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

Finally! A new update. The last few months we've been doing all the "unglorious" tasks like re-aligning all the front sheetmetal pieces after changing the inner fender aprons. The new ones threw all the previous body-part alignments out the window. We also fab'd up a pair of lower radiator mounts...doesn't make good, exciting news. Plus, we've been doing some finish welding on the top..all work that doesn't really show.
Tonight I told Jimmy we should do something FUN on the ol coupe tonight..something we could see at a glance to boost morale. I said "Lets build the radiator cap cover." I'd bought a 33 grille with the radiator cap collar already cut-off for use with a single piece hood top. I ordered a stock-style 2 piece 33 top set....oops!
This choice of mismatched parts left a big hole to fill in the hood where the radiator cap usta be.
Jimmy grabbed a piece of 18 gauge s**** and we bent it down to mimic the curve of the front of the hood. We double teamed the bead roller to press a bead in the metal to mimic the stainless center hinge. We're gonna weld it to the grille shell when it'd finished..behold
Now, after we trimmed the new piece to fit flush against the top of the grille shell. only THEN did we grind the paint off the shell in prep for welding...we struck plastic filler under the paint..about 1/4 inch of it so now we get to fab up a llittle filler piece....that's ok...we'll fix it next week

 

can't wait to blend this thing into the grille shell with a graceful curve.

 

That piece is a cool little detail!

 

What a great build thread please keep the updates coming.

 

Very cool, I will call..........

 

Rocky, put air conditioning in that thing. So's you can get those ice creamy thingys home before they melt.

 

Jim C! Good to see you're still kickin...missed you at the HAMB drags the last few years. I see you're still in Webb City tho. I'll make it a point to stop in next year when I go to the drags.
Hope to get some more work down on the grille/radiator shell/ hood top this Friday nite if it doesn't snow too much. Bad weather is beginning to move in.

 

Looks fantastic. Looking forward to see how it ends up

 

Looking very cool! I love that attention to the details,

 

'Bout time you updated this thread...but it's doing all those "unglorious" things that eventually make the car...my Caddy is undergoing all those same unglorious things right now...and it's getting closer...!!!

R-

 

very cool hot rod

 

Spent a few more hours reshaping the grille shell top after grinding out the "sculpted" bondo. Turns out the bondo really wasn't a problem because we had to reshape that area to blend in the new piece anyway..no photos at this time..

 

I did more sculpting while Jimmy welded tabs on the back of the inner splash aprons so we could attach them to the bottom of the firewall...then we'll make small filler panels to blend the back of the splash aprons to the rockers....and Jimmy filled the headlight wiring holes in the aprons tonight too..
I haven't posted for awhile because of weddings, bad weather, Jiim's dates etc but I've spent a lotta time on this radiator shell-top...weld-grind-weld-grind etc etc etc..it's almost ready for a little filler. I love the way it's coming out.

 

Looks fantastic Rocky!

 

Looks good Rocky, nice metal work. Cant wait till this coupe hits the road! We will have to hit the road again like we did to Beatrice. Good times!

 

Thats ***y dude, nice work!

 

Thank ya'll....been working on the engine at home during the week and on the body over at the body shop on Friday nights. This week I had the old 1957 Pontiac timing cover machined for a modern 400 Poncho-style front seal. Working on making the '57 water elbows bolt up the the later big-valve heads...gotta chase down a piece of s**** 3/8ths inch aluminum plate to fab adapter/spacers to make it all work together.

 

Wow..it's been awhile! We've been finishing up some of those Looooooooooong welds for the top and new top insert....welding in the hood sides etc. Last night I finished up "sculpting" to radiator shell top with my dremel tool..Instead of using plastic filler, Jimmy kept filling the low spots with weld from his mig welder and I'd slowly grind it down...more weld, more grinding etc etc...
Last night he attacked a rust hole in the p***enger side A-pillar. I had another windshield header and area around the windshield frame for parts. He cut out the cancer, welded in new [1934] metal and I fine-tuned the grille shell top and fixed the overflowing Q-jet on his slammed chevy shop-truck. ...it was time to go home so soon. God I love working on that coupe. Please excuse the fuzzy cell-phone photos...forgot my good camera.
Until next week....

 

Rocky it looks great, cant wait to see it on the road.............

 

Lookin nice Rocky. By the way-still have your old '41 Poncho, running strong.

 

1 awesome HotRod,really like the hood

 

looking good rocky, ill have to try and swingby one of theses next times im in town and say hey

 

Chop and profile of the roof look great Rocky. Like the detail on the grille shell as well. Gotta love it when a plan comes together. Keep at it. Pat.

 

Aren't you just a little bit tempted to grind an Indian-head profile into that grille shell you just filled, Rocky? Smooth is goood...

 

any updates since last?

 

Changed a few things since my last update..for those who care. We completed a bunch of welds [that were just tac'd] and changed the inner front fender aprons to a smoothy pair bought from Macs.
They ended abruptly so we added a little triangular piece so they blended in gracefully under the cowl.
Next step was to replace both inner and outer door bottoms. Bought both from a vendor Jimmy has used before...both outside pieces were great...driver's inner was ok too but the p***enger side inner panel was stamped super lightly..didn't have the contours we needed to line up with the factory door inside...ordered another pair [can't buy just one side] from Drakes...hope it comes soon. I've had pretty good luck with Bob's shipping so I'm not worried.
Last Tues, while waiting for door bottom pieces, we chopped the p***enger door garnish molding using a peeling chrome 5 window garnish and pieces from several other garnishes I'd picked up through the years.
Man, Jimmy makes it all look sooooo easy! I'm doing all my own body work at home on a narrowed/chapped 36 ford pickup cab so I know he makes it look easy because of all the years he's got toward doing this stuff.
Going over again in an hour to play with the car s'more..not sure what we'll address tonight but we're stil slogging along on the body
In the mean time I finally got my drilled/dropped axle back from bieng jet-hot coated...looks great. Bought a pair of polished stainless spring perches and lower shock mounts...a little suspension jewelry to flash at night.
My computer is giving me fits when I try to upload photos but I'll try to post a few..

 

well, I guess my computer is only gonna let me post one photo which is ok...how many photos do I need of fitting and lengthening one garnish molding?
If something noteworthy happens this evening, I'll update again.

 

Keep at it guys!

 

We used '34 deluxe garnish's for a fordoor sedan's 1/4 windows for the coupe's 1/4 windows....they have the whippy little "deluxe only" thingy on the bottom rail of the garnish molding...coupes never had this..and we plan to use a long-door tudor sedan's deluxe bottom rail for the bottom rail of the back window garnish molding for something totally different...
We got the p***enger molding all welded up tonight and the little 1/4 window molding is all cut down and tac'd together...we'll finish weld it next week.
Thas all folks! Lessee if I can post a couple photos. It'll take a few minutes to resize and post .

 

Nice little touch that only those in the know will understand, looking great!