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Hot Rods '35 3 Window, Damn Right it was a Good Day

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by lewk, Apr 10, 2016.

  1. Nothing like the feeling you get when you score your dream car. Even if it cost you a wheelbarrow full of 1 dollar bills.

    Great find.
     
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  2. push_rod
    Joined: Jul 22, 2013
    Posts: 110

    push_rod
    Member

    I used a 1969-72 full sized Chevy truck passenger side rams horn exhaust manifold on the driver's side to clear the steering box on my 1940 Ford Coupe.


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  3. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    Thanks for the kind words guys. Soooo..... I picked these up last weekend from my buddy, but hadn't had a chance it test fit before I posted the other pics.
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    Next up is finishing the reenforcement for the shifter notch and repair and fit a pair of rough '39 pedals. The bracket and shaft are ok, but the pedal arms have been hacked and welded.


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    Last edited: Jul 16, 2017
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  4. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    I tore down my "new" 327 and found that it was bored .060, has worn valves, a broken ring land, gallons of sludge, copper showing on the rod bearings, a K-Mart oil filter, hammer marks on the rod caps, and weird fluffy gravel shit in one of the bores. I think I can get the bores clean with a hone, and I haven't found any cracks yet.
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    After making a template off of a friend's '40 frame, I whittled a hole in my frame for my '39 pedals.
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    I mostly finished my bracing for my shifter hole in the frame. There's a little more to do when I flip the frame over again.

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    Next up, I'm hanging the rear suspension with my laser cut parts and my Johnny Joint.

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    Last edited: Jul 16, 2017
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  5. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    I'm nibbling away at the coupe a few hours a week.

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    I got tanked, which is kinda a big deal. This is the first large new part on this project. I've been really stingy so far.
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    My center mount has come together. I fooled with it longer than I should have. It went in well and right now my wheelbase is within 1/16" from side to side. I'll know more when it's sitting on the ground I suppose.

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    I've got my '39 pedals in. The mount and clutch shaft are decent, but the pedal arms are shit. I'm watching for better ones. I flipped the shaft 180 degrees so that it pulls instead of pushes. Hopefully it's got enough throw to activate the clutch.

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    I get lots of advise on my projects. Also, jammies are not appropriate shop gear.
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2017
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  6. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    I got a little more done on the coupe. I put the scatter shield and shift linkage in to check clearances. I need to clearance for the shift linkage, but I think I'm good with the scatter shield. I was worried that the wishbone might hit it under full compression. [​IMG][​IMG]

    I've started putting my '51 F1 brakes on my roundback spindles. So far so good.
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    I've got a gantry parts pile for putting the body back on coming together too.[​IMG]
    I think Photobucket is taking a dump and this thread has lost some pictures. I'll figure out what's missing and repair it.


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  7. treb11
    Joined: Jan 21, 2006
    Posts: 3,947

    treb11
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I think Photobucket is taking a dump and this thread has lost some pictures. I'll figure out what's missing and repair it.

    Load your pics up to your JJ member album then link to the thread.

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  8. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    It's been a few months since my last update and I finally scraped the last of the Photobucket out of my posts on this thread. I think image quality has suffered on some of the pics that came from my old phone, but at least they're up again. Winter weather is coming fast and I'm trying to get my body on my frame and into the garage before it gets nasty.

    I built this from a scavenged I beam and some pipe I traded beer for from my buddy's uncle:
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    I had to build it across town because my stepdad has a Miller 211 for thicker material. I live in Hobart 140 world. We only knocked a couple of branches down bringing it home.

    I welded my rear axle housing and stuffed axles in it. I still need to make torque arms to support the rear bones, but first I need to know where the floor and exhaust live. I finally got some '39 pedal arms that aren't cut to shit.

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    Hot damn, that plumbing tip I read in an old thread works! Still needs a trim and a hone.

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    I put a junk tie rod in the chassis and set it on rollers. They're 6.50-16s right now. If I stick with 16s, I'll run 6.00/7.00. 7.50 just looks too big to me. With the early SBC, the car feels a little late for 16's, so I might try to track down some 15's. I've got a sweet pair of Fiesta caps that would look great on this thing.

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    The body has been sitting on a pallet in the driveway. The floor is shot and the sub rails are so so. I've got a good sedan floor, and an ok one too. The trunk riser is 9.5" farther back on coupes, so I'll need both of them. Between the 3 floors, I think I can get where I need to go.

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    I've been out in the dark with a headlamp drilling spot welds. Can't play until the kids are in bed.... excuse the bad picks. Floor and sub rails are out.

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    More to come. I was going to go pick up a free '56 210 wagon on Friday, but it's 6 hours away in the middle of nowhere, and will kill my coupe momentum plus suck up space and money. I'm going to take the day for the '35 instead and get some work done. I'll get the '56 in June.


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  9. 32ford5
    Joined: Sep 15, 2009
    Posts: 1,089

    32ford5
    Member
    from Australia

    Love the mid 30s coupe shapes. 3 or 5 window...just beautiful flowing designs.

    Love these build threads. Learning so much. Keep the updates coming!
     
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  10. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    I cringed when I saw those donor pedals and thought, "I hope you don't use them!". :eek:
    Thank goodness you're not and have a better and safer alternative. I never originally liked 35s, 36s or 37s however over I've come to really like them, especially 3W 35s and 36s. A friend has the 36 5W that was originally the car used by Wally in 'Leave it to Beaver'.
    It's coming along nicely, subscribed. :cool:
     
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  11. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    Thanks! They have gorgeous shapes. The 3 windows especially. I'm learning a learning a ton too. I spend as much time staring at it and planning what's next as I do actually working.

    Thanks! Those pedals were doo doo, but they had a much nicer bracket and shaft than the second set. The two pair combined will get the job done. I've been hooked on 35-36 coupes for a while and I'm really happy to finally have a 3 window. I fixated on them around 2000, but I had to wait....
    I looked up the Leave it to Beaver '36. Pretty cool that it's still out there...
     
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  12. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    I've been trying to get the floor and subrails sorted so I could get the body on the chassis and in my garage before it snowed. I failed, winter seems to have arrived. Anyway, I've been trying to clean up the lower parts of the car I'm keeping. My compressor is small, so I've only been blasting hard to reach pitted stuff. I'm in for a lot of wire wheeling and sanding this winter.

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    Parts floor, coupe subrails, cowl chunks.

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    Cleaning up my best sedan floor. It's upside down.

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    There are a couple rough spots, but between the coupe floor and parts floor, I think I've got most of what I need.

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    So the plan is piece the subrails and floor together, strip the rusty crap out of the cowl feet, set the body on, rebuild the cowl feet, fix the B pillars, and then deal with the missing 9 1/2" of coupe floor and the damaged coupe riser. I think I've got cowl feet parts and B pillar parts somewhere in the pile.



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  13. ...cool story, cool car , and I like your build plan, sounds great, will be following along.
     
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  14. fourspd2quad
    Joined: Jul 6, 2006
    Posts: 908

    fourspd2quad
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I really appreciate your drive and desire. The fact that you are doing it a little at a time while raising a family is really cool. Stick with it you will get there!
     
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  15. Go pick up that wagon. Free equals beer money for coupe build. Sell the beer or wagon here ? Beer wagon ? Yes. Money !!!

    Oh, and stalker marker dropped here. THANK you, for sharing.
     
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  16. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    Thank you sir!

    Thanks for the kind words. I'll keep pecking away. My biggest problem is my wandering eye. If I don't work steadily on the Ford, I start thinking up new projects, LOL.

    I'm telling myself i can get the wagon in June. I've got a 4 bolt 350 and a set of 14x7 slots that need a home, so l guess the 56 needs to come live at my house. It's 6 hours each way to get it and it would have cost me a month of spare time by the time is cleaned it out and stored it so I couldn't do it this fall.




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  17. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    I've been pecking away at the sedan floor and subrails hoping to get the body on. I'm not there yet, but other than 3 pin holes and a 22 hole, the subrails and floor are rebuilt up to the rear kick up. There will be parts from 5 cars in this floor/subrail assembly. I've still got a couple welds to grind and some hammer and dolly work too. My welds aren't the prettiest, but I'm getting good penetration and they grind out nice. I'm using 10000 tiny tack welds and moving around a lot to minimize warping. This is all a learning experience for me.

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    Next up is repairing and attaching the coupe kick ups.

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    Last edited: Dec 14, 2017
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  18. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,627

    The37Kid
    Member

    Good to see you making progress, lots of dirty work that has to be done before the fun stuff gets started. Bob
     
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  19. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    Love that 3W shape, a friend just built a 36 5W coupe for a friend of his. Admittedly his body was in perfect shape and didn't require any body work.
    It's a bit late now but I would have braced the body before I removed the floor pan etc etc.
    When you re-assemble it could I suggest laying the floor pan down onto the frame and then dropping the body to get all the door gaps correct before you start welding things together. Only a couple of tack welds to hold things in place and maybe some bracing for support.
    Then fit the front panels and fenders with splash aprons and grill. Check hood, running board , fender and trunk gaps. Only when all gaps are even would I secure in the knowledge that a few more welds would be OK. Double check all you gaps before you finish weld it together.
    If you weld it all together and then find that nothing fits as it should you'll need to unpick the welds to make things fit. That then would be a lot of unnecessary work by starting again from scratch.
     
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  20. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    My original intent was to keep the 3 window's subrails with the car and just drop it on my floor pans, but the more I looked, the more trouble I saw. The body had been off the frame before and everything underneath was rusted, bent and crushed. I thought about bracing but left it out to have better access for picking apart the car and clean up. I guess we'll find out if that was a mistake sooner or later.

    My intent it to bolt the floor/subrail unit to the frame and then set the body on. I'll get the cowl and a pillar feet settled and bolted in and then deal with hanging the doors. My lower hinges were cut at some point but I have some in the pile. With the doors on I can get the B pillar in the right spot for gaps and rebuild its feet. One of the quarters is pushed in, so this would be the time to fix that. I want to get the cab area squared away and work back. The tail pan and tool tray are roached and there are a ton of tears and cracks around the trunk opening. My trunk lid is rough but better than nothing.

    I've got decent front fenders, an Ok, sort of grille, and a bunch of inner fenders that all have different problems. I've got 2 ok running boards. My rear fenders are crap. My better one is a '36, the other a shredded '35. Mounting the front fenders and running boards for fit check is a good idea, but the rears will only tell me so much.

    I tend to take things apart and put them back together several times before I commit to cutting or welding so hopefully she'll come out straight. I can do a lot of my pillar location etc with body bolts before I ever need to weld a thing.

    Thanks for the input and encouragement. I wish I didn't have to work tomorrow. I wanna play hotrod all day!


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  21. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    I was going to get the body on before snow flew.

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    That didn’t work. I got the cowl feet gutted and the internal areas sand blasted. I got my kick ups welded in.

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    I’ll do the middle area with the tunnel when the body is on the floor for good. I scored a stuck 301 for $40. It’s a 58-62 283 bored an eighth over with old pop up Jahns pistons. I’ll soak the pistons out and see if it’s a winner soon. It came with a $20 ‘73 4 bolt 350. Dished pistons. It got wet at some point. 993 heads that look like they might have been ported at some point. I’ll save it for a future project.

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    Here’s the fun part. I finally put my body on tonight.

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    Winter is a pain in my ass. My pea gravel driveway full of ice ridges, everything is wet and cold, and it’s hard to go out in the cold to work after the kids are in bed. I can’t believe my wife wants me to go ski in this junk.

    Next up is clean/reorganize the driveway and garage. Then I’ll bolt the body down properly, rebuild the cowl feet and start working my way back.





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  22. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    I’ve now had the coupe a little over 2 years. I’m not setting any records but I’m having fun. I hit a late winter lull and didn’t go in the garage for a while but now I’m back at it. I finally pulled the trigger on some parts I’ve known about for a while. I got a really decent set of ‘37 bumpers and a Offy 4 deuce intake with 94s on it. The carbs and intake are nice but the linkage is cheese ball.

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    I’ve been doing rinky dink stuff on the cowl. I got the dash out, the hinges out including the cut lower ones, and opening up the cowl vent that was welded shut. I’m hoping to save the opening but I have another (or 3) if I need it.

