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Projects BChrismer's Beater '40 Ford Panel Project

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by bchrismer, Dec 28, 2019.

  1. Or cut the welds on the handle, move it back and possibly angle it back some? Then weld it back up...
     
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  2. hotrod1948
    Joined: Jan 17, 2011
    Posts: 512

    hotrod1948
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Milton, WI

    with console
     
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  3. hotrod1948
    Joined: Jan 17, 2011
    Posts: 512

    hotrod1948
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Milton, WI

    I have seen them on flea bay for much less.
     
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  4. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    Does the Drake fuel tank come as a direct fit for the panel or did you get a pickup one ? Are they the same tank on both trucks ?
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2020
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  5. Junior Stock
    Joined: Aug 24, 2004
    Posts: 1,891

    Junior Stock

    Got out my old Hurst catalog and that handle is for 66-67 full size Chrysler w/console
     
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  6. I've had issues with every aftermarket tank I have installed not lining up correctly, or having some slight modifications that are required. We had to hammer on the tank a little bit to get the lower bulge to clear the frame rail, as the radius was slightly too wide. We also took a little off the edge to get it to fit when lifting it up into place. The fuel neck seemed to be about 1/4" further back than stock, which is the similar experience I had when putting a Tanks tank into my stake truck.

    The panel truck has a wooden body support crossmember that lines up in front and behind the tank, so it is tight, but you can get them to fit.
     
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  7. Yesterday, I had the goals of sandblasting the running boards and painting them, as well as putting the windshield into the panel. When I got to the shop, Mike, Possum, and Ethan were rearranging the "spare parts/future projects" collection that Mike has out by the fence row.

    Mike and Possum set up the sand blaster and helped tape off the stuff I didn't want to blast, and I went to town on the running boards. We decided it would be a better plan than pulling the boards off the truck, which I was actually happy about. We gave the boards a few coats of some Rustoleum fast drying paint. I figure it will be plenty durable and easily fixed if I need to respray them later after they get some wear.

    @okiedokie had given me some old windshield glass, intended to go into the stake truck, but when I swapped the windshield in it, I used the old tinted glass from my coupe. I figured the panel truck NEEDED to have the older and slightly discolored glass, so we roped them into the panel yesterday. My existing garnish moldings are pretty rough. We had sandblasted them a while back, but I kept forgetting to paint those, so I'll finally get those screwed back in next week.

    Last week, we cut out one of the back door glass panels, and I dropped it off at the glass shop this week. Should have the new rear glass for next weekend.

    I believe we will start working on the front sheet metal install soon!



    20200502_155240.jpg 20200502_155222.jpg 20200502_155205.jpg 20200502_153619.jpg
    Drove the panel about a mile up the road to the truck stop to add a few gallons of gas to the tank. The driveline combo seems that I won't need to hit 4th gear until around 55MPH.
     
  8. greener200
    Joined: Jan 20, 2009
    Posts: 354

    greener200
    Member

    And I bet the smile on your face was ear to ear ! Thats freakin Nice ! " But Officer ,We dont need No stinkin Headlights" !
     
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  9. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    More like..... That's where we are going officer, to pick up the front end. It's the only thing I had to pick it up with. ;)
     
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  10. 20200509_111514.jpg
    Had to sticker the windshield as soon as I got it cleaned. LOL
    IMG_2818.jpg
    Possum was helping me with bleeding the brake line. I told him just to crack it and let me pump, and told him when it stopped shooting air out he could close it. He'd never seen "speed bleeders" before. I love those things!

    IMG_2817.jpg
    He even cleaned up the brake fluid off the underside of the car!
    20200512_111351.jpg
    These were some test knobs I made, trying to mimic a '40 design. For those of you who haven't ever seen a 3D printer work, they lay down a layer of plastic based on the X/Y/Z coordinates that are fed to them, kinda the opposite of what a CAD operated lathe takes material off. Pretty wild. The one on the left was a rough draft, with a thicker layer height. I'm trying to decide whether to sand them smooth or leave the "machined" look to them.


    20200513_082247.jpg
    These are the design that Quentin sent over to me. The silver one was my first print and the black one was what I was planning on using. After seeing them all one color, the mustaches kinda disappear from your sight.
    20200513_082656.jpg
    I grabbed a Sharpie and hit this one just for kicks. Much better, but my mustache hasn't been black in MANY a year.
    20200513_091443.jpg
    A silver Sharpie tells more of an accurate tale. ;-)

    Sorry for loading the pic's above the story, but that's what happens when I type up my stuff on the computer before I load the photos from my phone.

    Wow...I forgot to post last Saturday's progress. Actually, I didn't get much done, other than screwing in the windshield garnish molding and installing the rear glass. I also got underneath it and adjusted the clutch so it doesn't drag anymore. It's nice when you can have the engine running, with the truck in neutral, and shift it to either reverse or 1st without an issue. LOL

    Mike and I did discuss where we want to mount the '41 tail lamp housings, so if it doesn't rain us out on Saturday, we may do that, and I may start cleaning up the bare and surface rusted front fenders so we can start getting the front end together.

