Hot Rods Bringing my 39 back to life

Starting to look like my Driveway!



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Lookin' good. What are the dimensions of that building?

 

Thanks Dan! the Building is 36 X 50, works pretty well, but took no time to fill with stuff that's for sure.

 

Ok between work and kids I finally got to get this ladder bar stuff all wrapped up. After getting the housing clear of old brackets and ground clean was trying to come up with a good way of getting all the brackets on the rear with minimal amount of cussing trying to set all the angles up. So I made a jig off the original banjo that takes the place of the spring, that simulates the height the posies reverse eye spring that was on the banjo, and that I will be reusing. This would allow to bolt the entire assembly rigidly into the car and to set pinion angle and make adjustments. I cut the full circle brackets for the ladder bars and the spring in half then tacked them back together around the axle and bolted the jig to the spring brackets.

 

After making the jig and getting the spring brackets on it loosely with the jig in place, I centered the rear up on the spring brackets and used 3 inch muffler clamps around the housing tube to keep it all in place. I was able to bolt it into the car with the bare housing to check fit and placement, and it was spot on, so using my magnetic angle finder I set pinion angle on the housing and tacked the spring brackets in place.

 

Now that the spring brackets were tacked on, it was time to tackle the ladder bar brackets. I did the same as before by splitting the brackets and tacking them back together around the housing after beveling the edges of the brackets to allow for the angle of the ladder bars. I then assembled the ladder bars onto the axle brackets and the ladder bar crossmember. Once assembled, with the jig still bolted to the spring brackets, I bolted the whole assembly back in. Once in and confirmed square I was able to rotate the ladder bar crossmember up, to mark its location on the center x member in the frame. Once that was located I took it all back out and made holes in the x member to be able to slide the crossmember into. This way it gets welded to the x member and to the Camembert boxing plate provided with the kit from R Jays speed shop.

 

Once the crossmember was installed I then bolted everything back in, checked all my measurements and for square and tacked the ladder bar brackets to the axle. One it was tacked took it all back out again and slowly, leaving the jig installed, welded all the brackets solid to the axle. Once welded I then peeped the axle for paint.

 

The next day I got the paint taken care of on the housing, ladder bars, crossmember, shocks, and brakes. And once it was dry I was able to assemble it all. New bearings installed in the axles, 3.50 gears on a track loc diff, and rebuilt the brakes and plumbed them.

 

Then I put the whole deal in! Super pleased with how it turned out. Now I won’t be scared to do burnouts. This weekend will be the trans swap and I will get all that up here as well.

 

Wow!!!
Great workmanship and ingenuity.
Looks great
I love the white paint

 

thanks!! Always wanted a white rear axle. I have 2 other chassis I need to put these ladder bars on, so this jig will save me time and effort on those jobs.

 

A very well planned and thought out project. Jigs are a fabricators best friend , it take extra time but the effort is well worth the reward.

 

thanks. I had intended on doing a thread for tech week but didn’t get it all wrapped up in time. I still may do a thread on how to make the jig and use it.

 

looking good man keep up the awesome work

 

Thanks Eric, If i can get the trans done this weekend and a drive shaft made in time, ill be driving down to Concord to hang with Del and Ben on the weekend of the 5th, for the War Birds and hot rods thing Holly put together. Come hang out if you can!

 

That Jig Tech should have had its own tech week post. Probably would have won.

 

I wanted to do a tech week post for the Jig, I just didn't have time to get it all done before the close of Tech week. One night this week I'm going to write a tech thread with measurements and step by step of making the jig and how to use it.

 

If you look at this picture of the rear with the jig bolted to it in the car you can see the notches I cut in it to make access to the ubolt nuts easier. The first time I put it in I had to put nuts on with a wrench. Not fun.

 

Just an example ... If any of you guys have gone into an old school header building shop you will see racks of jigs that look like modern art or tiny jungle jims

 

Cool!
Sure like them Gussets!


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Now that the rear has been swapped I wil finally be able to use this killer NOS Studebaker poverty caps. They would not clear the rear hubs before. They will require some adaptation to fit the Ford wheels but I have a plan.....

 

Did you save the air from those bags Jason?...period air is precious as you know...

Did you paint the center of those as it matches your wheel color...can't wait to see this latest look your working on...

 

Nope that is how they came!! But this is why my wheels are this color!!

 

Ahh...planning ahead, gotcha

 

Picked up all my garnish mouldings in NC from chrome last weekend. Now I can get the rest of the glass put in.

 

And the trans is all fitted together and ready to go in. Hopefully I’ll have it in this evening and be able to measure for a drive shaft.

 

Got the clutch shaft sorted out. I needed to have some way to hook the clutch spring to the adapter, since the original way was on the front bearing retainer of the original trans. Luckily I was able to drill a 1/4 inch ole in the top of the speedway adapter, and use a 1/4 inch retainer pin from tractor supply. This lets me use the holes drilled in the pin for different spring clip locations and cut it to length. Unfortunately I cut it in the wrong spot so I’ll have to get a new one in the morning. But this worked perfect.

 

Clever idea. That ought to hold up real well.

 

Can’t wait to see it with those caps on!

 

Hey Jason,

When I used one of those transmission adapters, I used a hole saw and cut an "inspection hole" in the top of it and used a stock cover for it. Came in handy for lining up the transmission to the clutch disc when putting it all together.