Projects 1934 LaSalle old school convertible coupe build thread

Luggage rack folds down trunk opening up with mosquito netting instant camper. Bob

 

We gots us plenty o' stock 34 bullets here but they all need plating $$$


ok, coffee break AGAIN??? sheesh no wonder nothing gets done..


that old engine hoist is an old rental unit, as it all comes apart with no tools at all. I found it / bought it at a defunct body shop in the "bad section" of Dorchester Mass, called the "combat zone". I felt totally at ease there, as I get along just ducky with Hispanics as well as any other so called differences in "people". A Spanish lady was selling stuff left behind when her hubby left town ahead of major bill collectors. She barely spoke English, but we managed just fine, life is good

 

Please take no offence, but I do not want to see a further rendition, nor ask for one. James got it so right first try...that is how it always plays. When we mess with stuff after the first incarnation or vision, then the build is forever "lost"

 

Outstanding!!

 

I was thinking that adding metal to the lower edge of the front fenders would not only to fill the gap created by nixing the running board, but actually function as the best way to balance them out with the rear fenders.
Photoshop images can easily be a bit deceptive, but it´s a good indication. But it doesn´t mean you won´t have to use the best practice of simply rolling it outside and taking a good look at it for yourself, from the side.

I also think that rolling the lower edges of the fenders under would be a great idea.

 

I was looking at stuff before I pulled the engine out. Here is an idea for donor metal shapes for the lower front fender extension:

^^ I probably cannot use that long slice because the shape is not correct, BUT I bet I can use that curved point at the back of the fender shown. Then add that corner under the fender at the back, then use new metal to get a rolled-under look all along the bottom, then blend to that corner part. It will work, I am sure of that.

I do have one pair of junk front fenders for these donor corners, they were on the rotted black 4 door sedan we cut up.

 

I checked into possible transmission interchange a week ago, I was trying to find out that if the "new" donor later Olds engine with an attached column shifted transmission, could I get around not wanting a column shifted type trans..

I must have measured wrong. I was certain that the 334-36 trans face bolt pattern was not the same as the later Olds trans that is coming here at some point. But we found out late today, that it will bolt up as far as pattern.

That trans can only be one type; a 5 bolt Selector type, and those cannot be modified to use a center located "top shifter".
here is from a later OLDS parts book I have:


Well, my son hated the idea of this car NOT having the same floor shift as his 32 Ford with the modded 37 Buick Roadmaster 6 bolt...so I had him carry inside, the rusty Olds Selector that I found just tossed into the tunnel area of the rotted black 4 door.
Here is how it was found:

^^ I assume some past owner tried to find a replacement trans for this car, and did not realize that the 34-36 trans has a one inch longer input shaft length. Then they just gave up and let that car rust away.

Well, now with a clearer head, I wonder if the bell was made deeper, for some reason. I am thinking that my 34-36 bell will bolt right up to the newer Olds straight eight that Kenny will hook me up with. Now I only can just wait until I finally own that motor/transmission, to see if it can all work.

 

Forgot to mention that my son yet again, insists that I MUST build a complete new V'd windshield framing, and I now agree, even to the point of knowing it must also be chromed after I build it. My son was 15 0r 16 when he insisted on the final chop on the 32 Ford. I was one inch higher during mockups, and he just never gave in, and I ended up with HIS plan, not mine.....and that car W/S is a big hit to all that mention the looks of the entire build.

I've looked in all of my car books and don't yet see one that will be right on this fat-fender looking car, but I will come up with something. One close one is 36-37 Cord convertible, but it is laid back too far of an angle.

I cannot plan a thing until the body framing and doors are all fabbed up and at least all in same color primer. Then, I will be able to see how the side door glass will need to tie into, or where, into the W/S framing.

 

two 1935 videos, The red car needs some transmission work !!


Just a heads up; the 35 LaSalle is just not in the same league as the 34 LaSalle, I could spend an hour explaining why, but I choose not to. Don't get me wrong though, the 35 IS still a great car.



note that the yellow one once had a Pontiac straight 8 installed when the owner found it. and it is a Canadian built car, one of just twenty 1935 Canadian Convertibles made that year! My 34 was painted this pale yellow when it was new, and I will redo it the same color when I get working on mine.

