Hot Rods Have you ever broken a irreplaceable or hard to find part?

This question was ask at the Early Ford V8 Meeting yesterday and yes I have,I am guilty of breaking the Ranch Wagon script on the '54

I looked for several years,both on line & junk yards in vane trying to find the correct script to replace what had previously be lost by my father-in-law the last time the wagon was painted.

Eventually,I did find 2 unbroken Ranch Wagon script,although both were badly pitted they were intact.

I gave them to Steve at advanced plating and almost had a stroke when he told me what it would cost to make them look new but I bit the bullet and told him to do his magic,I felt these were a must trying to keep the car looking original.

The top one is the way they looked when found and the bottom is after it was plated.



Steve sent them to me after several weeks and I was ecstatic,they were beautiful and I couldn't have been happier so I put them away until it was time to install them,when the big day arrived I installed the drivers side with no problem at all then I moved to the passenger side and noticed paint had filled in a couple of holes ,so out came a small drill bit and I carefully worked it between my fingers to open the holes and it worked like a champ.

I was down on my knees and when I started to stand up I put my hand down on the shop rag to steady myself and I heard a snap,I knew imminently I had wrapped the script in the shop rag.



I used a years worth of foul language but the damage was done.

I called Steve at Advanced Plating and ask could he repair the broken piece and he questioned if it was broken when I unwrapped the piece when he sent it to me.

I told him I wish I could say yes but it was my stupidity,Steve is a great guy and he offered to strip the piece,fix the script and re-chrome it at almost half what he originally charged. HRP

 

I thought I did. I was working on the alternator on a barely O/T Corvette when I dropped the half of the housing on the floor and it broke. Of course, it was the part with the date code stamped on it. I looked for weeks to find a proper dated replacement, but all I could find were outrageously over-priced units in catalogs and magazines. I was at "A & E Auto Electric" in Shakopee with a friend one day picking up parts and decided to take a chance on asking them. The guy said that there was a pile of them out back ready to go to the scrapper. and that I could look through them if I didn't mind getting dirty. I found not one, but three with the proper date codes. I grabbed the best. The price? FREE.

A perfect example of "One man's trash is another man's treasure"

 

Was hanging around a friend of mines shop, when the idiot that rents a bay from him dropped a Hogan head for a flattie V12 Lincoln (tryin' to carry to many things at once, and given Murphy's law, dropped the most expensive thing he was holding)

 

It can happen to anyone working with old original castings. These old parts become fragile with time and are not as strong as when originally produced. I would have glued it together with JB weld.

 

I sent a Irreplaceable Rear view mirror surround from a Chauffer Driver Model A Sedan , in to be Re-Nickled , they sent it back in about 40 pieces, I should have painted it instead . Lessons learned

 

Back in the 1980's when I had the Lyndwood rail I wanted to mark the cast aluminum friction shocks left and right. Got my letter punches out and they were small enough to be hidden under the center bolt and washer. Took the shock off stamped it at the same time it broke in half! So pissed at the time, should have left it on the mounting ear and stamped it. I was lucky, found another set within a few months. I did weld an aluminum Type 51 Bugatti cam box together that a coworker broke in half, that was a good safe if I say so. Bob



You can buy reproductions now from O'Brian Trucking

 

When I started the project my intent was intent just to patch the car up and get it running,as with most projects they become much more involved and I wanted to do the work to the best of my ability and not cut corners,probably why it took so many years to finish.

I considered using jb weld and actually tested it but it stood out like a sore thumb to me,I wanted it to look like it was never broken and it does. HRP

 

I broke a perfect original 1959 El Camino windshield, that belonged to a customer.

I found him another one, had it rush delivered, and installed, before the rest of his build was done.

I made no money that month.

 

Yep-40 ford right hand drive speaker grille-broke one of the two long spears off the side of it......
I also used a years worth of swear words in a minute and invented a few new ones too!

 

Nope, I never have broken any hard to replace parts.

 

Yes. Next question.

 

Ok,what? HRP

 

Yep was restoring a 55 Nomad for a customer years ago, was very careful takin the spears off the deck lid. Wrapped them in a seperate blanket and set em on the shelf. Fast 4ward about 10 months, got to get them, and 1 of my illustrious employees had moved them to under a bench and the now had a empty 354 Hemi block sittin on them. Asked why he did that and he said "didn't want to set the block on the floor so I just grabbed that blanket" Took over 2 years to find enuf to replace them. He was down the road a few weeks later.

 

Yep in 1984..... '65 Corvette Coupe windshield trim...