    As I was leaving, I backed the coupe up and hit the brakes to feel the pedal hit the floor. After looking under the fenders, I found that the driver's side stainless brake hose had broken and was pushing out fluid like crazy. Fortunately, Mike had a set of spares, so we swapped the brake hose, bled the brake line, and I headed home.

    Friday, of last week, I received a 3D printer in the mail. I'd been toying around with some ideas about making my own dash knobs with the printer, wanting to put my Bret Chrismer's Mustache Wax Tiki logo on them, but there was just way too much to try to fit inside a 22mm circle. (yeah, the CAD default is metric) That translates into about 7/8". In talking with @gbrown, who did the logo for me, he said he'd be happy to draw up a knob in his CAD program so I could print it. I'm pretty happy with how they are turning out. Now we'll see how durable they are. LOL
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2020
  11. Junior Stock
    Joined: Aug 24, 2004
    Posts: 1,891

    Junior Stock

    I am in need of new plastic for the dash on my 41 Merc but I never thought about using a 3D printer.
     
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  12. I don't know how they will hold up to the summer heat, but I figure at the very least, I can make more if they wilt. LOL
     
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  13. Junior Stock
    Joined: Aug 24, 2004
    Posts: 1,891

    Junior Stock

    It might make a good mold for a casting though.
     
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  14. Progress for today.

    Mike had the panel inside the shop by the time I got there and had the tail light layout ready, just waiting for me to approve.

    One tail lamp housing was good, the other was pretty crappy, and it broke when Mike tried to bolt it in, causing the lense to hit the ground and explode into tiny fragments all over the floor. He felt terrible about it but I reminded him that it was questionable, at best.

    While Mike was working on the tail lamps, I was bolting the inner fender panels to the fenders. We had to do minimal work to get them to bolt up.

    The passenger cowl had a ton of body filler in it, which we assumed to be bondo, but quickly learned it was lead. We had to take quite a bit of the filler off to get the fender to fit.

    Oh...the flat cap, on the rear mag, was the test piece that I made with my 3D printer, before sending it to a buddy to have some laser cut out of some aluminum plate. I was pretty stoked to find that it fit perfectly
    20200523_093718.jpg 20200523_093738.jpg 20200523_100649.jpg 20200523_112709.jpg 20200523_140158.jpg 20200523_140305.jpg 20200523_143838.jpg 20200523_143853.jpg 20200523_143902.jpg
     
  15. Bonus Memorial Day update

    20200525_093846.jpg
    Got the grille installed in the truck. Gonna need to do some adjusting to make stuff fit right.

    20200525_121418.jpg
    Storms were blowing in and we both had other stuff to get working on today.

    20200525_121428.jpg
    I need to get an order sent for some hood latch fasteners and headlamp bucket repair. The grille has the look of an Arkansas Beauty Queen, missing a few teeth. (The truck did come out of Arkansas when the prior owner bought it)
    20200525_132805.jpg
    The stock gauges work, but the speedometer is locked up tighter than a drum. I had planned on taking it apart and repainting the innards, leaving the gauges alone, but that'll wait until I can score another speedometer.


    20200525_132825.jpg This gauge panel came out of Mike Sydney's 40 convertible. I actually stole the speedometer out of that and swapped it with the one from my coupe so I could have a working odometer. This will go into the panel until I can get the Standard set cleaned up and fully functioning.
    20200525_081821.jpg
    The grille was broken on the passenger side. Mike used some panel bond and a piece of thick sheet metal to glue it all back together and allow for him to leave Vise Grips on it over the weekend.
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2020
  16. Looking good Bret! It has come a long way since we came by a few months ago to see it at Meekers. Looking forward to a ride soon.
     
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  17. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    Your killing me Bret. I am having a blast just watching you build yours but since you kicked me in the pants to try and get mine done by the 80'th celebration, I can't think of anything else and to make it worse, my wife is egging me on. They are supposed to say YOU ARE NUTS and I WONT LET YOU , right ? After getting started it turned from a hill to climb into Mount Everest ! My rear doors were some neanderthal guys sandbox play toys. They were rusted shut and he decided to just RIP them back and forth to get them open until he ripped the hinges out of the doors. He must have got pissed that it was taking so long to destroy them and then started kicking the crap out of them. This was after the origional owner back in the 50's decided to cut out the inside panel with no thought as to what the repair would look like to fix something inside and then brazed it back together non stop till it is warped like a flag blowing in the wind. It took forever to just grind the 1/2 inch thick brass brazing away. After being beat to death from this surprise, I went to the truck to look at some of the other things I would have to do and checked out the original radiator. At first I thought awesome , they left the cap on so it may be in fair shape. I opened the cap and as far down as I could see was mud dobber wasp nests. I guess they had came through the water outlets and built their kingdom. At that point I decided to go home and lick my wounds. Anyway I came back to your thread this morning to encourage myself back to the battlefield. Thanks for all of this buddy ! I keep saying to myself like an escapee from an insane asylum, ........ I can do this...... 20200525_143743.jpg 20200525_143743.jpg 20200525_144022.jpg 20200525_143954.jpg :eek::(o_O:)
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: May 27, 2020
  18. GO, MAN, GO!!!

