Artist to Artist... What Dash are you using there? I mean Ole 4 Banger Face wants to know... Always looks like He's Yelling too... Credit to All that inspired this...
Haha loaf of bread is the least lewd thing someone has thought it looked like. it’s the stock 28/9 dash. Just filling the center divot and following the radius under. Got a half dozen Stewart Warner’s to spread across it once it’s filled and drilled
Been thinking of doing a little hidden back up camera because they are so handy and saw this. Thought it was clever and figured I’d post the photos here so I wouldn’t lose them. Hid the screen behind a backwards mounted sun visor because this car is chopped so heavy that a visor would block the entire windshield lol look real close at that plate
Started removing things to get started on the cowl bracing. Measured and marked where the gas pedal landed in mock up. played around with flip flopping it over to actually work and show with my hand that it’s about two inches to far over from the original pedal location but nothing that can’t be overcome. thinking I’ll figure out the pedal ratio of a spoon pedal and then change the bottom to go to the correct space but keep correct ratio. mom planing on mounting it inside like this and having the throttle linkage pass threw the fire wall. shop helper left their mark it seems Oh ^ that’s a mark on the sub frame that lines up with where the front edge of my seat has been landing during all this mock up looking back at the photos it looks like the linkage is about right over the column tube so the linkage will pass threw the firewall in between the masters just lower. Cool
With that done I set to mocking up the cross bar that will live along the top of the bottom firewall. the fuel filter but was in the way so off it came, just barely a twist on the nut and it all came crashing down on the floor. Whoops. Busted the stud clean in half. With it off I found that the firewall has an indent there as well. - pointing in photo with sharpie. Not sure if I’ll cut the firewall and make it flat or put a dip in the brace. Also in the middle the firewall bulges out just below the rivets I'm pointing at with the sharpie. It seems to continue further to the passenger side than the drivers side. This has to stay because my valve cover tucked perfectly into it. It really is like this car was made for this engine. anyhow, for that one I will bitch the tubing and weld it back solid so it clears. for my first cut I stuck it inside the cowl side and scribed a line. keep in mind the flange for the hood and fire wall edge isn’t flush with the cowl side. So the bar will be slightly shorter than if it were further back. I marked it using the cowl top flange and then checked with a straight edge to make sure the flange edge is the same as where the bend is. then I transferred the line all the way around the square tubing so I’d have a good idea if my cut is drifting or not. I’ll likely cut it with a cut off wheel and then after the other side it done us a grinding wheel to fine tune the fit. I want it nice and snug. Still trying to figure out how I’m going to be able to weld it on the bench and then bolt it into the car. It’s going to be tight fit. so far the plan is tack it all together and then try it! Thinking if the cowl sides go in first pointing down, then place the cross bar where it goes, then swing the cowl side bars up into place it should work as long as my tabs to bolt to the A pillar aren’t to tall. I was going to use pre existing holes and bolts but I think I’m going to have to use one existing and one new to make installation feasible ok enough rambling. Pictures
Tim, I want to thank you for your step by step posts here. Both forward and backward. It is proving to be a great help to me. I see now that getting this stuff down while it is in your mind keeps things moving and leads to solving problems. Yeah we could be keeping a note books but others wouldn't be able to see what we can't. Any way your approach is helping with my build. Thanks!
Glad you appreciate it. I half take the pictures for others because I love lots of progress photos, and also as “notes to self” in a place I know to look haha.
Almost every time I'm looking for something in the shop I find long lost notes and lists for projects I'd forgotten about.
