This shows the bushed end of a GM A-body lower control arm, the one I sourced (scrounged) from a 1970 Oldsmobile rear axle housing. I got both arms and cut them down to this width. I will make the axle brackets rather than use the Olds ones.

Band-sawing the ends off.

Spring hanger and rest of forged end is all cut up!

Approx fit of bushing end.

Welding it on.

Rear suspension begins...

2008-03-23T15:44:00.001-07:00

Here's the lowdown on what I'm doing with my rear axle locating system. The diagrams I made show how Ford used the wishbone locater, how rodders split the 'bone for transmission swaps, and lastly how I am making a triangulated 4-link. The triangulation of the top two links serves to locate the rear axle laterally, so I won't need a Panhard bar . (Plus I think the transverse buggy spring helps, too).

Here's my present setup. Not exactly functional, but looks old timey hot rod. I will just make the split wishbones work as the lower links of a 4-link setup.

Brackets drilled and flame cut, tacked to frame.

Rear axle bracket welded on...

Upper links fitted in place! Now I need to make the lower links (existing 'bones) pivot at the rear axle. I think I'll use GM control arm ends and bushings from an old '70 Oldsmobile rear end my brother has laying around...

Dang it!

2008-03-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

Dang is right- now I have to redo the rear suspension, but make it look the same as it does now. The picture shows one of the problem areas. Old timey hot rods had split rear wishbones often and that worked good for glass smooth dry lake beds or dragstrips. But anything like potholes or driveway dips will eventually tear the weakest link of the rear suspension, usually being the bracket area at the rear of the 'bones. Bummer! And the split bones just have the look! So now I have to make a setup to locate my rear axle safely allowing supension travel that also still looks like split wishbones...

Ford Rod Ends

2008-03-08T22:37:00.000-08:00

More things are happening to the little car. The front end is still apart so I can finish it right. Today I reattached the front radius rods (split wishbones) using Ford tie rod ends, which is the traditional way to do so. The spherical rod end allows the radius rod to pivot properly and looks period perfect. The way the rods were attached on my car before involved 4-link style bushing links that were very thin walled and welded to a bolt head. The bolt was threaded through a series of nuts welded inside the end of the split bone. Looked cheap, didn't allow torsional movement, and was welded ugly.

So I started by band-sawing the ends off of the radius rods and welding in the proper bungs. Now I can thread the Ford rod ends into the radius rods. Previous bushing link is shown below the finished rod end.

Here I welded the frame mount for the rod end to attach to. The rod ends must mount in a 7 degree tapered hole. This pic below shows welding a peice with the tapered hole to more metal, making the actual mount that will be welded to the frame.

The finished mounts, made up of the purchased peice, some angle and some flat stock. Welds must be perfect and hot here.

Backside. All seams v-grooved and welded on both sides.

Here I'm prying off the old frame mount after grinding through the welds. Mount setup was ugly and not really strong.

New mount welded to driver side!

And this is what an early hot rod split wishbone should look like! The rond ends and mounts are stronger and better looking.

Spring Perches

2008-03-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been working on the front end. Building a core support, fixing the botched crossmember, and reinforcing the spring perches. The next photos show the gussets I made for the spring perches. The original builder of this suspension decided to cut the perches from the radius rods and move them inward, I guess because he wanted to use a shorter spring. The now severed perch ends were then welded right on top of the axle after scooting them toward the center. Not exactly the best idea for hanging a beam axle. The welds were ugly, insufficient, and there was one ugly gusset, only welded on the outside. Since I don't have the time or money to completely rework the front end, I figured I would make do with the current setup but make it safe and strong, and a little less ugly! I first ground all of the welds around the perches. Then I cut the existing gussets into a somewhat natural looking shape. Next I made a pattern for gussets on the inside of the perch, traced onto steel and torch cut the shapes out. After grinding and fitting, I welded everything solid. Thank goodness early Ford beam axles are all extremely high quality forgings, not cast. This makes it possible to weld them successfully, and they can be bent to correct camber. The crazy thing is that this beam axle setup is identical in design and function to modern semi trucks. They even use traditional steering, with the drag link going directly to the front left spindle! The only difference is they use parallel leafs instead of one tranverse buggy spring. Kind of like an old '30s Chevy.

Floors & Subrails

2008-02-25T21:14:00.001-08:00

I'm finishing the floors and rebuilding some of the sub rails and body bracing. The previous owner sprayed every cranny with expanding foam, including some spots that still needed much attention! Scraping foam out of the cracks is a pain and foam plus welding simply doesn't add up. Lots of smoke, craters and fire too. So I have to keep scrapin' the foam...

