1930 Chevy replacing the wood with steel

Anyone want to comment on what I am doing here? Its my first shot at it.
I have built stock cars for years but this is a bit different

 

I'm redoing the wood in a '32 Chevy right now. I toyed with the idea of steel but I punked out. Looks like you're doing it right.

 

Looks good. Are the doors aligning okay? Most of the wood in my '29 is in good shape but I'm having trouble with my front (mine's a 4-door sedan) passenger door alignment.

 

Keep an eye on the door, cowl, and quarter "visual curve" when viewed down the side from front view and back view. I use a long 1/8" thick flexible band steel 2" wide to lay across all the panels when doing the posts. Just flex it to check the alignment of all the panels, down low, midpoint, and top.

The reason is that if the quarter or cowl post bows a little when welding it a lot, then it all starts to get out of shape.

If you see something wrong, cut it apart before it gets really out of shape.

 

Watch the door openings close. That was the most trouble on my 34. I welded a stiffener in while the door was still on

 

Looks good so far.The wood on my 32 was for the most part really good so I kept it . I had to change a couple of pieces in the roof corners and the lower trunk area.As F&J said, watching the panel alignment is most critical. I used the old wood as a pattern for the new pieces and even then I had to make adjustments to the wood to get everything to come into alignment. Good luck.......Keep us posted.

 

I am going to do the doors in steel too...I think I will just frame them in 3/3 tubing and use sheet metal to stiffen it. Anyone have a picture of a finished all steel door?

 

Even if you use new wood the doors sound like any house door when shutting it....

 

since when did vega's get wood in the doors?

I'll see if i can dig up some shots of my 31 i did, and some of the 28 i'm doing

 

Doors are tricky to get all the internal stuff fitting again....

3x3 sounds a bit too bulky for a perimeter frame. It seems like it would cause problems at the front where the hinges are and also at the back where the latch guts will be. Not to forget about leaving room for the vertical window channels.

All the latches I have seen, barely leave room for the vertical window channels. Another problem area is that you need to get the angle of the jambs perfect were the hinges are, and more importantly, the latch. If the jamb angle is wrong at the latch end of the door, then it screws up the way the outer door handle will fit. That door handle shaft barely clears the channel.

If you can get to look at a similar year "all steel" Dodge or Ford door, you would be suprised how simple they are.

Not having a Chevy door here to look at... does it have a finished sheetmetal "front and back jamb edge"? If it does, you can add sheetmetal bent at 90 degrees to stiffen all the edges. Then run 1/2 or 3/4" square tubing to that.

I'll try to find some pics of my 32 Nash doors and 32 Ford doors. The Nash had tons of wood in the doors, some of which made no sense. I used mainly 3/4" square, and I even used 2 horizontal 3/4s to hang the latch and regulator. Then a diagonal 3/4 to stiffen it from twisting. It looks weak as heck, but is very rigid and lightweight.

My 32 Ford inner doors were hacked up bad with suicide hinges. I used same age Dodge sedan inner skins to reform what is basically shaped like a cereal box.

 

Don't look bad..I'd try 3/4 square tubing for the doors.Worked for me. I used 1/8 inch flat bar for the A pillers. Remember to jump around when your welding it. Slow and easy. Just remember your not taken it to the moon.

 

Matt...

here's a few that i've done...
my 31 chevy
Before


After




And my current project my 28 Chevy touring
Dec 09


Late Spring

 

Looks good. The last page of this thread has pics of my 31.

 

Is that panel between front and rear doors rigid enough to swng the doors or will you need to brace it more to the floor?

 

not to sound dumb, but are all the gussets needed? or just for looks? Man that makes me happy for having a truck with way less work. Very impressive work you do.

As i just reread the whole post i remember you getting that! Way cool in what you did, any progress updates?

 

The center curved pieces isn't in those pics, but it will be braced on both mid sections between the doors, and into the floor section, otherwise there's no stability...
you can kinda see it here

 

Great thread. Good to see Gm's being brought back.

