Projects Finally My '26 Chevy Roadster Build

The new ones are a little more than twice the size but we were able to mount them on the old Zoom Works tracker a cool totally solar powered mount they don't even use any more. It keeps the panels pointed at the sun through the day. It still works so I'll use it. It is vintage. Still some adjusting and clean up to do. I'll move the old ones over to the barn to run some 12v lights and maybe a heater for the chicken water. increase the laying season and shorten the water hauling season. Maybe create a hot rod building season.

 

Now the truth comes out! GOOD IDEA!
I was wondering if the old panels were degraded to the point that they had to be replaced. How old are the old ones?
The extension of the egg season and shortening of winter water hauling are also good reasons.

 

I have been working on the 26 wood, but not much headway. I did finally get the dash out yesterday. Had to grind off the head of the last bolt, did save oddball nut.

Pulled out the #18 (s curves) and built props to hold #15 backs vertical. Could not find a location to put in plywood props that were not in the road, so went with some scrap sticks screwed to #12s and braced against the third width gauge.
Also put up the quarter panels for another fit. Looks pretty good along the sill.

Found that I had a problem with the attachment of #12 and #15. The screw hole is so close to the edge that 12 tips into grove. I had made the grove wider to get coupling nuts with wings in. Even by grinding off the corners of the nut it made it where #12 could not span the gap. I made small caps over one end of the gap and glued it in. but I would recommend using what you have. Looks like they drilled and taped a piece of flat bar then machined a notch both sides so it would fit in a smaller area.

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I checked the fit for the passenger side quarter panel, looked real good. Front lip even went into the grove at #11 and the sill.



The drivers side had a 1/4 gap at the front. The top was tight, but the bottom was too far forward. The #11 checked out vertical. So I pulled the second top prop stud, raised the backend. finally got it tight at the bottom. but now #11 is leaning back and the tail end of the quarter panel is about 5/8 above the bottom of #4. Will have to do some figuring on this one!




Tom the dims. that you gave me on the top of #18 were bigger than mine. And #17 seemed to fit without the 18's in place so being frustrated, I went out to the other roadster and pried off #17's cover tin. Twenty nails later I found that #17 is notched over the #18's. (On the 25's they were not.)




After 20 nails (one of which was a 6 penny) I didn't have much of a cover. Straight that is. And perforated.



I am already going to have to build one, just as well build two. Went to Walla Walla yesterday to get glue, screws, and more c-clamps, so went by Harbor Freight to get one of those cheap bead rollers. Well, they do not sell them anymore. Ordered one online.

 

I'm trying to follow but get confused. It makes more sense if I can put my hands on my similar parts. Keep putting your thoughts and pictures here. I'll eventually get it. Do you need for me to remeasure the top of #18? My #18 R has a crack thought the screw hole so I measured #18 L. Also with the 1/4 sheet metal still attached I may not have gotten it just right. Is the notch for the trunk henge?
I talked to Steve, the cabinet maker, today. His CNC uses a program called DXL. He said if he has measurements he could program it. I'm going to try get by his shop Monday with some pieces, pictures, and drawings with measurements so he can see what we are working with and trying to do. There were also two machinists there that do CNC work and had ideas about helping. I'm thinking about seeing what Steve can do with some of what I have maybe the main sills & related smaller pieces. I'll know more after he actually sees what we need. I can tell he doesn't really get it yet but he's game.

The old panels were 5 years old when I got them probably 35 years ago. They came from a solar farm in Arizona that closed as soon as the government subsidies went away. They still work some but even new were not as efficient as the new ones. I can still get enough out of them and some of my older components for a small 12v system. I have it I may as well use it.

 

Tom the groove in 18 is for the trunk hinge. The dim's that you got me were great! After comparing my patterns, I knew there was something else wrong. Shure enough, they changed between 25 and 26. My #17 pattern is based off of the 25 old wood.
It sounds like you are making headway as far as CNC goes. I should have the sill pattern cleaned up by next week so that I can put it on graph paper. (Slots need to be deepened a little. #10 and #11 are a little proud yet.)

On the panels, 40 years sounds pretty good. (plus, some more on your 12-volt system) A lot better than some of the anti-solar people are screaming! There is so much bad info out there now.

 

Tom, Thank you for the comment! I went back and corrected words but adding callouts to the pics. is a lot harder. Got one done. I need to think ahead and add before I post. I am too close to this, need to be reminded every once in a while. (Kind of "can't see the forest for the trees" thing) Together we'll get this right!

