Rust Repair on the Door Bottoms of the 1946 Studebaker Pickup Truck

I don't know if there are any pre-formed patch panels out there. I find that those that are available, all need some finish forming to make them work. It's easier for me to just make the panels myself. Then they fit like they should. I've formed the lower parts of the door shells and have one tacked into place. It's very important to keep the door fitting to the opening during the rebuilding process.

Bolting the door on and taking it off again will happen numerous times during the process. If you skip that process, it won't fit in the end. Trying to bend it into shape at that point will result in some ugly distortion and a completely disastrous finish product.

After I am finished welding the shell together, I will check fit again, and then at point I will form the outer skin which I have already made pattern for. The skin will get tacked into place, joining it to the existing skin, and then the whole skin will be removed from the shell at the bottom of the window opening.

I'll be showing the rest of the process in the next posting. Stay tuned.

 

1946 Studebaker Truck Right Mirror Arm

For those interested in making a mirror arm for the right side of the 46 Studebaker pickup, I'll show how I went about copying the left side arm.

This is what I started with. This mirror arm came with a 5"round non glare mirror head that I bought on eBay for the truck. I have no idea what the arm was for, but it was a start. I first made a template off the drivers door for the outer skin and another for the front of the door shell, flipped those patterns and market the right door, cut the hole in the skin and then went to the next step.

After heating bending and hammering the arm into the right shape and welding the hinge mount part into shape and cutting the extra length off the end. I hammered and shaped a round for the mirror head to mount on. I cut two pieces of plate and welded those to the arm and together. Then I ground the weld to shape.

After fitting the arm through the hole that I copied from the left side door, I drilled through the front, holding the arm in place and made a mark in the mirror where a 1/4" countersunk oval head screw will go. I then removed the mirror arm and drilled that hole and threaded it 1/4-20. I bolted the mirror arm in with one hex head bolt and then drilled the other two holes into the arm slightly in order to achieve a precision fit for the finish bolts. I then removed the arm again and drilled and tapped the rest of the holes and then recessed those hole to allow for the countersunk screws. I then bolted the arm into place with some sacrificial screws and heated the hole in the door shell, and ran the screws in while it was red hot, in order to create the countersink. 

The process actually took me about 6 hours to complete, using a die grinder 3" cutoff wheel,  oxy-acetylene torch, hammer, anvil, vice, drill press with several size bits including one to recess the holes like the original, a 1/4" tap, and impact driver. I had some flat stock in my inventory for the mounting part. I used a mig welder to make it one piece and used a thicker cut off wheel for grinding the weld as well as a roloc disc and a rotary file in the die grinder. I hammered the areas that show that were "too smooth" in order to give it the natural cast look.

I since ordered and received some oval slot head finish screws for the final assembly. I'm pleased with how it turned out, and can now have a right side mirror. 

Here is the 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Right Mirror Arm that I made.

RARE RARE RARE CLEV-WELD CHEVROLET WHEELS 1930s

Rarest of the early accessory wheels made by Clev-weld, who was the same manufacturer of the famous , so called "General Jumbo" wheels. General Tire made tires that were named JUMBO, and they were mounted on the aftermarket wheels that are known as the General Jumbo Wheels.

All the other tire manufacturers made similar tires and call them different names like "Air Balloon"and "Air Wheel", etc. but the one that is by far the most well known is the GENERAL JUMBO...

I have owned and seen many different wheels of this sort that were produced for the early 1930 cars, so that they could run  "BIG WIDE TIRES" that would go over soft surfaces better than the original "PIE CUTTER" tires.

General offered their JUMBO tires on wheels that were 14",15", and 16".  The 16" are by far the most desirable now because there is a fairly wide verity of tires available now in reproduction.

I was very excited to see these wheels that I just purchased on eBay.  They are full set of 5 wheels in 16" x 4-1/2" and 6 lug Chevrolet pattern.  The wheels are NOS and have never had tires mounted on them.  They are wheels that I have never seen before.

Mopar had some wheels that were similar but not the same, if you look closely and count the spokes...

I may use these on a Teardrop trailer that I plan to build.  I haven't decided yet as I have a couple of different options of rare accessory wheels that would be great on that application. My other option is the Bent Spoke/40 Spoke/ 16" x 4-1/2" Kelsey Hayes 6 lug wheels.

Update.... I am now offering this set of 5 Clev-weld wheels for $1800.  5/6/22

Here are some images of my choices.

Econoline Visor 1963 Ford Custom

1960s Econoline Van outside Visor was never offered. My friend at Doghouse Powder Coating wanted a visor for his van, so I made one for him. The screws in it are temporary, and will be replaced with stainless finish screws. If you're interested in a custom made visor for your vehicle, please contact Doug's Classic Coachworks.