 

I put my door locks in a molasses solution to clean them up before I had them zinc coated. I didn't know then that pot metal (Die-cast) would dissolve. As such I then had to ask a friend to machine up some new steel parts as replacements are not available. Lesson learned

 

Yup. Don't want to talk about it.

 

Backed a Model A Ford over the top of a '32 Ford shell and grill in 1955. Oh well they were cheap then.

 

After my Olds was painted I was installing the cowl vent door and was checking out opening and closing it. it bound up and just like that ,snapped the one side mount off that is spot welded to the cowl.Aint touching it till it gets painted in a future life so that door has been shut for 30 years now.The other half is hanging on the shelf near my shop radio as a reminder to be friggin careful.

 

My o/t is a third gen. Falcon.
During the rebuild I broke the rear trunk Futura badge/trunk key assy.(ran it over with my truck!?......shit!)
It took almost two years to find one.
When I did it wasn't cheap & the replacement was in poor shape compared to the original that I broke.
Not too many of these cars in scrapyards around here.

 

I never broke anything; the concrete floor claimed a few parts but don't remember any being rare...

 

Do you ever brake any other kind?

 

Rather not say, still pisses me off.

 

Must have been pretty bad.

I had a friend that build a 34 Buick resto rod back in the late 70's and paid a big price to have the flying lady radiator ornament re-chromed and there was a accident in the garage that left the flying lady with only one wing...talk about talking in tongues. HRP

 

Back in the late 70's I bought a '55 Chevy PU that was missing it's big back window. A neighbor of mine had a glass shop and found one for me. When I went to pick it up he said: "Do you want me to install it or do you want to break it yourself?" .. I said: "Nah, I'll break it myself."....And sure as shit.

 

not a rare part but still a pisser. had the cherry hood for my 49 Chevrolet up against a wall, and stacked a tall stack of tires next to it. came in the next day and my hood was bent all to shit and tires all over the place.

 

broke a few muncie 4-speeds and late 60's Pontiac posi's back in the day when you could still get them at the junkyard. not too rare back then, fairly expensive these days.

 

When I was working on the Brookwood I had just finished paint and was ready to put the glass back in. I had the rear quarter windows up in the rafters of my shop and I took them down and put them on a padded fender stand to install the rubbers before I put them in place. The attic space was cold and the shop was warm. I let the glass come to room temp as I did other things. I sprayed both pieces with glass cleaner and turned my back to get the paper towel and I heard what sounded like a little gunshot. I turned back around and there was still little diamonds falling to the ground and in every corner of the shop. I was speechless, couldn't talk, my mouth hung wide open, no words. One of the quarter windows had exploded! I knew the windshield was still available , side glass was flat and could be cut but the curved quarter windows and tailgate window were unobtainium. I posted my tale of woe on here and several glass guys checked their inventory and old catalogues to see if they could help me.... no luck. I got a private message from a guy on here saying that he had what I needed and he was only a couple hours away. I told him I'd take it and how much he wanted. He says "you can have it, I have a couple of spares"I wasted no time making a padded cradle and driving to his place to pick it up. Saved my bacon he did....thanks Stovebolt!

 

Well I hate when I do something stupid and especially showing it to others. I didn't exactly break something but it is ruined none the less. I had some of the old original Oxy-Solv, the toxic can't get anymore type for soaking rusty parts, yea you know where this is headed. So the weekend of the Meltdown Drags I decided to put the window channel from my hard to find (took me ten years to find) rare roll down rear coupe window in for a weekend soak. Well I remembered it was in the acidic solution about six or seven weeks later. I looked like something off the Titanic. Caked with some thick green stuff that was even too hard to wire brush clean. Seemed calcified and rock hard. Holes everywhere. Maybe this will give others something to think about when using vinegar or other things with acid to de-rust parts. Check those parts often. So now I'm looking for a replacement, hope it won't take another ten years or I'll maybe i'll have to fab one up

 

Yup, today.....replacing the rear end in my 36 ford pickup, twenty years ago, I built it using 78 pinto suspension, including the rear springs, my guess that my 36 would weigh around 3000 pounds, what a pinto weighs.
Cleaning up the rear springs, noticed the main leaf on the right side was broken, panic, 1978 was a long time ago, get on the phone and source out a new set. A lot of phone calls later, found an outfit that could still get them, ordered a new pair. Alternative?
All new suspension, rebuild the back of the truck making something else fit. Thank god for good parts guys.

 

It doesn’t help, but tempered glass does that sometimes. I know many guys that have found themselves suddenly holding two handfuls of nothing as diamonds shoot off in all directions.



Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app