41 Willys Gasser project

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Originally Posted by Whiplash23T

Instead of using filler where the two braces are,could you use duck tape as that would be strong enough to hold until the fibreglass has cure?

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I do the same with my repairs..I have a couple of boxes of scrap panel steel,aluminum,and fiberglass that I screw together,to hold it all together,,but I just use a bit of duct tape over the gaps..Same theory,different methods..Still works..:D
Lookin good Steve..Can you PM or e mail me with a price for your Willys body kit??Ta,mate..

Dash fit looks a whole lot better Steve, nice work!!!! Fiberglass is easy to work with, sometimes I think I prefer a 'glass body to a steel body just because it's so much less labor intensive when things are modified or repaired.....

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Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Dash fit looks a whole lot better Steve, nice work!!!! Fiberglass is easy to work with, sometimes I think I prefer a 'glass body to a steel body just because it's so much less labor intensive when things are modified or repaired.....

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You got that right,Dave..

I guess you could Whip, to be honest i use whatever method suits the application at the time, I didn't want this to move so body filler was spot on for the job, I think duct tape wouldn't hold it so solidly.

Will do Robin, I have been approached by a guy in OZ about supplying bodys.

Thanks Dave, I think you have to look at it from 2 different ways, Yes its easy to repair but when your building a glass body you have no returns or things like window channels etc etc, all this has to be made and glassed in place which is often a chore. In my opinion building a steel car is a fair bit easier but they both have disadvantages :(

Steve once again thanks for posting this thread. I've always wondered how to fix stuff like that on a glass car. Once I see how you do something, I think wow, that was a lot simpler than I would what I would have dreamed up, but it's work 100%. This thread is very useful for those of us who've dreamed about building a glass car, but wouldn't know where to start. I had a friend in the Florida Keys who bought one of those late 80's high end conversion kits with a fiber glass body that fit some other production car frame. His buddy told him it was a great investment all he had to do was supply the cash and he would double the money for them. You know what happened, a half build project that got sold for a quarter of the cost of the kit. His friend had no idea how to work with glass, or how to fix all these small issues in a timely manner!
Since then I've never bitten on a fiberglass project(other than boats) which I have experience repairing. You just make it easy looking with your skill and knowledge and quick fixes I'd spend a month dreaming up. I've always wanted to do a track style T project, and just might after watching this thread thanks!

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Originally Posted by roadster32

Someone asked about using glass fibre (can't remember who) so heres how i sorted the dash ends, I'm no master laminator but this is how i do it and nothing has fallen off any of my cars yet.

The dash isn't quite right at the ends and we didn't have one to mould from so we borrowed another glass dash and moulded from that but its not quite right at the ends, I think maybe its a 39 dash but not sure.

I had previously made the framework to bolt the dash too at the bottom. The discrepancy is with the ends, It don't look to bad in the pic but the end is actually about 3/4" shy of lining up with the body line.








First job was to cut a piece out and get it into the correct position, Next i cut a filler spreader into strips and screwed them in place to hold it altogether.








Next some body filler was mixed up with extra hardener to make it go off quicker, this was spread on quickly and once hard (about 1 minute) would hold it all in place for glassing the rear up.






Once on the bench the surface was given a good key with a grinder and the edges feathered to a knife edge, you need to remove all the semi shiny coating on the old glass.

Then some resin was mixed and small strips of mat stipled with resin, you just need it wetted not dripping as to much resin will weaken the joint.

The strips were applied in 3 layers and allowed to dry.







Once the rear was cured the dash was flipped over and the same done to the front but only 2 layers this time. The curve inaccurancy was cured by adding chopped mat & resin until level with the body line.

Then its all sanded to give a key for a skim of body filler.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/68a0345c.jpg

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Steve working with fibreglass is pretty straight forward as long as you follow the rules, Its an amazing product that is very adaptable and stronger than a lot of people think.

I had a pm from someone asking for my address as they had something that would look nice on my Willys

Anyway a box turned up with a Moon half sweep tach in it so i just wanted to say a huge thankyou to this guy, he wouldn't accept payment either but said i could help him out at a later date.



