Projects altering a '30 cowl, reversed firewall, '51 truck dash.

Your gonna hate me...but what about sectioning the speaker grille area and moving that angled sweep to the right and then you can add a speedo asthetically beside the existing gauge which actually provides good info too?
Not only that the Speedo would be better aligned to your line of vision...

Further to that you could even eliminate the speaker area and radio and make it a flat panel for additional stuff like Alliance Tags......but that angled sweep is part of the character of the dash so I wouldn't eliminate that.

Hey Sloppy did you send some of that snow up my way we got about a foot here and it's still coming down...

 

For one I don't like the look of the gauge clusters...plus with the speedo way left your wife can't get a good look at your speed...
if I can make the outer edges look ok then messing with the middle may happen...
I intend to run the dash's flange out to the door's edge, cut out to match the door's top...
with a "maybe" upholstered garnish from it up the post... playing !

 

filled the remaining speedometer crescent... outer flanges next...

 

lookin good smitty. u still digging out? We only got 6 here so it looks like we sent everything up to you guys up north

 

Looking great Smitty! Keep it up and keep us posted

 

Thanks boys... hey, anybody got an extra or not needed radio or radio delete for one of these '51-'52 trucks ?
looks like the shape radio that may fit a few other cars and trucks...
not going to hook the radio up but fill the hole with it or the delete...
thinking of sectioning the dash about 1" along the bottom, but not the raised section under the radio, will leave it long...

 

no on the dash sectioning...
with the speaker grill and trim, there doesn't seem to be a good spot for the switches...
so I will leave it alone and add on a 1940 style column clearance tunnel...
but not today...

 

Welded a 1/4"-20 stud centered in the dash bar, corresponding hole drilled in the dash lets it hang on the cowl...
you can round file the hole to fine tune centering the dash... weld up later.
I set the lowered dash in the cowl, slid the hinges in... pic with door...
gonna need to add something to space the gas tank's rear bolt edge down to the now lowered flange on the dash bar...
maybe an extra cowl's dash bar trimmed and welded in...
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For the guys that like both the speedometer and the gauge cluster maybe remove the ashtray only to make the dash narrow enough and still keep the stock look...

 

Lowering the dash bar about 2.5" leaves the rear tank bolt flange "about flush" with the top edge of the dash bar... the bar and tank have different arches...
I bolted some 1"x 2" 1/8" tabs with 3/8" holes I had stashed to the tank, I bent or extended where needed then tack welded them to the top edge of the dash bar.
not pretty, but stiffened the tank flange / dash bar a lot, and is hidden by the dash...
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going to remove the original dash bar's lower bolt flange so I can better get at the nut and bolt areas when I install the tank and filler panel...
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if your filler panel's cage nuts are stripped, torn or rusted ... tack a 3/8" x 1" strip of sheetmetal lengthwise onto either the nut or bolt's outer edge, whichever you have inside the filler panel... once you get them started they will let you tighten or loosen with one hand, the strips keeping them from spinning...
I also use 1/4"-20 x 2.5" bolts [slightly sand off some of the outer threads and use them as temporary hinge pins... when done I ream the holes for oversize A hinge pins...[sny'ds]
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hope to get the right side door, B pillar, quarter and tulip panels tacked/bolted in and mocked up Sunday...

buddy hammer and dollied my tulip panel...

 

Sanded and installed the 1/4" -20 hinge pins, hung the right door, set up the B pillar with spacers for door clearance at the front and rear jams, suspended and clamped the quarter, tacked the B pillar,
ran 4 bolts through the tulip / quarter seams...
took pix... time for lunch... maybe a nap !
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Gonna tack in some braces, run a tube low enough to clear the lid's inner skin across from trunk gutter to trunk gutter...
then set the declid on, shim all 3 edges centering the lid, then tack the t/g tube to the far side holding the gutters where they need be... remove the lid, finish tacking... I will add 2 legs to support the quarters hight while on the table...
this and a little more bracing should hold the tail end so I can build the lower 13"
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Some restorer must have wanted the lower panel as they cut about 2" all the way around with a torch pic... I had a chunk of '30 Desoto quarter...little less arch than the A, but the lower 13" of the A kind of flattens out a little... shrink and stretch should get it done... it is close to the bead width as the '30...
.

 

And I worry about putting a B'Ville body back half together. Piece of cake. Yeah.
You do good work.
Thanks,

jim

 

At the cost of a B-ville I would be a little worried about just how much labor was needed...
I have only $850 invested in what you see... the "dirty work" involved is money not spent...
my liking of the dirty work got me the nickname THIN TIN...
also, met and got parts from a bunch of decent folks... thanks boys... and girl !
gonna run '32 rails, a '31 shell, and ........ a new '30 hood, thanks Sue...

 

Looking good!