Thread: Everybody that is currently building a car...

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I would have to agree with Brian unfortunately. Another possible solution might be outrigger braces from the frame to the fiberglass body at the rocker panels & door post areas. I'm not sure that would be any easier though.

Originally Posted by bluestang67

Falcon a good coat of primer equals thing out . Truck is looking good you've done some major work and made alot of progress . So you think it'll go when you get it finished or are you thinking of some seat time now LOL.

LOL! OK, I am starting to like this thing. I will have to drive it a little before it goes. I've got a fair amount of bodywork to do on the Plymouth before I need $$$, so maybe after that. Who knows, we'll see when we get there.

I had to do significant bracing on my Brookville steel repro body - including welding most of the originally rivited internal body bracing. I then added 2 rows of 1"x.062 tubing, ran 1x.125 square tubing back to the trunk bracing, replaced the flooboards with a double insulated sandwich panel with .500 square bracing, then added a bunch under the dash. Unfortunately I don't have good digital photos of the underdash bracing but fair photos of the body proper. I did this because the OEM and Brookville bodies ore floppy in their 'native state' There are a couple of more floor braces I could have added and may yet. But it is at least rigid now - very!!!

OK, Now I'm done for today.

Got a bit further along with the old and new stuff on the '57 chebbie. I hate everything under the hood painted black, but when that's what the customer wants...... Anyway, got the EFI on the engine and the engine installed. The whole EFI assembly, ECM, and the wiring harness came out of some shop in Michigan. Supposedly all chipped and ready for the engine and cam. Guess we'll find out when we get it fired up. Everything is filthy dirty, but here's a pic anyway.....

Brian, Thanks for your concern. I am counting on the 1" square tubing framework for strength and if you look closely you will see the 4" wide x 1/4" steel plate along the floor on each side of the floor which is welded to the square tubing and is bolted through the 'glass floor into threaded holes in the top of the Brookville frame. The 1" square tubing framework in the Bebops body is quite similar to the framework IC2 shows in his metal body on this same page and I attach an earlier picture which shows the framework. It remains to be seen if there is any firewall shimmy while on the road (as there is in my Firebird convertible even with the added stock GM brace for convertibles) but so far I find the body as rigid as it was before I cut out the tunnel. The original Bebops floor had to be cut out in a jig saw way around the trans anyway because it is flat across the frame and the trans does have a slight hump. The plywood is just above the slight hump and is bolted through the original 'glass floor in several places. Last winter I tried a little reconstructive fiberglass work and it was too cold to set up and led to a mess so what you suggest would have to be postponed until warmer weather anyway. I will shake it good and see how rigid it is. I do agree that maybe over the course of time road vibration will wear the holes through the firewall where the bolts are, so that is worry number one million and one among many others. I will think over what you say and consider if there is anyway I can make the small tunnel any better but one problem is that I will have to wait until warmer weather to do much 'glassing. I have used a heat lamp overnight but it is still a hassle in the cold. Thinking over what you say suggests than maybe I can add a few more bolts through the plywood floor through what is left of the Bebops floor without further 'glassing. The present 1" tubing framework goes across the underside of the cowl as well as along the sides.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Brian, here is what it comes down to, the 1" square tubing across the top of the inside of the cowl as well as the tie in to a steel strip along the underside of the '32-style dash. I do agree that the rear quarter panels were unsteady before I tied them together with a 4" wide x 1/4" plate between them primarily to protect my rumble-seat-gas-tank but the rear became rigid after I tied them together with that plate. Thus the "cross-shimmy" should be foiled by this 1" bar under the top of the cowl and the protective plate in the rear; as I said it still seems rigid to me! I just gave it a good sideways shaking and the only thing that moves is the suspension! Looking at in edit mode, the easiest thing to do would be to bolt in an added cross piece under the dash between the side square tubing, above the indented firewall, but really it is rigid as is. Still, I am planning to put a heater in under the right side of the dash and will need to bolt it to something, so with a little thought a heater mounting bar across the side tubing should carry the weight of the heater and strengthen the cowl from side to side. I would rather do that than mess with further 'glassing since I am better with bolts than fiberglass!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

The truck is coming around nicely falconvan, I love the red you have picked, very nice.
Whats wrong with all black Dave, sure shows off that pretty engine doesn't it? You've got her looking sweet, that engine should push that baby huh?
I am really diggin' seeing all the different constructions of bodys out there, one can expect to be doing alot of reinforcing work when you do one of those I take it?