235 Chevrolet Stove Bolt Split Exhaust Manifold

Dual Exhaust 235 261 Chevrolet Stove Bolt Six, Split Manifold. Here is another example of  a custom split manifold. I think this is the best looking one yet that has come out of Doug's Classic Coachworks. The original manifold did have some East Coast rust pitting but a tight shaft on the heat riser because it is off a low mileage truck.

HOT RODS and CLASSIC CAR RESTORATION SEQUIM WASHINGTON

Car restoration, from rust repair and wreck repair all the way to Concours d' Elegance award winning, complete restorations, is what I have been doing since 1969. Completely disassembling and reassembling of bodies has been performed by me many times. Wooden bodied cars as well as all metal cars are included in my list of accomplishment. Best of show awards, magazine articles and many best in class awards have been presented to owners of cars that I have had a large part in the restoration of.

Hot Rod building is something I find great satisfaction in. Unlike most, I make a big effort to maintain a "Theme" when building a car. In other words, if I'm building a 1950's style Hot Rod, it will be built with 1950's and prior parts. Naturally, those parts will be restored to top notch condition, because Resto RodsTo Go stands for Hot Rods that can be driven daily. One of the things that makes these cars so special is that they are "timeless" and will maintain their desirability through time, unlike the fad cars that are being built with the "off the shelf parts", that are obsolete next year.

Taking advantage of the work that those highly skilled designers that worked for GM, Ford, and Chrysler seems to make a lot more sense to me than using the machine shop designed billet steering wheels, etc and industrial gauges, that are usually used in Street Rod building.

If you set up your steering column properly, you don't need to install that tilt column, but rather use a cool early column and wheel that has real character, and not that Kubota tractor look.

I would much rather lift the hood to see an early Hemi or an early fuel injected 283 or dual quad 265 Chevy. Generic chrome becomes pretty bland when up against a tasteful paint scheme under the hood like the factory designers developed.

1936 Ford Custom Coach Towncar Sedan Delivery

This 1936 Ford Towncar Delivery has been created from parts that have been collected over the last 40 years. You will hopefully have the opportunity to view it in it's first mock up stage, as pictured here, at the Early Ford V8 meet in Lake Tahoe, the middle of June.

We still have much to do to refine it to the stage of completion, but I have all the confidence that those of you who are experienced in the field of restoration, or design of fine automobiles will be pleased with what you see.

The 36 is being built as it could have been, back in the era that the 1936 Ford was originally conceived.

To go back and see where this project started, click here 1936 Ford Towncar Delivery

Early Ford V8 Meet Lake Tahoe 2013 preview 1936 Ford Towncar Delivery

Lake Tahoe will be the location of the 50th anniversary Early Ford V8 meet in June 2013. Larry Hove and I plan to display his 1936 Ford Custom Coachwork Towncar Delivery that we have been building for six years or so.

I have been very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Larry who has a degree in art and a natural talent and passion for automobile design.
I guess his experience in wood working in the home remodel business has proved to be very valuable in the design and execution of the rear (cargo area) of this fabulous Custom Coach.

This project started out, as I mentioned, about six years ago or so with Larry's vision of using the convertible parts from one of his convertible sedans, and the remains of the Seibert Custom Coach that he had acquired years earlier, to create this 1936 Ford Towncar Delivery.

Larry and I have done some other things together over the years as well. Larry had design input on the 1958 style hot rod 1936 Ford Cabriolet that I built for Phil Blodgett. We also built a custom bodied 34-35-36 Convertible Sedan.

Larry also has a Mullens trailer that we have done a lot of restoration work on. He plans to equip it with some eleven spoke Clev-Weld wheels to match the wheels that will be fit to this car eventually.

Here are a few preview images of the 1936 Ford Towncar Delivery.

R-10 Borg Warner Overdrive Set Up

Enclosed drive line installation of the overdrive.

A few things to consider......

1. Build it so it can be removed from the rear section, in one piece. So the rear drive shaft should be set up with a seal at the flange and yoke/coupler that you can slide the rear shaft of the overdrive into. The coupler should be welded to the rear drive shaft.

2. You will need a breather vent on the top of the unit.

3. I highly recommend running full synthetic gear oil in the unit, as it generates a lot of heat. Standing alone, it has difficulty dissipating it.

4. When you have your speedometer cable made, make sure it is a sealed casing as fluid will run up the cable, some distance from the case.

5. I used a Packard shift control cable, and formed the mounting bracket to fit around my gear shift handle. It slides down on it for a compression fit. I also found a knob that matched pretty closely to my dash knobs. I had to have the shaft turned down to fit the mount/cable jacket, and compressed the end of the shaft to the cable wire again. I think the Packard cable was the longest that I could find. Length is an issue, so make sure you are setting the overdrive at the right distance from your control knob..... making sure you have necessary clearance in the area you are installing it as well.

