Jim, you're much more energetic than me! I ordered mine from Speedway! https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Searc...hood+retainers
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Jim, you're much more energetic than me! I ordered mine from Speedway! https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Searc...hood+retainers
Keep plugging away at this thing Roger, when you get it done I'd like to drive down south and pay you a visit. Maybe even before you're done, you could possibly use a extra hand for an afternoon lol
Lol, wrong thread, my eyes are getting worse looking at this small phone. Well I guess I'm coming down Jim, I love Florida!
DARN!!! Duh! I really feel dumb.:whacked: It never occurred to me to look for these stupid things online.:rolleyes: I could have saved a day's work! Now I have to decide whether to use these or get those pretty polished stainless ones...:HMMM:
Seth, you might want to wait for this Covid 19 crap to pass, but you're welcome here.:) The hot rod scene here in Florida is pretty active year-round and, yes, you might see a launch. There is something going up about every 10 - 12 days.:3dSMILE:
OK, my time was not wasted after all. I just checked and the ready-made hood retainers are on backorder. I'll go ahead and use these.
Thanks. I agree and I decided to go ahead.:rolleyes: I checked 3 different outlets for those things and they were all on back order. I'm not one who likes waiting on someone else, so forge ahead with what I have!:D With the hood in place and centered, I marked the tape where the center hinge goes. At the cowl end I drilled the lip and installed #10-24 nut-serts (see pic). At the front I just drilled holes and used nuts on the inside (no pic).
For the latch mechanisms I copied the ones I made for my Model-A. They've been in use for a little over 15 years with no issues. The pics below show the latch in closed position and an open hood close-up of the "stand-off" made from 1/8 x 3/4 flat steel.
With the hood on the '32 open on one side, I reached through with a ruler to determine the amount of stand-off needed. Then I did the same with the opposite side. Apparently I did something right when I installed the hood and the strut bars because both sides measured exactly the same!:HMMM::D Using 1/8 x 3/4 flat stock again, I bent both ends at 90 degrees to achieve the 9/16 stand-off needed. Then I positioned one of the latches so I could mark the length; it turned out to be 2 inches from the first bend. After cutting, I used the vise and a pair of large channel lock pliers to curl the end slightly so it fit the curvature of the hood. Then I welded the tool box latches to the stand-offs. Although they look like brass, they are actually made of steel and they weld easily.;)
The next step is to attach the stand-offs and latches to the hood. I did this with the hood off the car. It was just a matter of positioning them where I wanted and welding the ends of the stand-offs to the hood. I used a series of overlapping tack-welds here to avoid warping the sheet metal.:HMMM:
With the hood back on the car, once again I opened one side and reached through with a Sharpie to mark where the hook half of the latch needed to go on the strut bar. I repeated the process on the opposite side. Then I removed the strut bars, one-at-a-time, attached the latch hooks using pop-rivets, and re-installed the bar. With the strut bars back in place, I made some final adjustment on each side by bending the hooks and latches with a screw driver and pliers.:rolleyes:
The next-to-last pic shows the latch from inside in closed position. The final pic shows where the weld penetrated the sheet metal which will be an easy fix; the hood is not warped. It also shows that the latch mechanism is completely hidden from view when the hood is closed.:D:cool:
I guess it's appropriate to say the "construction phase" is winding down. I'm done with the chassis fabrication and all the major components are in place. I'm down to finalizing some details and the construction/fabrication that's left is all inside.:HMMM: Today I tackled a couple of those small details. First, I wrapped the exhaust pipe, where it passes under the master cylinder, with header wrap. Next, I located and cut the access hole in the floor for the master cylinder. I fabricated a cover for it from a scrap of .060" aluminum and attached it with two sheet metal screws.:)
When I was under the car a few days ago bolting the fuel cell and battery tray in place, I noticed that the top of the differential was only about 3/8 inch from the trunk floor. At the ends, the axle housing is over an inch from the frame. So what happens to the floor if/when the rear axle bottoms out on the frame? CRUNCH!!:eek: I need floor clearance, so I cut a hole in the trunk floor over the differential. I will make an aluminum cover with a rise in it to alleviate this problem.:rolleyes: Yes, I will be raising the back end for additional suspension travel (it settled when I put the body on the frame), but I still need the floor clearance for those inevitable big bumps in the future.**)
I found out with Rita that things definitely do settle. I noticed lately that it sits lower than when I first put it together .The other day when I hit a pretty rough bridge intersection at 60 mph, my front suspension bottomed out, I never had that before. So Yes, travel is a good thing lol.
