Projects Drdave accidentally buys a Model A. Now what?

Looking good man! We gotta cruise next I’m down!

 

Use a blacksmith’s post drill with turpentine for cooling. The power feed and slow rotation is the way to drill holes in spring steel .

 

Love the bar. Looks great as do the lights. Can I send you my bar for fabrication? Haha!

 

Thanks! Looking forward to the weekend!

That was my original plan....until I saw a '32 with the horn mounted low and I thought "That looks good!"...not realizing they came that way. LOL Did some looking and found out a repop 32 "boat tail" horn cover and bracket for pretty cheap and away I go.

It has '35 wires on all four corners, just not the spare....the '35's are too wide for the hole. I have a narrower '32 wheel but haven't tried it yet (and I think it's 17 inches?).

So far the plan is to head out Friday morning, but not sure what time yet. Michelle and Katherine are coming, too, as is our older with her husband and 2 kids. Not sure if we are all coming in a pack or waves yet. LOL I'll keep ya posted.

Right?! Shoot me! LOL

Excellent, thanks! I'll see if I can find someone with one. Worst case, I guess I'm going to have to take them off and do it in the drill press.

Only took me two months and 2 headlight bars to do this one....so...... Ha!

 

If You were closer I would loan You the tool .

 

The last that I heard was that Sue and Cindy are coming up a little later in the morning. Of course that is subject to change many, many times!

 

Sneaking up on it. Got the headlights wired and in (stole the bulbs from the Merc since it won't be needing them for a while). The wire hole in the headlights wasn't big enough for the conduit, so I drilled it out and JB Welded in the ring from the original headlights that the conduit clips onto. Worked out pretty decent.







Been making the rest of the 12 volt switch as well, switching the ammeter leads, changing bulbs, etc. Changed the tail lights to 32 trim rings and lenses....well, I actually used a non-traditional lighting conversion, but here's a pic of real 32 lenses and we will pretend that's what I did instead. LOL

Before:


After(-ish)


...and just for grins, here is a profile pic while the Chevy was out of the garage



Still gotta swap the alternator, coil and fill it with coolant and then I think I'm ready to fire it back up for the first time in too long. Waiting on a few more horn bits to come in the mail and I'll get that finished, too. We'll see if I get the bumper brackets off and into the drill press to drill the dang holes for the 32 bumpers or if I plop the A bumpers back on for the SK and worry about them later.

 

Kick ass

 

Looking good!

 

Great progress and looks good! Hope it can make it to SK.

 

It will be there. The question is will I have it running around town before I go. LOL I've been owing an older couple from church an ice cream run in it for a few years....hoping I get to take them next week before we leave.

 

Well, all back together....mostly, and running. Took a bit last night to remember all the lever and choke positions to start it but got it. Burns crummy 3 year old gas happy as a clam. LOL I'll get it out tonight after work, give it a bath and clean up the inside and should be almost ready to go. A few details yet to finish, but the 32 bumpers won't be one of them. Still gotta drill the front holes and the rear brackets are going to need a few inches added to them so that will be a project for another time. SK, here we come!

 

.....and just like that the party was over. :/ Started it up last night to pull it out and wash it and the starter wouldn't engage....end of the bendix spring broke off. Sigh..... @Pinstriper40 happened to have one handy and will bring it this weekend, so no show for this Model A, but I'll have what I need to get it sorted out when I get home. Oh well, gives me time to work out the bumpers and maybe even get a few more of the new interior panels in before the Roc in October. LOL

 

Sounds about how my stuff works out. Can’t like that last post.

 

LOL. Right? Had to push the car out to wash it (hoping the as yet undiagnosed problem was fixable in time), but alas, it wasn't to be. I get to push it back out again this evening to finish making my future paint choices out in the sunlight so I can return your books this weekend. Haha

 

We've all had our times when a failure occurred just before the road trip. It's a disappointment, but better than a break down on the road.
At least Dr. Dave has a second choice rod.

 

Well that certainly sucks!

 

Feel for you, was looking forward to seeing it "up close and personal."! Rain just cropped up in our forecast for the weekend so we're "iffy". Do hope to catch up with you.

 

I was hoping to get to see it this weekend!

 

Promise to help him roll start it and maybe he’ll
Still bring it

 

That’s thinking Tim! Now he has no excuse.

 

LOL. With all the trouble I seem to have with cars around Dewey, best I leave it home....bringing a push toy has little appeal to me. LOL Sadly, don't have time to get the Chevy cleaned up and in shape to come, plus @FLAT-TOP BOB is bringing the new motor for the Merc (and a pile of other stuff that I seem to stack up there but never pick up lol), so coming in Mrs Doc's daily so we can get it all home in a uHaul.

 

Some times things just don’t work out . Sorry to hear about the starter drive issues. Good thing it happened at home or You be push starting it to get back home .
I don’t think having a clean car is a requirement at the SK500 . If it was mine would be banned . Lol

 

Sorry to read about your starter failure. You do have the tool to hand start it, right?

Devin

 

Was that close...

 

Yes, I have the handle, but now with the 32 grille the holes don’t line up and I can’t get the bar through to the motor. Lol

 

Is that Bendix and spring back together and tested yet? I expect a report by the end of the week!

 

LOL! I wish! Now that the SK is over, it's a mad scramble to get things together for Katherine's (our youngest for those who haven't met her) graduation next week. Aaaaannnnndddd, kitchen cabinets arrive at the lake on Friday, so I doubt I get any car time this week. Now, that's not to say I won't still try, but no promises.

(@Pinstriper40 brought me a fresh bendix spring this weekend in Dewey....for which I am much appreciative!)

 

Enjoyed getting to catch up with you, wish we would have had more time to talk about what you're going to do with the Merc. Hope you get to enjoy all your hard work sometime!

 

It was good to see you as well, if only briefly. I showed my son-in-law your truck and explained what was done and he was quite impressed....as would be anyone. Still gives me tremors thinking about how bad I would ruin and warp the daylights out of it trying to put it back together.

I'd like to say I'll be back on the Merc soon, but I know that's not true. LOL My next step is to get my SIL's car back together and out of the shop, then a major clean up and re-organize, THEN back on the Merc. But, I did upwrap the new engine yesterday I picked up from @FLAT-TOP BOB the other day in Dewey. Excited to detail it out and get it in the car.