Thread: Lethal Weapon, Project A-Bucket

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Originally Posted by oldrodder43

I love those colors, and the checkered firewall gives it a nice 50ish touch. Great build. I also like that you extended the frame horns out over the axle. To me it gives a feeling of confidence that the front end won't play bulldozer IF the spring breaks. I also did that on my essex. perley

Yeah, I don't really like the frame horns over the axle, thought maybe I'd bob them, but I'm also more paranoid the older I get............ I kinda copied the color scheme from a 32 roadster die cast I've got called Deuce's Wild. I am not a big fan of red cars but I think the cream makes it work for me.

It has been over a month so a little update is in order. Mostly just some small things, but still progress none the less. Today will be day number 87 of 100 deg + temps, so it has been hard to accomplish much. But the weather has started to break some so maybe we won't make it to 90 days.

Got the generator taken apart, cleaned up and painted. Picked this up used but looks like it was rebuilt not too long ago. Bearings, bushings, and brushes show almost no wear. Date code is supposed to date it in 1957, an EXCELLENT year. I ordered a gen bracket, and still ended up slicing it and shortening it. I probably should have just made it myself and saved the money.

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I picked up a combo fuel pressure regulator and filter. It's an Italian made unit, I saw this somewhere and with the glass bowl and design it had that early hot rod look. I think they have made this for a number of years and were on some of the Italian Hot Rods. I even found one that had a port for a pressure gauge and I think it looks right at home on the firewall.

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I made a switch panel for the ignition switch and so forth. I also made an insert out of a piece of a stainless steel dishwasher front I had saved. Sanded it and polished it. I will have to make another one this one had two very small dings that I did not see until I started polishing it. Might try one engine turned and see how that looks. I made the panel from a piece of 16 ga. sheet and then welded some 1/8 x 1 strap around it, and finished it off with a piece of 3/16 rod to give it a bead around the edge. This also worked good to hold the stainless in snug to the face. I also discovered that the dash is kinda flimsy at the bottom. Just pulling and pushing the light switch worked the panel back and forth. So I added a couple of braces from the bottom rail, where the panel attached to the dash, to the front hoop. Just took a piece of heavy round curtain rod about 1/2 OD. , smashed the ends flat, rounded em, and bolted it to the dash rail and welded some tabs to the hoop for the other end. There is no flex in that panel now.

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I eluded to the fact I made the throttle cable from bicycle parts so I thought I'd show that. The cable and the cable ends at the firewall and carb bracket are just the adjusters off some brake parts. I fashioned a U shaped piece out of some strap to attach to the throttle shaft. I did use a piece of auto outer cable, leftover from the 48, it was heavier than the bike stuff. Seams to work good. I think I'll make a wire retainer for the end near the rear carb linkage just to make sure it can't get behind the linkage stops and hold the throttle open.

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I started the mounts for the aux brake and turn lites, just to see how they were going to look. It may not show in the pics but they are those bee hive clearance lights you used to see at every auto parts store..........30 years ago...... I had to hunt to find some on ebay that were not led snap in units. These were actually NOS. And yesterday I knocked out the rear bumper. Still needs some cleanup before I paint it. I got some stainless tail light brackets. I believe these were for maybe 34 to 36 or there about trucks. But they worked good for me. I didn't care for the A style brackets. I had to do just a little grinding so they would clear the twin bulb tail lamps. They are Chinese, but I was impressed. Glass lenses, and cloth covered wiring. Not sure about the license plate bracket. I don't like it out there. I might live with it though. Reminds me of a danged boat tailer. I might use that bracket and hang it below the aux brake lights. I could drill a 1" hole in the bottom of that 2 x 4 box and mount a flush mount license plate light. I have a couple on my 48 and they are rectangular and only protrude about 1/2". I'll have to think on that one though. Maybe with a license plate frame it will look better.

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I also made the headlight mounts. I cut the ends off the steering arms that I removed from the 47 spindles. The round end for the tie rods, with a short piece of arm. I welded them to the outsides of the f1 shock mounts and filled with weld and ground till they are kinda molded to the shock towers. The lights are stainless King Bee style lights. Probably imported........... well certainly imported. I did find some re pop King Bee headlight tags to put on them. I'm not gonna fool anybody, not trying, just thought it would be a neat touch. I want to make some sort of headlight bar. I think it needs it to look right, and also to tie the shock towers together. I want to make sure that the headlights don't bounce and maybe a v8 emblem in the center might look good too. I think I will just weld some 1/4" or 3/8" tabs on the insides and make a bolt in bar and use some stainless bolts with some cap nuts.

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I tried to get a shot of the headlight mount but couldn't get a clear pic. You can also see that I repainted the front end. I painted what would be chrome, if I was rich, silver. It is actually Metallic Silver, as per Duplicolor. Now maybe it's just me, but isn't metallic silver redundant. I have never seen silver paint that was not metallic. I'm not sure if it looks cheesy or not. I used to think so. Like who are your trying to kid, it don't look like chrome. But that being said I have seen it on a couple of rods and thought it looked OK. I still has to be clear coated though. Red would have been too much red, and the black just wasn't doing it for me. But by Spring it might be purple...........

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Well I guess that about covers it. Maybe a few other small bits, Brake pedal pad, exhaust manifolds actually bolted on, with gaskets and all......... And a heel pad for the accelerator. Threw in a couple of new pics outside so I could get the overview as it were.

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"Another Engineering Opportunity" accepted. Used low tech approach and fixed bent axle tube. No way to put it in a press, at least my press, so I came up with a backyard fix. I measured axle tube and eyeballed it awhile. Once I figured the correct place I cut the axle tube, opposite the bend. I cut it about 2/3 the way thru with a cutoff wheel. I removed axle, supported tube on my big jack stand, took my dead blow hammer and went to work. Approx 6 to 8 blows closed up the gap and checking with a straight edge and square the axle flange now is square with the center housing. Beveled the cut and welded it back up. Good as New! I should have suspected something as there were slight groves where the U bolts held it in. I attributed that to loose bolts and the axle housing rotating back and forth slightly. Now in retrospect it may have been due to a collision. Oh well problem solved...........

Got a few more little bits finished. I couldn't find a fuel log that I particularly liked and cheapness kicked in, so I just built my own. I think it cost me $4.00. That doesn't include brass fittings, which I would still have to buy with any other log. I just used an eight inch x 1/2 inch pipe nipple. Drilled and tapped for the brass fittings. Then capped with std pipe caps. I used steel epoxy for thread sealer. And then ground caps smooth and painted. It's not my best work, but it will do till I find, or make something I really like. Or maybe it will stay forever.......

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I also couldn't find any plug wire looms, except those thin flimsy ones, so I just made my own.

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I finally got around to making a new grill insert for the 48, so I could rob the 32 for the 28............... It didn't fit quite right around the corners, so I massaged it some more and it's better. Then when I started fitting the 32 insert in the rpu I realized why. The 32 is what I used for a pattern and it fits like crap. Of course these are fiberglass shells. I ground a little and got a much better fit, and I will just fill the slight gap, less than 1/8" with filler.

Here's the new insert for the 48.

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And here's the cut down 32 installed. I cut some scraps from the bottom of the insert and used them across the bottom of the 32 grill. I still have to get some stainless wire and tack them in, they are just sitting there now. In the center the spring perch will have a cover that will be v'd to fit up flush against the grill bars.

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And you can also see I made a headlight bar?.... to tie the shock towers together. And made some brackets to mount the (UGLY) turn signals. I've got to find some bullets or maybe use A fog lights. Those have to go.............