Projects 60's Era Street/Strip Model A Coupe

LQQKS Great! Just a Q from the uninformed about the rivets= Will you use real ones, and how will you get around all the surface area? Or, I hate to say, the "bolts" that have a rivet head on the top, and threads on the underside?
Just wondering how you will handle the task........ TY-KID

 

Great job @BRENT...great edge distance...spacing looks spot on...that's always a challenge...pitching in the holes...so is it 1/8" solid rivets or pop rivets...cherry max are a pop rivet too but aviation standard...and all are period correct...

I'm sure pop

 

Real rivets. Solid rivets, though. I will buck them on the outside and use the air hammer from the inside.

I will use either flush rivets or something like a flat or a brazier head rivet. So, they either won't be seen (flat ones will blend right in) or it will have that airplane / Airstream finish.

 

I just refreshed my page and saw your post asking...good questions as buck rivets (Solids) are shot with impact that can sink the skin if there are gaps between the members more so than the pop options that also pull things together with somewhat less distortion...

 

I don't want pop rivets. Not that I mind them and they'd be easy but I want solid. They'll look cool and it'll be a fun process. They'll really help get the insert flush, too.

 

Reverse shooting and bucking is a great option and I suspect it will be a team rather than solo event...

AD or A rivets...the AD being harder than A which are quite soft...

A's are more for light duty non structural applications AD's are more for higher stressed structural application's I'm thinking your roof falls into...

Brent are you applying sealant in between?

 

I like what you do Brent. Looks great to me. Way more attention to small details then my old junk. Cheers brother.

 

Not on THAT WORK!, or THAT CAR...... Thanks for the clarification...... Rock on!

 

I don't know how..."I'm sure pop" got in that post...I was nodding off and didn't finish what I was thinking......probably hit send with my forehead...

Flush rivets aka Howard Hughes choice over dome heads to reduce drag...love that overhead shot...Your Hotrod is a very photogenic beast, Brent...

 

My wife will be the recruit, most likely. I think I could contort myself enough to do a bunch, especially on the sides.

As for the the specifics of what I will use, yet. What you mentioned sounds good but the terminology and specs are foreign to me at the moment. It will get figured it out.

I am considering using some urethane on that serrated portion to keep water out. I saw this neat stuff used for boats that is for nearly the same application (just for a boat). It's been a while, I'll have to search it out.

Thanks! However, my car is still pretty rough. I'm not going all-out for paint - just shiny. I'm not playing this by the modern (Internet) rules. The guys prepping cars to race kept it simple, the main goal was to get it out and give it hell. Even some of the coolest customs definitely had their issues.

I'd like to think doing my best and then trying to get 5% better will net me a car I'll be happy with.

So, for the finish, it will hardly be perfect. It has issues that a show car would need addressed and stuff I just want to leave. It has a couple exposed welds, a weird tiny bulge/bend at the end of a t strip on the roof, and so on. There are still some things that bug me that will be addressed but that other stuff is stuff I've seen on several unrestored authentic cars from the era. To me, chasing down every little issue robs the soul from a car like this. It has its place, for sure, but not this one.

You know these cars, they probably had body issues rolling off the assembly line. I see these immaculate Model A hot rods and they're so good that they're better fit and finish than the restored show cars... I'd be scared to drive either.

I just want to thrash on it and make it as good as I can. I am not fretting some of the weirdness, I embrace it.

Most stuff I will fix until it's time to move on to something else.

Thanks, man!

Flush would be neat because they wouldn't be seen but the brazier type would look pretty neat. There'd certainly be no mystery on how thw top is fastened, either.

Thanks for the compliment. I try to keep out the trash cans, modern cars and such. In person this car looks better to me than pics. There's definitely a weird angle looking from the front 1/4 view. I think with some narrower rear wheels and slicks that view would look better.

 

If you go with dome head rivets the dome looks cool on the outside, but you will need a buck with a little domed hole in it or they will just get smashed flat.

Good bucks are made of tungsten and are really heavy. The weight helps the buck not bounce. You might consider using a big hammer with a padded handle on it with a domed spot welded on. Especially if your wife is helping and you wanna stay married!

 

I found some OSPHO locally ($15 at Ace) to treat the surface rust on the inside of the doors.



Here is the before from when I cleaned it up with vinegar and aluminum foil:



I gave the inner panels a good wipe-down with acetone and hit it with some compressed air for good measure. Then, I brushed the OSPHO on.



This stuff seems to work pretty well. The rust didn't turn fully black like I had read but it darkened it (it looks lighter in the pics). I may reapply once more before putting some paint in there.

These next few days I'm getting the mount for the fuse block fabricated. So, I'll update when I have more progress on that.

 

We use that ospho regularly at the shop it works very good I used it on my race car 10years ago before I painted it and it sits outside no rust so far

 

Putting a Fusebox in a Model A Trunk

Fellas, I've really enjoyed this project. It's had me scratching my head quite a few times. Seriously, there was some real "mental gymnastics" happening.

