Passenger side panel is on my frankinfab table getting a once over. Much better shape than the other. Needed something to spin/move the table around so I incorporated a hammer form (I-beam circle thing) to the table with "easy off" removal capable. I believe I like it. I've ground down the width to fit the work... may legitimately grind to 1/2... 3/4.. 1".. as is 1 1/8" to make it even handier. Build from salvaged material. 2ft4 x 3ft x 32"
Looks like a fun project, thanks for letting us hang around the shop with you. When you're posting photos it will ask if you want thumbnails or full size. Please click full size. It makes it much easier to scroll through and to compare one shot to another.
Scored an original coupe roof and body wood structure yesterday!!! Free.. gonna make a copy of what's there and cobble up what's not!
GOT WOOD?....I do! Question for the crowd...looks like my salvaged "original" roof wood kit had both Ash and oak bows. Guessing the 2 x oak bows were an old replacement. One is significantly heavier (dimensionally) the the originals. My question: were they all originally the same dimensionally? All seem to have the same radius but the heavier duty one and am unsure if that was by design or if the heavier non-original was a little off??? If there is a beefier one was it in the front or back? Not discussing the rear lateral one...it is much bigger than the middle 4 bows.
Got the prototype Bow made....turned out good but believe i can do better with another template material choice for the router (final) cut out. I changed the dimensions of the bows to 1 3/8ths wide x 1" tall. My originals were 7/8's and seemed a little wimpy so I plus sized them. Even bedazzled them with a pinstripe along the bottom sides.. believe that providing the kit looks respectable.. may show them off for awhile before upholstery.
Slow progress... Did get my 20in bandsaw up and going with a new blade and urethane wheel condoms... Expect that to be a critical in enabler in shaping some of the contours. Has been awaiting my attention for 20 years.. thought about selling it several times...thank goodness I didn't. Had to go support two brother of mine in Illinois over there loss of their 14yr old son/nephew. ATV's and distracted/careless driving kills...happened to me in 2008 so you could say that was in a unique position to talk the family thru some of "what lies ahead" Brought home a 41 Merc spare tire cover for a future project...something about bobbed front fenders on a 50's - 60's build turns me on... not gonna lie. Need to find some trick build info on em. Will get back on it. My wife is day 2 confirmed CORONA and I just got tested (awaiting) I'm hopeful that we'll get the other side of all of this eventually. Tough year for all.
Just found your thread. Interesting build, i’ll be looking at a similar amount of work someday when I start my 30 A. Good luck with the virus. Wishing you the best.
Thanks Rocky for asking... Yes she's holding her own. She continues to slowly improve. With the associated isolation of this situation, spending time in the shop has become the norm during this holiday period. Yesterday, I made repairs to a salvaged frame horn a buddy gave me for my frame...previously hacked off. Did some tig welding on it to practice...it (tig welding) does not come natural to me....but it worked out (ground flat) Plan to graft it on today.
saw them in concert; great stuff! next-to-last to perform; they ran late and big brother only did 2 or 3 songs. janis & company played for free the next day!
Got the horn partially welded in... TIG was kicking my novice ass yesterday. Much more practice required...probably will finish up with the MIG. check it out. (138) Iron Butterfly Coupe: Frame Horn Graft - YouTube
Boxcar, Great looking build. Just finished reading through. Hope everyone is doing well in isolation and killer job on the car. Happy New Year, Cliff Ramsdell
Thanks fellas.... got a couple of more wood kit pieces made... hopefully will add to it today. Damn recliner made me pass out at 8pm and my belly woke me up at 3am. Might as well get after it. While could go ahead and drill the thru holes in the new pieces...believe I'll delay till I fit these just because I don't have 100% confidence in the old template pieces...from another car. I'll wait.
More progress on the roof portion. Had a small issue pop up but was recoverable. Not sure if all top surfaces were all contoured (on the same plane or not) originally. Anybody want to enlighten me? Also, an associated question...Anybody got a pic that would give a visual reference as to how/where the side pieces relate to the header....believe there's a pair of brackets in there somewhere. Thanks Boxcar
Boxcar, just read this whole thread...great work! I love it when guys take on the questionable stuff and keep plugging away at it with very good results. Thanks for the inspiration. Love the wood working as well...
Boxcar, When I made the wood for my Tudor I had to wing it as I had nothing. I used the arch of the center bow and matched my roof bows to it. Somewhere around the end of page 2 https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/rebuild-of-my-1928-model-a-tudor.1135981/ I can’t say on 5 window. Hope it helps some. Cliff Ramsdell
Appreciate that Cliff. Yep there was and is some significant rot that required me to guess at what it was doing... nothing too complicated yet. But there yet may be hell to pay later when I'm ready to fit it in!!! I'll look at the thread. Thanks
What species of wood are you using. Thought it was probably maple, but the maple I've been around doesn't usually show so much grain. Ash maybe? You didn't do that with a hatchet and a pocket knife, how about a few pictures of your wood tools.
Cypress from a mill down the road. I was once into woodworking heavy then came this. I still enjoy it but metal fab is a current favorite....also have an industrial sewing machine that allows me another distraction. I "like" to do nearly everything myself. The mvp tool fir thus job is between my jessum router table and my bandsaw
Here’s some photos of the wood installed in my 30-31 coupe. The first photo you can see the bottom of the carriage bolt that goes vertically through the bottom of the header, there are two. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Nice set of wood tools. How big is your bandsaw? Looks like it has more throat depth than my 18" Laguna. Is your table saw 12". I have been using a Chang copy of a Unisaw for 20 years, bought a real Unisaw (used for 300.00) a few years ago, but haven't put it in service yet and now I have inherited my dad's Powermatic 66. Also have a 12" direct drive Powermatic that was given to me because it was dropped off a forklift and broke the motor mount. Thinking about bolting all 3 of the American saws together without the wings to make one large table. Then I can have left and right tilt in one saw, the deep cut of the 12" and the ability to have multiple set-ups at one time. Haven't had a big project in the woodshop for a several years, but I have some cabinets to build this winter and will start building my new house in a year or so. So, I need to get in there and get things organized, clean the place out and get my dad's tool set integrated into mine. I guess rot won't be an issue with cypress, haha. Oh, to live in the land of hardwoods, I'm envious of that. Spruce, birch and aspen are the native species in Alaska, that's it.
Got a daughter up in at Fort Wainwright...hope to up there in 2021 (grandbaby). Hard to wrong with either the old unisaw or PM 66. There was time I'd fight to have either. My BS is a 20in and the table saw is DELTA COMMERCIAL RT40 w/14in blade, PM plainer 20in w/helix, 80s Delta 6in jointer. Use to have a few more toys but have drifted away from it some and now space is hard to find.
The most challenging section so far....it's a twisty piece with some obscure cuts that you gotta freeball. Still got to mark and drill and make a few relief cuts but that should be easy. The other side is next.
Good to know I'm not the only one that can't keep the saw table cleared off, lol. Luckily, space is not a big issue for me. I built a 30 x 52 shop for powder coating in 2000. When I sold the business I moved my wood tools in there and freed up a bunch of space in the fab shop. Haha, now they're both getting pretty full again. Be sure to let me know when you're in town, be happy to shake your hand and show you around the old homestead.
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