Haha sometimes I’ll move something on my work bench and they’ll be a little note under it scribbled on the bench. todays find. “don’t be such an asshole” lol
A magic eraser and some Dawn dish soap and it cleaned up pretty well. Little varnish still stuck in the button that I couldn’t get out it otherwise solid. I think they are a near piece. Always thought they’d be cool to repurpose as something else. normaly I’d say it’s a good spot to hide some extra fuses or the like but it crosses my mind now that I could mount it to the inside of the firewall and put a bulb in it for an u set dash light. I think @Blue One had that idea brought up during his thread. Not sure he put one in but now it’s got me curious.... might be able to sneak a little push button switch into one of the holes that was a fuel fitting... Or, ya know. Sit it on the shelf of random shit in the garage lol
Ok an “other people’s hot rods” post. @Tuck A truck thread got looked threw this morning and kinda dig these smaller headlights. I think I might try a few different kinds out before I cement whatever I’m going to run. The lights I have now are on loan so I’ve gotta come up with something different anyways it’s sliced. after that I found @nutrocker sport coupe thread and LOVE the switches in the header panel. I might have to steal that idea... The dome light is cool as well, I’ve been seeing people use of fender amp lights and these lights/ switches have a similar vibe. Gotta sweat the details when it’s a simple car
Ok so photo dump time lol. spent the morning cutting up the metal for the fire wall bracing. I cut my first side and then when I mocked it up found that it fit inside on both ends. The passenger side goes all the way to the edge of the firewall but won’t angle over to the cowl side. In retrospect I should have moved my drivers side angled cut all the way down to remove the least amount of metal and I could have made it match side to side. But it’s not enough different that I’m going to worry about it or re do it. Just another thing to keep in mind next time. I held the cross piece to the firewall with 1/4 plate spacers and magnets. The Indent in the firewall keeping it from sitting Flat is 1/4 or so tall so it seemed the easiest way to get this done with out first modifying the firewall. I made it an even 1/4 because the end plates that will bolt to the A pillar will be 1/4 thick so my thinking was to make it butt up tight and then when I remove the bump in the firewall I’ll have a 1/4 of space for the tab you can see the various ways I tried to get the drivers side cowl bar lined up and marked using various clamps and spaces chunks of metal. I couldn’t just measure because the cowl side has an arch in it and the metal is flat so it’s not going to play nice in every position the same. Ended up cutting the firewall side and then putting tape on the A pillar side and scribing with a metal bend across the bottom Side. now turns out because of the angle it was mocked up at it came up a 1/4 short. :S whoops. live and learn. This is why I like mocking stuff up with wood real quick before I make a metal one often. either way I made the passenger side one it’s twin after checking that the drivers side one fit the passenger side flipped over. I added the missing 1/4 to that one. I’m currently not sure if I’ll need to add the 1/4 to the short side or make the correct length one shorter because I still have to figure out how this thing is going to swoop into the car. For all I know I’ll have to have them both short. I’ll tack it together and try it out. I’ll take photos of that as well during all this I found a random little piece of metal that I think either came with some ikea stuff or maybe it hung a wreath? Either way it’s great for making scribe lines square to all sides lol. Would be easy to make one as well ended up swapping the magnets for clamps and used the big magnets to hold the cowl bars in place in the end. then I marked the uprights for the notch I’ll cut out to mount them to the cross bar. They will bolt to the side of the pedal box. Need to drill holes in the pedal box and then transfer that to the uprights. I have some ideas on how to do that as well. what else did I take photos of? Oh! With it mocked up I found there only a small piece of the firewall dent that actually hits the bar and it’s above the engine and to the passenger side so I can flatten I with no issues. It’s actually shallow enough that I’m thinking I can get it hot and hammer and dolly it flat. the fuel filter dent I’ll have to cut but not much. Think that’s it? I’ll post more if I member anything
The photo of the pencil behind the cross bar is making sure that the single spot on the firewall is the issue photo of pencil pointing at fire wall, the cross hatched square is where it needs to be flat the photo of the square being held on the bracing was making sure that I was holding the cowl bar flat with the top of the cross bar. I marked the A pillar with a sharpie at that point to help the get it back to square one should I need to quickly photos of me pointing at holes are holes I’m going to have to drill all the way threw for a longer bolt to bolt the cowl down threw the brace. it’s gonna have to come out and get drilled and tapped a few times between now and the road I don’t mind 4 More holes
Got the notches cut this morning. Stuck them in my drill press and drilled a hole In The corner and then clamped them to my bench and used a cut off wheel to make each cut along the line. Didn’t want to cut both sides of the box at the same time because I wasn’t sure It would cut straight across. it got it close enough to weld up but I really think my next purchase tool wise will be a bench top band saw. I’m just not getting the tightness I want with a cut off wheel and it feel silly to borrow a tool for a 5 minute job every week. Anyhow, photos. just need to cut these new pieces to length, mock it all up and mark everything very very clearly. And then get it tacked together. once it’s all set and welded up I’m going to drill the holes in the side of the pedal box and the uprights to match. still back and forth which will get drilled first and what gets transferred to match. I know the uprights won’t get drilled until welded on because by the time it’s all said and done there’s a lot of variation on where it could land. currently thinking measure it on the pedal box, transfer the measurements to the upright, drill the uprights, clamp the pedal box in place and then use a transfer punch threw the uprights to mark to pedal box. Sorry went on a ramble... like always
Yeah the next thing i want is a band saw. The next car I’ll buy a welder. It’s been so long since I’ve done any real welding that buying one now to finish the car would put a huge dent in my already long timeline. ...and I need an old truck before I need yet another old car project. Maybe I’ll weld up some agriculturally inspired bumpers for it when I get the welder lol
I need to rig up a metal bandsaw as well. I'm sure you've seen the SWAG offroad tables to convert a portaband to a horizontal?
Or a modified wood bandsaw. I'm cheap, like to spend hours on the internet looking for used parts and tools (I'm also on the Garage Journal - old tool section) and like all things vintage. I was lucky to score a CHEAP metal bandsaw, small 1928 metal lathe, 1952ish disc sander and more over the years........don't discount regular swapmeets, old tool swapmeets, yard sales and antique malls/shops for good used tools. Everything that is floor mount is on wheels (used furniture dollies) and a Craigslist metal dolly for the bandsaw. Kinda sucks to have to move everything around when working, but it sucks more to me not having the equipment. BTW, I'm in a 2 car garage with the water heater and a full size washer and dryer (so really 1 car now).
