Projects Olds Rocket 324 in a 32 Ford; "trying to finish it thread"..

Nah, I don't think so. They look pretty cool to my eyes!

The dual wipers look real slick too! Looks like a Deuce that's ready for some miles.

 

Time to build a sewing machine thingy

I've had the old Singer walking foot for almost 5 years, never set it up. Back then I bought a used ebay clutch motor that turned out to be a 3 phase, it came shipped in a plastic cooler. Maybe I can use that to sit on while I sew

Well, I built the table from free pipe from my last house, and some leftover 3/4 ply that a friend found 2 new 4x8 sheets in his dumpster. I used some to fix the seats in the Nash and also the 31 Caddy seat in the Ford.

The special 1/4" dia round drive belt up to the Singer is actually a sealing O-ring from a swimming pool filter cover that my son scrapped out

All that went good but, as I never ran a clutch motor, I did not know how to set up the clutch/brake pedal, or even know that there is another pedal to lift the walking foot with your foot instead of using the hand lever.

Clutch/brake pedal is 40 Ford gas pedal, hooked to old heim carb linkage that came with my 2x2 setup. The foot lift pedal is made from a shed door hinge, and the leftover aluminum rod from my grille. I spent some time planning the pedal ratios to make it very smooth to operate.

Then disaster hit when I hooked up my static 3 phase converter to the clutch motor. First it studdered the convertor box, but the next try, the motor started. It ran 1 minute and smelled real bad. I think the phase converter is too big for the small HP motor. It runs my 1HP mill just fine, though. Checked the fields, not shorted, but the armature is what is boiling hot.


So I wrote to a hamber last night for advice on what type of motor to get: either a 110 clutch motor, or a servo type variable speed, that does not run till you touch the pedal, or any other ideas. He said go with a clutch motor. Well, I don't want to wait to order one...so....


My son found a 1/2HP antique 100% duty cycle motor in his shed this morning, with a pulley on it. Now I need to hook it to the dead clutch motor so I can keep the clutch, which was new.

I took the armature out of the clutch motor, put it in the lathe to bore a hole in the back end and then thread the hole. Then a short piece of 3/4" round stock that I bored and faced on the lathe, then milled a keyway on it for a driven pulley. Bolted that stuff to the old motor back end, and ran a belt to the "new" motor. WTF?... Hey, it was one of those projects where you keep saying "this won't work for shit" ... and..."something will go real wrong"

I just finished hanging the "new" motor on an old house door hinge so the belt could stay tight by gravity, then put on the belt and gave it a try. Holy crap it runs so quiet, does not slip, and it also geared the sewing speed way down to make it easier for me to sew. It sounds perfect. Pedal operation is so silky smooth, no jumpy rpm changes on the needle speed.


What can I say I am a hack

 

Frank,

Your a man of many, many talents!

HT

 

Barely touched the car in over 3 weeks; lifes other obligations need doing.

Anyways, the heavy weight white leatherette I bought years ago is silky soft to the touch, like leather, but even if you wash your hands a lot, it gets dirty from working with it. So now I am practicing with marine white vinyl in thinner weight. It does not get dirty at all.

It is hard to learn sewing in this heat, when busy with other things, and nobody around to teach me. So it's more practice.

Here is the trim layout for door panel and rear quarter panel in pics. In the first pic you might see the small piece of trim with all the screws. I made these from "t nuts" that slide into the stainless trim, then they get held to the panel with screws.

The stainless strip was cut from 37 Ford hood sides. I silver soldered the cut ends on the door piece, and it looks fine, so i'll do the others too.

Above the strip will be the roll pleat or whatever it is called, and the bottoms will be smooth. That's because i never liked front kick panels done in roll/pleat because it's too busy looking.

The roll/pleat at top of door edge will be covered with garnish mouldings, so when you fold the material up over the panel board, it won't look unfinished.

But on the curvy topped rear panel, there is no garnish. So I tried making welting from a piece of material wrapped over 14 ga wire, and tried sewing that to a test panel. I think that will make the top of the quarter look fine. I never knew the walking foot has a groove in it for making welting till 2 days ago. Duh.

