Projects Time for another '32 pickup.

I'd like to know as well as I will be doing this on my wagon.

 

You have to place the rivet first. Then support it with a very sturdy Jack. I have built loads of special tools to hold the rivet in place. If it's not under a lot of pressure the air hammer will vibrate the jack away and ruin your rivet. Setting the rivets up is 80% of the time. Then cut to the exact correct length. 14mm for 5/16" rivets and 12mm for 1/4" rivets. This will give you a perfectly formed head.
Then heat to bright orange and set with the air hammer.
I have described the process before in my how to build a 32 frame tech.

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There is a good tutorial at www.bigflatsrivet.com

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I'd forgotten about the original placement. Plus, they came with taller tires. I've been trying to trade my brother out a cab he has squirreled up and will probably never build. Thus, my interest in your build. I, too, like the bucked steel rivets, even if it's time consuming.

 

Here's my self made jack to hold these rivets in place.

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Actually I've found that riveting a frame is easier and quicker than welding it up. But the main plus is, that everything you do is reversible. If you decide later to replace or move a crossmember it's easily done. If you weld the frame together it's impossible to change it later without ruining some of the components. With original parts getting hard to find and expensive it really makes sense.

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Here is the heater finished. It's an original Art Deco heater fitted with a 12V fan and an Austin Mini heater core. I also fitted some USB sockets on the side to power the radio and to charge phones.
There's a two speed pull switch on the side of the heater so it's entirely self contained and just needs power and earth.

The "radio" is a Doss Traveller Bluetooth loud speaker so you can play your favourite tunes. It's been fitted into an original drive-in cinema loud speaker case.

The radio can also be unhooked from the firewall and taken to the camp fire. It also features a powerful LED light for finding your way around in the dark. It's got a lithium battery which lasts hours outside the vehicle.

Both mount on the firewall. The heater in the middle and the radio in front on the passenger's feet.


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Damn those are sooooo sweet! Thanks for the rivet info and pictures.

 

Very neat accessories! Little things like that really make a car (or truck!)

 

Final assembly of the F1 steering box. I cut off the original flange and turned down the outside of the box on the lathe using this attachment I made. Then I had a new flange lasered out.
The F1 box is mounted a little further forward than standard in order to clear the header and also to position the steering wheel correctly.
I also had a second, thinner flange embellisher lasered out of stainless steel. This is correctly being polished. Both the flange and the embellisher sandwich the chassis rail to strengthen it.
Set up was made with the cab and dash and column drop in place before spot welding the flange in place.
The box is quite close to the header which is why it's painted in silver exhaust paint. I figured silver would reflect the heat better than black.
The sector shaft housing protrudes through the rail. Shortening the housing leads to premature wear in the bushings which I wanted to avoid.

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Wow, how did I miss this build. Found it while rereading your frame riveting threads. Great work as always. If you ever find time could you do a tutorial or video on riveting and show more of your self made tools? I am putting my frame together this summer and would really like to see more about how it is done.

Thanks,

—louis

 

Very neat job on the heater and speaker. Love the detail.

 

Check this thread out: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/lets-build-an-authentic-1932-frame.610718/

 

Yeah I have read it several times. Great thread .

Thanks,

--louis

 

The frame is now primered and filled where necessary. Most of the small parts have been powder coated and now I'm waiting to have the frame painted black.
As soon as it's painted I can start building the truck.

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Looking really good. You have inspired me to build my own chassis. Just received all the stuff to do the riveting and plan to practice here soon.

Thanks,

--louis

 

Beautiful details! Thanks for sharing.

 

I have quite a few chassis building threads on here. Check them all out. Some on modifying crossmembers too.

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When filling the frames scars and so forth I left characteristic pitting which typifies original 1932 Ford frames. If you overdo the bondo it'll end up looking like a reproduction frame.
I've started out here with a wonderfully original 1932 Ford truck so I'm aiming for my usual top resto look but with lots of original character.

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Man, so true, I did the same with my frame. Why hide its rightfully earned place in history and make it look like a fake?

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You have a nice build started. And I love your thought process at keeping certain flaws/character to match year/etc The heater is a keeper

 

I've committed to memory a lot of the ways an original 32 frame's holes are formed. Some are straight punched, but some are punched before the rail was bent, and the hole is deformed. The top of the front frame horn's fender mount hole is an easy one to spot. A very easy way to distinguish a fake at a glance.

 

This thread proves the more you do something the better you get,I didn't think you could improve on your last truck build but you proved me wrong. HRP

 

This is the frame I started with. It wasn't too far gone but did need a lot of work.

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This truck is also destined for Switzerland and will live about 10 miles from the other one so we can expect some side by side photos later on.

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Do you know what car the heater came from. I have the same heater for my 31 Ford pickup build . Picked it up for $10 in a antique shop .

 

Heaters were an accessory back then. You bought them and had them fitted. Or dealers would fit them. Either way, they weren't supplied by the car manufacturers.

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Today was day zero. The frame was painted on Saturday so I was able to start final assembly today.
This is how far I got today.
I've reversed the front spring U-bolts to give more clearance to the axle. The air filter is an original 1946 Ford oil bath filter. The shackle bars have been powder coated and the nyloc nuts replaced with castle nuts.

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Great build. Where did you get the lower radiator hoses?

 

Tmi Aulis in Finland makes them.

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