Projects Tim's (aka anothercarguy) 1938 Ford Club Cabriolet Build Thread

Now that the tool tray and rear section of the trunk floor was done, it was time to focus my attention on the tail pan. I didn't like the thickness of the lead filler used by Henry's technicians at the factory seam (between 1/4 - 3/8" of lead...which had to be melted out for re-welding...and because I don't do lead, would need to be replaced with body filler...which in my mind was asking a lot from plastic fillers/sculpting) . I figured with a little effort and some more time hammering on stuff I could get a better fit and finish. Again, I try to break complicated parts into bite size pieces to aid in shaping...after all, once they're welded together they all become one piece again. This is what the factory seam looked like after the lead was melted out.

And, after some more cutting, hammering, welding, grinding etc., it looked quite a bit better. I like cutting away small sections as I'm fitting my formed parts together. This allows the old section adjacent to my patch to show me where the new piece is supposed to be. Hope that makes sense.

 

Next up was the sections around the bumper iron recesses...more of the same. I should also add that I have an english wheel that I made (and can provide pictures if interested) using a square tube trailer tongue jack as the mechanism that applies pressure and a very simple "over centre" cam as a quick release to change out the wheels. It too works very well. That said, the other tool I use to help with the hammering is one of those cheapy HF planishing hammers with the 3 different dies and the air hammer that provides the impact and noise. I frankly was shocked at how well that little (and cheap) tool shapes metal....ok on with the show.

On panels like these, I like tacking with the mig welder, grinding the tack welds flat and then welding solid with the tig welder (I should also add, that this project is my first foray into tig welding...learning new things is part of the fun of this hobby!).

 

Now that those areas of the tail pan were coming together, it was time to devote some attention to the area in between. The upper 1/2 of the panel was in not too bad condition, though it did have a couple pretty good dents in the center that were filled with lead. I guess nobody tried hammering them out because the trunk latch brace would have been in the way. Now that the brace was no longer there, they were easily hammered out. The bottom 1/2 of the panel however was terminal, so a little time with the tools and the replacement was ready for welding into place. Here I'm overlaying the panel to compare shape...pretty close.

Hey guys, BTW, if this is too many pictures, or I'm being a windbag...just say so.

 

The other area of concern that is readily apparent in the past few photos...is the trunk rain gutter. It needed replacement pretty much all the way around as there were scattered areas of deep pitting, rust through as well as outright missing sections. I bent 2 pieces of 18 gauge steel into L-shapes, spent a bunch of time on the shrinker/stretchers and then once the shape was correct I welded them solidly together and then tacked them to the car.

So, now I realized I needed to get the trunk lid into shape so that I could fit the lid and gutter at the same time to keep the correct gap. I don't have a lot of photos of this, but I separated the inner structure and skin, cleaned up and sandblasted the rusty areas. I ended up pretty much re-making the bottom 3" of the outer skin, as well as sections of the inner structure. This was also a good opportunity to hammer and dolly out the trunk skin which had some pretty nasty dents and stretches (one issue was related to a previous owner trying to close the lid while the trunk lid retainer was locked into place which resulted in a nasty fold and cracks).

 

We're coming real close to current day now fellows, so be prepared for a sudden stop...The other area of concern for me was the factory seams at the tulip panel. The factory lead had cracked badly in the area and when I melted it out I discovered that areas of the factory tinning had obviously not taken. It had areas where the pitting was deep enough to see daylight. The lead was about 3/8"+ deep in the area as well, so I figured replacement was in order.

The other challenge in this area was limited access to the back side due to the brace that supports the trunk hinge. I didn't want to remove the brace because the trunk lid fit pretty well and I didn't want to risk losing that. So, in the areas where I couldn't get access to the backside, I mig welded to reduce the heat affected warpage. This included the trunk rain gutter across the tulip panel as well.

 

And, the trunk area after welding solid, planishing, grinding etc. You can easily see the difference in the heat affected zones between the mig and tig welded areas.