Anyway i got it fitted, It was a column mount but i didn't want to look down so i modified the mount to bolt to the top of the dash where i can see it easily.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ly27th2011.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...y27th20111.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...y27th20112.jpg

The tach is an awsome touch and I like the mount:3dSMILE:

Nice gift. Looks great there on the dash.

Super nice gift, Steve. Are you at liberty to tell us who your benefactor is, or do you want to keep that between the two of you?

Don

Very nice gift Steve and certainly looks good on top of that dash exactly where the Rev counter should be if not in the dash beside the speedo. Off topic now, the hospital phoned and my second knee replacement has been brought forward to the 8/8/2011 so heck I be out in that garage before I know it eh.

To be honest Don i don't know his name even, He just pm'd me on the HAMB to say he was enjoying the build and that he had something i might like, next thing it came in the post, I replied thanking him for such a nice gift and havn't heard from him since. A very nice gesture i thought. I guess he prefers to stay in the background.

I hope so mate, best of luck with it.

You've got a secret admirer. Must have been the legs. :LOL::LOL:

Whip, good luck with the surgery. Bet you are looking forward to getting it over with.

Don

What a deal, Steve!!!! The tach is absolutely perfect for Willy, I'll betcha he likes it too! Another of those touches that go so far towards making the car "right" and further evidence that the only thing better then building your own Willy's Gasser is watching a real Craftsman build his!!!! Going to be a really first rate ride, Steve!

I'm making a note of all this piss taking Don :LOL::LOL::LOL: revenge will be sweet !!!

Thanks Dave, I was knocked out by the generosity shown by this guy, He contacted me by email last night and said he had it sitting on the shelf not doing anything and thought it would look cool in the Willys so donated it.

A very nice gift for a guy who will use it well! Heck with a name like Steve you gotta be great! :):LOL::3dSMILE:;):D

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2.../thank-you.gif

That looks great, Steve. This is one of the best builds I've seen on here. I'll bet you're itchin to pilot this baby down the strip!

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Originally Posted by roadster32

I'm making a note of all this piss taking Don :LOL::LOL::LOL: revenge will be sweet !!!

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:eek::eek::eek::eek:


Don

Your not wrong there buddy, can't wait, thanks for the comments

Well the sun has returned so i thought i would crack on with the doors.

A few people questioned why i made the firewall so strong, this installment should make it easier to understand.

I've not seen a Willys that doesn't have doors that drop when opened so the plan was to make the A post strong with no flex.

First job was to make up some supports for the door hinges, as the firewall was set back there was no room for a steel tube up the A post so they are tied into the firewall.

The framework was drilled and rivnuts inserted to take a plate.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/0dfecbfc.jpg

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Then a piece of tube was welded between the plate and the hinge strengthner.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/55a922ee.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/ac0672fb.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st1st20111.jpg



Once the hinges were installed holes were drilled in the doors and bolted to the hinges with a spreader plate, the spreader plate would give me something to weld the light gauge framework to.

The main frame is 3/4" x 16 swg thick tube, the rest is 5/8" x 16swg, this is really quite light but nice and strong.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st1st20112.jpg




While the frame was being welded in the lock was put into place and plates made up to mount it off. Also the B post striker plate was made up and welded into place, this is tied into the B post steelwork which in turn is tied into the cage main hoop, Its all very strong !!!



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st1st20113.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st1st20115.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st1st20119.jpg




It seems every Willys i see the door when fully opened hits the fender, I cheated slightly with the hinges and angled them a couple of degrees, you can't notice it when you look but when the door opens it now swings it slightly up and away from the fender.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...t1st201111.jpg




I now have a fairly even gap around the inner skin.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st1st20116.jpg




Next job is the window channels and winding mechanism

:cool:

Great design and then you go and build it. I have to admit that watching your projects come together I wonder why some car manufacturer hasn't brought you in to fix a few problems most cars built today have.

Thanks Rick.

Short video of doors working


http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...t1st201112.jpg




I'm all excited this morning as my rear tyres turned up, they are 900 x 15 Mickey Thomson pie crusts, 32" tall, I think a bit of trimming is needed on the rear arches :D


http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ust2nd2011.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st2nd20111.jpg


Its just started pissing down again !!!

Steve, I was going to crack some joke about you going overboard on door lightning, but decided against it. :LOL::LOL:


Slicks look great. Where did you find those? I like them better than my Firestones and I bet they hook up better too.