Son and i left early AM today to meet a great old school hamber from out of state, for some parts. I was supposed to bring a truck, but took the little station wagon that Ted does not like . Well, he brought way more heavy parts at the last minute. Quite a load; 2 buick and one chev trans 4 driveshafts, and more stuff. One buick is Walt's. Check out the only part I really needed ...the very cool dice shift knob He told me it weighs 5 pounds, and it sure is heavy. I may need to trim it down, so it won't wear out the 2/3 fork.

Also stopped by at the Gasket Goon show on the way back. He, he, the Gasket Goons asked us if we were vending, when they saw all the junk in the back Busy hot day today.

 

great score on the transmissions

 

That was today, this was a couple weeks ago.. It's like "where's Waldo" pics. Some good stuff is covered with the black plastic.

I believe I have some sort of problem, I think. Well two, one is Olds, the other is overloading things.

The old Chevy truck was not squatting, but my son did the hauling, and said it could have used a bit more brake

 

I could look at piles of junk like that all day and never get bored

 

I figured, so I put up huge pics in that post, so you could find waldo

where it came from; you could walk right by something 20 times and not even notice it.

One was a pair of old time aftermarket aluminum plates to use a 324 intake on an early 371. Three Olds hambers went right past them many times, on several visits, and they were sitting right in plain view on a valve grinder bench. Not a big deal type of part, but shows how the mind sometimes is completely out of tune.

 

Despite the insane heat/humidity, I decided to stop practicing, and try to do one panel. This Singer machine is at least 80 years old, but it works good, even though I don't know how to use it.

I am doing the panels that I can't see, if I am in the driver seat

The last one will be the passenger door.


Anyways, there is my first attempt. I think I will keep going, because I am OK with it. The rolls are a bit wide, but for every extra sew line, that's one more chance for me to screw it up.

I am not having great results with the spray glue. 3M #80 is for vinyl/rubber, but is useless. It does not stick at all.

I did buy a commercial brand from the local upholstery shop, and it's good if there is no stretching load on the piece, but it is not good enough around corners where I pulled the top welting over, and tried to get it to hold on the curves.

The best stuff I used years ago, was 3M Fast Foam Adhesive, but I have not found it around here. Made to bond slabs of foam together, but it sticks to anything real permanent.



So, how's it look from far away ?





Oh, I did not make the "windlace" yet. Windlace is what they used before door gaskets were invented. It keeps drafts out. It gets sandwiched between the edge of the rear quarter panel, and also at the front kick panel, and the door touches them.

 

I think it looks great Frank, I am just blown away that you are doing everything yourself!! learning as you go and saving a ton of money old school Hot Rodding at its best. Theres a car show at stafford tomorrow night, can you sneak it over lol

 

ooops, Today went REAL bad for awile. I somehow must have bumped the sewing machine with the large door panel piece, and knocked the thread off of the little spring wire guide thingy...and did not know it.


I started sewing the door panel and was having big problems with skipped areas with no stitches, etc. What a mess it was.

So, when I finally figured out what was wrong, I decided not to scrap it. I pulled all the threads out of several channels that were bad and resewed them. It's not show quality, but if everything else looks way better when I am done, then maybe I will redo this panel...but i doubt it. Mistakes get forgotten, right?


The hockey stick shape of the 37 Ford hood trim, goes right up to the bottom of the dash, like it was made for it. Can't see it in this view.

I am happy so far


The NORS handles I bought years ago as some type of cheapie replacements sold back in the day. The stainless round backing plate things are original 50's? Ford or Merc, I forget.


Man it's hot/humid here. My shop is usually cool, but now it's getting warmish. Before I could start resewing my mistakes, I held my head under the cold shower to try to get more consiousness I guess it helped

 

looks great! can you get the sewing machine into the basement?

 

No, there is no doorway big enough. I have a big commercial A/C unit stored away in the back of the shop, but never needed to use it here.

I have the shop doors open tonight, that might drop the temps down a bit, or at least get some air in there. Either old age is kicking my butt, or else it's hotter than normal this year. This is nuts, trying to learn stuff in these conditions.

 

your hired to do mine Frank

 

it is hotter than normal, if i cool my barn down in the evening and keep the doors shut all day it stays cool...but when the nights are hot too the heat wins. i was given a large air conditioner years ago but i am too cheap to install it and use it.

