Projects How not to build a hotrod - My '33 Plymouth

Noice!!!

 

Not nitpicking but for your reference if you sell the Plymouth shell. It’s a 34 not a 33.

 

This was a real fun thread to read through!
I'll have to check back in a year or two to see the progress

 

Step 1234:

Quit your job.

I changed jobs in November. I didn't realize how miserable it made me till I got out. Now I have a 4 10-hour work week and I'm much more motivated.

Step 1235:

Buy another bike project! Hahaha! Almost made some progress!

 

Just kidding. I've been getting a lot done.

I had to cut at least 12" off the '34 Buick hood to get it to the right length. I then had to cut the hood hinges off and narrow the whole thing and make new flanges to fit the Plymouth hood hinge. Took a bit of reshaping on the English wheel with an inner tube on the upper and a bunch of time, but I got it.

Also welded on the original body line from the Plymouth onto the Buick metal.


I still need to do some more metal finishing and figure out hood latches.

 

Welcome back! Hood looks great! Is that sandpaper on the English wheel for traction? Harley 45 frame?

 

That's a rubber strip cut from an inner tube. It lets the lower wheel curve the sheetmetal without stretching it.

The frame is a '54-ish panhead.

 

Here is how I did the hood latches for a 2 piece top hood at work.

 

Oooooohhhh, I like that. I was thinking about a little shot pin, but I never thought to reuse the hinges. Very nice.

 

Lookin good Billie-Ray!

 

An addendum to the hood pictures. I guess I didn't post a before pic of the '34 Buick hood. That thing was gigantic!

 

Man that*****er was ship sized! One of my favorite builds to watch the last few years

 

Keep making wrong decisions and updates on this thread.

 

Step 1352:
Combine your two least-worst windsheild frames into one. The top portion had to be narrowed 1/4" and the bottom piece was rotted out one one side.
I did have some original swing hardware, but it was easier to just make it from scratch using a Model A swing arm.

Don't forget to forget to take a nice picture of the final result!

 

Step 1372:

Curse the rat******** that decided to make the original Buick grill shell insert out of whatever hellish mystery brass-type material they purchased directly from Satan.

Seriously. I could not modify the original insert to save my life. Nothing would stick to it. I tried 8 different fluxes, at least. I tried silver solder, acid core solder, stained-glass solder, electric solder, and probably another 5 or 6 solders of different brand and lead content. Even mixing my tears of rage into the flux didn't help.

If I could heat the cursed material enough to get the solder to even wick in a little bit, the material would just crumble. I don't even want to talk about my attempts at brazing.

This ended up giving me serious Rodder's Block and I just tinkered with various kinds of alchemy and pleas to various deities for a month before I finally gave up on it.

Stupid Satan Brass. Should have been easy...

 

Step 1390:

Quit crying and order 12' of 3/8" square stainless. Spend entirely too many hours machining it so it has a neat shape. Watch "Supernatural" the entire time, but lie and say you are watching WW2 documentaries if someone asks.

I tried to make a setup so I could cut about 18" at a time, but the material likes to bow severely once the corner is cut out. I ended up having to cut only the 6" width of the vise. So, I'd cut with the 1/2" .060 corner radius carbide endmill along the whole length to make an "L" shape, then use a rounding bit along the length, and then flip it another time to run the rounding bit along the other side. Lots and lots of setups.

 

Step 1391:

Do torch things. Also hit the things with hammers. Make sure you use your nice expensive impact socket as a bending tool and turn it all gray from the heat.

I ended up making each side out of two 3' pieces to make it easier to machine and easier to bend into shape. Once it was all bent I TIG welded it up. I welded some studs to the back of the trim and made angle brackets on the shell to hold it all together.

I didn't do the cross bars like the original grill insert because I don't hate myself quite that much and I think it looks good with just the perimeter trim pieces.

 

Love it

 

Insert witty platitudes here.

#oxymorons-R-us

 

The grille trim fitting is impressive work and looks great.

I never saw Supernatural, but I've unloaded tons of previously-worthless 4 door Impala parts on its fans. Not sure how that ties into the discussion here, but there you go.

 

Super impressive and inspirational fabrication - you must be happy with the outcome

Cheers Turns

 

Holy*****.

 

Possibly that brass was actually bronze which if I remember is brass mixed with tin? Metallurgy gurus please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

It ties in about as much as my other ramblings, seems like good info to me.

It didn't look as dark as bronze, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was some odd alloy. I thought I had a better pic of it cleaned up, the pics I posted had paint and whatnot on it.

They were chromed at one point. I sanded that off, but I wondered if that was affecting the wicking of the solder.

 

Step 1399:

Cut up an F1 shock mount and a Model A headlight bar. Weld them together. Heat the conglomeration and do bendy things.

Decide you don't like it and cut out another 3" and do it all again.

 

Yah, but did you remember to "measure once, cut thrice"? .
Marcus...

 

Overdue for a distraction, but I need this as a distraction myself.

 

Clever.

 

Or the alternative, measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe.

 

Yup, that one works too. &, of course, you can always cut multiple times w/that axe - gas or not. .
Marcus...