Projects Tim's (aka anothercarguy) 1938 Ford Club Cabriolet Build Thread

Hey Rusty Rocket, Here's a couple photos of the fan/box...keep in mind, this is not about fancy high quality cabinetry. Lol! It's pretty straight forward, I just build a bit of a plywood step inside so the filters have something to suck up against (and they do!) and a quick steel "L" bracket on the front side to hold the filters in place when the fan is not running. I run a finer pleated style filter closest to the blower (MERV-11 if I recall correctly) and a coarse filter on the outside to knock the largest particles out. I remove the filters at the end of the day to blow them clear outside. I can get a fair amount of use before I need to replace the filters (months). The squirrel cage blower draws air in from the side of the unit which is why I have about 2-3" between the side of the blower and the inside of the plywood box. The motor that came with my furnace blower had 3 speeds...so rather than getting too tricky, I simply wired each speed up to a separate switch. So toggling one switch gives me low speed (that is what I usually run at), the second gives me medium speed and the third switch gives me high speed (like when I want to do a quick air exchange in the shop...I'll open the door a foot, slide the blower with the exhaust side facing the open door and let her rip). I make sure I only turn one switch on at a time...if I was really clever I would have wired it with interlocks so that only one speed could be activated at a time...but I'm a simple manual kind of guy. the filters I use are 16x25x1".

And because I'm a multi purpose guy as well...this is also the fan I use when I have my home "spray booth" set-up. It consists of a wood frame covered in poly with this fan positioned low on one end blowing out a styrofoam duct that I put in place at the bottom of the overhead door. I usually don't use the filters in this application because I want maximum air flow. The duct carries the paint overspray well clear of the shop so I don't get any back eddying of color onto the outside of the shop doors. On the opposite side of the wood frame "spray booth" I have furnace filters installed high on the wall to allow fresh clean air into the booth (see above the doors on the last picture). Very "back yard" or HAMBy but it works. Here's a couple pictures to show what I mean (this is my previous build...an A-V8 roadster).

 

So here's a quick picture of the cheap little HF power hammer. Just as a quick example of how fast and effective it is, I figured I would run a little example/test. Here's a small piece of scrap from the floor under the shear (the shape and size has no relevance), I quickly hammered some stretch into it with a ballpeen hammer on the leather shot bag. Then I smoothed it with the planishing hammer timing how long it took with the flattest die...45 seconds...not kidding! It is a pretty amazing small piece of cheap machinery...perhaps a qualifier for the "what tool saves you the most amount of time" thread...though I haven't mentioned it in that thread because there are sooooo many time saver tools.

 

Great thread, nice work! You set the hook with this VVVVVV!

Next, I need to say that my shop and house garage have about a 100 foot elevation change. The car has no brakes and my wife was not sure of my genius plan. I figured, gravity would provide the rolling encouragement and my truck would provide the rolling discouragement, my wife would provide the directional inputs...what could go wrong?

 

That's the exact planishing hammer I have, except mine has a stand and foot pedal. Maybe it will be a worthwhile $50 investment.

 

I say that was $50 well spent. I think you'll be pleased and surprised. Mine also has the foot pedal but no stand. I've had to replace the air hammer at least once which is why the trigger is taped in the "on" position. I just used another cheap standard long stroke air hammer.

The other place it works really well is for bead rolling floor panels. I mark the layout on the steel, and then run the planishing hammer over the lines that I plan to bead roll. This pre-stretches the steel in the area where the beads are going to be. This pretty much eliminates any oil-canning allowing the panels to remain flat except where the beads are raised.

 

i've never heard.let alone thought of , THAT technique--very nice!

 

Thanks, I'd love to take credit for figuring this out myself, but the first time I saw it was about 20 years ago on an old TV Car show called "Two Guys Garage" with Sam Mommelo. They were working on a T-bucket and Sam was bead rolling panels for the project. He explained the advantage of pre-stretching the metal before bead rolling using an english wheel for the purpose. After seeing that I tried it with the planishing hammer and found it works very well.

 

'knowledge is of two kinds-one already knows it,or one knows where to find it'--thanks,!

 

Well....where to start.... to sum it up collectively the build and your skills are excellent! Your pictures are clear and show your work in great detail. I found your thread yesterday and spent the morning reading through it and appreciating what you are doing with this car. You fired off those posts so close together we couldn't make the usual comments as you progressed through the different phases of build . I will try to comment and ask questions on just a few things I noticed while pursuing the thread though.

