Projects NOT THE TYPICAL '30 ROADSTER BUILD

So, are we doing tuck and roll?

 

Got the passenger side fitted



Started working on the back panel. The goal is to make it one piece. Horizontal to cover most of the gas tank and the top at a slight angle to end underneath the tulip panel....so far, looking good!

 

You’re doing a great job on those panels!

 

Thank you all for your comments...I appreciate the positive feedback!

 

Today, I was able to finish the all the panels. I still need to gap them just a little bit more to compensate for the fabric and velcro behind the panels.

The angle on the back panel is now more defined. Fitting the back panel in one piece is going to take some head scratching...


I think I have enough room to fit a fire extinguisher in there that is a lot of labor for such small trunk

The back upper panel needed some reinforcing at the top and a place for the upper panel to rest and be secured with velcro.
I used the two original bolts that hold together the tulip panel and rain gutter to secure a the reinforcement.



I cut a piece of wood with the angle and glued it to the straight piece that rests behind the rain gutter...worked just fine.


Tomorrow, the goal is to paint black all the furring strips, supports and back of the panels.
I also will figure out a way to make the back panel come out and go in as one piece.....and I should be able to cross it off the list.

 

I got to finish the trunk panels today. Got all the back of the panels and supports painted black; even though it will be covered with either vinyl/leather, velcro or trunk liner, I don't want daylight or raw wood to show....hence, the black paint.
The angled wood piece that I attached to the back of the tulip panel worked out really good. It will have velcro on it, same as the sides, to hold the back panel in place.
I am thinking of using industrial grade velcro. I heard it's very strong.



At the back of the trunk, the braces have 5/8" furring strips, one each side, to narrow the trunk and help get the back panel in one piece. Both front and rear braces will have velcro on them to keep the side planes in place.


The back panel is two pieces hold together by a vinyl hinge...


...and there it is...not bad for a 1st timer....
All panels will be removable, all pressured fitted, held in place with velcro and with no screws to show, so I can get access to the fuel tank, in case there is ever a need for it.
The trunk panels and the panel underneath the deck lid, that I a made earlier, will be all covered with the same material, matching stitched lines...to resembled a vintage luggage trunk

Back to work on the panel below deck lid...still need to attach the angle brace that holds it to the curve panel...

 

Not sure yet. The only tuck and roll I am planning on doing, so far, is on the front seat.
I am still on the drawing board with the trunk and door panels.

 

Or, stash MoonShine!

 

That sounds like a good idea!

 

I bought a boatload of marine ribbed upholstery cheap... "Shahlane's" sp.?
2 weeks before inventory season....
they had lots of pieces too small for the boats but were about right for my door panels...
or [your trunk panels]...
many grades and colors of material...

 

Started to work on the windshield and convertible top...I learned this weekend that I have a Deluxe roadster...

The top irons that came with my project is a bit rough but it should work fine after some TLC
The middle wood bow has most of the damage, due to the top being hit and twisted on the side, but it should be repairable. Damage to the top is consistent with the body damage in the rear body quarter.

The passenger side top irons has a bend that doesn't allow the top to fold open properly. It should be an "easy fix" once I take them apart.
I am still looking for the rivets holding the irons before I take the irons apart....might need to get creativity with it, since I am told, rivets have been discontinued. Any one with experience out there?

Eventually, I would like to have the main irons chromed, as it was originally...but not sure how to have it done if I don't take them apart.



You can see how bent that iron is compared to the other side...right at the rivet.


Main iron was originally chrome.


I was able to remove all wood bows and I am in the process of repairing them. I haven't found a place that sells reproductions. If some one knows of one, chime in....

In the meantime, I need some dimensions for the middle bow, to repair and bring it back to the right dimensions.
Hard to see from this picture but the curved sides are cracked, broken, and missing a piece; as a result of the bent iron.
If I can't repair it, I will be steam bending my own set.


Got the lower and upper stanchions on the body to get an idea of the work ahead.
I am going to be very happy with this look. Glass will be about a dollar bill high.
Flipped sides on the upper stanchions to see the lean of the windshield....got 15 degrees.


Looks like I will have a lot of work ahead of me....and really no idea of what I am doing or where to start.


My first impression,
A. Rework the upper stanchion shanks, if I want to keep the stanchions reversed and leaned. The shanks will need to turn towards the front for the top's latch mechanism to work properly.
B. Main irons seem to need a 3" hair cut.
C. The 2nd horizontal header iron will need 2"-3" off. If I remove it from the horizontal iron closes to the windshield I will end up with the irons sticking out on from the back of the door when the top is folded shut. I don't want that...it limits an already limited access.
D. Remove some, maybe 1/2" - 3/4", from the 1st diagonal iron to reduce some of the crowning and compensate fo the reduce length of the horizontal iron....

I will have to sleep on this one before I start cutting....Maybe some cardboard templates to see if it will work???
I might add a post on the main forum to ask for some options on the best way to chop it...


The goal is to have the horizontal iron parallel to the door's top. but have no irons sticking out when folded down.
My seat bench my need to go down some....that should come later.

There is something about the look of this top that I really like....almost sinister...
This is the inspiration to follow....If someone knows the builder I would like to ask him a few questions

 

Oh boy, my chance to be the Jerc in today's crowd... here goes !
I think you have the upper stanchions on the wrong sides...
the top pins tilt forward, and the nub on one lower corner goes in the rear, [it is a stop] , keeps the w/s from rotating back on you fingers...…
that ought to get me in hot water...

 

LOL it's all good... Good catch.

I purposely put them on the wrong side, so I could see them tilt backwards, giving me an idea of what the lean windshield would look like. If I keep them that way, I will use a set screw to keep them from folding on my face at high speed and will cut and reposition the top pins/shanks to tilt forward.

