Projects 1930 Sportster, shortened cockpit, tilted post cowl, door caps.

Thanks v,
The same to you and your's … and lets include the hotrod hambers with the holiday cheer...

 

Zipped the head off the top left hinge pin, drilled it about 1/4" deep from the top then 1/4" deep from the bottom, the leftover pin fell out of the cowl half hinge...[never happens for me]…
now I can weld the cowl half of the hinges to the A pillars as they were narrowed and lost most of the stock screw holes...
with the pins drilled I can remove a door if needed...
then I built end plates for the extended tulip panel, tacked from the top in 3 places then finish welded from the back side...
trimmed off the extra steel and ground the welds flush with the tulip's top surface... left upper quarter will need surgery...
my '30 coupe was 42" left to right inside the wheelwells, I set up my '32 style subrail at that with a 3/4" vertical flange to rosette weld the wheelwells to..
with the doors on, tulip trimmed, lower panel bolted in, both sides at 5* to vertical, the trunk opening was 43.5" both directions measured corner to corner... and the W/W's line up with my S/F flanges...
I have been a week messing with measurements, everything 1 thing I moved changed 2 others...
pretty much ready to tack weld in some vertical trunk supports and the lower triangle panels.
cooking a 16lbs. ham for the family thanksgiving day dinner, then helping to eat it... so I won't get anything done till Friday...
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... happy thanksgiving to all !
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the left upper quarter needs to be formed to match the tulip... later.

 

Got a line on a WASTED '30-'31 truck cowl...
all that is left are 5.5 door hinges...
got a snow storm coming... like to beat it... with it you can't see what you are stepping on in the kind of dump its in... broken ankle ?

 

the '30 sportie quarter previously pictured has been secured... but it is still 4.5 hrs. away...

 

This is when you move on, or are hung up with the rough fitting of panels...
so far things look pretty good...
had a junk lower panel, perfect for adding and trimming to fit the decklid's bottom edge and the top of the lower panel... I left 3/4" clearance to help if I need to pull the tank... my lower panel for a '30 coupe / sport coupe on '32 rails w / tank is 6 5/8" tall in the center, slight arch towards each end...
decklid just setting on the car, gaps are not too bad...
not sure if I will run the quarter ends around to the wheelwell at the new panel's hight…
or if I will have it run along the top and curl down around the tank to the subfloor...

.the tank needs to slide in the thickness of the tape, I sat it there aligned with the leading edge and should have used the trailing edge... slide it in Monday while it snows...pix.
after a solid week of adjusting everything … I am "gap happy".
looking at the cut off ends of a '30 gravel shield [got 2] turned 180*, so the inside surface now points out...
may trim them and run them backwards and inside out to resemble the panels '32s used between the tank and fenders... I may try and hide the sides of the tank...
has a hotrod look...

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Got the 1/4" hinge pin reamer this noon... thanks Jo-Ann !
while waiting I trimmed and welded in the right side quarter corner...
never done that, 25 years ago I would go out and find an upside down coupe and use its corners...
but with "fits coupe and roadster" patch panels everything on them is wrong...
I had to cut, crush, weld to hold, spread, weld to hold, push in, weld to hold, pull out and weld the darn corner patch...
then I bent up this "against the tank edge" patch, also had to extend the vertical trunk bead down bout an inch, and radius around the tanks top edge ... seemed to work ok... now to make a mirror image Tuesday...

left side in waiting...
left corner on, tank to qtr. patch to come...
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computer lets me import the pix... shows them to me as recent imports but they are not in any of the 3 folders I have pix in... can't upload them... may be out of business.
had to "save as" and each pic is its own folder ?

 

pulled these pix from save as... tank slid forward 1.5"... right corner patch installed...
ready for the left corner patch, and then both tank to quarter patches ...
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then the quarter gussets...