1937 Chevrolet Turn Signal Custom Installation

1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck did not come with turn signals, nor did the 37 cars or most vintage and classic cars of the era. It is a safety issue and most people install some sort of turn signals to their classic cars.

To me, it is important to have that detail look appealing just as it is important to have the fit and finish look right. Putting Kawasaki turn signals on the front bumper and a Chinese switch on the column just doesn't do it for me.

It took a bit of thought before I finally made some special light sockets that would bolt inside the headlight mount and be virtually invisible until they are flashing. If you look at the right tail light, and you are familiar with these early Chevrolet Trucks, you will notice that the license plate light is not on that light. I reconfigured the light retainers inside so that I could get that bulb down inside the housing, instead of protruding the way the original design was. I used original pieces from a couple lights to accomplish this task. I also tig welded the license light hole shut without disturbing the lettering, Chevlite.

I used a 1940's -1950's GM issue Guide 6004 turn signal switch with 7 wires and had Rhode Island Wiring add the wires into the custom harness, to support the lights at each corner.

Another little detail that you might notice if you are somewhat familiar with these early Chevy trucks, is the retainer for the conduit at the tail light. This is the correct stuff. It is a rare thing to see this done correctly on these trucks because most have been lost over the years.

1937 Chevrolet Custom Pickup Truck

This 1937 Chevrolet Panel Delivery was converted to a Pickup Truck, similar to an El Camino. Who knows, maybe it was the inspiration for the El Camino. This original, vintage photo was used with permission from Darrins Photoclique.

Columbia Two Speed Rear End 1936 with 1946 Ford Electric Vacuum Controls

1936 Ford had a manual vacuum Columbia Two Speed rear end but in 1946, the Columbia Two Speed Axle was controlled by an electric solenoid vacuum switch. The Columbia Two Speed Rear End gave the Flathead Fords in the 1930's and 1940's nearly a one third taller gear ratio to the tire.

In the 1936 Ford Cabriolet that I built into a 1958 style hot rod, I used a combination of systems to accomplish my goal. I wanted to give my client a nice operating, period correct Columbia Two Speed in the rear end of the 1957 Fuel Injected Corvette 283 powered, 1936 Ford.

I equipped the hot rod with a 1940 Ford Dash and used a cigar lighter housing and an original style 1940 Ford choke knob with the flat rod. I made a round piece that fit into the lighter housing and put a slot in it and in the end of the housing so that the flat rod would slide with some sort of stability. I fastened a three position toggle switch on an L shaped bracket on the back end of the lighter housing and drilled a hole in the slide rod of the choke knob in the correct position so that the toggle switch fit into the hole. Now what looks like a choke knob is actually a three position neutral return switch. The C for choke now is C for Columbia.

By pushing the, now Columbia switch in, it completes a circuit and likewise when you pull it out. It springs back to center, or to the neutral position.

The Columbia Two Speed Rear End should not be shifted, unless the clutch is all the way in. I took a brake light switch apart and reversed the contact points so that when it is depressed, it completes a circuit instead of completing the circuit when it is released as original operation. I mounted that switch on the frame so that the 1939 Ford Clutch pedal arm would activate the switch and complete the circuit when completely depressed.

I reduced the voltage from 12 to 6 volts for the electromagnetic solenoids for the 1946 Ford Columbia Two Speed vacuum shift control.

Now I had all the components to make the system complete. One more thing I did though is route the power through period correct 12 volt Delco relays which are switched by the original NOS Hurd keyed ignition switch and again with the tweaked brake light switch and the three position toggle switch.

I almost forgot one more detail. The electromagnetic solenoid-vacuum switch that sends the vacuum to the rear to make the actual shift, also shifts a little speedometer cable, two speed transmission so that the speedometer reads correctly when you shift from low to high and back, automatically.

I added a picture of the other switches. One is to switch the 1950's electric fuel pump and the others are dash lights and cigar lighter. Notice the original 1940  heater switch on the underside of the dash and the 8 ball that controls the original NOS Yoder Wolf Whistle. All the knobs have original 36 bezels with a custom stainless ring in the middle.

Joma Thermometer on a 1937 Chevy truck mirror

In 1937, Chevrolet didn't offer a thermometer on an original truck mirror arm, but I thought it would be pretty cool to have one on my truck. I won an auction on e-bay for a Joma Thermometer Mirror. The mirrors clamp to the edge of the door, but I wanted the thermometer on my original mirror arm. I welded up a pod on my mirror arm to hold the thermometer and repainted the arm. It looks like it could have been a factory installation, and I've been enjoying the convenience of looking at my Joma thermometer to get an accurate indication of the ambient temperature every time I take the old 37 Chevy truck out for a drive. I had the thermometer reading 100 degrees on my return trip from North Carolina as I was cruising down the interstate at 70 mph.