Back in the circle burner days, we would check spring rates on the spring checker once a month or so, after a couple 40 or 50 lap mains it wasn't unusual to have a spring lose 5% of it's rating, on a rough track, we had springs lose 10% on a single night! Torsion bars on the sprint cars do the same.
I obviously needed to cover the gaping hole I cut in the trunk floor.:rolleyes: I stated above that I would make an aluminum cover and that's what I did. Using another piece of .060" aluminum scrap, I cut a rectangle the same width and 3/8 inch longer than the hole. I used a vise and bare hands to bend a gentle curve in the rectangle. The high part of the curve is approximately 1.25 inches above the ends. Using the curve of the panel as a pattern for the shape, I cut out two sides. I left tabs for attaching the sides to the curved panel and also left a 3/4 inch strip on the bottom of each side (see pics) for attaching the finished "hump" to the trunk floor. After shaping and riveting the pieces together, I trimmed the ends and riveted the finished assembly over the hole. I sealed the ends with duct tape. Finally, I relocated the back end of the fuel cell strap to the right about 2 inches and bolted it down again (final pic).:cool:
will you glass that over?
Sorry for the slow answer - been on other tasks for the last couple weeks...:rolleyes: It's pretty solid, made from .060" thick aluminum so it doesn't need any 'glass for strength. I will probably just seal the edges with some epoxy before I put the Kilmat insulation over it.:)
As I said, I've been doing a dozen other things (mostly "Honey-do's"), so I haven't spent much time in the shop. One thing I did accomplish was making patterns for my under-dash panel and a small console.:3dSMILE: Ignore the battery sitting on the floor; it's just there to run the power seats while I'm fitting things.:o The air conditioner evaporator unit will protrude through the center of the panel right under the dash. Below that, in the vertical part of the console, I can put a radio. The bottom console will have two cup-holders. If there is room I will put a small glove compartment in the far right side of the under-dash panel.:cool:
Your dash design is very similar to the one I built for my deuce, and it has worked out very well.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater
Lynn, I can't get that link to work. It takes me to Facebook, but says the content isn't available...? Anyway, I'd like to see yours. My design of the under-dash panel and console isn't necessarily final yet. When I get my A/C unit I may have to tweak it a little.
pm me at LS-Johanson@wiu.edu and I will send you a photo. I cannot get a new photo to upload on this site.
OK, I've been distracted with other things (Electrathon racing season has started. See my other thread.), so I haven't spent as much time as I should on the Deuce.:rolleyes: I finally put in a pretty good day on it today.
As an old-time fabricator who designs and builds "on the fly", I sometimes make an unforeseen problem for myself. Although I have built five previous torsion bar front ends, no two are exactly alike.:HMMM: This time I created a problem with interference between the tie rod and the bottom shackle bolts. I didn't take a "before" picture, but the problem was, when the front wheels were turned sharply either direction, the tie rod contacted the head of the shackle bolt.:eek: That could be a problem in a tight turn on uneven ground.
Below I attached a pic of one of the shackles. Notice the head of a 1/2-inch diameter bolt is almost 3/8-inch thick. In the second pic is the shackle modified to accept a countersunk bolt. The final pic is the modified left shackle back in place and with the wheels turned full left. The tie rod clears the shackle and bolt a little over 1/16-inch. Now I can finally ditch the temporary (homemade) tie rod and install the nice pretty Speedway Motors chrome one.:3dSMILE:
Saturday I finally installed the pretty new tie rod and drag link.:) I've had them forever, but didn't want to install them until I took care of the protruding bolt heads on the shackles. Since I did that (see previous posting) I had no excuse to wait any longer... except...
