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.

 

Borg Warner Overdrive Installation in Torque Tube

Installing the Borg Warner R 10 Overdrive in the torque tube.

Cut out flanges to fit both ends of the overdrive from 3/4" plate,and cut the center holes to accept your torque tube.
You'll need to gather a coupler for the input and output shafts. Some machine work will likely be required to fit them to your shafts. The rear one will be welded to the drive line and a seal will need to be fit at that point so your overdrive lube will not run to the rear end. The output shaft will slide into the fixed coupler on the rear driveline. This will allow easy installation of the complete unit. Weld the front coupler to the front portion of the drive line. This end will be pinned to the input shaft on the overdrive unit so it doesn't travel forward.
You will need to install a fairly large vent out the top of the overdrive unit, similar to the rear end vent but more like a 1/4" to 3/8" vent. The overdrive will generate substantial heat and therefore the use of synthetic gear lube is recommended.
The custom, extended speedometer cable will need to be a sealed casing as the oil will travel up the cable. Cap the speedo output on your transmission.
You will need an overdrive relay unit. I used a Ford or Merc. relay.  The relay is triggered by a governor on the overdrive unit, that grounds the trigger circuit at 25 mph and sends power to the solenoid by 10 gauge wire, which will allow it to go into overdrive mode if your cable control is at the "in" position.
I used a Packard cable as I figured it was a little longer so as to compensate for the overdrive being back in the middle of the torque tube. I formed the mounting bracket for the cable so that it slides down onto my shifter and acts as a tapered, compression fit.
I use a toggle switch to break the governor circuit, to the relay, so I can split gears. Cable in, switch on, 1st- clutch- 2nd- throttle off clutch in- 2nd over throttle and switch off, throttle off for 3rd-throttle- switch on, throttle off for 3rd overdrive, now you're cookin'.
 I use clutch for the second over but not for 3rd over. It's a little to snappy or violent for second over in my opinion without the clutch. This will get you down the road in a "wow" fashion. At least that is what everyone says that rides in my truck.
Get very accustomed to the shifting before you try to speed shift.
You must not pull the cable out of gear when you are in overdrive mode and you must not engage cable when the solenoid is engaged.
It is best to not move your cable when in motion, until you have very good understanding of how the system works. I take it out of cable overdrive after I have switched it off and come out of solenoid overdrive and snugged the gears forward.
If you are not completely confident with your understanding of the shifting sequence, it is just safe to not move the cable when in motion. The only reason to pull the cable out when in motion is to take it out of "free wheel". Normally it was not designed to do that and had a built in safety device.
I have put 35,000 miles on mine at this point and it is still working great. There were trials and errors but if you follow my directions here, you should have a fail safe installation.
Doug's Classic Coachworks                                                                                                
RestoRodsToGo.com

Replacing Floor Pans and Rocker Panels with originals.

Hi Doug,

 
I'm restoring a 61 Cadillac convertible. Floor pan.  Bracing and rockers are rotted out so I have a 62 Cadillac 2 door with a good floor etc., that I'm intending to cut out in one piece to replace the convertible floor pan etc. Assuming the floors are identical which I believe they are.
I was a body and fender man 40 years ago, so I hope I haven't forgotten too much. Of course dimensions and alignment are critical. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

My other hobby projects are a 74 Corvette, 68 Plymouth, 55 Imperial, 59 Imperial and another 62 Cadillac. All 2 doors.

Thanks very much.
Best Regards,
Gary
Kingston, WA

Hi Gary,

Taking it apart at the original factory seams is the way to go. They make some real good spot weld cutters/drills now, that we just didn't have 40 years ago. Also, we are using die grinders with cut off wheels, to cut welds. It used to be that we took everything apart with an air chisel, back in the late 60s and 70s. Those are used much less now as it was so easy to damage your project with the chisel. We also have a weld through primer now for the seams that consists of a high zinc content. This primer does a fantastic job of holding down the corrosion in your welded seams. It does make plug welding more difficult, but the benefit outweighs the negative.

Once you get your floor pan and rocker assemblies removed at the proper seams, clean them thoroughly and punch holes for your spot/plug welds, keeping in mind the easiest side to dress your welds when finished,  assuming that you will be using a mig welder to reassemble your car.

Prime up your seams and fit the panels in place. Make sure your car is sitting perfectly flat and that all your door openings are fitting perfectly and that your convertible top is fitting good, and your window seals are lining up as you go through the process of reassembly. Check your fits frequently, as you do the reassembly. Your starting points for fit is always your fixed body points. The easiest way to maintain that is by making sure your doors are fit to your rockers and "A" pillars before you take things apart. Even gaps at the bottoms of your doors to the original rockers usually gives a good starting point. Keep the doors attached if possible as this with give you the correct position to place your new rockers.

It is extremely difficult to correct problems with fit after a major reconstruction project that you are planning to do, is done improperly.

I have taken on projects like what I just mentioned and did what I could to correct those mistakes that someone else made. It is nearly impossible to end up with a real good finished product after such a thing has taken place though.

Finally, when it is all in place and cleaned real well, seal all the necessary seams with a good urethane seam sealer. That is another thing that we didn't have 40 years ago. Good seam sealer!

Going back to the beginning... If you take your project over to Scott at Benchmark Automotive, located in the business park by Albertsons. You can probably get things cleaned up with his new, wet glass blasting system, especially in the areas that you will be working. You should at least give him a call to discuss the possibilities. Clean metal is far better to work with when doing such a project.




Good luck with your project and don't hesitate to give me a call if you need. I'm over in Sequim now.

Doug

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.

Using WD40 in Automobile Restoration Maintenance

Cleaning your Aluminum manifold and carburetors is simple with WD40.

Use generous amounts while loosening rusty nuts and bolts.

Wet distributor cap? Spray it with WD40 and it will displace the water.

Restores and cleans leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers

Remove bug juice from your car.

Lubricates noisy door hinges.

Removes road tar and grime from your car.

For those who think tires should shine, you can use WD40 without contaminating your car with silicone.

Removes tape glue.

A former motorcycle racer told me he sprayed it on his road rash, and felt instant relief.

Arthritis in your hands may get relief with WD40.