Automobile Glass Restoration

Date Bugs on your glass is an important detail for your restoration project. This is often overlooked or considered not important in a restoration. Some are not even aware that the date bugs exist.

Another important aspect in the replacement glass is black edging. This was a process that was almost always used on the 1930's glass. Restorers often only black edge the glass that is visible as in the edges of wind wings, when they were safety glass and the door glass, at the top. This is perfectly acceptable as the edge around the windshield is usually encapsulated in the metal frame.

Often too, the edges of the glass are not finished with a uniform radius and polished as they were originally. On a high end restoration, this detail is equally important. It is the attention to detail that sets one restoration apart from the other.

I am personally drawn to the restoration that is done to a high level of detail. I think it is a feeling of high respect and admiration when you run into that project that was done to a level comparable to what you yourself are passionate about.

I have a couple pictures of the original windshield and back glass in my 1937 Chevrolet pickup, and some pictures of 1936 Ford date bugs that I will share here. We reproduced the bugs on the 36 Ford Glass with an acid process. Bugs can also be done with a blasted abrasive process.

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.

1936 Chevrolet Original Survivor

Thomasuras Rick  to me
   

MAN !!!!!!!!!!! What nice work.  I'm a home builder and 30's era car lover 1936 is my favorite year and I searched  the net looking at cars ,rod builders , and doing research on 30 ERA woodies for my project and I have to say your site and cars are the best I've seen . I'm attaching a photo of my 1936 D2 that's all original down to the paint. It was a crazy find and it's amazing to see an original car in this shape , the window rubber and floor mats are all dried and cracking but I'm leaving it. The car has never been apart or painted, and runs great , Didn't help my project any I had to find another parts car . But I relay enjoyed your site and am amazed at your fine work .

Thanks for the compliment.
Your 36 is a beauty and I'm glad you are keeping it in it's original state. There are so few of these true survivors. Once you restore a car, it puts it into a different category. It is just wonderful to see originals like the one here that you were so lucky to acquire.
Doug

VCCA Flint Michigan 2011 Meet Preview 1934 Chevrolet Cabriolet

The 50th Anniversary of the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America will be celebrated along with the 100th Anniversary of Chevrolet, this July 2011, in Flint, Michigan. The celebration begins on the 17th and concludes on the 22nd with the presentation of awards.

Most of the activities will be reserved for the members of the VCCA, although a large number of vintage Chevrolets will be on display, on the 21st at Saginaw St. in Flint. The general public may be able to view the cars there.

We have just completed a complete restoration of a 1934 Chevrolet Cabriolet, which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful production cars built in the USA, and will be part of the celebration. This one has been quite a project, reviving it to it's former glory. Actually in it's day, it wasn't considered that special, but to bring the car back to the level of perfection that this car is at now, requires extreme patience and unwavering dedication. Not to mention the financial aspect of it.

This project has been a team effort over the last few years. Dan started with the initial assembly of the wood kit. Dennis and I worked together refining the fit and and final assembly of the wood. I did the sheet metal restoration, paint and assembly of the body. We recast the windshield frame in bronze to replace the original pot metal frame. Dennis restored all the mechanical components and assembled the chassis. Dan then took care of the upholstery and top, using the Hampton kits.

One of the biggest obstacles you encounter when doing restoration work, is outside sub work, such as chrome plating etc. After we made some replacement top irons, the local chrome shop destroyed all the top irons by polishing the metal away and losing the crisp detail, as well as the flat bearing surfaces. Dennis then remade all the irons and fortunately has a very close friend who does master machine work, ending up with an extremely nice top assembly.

I gotta say, it is always a pleasure working with Dennis, as he is the gentleman of gentlemen and his talent and skill are equally rated, in my book.

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.

Classic Car windshield wipers by Trico in 1928

Trico has been the name in windshield wipers almost since the dawn of motorized vehicles. If you still have the original wipers on your vehicle, chances are, they were made by Trico. It's interesting how often these vintage parts show up for sale, in NOS new old stock condition. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200597808497&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

The seller of this item generously allowed me to use his pictures so that I could share them with my readers.

Hot Rod 235 Chevrolet Stove Bolt Six

Stromberg BXOV2 carburetors are the choice of discerning stove bolt six hotrodders. These planted on top of a vintage Edelbrock intake make for a responsive accelerator. I was able to round up this matching pair by diligently watching e-bay, and picking them off, one at a time. They were both NORS. It took me several months of watching every day but after removing the Carter W-1 carbs that I had been using, I realized a huge difference in accelerator response.

Yes it cut into my fuel economy but driving my 37 Chevy is not about economy anyway. It's about enjoyment.

The air cleaners on top are original AC air cleaners off 1940's vintage trucks. The elements are original fiber from the 1930's and are about as rare as hens teeth. I had a seller throw one in with a brass replacement that I won on e-bay and when I saw the freebie that he gave me, I knew I had to have another one. I just really liked the way the color went with the decal on top. It took me about 8 months of watching e-bay to come up with the second one and I soon found that several people wanted it real bad. I put a bid in at about $120 and actually won it for $77, if my memory serves me right. I have not seen another since that auction that I won about 4 years ago.

The split exhaust manifold is actually the original 1937, 216 manifold that came on my truck. I did the split on it and had a local welder stick it together with nickel alloy rod.  I made some adapter rings for the intake to the head because I am running the 1960 235ci engine.