In the previous posting I commented that, sometimes, old do-it-yourself fabricators do things that cause problems later.:HMMM: The shackle bolts were one problem with tie rod interference, the other problem was the new tie rod also had interference from the bottom arms of the radius rods!:eek: Fortunately, it was only a minor clearance issue and the fix was pretty simple. I took the steering arms off and, with a tapered reamer, deepened the holes for the tie rod ends.;)
With everything back together and the tie rods in place (first pic) I set the toe. The last three pics show my toe boards made from 3/4-inch furniture grade plywood (they could also be made of aluminum or steel plate or heavy plastic). This is an old system I learned in my stock-car racing days.:rolleyes: In case anybody is interested, the boards are 22 inches long and 10.5 inches tall. The cut-out is there in case you are adjusting a car that has protruding hubcaps or trim rings. The little holes at the bottom corners are done with a 1.5-inch hole saw. Set the boards on the floor against the tire sidewall. I use masking tape to hold them in place. Now pull two measuring tapes through the holes on one side and hook them through the holes on the other side. By pulling the tapes snug simultaneously, the difference is the amount of toe-in or toe-out.:D
I finally got around to tackling the mount for the heater-A/C evaporator unit. I held it in position and did some visualizing with "calibrated eyeball".:rolleyes: I finally decided the best route was to weld a support bar all the way across, even with the bottom of the dash. I used a piece of 1-inch square tubing that I drilled and installed nutserts in to hold the bracket supplied with the evaporator unit. I also welded brackets with J-nuts on either side so I can attach the under-dash panel. I actually tacked these pieces in place and then removed the dash to finish welding.;)
While the dash was out I attached the back support brace (the top of it is barely visible in the 3rd pic) and bolted the evaporator unit in place. I put the dash back in place and spent the next three hours modifying the patterns I made a couple of weeks ago (post #457). It's at a slightly different angle, but still looks much the same. Now I just have to reproduce the cardboard in a more substantial material.:3dSMILE:
I always try to find a drive shaft that doesn't have any weights, or very small, better chance of not having a balance problem
Drive shaft?? That was a few pages ago.:confused: Anyway, I don't think I've ever had a drive shaft that didn't have at least one weight somewhere.
OK, I've been doing several different things for the last month, so my time on the '32 has been pretty meager.:rolleyes: In between other things I managed to make the brackets to hang the A/C condenser. I used some 1/16 x 1 aluminum strap. After bending two pieces to fit with about 3/4 inch clearance, I used a hole saw to "ventilate" them. After riveting the straps to the brackets on the radiator, I drilled them and hung the condenser in place. It all seemed to work out well and looks nice in the pictures, but... the grille shell won't fit! It hits the condenser at the top left (driver's side) corner and the horizontal supports in the grille insert also hit the driver's side of the condenser. I can't move it to the right because of the space needed for the lines. I can't pull the grille shell forward because then the hood wouldn't fit and I don't have room to move the radiator back.:HMMM::(
So.., I ordered a different condenser. The new one is 2 inches narrower and 2 inches shorter in height. Hopefully that will allow me to move the condenser over and down just enough to solve the clearance issues.:whacked: Hot rodding sure was a lot easier when I was young and didn't care about creature comforts...:3dSMILE:
I haven't been here for a while. Aside from a couple of "honey- do's" I have no real excuse. I was so frustrated with this project that I just walked away from it for about a month. The problem is one I created for myself by doing things out of sequence. Lesson learned - now, do as I say, not as I did - I should have mounted the condenser before I ordered the hood.:rolleyes::mad:
After I mounted the radiator I drilled the brackets and mounted the grille shell. That was a few pages ago... After that I measured the distance between the cowl and the grille shell and I ordered a stock length hood top for a '32 Ford. I mounted it and made latch mechanisms, etc., also a few pages ago. Then.., I began installation of the A/C system and that's when the feces collided with the rotary oscillator - the condenser wouldn't fit behind the grille.:HMMM: I bought another condenser, 2 inches shorter and 2 inches narrower, hoping it may solve my dilemma. It didn't. That's when I walked away, before I did something stupid.:mad:**)
After staying away from it for a while and thinking about all the options, I have finally resolved that the best solution to my problem is to move the grille shell forward an inch and lengthen the hood to fit. If I had just done this part BEFORE I bought the hood, I could have ordered one an inch longer - Live and learn! The pics below show where I simply drilled new holes in the mounting brackets to move the shell forward and the resulting gap at the front of the hood.:o
Bummer, but with your skills I'm sure you'll have looking great in no time!!