I plan to reinforce the body along the jambs, across the quarters and through the seat back divider into the turtle deck. Also in the cowl to stiffen the steering column support. But it all seems a little pointless- if the car is in an accident it's going to fall apart anyway. I guess bracing the body at least replaces the wood originally used, which keeps excess flexing to a minimum. This in turn keeps cracks to a minimum.

Door Panels!

2008-02-13T20:45:00.001-08:00

Quit laughing at the couch -I'm concentrating on making doorpanels for the '27. I made patterns from Masonite, picked out a cool tweed-ish material at the fabric store, and went to work. I used no padding- don't want the pillowy look. Just stuck the upholstery fabric right to the Masonite. As long as I did lots of pie cuts on the curves and corners, everything folded flat and glued well. I used spray adhesive on both sides, waited for it to dry and then stuck the fabric on. They turned out good. I'll attach them with interior screws right to the metal.
It's nice to change the focus a little and do something like this, even thought the car is definitely not ready for door panels yet. Besides, it is freezing outside!

(Nice couch, it's the new chic)

Hood Tie- Downs

2008-02-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Here's my hood tie downs. The leather straps are actually horse reigns! There will be 2 straps that go up and over the hood, dropping down and connecting to the frame with brass D-rings. I'll rivet the rings under a little plate. The straps will attach to a spring on one side (for tension on the hood) and either clip or buckle to the other side. This method of attaching the hood gives a nice primitive racing look. Most straps are/were wider, but I think these skinny ones will match the tiny-ness of my Model T better. Besides, they have to fit in between the head pipes without getting burned. This setup cost about $35 for everything, which beats the kits Limeworks sells for $250! I got most of this junk at the hardware store. Hope it looks good on the car...

The horsey reign material.

Brass post screws (look like rivets, but I can disassemble), rings, etc.

Drill 'em...

Pop the ring on and insert the post...

One done!

More.

Here's the spring side with a cool S-hook.

I'll post what these look like on the car when I try 'em out.

Radiator Repair

2008-02-03T09:29:00.001-08:00

This is a pic of a 1-3/4" neck from an old GM radiator that I soldered to my tiny roadster radiator. The original inlet and outlet necks were tiny, like 1", since it is an old Japanese radiator. I had to do this to both necks, and the next pictures show a little of the process.

"New" necks sitting on the upper left corner of radiator.

Old threaded fitting ready to sweat out and brass cleaned up well. It must be spotless.

Old fitting now gone after a little oxy-acetylene heat and brass cleaned again.

Outer oval is actual shape of neck where it attaches. I cut about 1/4" inside (inner oval) and bent the brass downward to make a flange. Had to pie-cut the curves. The flange hopefully gives some surface area for more solder to bond.

Cleaned again, lots of flux, tinned the parts and soldered! So far doesn't leak air, but haven't tested very high pressure. Hopefully it will hold up to 12 or so psi.

Old Signs and More

2008-01-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

I get flak from people (my wife) to do more art sometimes, so I made these fake-o old signs out of scrap plywood. I found some early logos in my books and tweaked 'em a little. Just don't look too close at the typography, I 'm not quite a sign painter yet, but I'm gonna find a used lettering book and practice. I painted them in acrylic and then scuffed them up.

This is the hot rod with the body raised 1 -1/2" off the frame. I'm toying with the idea to get a taller radiator in there, and since the body isn't attached I pried it up and stuck some 2X4's under it. This allowed me to raise the grill almost 2" without losing the hood slope, and in this configuration I could fit an available radiator instead of having one made. The only problem is that the car doesn't look right now! (My wife says it looks just the same). But it is too high now. You want some frame showing on a '27 hot rod, but not this much frame. It looks like it is on deuce rails almost, and I don't think '27 bodies are tall enough to offset deuce rails. Oh well, it was worth it just to see. Maybe it will grow on me. The turtle deck model T shape is also really accentuated with the body sitting this high, and i don't like it. Who would have thought 1-1/2" would make such a difference?

Top photo is original height and bottom is raised.

2008-01-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

Here's more that I've done to the little car. Most of it doesn't show, and never will. Oh well, gotta do it...

Brake lines are done! Made the proportioning valve mount, installed residual valves, and bent the tubing. I tried a cheapo double-flare kit but had bad results, ended up buying the Lisle set which looks identical to the crappy set but has a fixed head on the clamp/press. Since the tapered head is fixed, it can't rotate and swedges the metal into a more uniform flare. That means less chance of 300 psi brake fluid leaking at unions! Running the lines was actually enjoyable. Learned a little about brake systems.