 

Dave, I waited all day for you to come help

Anyways, even not knowing how to thread this 80 yr old machine when I started, it's "amost" fun work. I was thinking about your door panels today when I was making patterns, but my doors are mostly Dodge now, so I can't make you a pair with these patterns...unless you want to tweak your doors

 

Frank, Given the heat and trying to work thru it I'd say that that looks real sweet! You should look around for a portable swamp cooler that you can park next to you. I found a bunch on CL a while back. It ain't AC but sure would keep you cooler. Keep at it...bet your glad that isn't a fordoor. LOL

 

I've been sitting on the porch just now thinking on how hard it would be to move the A/C unit from the back of my shop...it's w-a-y in the back, and tons of stuff, and the Nash in the way. I have plenty of Amps, this place was a pottery, with electric kilns. Dedicated 200A service coming from the street, not the house.

I'll be ok, I could set up a fan, now that you mentioned "portable" Duh. I was too envolved with fixing my screwups to think of a fan.

 

Trust me Frank if i couldve went down to bother you i would have and enjoyed it alot better than being in the shop as hot as it is!

Thanks for thinking of me or should i say the lack of my door panels It may make Jake look a little better but the raw look is good enough for me Lighter is faster

Ill come down in AM if you want to move that A/C let me know

 

Dave, I am not even going to try to get the A/C moved, it's too far back. I'll use an antique GE tabletop fan I have; the kind that moves from side to side...it will add a little old school to the job

I can do your door panels & side panels, but I'd need to find a way to make old time rolls, instead of these flat ones. I think I know how; sew the channels first, then use flat thin "tongs" to slide stuffing in the pockets.

I am not going to try my seat yet. It's a complex narrowed 31 Caddy V12 sedan seat, and I need more sew time first. So I will do the top before that. I did put a Hirsch canvas top on a 32 Ply cabriolet I used to have, so I know exactly how the pieces need to be cut, and where the seams have to be, to fit right. Looking forward to that job. If that goes ok, I may try a headliner, too. Running boards for sure.

 

I'm stuck. I could use some opinions on the rolled part of the door panels.

The 2-1/2" wide rolls look so streetrod to me, too modern. IMO



How would it look if I did an extra sew line in between those, just like I drew on the rear panel?

1-1/4" is a bit narrow, but maybe it would look more old time? I think it would make more of a rounded roll, not so flat looking. I hope..


this heat is too much; I can't even think straight.

 

I like either but i am not there to see them upo close

 

I did 1.5" pleats in my '35. They start out as 2.25 I think and then with .5-.75" thick foam they get small quick but I like how chunky they are.. I think 1.5" was the standard T&R in the mid 50's. Sorry about the shitty pic...

 

I like the look of the 1.25"/1.5" pleats. I say, stitch some more lines Frank. See how they turn out.

 

JJ's car looks freaking old school cool as far as the width of the rolls. That's the ticket

Thank's for all the opinions, I guess I will soak my head in cold water again, and see if I can stitch some halfway straight lines

 

Thank F&J I appreciate it. My wife did the upholstery and it was her first attempt at sewing anything other then a few skirts and such. I am super proud of her! I knew trading those '32 rails for that industrial sewing machine would come in handy!!!

I basically had her follow the GillGonzales thread on pleats....

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=372599&highlight=tuck+rolls

 

she did a great job! i think what makes it look right is the 3 sections. is the bottom section looped carpet? that always makes it look "old school".

 

I agree, those 2 tone panels look the part. I honestly can't do that, because you not only have to be able to sew two very long lines straight, but are joining two sections as you go. The stitch line will prevent trying to stretch out a slight spot where one piece got bunched up, and it would never lay flat on the backing panel. I'm not good enough


Ok, ever try sewing a straight line in a thunderstorm distraction? So here is the passenger quarter done in 1-1/4" rolls, but not stetched or glued to the backing panel, no trim piece, no top welting yet.


I like it way better, because the flat look is almost gone on each roll. These would be too close together on a much wider door panel, but I think it will be OK on my very narrow doors and rear panels.

I just need to find a way to relax when I start a line. Once I get halfway through a line, I can, but when I first start, I am worried how fast the clutch will grab. Just need more experience.


So, if the roof and seat ever come out way nicer, I could remake these 4 side panels for maybe $40-$50 total.

 

Looking great!!!!

 

Frank, How are you marking your lines on the material?