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Trimmed the bottom few inches off the lower panel... flimsy and looked newly cut...
I took a 37" chunk of 1/2" conduit and split it lengthwise with a wizzer…
put in a slight arch to match the decklid...
sanded off the galvanized, welded the inside, bondo on the outside...
going to make quarter spherical end caps that will either be on the outer edges of the panel or blended into the vertical reveal in the quarter...
how ?,,,
hmmmm… maybe i will start with 1/2 of a carrage bolt head, weld the rest... lots of grinding...
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hold the phone... I just noticed an acorn nut... cut the head off then cut it in half … one acorn nut caps both ends...
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I can live with it...

 

Loving this!

~ Carl

 

good thinking Smitty! You shoveled out yet? 24 inches here, more on the mountain.

 

sorry we only got a weak 5"...
ground barely frozen, snow plow dug in everywhere... what a mess.

. this also tells me the guy with the back half '30 coupe is comfortable letting it spend at least another winter rotting... errrrrrrr !

 

Welded in both the quarter corners...
Drilled the [6] holes to mount the lower panel...
Added some leftover coupe vertical braces ,
[upper end of the forward ones are not welded so I can fix the left quarter]
then I will level all, drill and then bolt them to the tilip / quarter flange …
the quarter's corner tilts out toward the wheelwell to give room to bolt down the tank's forward bolts...
Wanted to tuck the tank up under the body as much as possible... will pull the spreader bar forward with it... don't want the rear to look ducktailed...

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Trimmed off some of the rear frame horns [5"] even endowed with orange duct tape I have rammed my knee into it too many times...

ordered this T handle off wepay… $18.00... but it had threaded sleeves for the mounting screws... won't work with the A latch...
so I drilled from the threaded side through the bezel...
I will wizz off the drilled tubes and use it to mark the lid for screw holes...
I will slide the handle into the latch and screw it to the deck...
the deck is only Sheetmetal so I drill a small hole centered in the bezel's holes...
sand a nail a little larger than the hole so it is round but still has a pointed surface...
find / make a sleeve that fits in the latch area... about an inch...
center it to the hole...
set your torches real low...
quickly heat a 1/4" diameter around the hole red hot...
carefully hammer the nail into the hole …
this will roll the steel inward making the area to be tapped deeper...
drill and tap 10-32...
should give enough threads to hold the handle on securely...
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Buddy said the 1930 - '31 sport coupe left quarter should land here this weekend... he is picking up a transfer case... near me...
let the metal cutting begin...

 

Welded on the right quarter patch panel, [2] lower rt. wheelwell patches...
built [2] of the subfloor to quarter braces that I saw mike150 sporting on his cabbie to go.. made mine from 1/2" conduit so the long section [11"] runs along the lower bead and won't create a sharp edge against the skin.
Carpal tunnel said go have lunch... I did ! …
will hit the left side Sunday if able...

see the 2 subfloor to quarter braces setting on the frame table. will trim to fit when quarters are set...


The new left sport coupe quarter will be here by dark... will decide on what stays and what gets replaced tommoro...AM...
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just arrived... rougher than I thought but its here...

 

Right cowl patch [lousy bead]… too tall, welded a little blending under the stock section of rear bead …. no more grinding today...
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cowl patch ...

wheelwell… going to run bobbed rear fenders...

 

got the quarter Saturday, would have liked to get a little more area for the patch I need but it should help...

quarter fix... Monday ?

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Cut the new to me sportie quarter from the rust hole down to just ahead of the wheelwell…
[1] kept the upper chunk I needed...

[2] one of the other pieces helps a bad coupester return to a coupe...

[3] the 3rd fixes the 3" or 4" next to the trunk gutter... or the quarter from somewhere around the trunk top, back... I welded the patch into the quarter's trunk bead...has trunk gutter lip...

welded the left cowl and quarter patch on the "sportster"... ton of grinding waiting for me...
forgot to take the pictures while i had the camera with me...

 

More grinding, but a much better fit... still some problems that seem fixable...