Putting the fusebox in the trunk made the most sense to me. I don't want to contort myself to install, test, change a fuse, or whatever else. I didn't want to see the panel while driving either. And most of all, I wanted the final product to be simple... even if that means doing more work now.

I started with some tape to get a visual.



Then, I used some plastic sheet and magnets. (Tips I got from a HAMB thread.)



This was the first head scratcher. I wanted the box to appear "level" to the eye even though the car has a noticeable rake.



After lots of trial and error, I got a template that fit. I wanted to keep it light and though I was getting excited to get closer, it still felt like it was way too much material. Getting to this point took me a longer than I expected.

Beyond planning the fuse panel, I had to consider the cover and door, the fender bolt and so on.

Redoing templates got faster but at times I was questioning myself.



At some point in laying out holes to cut weight, I realized that the bottom portion of the bracket wasn't needed. I'd just carried it over from the earlier drafts when I had just made it that size for no reason other than to get reference points for each side.

Getting rid of the bottom inch+ cut out a lot. Now, I felt like I was getting closer.



Then, I sent it off to my friend Carl, whom has a plasma table, some dimple dies, and a sheetmetal brake. Without him, I'd still be working on this bracket.



A few days later, I had the piece back and it didn't need much more work. I did have to bend a part that the brake couldn't because there was just too much other stuff going on.



I couldn't bend it fast enough! I wanted to see it in place. I was pretty psyched to see it coming to life.

First thing, there was relief that it fit! Haha.



Here's the part that recesses the fuse block.



And with the block:



Originally, I planned to bend tabs over but having it in front of me, it made more sense to trim them off. This whole thing looked a little absurd during the template stage but my goal was to remove as much as possible.

After trimming, I stuck it together. It's definitely a bit absurd - I dig that. I removed over 60 square inches of material.





I drilled the recess and installed some nutserts and mounted the fuse block just to see.



... and checked the clearance.



Next is to spot weld it together and finish it up so can be mounted.

 

I like your out of the box thinking. You could also incorporate an easy to remove polycarbonate (lexan) cover for the fuse panel. Nice work!

 

Thank you!

The trunk sides will be upholstered and that side will have access to the panel. The folks seeing this thread are the only ones who will ever see a lot of this stuff... this bracket included.

 

Your welcome. Bit of a shame to hide all that nice work. I have this problem with my Model A build. All that work and no one will ever see it. But hey, we know it's there.

 

As for Ospho, most hardware stores stock Jasco products, @ELpolacko learned me this one.

 

That’s so over the top ridiculous and you’re not going to see any of of it when it’s done. Lol perfect, I love it.

 

Hahaha! I have looked at it and chuckled so many times for the exact same reason. It's absurd. I couldn't help myself.

I am eager to get the trunk finished so I can fab the upholstery panels, especially that side.

 

I've seen cola used with foil on old chrome. I assume it's for the citric acid.

 

Very nice work! The location should work great I am sure. Are you incorporating a cut off switch somewhere as well?

 

Yes, I am doing a push/pull disconnect popping out of the taillight panel.

 

Love the panel mount! Looks too nice to cover up.

 

Thank you! I've got a plan for the cover, though... should be cool.

 

Filing Weld Seams

Little by little the body is getting in better shape.

Tonight, I knocked down the weld seams on the front fenders.





With the shape of the fenders, I was able to take a good length of weld down a little without taking any surrounding sheetmetal. The file is new so it cut like butter.

 

Very nice

 

Model A Ford Rear Crossmember Cover

Sometimes I believe God created hot rods to teach us patience. Hahaha.

What should be a simple 10-minute task fought me a bit. But, then I thought, "I'm having fun, why do I need to rush?"

I wanted a flat floor to give me space for the tank, battery and a little extra space. The fuel tank and battery will go in front of the crossmember.



After some measuring I drilled and Cleco'd it in place.



Afterward, I popped in some rivet nuts, drilled out the cover for the fasteners and the wrestled a little getting the screws into one particular riv-nut. The hole in the center of the floor allows for some movement... so it took some patience to get it right.



Also, I worked a couple more issues out. Most of the crease is worked out. The roof needs to be skim coated anyway and it pretty much touched the straight edge the whole way vs the 1/8" that it was down originally.



About 1/2 of this is worked out. A couple more minutes of messing with it and I'll move on.



I've got a few more bigger items that I'm working on but not enough progress to post about it. Working in the shop an hour+ daily has been great for progress and it just feels great to be out there.

Oh, and looking back through the pics, I realize I sucked up a decklid patch piece with the vacuum. I need to retrieve that thing before it's lost for good. Haha!

 

Putting a Fusebox in a Model A Trunk: Part 2

I was waiting on a plug for my spot welder. Usually I try to shop locally but the local supply house wanted $128! I expect a few bucks more but that was out of hand.

After checking Home Depot on the way back I decided to order one online.

Today the plug arrived and I was pretty excited to get this bracket done and in.



Then I mocked it into place.



After that was set, I put a few rivet nuts in and mounted it up.