 

I did go to that farm/tractor/pop engine, misc show with a decent sized swap area today with that young fellow and his 47 Dodge pickup. Lucky that it stayed cloudy as it is so humid. I did buy 3 of those long C-clamp type vise grips for clamping deep reach body panels.... as well as 3 ratchets, a replacement 11/32 SK Wayne deep socket that got lost. We did talk with Kenny to make plans to go get that later Olds inline engine from Massachusetts, if his wife is OK on her own, for our daytrip.

Also, I brought a pic on my camera of a missing headlight ring for the 35. He sent me across from his space to see a guy named Roger who has sold parts in Hemmings and Hershey for 45 years. Roger says that mystery rim is "37-38 LaSalle", and it will take a couple weeks to get to his warehouse to locate one. One less thing I need to look for now, if he does have one. It is the loose one in this pic, and it has decorative rings on the rim:


Ok, I cut up one junk front fender to mock up the lower curved filler panels that James D talked about:


Ok, to make the transition from the flatness/flat sided area of the stock lower fender edge,....so I will need to cut a lot higher on the good 35 fender.

The sketch, I hope you can follow it....there will always be a "point" at the back end of fender where the new piece fits. That is due to the patch coming from a "slanted top section" of the donor fender....so the angle at back edge is slightly wrong, but it should still look OK I think because my sketch shows the point more exaggerated than reality.

Now there is also a problem when looking rearward into the fender lip where the new piece fits. It just rolls under the fender a lot, and the tire treads will throw sand specks at that curled under piece, which will cause road-rash.

just a mock up for now, as I am a bit too tired to do any real trimming to get it to fit better. I just don't have any extra fenders, good or junk, in case I ruin something by rushing.

 

^^^ I like the front fender plan.Bob

 

I love this kind of build.Outside the box but still in the old days kind of thinking and design.Keep the updates coming!! Fedco

 

Bob and Jim, I think I have picked a timeframe of when a car like this would have been built....later 30s right before WW2 and just before the new sealed beam headlights in 1940 arrived to the custom car guys.

I will be keeping the 6V system, as well as the "37-38 LaSalle" decorative bulb-headlight grooved rims..

When the young Frank Kurtis was commissioned by owner Willet Brown who worked at the Don Lee Cad/LaS dealership, to build that 34 LaSalle speedster in 1935, Frank started with a 34 Coupe that was hit real hard in the back.

When I was a young kid working my first mechanic job in 1970 at a bigger VW dealership that had it's own full bodyshop across the street...the Body Shop foreman built a shop truck from a VW T3 fastback hit hard in the rear, and a T3 squareback station wagon hit hard in the front. They were a 1969 and a 1968 donors then, both were "totals" and left there abandoned by insurance companies.

So, my build will be based on a 34 Convertible hit hard in front, and a 35 sedan hit hard in the rear. I really like 34s so much more than 35s, but the 35 cowl is all steel framing, and that alone is the perfect starting point to save these two very rough parts cars. That 35 steel cowl is so dang easy to do the 3-1/8" channel to, compared to the "all wooden framed" 34 Convertible cowl. If I never had the 35 cowl, I think the project would have seemed way too difficult to start, as the 34 cowl has zero wood left to go by, it's just plainly an "empty cowl shell" looking so impossible, never mind the fact that the chromed brass casting windshield framing is all missing and too hard to remake.

So, I guess I will stop fiddling with the fenders and get right to the much easier task of channeling that 35 cowl next. Also, I am now thinking that I should use most of the 35 door "width" as that front of door matches the 35 cowl door gap curve, rather than trying to use most of the 34 Convertible door? If I use most of the 35 door "width", then tack it to the cowl with correct front door gap, then that will help establish the "level line" running back into the 34 rear body panels. At least it seems that way to me right now. I just think it will speed up the task of having the actual entire convertible body shell to be level and square that way.

Fun project "to plan out"so far, but I'm definitely hoping not to make a very serious blunder in these very earliest stages.

 

I got a very early start today.. I am working on channeling the cowl. First thing to do is get rid of the front fenders, then get a true, accurate measurement of where the B-pillar area is, above the chassis front legs of the center X.

Pretty cool/convenient in that where I measured down from (the lower edge of dovetail plate) worked out to 12-1/8". My channel needs to be exactly 3-1/8" due to where the 36 grille will need sectioning later, so that means my final measurement there will be 9" exactly after the channel. I need to get the cowl dead nuts, right from the start, so the project can advance at a decent rate.

