Looks great. You're moving right along. I think you will be able to make a good looking "body" pretty easily. Just add a jig saw to your list. You can go with the plywood idea for the cowl to nail/screw to or use 1.5" lumber. I would extend your floor to meet with the flared bottoms of the cowl and taper it back toward the frame (or straight back to where the frame tapers out). You'll have to think about how to deal with the rear frame where it kicks up over the axle, but that's it.
I hadn't seen that speedster/weeds thread...neat! My car is kind of the opposite, I found a chassis, and I'm building a body to fit I'm going to redo the floor, the one I built was just temporary to be able to drive the car. I'm thinking I'll make a plywood bulkhead or two...at least one behind the seat. I'm still thinking about the floor, probably will just have a short floor up front, and the body won't have a bottom to it. I donated my jigsaw to the Bisbee robotics team, time to buy a new one!
As easy as making a shipping crate with one exception. The profile will be the shape you desire. 1" X ?" pine and 1/4" or better yet 1/8"ply (cut to profile) for weight savings.
Hey Jim, I always enjoy your projects and this one is certainly no disappointment. It's been a few hours (-; since you worried about wheels but if you can find a way to get them to Arizona I have a set of four 17" 1935 Chevy artillery wheels I would donate just for the pleasure of continuing to vicariously participate in this little reminder that "those that can, do". And fortunately a rare few that can do, teach. Keep up the great work. There is a kid out there reading this that will change course for the better! PM me if you are interested in the wheels.
Thanks! pm sent.... It sure is neat reading all the positive response to this thread! Thanks everyone, it helps keep me going. But I just hauled an old car home and I'm tinkering with it...I thought that was a normal thing to do Anyways, back to the car. I've been working on the cowl today. I took it off, and welded up some cracks along the bottom edge of the sides. I made some wood blocks to tie the bottom sides to the inner support where the toe board attaches at about a 45 degree angle. There is also a body mount hole about in the middle of the new blocks, there was no wood left there at all, and the bolts were just resting in the holes in the frame. Now the cowl is pretty solid, although the back edge is a little flimsy. I made a piece of plywood to fit the back of the cowl, it doesn't fit now, but I will slice and weld the cowl to make the back edge a few inches narrower. Thinking about it some more, I may just fold the metal around this on the sides, and nail it on. And nail it across the top where it has a bunch of nail holes already. I don't have a plan for the windshield, but I suppose my plan could cover up this edge? A few pics. Note that I put the frame on stands and got it level, so I have a slight chance of getting things square.
I would say anyone who spends $100 on a 6V battery is committed to the project! Seriously now, nice job on bringing this one back to life.
Jim, if you are planning on making a roadster cowl out of your sedan cowl, remember that the roadster cowl isn't as wide in the back- you can easily take a pie cut out of the top to adjust the width (of course, you'll need to take out/reset the cowl vent)!
That's the plan! and no cowl vent in 28, so that's not an issue. There is a seam in the top center of the cowl, it was made in two halves. I guess they didn't have a way to stamp it in one piece.
Back to work...I did some slicing and dicing. The fit and finish is pretty good for a depression era jalopy! but way below today's standards
Oxy Acetylene welding outstanding! I haven't done that since I worked in the body shop in the Marines! Where fit and finish was also subject to function over form! Joe
I was not too excited about cutting the cowl but after the shot from above, I can see it needed it. Great! keep it up, I tune in every day.
I agree, I didn't really want to do it, but it's necessary for the kind of car I want to build this into.
Thanks! Finished the cowl modifications, for now. I need to figure out what the plywood wants to look like, this one was more of a pattern, than the final piece. I also might use lumber to replace it, a board across the top, and one down each side. I have some pallets, I might see what they're made of.... also, the cowl is no longer flimsy, it's solid now. Looking down, from the front
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stitch_and_glue Here is a lightweight, affordable and simple method of body construction
Well, speaking as the guy who pulled that speedster out of the weeds, I'm really digging this thread. It's too bad we're 2,000 miles apart--I'm sitting on a pile of old chevy disc wheels that would be perfect for your project.
thanks! I didn't do much today...but yesterday I worked on the front brakes, cleaned up the drums, etc. Still doesn't stop worth a damn. I forgot today to pick up the hub puller from a friend, to get the rear drums off and see what's in there. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.
I got the rear hubs off the axles, then I started thinking about brakes. The external band brakes probably won't go back on, I'm missing one side, and don't have any wheels that will clear them anyways. The internal band emergency brakes are oil soaked, and the linings worn out. I think they probably won't do much stopping, like the front brakes. So I was looking at putting hydraulics on it. I have a set of 56 chevy truck brakes, 6 lug, the fronts should go on relatively easily. The rears...the hole in the middle is the wrong size, the bolt pattern is wrong, but they might work with some adapting (I will probably have to do similar adapting on the front brakes as well). I pressed the studs out and took the drums off the hubs, so I can put it back together with no brakes on it at all, and still be able to drive it around while I figure out what to do.
Hey Jim, I'm curious. How did you find that old thing and what made you go after it? My wife's sister has an old brake drum converted to a dinner bell hanging from the tree outside her ranch house. It was the dinner bell that their Grandpa made for Grandma waaay back when. I looked at it for the first time and of course wondered what it came from - it's just like your rear drum. It sounds great and it's loud. Hang yours up so the wife can ring you at supper time. Fascinating thread, keep up the good work.
The Jalopy Journal