Brian, Cobbled yes, but very little loss of structural strength as shown in this earlier picture where I thought I had it figured out until Bob noted I needed to have something to mount the steering column and accelerator on. You can see that only a small half moon part of the bottom of the firewall has been removed here. It is hoped/assumed that a carpet will cover the interior after this is finished.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Falcon that cab looks great . Are you going to paint the whole truck or leave the outside black . Great headway can't wait to get some color on my floor.

Dave i wont open the hood of the stang then LOL . Its all factory under there Black bay with a blue engine . . Fastback now that a different story .

I can see by all the posts it was a good weekend for all. I put the trans in the 67 Cpe after being out for 10 years . Its sitting on a jack at the tail housing .Located the bolts and they were allready painted so i'm glad i had that done when i took it out . It was lighter 10 years ago then it was today LOL.

Plans are to get it running so i can turn it around with out pushing on it . I have all new brake , fuel and trans lines waiting in the box .

Looks like everyone had a productive weekend. Don, I wish I had some useful advice to offer but I've never dealt with a full 'glass body so I'll defer to those who have. It definately looks like you've got your thinking cap on, though.
That EFI looks great, Dave. That should make a great driver. Wagons are awesome; I need to do one someday.
It looks like your Stang should bring a nice price, Bobby. Really clean underneath from what I can tell by the pictures.

Falcon floors are new as with all the suspension . That way it takes good pics LOL . It's a funny market with the Cpe though .

Those 5 window cabs are whats hot and yours is looking good . Glad for a computer keeps me entertained in my life's passion of viewing all these great cars.

Falconvan, now you know why I like the metal floor! Anyway I only have one more picture on this problem but maybe it will explain to Brian that the Bebops floor is connected to all four fenders in one unit and the "body" is reinforced with metal plates along both edges over the frame and 1" square tubing within. This last picture shows the floor with the cutouts for the gear shift and on the right side the bigger hole for the parking brake with eye bolts in the frame holes as I let it up and down on the frame while trimming the edges to fit. Once the floor was down on the frame six holes line up with holes in the metal plates along the edges of the upper body. Those holes are marked at the factory and they still line up. In fact those metal plates are thick enough (at least 1/4", maybe 3/8"?) that there was a ledge on each side of the floor. The plates are probably 3/8" thick because I used 3/8" plywood to cover the hole and now the floor is flush all across the cockpit. The white outline on the black floor is where the original tunnel edge was. As far as alignment goes the front fenders are connected to the rear fenders by the running boards and the splash apron along the side of the frame and the six original holes on top of the frame align with the threaded holes on top of the frame. If I ever "break" fender the upper body might need to be unbolted and lifted up so I do not want to 'glass the floor to the upper body at the bottom of the firewall. I will think more about reinforcement of the cowl when I figure out the heater mount. I might have stopped when I just had the stainless plate on the engine side of the firewall but the deciding factor was how to get a flat surface inside the firewall to mount the lower clamp on the steering column, that is why the aluminum plate extends to the left with the big hole for the column. As Dave Severenson said to me over a year ago, the second rod build is always better than the first, but I only plan on doing this once so it will have all my mistakes in it from the gitgo! Finally, if you look at a real Model A floor the front part is wood at an angle and my final result is quite similar.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

I'm new to this site so this might not be the right place to post. I have two fiats (1968 & 1970) that might be of interest either as a new project or for parts. Can anyone point me in the right direction for marketing these?

I got the front end tore down and painted yesterday. 2many2count Joe gave me the idea on modifying these lower control arms to lower the front end and i think it's going to work good. Thanks, Joe, if you're out there anywhere. The control arm on the right is original with the spring plate on top. The one on the left is the one I modified; I cut the spring plate off and welded it to the bottom of the control arm. It gives me about a 2" drop. I also cut 1 coil off the spring.