The front of cowl at firewall is easy to establish, as there are heavy brackets that are held on with rivets. I just need to move those rivet holes upwards exactly 3-1/8" and then, theoretically, the cowl will end up exactly level again after the channel. Here is a pic of the 34 Convertible when I first brought it here. You can see those two lower firewall brackets right above the frame rails. On the Fleetwood Bodied 34, those brackets are bolted to the firewall, but the 35 Fisher is rivets instead. No big deal, replace with bolts after moving them up.


^^^ ok, check out the "new for 1934" IFS with coils and knee action SHOCKS, not knee action front end like the Chevy had. When I took the fenders off this morning, I took a quick look to see how bitchy it might be to lower the uprights by sectioning them or whatever...

I was pleasantly surprised that the forged lower A arms curl around the coil spring bottom. So, no need to mess with lowering/cutting the uprights, all I need to do is lower the spring seating lower plate by cutting off 4 HUGE rivets and replace with long grade 8 fine thread bolts with 4 spacers to lower that plate. It looks like it will work out fine, and not cutting coils like some customs had, the ride will still be so silky smooth like a stock 34-36 LaSalle! I only need to figure out (later), exactly how much that plate needs to be lowered to get the rake I want.


There seems to be plenty of camber adjustability, so I am not too concerned about lowering the front end and not being able to get the final alignment correct!

 

Geebus, another coffee break??? Well, I also had to dump some camera memory at the laptop. I am going balls out today!

more pics:

^^^^ all those chalk marks are to remind me where stuff needs doing at some point. There is so much going on at once that this is the only way I stay focused on each step.



^^^ not enough room there for the 3.125" channel, but if I loosen the steering box, I will be able to keep on going:


^^ well I see yet another difference compared to the 34. This Saginaw box is a 3 bolt, compred to the 34 four bolt. All of the antique car reference books I have here all say "the 35 LaSalle is essentially the same as 1934" Bullshit. It would be far easier/quicker if I listed the few parts that are actually the SAME!


^^^ inside the car; I need to notch for the column as well as pedals. I won't need to do the pedals right now, as I can swing both inside, then when the channel is done, swing them forward to know how little of a notch they need.



^^^ there is the driver side firewall bracket removed, and the white X shows where the channel is going to be, and that area needs cutting out.



^^ then it was time to cut along the top of wood sill, out near the kick panel. Here is the still smoking wood sill. The Mercedes came in handy at least for doing this pic LOL. It does not need to be finished till next Saturday, the only day he can come pick up a car. So, it now waits for the last few hours of work it needs....




^^^ this is in the area looking forward on driver side, where that wood sill was.



^^^ last pic showing where I stopped. The firewall bracket is moved up 3.125". The notch was cut in the bottom face of firewall first. That old hydraulic bumper jack is hooked to the rear hoodside latch thingy. I have 3 of these jacks and they are so freaking handy for this type of stuff. One is a tick longer or shorter, I forget. That jack is the only thing holding this entire side of the cowl up now. The cowl is still up at stock height here. I will need to stabilize the entire cowl before I get too far into it, for safety sake.

I need to repeat all the above tasks on the "passenger side" when I get back on it....but another coffee sounds pretty good right now.. he,he

P/S, I did invite some friends over here from the AACA stock restorer site...so I need to say "HI" to those cool guys... and a gal, too

 

Well, I never did brace up the cowl before starting the passenger side, and this is the 2nd time it nearly got away from me. I actually thought it was going to roll right off the left side, onto the floor.

^^ but, heck, it was easier to cut out the passeneger sill this way

Here is the first time it went:


trimming along the kick panel with plasma cutter, from front of firewall, back to b-pillar.




there is a flat spot shown in outline here. That flat spot is where the "Pete Plate" will be welded to at the B-pillar bottom support. Pete used 1/8" plate because he had a full sheet leftover, so he just went strong iin the channeled doorway of his 32 5w. I will copy him there, except my plate will run from firewall back to the very start of the rear frame kick-up area.



Got the cowl pretty close to that predetermined 9" guide line:




Ok, this is now the channeled cowl at 3.125". There is still plenty small things to do:
-move up the curved pattern of rear fender bolt holes at cowl sides, then also section the hoodsides which means I will have to move up that recessed area on cowl side, where the stock hood corner fits into a low area:

^^^ Sectioning the radiator shell is next...maybe later today, maybe not. I thought of an easy way to make up that offset when you section an angled/tapered panel. I will just slice the top across from left to right, then add a filler piece...all done after the section takes place.