The above is a closeup of where the gauges (all 2 of 'em) will go. The '27 Model T had this little oval stamp in the dash where the ignition and some other junk would go. I cut a piece of brass shim stock to fit the oval area, hole-sawed the gauge holes and jeweled the surface on my drill press. I wasted my last abrasive "eraser" roll that I would use for this engine turning, and now need to find where to get more. The ones I used weren't made for this application and I got 'em in a cheapo Chinese faux Dremel accessory kit. The little swirls are made similar to jeweling on high end firearms. As you can see, I got lazy and didn't set up a fence on the press, just moved the brass by hand and followed the perimeter. You are "supposed" to do the swirlies in a straight line. Oh well. I'll make another.

This is the steel wheels just after paint. These came from Coker Tire in Tennessee. Coker has outstanding selection and caters to the vintage stuff. The wheels are Wheel Vintique 15X5 steelies, similar to a smoothie wheel. They came drilled for both GM and Ford midsize bolt patterns. Good, because I have a Ford 8" rear and GM front brakes!
The wheels were shipped with a light primer coat that looked like electro-deposit at first but I think was sprayed on. I sprayed catalyzed urethane single stage from Martin Senour and I'm very pleased with the results. It flowed out very well, melted into itsself on subsequent coats, and is very chip proof. I also like the single stage- it doesn't look "mop and glow" like base/clear does. This green actually looks more like lacquer, like it should, but has the durability of a catalyzed paint. The color I picked is actually a Clarke forklift color.

The above picture is new rockers I made out of 20 ga. sheet. I don't have a sheet metal brake, so I clamped the steel between heavy strap and folded it, giving a nice straight edge with no distortion. I don't have a shrinker press either, so to get the body radius into the rocker panel I pie-cut it on top, where the sill plate would go.

Bel Air Springs a Leak

2007-12-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

The Bel Air is another orphan car of mine, oft neglected because of other projects. The first photo was taken just before I bought it, and the second is last year. The car is one of my favorite bodies of all, the 1954 Chevrolet. I actually liked this body style better than the hardtop (no post) when I bought the car but now I lean more toward the hardtops. The car was an expensive restoration project that got primed and then sat without completion. Sad thing is that the primer was plain filler primer, and gave the car no corrosion protection. So by the time I got the car, it was showing it needed to be stripped and coated with a good epoxy. The second photo shows I stripped the hood and epoxy primed it. The best part about the car is that it came with a complete later model subframe attached, including a rebuilt Chevy small block, TH350, and later model rear end. Also it had all ready been nosed, decked and shaved. It even came with a big long Lokar shifter! All I have done so far is fabricated some doorpanels, installed marine carpet and pad (not a kit- I cut and formed everything), made an engine turned gauge panel, and stripped the hood. Someday the whole car will get stripped and then I'll decide how I want it to look.
But now I have to figure out why the car leaks a huge puddle of ATF after being parked for at least a week! Does that make any sense?

Mock-Up

2007-12-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

This is what the roadster looks like! The proportions are exactly what I want! It is exciting to see how the car will eventually look. I put the car back together (and about froze) Christmas day. I needed to get final measurements for a radiator, and was hoping I could magically come up with some extra space for the radiator without changing the entire front end. The original problem is that the car's cool lines require a severely chopped grille shell ('32) and the front axle/ spring perch pokes up into the grille's much needed space from the bottom. This is because the radiator must sit atop the spring, not in front (if it had spring-behind setup) nor behind (suicide perch). Basically I have a very limited space to install a radiator, which must cool a V-8, although a mild one. My possible solutions are:

1. Move the radiator/grille upward.
This would ruin the lines of the car, destroying the slight rake of the hood. The hood needs to gently slope from the cowl to the grille shell.

2. Chop the frame, lengthen the chassis about four inches, and drop the radiator behind the axle.
This would mean remounting the split wishbones, lengthening the drag link, fabbing new fuel (and possibly brake) lines, and new shock mounts. Again, this would ruin the lines of the car. It wouldn't be as visually damaging as raising the radiator, but it would give the car a suicide-axle or "stretchy-front" look. Too many over-the-top rat rods are running around with this look. I want my roadster to look traditional, innocent and as they did in the late 1940's. Plus, it would be more work and lost time cutting the car in half and stretching it four inches!

