1940 Ford Dash in 1936 Ford Cabriolet

The 1940 Ford Dash looks better in the 1936 Ford Cabriolet than it does in the 1940 Ford. So many times when this conversion is done , the character of the 1940 Ford Dash is lost because the trim is removed, the ash trays are lost and, the original gauges are replaced with industrial looking gauges with the industrial looking billet insert etc. After all the trim is removed, you end up with just a silhouette of the beautiful dash that used to be.

When I fit this dash into this car, I retained all the character of the original dash. The control knobs are just slightly altered and the controls are actually changed because the systems in this car are totally different than the old 1940 Ford. The amount of work that went into modifying the controls in using the original knobs would be a long story in itself. I won't go into detail on that here.

I did use some of the top and ends from the original 1936 Ford dash in order to mount the 1940 Ford dash into the car and retain the trim effect around the windshield. The 1940 Ford dash did require a little shrinking and reshaping on the top. I also had to make a bracket to hold the steering column.

The string tied off the one control knob is hooked to the original NOS Yoder Wolf Whistle that I install on the top of the Fuel Injected 1957 Corvette engine that powers the car through the Zephyr geared transmission and the Columbia two speed rear end.

1936 Ford Sedan 1936 Ford Cabriolet 1937 Chevy Truck

1936 Ford Sedan 1936 Ford Cabriolet 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck in Doug's Classic Coachworks display at the 2008 Seattle Roadster Show. I had a nice spot on the upper level, right next to the beer garden. That was convenient, as we could sit there and watch as we sipped on our Budweiser. If you look closely, you'll see that all three vehicles were awarded Best in Class trophies.

1939 Chevrolet

In 1939 General Motors issued a special Chevrolet Approved Mechanic pin. It is a gold filled enameled beauty. This 1939 Chevrolet Approved pin is quite small in size but is quite attractive when worn on your lapel.

1948 Chevrolet Suburban Panel Rear Door Tailgate

1948 Chevy Panel had barn doors. The Suburban had Clam Shell or Barn Doors. I made barn doors lower and used the upper clam shell on this 1948 Chevrolet Panel Truck. I just added some more photos to this blog.   Click here to see detail. Custom Door Conversion

1934 Chevy Cabriolet Windshield New Bronze Recast

1934 Chevrolet Cabriolet Windshield was made of pot metal. As you know, pot metal was used because of the savings over using something like brass or bronze, which would have actually been the ideal materials to use for the simple fact that it maintains it's integrity far better than pot metal does. Corrosion in pot metal goes inner granular and therefore becomes extremely difficult to restore successfully. If you happen to find that rare Chrome shop that is capable of restoring pot metal, you will realize the expense of the process. The word expense will actually take on a whole new meaning at that point.

Recasting a windshield frame as we did with this one is certainly no inexpensive matter either, but the outcome can be very rewarding if you have the patience, skill and understanding of the process. Shrinkage occurs at a rate of 3/16" to the foot. I had to fill the groove for the glass as well.

To start the process, you will need a plug or in other words an original windshield frame that is enlarged and smoothed, as well as filling most of the crevasses and holes. You have to make it so it will release from the mold without pulling the mold apart. The mold in this case being of hard packed sand. Referred to as Sand Casting. This is by far the preferred method of low production castings. The reason being, that it would be extremely expensive to make a dedicated mold as they did originally in the factory.

After the new recast part comes back from the foundry, you will need to smooth it to make it ready for chrome, fit it to the vehicle and do all the machining required to restore all the holes and cutout for the glass etc.

If you are wondering about cost to do such a thing. Lets just say it cost more than 10 times what the car cost new, just to recast the windshield frame. But then, when building a car of this caliber, options are very limited.
Installing a less than beautiful windshield would only bring the car down.

This windshield is probably the only 1934 Chevrolet bronze windshield frame.

Hot Rod Mirrors, Tear Drop Style, and Original

No Glare or Non Glare mirrors are very rare to see on a Vintage or Restored Car. Not many people even consider the importance of the Glare free mirrors and quite probably, don't even know they exist. I think I can safely say that no one is reproducing no glare mirrors for Classic Cars, however all cars used non glare mirrors as original equipment, for nearly as long as cars have been built. The reason being is that when you are driving at night and a car comes up behind you with headlights on, you will be blinded. I personally think that manufacturers should be required to install non glare mirror in any and all reproduction or replacement mirrors that are to be used for automobiles. Not that I am for more government control but this truly is a safety issue. I make a special effort now to make sure that any car that I build, has the no glare mirrors even if it means removing standard mirror and replacing it in the mirror heads.

Occasionally you can find, on e-bay, a listing for original and early accessory aftermarket mirrors such a Yankee and sometimes original equipment mirrors as well. I have added pictures of both here. The tear drop mirrors recently sold on e-bay auction for $325.

I won an auction for the original 1937 Chevrolet Truck Mirrors for a fraction of that. It was a Buy It Now auction and to my surprise, I missed it the first week it ran. Now that e-bay is much more used than it was in earlier years, it is very rare to find such a deal. I really lucked out. I do have three more original 37 truck mirrors in my stash and would be willing to part with two of them. I will keep at least one for spare, just in case some accident does happen. Finding them is kinda like finding hens teeth.

1936 Ford Radiator Building and Fitting

1936 Fords have the most difficult front ends to fit. It is very critical that the radiator is built with great accuracy. The reason for this is that the front end sheet metal is mounted to the radiator. The grill, hood ornament and the hood is mounted to it. The fit of the entire front sheet metal assembly is determined by the accuracy of the radiator build.

These front ends are usually assembled on the floor and then put on the car as a unit, with the exception of the hood. When the radiator is mounted in the front end, it is very difficult to access the bolts that fasten the grill to the horn panels.

I have solved this problem, and actually made it so the front end can be assembled on the car. I have made a male and female radiator jig set. I made these using an original radiator, in very good condition. Like I mentioned earlier, it is very critical that all the mounting points are accurate. This cannot be accomplished with a tape measure, contrary to what most radiator shops will tell you. I know from much frustrating experience.

The last radiator I had built, I actually spent two late evenings working with a very competent radiator repairman, now retired, unfortunately. I did have my jig to help us in the build. This is the radiator that was built for the 1957 Corvette powered 1936 Ford Cabriolet. The male jig is used to build the sheet metal front end. Since it is a copy of the original radiator, and it bolts into the female jig, when you finish both processes, the new radiator will fit perfectly into your assembled front end. Huge Problem Solved

If you have ever built a 1936 Ford, you know exactly what I'm talking about when I say they are difficult. I am considering offering a jig set if there is interest in purchasing one. It will save a huge amount of time and frustration.