Projects My first rod, '29 Special Coupe

Model A Coupes RULE !

 

Thanks!

I need help guys..

Can't for the life of me figure out what the issue is with my driver door. From what I can tell, I have the proper hinges, but my door will not close without binding and wanting to bend the cowl. The door to cowl gap is essentially zero. The passenger side has probably 1/16-1/8" gap from door to cowl and opens and closes normally.

It's been like this since I bought the cab. I took the two lower hinges off today trying to see what the issue was. Haven't found anything yet, however I did notice there was almost nothing holding the bottom hinge to the cowl since I'm assuming this binding had caused the metal to crack. I removed the cowl side hinge and ground everything down and welded up the cracks. Ground everything back down flat and reinstalled the hinge. No change in door operation. I'm stumped. I don't see any way to move the front of the door out laterally

 

Bump for some help with this door. Spent a little time trying to loosen the top hinge screws, no luck with pb blaster, torch, and impact driver. Looks like I'll have to drill them out. Still have no idea how to get this door to close. Someone has to have had a similar problem!

 

I personally would start by bolting the body down to the frame solid using body blocks like original or some metal ones that would be fabricated. Having the wood kit in it will help too. I would think without cowl panels and a header board in it those A pillars can move all around.

 

well then i guess i'm at a stand still until i decide what to do for a frame lol. leaning on ordering a 5-12 frame from Boling Brothers. looks like quality stuff and they were helpful on the phone. Materials and my time probably wouldn't be much cheaper than ordering one anyways, plus, i don't have a frame table.

 

I didn't realize you didn't have a frame yet. Sorry to rain on your parade. When I built the frame for my coupe I anchored some stands to the floor of my garage, measured a ton and used the level a bunch. Check and recheck. By the time my brother and I finished the diagonals were only off from one another by a 1/16". We built the rails, made the tapers on the front frame horns, pinched the rails and welded it up with the front and rear cross members. That's an awful lot of work to be summed up in a sentence or two. That being said buying a frame is a whole lot easier. Ask the shop about motor mount transmission mount combos and what their company offers as far as for your set up.

 

yea i'm still on the fence about what to do, that's why i havent jumped on anything yet. I have no doubt that i could build my own, i've done similar projects in the past, however i don't have the resources to do it correctly any more and my time is becoming more scarce. Boling Brothers has given me itemized quotes for a perimeter frame, frame with drivetrain mounts, and basically a full roller. leaning towards the frame with drivetrain mounts, although their complete chassis is surprisingly reasonably priced.

 

My car was a 29 special coupe. What l found was over the years people just let the doors fly open and it twists the pillars over time. The pillars are strong so it will take some doing to get the back in proper trim. I did it with a giant Cresent wrench, just the hinges bolted secure. My doors popped open and had to be slammed to shut.
Im now building it with a Carson style top, l gave away all the panels with the nail holes for the padding, l chopped the windshield frame for the rake I'm looking for. Its like a sport coupe chopped. Have fun, keep us posted.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

thanks for the tip Egor, that's likely what happened to mine seeing as how the metal behind the hinge on the lower was cracked through. i'll have to take some more measurements and see if anything is tweaked. you build sounds awesome btw, got a link?

 

Getting a complete chassis with suspension will save you a lot of headache in trying to find the right products, shipping, etc. .... and it moves the progress ahead rather than stalling out. I've heard great things of the Boling Brothers and their product which should help you slap leather and get the chassis with suspension shipped ASAP.

 

thanks for the insight^

alright guys, so i can't for the life of me get the driver side top hinge off on the cowl side. i got fed up with messing with it today so i went ahead and yanked the door off, clamped it shut where i needed it, and just observed what i need my hinges to do.

basically, my door hinge appears to be mounted too far out, i'm not positive that it's the hinge itself or cowl, or both. i think my only options are either to remove the hinges on the door side and try to move them in, or weld some extensions to the cowl side hinges after making sure the cowl is square.

regardless of the route i choose (most likely just moving the door side in) i'll have to wait until i get a frame to make sure the body is mounted square and won't tweak when i line everything up. maybe in the next few weeks i can give boling brothers a call again.

onto the pics...

lower



middle



upper

 

I never removed an A hinge, (but did many other old cars/trucks that era), but pic 2 looks like the hinge half on body is definitely bent backwards

pic 1 it looks broken off? from what little I can see.

on the door hinge half that are attached to the door: If those get bent, or if the door was abused by a uncommon force, the hinge rips the thin rectangular hole in the door skin. Sometimes if that rectangle is distorted, it could be that the sheetmetal that the hinge is riveted to, is bent, and the hinge is not bent

.