 

False news? Everyone has an agenda to push. I saw a picture of a dead eagle near a wind turbine with a caption that said if it was covered in oil it would be on national news. Then there is the lithium project my son's company is working that the federal government is shutting down because the "think" it might interfere with satellite location. It is said to be the 4th largest deposit in the world. These people are not sending a clear message or are they. I don't know where my other panels were made but the last 4 are American. Noe I think I may need new batteries. Lucky yo get 7 years out of those but there is a market for the old ones. Solar panels last longer that wind turbines. A good backup fossil fuel generator is a must have!
A tracing on graph paper with good measurements should be enough to get a good 3D image made. I'm not sure of the capabilities of the CNC machine. I'll know a lot more Monday.

 

The tracings for #1 and #2 are on their way. I tried to take pics. of them too, but need to hold camera better. I'll add one to show if it is readable.


I also took two pics. of the other 26 #17 showing the notch for #18 and a thick wire going through #17 and bent over on the bottom side. (There are two of these.) (I am guessing these were for holding the top down. like your screw in loops.)


Also found this pic. of a 30 or 31 Chev Landow coupe that has extreme problems of spreading like my roadster.

 

Nice tracings! I wish I had them today. The other pictures are informative too. Every time see a new picture I learn something else.
I just got back from Steve's shop and saw the CNC machine. It is only 2D but could be very helpful. Using demential lumber will have some concerns of how to hold it but can be worked out. Using the Baltic Birch plywood he is concerned about the scarfs on the ends being weak from cutting through the plys. I don't think that is any more of an issue than with regular wood. We might not be able to cut the bevels on the outer edges of 1 L&R and other pieces along the sills. Steve took a few measurements from my 1L and pretty quickly did a sample image showing A & B pillar notches, length, width & contour of the outside edge. With your drawings he could do the mounting holes, the floor rabbits, the floor kick holes. He was concerned about cutting the scarfs on the ends of several sill pieces. We didn't talk about the tenons on #3. I had a lot of questions by the time I got home. While I was there I was overwhelmed by the new to me tech and discussing it with someone who was new to Chevy wood. Can we make more passes on different sides. If so #4 is easy. He was sure he could do the #18s. If so many other pieces ar easy.
Since I got the Baltic Birch from him he was thinking plywood a lot. Every thing the same thickness could be cut from a single sheet at once. He even suggested stacking/gluing layers and cutting the entire sill at once. While that would be quick & strong I don't think it is where I want to go. Using the BB is already pushing the feel. He said he thought it would take a week then a month and offered me shop space to work on it there. That is nice but the shop is 20 miles from here. Having it at Bruce's didn't work and that was only 5 miles. I interferes with my hermit vibe. There is not a piece I can't make with a few tries. A lot to think about, If we go on and do what we (you) are doing and create a good set of drawings it wouldn't take Steve long to write a program that would do most of the work. I don't know if it is worth it? More confused than I was this morning.

Twisted, I still haven't laid eyes on the other distributers?

 

Sounds like You had a very good trip! The bevels on the side of the #1s could be done on the disc sander like I am doing. The long scarf at the end I am not too worried about as long as they are glued to the next piece.

Sixball do you think that if I can control the camera and take the pics. before I fold the tracings that it would be good enough to work from the post? This one was at waist high, and I had the camera as high as I could reach. I am thinking to put the tracing on the floor and set up some kind of tripod or solid support for the camera.

 

Yes, I think they would be great posted here. They are plenty clear. Maybe tack them on a wall and use a rest or tripod. Something like that for every piece and he'd get into it. Funny he suggested a disc sander for the edge of #1. Is the dotted line the bottom edge? How many pieces are there?
I feel the same as you. I don't think he realized that it would all be glued on final assembly. That makes a big difference. Some hadn't fitting will be needed no matter. If he can get us to that point with exact reference point already located that would be a huge step. He wasn't excited about making complete "kits" and was more into helping me get my roadster together but I think once the programs are written he will be willing to make more pieces. Maybe the offer of the empty work table in his shop is what I need. I'd have to take the frame to build from. If he would allow Leroy to work with me we could approach it as a winter job. He and Leroy have worked on car together and get along. They both have bad ass Metropolitans. Leroy built his from Steve's parts car. Anyway I'm excited about showing him your drawings and I know he will load the specs in the computer and have something ready to make chips fly.

