New to the HAMB, not a newb......

I've seen 454s under a bug body before. I think your ride will be much better!
I understand the "favor" list all too well.
I'm still in the planning stages for my "29 A"-ish rpu. I say "ish" because most of it will be from stratch. I beat panels for about 20 years so it doesn't scare me too much.
At this point I'm going to use my S15 as the basis of the truck and get it usable. A v6 and 5 speed will do nicely for this one.
I've been told that I have to construct the frame for my next project.
I don't even know what it is yet. Strange? Yup.
A good buddy of mine says he has a "present" for me when I'm driving this one. He has a 33 Buick, a 32 A and numerous others bits and pieces. I'm not proud. I'll take just about anything! Not much to choose from around here. Too much salt air and rust.
Oh... cool about the history of trimmers. My dad got my brother and me into fixin' stuff decages ago. Good times.
Anyway.. didn't mean to take over your post. Keep the pictures coming!

 

I took some pics of the old gas and brake pedals, but left the camera at the shop. I'll try to get them up tomorrow.

 

Oh well. That happens.

 

Here's those pics of the Seagrave pedals. Still have to clean them up. The gas pedal is still attached to the old cast aluminum floorboard.

 

Gee. That brake pedal looks like it could hurt the bottom of your foot if you step on the tabs instead of the flat.
Neat though.
How will you clean them up?
Get any time on your roadster?
I'm going to look at an A cowl, fenders and pickup box tomorrow.
Just like a kid at Christmas. I'll never grow up.

 

The tabs do worry me a bit. I will start the clean up with a visit to the blast cabinet. After that, I think I will just paint the brake pedal. I am thinking about painting the grooves in the gas pedal after some smoothing and edge polishing, leaving the face unpolished. I did get some time on it after work today. But did not get a lot done. I planned on hanging the front end, but ran into a problem with the spindles and bearings. I made a post about the issue here:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2287443#post2287443

 

Shame about the spindles. It's great to be able to fab stuff but better to not have to do it for every little thing.
It's like tech support... I like to know that I can get good support but I hope I never need it.
I like your idea of painting only the grooves on the pedals. That should look nice.

 

Well, I have a roller! I got the front end hung today, but have a couple problems. The biggest is the tires are leaning out at the top, see the pics. I am not sure what I am going to do about that. The other problem is the steering cross link does not clear the spring. I hope I can fashion a spacer strong enough to work.

Any ideas would be welcome.....

 

Hey there...
Had any great ideas about the issues you mentioned in your last post? Wrong spindles? Bent axle?
Today I made a deal for a '30 A cowl, drivers door, and pickup box (in pieces but all there). I'm a little scared that I won't find front fenders reasonably. Rears don't bother me. They look like something I can build. I guess I just have to get an English wheel put together or some big bucks for fenders. Not many spare parts around this area.

 

The consensus around the shop is to add more arch to the axle. I may have another solution in the works, though. My brother in in the process of gathering parts for a 34' pickup build, and has a 36'-40' axle. He really wants a dropped axle, but is also on a budget. If I can talk the boss into giving my brother a deal on a take out front end he has, I will be able to get the stock 36' axle from my brother. It will solve a couple issues I have. First the camber problem, but also my front end is wider than the rear. The model A axle is 50" pin to pin, and the 36' axle is 48. My spring setup is not optimum, and will have to have a panhard bar added, but the perch bolt spacing on the 36' axle is 2" wider, and will correct that problem. So, tomorrow I need to put the hard sell on the boss!

I will fix the crosslink problem by flipping the spindles around, moving the link to the front.

 

Were you able to convince/threaten/plead with the boss for the deal?

 

Yes, but it was still more than my brother could afford right now. Their was a lot more parts than the axle there. It was a complete front end, axle, spring, spindles, rotors, calipers, crosslink, and batwings. All of it from P&J's.

A local collision shop guy is supposed to come by and have a look at my ch***is to tell if he can re-arch it on his frame machine.