Post #6 I enjoyed your comment about replacing only 6 inches of the body on a good car and 12" for a bad car. Since mine came from up state New York I can see how that is all too often true for convertibles especially.
A lot of convertibles from the coastal areas of Washington State suffer the same fate also.

Post #7 Really like that filter fan idea, thanks for showing us the details. I will building one. I have a couple of fans out in the shed that would work for this. Those frame mods on the car were well thought out and look excellent.

Post#18 Forming that cowl vent gutter on wood must have been challenging. I would have liked to see that process.

Post #19 How did you form that rounded edge at the top of the inner fender tub? I think you may have removed some of that in your second version of the tub?

Post#20 Can you show us your bead roller? What gauge steel did you make your firewall from? What alloy are you using for your sheet metal parts?

Post # 22 Second wheel tub is just outstanding!

Post #23 Floor pan looks great! Did you use any aftermarket panels for the floor?

Post #30 Your tool box looks like it has 4 bends, were you able to bend those at your shop? I used 16 gauge and I just could not bend the panel with my HF bender.

Post # 32 I agree the HF plannishing hammer is a good tool. We recently filled ours with sand ( Base leaks sand) and bolted it to the floor and it works much better and is quieter than before.

Post # 33 That tail pan came out great! That is a really complex piece to replicate and it looks like you nailed it!

Post #35 How did you remove and then reinstall the trunk skin?

Posts #36 and 37 I was noticing the blue heat signature around your welds. It looks like the tig welds have a larger blue ring around them. How long are each of your beads with the tig?Are you getting much warpage that you have to do hammer dolly or shrinking to correct?

How about a shop tour? Looks like you chose a great place to live. How many times a day does the ferry service Bowen Island?

Oh BTW I have subscribed to your thread.

Sam

 

Hi Sam, I too am enjoying your thread...

Your comment on post # 18...I have a chunk of butcher block that was left over after a sink was cut out of a countertop. I cut two pieces out of it in the shape that I needed. Then sandwiched a piece of 18 gauge steel between the 2 pieces (the steel was about 3/8 -1/2" wider than the hammerform. I then clamped it tightly together and began pushing the steel around with hammers, brass drifts (being hit with hammers), pieces of pipes etc...all being hit with hammers until it was pretty close to the shape I needed. When I removed the pieces I trimmed the flanges to the height I needed and final manipulated them with pliers, more hammers etc. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the process and have since burned the hammerforms in the house woodstove (my wife commented that they looked like mini-toboggans. lol.

Your question about post #19 is a good one and a good tip. I use pre-formed generic and cheap trailer fenders for that piece. One of the few panels that I buy. I get them from Princess Auto here in Canada but I'm sure they would be available anywhere that has trailer parts (TSC, Farmers Supply).

https://www.princessauto.com/en/single-steel-trailer-fenders-regular/product/PA1000000441

Your request re: post #20, I'll get a picture or 2 of the bead roller for you guys tomorrow...really it's nothing special...looks a lot like a cheapy HF unit but has a bit more heft to it. I make my own dies turned on my lathe as I need them. I use 18 gauge steel...I believe its C1008 cold rolled.

Post #22 comment...thank you, you're making me blush.

Post #23 Floor pans...all made in house from the same 18 gauge cold rolled steel using my brake, bead roller and slip roller.

Post #30 Tool box, Thanks...Yes all the bends are done in my shop with my brake. It's a Roper Whitney 48" box and pan brake that is supposed to be good to 16 gauge. It and I are fully taxed folding a full width of 18 gauge (which is the gauge that I used). I'm not big and strong enough to work/cut 16 gauge (you have my admiration). I do have a photo of that tool. Remember I was talking about how good my wife was, and that I thought she was a keeper? Here's an example, this tool was a Valentine's day gift from her to me about 25-30 years ago!
Post #33 comment...thanks again, I'm blushing some more.

Post #35 on the trunk skin...I cheated. I ground off the folded flange, made the repairs of the 2 separate pieces and then re-assembled them. They are now tig welded together along their edges.

Post #36-37 indeed the tig welded area warps more (it shrinks) than the mig welded areas. That said though, the tig welds are much softer, require way less grinding and with a little hammer-on-dolly work they easily come back into shape. I'm new to tig welding (this is the first car that I've tried it after years of mig welding on my projects). I've seen it done by others and I was always impressed with what I was seeing so I decided I to try it. I really like the results. It's worth learning/effort.