 

there is no pin in the first pic and i can't get the screws cut off inside the channel of the windshield to remove the cowl side. the rest of the cowl side hinges were able to be removed however the pins are seized. i'll have to double check to make sure the door side hinges aren't just bent backwards. thanks for the tip!

 

finally got the top cowl side hinge off tonight, need to go to the hardware store or order a bolt kit, but the door fitment is starting to look more promising. might have to heat up the door side hinges for slight massaging. hoping that i can order my frame next month and make this thing look more like a car!

 

Don't get into a hurry until you have it bolted down solidly to a nice square frame. Even then you will find a dozen spots that are tweeked and needing some heat and persuasion, or a shim at the least.

When the subframe is bolted down square on the frame with blocks, see if the door frame is still square and matching the doors. Worry about the gap of the doors as you are getting the door frames square. One small change in one direction will also affect the other alignments. It's not an afternoon job. Probably take weeks to make it all perfect.

 

I used regular old hardware store bolts for my doors. I did have to use an Allen head cap screw for the top hinges as there isn't enough clearance to get a socket in there. I will be fitting the doors back on to my car in a day or two once I get the body out back on the frame.


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I appreciate the tips, I just wanted to make sure I could at least get the door to open and close before I drop money on a frame. I'd hate to order stuff and then find out I need to buy a cowl and door or whatever.

Good news is things are looking okay now. A few more swings of the BFH got things close enough to call it quits until I have a frame (still hoping to order next month). Until then, the body is basically at a stopping point with the exception of maybe doing a very small patch on the right side of the cowl.



I'll update when I order the frame soon

 

also, i'm up in the air on whether or not to do a suicide front end, which will determine whether or not i buy the frame i originally intended to buy. oh decisions...

 

I`ll saddle up for the ride.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

thanks Leo, it's definitely a different kind of fun with cars than i'm used to, and although i haven't made significant progress, i'm already excited to see where it goes from here.

 

okay so i'm now debating on a couple different options for a frame, and i'm in need of some guidance

options:

A.) boling bros 5-12 frame. 5" sweep, 12" Z, tig'd in a jig, internal gussets. coilover or non adjustable buggy spring, engine and trans mounts - ~ $1500

B.) Midwest-Fab (A.K.A. Bob Bleed) Aceholes frame 4" sweep front, 10" kick rear. frame rails are solid piece mandrel bent. adjustable buggy spring or coilover tube. no engine/trans mounts - ~$1200.

I like the idea of mandrel bent rails, however i'm wondering if the extra trouble make my own engine/trans mounts is worth it. second thing holding me up is if i can get the M/F frame to achieve the ride height I want. I called Bob and he told me 6-8" ride height should be doable with his frame as long as i choose "the right spring set up". I'm currently waiting on him to send me a few more side profile pictures of some cars channeled over his frames.

with that being said, I also don't know if i should choose a buggy spring or a 4 link/coilover set up. i've never ridden in a buggy spring car so i have no idea how it compares to coilover cars.

my goal with this car is to be able to get in it and drive for 2-3 hours without feeling like i want to light it on fire from a crappy ride. i don't want it to bounce itself down the road. I know it won't be rolling pillow, and I'm okay with that (I daily a hummer with mud terrains) i just want to have a "comfortable" cruising car.


Let the opinions fly!

 

update....well sort of.

I put my '29 on hold for the opportunity to fulfil another long time dream of mine. From the time i was around 6-7 years old, I remember my dad always dreaming of owning a blown T-bucket. I can remember sitting in his truck and driving down the road, stopping at a used car lot to eyeball a '23 T bucket. It's been a goal of his to have one by his 50th birthday (next April). With that said, it's been a goal of mine for years to surprise him with his dream car, well after searching on and off for the last couple of years, I stumbled on the most beautiful T-bucket i had seen, and it was for sale locally. Long story short, she came home with me. It'll be a while before I can get my '29 project rolling, but this car couldn't be passed up. I'm currently having Dan Davinci of Davinci Performance Carburetors rework the carbs on it for better idle/drivability, and I installed new M/T sportsman radials in the rear. As soon as the carbs come back I'm loading it on the trailer and dragging it to his house for the surprise unveiling!