Thread: Lethal Weapon, Project A-Bucket

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Well the weather STINKS! Really it's only cold here, but I guess Dallas got some ice. My distribution center is closed, and if I get a truck today, doubtfull, all the product I wanted to install today and tomorrow has already been delayed till monday. Crap! Oh well might as well make some metal dust.

After looking at the mocked up cab for a couple of weeks, I decided, as Bob pointed out the cowl in the pillar area was just too bulky. After studying it for a bit, it looked easy enough to narrow. I just had to cut a couple of rusty bolts, and some really bad welds, looked like old coathanger welds, to remove it. Rrilled out a couple of rivits and we have three separate pieces.

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I cut out the corner, that wraps around the gas tank top, so sides could be slid inward. Once fit I'll trim the removed piece to fit the cowl top and weld back in the pillar.

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I slid the sides in to give me what I found to be the most pleasing ammount of reveal and clamped into place. Then I trimed the top so it would fit. All sitting in place, and then step back and eyeball from several angles. Yup that should work.

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Marked all the holes so I could drill them. A quick trip to TSC for some bolts and a new set of bits and we can finish this step. Holes drilled and the pieces bolted back on the cowl.

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Although I stated I am not trying to copy the roadster cowl, this does look more pleasing to the eye. It did look too fat at the top of the cowl. At this point I decided not to put the pieces back into the pillars, where they wrap around the tank. I want to decide how to handle the windshield posts. I havent yet decided weather to use roadster posts, modify the closed cab posts, or just fabricate some of my own design. I think I really need a windshield frame before I box myself into a corner, and have to redo somthing.

Here is a couple more angles of the cowl so you can see the improvement.

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Maybe today I will re-cut the back of cab, as this modification will change the angle of the radius and cut down the sides and put back together to see how these changes will look.

We'll travel back in time about 2 weeks and look at the front axle I'll be using.
It's a 47 ford f1 axle I picked up with center link, springs, and drag link for $40. I wish I had gotten ahold of the guy a little earlier, he sold the brakes to another guy. Oh well still a good deal. The width is just 1/4 wider than the 32 stock axle. So it should work good.

I trimmed off the spring pads and smoothed the axle some.

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I ordered some radius rod, spring behind mounts from Noxious Customs and when they arrived I fit to the axle and tacked them in place. I have to finish weld them later. I have to find me another stick welder. I loaned mine to my brother in law, you guess the rest........ I just hope he electrocutes himself with MY welder........

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The brackets need to be smoothed some. They were a little rough on the cuts. Also not sure about the points, they may need to be rounded. Overall I like these better than the mounts I used on the last one. These actually fit the axle with no modification to the cutout that fits inside the web of the axle. And they wrap around the top and bottom of the I beam.

Now Charlie, that was worth the effort wasn't it? Looks terrific! Cleaned it up nicely.

Here are a few suggestions on the windshield. In order to carry off what you've started you want to make sure you maintain the trim look, no heavy posts/frame.

The first two pics are of folding stock style stanchions. The first are the cast bronze ones I've got, the second are more economical cast aluminum ones that a guy named Williams down in SoCal makes. It's not that much further of a trim job from where you've taken yourself now to cut away the tops of the cowl ends, weld in a bracket and emulate the stock roadster. But you said you might not want that. Okay, then the third pic for ref. This is a set of stock stanchions that have been pie cut at the bottom and slanted back. Old timey mod that's not too uncommon. These are available in steel and could be welded in place rather than bolted to a bracket as stock. As a fourth option you could use some channel stock and fab your own and either use the channels to drop in a piece of glass or make them to hang a framed glass similar to the stocker. The key is to put the same kind of taper to the post as the stockers, or start them thin toward the bottom and maintain the dimension to the top (though that might look more street roddy than traditional). Whatever you choose, you don't want to clutter it with a bulky look.

Thanks for the pic's Bob. Yeah it was fairly simple to do that. And only took a couple of hours to do, including the trip to TSC, and a few smoke breaks. I totally agree, it makes all the difference in the world. I have seen some where they just left as it was on the closed cab. Makes you wonder why not do what I did. And I don't have that much real talent........ I'm just a shade tree mechanic, with no shade tree.........

On the pics you posted, I really like the first one. The look and shape of the pillars. Second is ok, although slanted back too much, but could be adjusted for less rake. The stock pie cut, would be ok, but again too much rake, to me the windshield looks broken. Also after seeing these shots, I'm not sure I like the stock windshield frame that much. I really like the tubular one in the first shot. I like the look of the fixed glass on the green dodge at the beginning of this thread, but with my clumsy ass, I am afraid I'd grab the windshield and break the glass. I can do some stupid stuff sometimes, and then think, hmmm maybe I shouldn't have done that......

Back to the first pic. A couple of questions. First where'd you get that frame? Stainless? And what is the diam of the tube? Ok maybe more than a couple of questions. On the pillars, does the base wrap around the back side of cowl, in other words three sided and slips on then bolted. I am looking at that and I think I could make something similar out of steel. Hmmmmmmmmmm might could even make that frame, I guess I could do stainless...........Hmmmmmmmmm...... I think a scale drawing is in short order.

Thanks again for the pics and input.
Charlie

Yeah, a couple hours work for a "lifetime" of proper look.........but then that's what attention to detail is all about. Some get it, some don't.

The frame is from Speedway; http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Garage...ome,30596.html

It's 7/8" dia, with a 3/8" channel, could be done in stainless if you've got TIG for the lower corner welds.

Here's a pic of the backside, yes, it wraps and fastens to a "tab/or stub" inside the box section that has a floating nut plate for adjustment.

If the pics don't show it's because I'm tired of the crappy server timing out, I'll post up later if necessary.

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

Yeah, a couple hours work for a "lifetime" of proper look.........but then that's what attention to detail is all about. Some get it, some don't.

The frame is from Speedway; http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Garage...ome,30596.html

It's 7/8" dia, with a 3/8" channel, could be done in stainless if you've got TIG for the lower corner welds.

Here's a pic of the backside, yes, it wraps and fastens to a "tab/or stub" inside the box section that has a floating nut plate for adjustment.

If the pics don't show it's because I'm tired of the crappy server timing out, I'll post up later if necessary.

Thanks Again Bob. I'll ask another dumb question. Are all the roadster windshield frame tubular? Or just this particular one. Stock roadster frames to be more precise. I cut down sides, and it looks better. Will take pics and post later or in the am. Thanks
Charlie

Yep, the open cars are all tubular.................totally tubular man........