 

Too bad for your brother. That sounds like it would have been a nice package.
I hope they can re-arch the axle. It would be an "easy" fix compared to other possibilities.
Any activity on the Seagrave pedals or is that a back-burner project?

 

The pedals are kinda back burner. I will probably do them on a day I want to work on it, but don't feel like pushing the car in and out.

The axle package is a great deal. About $1500 retail new, and it only had about 300 miles on it!

If I cant find someone to fix my axle, I will dissasemble it and try it myself in the press at work. I got the cab set on the ch***is last night. Next will be floor sub structure, and mounts. Then I will have to get the motor and trans out of the old van, as I need it in place to build the tunnel and pans.

 

Really nice!
I can only imagine (unfortunately only imagine considering the state of my project) how good it is for you to see the two together.
With that amount of Z-ing and kick-up you will have a major channel job on the box/bed or it will be wicked shallow!
So will the axel-package get parted out or wait for a mate?
You must have a healthy press to try the axel yourself.
Good luck.

 

It took me almost an hour to get over it well enough to actually get a little work done to it! All I got done was cutting the left pillar post to height, and t******* off the drivers door posts. Spent the rest of the time crouched down about door top level, staring at it.

The axle package will most likely remain a package until the next large swap meet, or until Mike(the boss) decides on his next build.

 

Yup... It's really amazing how it feels for some of us to build/fix/modify something.
I could write a whole pile about life lessons learned by fixing stuff while I grew up.
Today I picked up a rusted-out cowl and box for my '30 pickup project.
It seems that I've spent hours planning and day dreaming about it.
Amazing how time flies when you are having fun.
Can't wait to see the outcome of your build.
I still look at my sons '71 Bug in my back yard and think.. hmmm. Naw. Too many other projects to work on.
Cheers.

 

I haven't gotten a lot done since my last post, but I did get some new goodies! I picked up a gas tank that I like. It came from a co-workers T-Bucket when he purchased it. He built a larger one soon after getting it years ago. My brother gave in to the devil on his shoulder and bought a Superbell 4"dropped I-beam(what he really wanted), so I got the 36' axle to replace the A axle I have.

The really cool score is these headlights and lenses!

 

Wow. Lots of parts dancing around there!
Hopefully your brother will recover from his giving in to tempation.
Those are really interesting lenses. What they are from?

 

I don't know what the lenses are from. I think they are "aftermarket". The boss likes to collect this kind of stuff. He has several sets of these, and a lot of the old bud vases. I also made a deal for some nice headers and mufflers.

These headers. One of our customers bought this car, and immediately started changing stuff!

 

I guess it's great for you that the boss like to collect "stuff"!
Those headers look really good but they are different than what you had in your concept drawing. Think you'll be able "settle" for them?

 

Yep, for the price I got! I will have a couple hours work invested in em'!

 

Hard to beat a good deal...

Are we gonna see any pics of your brother's truck at some point?

 

Not much to see yet. He's in the planning/gathering stage right now. He has the cab, a 58' ford moredoor to rob the rear end and possibly the good Y block from. A pair of A radius rods, and of course the new axle. He called me today to order the steel, cause I can save him a few $$'s.

 

Hello Len, I'm also new to HAMB. My is Wally, I work on harley's mostly,but now it is time to finish the two project cars I have.I have a 67 Galaxie 500 and 65 Mustang straight axle g***er. By the way I love that vw project, who'd of thought (other than you) with a little chopping it would have the perfect lines for it. Hope to see more pics in the future, Good Luck with it! Quick question,I have all the upholstrey and head liner for my stang. Is this something I can do myself? Or, would it be a better idea to take it to the local shop? THANX, Wally

 

It sounds like he's on a roll though.
It all takes time, money and a bit of luck. Unless you have a cartload of money... then you are set.
I'm still gathering and de-rusting parts. I'm trying mol***es dip on some parts and electrolysis on others instead of blasting. It's working quite well.