    I have 2 '40 radiators that needed repair. I opted for a 4 row aluminum e-bay special for about $175, which was less than my last radiator repair cost me. IF you do that, just remember to make sure it has the mounts on the sides for the bracket that bolts to the inner fender panel. A lot of the '40 radiators on there don't have those.
     
  19. BTW...I had told my wife about mine before I went up to look at it. She told me I needed it. She NEVER says stuff like that. I came home after looking at it and told her that it was beyond my skill level, but she told me to do it and have my buddies help me. To try and weasel out of it, I called Mike, and told him my concerns and he offered to drive me up there with his trailer, storage while we worked on it, and his help in doing all the above.

    Darn enablers!
     
  20. Nostrebor
    Joined: Jun 25, 2014
    Posts: 1,278

    Nostrebor
    Member

    Turns out Mike is a pretty good guy. Well... he's ok at least!:D

    I think you guys have killed it. I've really enjoyed following along.
     
  21. Last night was Hot Rod Night, out at Mike's. Since I'm still working "short days" due to a partial furlough, I got out there a little early so I could put the Deluxe instrument panel into the dash. Kinda weird seeing a Deluxe panel in a truck dash. Also, because the bezel protrudes out from the glass, it blocks the view of the odometer in a Deluxe panel. Since the one in the cluster doesn't work, that doesn't matter, but I figured I would advise anyone considering the swap of that situation.

    Mike says the gauge panel is too nice for the truck. LOL
     
  22. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    I say the truck is too nice for the Deluxe panel. Standard rules !
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2020
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  23. Good news...I have a buddy that has offered me a speedometer. I just have to pick it up from him either at the Dewey swapmeet or down at his house in Tulsa, or wait until @okiedokie makes his way up here for either 40 Ford day or the NSRA MidAm Nats. Gotta love the generosity of guys willing to part with their less than perfect treasures.
     
  24. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    @okiedokie is a class act. Attention to detail. I always have to check out his car when I am at the Ole Marias river run in Ottawa, Kansas. The 39 Deluxe trim on his 40 is an outstanding touch to a 40. I never tire of looking at it.
     
  25. okiedokie
    Joined: Jul 5, 2005
    Posts: 4,778

    okiedokie
    Member
    from Ok

    Thanks for the compliments although not sure the 40 or myself deserve them. I think that Charlie Rambo has the speedo, I will just be the middleman.
     
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  26. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    You just proved my point again !
     
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  27. You are correct, Joe. Charlie is hooking me up with the speedometer. I'd like to make the run over to Dewey, but don't know if I can convince the War Department that I need to make the trip and can get a pass for it. I'm relatively certain I can knock out the rest of the wiring by then, and we're getting pretty close to the 45 days since I started the process on a Declaratory Judgement, to get a title for the truck. Would be cool to drive the panel over there as it's real shake down cruise.
     
  28. I didn't mention it, but Tuesday night, I placed an order for a bunch of miscellaneous items from C&G Ford parts. The headlamp buckets pretty much need all the screws, springs, and retaining rings replaced, and I splurged and bought those real street roddy LED tail lamp lenses for the '41 tail lamp housings. I figured after 25 years of getting pulled over by cops and having friends following me saying the couldn't see my tail lamps in the coupe, that I would be better off just dealing with that issue right up front.

    I also placed an E-Bay order for a bunch of LM7806 voltage regulators, so I can make some voltage reducers for the gauge cluster. (https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/how-to-build-a-voltage-regulator-for-3.448589/)
     
  29. Nostrebor
    Joined: Jun 25, 2014
    Posts: 1,278

    Nostrebor
    Member

    Good call on the lights.

    I know some folks here frown at the led tail lights, but I am a big supporter of running them. I put a set in my 51 as soon as I got it, and it was a stark improvement. The first time someone drives a Celica up your tailpipe because they didn't see your tail lights, you learn the value of led tails. BTDT.
     
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  30. I can't tell you how many times I have been pulled over by the police to tell me that my tail lamps weren't working, but once they got close to the car, they could see them plain as day and they would tell me to be careful. I had tried painting the insides of the housings white, using brighter 2357 bulbs, LED replacement bulbs, but I believe that the angle of the lense prisms directed the light at an upward angle, due to the rake of the car, and that causes the issue with 40 lenses. The new LEDs, in the coupe can probably be seen from outer space.
     
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