Thread: Another Brookville body whine

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Gee, I would have not been able to handle all that. My Bebops 'glass decklid is slightly off but when closed the gap along the bottom edge is pretty even. Inside the rumble are there is some assymmetry in the 1" steel reinforcement tubing but I don't think that will be evident when the deck lid is closed. My main problem has been the huge trans tunnel in the Bebops body and the added work to reduce it took a lot of time. If anything, the Bebops firewall indent and the trans tunnel look like they are meant for a big block and I did have to add a stainless plate to the firewall after I cut out the the huge trans tunnel. However the Brookville frame is exceptionally straight and measurement from the center of the king pins to the opposite rear frame corner were made equal to less than 1/64" simply by minor tweaking of the four bar threads. My only minor complaint about the frame is that if you choose to use bumpers the small 5/16" threaded holes on the rear of the frame (two per side) fit nicely with the stock brackets if you cut them off as per instructions. Still those little bolts look too small for my 230 lb. on the rear rumble step plate and it definitely gave a wobbly bumper on the rear. One of my innovations of which I am most proud is not visible, but I found that one can simply reverse the pieces cut off the standard bumper brackets (with a little bending in a vise) and drill some holes to mount a second bumper brace under the frame where it is not visible using stouter 7/16" bolts through the frame. Now I can stand on the rumble step plate and bounce up and down and it is like a rock with motion only in the suspension! I have had a large distraction due to a contract I signed last August but I hope to get back to the car and finish the accelerator cable in a month or so, but I am sorry to learn about problems with the metal body. I am not very happy about having non-original fiberglass but it does seem pretty straight except for the oversize trans tunnel. Surprisingly so far all the body accessories I have purchased from Bratton's Antique Parts for a stock '29 have fit quite well on the Bebops 'glass. Ireland's child, this is partly a case of you knowing the imprefections but maybe keeping most of the small things to yourself and/or maybe you are getting near the end and are just weary. Take a day off and read Street Rodder to get your enthusiasm back. Let me know if you want a photo of how to use the cut off pieces of the bumper brackets because those little 5/16" mounting bolts on the frame are just too small for a heavy bumper let alone to absorb a 5 mph "bump".

Don Shillady
Retired (?) Scientist/teen rodder