Hot Rods Model A body on ‘32 chassis WITH FENDERS- Help!

To me, MIG is more forgiving than TIG. Way more prep and almost gapless joints when TIG welding, and learing the heat ranges with the foot rheostat. The guy that welded our super gas chassis was certified welder at Boeing in Wichita. Skinny little guy, could crawl inside the chassis and do overhead welds and run the rheostat with his knee. Amazing to watch.

 

Agree with big duece. Get a Miller or Lincoln MIG, 220v with gas and you won't look back.

 

@RiffRaffRoadster sorry about the outcome of the potential rebuild option...

This hobby has a varied range of expense and generally it ain't cheap...I have tried doing it on my own and sourced out some and I threw the towel in as the costs were skyrocketing...not to mention my expectations of completing it.

I chose to sell the project and buy a near roadworthy Hotrod...and that wasn't cheap either...but I am roadworthy now.

So try to preserve the soul and perhaps get a few more estimates and we will follow however you get this Hotrod back on the road.

 

it is hard to tell what I am looking at. the front of the crank should have a flat outer edge. it does look like a broken bolt/drill bit? maybe someone tried to drill and tap, for a bolt?

 

Stogy-I’m disappointed as well. I may try to get the car together, engine rebuilt and running, and get it on the road. Then I can take it around to a couple of other shops to get estimates. In the meantime, I will consider doing some of the work myself with help from local guys and Hambers.


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Riff... Just look at the Summit site, that socket tool doesn't have anything to do with what you fear is 'sheared off'. Pull the balancer off the crank, the socket goes OVER the end of the crank, slip-on fit. Now you can turn the engine over by hand with a breaker bar. No need to crawl under to the flywheel.
Please treat yourself.
-And yes, the 200 amp MiG welder will do wonders, for metal thick or thin.

 

Take a class at your local community college or tech school for welding. Lincoln mig with argon gas to help make your welds pretty (and a lot of practice). Don’t be shy, jump in a githerdone. If you’re not sure about something, post a question here. You can’t imagine how vast the wealth of information and experience is available here. Seek out local folks that are into the hobby. Maybe there’s someone on here that’s close. Great friendships can also be found in this hobby.
r


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I kind of agree with Atwater Mike. You do need to jack the car up high to use this tool. As to welders, MIG is easy to learn. TIG I find frustrating. That electrode keeps getting stuck so I tend to give up and go back to gas welding.

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Not really,none of the new parts fucking fit when you do that lol.

Like said before you can just mark the dist where it is and stick it right back in it doesn’t have to be at tdc

If you really wanted to you could pull the plugs, remove the belts and just turn the crank pulley by hand until it’s at tdc. It’s not that hard to do really.

 

MIG is easier for a beginner and will work just fine for anything you will need to do on your roadster, TIG is better, if you are good, for doing body work.

 

If you can weld with Oxy/Acet. the technique is similar to Tig where you use a electric arc instead of a flame.
I would look a Welding Tips and Tricks on U-tube, Jody puts some real good information and he real down to earth person and easy to follow.the Miller and Lincoln both have multi
process machines that work well. Be sure to check the reviews on them, also make sure you have the consumables easy to get, contact tips and nozzles for MIG, and collet bodies and collets and cups for a tig, also different size tungsten, they even have gas lenses to help in gas coverage. My go to tungsten is 3/32 you can go smaller 1/16 or ever .040 . We used a lot of E70-S6 wire in the body shop 023 diameter. Some people call it easy grind.
I hope I did not confuse you. Some of the Junior College have welding courses, I personally know the one at Eastfield here in Dallas and he was a under water welder in the Navy.
Just do your research on it and practice on scraps of like metal till you get it down.
You can PM me if you have questions. Frank

 

A lot of the labor involved in a project is disassembling, cleaning, and sourcing parts. If you can find a shop that will work with you on the parts of the build that are beyond your comfort level that sometimes works. Make sure you document well everything you dissemble so that you don't have to rely on memory to reassemble, And if you have to seek help it will be a valuable reference for them also.

