Projects Progress on Rocky's 34 coupe..last update 9/30/2020

Yeah, the bush pilot's wings were a perfect fit to cover the upside-down "CHAMPION" logo on the so-cal instrument cluster.
Been working on the car but nothing really exciting to post. I managed to get one of "Steve's auto restorations" louvered decklids for the coupe. It's a little too big for the hole so we'll have to take a sliver or 2 out of the quarters to fit this thing. I gotta give props to Steve's for getting my new lid to me in record time. Chris {known him since he was a teenager} went out of his way to help me get this really cool lid.
Also have a new trunk gutter ***embly coming. This old car was a cut-up stock car and all the gutters, bracing, gl*** flanges etc etc were all cut away with a torch and tossed. We could have made all the gutters but Jimmy found these ready made gutters so we bought 'em. Should be here in a month or so.
While we've been waiting, we've been putting inner and outer lower patches in the driver's door--p***enger's side is already done. After Jimmy finished up the last of the outer patch panel, he began shrinking some of the dents and high spots out of the door skin after bringing up the low spots.
To the guys who've been waiting for photos of the back window build, sorry, I didn't take any. I know, I know, I can't believe it either but we were so busy "engineering" that window [roll-down parts from model A, 36 ford coupe and a 60 plymouth valiant, not to mention another couple regulators sent to me by NoName for 36 coupes] we never thought to take photos and I'll be damned if I'm gonna take it all apart AGAIN to take photos..sorry.

 

Looks good Rocky, I saw I missed your call last weekend, I'll give you a call back this week , Talk to you later Tim Jones

 

Good to see more progress.

 

Also.........I totally hated my 57 GMC bellhousing and starter bolted up to my Pontiac engine. My old buddy, Sandy called me to offer a motor/trans/bellhousing/starter from a 59 Pontiac ambulance he had. I leaped at the opportunity to buy it [cheap, too] if for no other reason than to have a car bellhousing/starter. Still working though some starter drive/ring gear/solenoid issues but I'll get it.
Anyway, it was a beautiful day when we snagged the 389/3 speed stick out of the ambulance.
I had to cut the center out of the clutch to access the flywheel bolts as the old 389 was/is totally seized up.

 

Rat on, TJ.

 

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And I was glad to read your water tanks are filling up with the rains, Simon.

 

Essential to wash the cars when Summer comes back here. You have been busy.

 

looking good! dig the cheese grater of a deck lid! see you at the drags

 

Been steadily working on the body. The last couple weeks we've been trying to get the new SARs decklid to fit. Slowly working the hole and this evening we finally trimmed enough to get it to fit IN the hole, not just sitting over the hole. Got a pretty good gap and with some more careful m***aging, we can begin to install the decklid hinges. Naturally, all the hinge mounts were cut away when the previous owner made the body into a stock-car-racer so we get to start at ground zero... good thing there's another 34 five window in the shop to look at!

 

That deck lid is ***s.

You gonna drive it to the Drags next year???????

-Abone.

 

I like those louvers.

 

Wow Rocky,that louvered deck lid looks great! HRP

 

Few people realize the work to make one of those decklids fit, especially on an old stock car!

 

Yeah! If you look close you'll see the faint line with spot welds along it on both quarters and across the "tulip" panel in front of the decklid. We'd slice a little, grind out some metal and push the 2 pieces together and tac it....trial fit the decklid, holding it's weight with our fingertips in the louvers. Guess how sharp those louver edges are? It's a good idea to tape up fingertips with masking tape before starting. At least I'd imagine it is. We didn't.
We slowly snuck up on a proper gap using this method. At the end of the night your fingers hurt, arms hurt and your back hurt from lifting that decklid 236 times for a trial fit but damn! It was worth it.

 

Looks good Rocky, BTW I talked them into fixing the Hot tank at work, Pump is out getting rebuildt, I'll give you a call when it's up and running again,, Tim Jones

 

love the louvered deck lid

 

Now, THAT'S what I'm talkin 'bout Tim!! I can't wait. Lessee, first I'll run my "new" 389 block and heads through, then my 9 inch ford and my old greasy saginaw 4 speed, and..........
Oh boy [rubbing hands together] oh boy, oh boy..gonna have some clean parts NOW!

 

Clean parts are good.

 

good to see progress I'll honk and wave on our way threw town for the holidays in Dec. doubt ill have enough time to stop :\

 

I had trouble getting my deck lid to fit also, Thanks to Rusty32 here on the Hamb it fits now. I thought it was my car since it had some collision damage.

 

Nice gaps, Duck...
Last night we FINALLY got the damn decklid to swing on it's hinges for the 1st time. A real milestone! Next trick is to get gaps like 58ducknut's coupe above.
got the hinge mounts tac'ed in place, bolted 'em to the rain tray using 5/16ths nutserts. The only 5/16ths bolts we had were too long so we slid 4 washers on each bolt...gotta score some shorter bolts before I go over Friday night.
We also began slicing and dicing to get our gaps.
To be continued....

 

Lookin good, that cage tucks in there nice !


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Nice work on the trunk hinge mounts. Fitting the trunk lid is always a challenge, but looks like you have done a good job on this one!

 

Nice car.

 

Spent a few hours tonight on the coupe. Jimmy made a pair of support pieces to tie the quarters, gutters and floor together. INstalled 'em and we worked on fitting the decklid to the car. Had to oblong some decklid hinge mount holes in the brackets to get some adjustment going....we were able to adjust the decklid up, even with the quarter tops. Still need to replace a portion of the tulip panel and get our decklid gaps better...nothing exciting, just slicing, dicing, oblonging, tac welding, measuring, grinding, cutting bending, tapping, cussing, pulling steel splinters out..etc etc.
Was a cold ride home with 22 degree temps...supposed to be 8 above when I go to work tomorrow AM.
The photo of the inside reminds me we still need to make 1/4 window flanges to give me something to screw my 1/4 window garnish moldings to...damned race car "builders"! They cut the **** outta these old coupes.

 

But think of the fun in putting it all back . Looking good.

 

Nice work. Like the drain pan design, well Done!!

 

Looking good Rocky, finally found that pic of my dad and uncle overhauling my uncles coupe in 1943(dad was on leave)Mom told me it was a 34 Ford looks like a 33 chevy though, still a cool pic.

 

damned race car "builders"! They cut the **** outta these old coupes.

Yes Rocky, but remember, these cars are here for us today because someone hacked them up for race cars. That $100 32-34 Jalopy body shell may have been sent to the landfill 50 years ago had it not been picked up and used for a race car build.
Doesn't make it any easier though. Glad to see continuous progress on the coupe. Keep at it!