 

Yes, the dotted line is the bottom, but it is just approximate. The angle is what should be used. once the top outline is finished it is really easy to tilt the table down the 10 degrees on a disc sander and sand until it matches the top outline.

I had a little setback this morning. I was going to try cutting the notches in my finish #1s for the pillars with the router since every other way that I have tried has ended up requiring a lot of hand work, but do not have any good straight/bottom cutting bits. (I'm not sure this will cut down on the work but was going to try jigging something up to get good flat faces to glue to.)
Also went through three new/old stock sanding belts for the 3x18 hand sander. About 5 minutes each and the glue joint gave out.

 

I think I have one of those sanders, probably Craftsman? It has don a lot of work and is probably over 40 years old. I got it when we were installing 100 year tongue & groove floors salvaged from an old school. I notice the table for my disc sander is broken. Need to get it welded or brazed.
Is the back/inside face of the pillar notch parallel to the inside edge of #1? If so they could be cut completely on the CNC. Maybe even with an angle?
I'm making a list of questions to ask Steve the next time. I measured the thickness of the trunk pieces and they are all 4 the same. Could be cut from one piece at the same time? Even if we didn't want to use the BB on our cars it would sure make some great patterns quickly, but you are on your way to great patterns anyway. It is all so confusing.

 

I have read through the build thread. I am impressed by the displayed ability and tenacity. I have too many projects and I need to start getting more accomplished or I am not going to have enough time left to enjoy my cars !

 

Dan,Time, What's that? There are projects as far as I can see and I can see the tunnel at the end of the light! Hope to drive a roadster into it.
Hang out and give us pointers. It is not like we know what we are doing if we did we'd probably do something else.
I just talked to Leroy and he is game for taking it to Steve's shop. It was his idea to take it to Bruces. He is high power (hyper) and gets stuff done. Been building hot rods all his life and he's older than me. I think at the shop with them pushing we could get the wood done in a couple of weeks -month. I need to do some prep and and gathering first. More time talking with Steve and doing some test pieces.

GG2, I got the drawings today. They look great. I'll try to show them to Steve early next week. I'm sure he'll have questions. Maybe he can load his images on a zip drive and I can post them here along with yours. That way you can see what we have before we do any cutting. Also I have some big graph paper with 1' squares broken into 1/4" segments. They would allow drawings of almost 36' x 24" due to a bit if fadeout near the edges. So everything full size and all need views on no more than 2 pages for the big stuff. In some cases several parts on a single page. I can send some to you if you want. I don't know if it matters.

 

What Sixball said!
Tom if you are going to get it done that fast, you will probably have to prioritize which parts that you need me to sketch first. (It took me a half a day to get those first two sheets. I will get faster, but I think that I should be adding screw locations and comments required for that part.) And what you do not need from me, you will have to sketch or get Steve's files to put on this sight for our "fascinated followers" to build from.
I will probably need some info. back from you, but anything that either of us needs will have to be on this sight for other people to follow.

 

I don't have to start right away. Late winter or spring would work. The shop is slow right now but probably won't pick up till late spring or summer. It is mostly custom cabinets for fancy houses around Tahoe & the like. Leroy has some antique rifle work to keep him busy as well as the drag boat. I need to rivet the front crossmember in the frame so it is stout & fixed. The body mounts on outside of the frame are gone but easy to fab. The shop is huge and I've never seen him use this space. It is pretty much out of the way. I'll be doing some sorting of pieces by thickness and doing some grouping see how best to lay then out on the BB sheets. Most likely we could cut out more than one car as easily and quickly one.
I very much agree that since you found that the screw holes were the same in the 3 '26s that locating them in all the pieces will really help if fitting everything. Also noting screw sizes & length would be good. I've already lost track if some of that. I don't want to rush you you are making good progress and it has to progress as is best for you. I'm going to have your drawings copied and return yours if that is OK?

 

I didn't mean to throw cold water on your plans, it's just the (2 weeks-month to be done with wood) just hit me! We'll get it done as best as we can. Like you said the shop is in its slow season, so should be ready to go with parts.
I'll look through your pics. that you have sent me and see what of you wood is in really bad condition and needs sketches soon. If I have those patterns, I'll get them traced. If I do not have good patterns yet, that will tell me what to work on soon.
You can return the drawings if you want (I'll at least need a good picture of them) But check the price first. (We may need to invest in a carrier pigeon!)