3. Put the car together for a mock up and see if there is any wiggle room to make a decent radiator fit.
This is the best case scenario, and it looks like it worked. I moved the grille forward one inch , and this will allow me to use a thicker-cored radiator (four inches total) . This means means zero room for an electric fan, and puts the radiator less than one inch from the engine-driven fan, which will not cool as well, but it will look better. I saved an old four blade fan from a '61 Falcon and it fits well. Looks like it was removed from something much older! I was worried that moving the grille forward a whole inch would give the "big nose" or front wheel drive wannabe rat rod look. But it didn't! I am pleased with the appearance! The car's front wheels still extend beyond the grille enough to give it a good look.
IT PAYS to mock up the car completely, and to decide how you want it to appear before you change things. Many builders don't stand back and look at the overall car, resulting in a well built car with all the kustom tricks that has just one problem- it is UGLY. Researching the traditional hot rods of the dry lakes era, wartime and early '50s will give you a good rule to follow. The guys at Hop Up recently said it well- Stand back and squint, look at the overall proportions and ask yourself if it has the right look.

1965 442

2007-12-23T16:23:00.001-08:00

I couldn't resist posting this cool road test photo of a 1965 442 post coupe. I got this from www.ultra-high-compression.com, hope he doesn't mind! It is a great site about 1965 442's. Also check out www.442bro.com. It is a Modern Rod magazine test car and it has some interesting details. The racing stripe was an available option, and very rare. Not that attractive, but unique. Also notice the open headers- cutouts weren't available stock I'm sure! Also, the big tacky 442 decal on the quarter panel is another interesting sight. I guess it was a promotional thing- a few got that treatment, and I'm not sure why! May have been dealer- specific. My '65 442 is a hardtop, and still has the original motor and 4 speed trans. I wonder if it will ever get it's turn for restoration... Looks pretty ratty here, doesn't it? It actually runs and drives great. Lucerne Mist w/ black interior, real 4V code 442 with original 400 and 4 speed. One day I'll get to this car. One day.

Number Seven

2007-11-24T21:11:00.001-08:00

Much has happened with the '27, from an actual test drive (I can't believe it actually moved!) to being torn apart again. I have the body back on sawhorses and today did a little bodywork. I also did some good old fashioned sign-painting work- a big number "7" on each door!
I've researched many photos of early roadsters, and found that '27 roadsters frequently were "track roadsters", meaning they were often raced on circle tracks. Since my car will be finished as a traditional "period" rod, and since '27s dominated the circle tracks, I figured it needed the classic racecar number on the door. The car will be set up more like a Bonneville/ street hot rod- it won't BE a track roadster, but it will definitely look like it once was, or maybe even appear dual purpose. The bombs painted on the cowl suggest drag race wins, while the "7" hints to an earlier track career. I designed the seven on paper, cut out shape with an Exacto knife, then used the negative as a stencil. I taped it to the door and lightly dusted some cheap white spraypaint over it, leaving a faint image of the seven. Then I removed the paper and brushed on the enamel, following the dusted image. I made sure to leave long and noticeable brush strokes, as well as thin spots. This allowed easier weathering later. Such weathering actually worked best by wiping with a touch of lacquer thinner on a rag. It doesn't dissolve the enamel, rather lifts tiny chunks with each wipe. This ends up looking more authentic. And the whole process looks much better than sanding, not to mention is easier!

I've aslo made a windshield frame and stanchions that allow the frame to swivel forward. The stanchions have studs welded pointing inward, allowing attachment from the inside without seeing bolts. I cut the triangle-shaped plates, drilled holes, hammered to proper cowl contour, then inserted bolts, welded and ground off bolt heads. I still haven't decided how to finish them. Either leave them bare ground metal or fill and paint.
If you look close you can see I also filled and painted the firewall. After welding and filling I sprayed black primer (existing red primer still underneath) and then green lacquer. Then rubbed through on corners and edges with 1500 grit wet. Gives an authentic worn-through look. I then rubbed the entire area with thinner which weathered it nicely. the high spots and edges now look naturally worn, unlike some other "vintage" rods where the painter simply sands through to the next layers, leaving a much too rough transition. It's kind of like craft store or home decor picture frames and wall hangings that are supposed to look antiqued, but every "worn" area is evenly spaced, too rough, and just plain fake looking. I tried my hardest to avoid that with the roadster.

Dog Dishes

2007-11-11T09:26:00.001-08:00

I just added the poverty caps and steel wheels. The wheels are a little deeper than correct, but look good to me. Looks different, for sure. I like it- not as hot roddy, but more authentic looking.