The lower stanchions look like brass/bronze and I have no idea how to work either of those materials...If I can figure our how to do it, I will rework the notch in the lower stanchions to allow the upper stanchions to tilt back and not have to switch sides on the upper ones.

 

Today, I took some chipboard, traced the top irons, used 1/4" bolts and some washers as spacers and now I have a functional template to figure out my cuts...
For the top irons that had angles or curves to them, I used chipboard as a backer with that profile cut on it and taped on.
Tomorrow, I will start playing with it and hopefully figure out what I need and how much to cut.



I will soon have to figure out which way to go with the upper stanchions. I like the lean at 15 degrees but top pins are way off.


The cardboard block above is the same size as the locking mechanism on the top...long way to go for those top pins to be leveled.

 

A lot measuring, some cutting, some fitting, lots of double checking...repeat, repeat and repeat again...
I started by trying different degrees to lean back the windshield

Stock

15 degrees...really like it like this

10 degrees, with the top pins in the needed location...not bad! i like it!


I am going with 10 degrees. I need to pie cut the top pins to bring them to stock forward lean, and I have to scoop out some material from the lower stanchions...Those are bronze or brass and have no clue how to fill the area that I need to file to create new stop for the upper stanchion...anyone with some experience out there? I will have to google this later.
With 10 degrees, I think, the bottom corners of the windshield won't lift as much, and won't leave that awkward gap you see sometimes with more aggressive leans.


With the lean of the stanchions figured out, I started cutting the cardboard top irons. I started with 3" but felt it was too much almost making the top of the window look as if it was running up hill to the top of the door.


I went back and added 1" to the iron that holds the top to the body, for a 2" chop. It feels better....I will end up with a 2 degree forward lean at the side window opening.
The second horizontal and 1st diagonal irons were cut 2" too.


Here is the difference that 2" will make.
I won't get the look of the top I liked in earlier posts but pretty happy with the look it will have at the end.


By cutting the 2" off the second iron and not the first horizontal iron, I get the irons to stay behind the door when the top is closed.
I've seen some tops sticking out at the door, and I want to avoid that...wanna save my ribs when getting in/out of the roadster when the top is down


So far, it works on cardboard, with no binding, but I am now thinking my cuts on the actual irons.
I will need to cut two irons to relocate the pivoting points.
I wish I could simply cut the ends, drill new holes, and install new rivets, but I haven't been able to find the correct rivets.
Any one out there knows who has them? Has anyone use those rivet bolts with success?
I am thinking of removing the 2" from the middle of the irons and weld them back again, in order to avoid messing with the rivets...thoughts?...any feedback?...Will it work?

I will be sand blasting the frame tomorrow and getting it ready for some cutting....

 

Find the oldest bodyman you can, some old coat hangers and he will braze those lower stanchions in a flash...

 

What do the rivets look like? Have you tried Hanson Rivets?


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That sounds interesting...brazing...maybe I can google that and learn how to do it myself. Thank you for the lead.

 

I read the top Iron Rivet is 9/32 x 1" with truss head. Made of stainless steel

 

Got the frames sandblasted. I enjoy sandblasting metal....free therapy!
Little before and after.


Marked my cuts....cutting 3 of the flat bars, 2" each.


Spot welded the first side...side by side with the uncut one


I decided to take a different approach to the main iron that bolts on to the body. Most everything I read, talked about cutting the end off, drilling a new mounting hole and rounding off the corners.
I wanted to keep the original top lock working when the top is down, so I measured my 2" above the locking hole and matched the tab on the 2nd iron, to keep them aligned


The top locks in the down position, the 2nd iron doesn't stick out pass the door, and it folds open and close smooth!...so far so good!
Got the other side to do and fix the wood bows, to assemble it and see if it is really going to work.

 

You should be able to braze your stanchions, but not with wire coat hangers! Use flux coated brazing rod with an oxy/acetylene torch.

 

I don’t see 9/32” on Hanson’s site. Maybe give them a call and ask. They do list a 5/8” truss head in stainless, which might be close enough with a little reaming of the holes.



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Thank you for the clarification. I am on the search for someone that knows how to do it or will be trying it myself.

 

Thank you for the lead. I will reach out to them and see if they have them.
I will need to replace at least one for sure.

 

Chopped and spot welded the other side....Both sides are looking symmetric and I am happy.
They work very well, at least, independently
One rivet might have to be replaced, it is a bit loose and allows the top to offset during operation.
I will get it all nice and welded once the wood bows are installed and windshield posts all figure out.



Upper and lower stanchions are next on the list...

 

Nice job on the top mechanism! Going to look great when you’ve finished it.

 

Thank you. I sure hope it looks good at the end.

 

I feel like I dodged a bullet today...I started grinding material away, little by little, from the lower stanchions to get to a 10 degree lean.
I used a Dremel with a small grinding tool and just went at it really slow, checking often and expecting to go through the material at any given moment.
To my surprise....there was enough material to get to 11 degrees. Yay!
I left it at 11 degrees to have a little bit of wiggle room and I just didn't want to take a gamble and go to 15 degrees and creating a hole.

Before


After

Very happy with the change. Subtle but noticeable.

Very carefully and slowwwww did the trick...

That is one big chunk that grind off...I really wasn't expecting to have enough material.


The upper stanchion sits tight as when original...

But that's not all....I got even luckier when the upper stanchion's top pins aligned to the top mechanism without having to cut or modify them...I feel like I should be playing the lottery today.


Now back to work on the wood bows. I have a lead on a new set of bows but I am still going to try and repair the original ones; if anything, I can sell them later on and offset the cost of the new ones.

 

I'm really enjoying this project, especially the work on the top irons. Congratulations on such an impressively successful result!

 

Thank you. I am really having a blast working on my roadster and little by little getting it done.