Don

Got them from Rick at Radir Wheels Don, they sell a few different sizes, have a look here Welcome to Radir Wheels!

Well i sort of wasted a few hours last night modifying a Beetle winding mechanism to work in the Willys drivers door, Got it all done and dusted and realised i had done the passenger side :o got to wait till monday now for some more to arrive

The beetle unit is really good and adaptable but needs modifying if the window travel is over 15" but its very easy to do, heres how i do it , It takes about 1.5-2hrs to do each side.

This is where i cut and extend, I use an old unit cut up for bits.




http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/f9c8e1eb.jpg




I slice the end off at the slot in the split tube



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/2c37d23c.jpg




Then a piece is cut from an old unit for the extension



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/3896b461.jpg





Everything is clamped to a piece of angle to keep it aligned, the surface needs to be ground clean for welding, Its not nice stuff to weld even when ground.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/b92c7114.jpg




Here its welded and smoothed out, the joint needs to be smooth for the plastic runner to slide over it.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/86f2304f.jpg




Next job was to move the winding gear, the rivets holding it together were drilled out and the gear housing split into 2 halves.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/d79ce31f.jpg





Then you just recut the slot that the gear sits in wherever else you need it. Cut with the cable removed.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/db4f42d8.jpg





Then reassemble, final tweaking can be done by carefully bending the tube the cable runs in.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/f0d22ae6.jpg





A piece of plastic tube is slid over the end to keep the inner cable clean.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/5f6de3b5.jpg



Heres the completed modified mechanism ready to bolt in.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...S/e673def4.jpg

I did that on my 38 Chevy but used power for up and down. I'd forgotten about that NICE job

Cheers Charlie, they work real nice, didn't want power windows in a retro car, there is something nice about winding the window up or am I just weird !!!

Thanks for the mods tip. This is the stuff that makes this such a great thread to follow.:cool:

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Originally Posted by roadster32

Cheers Charlie, they work real nice, didn't want power windows in a retro car, there is something nice about winding the window up or am I just weird !!!

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The way we work on these things may be we'er all a little weird :whacked::whacked:

:lol::lol::lol:

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Steve, I was going to crack some joke about you going overboard on door lightning, but decided against it. :LOL::LOL: Don

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And I was gonna make some wise _ _ _ remark about gravity pullin' the door open on that angle but, after the wife slapped me upside the head.. it all makes perfect sense now! 8-)

Weathers been nice the last few evenings so managed to get the windows sorted, The winding mechanisms turned up on monday so that gave me the chance to make up a 3/16" ply window template and then i could install the winders.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ust9th2011.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st9th20111.jpg




The next morning the acrylic i ordered for my windows turned up, I ordered this from Trent plastics on saturday morning and it arrived tuesday am, excellent service i thought.

The ply was removed and used for the template, this acrylic is so easy to cut with a jigsaw, it onlys requires a light sanding to acheive a perfect edge, also drills real well and clean.

I went with 5mm (3/16") as the only other choice was 3mm which was too flexible. colour is orange.

For window channel i used the universal cloth covered stuff, it comes in a coil and is simple to bend to shape and is fairly rigid, this is held in place with polyeurathane adhesieve sealant once the doors are painted, at the moment its only held in place by the 2 aluminium sections i made up, they are bolted to the steel tube frame.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st9th20115.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st9th20114.jpg




The window channel that holds the bottom of the window was a pair i had hanging around, havn't a clue what they are from but they could also be easily fabbed as they are just a U section with a couple of brackets welded on.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st9th20116.jpg




Cut out the acrylic window and bolted it into place with some small 5mm button head bolts & nylok nuts.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st9th20117.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st9th20113.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...st9th20118.jpg




They are all dry fitted at the moment but wind up & down real nice and smooth, with a bit of use they should bed in nicely. heres a short video of them in operation.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...t9th201110.jpg

It must be nice having a good looking model within arm's length. :) Those roll up and down nicely. Orange is perfect gasser color for the windows. Are you going to do the windscreen and back glass also in orange?

Don

You old charmer Don :LOL::LOL::LOL:
Yes back windows also orange but not the screen, It has to be clear here to be legal, They are pretty hot on it too.