Hate you have to redo the hood. It's a lot of work to fix something like this. I know the repair will be like it never even happened considering your high level of quality work.
At least I know I'm not the only one that winds up with these kinds of problems. "Well Sh##!!!!", seems to be said a lot more in my shop (to no one in particular) than I want it to.
Good to learn that I am not the only one who has that happen! LOL.
Yeah, we've all done it.
If your hood is stock length maybe you could trade it, or sell it and buy one 1" longer
OK, it's been several days (5 weeks!!:rolleyes:) since I did anything. The holidays had to come and go and we've had visitors intermittently. Then I did some work on one of my Electrathon friend's cars, etc., etc. It's always something... I considered selling the hood and replacing it like Figure8 suggested, but no telling how long it might take to find a buyer and then I'd have to order the special length hood and wait.:p Once I get moving on something I'm not a very patient person, so fixing what I have will be my course of action.
Anyway, a few days after my last post I cut and shaped some 16 gauge steel filler pieces to extend the hood (first pic). The front edge of the hood was folded under, so the finished thickness is a few thousands of an inch over 1/16th of an inch. 16 gauge steel is approximately 1/16th inch thick, so it was a good match.:) Today I finally got some time to spend in the shop welding the filler pieces in place. I welded them on the bottom side first; spot-stitching about 3/8 inch apart (2nd pic) and then filling in between a few at a time to avoid any serious warping.
After finishing the underside, I flipped the hood halves over and welded the outside. I did it in short sections, moving around randomly again to avoid warping. I neglected to take a picture, but it looked the same as the underside. After all the welding was done I ground the welds flat inside and out, first with a stone wheel and then with a soft disc (3rd pic).:3dSMILE:
I had to do just a little hammer-off-dolly work to straighten the corners (very minor warpage). A tiny amount of body filler will fix the pits and grinder marks when I get to it. The last pic is the newly extended hood back on the car.:D
Came out just fine I'd say.
That looks nice. Do you plan to extend the small portion of the center hinge so there is no gap there as well?
.
Sorry for the delay in answering. I've been doing too many other things and just haven't spent any time here. Yes, I will either get a longer center hinge or I will fabricate an extended mounting "T bracket" for the front. Whichever I do I will show it here.:HMMM:
I'm in the middle of my Electrathon racing season and building a new car for that plus the wife and I are beginning to remodel a bathroom. I probably won't make much progress on the '32 for a while.:rolleyes:
OK, it's been a while, but I got a short break from everything else to do something on the '32. I need to get the plumbing done on the A/C system so I can begin wiring. The next component I need to put in place is the drier. I'm mounting it up high on the firewall so I can keep the hoses up under the hood and mostly out of sight.:HMMM:
The drier that came in the kit came with a pair of little strap brackets ( on left in 1st pic below). They would be OK if this thing was completely out of sight, but they are just raw steel and it wouldn't be long until they get rusty and ugly.:( I decided I could make something that would look a little better and avoid rust. I found a piece of .040" thick aluminum in my scrap bucket and made a one-piece bracket to replace the two straps (on right in pic). I hand polished it with some Wenol paste. Next I drilled the appropriate holes in the firewall and installed a pair of 1/4-20 Rivnuts (Pic 2). Finally, I bolted the drier in place with a pair of stainless steel socket-head bolts.:3dSMILE: Next comes the hoses...:rolleyes:
Update? Curious as to your progress
Hi Figure8. I'm a bit embarrassed to report that I haven't done anything on the '32. After I made the bracket (above post) I started trying to run the hoses. I soon discovered I didn't have the fittings I needed, so I went online to get some more. Having never plumbed an air conditioner before I of course ordered the wrong fittings. After they arrived I discovered my mistake, so I ordered some more. After the second set arrived I decided to route the hoses differently... Back to the computer to get some different angled fittings. Now I think I finally have everything, but I'm up to my ears in finishing the bathroom remodel. Hopefully I'll get back on the '32 soon; I should have had it done a year ago, but life keeps getting in the way...:whacked::rolleyes: