Projects My '32 5 Window Project - Done and Cruising!!!

Had to cancel my appointment yesterday to reset my heart. Side effects from the cancer drugs kicked in. Will have to reschedule that deal. Still going about 50% at best these days.

Back at it today. Shot a little primer on the firewall where I’ve been working. If it’s turquoise it’s a pin hole or blemish of some kind. About what I expected to see. Did find a small crack at one of the hood hinge mounting holes. Filed that to a “V” and kitty haired it back in. Working on perfection is time consuming. Don't know how guys build those perfect cars.

Finished up the feet that go on the bottom of the firewall. Not much original left. Modified to fit my 1" setback and the fact that I don't have sloped toe boards. Want it to look like a factory rivet job. Found some 3/16" carriage bolts and ground all the stamped lettering off the heads so they look more like a rivet. Should work fine once they are painted and installed.

Got a few shipments of parts yesterday. Got the converter for the ‘32. Looks like it will work just fine (if I picked the right stall speed).

Also got the ignition system, mufflers and fuel pump for the unibody. Finally felt like unpacking the boxes today. You know you feel like crap when you don't have the energy to open boxes of new parts and they sit on the porch for a day or 2.

SPark

 

SPark: I'm really enjoying your posts on this project! I'm also building a 5-window (I'm on the New Age waiting list), and just bought a mostly-done "new" chassis (someone's stalled project, from RoadsterShop). It won't be strictly traditional, but will be full-fendered, 3" chop, blown SBC, and maybe a TREMEC 5-speed.
Hope you're feeling better; I've had very similar ailments (though a bit less severe), but I'm doing well now. I just retired and am excited to build this deuce! I'm learning a lot watching your progress. Thanks!
DenverFlash

 

Think you will really like the New Age body. Ed and Chris are great to work with. Made a couple trips out there (one to take the tour and put my down payment down and another to pick it up when finished 9 months later). Great guys and a great product. Body is thick, nicely proportioned and very nice on fit and finish. Actually dealing with a lot less pinhole issues than I expected comparing to past glass bodies and parts I've worked with, plus I'm a bit of a perfectionist on that kind of stuff and tend to drive myself nuts.

Good luck with your build and thanks for the kind words.
SPark

 

Firewall is ready for paint! This is how it will go to the painter's shop. My fingertips are gone. My phone won't open anymore without using my password. Fingerprint recognition is useless now.

Do have a couple little areas to finish up in the tranny tunnel. Only 1 will need filler, the others are some rough spots that should sand out.

Have 5 areas to do some clearance work on the bottom of the floor then it's ready for color. Getting closer every day!

Will also probably drill my holes for the wiring and battery cables to pass thru the floor before it gets paint.

Got a call yesterday afternoon and he was painting more parts. Front rotors, firewall feet, wheels and a bunch of smaller parts should be green by now! Progress!

SPark

 

Top notch job as usual.

 

Finally made myself crawl under the body and work on the bottom of the floors this evening. Had a couple issues to deal with I've been putting off.

First, had one 1-1/2" tubular crossmember that hit a few of the stiffening ribs on the bottom side of the floor. Decided the cleanest thing was to make a straight notch across the bottom of the floor and remove some of the height of the ribs. Quick pass with a 1-1/2" sanding drum followed by a 15" length of 1-5/8" tubing with sticky back sandpaper to true things up. Worked well, but if you are in AFIB like I am, it wears you out fast. Don't keep up with oxygen and my muscles start to bun really fast, especially working overhead.

The other thing I needed to deal with is the 4 mounting holes for my battery box. They landed right on another rib. I took a cone shaped grinding stone, fed it up from the bottom (cone point down, shaft up thru my mounting hole) and used the flat backside of the stone to grind a flat spot centered on the mounting holes. Worked pretty well, now I have a nice flat spot on the rib for each bolt to tighten down on. Just the right size for a washer and nut. Little cleanup work there tomorrow and that job will be done. Need to fill the topside of that rib in the interior for a solid base for the battery box.

Next is finish the tranny tunnel. Couple gouges to fix and some clearance work for the shifter cable to take care of. Hope to get that all done before my next infusion on Wednesday. Get those items taken care of and the floor and firewall are ready to go to the paint shop for some color!

SPark

 

The quality and quantity of your work is really nice. Thanks for the carriage bolt tip, it will come in handy soon. I have been wondering about the Trostle car thread, is it still active?

 

I admire the way you’re sticking with it despite your health issues. I also enjoyed the thread on the Slick Ford - I hope to have one someday myself. You do really nice work!

 

We’re still plugging along on the Trostle car. Frame is repaired, engine placed and one of the original drivers stopped by to check it out the other day. Waiting on a steering box to show up.

By the way, that old driver is my school shop teacher that learned me all this great car stuff!

SPark

 

Can’t sleep? No problem. Get to work on things you’ve been putting off. Hate sanding overhead, especially while in AFIB. Muscles start burning after 2 or 3 minutes like you've worked them for an hour straight.

Filled the last of the “blemishes” in the tranny tunnel.

Did a little clearance work for the shifter cable.

Fill primed the notch across the bottom of the floor.

Filled an indentation on the top of the floor so the battery box will sit flat on the floor.

That can all cure and be ready for sanding later today.

SPark

 

Felt artistic this morning. Completed "carving" out the holes for the emergency brake lever and the shifter. Now to build the spacer needed to keep the brake lever level, the rear feet sit under the seat rail and the front feet sit partially on the trans tunnel. Had to get creative and I think this will work.

SPark

 

So the parking brake is just mounted in the fiberglass? Don't you think it should be mounted in steel?

 

Pictures added.

It's sandwiched in steel above and below. Just not shown here. Where the washers are shown on the rear mount, that is now a common steel plate that ties both bolts together going left/right. More pics to come later tonight! There is not any real load against the lever, it's just a ratchet that pulls on the cable. With the steel above and below, it's extremely stiff with no unwanted movement when pulling it. I think it also helps that it is at the area where there is some extra thick 'glass (anywhere from 1/4” to 3/4” thick there, see pictures) and ribbing in the floor/seat riser for additional stiffness in that area.

To be totally honest, I never use the emergency brake in any vehicle I have ever owned. Never needed it. This is here for state inspection then it will probably never move again as long as I own it.

SPark

 

Toe board and transmission tunnel area is done! Too much odd/upside down sanding for an oxygen depleted fat guy.

The last 4 pictures show an area that is still rough. That is the wood floor and toe boards that the molds put a wood grain in. That’s right, the wooden floor is molded into the fiberglass. Attention to detail that makes the New Age Motorsports body one of the best available. One of many reasons I chose to wait 9 months to get one of these bodies.

SPark

 

You should run screws through the fiberglass all around the woodish panel to complete the illusion.






Just kidding.

 

I would shred myself! I’m on Xarelto, trying to kill me!?!?!

 

How about woodgrain paint them then?

 

We did talk about doing that. Need to find a good wood grain artist though.

 

Tired of staring at the front. Moved to the tail. Sanded, filled pin holes, sanded, leveled, primed, repeat. Easier to work on bigger areas. Working on getting the last of the waves out now. Trying to get everything around the bottom edge done so he can paint underneath and we can mount the body for the last time.

SPark

 

What a great build thread, your attention to detail , and fabrication skills is what will set your car apart!
Rich

 

Another sleepless night. Back to the garage. Started on the rockers, door sills and lower cowl areas. Lot of work needed in the sills. They were pretty wavy and took a lot of sanding. The rocker area is completely filled with fiberglass. It’s solid and about 2” thick. Outer rockers will also need several holes filled and a couple low spots brought up. Gaining ground every day. At least it looks like I’ve been doing something!

SPark

 

You’re flying through this, especially with your health challenges! Will you also be doing the panel work or is the painter doing that?

 

You can cover a lot of ground if you don't sleep anymore. It's starting to catch up to me. With the AFIB still going on I lack oxygen to my muscles (and most likely my brain at this point) so I tire quickly. Sometimes just have to sit down for a while and catch my breath and let my muscles catch up on blood flow. I'm doing all the panel work, gaps, etc. He will give it the final once over and fix anything he is concerned about showing before shooting the color. We figured if we are both extremely critical of it, it will get a nice finish. I can take it as far as I want and he'll take it from there. The more I do (the more I control) the less his time costs me in his shop. I can save money by doing the majority of the grunt work and I've done it a lot before so I have the tools (and some of the skills) to do it. My cars always seem to have about 90% of the body work done and primer then I sell them and start the whole process again. The deal with the wife on this car was if we were going to spend this kind of money, she wanted paint and upholstery on it. To her credit she hasn't batted an eye when she sees what some of this stuff costs. Now she knows why my cars were always primer, I'm cheap when it comes to finishes!

Shooting a light color primer over all that black sure shows the issues that are still there. Then you break thru the jell coat and it gets interesting at times. Spent the morning working on pinholes and voids. Will spend the afternoon sanding....again....still....

SPark

 

Why are you using Duraglass instead of regular filler? The holes are just tiny. Did the manufacturers of the body recommend it?

 

I'm weird. Something I did in the past on cheap glass bodies/parts and it seems to stay better. Always used it for the first filler (stuffed into the holes with a tiny screwdriver I modified years ago) then use Rage Gold to finish it with. I like thin filler and the kitty hair seems to work better for me in these situations. If I'm out of kitty hair I'll actually chop up chopped glass mat and make my own. Old habits die hard. Here's a track T I started many years ago and it was on an old MAS body. Pure junk product, took a ton of work to make it even close to right.
SPark

 

If you want a filler to use on pinholes instead of the glass reinforced stuff, try something like USC's Icing. Way less body than Rage Gold, and won't want to tear and seperate at the edges as easily.

 

Some of the pictures show a turquoise colored acrylic glaze. It works well in tiny holes or thin areas. I've heard it called icing by others. When I started doing this crap Martin Senour called it "glazing compound" and it was basically a thick lacquer primer in a tube. I'm more comfortable with thicker fills being kitty hair and if you get the short strand it's very easy to work with. I'm not a fan of the longer strand stuff unless you are working a really large area, like a hood scoop that is bonded to a hood and has a lot of area needing filled and worked. Just what I was taught from day 1, back 45 years ago.
SPark

 

3M made a similar laquer based product in red and also the green/turquoise that we called "red lead" way back when.

 

Started cleaning up the cowl sides today. They were a little flat. Little filler and a long sanding board working all angles and it looks a lot better. On to the cowl top!

SPark

 

10 hours of sanding, filling and sanding again. That’s enough fun for today. In addition to getting both cowl sides ready for glaze, got most of the left quarter blocked and ready to fill the low area just behind the door. Also sanded the rockers, wheelwells and tail with 320 grit and put down what should be the final filler primer in those areas.