 

Started with the sport coupe quarter... ground [wizzer] a shallow groove for the cap skin to set in, helps alignment...
Formed both quarter caps, from extra door caps...

trial fit.

welded in... bought the tack rail wood for a '30 roadster to wrap around the cockpit...

welded in both sides.

 

Looks great !


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

thanks, makes my wrists ache a little less...

 

Because I used a slant windshield's panel below the w/s frame [tilted w/s posts] [taller] I had to chop the closed car w/s frame about an inch... had to repair a bad dent in the top of one of the post so the chopping of both sides were different...
made the splicing of the cabriolet header a little more intricate than expected... must have lifted the header up onto the posts a hundred times...
had gotten used to looking at the "sportster" with a chunk of channel tacked across the top at a 3" chop...
now back to stock hight it looks like a model T...
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before the cabbie w/s header swap...
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after some head scratching, cutting and rewelding a couple tacks it is close enough...
slant windshield's over tank panel [called filler]… notice it is taller than the coupe / tudor filler panel...
Henry let the bottom curved edge of the w/s frame set against it without having to design another frame...a must for tilted back posts on a coupester...

 

Added the trunk latch and handle...
reset the dashrail anchors [lower]
reamed the 4 hinge pin holes out to 1/4"... got new oversized pins from snyds…
welded the male hinges to the cowl... installed the "swinging doors"...
added a little arch to the vertical edges of the panel below deck...
took a little arch away from the upper edge of the below deck panel to better match the deck's arch...
added a 3/32" or so plate to the outer edge of the panel below to give a little more decklid gap...
[the repop panel was over 1/8" shorter than my stock '30 coupe's]…

 

It’s always a pleasure reading your threads. This one in particular might me give me the inspiration to restart my 29 Cabriolet project. The upper belt lines on both sides are filled with junk and lead and looked like they were welded back together by a blind seven year old. I figured it would be easier to fabricate new ones rather than try and source donor sections. The buck will help with the contours.

 

wish I had the skill to make stuff from steel sheets...
i like the buck... did you attach matching 1"x 2" rails on the other side so when ready you could flip the smaller "numbered" pieces 180* and attach onto the other side ? … go '34 go !

 

Excellent work going on here. It's really taking shape.

I'm confused, though, is this the same car that was in the other thread? The roadsteresque pick-up??

 

You’re making quick progress. I can relate to the carpal tunnel issues - and for me grinding is the worst for causing it to flare up. Thanks for sharing the details of each solution. I like the way you chose to wrap the rear body around the top of the tank. I think it will look factory when done.

 

Yes mart, found that the left quarter was tweeked…
so I decided to go with the Roadster-Esque truck cab back to keep moving...
after working on the R-E truck for 3 weeks I found that with a little work I could save the quarter and go back to the sportster, so I did...
will do the truck cab this winter / spring...
Since we have winter till April I have a '41 frame [pic] that I narrowed and cut off at what will be the A firewall... got a pair of the front 4' of 1 ton frame rails to graft on...
sat a coupe body on it so I could move a '30 coupester body onto the table...[pic]
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I will mount a pair of dietz lights, the '34 International grill, R-E truck cab and the shortened '33 bed onto the spliced frame hopefully for the spring Topsham. ME. swap meet...… first Sunday in may...
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Ground 1 patch … 6 to go...
Ground the left upper quarter patch today ...
Needs about half the bead width where the "sharpie scratches" are...

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still got a cowl, quarter, upper w/s post and wheelwell to grind on the driver's side...
I have a "low" chair on wheels that is a blessing when grinding lower cowl- quarter patches...

Wish Santa would rent out his grinder / sander elves for the off season...
I'll come up with cold milk and cookies for 'em…
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COLD... couple of days coming... kinda keeps me in the garage...

 

… Went and picked up the '30 truck cowl...
I have never brought home a worse condition body part in my life...
but the carcass has both halves of all 6 hinges...
NOT ANOTHER USABLE PART ON IT !
will post a pic when my buddy drops it off...