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    I’ve got a vinegar bath going de rusting cowl chunks.

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  23. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    It been a minute. I’ve gotten a whole lot done on the basement and a bunch of the house re plumbed. I also got some Ford time in.

    I got excited and cut the bottom of the cowl off.

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    I didn’t like that patch panel so I started doing things the hard way.

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    Apparently I quit taking pictures of the car for a while and started taking pictures of my dog. Then I bought another 283. ‘59 with a ‘58 four barrel carb and intake. Bored .040 with low compression heads. I wanna find a pair of 58-59 powerpack heads and run those valve covers and my four duece. The other option is my .060 over 327 with camel humps

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    Then I welded the bottom of the cowl back on.

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    I also rebuilt and reattached the inner structure and the hinge pockets. I had everything out except the actual lower A pillar. No pics. Next I dealt with the drivers hinges. A previous owner was kind enough to cut my lower hinge. I used a bent one off the 4dr I killed.

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    I drilled the busted pin out and straightened the hinge half with my press. Then I removed the knurling from my new pins with my not a lathe.

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    And test hung my drivers door. This is the first time I’ve been able to open and close this door. It was wired shut with a cut lower hinge before.

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    Reveal lines look OK. Those are not my bird shit welds. Mine aren’t pretty, but they aren’t THAT ugly.

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    B pillar is still loose. It pulls out to line up better.

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    Hinge side is Ok for the first fit up.

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    I know some of this is basic but I’ve never done it before and it keeps me motivated posting this.


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  24. 3blapcam
    Joined: Jul 15, 2004
    Posts: 531

    3blapcam
    Member

    I know that feeling of getting something as simple as a door hanging and swinging as designed... I bought a stripped down '33 3W without hinges and finding originals is impossible. Car is chopped and doesn't need/have the 3W only top hinge anymore. I got 5W bottoms and half of the 5W middles on both sides, retro fitted sedan B pillar halves... anyway, getting the door hanging, latching and swinging open felt like the biggest victory!

    Your grille shell... it looks like it came from a museum!

    Looks great brotha! Keep chugging away!

    3blap.
     
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  25. PoPo
    Joined: Jan 3, 2008
    Posts: 1,102

    PoPo
    Member

    Great job man. Very motivating for sure.
     
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  26. Great thread, got to give points for how well you are going with limited room and gear.
    Good onya!
     
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  27. Late to the party, just found this. Subscribed.


    Walt
    Outsiders CC
     
  28. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    I’m still in the game.... I pushed hard on house stuff most of 2019 and lifted my Jeep but I’m getting a little ford time in too.

    Passenger side cowl bottom was rough. It had lumpy old patchwork that hat rotted out. After cutting this is what I had:

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    And after rebuilding and replacing the inner structure:

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    The windshield drain dumps into the A pillar and rotted out this area. It’s like peeling a sun burn. It just gets bigger....

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    I’ve got the inner structure patched and soaked with Ospho. I’m waiting for the outer patch to get out of the vinegar.

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    Next up will be fixing the cowl vent that was welded shut and dealing with my butchered roof opening. I’ve got a messed up 3 window opening and a nice sedan header. The 3 window I got that opening from was either wrecked hard or a tree fell on it.

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    Last edited: Jan 22, 2020
  29. mvee33
    Joined: Jul 3, 2010
    Posts: 75

    mvee33
    Member

    You are doing a great job on a very cool coupe. Really like the unsplit front wishbone connection to the chassis might have to copy that.
    I have built a 35 5 window very similar to yours and also used a 39 pedal assembly to the Chev clutch. The travel is not quite enough and the clutch fork lever fouls with the 39 brake pedal. So I extended the little 39 lever down for additional travel, shortened the clutch fork lever and used an old timing chain linking the levers, guided up over a ramp to keep all in alignment, works very well and is simple, it is in a technical thread here (Hydraulic v mechanical v cable). The original radiator was used, pressurised, and a short Ford pulley on a short water pump with the fan boss pressed as far back as possible, a 60s Chrysler supplied a suitable fan.
    I enjoy following your work, great to see true home builds.
     
  30. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt


    Thanks for the kind words. I looked up your clutch chain. That’s a cool solution!


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