 

I am happy with what you have been doing. Doing it in the order that makes sense to you and works for you works for me. I don't want you to change your MO to rush something for me. If we miss out on the slow time at the shop there is a lot I can do on the roadster without a body. I can do it all here. That was the plan anyway. I have all the tools just have to get back on shop cleanup. Steve will work with us. I may just get shoved in the corner somewhere. Don't change what you are doing.
If we had carrier buzzards we wouldn't have to send pictures.

 

" invest in a carrier pigeon or carrier buzzards"
Or the Hercules (aka: spruce goose... shhh...) . But the fuel consumption... ;( .
Marcus...

 

Leroy has a piece of Spruce Goose material. Someone he knew worked on it, maybe his dad. It is a piece of 1" 90 degree molding. Very fine & tight ply wood with the plies running at a 45 degree angle. Thin but very strong! Maybe we'll incorporate it.
GG2 I about 10 hours from here, doable.

 

Oh, did Howard *hate* the term Spruce Goose . Too bad he didn't decide to own it, characturize it, & screw w/the mental-munchkins & politicos. He was no dummy, & engineered near everything in his head before it went on paper for others to build.
Sadly, Fate fk'd him, messed w/his mind, ideas flowed like a river outa him. Also sadly, he seemed to need & crave others' attention, admiration(s), & allocades. Worse than any drug known to mankind.
One guy I do wish I knew & could pick his brain.
Marcus...

 

What are you all using for derusting? I have a sand blaster but am afraid to use it on some sheet metal for fear of ruining it. I tried electrolysis with mixed results. I was thinking of trying some chemical process.

 

I met a guy over 50 years ago in Montana. He loved in the Baxter Hotel in Bozeman that it often in the background in "Yellowstone". When he was young he worked in the oil folds in Texas and met Howard Hughes as a young man who was flying drill rig parts to remote sites for his dad. They palled around for a couple of days and Howard tried to talk him into flying back to CA and going to work for Hughes. He didn't and said it was the biggest mistake of his life.

Dan there is a part of this thread that describes using citric acid to remove rust. It is the best & easiest rust removal process I have found. The important thing is the sense the parts with baking soda or other neutralizer to keep it from rerusting. It is cheap and safe.

 

I looked at that earlier and for some reason it didn’t register. I read that it doesn’t remove paint, is that true? Is there somewhere I can get the citric acid powder really cheap?

 

It does not remove paint but will remove rust around paint so if the paint is being held on by the rust you may lose some. But much of the paint may look cleaner. You would want to seal old paint to keep the rust form starting over. It will also remove rust from old chrome and make some crappy stuff useable. It does not effect some decals. I'm not sure but I think it will screw ip nickel and does not like aluminum.
I got a 5 gallon bucket on eBay for about $50. That will remove a LOT of rust. I try to always have a gallon to two going. When it quits working you can dump it in your yard or even down the drain (not sure about septic tanks). It is food grade citric acid used in canning and other food prep. You might fins smaller amounts in grocery or farm supply stores.

 

GG2, I've been looking over the drawings. I put them up on the refrigerator and tried to get some good photos to post. I haven't been successful yet. I did find some discrepancies in some measurements and the rabbit for the floor & seat boards. The measurements may be because my sills were so bad. I had to connect two pieces on #1L get the full length. I used the mounting hole in the frame but may have been a little off. I'll do some serious checking tomorrow. If my overall is off they may cover some other small length issues. I may have sent some wrong information to you about the floor rabbits. Mine does not run the 3/4"x 3/4" the full length. It narrows around the second mounting hole. Better photo tomorrow.
You've been using your length is that is most likely the right one.

 

Sixball Here I what I took my patterns off of. This the 25 sill. The lead in and lead out were so long, I just adda little more straight rabbit. This is also what I built my avatar from.

 

Dam Hit the wrong key!




I got my permeant sills made and on the frame. Added #2, #3 and #4. Now the side that was not fitting good with the test sills fits real good, the side that fit earlier does not now. I can almost get my fingers under #3. Will have to find out what is wrong before I go too much farther.
When making my notches, I used a router before cutting the side bevels by cutting both sills clamped together. Worked pretty good, but had to have a good solid guide and really hold onto the router.
I finally got the tip out degrees for #10 pillar. Took three tries before I managed to get it. Each one tips out 1 1/2 Degrees which is really hard to measure. (Or 3/8 of an inch in 14 1/2 inches)
Been trying to figure out how to cut the base for the slot so that it will fit snug. Think that I've used up all of my brain power for today.