 

Wally, I would definitely recommend taking the seats to a trim shop. Those years are some of the toughest to get on looking good. The carpet kit should not be a big problem for you. Replacement door panels are a breeze, with a little care. A basic R&R type job. The headliner could be troublesome, depending on a couple things. First, are the windshield and backgl*** still in the car? If so, do you intend to replace them? The headliner material is glued over the pinch weld around both, or should be in these year models. Next, is the old headliner still in the car? If not are the metal bows in place or marked as to location? Figuring this out can be fun, if they have been removed unmarked. If these things are kosher, you could attempt the headliner yourself. You will need a quality contact cement such as 3M General Trim Adhesive. Most parts stores have or can get this. Or get some from the local trim shop/upholstery supply. The 3M glue is the only aerosol I would recommend for this. If the old one is still in the car, take note of the glued ares. Apply glue to these area's, and with the bows in the listings of the new headliner, placed upside down on a flat surface, spray glue around the perimeter of the entire headliner, about 6" wide. Let it dry until it will barely stick to your hand. If unsure wait a little longer. Next hang the bows and headliner back in the car. Take note of the bow attachments, they will have a notch that prevents the bow from rotating one direction, or one bow will be stationary. I dont remember which on this model. You will want to pull the center front or back depending on this. Usually it is the back. Be sure to have the fabric centered in the car. Then pull and set the other end at the center. Only apply enough pressure to get it to hold at first, you may need to reposition. Then start seting the sides, starting in the middle. You may need to clip the listings at the ends to let the fabric move far enough out to the sides. Then it's just pull and set, working from centers out until it is snug and wrinkle free. DO NOT trim any fabric until it is fitting well all around. If this sounds too complicated, by all means find a quality trim shop that has someone experience with these old cars. Hope I was helpful!

Gizmo, got any links to the electrolysis method? I have heard of it, and would like to give it a try.

 

Gee, Len.. great info for Wally or anyone else too!
I grabbed info from these two sites:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/andyspatch/rust.htm
http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/electrolytic_derusting.htm
I'll post a note in a 1/2 hour or so with some hints, tips and experiences.
Gizmo

 

As promised...
The big things I learned so far(some are mentioned on the web but imprtant enough to repeat):
-first.. it really is simple to do!
-use plastic containers for the dipping tubs. Or wooden cases lined with THICK plastic sheet
-low amps and volts.. not the wacked-out amounts some people speak of using. 1/4 - 1/2 amp works for "smaller" parts like fenders
-I used a power supply from a laptop computer. Worked great! I took the cover off though to help cooling.
-less liquid, not more. If you have an odd-shaped part put plastic containers filled with water around it to take up space and cut down on liquid
-I used 1 tables**** of washing soda to one gal. water like suggested
-it sure is "line-of-sight". Build an encompasing anode so it can see as much of the cathode (part to clean)
-degrease parts or it will be slower.
-MAJOR rust s*** forms on water and "sacrificial" anode.
-NO STAINLESS STEEL! Produced Cadmium. Deadly fumes. I used 16 guage metal for my anodes. It's what I had and was easy to form around the part to be cleaned
-I didn't find it flashed back to rust as quickly as some say. Rinse well after as suggested and the treat as you would any other fresh metal
Hmmm.. if there is anything else that comes to mind I'll post.
I'm also becoming a great fan of mol***es dipping (sure thought that was a joke until I read and tried it). It's slow but I have shiny steel on a 20 year old brake adjuster after it soaked for 3 weeks.
Cheap, gentle and walk-away simple but slow and smells bad.
I hope I didn't forget anything. It was a mentally taxing day so I'm not sure if all the synapses are firing.

 

oops.. oh ya. It took about 48 hours on tough stuff, 24 on easier parts.
PLEASE do this in a well ventilated area. And no smoking. Hydrogen gas goes BOOM!
I actually did it outside with a tarp over the whole thing