As far as makes any sense, the hood sides must be sectioned "above" the hood center handle? I think so.

 

Kinda' embarassed to post my bumper sticker here .... \/ \/

I did get you one too though buddy .... \/ \/



Frekn' loving the thread thus far. Coffee !!! ( ??? !! ) Who knew ?? This is going to be bitch'n' !!

 

Found this 8x10 today, send me a PM with your address Frank and I'll send it to you. Odd Roadster cap on the driver. Bob

 

Thanks, Jamie....I can ...ooops ....I should say, "everybody on Hamb" can count on YOU to spur us on!



Ok, I had to quit for the day...I am too tired and made a layout mark in the wrong place!
^^^ I was trying to make the 3.125" sectioned area, right over the two new holes I had made a week ago to lower the headlights. I knew that James D left the headlights in the stock position on the radiator shell, so I must follow his plan precisely.

The first side layout and taping went good... so I thought.. :

^I even made two extra lines one inch away from the cut lines. Those give me a way to check the distance after the cut is made, in case the cut was off a bit. But as soon as I flipped the shell over to do the other layout...I marked it at 3-1/8" and DING, I realized I did the first side at 3-1/4" ...one eighth over! TIME TO QUIT, but I did fix that error on a retape, and remark.

Then I used a straight edge to visually guesstimate the width of the filler piece needed up on top:

^^ this is just a curiosity measurement to see how wide that strip could be. Around 3/8 to 7/16 it seemed. Time will tell as it goes together.

Then if I do get the shell done tomorrow morning, I suppose I'd mock up the drivers side fender back on, one headlight back on, and I guess I am forced then, to section the driver side hood side panel.....all that to finally see what the nose will look like with the channeling...

 

Well i will try again, my quote is buries above.

Frank using a wooden folding rule kills me!!! My grandfather always used those for ductwork.They were all over the shop. Cool beans !!!

 

Wow Bob, that is awesome...it looks very old, meaning many decades ago... It is a 34, but has wrong wheels and caps for some reason. Grille emblem on the wrong side, so maybe the car was slightly taken apart for restoring way back then? I'd love to have that to add to the one I have taken in Maine in 1956. I'll PM you next. Thanks, Frank

I can't work without those in fab work. I made the mistake of buying a couple of new, high quality ones at a swap for cheap, only to find out at home, that they are the Bricklayers ones, the numbers on wrong side as you unfold it! I adapted to them...LOL

 

My Dad had a lot of those folding rulers over the years, just never could get the hang of tape measures. We bought a brand new folding ruler and placed it in his jacket pocket when we sent him off just about 34 years ago. Bob

 

Don't section the hood side like that by cutting though the guts. Just scribe the same edge line as the original lower edge but higher up where you want it and then roll the edge gently with some vice grips. Might take two or three passes. Gently does it. I made the hood sides for my 39 from scratch like that.

 

Ok, Speaking about Caddys, what is this one, and what has been done to it? Sorryto take Franks thread sideways. Bob

 

1941 Cadillac series 61 sedanette. Has had a heavy midway section. Front fenders appear to be 39 series 62.

 

Well, that would be way too much work, compared to slice/reweld

Take a look:

^^ I would need to drill out dozens of spotwelds to remove that bracing. Then even more work to form special edge details.


Plasma lit.....and Like Vanna said after each show.... "buh-Bye"


I think I can get by with just slicing this off for now. It is less that 3" removed, but I think it will clear the fender top. I am just trying to get the left side of car back together to see how the channel looks> everyone else probably wants a look, too. I won't be able to pull down the front suspension, it is just too much work right now, so it will be way up there without the motor installed.

.

 

I went as far as I cared by 7:30AM, then started on the Mercedes.

The chassis is angled up a lot, but it still looks good to me as far as the channel.

Nothing is really adjusted right, or bolted solid. The tail end of this fender has a bumped out detail that used to go under the bottom of the cowl, but now needs to be trimmed flat to fit against the cowl.



here is the best I can do right now. I will stop until Kenny gets a chance to go on the engine trip. Putting the engine in, is what I want to do next.

 

put a headlight rim and lens in. I hope to find one more to match it, they are not easy to find for any year LaSalle, like this 37-38 one.

There is one of the rough 34 convertible doors, and hiding behind it is the 35 front sedan door. I need to graft them together

 

Should we start looking for AUBURN windshields? Bob