Yeah I’ve seen those, I’ve stuck a borrowed porta band in a vice more than once haha. I had considered a band saw that is also a chop saw but I don’t know if I can justify the floor space/footprint. I always try to keep tools as small as I can and to have them perform a lot of functions. of course it’s always at the end of a job that you realize that buying the tool would have saved you time and frustration lol. Oh well, I’m not done making stuff out of metal after this car. it’s likely to be a while before I buy anything so I can keep an eye on the swap meet/marketplace/ etc for deals. I’ll probably buy a new - hopefully bigger- garage before I get around to buying a saw so maybe foot print won’t matter so much at that point
well A lot more time that it took me to cut the divot out and make a poorly fitting filler panel -should almost Knick name this car “part of the learning curve” - Ryan tig’d up dash/ tank and I’m over the moon excited about it. I’d guess he’s got just shy of ten hours in fitting, welding, bending and sanding.
What’s next? im scribing lines this morning and getting the bracing uprights trimmed and drilled. But I came up with a use for a few of these tappered Allen bolts! im going to fill the dash rail holes with some and flush them over so they don’t use a screw/bolt to mount. the end bolts may survive as stock but the two center holes have got to go. I absolutely LOVE the peak in the middle of a 28/9 dash rail and those two center bolts are taking away from it in my mind. They are a pain in the ass to get to anyways may as well only have to get to one side! also, I’m considering mounting some switches or gauges in the ends of the dash rail after seeing another member make a rad gauge pod that instead of hanging from the bottom of the dash hangs from the dash rail on the drivers side. it never crossed my mind that it is far enough forward to clear the back of a gauge, a switch or an indicator light. I’ve got a few extra - probably not working- head light switches I’ve saved for mock up purposes figure there’s not another switch I would be using that’s bigger so if that switch fits the rest should. the end of the dash rail is also close to the shape of the little under dash triangles I was talking about using previously so maybe this is the solution there? Just need to make sure the wiring has a path and you don’t see switch fits hanging out in the breeze. Looking forward to mapping out the switch positions but for now, finish the fire wall bracing, hang the pedals, mock up the dash with card board gauges and then drill that sucker 6 times for 6 gauges then it’s sit and stair time. maybe I’ll grab some cheap black knobs from the hardware store and stick a magnet into he back side to test out my placement ideas. hmmm - clearly baby any day judging by this rambling
Before I converted my bandsaw to metal cutting, most of my tricky cuts were made with a hand held jigsaw. Works surprisingly well when paired with the correct blades/speed/lubrication.
It really does cut threw about anything! I’m chalking most of the error up to me. User error will get ya every time. would be curious about finding some better blades for each material though. I’ll have to look into that
Alright got some more done this morning. Used a square to scribe a line to line the sides up when out of the car
Just typed an entire book to edit into that last post and when I hit send it gave me “are you sure you want to resubmit this form?” And poof! It was gone. Ugh hopefully the pictures make since I’m not retyping that all lol. Brace is ready to weld up. Still need to flatten the firewall to figure out exactly how the feet/tabs that mount to the A pillars will worm
Let the mock ups begin! The blue tape is where the stock truss’s/ baffles are still in the tank. I forgot they were there. I figured it would help keep things stiffer but I’m not really sure they are doing a whole lot. I sat them roughly where they would have to land to not hit the inner stuff. I’m going to put the tank back in the car and make some paper gauges to tape up and move around while I sit in the car. No since it looking cool on the bench but I can’t see the gauge because of the steering wheel etc. still thinking big ones in the middle and two smalls on the side but I did swap them around once when putting the gauges away and having three on each side and just the medal and switches in the middle doesn’t look terrible. we’ll see
You would be surprised how close a fit you can achieve with a 5" grinder and a very thin zip-cut wheel. Take your time, let it cut without forcing it and your cuts will be very manageable. Don't ever grind with the zip cut. Just relax and let it do its business. You'll find that once you get used to cutting with a grinder and the use of a sharp file, youll find that you possibly don't need a band-saw. Great project and instructions for those not in the fabrication arena.
Me, I like the two largers in the center with the badge above and the smallers on the sides.....even though you didn't ask for votes. LOL ....I see the odometer already has taken into account the distance it has been pushed in, out and around the garage.
Yeah I’ll keep the two larger ones in the center. Only variable is where the smaller ones land spacing wise. I want them to all keep the same center line just not sure how they’ll end up spaced side to side. making some construction paper gauges right now to try out later and yeah, I think some thinner cut off wheels and taking more time would get me a better cut. Maybe that bandsaw money could be directed to a welder and @Inked Monkey will be pleased haha
The Jalopy Journal