I'll take a few pictures around the shop for you guys tomorrow (note to self, I need to put some of the tools away! lol).

Bowen island is a 20 minute ferry ride from West Vancouver. The ferry goes back and forth so it's roughly on the mainland on the hour and at the island on the 1/2 hour. We're rural (with an acre of property), have ocean views and are 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver (including the ferry ride). We quite like it as our retirement plan.

Thanks for subscribing, it means a lot from a builder of your quality...there I go blushing again, I'll try and keep it interesting.

Tim

 

Thanks for pointing out this thread to me Tim. You've sure upper your game since the days of our youth as wanna be show car guys. All of your builds have been high quality, but this is exceptional. The whole thing reeks of superhuman patience; something I need to work on. When the powers at be finally let me cross the border again, I'm going to come see this build. Count on it!

 

Thanks...I think we've both improved our skills over the past 40 plus years. Look forward to the drop in!

 

Thanks for the quick reply to my questions Tim! That is a good tip on the trailer fenders. I just cannot seem to come up with enough coordination to run a foot pedal , hold the wire rod and get that dang torch head with that touchy tungsten element all working together to make a tig weld. I almost had a used Eastwood tig welder with a torch mounted finger control unit last winter but the seller backed out on the deal. I can't hardly run a bead with the mig either so I guess I better stick with that at this stage of the game.

I am currently getting ready to pick up a 6 foot break over in the Seattle area. Unfortunately it is not a finger break like yours. Maybe I can modify it a little . So far it is a free item, but we will see. I was spoiled in my former occupation by being able to use all sorts of large presses, breaks, rollers, lathes ,mills, piranhas, etc. So working with HF stuff I can afford is challenging and sometimes frustrating. It's okay though I am more fortunate than many and have the time to make things the hard way.

Thanks again, Sam

 

I thought and felt the same way with all things happening while trying to lay down a tig weld...but after awhile it seems to become second nature. Don't confuse that with any presumption on my part about my tig welding prowess...I have many more hours to put in before I approach many that I've seen on this board!.

Free Tools! And better yet free big tools!! Those are some of my favorite words to string together!

 

Don't forget to chop the top while you got the welder out.

 

Very nice I am definitely envious. The islands in the sound are really nice, haven’t been that far north in the sound but I’m sure it’s a dream spot.


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Pretty impressive. No chrome plating equipment yet?

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That made me burst out laughing!! I'll let my wife know I've gotta get into a new process...with new tools! Lol.

 

Thanks for the tour! You have a great shop and tools! I see some stuff I will have to copy of course. I am always learning from others here on the HAMB.

 

DAMN what an awesome garage.

 

Thank you... me too and I'm so thankful the HAMB is available and the guys on it are willing to share their knowledge and experience.

Thank you. I appreciate your comment.

 

Great set up and a great shop tour! Thanks for sharing!

 

I just found and read through your thread. Great read filled with lots of useful info. I have a surplus furnace fan that I plan to use similarly but I hadn’t considered “packaging” it - genius!

This is the HAMB, I don’t think you can ever post too many pictures. Especially when they are of the caliber of work you are doing.

I have the same planishing hammer and wondered if it could be used to prestretch for bead rolling but hadn’t yet tried it. Awesome! Thanks for the info!

 

Thanks for the comments. Happy to hear that the thread is proving to be helpful.

 

Don't forget to chop the top while you have the welder out.

 

Astounding metal work, thanks for all the pictures!

 

Hey John, I don't think this one is in line for a haircut. It's going to be my wifes car and she really likes the stock body proportions. But I hear what you're saying.

Thank you for the kind words.

 

I have question for you guys about body mounts. I've not seen a kit available for the cabriolet. So I was planning to use 1/4" thick heavily reinforced rubber conveyor belting cut into 2" round discs as the body cushions and 2" stainless steel washers as the shims.

Has anyone mounted their body solid without the rubber cushions? Any harm? I'm thinking why would a solidly mounted body be any different from unibody construction? Anyone got any words of wisdom or experience?

 

I'd bet a 1940 body mount kit from drake or anyone else that sells them would work with your 38, the frames were almost identical. And they're not expensive, if I recall correctly.

 

Can't verify, but just a thought...without the rubber, it might cause alignment/fitment issues with all the hang on sheet metal etc.