 

Thanks Frank. From what I’ve learned, MIG is easier and more straightforward. Thanks for the info I’ll keep you posted.


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Thanks Phoneman-I laid out a lot of the fasteners the last shop took out of the car and most looked like regular galvanized nuts and carriage bolts you would pick up at an old Ace Hardware. Should I use those to put the car back together or research the correct hardware and go find/buy it?


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If the fasteners are in good condition, there is no reason to replace them, afterall you are not doing a restoration! However, if they happen to be grade 2 bolts, they should be replaced with grade 5!

 

So just thinking out loud but I think your next step is finding a way to meet some local hamb guys. I see @Dreddybear and @Bass at some Dallas cars and coffee events. Something like that might be a good way to meet up.

You’ll soon find that no one does this alone, its all friends and community even if it’s just a lead on something little.

Keep us posted

 

Hang on Dick-I’m going to lay some out and post some photos...


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Ok-what’s the diff between grade 2 and grade 5?




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I wouldn't think twice about using them, they look fine.

 

Look at the top of the bolt. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think grade 2 bolts have nothing on the top, smooth. Grade 5 bolts have three lines emanating from the middle out.
r


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Yeah typically they have a different marking on the head, though anymore is that even a uniform thing between manufacturers?

Also where would you even find grade two bolts?

 

Check out these charts to identify bolt grading
https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/materials-and-grades/bolt-grade-chart.aspx

 

Gr 2 bolts are very easy to get at any hardware store, they are the cheap shit that too many people buy because they are cheaper! And yes the markings are industry standard markings

 

basic engine rebuild shouldnt be more than 4k, a lot of stock rebuilds ive hd done have been 2200-2600, dont get steamrolled! getting an engine rebuild, dont go in saying hot rod, not all shops are honest and the reality is there is a hot rod price a lot of places. they figure youre blowing money anyway, might as well get what they can. pull it apart, get your engine rebuilt. get engine, trans, axles, brakes put together on the frameget quotes to paint the body and then mate em, you can do it

 

From what I can see in your pics, the bolts and screws were used to fasten brackets, latches and body parts. Some may be OEM and will generally fit the part it's holding in place better than new hardware. Keep and reuse these.
Engine hardware (head bolts, crank and rod bolts and nuts, etc.) are specialty hardware. Use ARP or similar quality brand to replace these. Suspension attachment or items bolted to the frame is where you want to use the higher grade bolts and nuts. Tractor Supply has a pretty good selection of course thread Grade 5 and Grade 8 bolts which are sold by the pound in bulk quantities. Fine thread bolts can also be bought in quantity online from McMaster-Carr or Grainger. If I'm needing only one or two of anything, I can usually get it from Westlake (Ace) Hardware. They usually have what you need, but it's pricey. You can spend a small fortune in hardware, but it's not something you want to go cheap on.
You're doing great - keep at it!

 

What about flat-head screws vs philips? Are flat head screws “retro” and authentic? Personally, I hate them!


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Yes, to a point. I always try to use flat blade screws on the cars I work on. But I'm usually shooting for a 1950's era build, and yours may have been modified later than that when there were plenty of phillips screws around. Do whatever you are comfortable with. It's easy to remove and replace a screw later if you want to change it.

 

I found some story on inventions on the internet that said Phillips screws were invented in 1937 so run whatever you like. My T coupe had Robertson screws in it in places - original from Ford. These are used everywhere in Canada.

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I guess you mean "slotted" verses "Phillips" head. on early cars I like to see slotted.
as far as flat head screws go if they show I like an oval head screw better.

 

Well sorta. Your building this like it was the late 50’s/into the 60’s right?

In the 60’s they’d have used whatever they want. Philips is an older era if you want to be that anal about it