 

Ok...that's brings us pretty much up to date. Next minor project will be installing the braces between the tool tray and the trunk rain gutter, re-installing the trunk latch brace and then it's time to move onto the doors. Again, while they don't look bad in the photos (and seem to fit pretty well), there will be much work required to bring them around. And a few closing shots for now.

I'll try and keep this thread updated as the project continues...albeit at a much slower pace than the past couple days.

And as a sidebar, 'cause I know how great you guys are at scoping out the backgrounds in photos...anyone notice the difference in the TV in the background from the early shots of the build to today? The drive-in screen sized TV was a give away here on the island (where I live)...always a scrounge. Lol!!

 

wow pure poetry, so well done, I,m replacing trunk rain gutters on my 40dlx coupe, I learned alot today thank you

 

Thanks.

 

Thanks

 

With your ability, I think that even at regular speed, you will out perform us.

 

I bought one of those really cheap at a swap meet a few years ago, but have never used it. I'm curious now how well it might actually work. I think I'll dig it out this weekend.

 

Thanks.

I like hammering the steel into my leather shot bag to introduce the stretch, and then a quick pass on the planishing hammer to smooth the wallnuts out. It really helps when the pieces are too small and awkward for the english wheel. I filled the frame of the little unit with sand to dampen the vibration and I've got it bolted solidly to the side of one of my workbenches.

 

Nice work. Your wife is going to love this when it's finished!

 

Very nice work. I don't think there is one body panel that you haven't done some work on! Thanks for all the pics showing all your repairs and progress.

Sent from my SM-G950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Looking good. I’ll be watching your progress. I’m waiting to get a little farther along than I am now on my build to start a build thread. I’m just in the chassis building stage right now. Keep up the good work.

 

Thanks.

Thanks. I appreciate the comments.

Thanks. I like the avatar of your convertible...is it a '39?

 

Yessir, and thanks.

 

Mountain of work man, looking great.

 

Thanks for sharing. Learning a lot. Love the cabs n convert sedans.
I, & others, would be happy for a tool-building thread of yours.
Marcus...

 

All I can say is Dammmnnn! That thing is going to be killer! You have some mad fabrication skills, I’d say you have done this a time or two.
I have a new project now, building an air purifier. Can you shoot a few pics of the unit with the filters removed?

 

Just curious, you moved the front crossmember forward one set of holes, (which I think would be 1 3/8”).Are you planning on stretching the front sheet metal at the cowl area accordingly, or just moving the front fender well opening forward?Either way, I could see that looking pretty cool.

 

Just a fantastic project! And good for you for bringing a car into B.C. - usually they are going the other way.

 

I am totally in awe of your craftsmanship. I went through a similar project but no where as involved. If there is an interest, I can post some construction shots. Not to brag but they might help someone. I sure could have learned from yours. View attachment 4906712 View attachment 4906714 View attachment 4906714 View attachment 4906712 View attachment 4906714

 

Keep the pictures coming! Fantastic work.

 

When I was studying the car before disassembly, and imagined the dropped axle moving the tire slightly rearward due to the caster, I tend to prefer the look of the front tires slightly favouring the lead side of the fender opening. So I rolled a tire back and forth in the wheelwell until it had the look I was after. If my measuring tape lied to me (and its done that before lol), I'll adjust the wheelwell if I need to. Good question.

Btw, feel free to post some pics of your project.

 

Thanks!...indeed I drug a bunch of projects westward with me. Once the world returns to normal, I'm looking forward to connecting with other similar minded enthusiasts.

 

Thanks for the kind words. Nice 37 cabriolet! Absolutely please feel free to share photos. Btw, I tried to open a couple of your attachments but couldn't (showed HAMB error).

 

Thank you. I'll take a few pictures of the fan box when I get down to the shop and will post them later today.

 

I see. Adjusting the wheel well will be no problem for you based on what I’m seeing. You have a good thread going here so I don’t wanna clog it up with my crap. Lol. The reason I said 1 3/8”, I had to replace the front crossmember in my frame and I measured the distance between the three top holes in the old one just out of curiosity. Keep up the good work and have fun doing it.