Yeah,, Sam makes a good point,especially considering that you said you planing on chopping the top a inch and a half. HRP
Looks good so far. The headliner idea sound good to me, I've been thinking about doing it myself, but I'm not very handy.
Well, more rust repair today.... and for the near future as well. We really want to do a decent job on this thing, so ALL the rust issues WILL be resolved. Today we repaired another body/ floor brace... It was done in much the same manner as the one in our previous post. The brace that goes over the tranny was just gone, so we set out to build one. First we made a pattern on posterboard and bent a couple 3/4 by 3/4 sheetmetal angles. Then, using a shrinker and stretcher we made these angles correspond to the pattern. Here we are beginning the bending process The angles looked like this during forming. Finally, the bottom is welded across the formed pieces. Here it is being tacked in place.. The missing tranny hump piece has been re-created! This is really fun work, but by the time we repair ALL the rust on this machine we'll have had enough, Even though no one will probably ever see this structural work Its still worth doing right.
I love working with the shrinker and stretcher and really learned a lot when I was doing the floors and adjoining structures in our wagon,,I can see that you guys are really doing this part as close to the factory style as possible. I realize it's gonna be slow going being able to focus on the project one day a week and although it doesn't seem like a lot of progress having been there I know how much time it takes. HRP
If Chuck is anything like me when he finishes the wagon he probably will never want to build another one! HRP
Here's a photo of how the newly repaired body supports fit. They extend outward to where the inner rocker panel should be, but it has rusted away. This is the new tranny hump support welded in place. Now that all the supports have been repaired we cut out the old rusty rocker panel and installed the new inner rocker against the repaired body mounts. Even we were surprised by how well they aligned. This kind of work is dirty and frustrating, but when the new inner rocker was in, you could feel the whole vehicle get "SOLID" Here's a picture of the days work. Next week we'll start the outer rocker panel and floors.
Looks good I can remember all this type of work on our wagon. it seems to take a long time making all the supports but they look like they are factory pieces. HRP
I put my sheetmetal gage on the originals, and they were 18 ga. That's what we used for repairs... The inner rocker is thicker. I got it from Surplus Supply 10 years ago. Its 16 ga. When I purchased my shop tools, I wanted them all to have 4 foot length by 16 gage capacity. Now I wished I'd have allowed more length.( Some guys are just NEVER happy.)
We're still cutting out rust! Today we finished the inner rocker panel to the rear wheel, and installed the outer rocker on the right side. We got the rocker in place and realized that over the years, with all the rust, the body had drooped over a half inch! We pulled, hoisted, jacked, swore, and everything else we could think of to get the body back where it belonged. We got it there, but it'll take a lot longer to get the door to fit the opening. What a PAIN! Here's a few pics from today. Here's what we're dealing with: The new outer rocker going in: A tough day, but we ain't giving up!
You guys have been doing a lot of work in a short period of time,,cutting the rust out and fabricating new replacement parts can't be rushed. I too had the passenger side of our wagon drop due to all the rust. How does the rear seat area look,,and is there a lot of rust in the spare tire area? HRP
Nice work Chaz! My wife and I are going to have to come and see you guys the next time we are down your way. We just picked up a '47 Kit teardrop that will be our next project! Larry
Surprisingly the rear pan is pretty solid with just a little rust in the spare tire hole. The rear gate is another matter altogether, good thing we have a spare off the four door we parted out.
Another day of rustwork. The front pillar had completely rusted out and the entire body had dropped about a half inch. We got everything jacked up until the door fit, and tacked it in place. We then went about re-building the pillar. With the front sheetmetal removed we could reach the lower pillar. Welding it was another thing altogether. I'm not a little guy, and I'm old. Laying on the ground and welding while on my back is one of my least favorite activities. This sucks: But, we got it accomplished, and now the door fits the opening, and the pillar is solid! I'll be so damn glad when all this freaking rust is gone!!!!
I know how you feel but you know as well as anyone this has to be done right so you can move on. I also see while you are working on the shasta that the wagon is still not totally outta the picture!,, I'm waiting for the next update. HRP
Yeah, things are a little tight in the shop right now. We weren't expecting a Shasta trailer to fall outa the sky on us, but it was too cool of a job to resist!
I lost track of this thread somehow. HRP, I can't do much until I get power to the garage. (Not as easy as you'd think, since I live in the middle of St. Paul! ) Now I'm subscribed.
Yep, we're consistent! I would have posted yesterday, but after we took the photos I lost the camera among all the crap piling up in my shop. I found it this morning. The door pillar on the right still needed more work, so we cut out the rust on the toe kick area and started to re-work it. Replaced the lowest 4 inches or so that was rusted and replaced it, as well as an angle to hold the floor in this area. The outer fender brace was shot as well, so Steve and Dana made a new one while I was welding inside the car burning the crap outa myself! Here's the part after being replaced. That took care of the door post. Now the door fits nicely in its opening, and the whole car doesn't shake when the door is closed! I don't know how many patches this wagon will ultimately take, but it may be close to 100.
It wouldn't shock me in the least,We installed 107 patch panels in the Ranch Wagon,,it's amazing the deeper you dig the more rust you will find. You guys are doing a great job! HRP
Finally today we finished the left front pillar. The area at the rear of the door was rebuilt. Its a little short on looks right now, but after everything is sandblasted and dressed out it will be nice. Now we can move onto the floor on the right side. We did just like on the left. The beads were rolled and the front panel welded in place. It felt great to be working with some larger pieces of sheetmetal. Here's Dana and Steve making a pattern for the next piece We ran out of time, but here's the next section getting ready to final fit and weld . Next we'll be working on the tranny hump. Does anyone have a picture of what this looks like? Ours was completely gone. Also, I'm thinking about having this thread moved to the new "CUSTOMS" section of the Hamb as it seems most appropriate there. I'm not sure how to accomplish that, but if a moderator feels this is the right thing, please move it.
We were late getting home last night from the show in Pigeon Forge,Tenn. and had to catch up with family so I didn't seek out your recent update. Looks like you guys are making good progress on the structural supports and floors,I can't be much help with the tunnel because mine was gone also. I'll check over on the '54 Ford Club of America forum and see if I can find you a photo or two. Hopefully Ryan can move this thread to the custom section. HRP
The Jalopy Journal