My First Car is Back

2007-11-10T22:21:00.000-08:00

Here's the '65 Convertible I mentioned in a previous post. It is this car which I sold the '55 Pontiac for. This is also the first automobile I ever owned! My late father sold this to me and co-signed on my first loan at the credit union. I later sold it back to him, and he restored the car over a period of a few years. His tragic death led to the purchase of this car from my mother. Dad completed extensive work on this car, including a new motor, interior, top and paint. I welded in a new trunk floor kit for him around 2 years ago, also. Dad drove the car rather frequently (he was very proud of it) and now it needs a good detailing. I'll start with the rock chips, a good interior cleaning, and do the engine compartment again. Mostly paint touch up under the hood, and maybe some valve cover spacers to fit the correct- style covers on the later Pon. 350 it has now. As you can see in the pictures, I am just getting ready to put plain steel wheels and dog dish caps on it. I'll post an "after" picture- it looks cool! The wheels and hubcaps definitely change the car.

Forgotten!

2007-11-04T07:58:00.001-08:00

This '64 Lemans is my orphan, the car that has been my longest running project. It is orphaned every time I get sidetracked on a new project (like the '27 T). I learned the "hard way" on this car. This is the car that I decided to learn to weld, bump metal, use plastic filler, prep metal, and paint on. The paint is very amateurish, but it progresses to pretty nice on later panels (I painted the shell first (worst), then fenders, (still orange peely +sand scratch swelling) and last the hood (not too bad!). This car is definitely a low- budget resto, but all my cars have to be so. I welded in a homemade trunk floor, as well as interior floors, and lower quarters. The lower fenders also got the patch treatment, one of which I welded and shaped so badly I cut it off and did over. And many other tasks ended up as do-overs on this car. But what wonderful experience! Buy a welder, grinder and a paintgun, and start reading lots of books!

2007-10-21T16:02:00.001-07:00

Here's my '55 Pontiac. I only posted this picture to get image hosting for another website(I'm selling the car). How sad, right? This '55 is truly original . Nothing really modified or changed since new. The car was about 25 miles from my home when purchased, and I drove it home! The price I paid for this car should have meant it was not operational! But, I'm selling to help fund the purchase of a '65 Lemans convertible from my mother. It was my late father's pride and joy, and was also my first car (Dad bought it back from me so I could buy a '64 GTO). I t is in beautiful shape, and sports a fresh trunk floor I replaced for dad back in 2005. It is white with a black top, gold interior, and the worn out 326 HO was replaced with a rebuilt Pontiac 350 by dad. The original intake and carb remain, but dad got rid of the short block (darn!) which he regretted later, after realizing just how special and rare a 326 HO convertible could be. So we found a '65 4 door Lemans in our hometown, and dad was able to pull and save the complete motor and trans- a 326 HO and 2 speed auto. Imagine a 4 door with that optional engine- probably very uncommon!

2007-10-14T09:12:00.001-07:00

Here's the 302 almost ready to go in. The color is Detroit Diesel Green. Notice the tubes I welded on the valve covers for the plug wires- trying to give the motor more vintage flavor. The only things replaced were the intake and lots of gaskets for thorough cleaning. The engine ran good before, and hopefully still will!

Framework

2007-08-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

After mock-up of the entire car, I tore it all down. Engine & trans are out, axles off and frame is upside down. I did major surgery on the front crossmember, boxed the frame notch for the front spring, added gussets to the steering box pad, and re-welded most of the frame. The frame is definitely not square, but it is not worth the headache to cut it apart and straighten. Thank goodness the axles are parallel. The person who attempted this rod before did not get the rear kickup truly vertical, and the left side framerail is twisted inward. Luckily it isn't noticeable with the body on. I just hope I don't regret not correcting this stuff later. So far, my measurements indicate the axles are positioned correctly.

Mess!

2007-07-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

My tiny shop is extra messy right now. Lots of work is getting done on the little '27. I have completely forgotten my other cars for the time being, wanting to see what this roadster can eventually look like.
So far I have fabricated a steering setup and steering column from a corvair box, some u-joints and two columns, plus 11/4" round tube, 2" angle and flat stock. This is traditional (unsafe and scary) steering, where the drag link connects straight to the left spindle. Easier to set up in my situation (parts) and cooler looking, too.

New Arrival!

2007-07-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Finally an early open-wheeled car! I've been wanting a jalopy for SO long! With the rat rod craze and cable TV crap shows, early coupes and roadsters have been getting further out of reach and higher in price. but here it is- I found this little '27 Ford at a swap meet in Salt Lake this spring. Just what I've been looking for- enough work needed to keep the price within reach while having major needed modifications completed. I am very happy with this little clunker.
The roadster is an original 1927 Model T Roadster body on a Model A frame, with a post '32 axle. Very cool T V8 on A-bones! Very old school! Has split wishbones and buggy spring in rear, keeping the look very traditional. Engine is a Ford 302, trans is C4 and rear is 8" Ford. Frame previously boxed and all perches, mounts, etc. made.