1937 Chevrolet Truck Right Mirror Arm Steel Like Original

The Right Mirror arm for 1936 through 1938 Chevy Pickup Truck is very rare. I have only seen one original on e-bay, and it had been chromed. The detail was lost on that one. They are next to impossible to find. I bought a reproduction when I was restoring my truck. I mounted it on the hinge and sat in the driver's seat. I then realized that the arm was curved forward so much that you could hardly see the mirror. In attempting to straighten the built in curve, it snapped off. I was actually relieved that happened. It made me nervous to mount my original 1937 Chevy Pickup Truck mirror on that cheesy pot metal arm. I knew that a slight bump against it could end up with my prized mirror head on the ground in pieces.

I knew at that point that my original 37 Chevy mirror would be mounted on a steel arm, like the original, and not some brittle pot metal reproduction.

I started with a piece of re-bar and some flat stock. I chose the re-bar because by grinding off the cross hashes, I ended up with a piece that looked like it had cast lines up and down both sides, just as the original has. I shaped and welded the flat stock together to fit over the hinge, like the original and welded the rebar piece that I had carved on, to the formed piece that I'd made from the flat stock. I ground the top of the formed piece so that it looked like the cast line extended onto that piece just like the original, and made a round piece for the mirror head to bolt to and welded that on.

Now it was time after grinding, filing and sanding the piece to do the finish on it.
I surfaced it with primer surfacer and sanded it. I then primered it again using very low pressure so that the primer went on with a texture that made it look like a cast piece, just like the original. After that was dry, I took a little angle grinder with 50 grit and brushed it across my casting lines, just as the original was. After that, it was sealer and topcoat.

The only way to detect that it is not an original by looking at it, is that it doesn't have the casting number 592146. On the dark pictures, notice the textured look in the finish and the grinder marks on my casting lines that I created.

1936 Ford Coachbuilt Custom Towncar Delivery

I added some interesting photos to this earlier post. I located a picture of the Seibert Custom stretched 1936 Ford Sedan Delivery and a photo of a Cunningham Towncar that looks somewhat similar to the Custom Coachbuilt Towncar Delivery that we are building.

1940 Ford Accessory Banjo Steering Wheel

This is actually a 1936 Ford Cabriolet that I built into a 1958 style Hot Rod with 57 Corvette engine and a lot of other really cool stuff that is all absolutely period correct.

Well it goes with the dash trim quite well doesn't it? This special steering wheel was not offered by Ford in 1940 but was offered as an accessory for Chevrolet in the 1940's.

We started with a 1937 steering column because it was the first year for the roller bearing steering cluster.

There was a number of slight modifications to put this whole thing together, including the mount to the frame, the mount to the dash, the indent for the steering lock, the key way cut in the steering wheel, the ball bearing support for the upper shaft, the special one off ring to adapt the light switch knob to the wheel, and the tweaking of the 1939 horn button to make it work in the 1936 knob with the 36 ring. I painted the light switch knob to match the rest of the knobs and painted the wheel hub to match the original 1940 Ford dash color.

The whole thing works well, just as it would if it had come from the factory this way. Easy you think? Give it a try! Oh yea, and the recasting of the wheel ring to make it match the color of the original 1940 Ford knobs that required about as much tweaking to make them support the functions of this 1958 period correct hot rod.

Yes we had the knob of the turn signal switch recast as well, so it would match the knobs on the dash and window cranks.

For those of you not familiar with the early Fords of this era, the beige color part in the middle of the steering wheel, with the red stripes, is the light control knob. It controls the switch at the other end of the column by a shaft that runs down the center of the column.

1936 Ford Custom Phantom Convertible Sedan

This 1936 Ford Sedan was transformed into a 34-35-36 Humpback Phantom Convertible Sedan. It had a great platform with only a few minor pinholes in the floor pan but had been hit very hard in the side. My friend Larry had a convertible that was in pretty bad condition so we decided to build a Phantom Car. We took 2-1/2 inches out of the running boards, used the bottom of a 1934 Ford Grill on the 1935 Ford Grill, reshaped the front portion of the fenders as well as reshaping all the fenders where they meet the running boards, and added onto the front inner fender aprons to fill the area under the grill. By using the upper cowl/windshield frame, doors, B and C pillars, we had the makings of a real convertible. Yes it is a one of a kind. The convertible windows will function as well. The picture on the bottom is a 1935 Ford Grill before modification and after, with the 1934 bottom fit onto it. This project is currently on hold because we are concentrating on his Custom Coachbuilt Towncar Delivery.