 

Here's a 34 olds coupe I did the doors on. I used 1x1 and 1x2 16ga square tubing. Around the window opening I used 18 ga sheet that I formed with my brake and shrinker.

 

Good thoughts on the door fit. To prevent a tragedy I welded the door on with 4 small strips in order to hold the door frame shape during surgery.

 

Wow, that looks eerily similar to the frame I put in my coupe. Lots of people use wood in a metal body, but I'm a metalworking man, used metal in a 'glass body.

Lots of 3/4" x 1/8" tube and miles of weld.

 

I did gusset the bejesus out of it, mostly because I had several boxes of them kicking around the shop for years. Finally something to stick them to. Probably not necessary but it is VERY solid.

Instead of making all those pie cuts to get a curve, I bought a chinese tubing bender from Summit that bends the 1x1 1/16 tubing. The bender bolts to my workbench and I anchored a come-along to one end to help prevent turning the whole table.

I have used about 70 feet, some for temporary bracing....

 

Most of the steel I use in the structure of the body and doors is either 3/4 or 1/2 inch square. Most of the heavier stuff I use for the body to frame mounting points. My build pics of my 27 chevy and 28 chevy shows alot of structure shots but here is a few of the doors I usually start on the perimiter after hanging the doors and then move to the cross bracing, keeping in mind the hardware mounting points, and garnish molding support areas. I have used original and newer bear claw latches in my builds. either one works fine

 

Notch-and-weld is labor intensive! Half inch square is particularly easy to curve in order to follow the gentle curves of the body. One way is to place the square tubing on a pair of 4-by-4's spaced a distance apart (you decide how far for your particular application). Then stand on the open span and shape it to the desired curve. Make both sides the same while you are at it. Tweeking is required, and that skill can be acquired in short order. For tighter curves, a bending "hickey" can be fabbed out of quarter inch flat stock welded to each side of curved (6" radius) 1/2" by 1/4" stock. Build a restraining hook to anchor your tubing at one end of the hickey, secure the hickey in a large vice and then start moving the long free end of the tubing. Be sure to oil the inside surfaces of the hickey (use 90-120 weight gear oil or engine oil-STP mix).

 

Anybody have a plan for floorboards? Mine are missing and I am thinking they were plywood braced with 2X's?

 

I did find out later that I could get an even and tight curve, simply by swinging on one end in the vice, no problem. of course that was after, but it would have saved a couple hours messing about.

I also used a whole lot more tube than I expected or planned to!

 

You really ought to box that frame first.
On the floor board or the body to frame supports/ I usually line up the body in it's original location, and height off the frame. Then I run a 2 inch by 2 inch square on top of the frame, from the cowl back to where the frame starts to kick up. At this point I either bend or notch the metal to follow the contour of the kick up, keeping it tight to the frame. I then drill 3 holes per side through the top metal into the bottom frame at different locations front to back. Slide bolts through these to keep the body lined up. These will be the body mounting holes to the frame You can weld nuts to the inside of the frame or into the frame when you finnaly bolt the frame down. From this frame work you can secure the outside perimiter of the body, and start all the interior floor pan bracing, keeping in mind things like under floor mounted braking, and battery location. your flooring can be puddle welded down to the bracing through 3/8 inch holes. That ought to make that old chevy solid .and a little heavy chevy aint so bad.

 

Love these threads!! just got me a 31 Chevy.

 

Looks great we ran a A/G 31 coupe back in the early 60s. When we choped the top the wood was very bad. We removed most of it and replaced it with formed sheet metal.

 

We replaced most of the wood building the Vicky. Jimmy White & Matt Proctor at Circle City Hot Rods did the work. Pics on the build site, my signature. Hope it helps.

Terry

 

This is a good thread. Nice work everyone. I used steel and wood in my '34 truck.

Someone asked about floors. I used tubing, angle iron and wood to mimmic the original stuff.