I really wanted to title this "How do ya like my box", but I thought the moderators might shoot me. Now that I have the Marguard lexan sidewindows made for my roadster pickup, the question arises, how do I carry them around? My original thought was to make a two compartment bag of soft cloth and keep it in the back of my rpu, but the more I thought about them sliding around in there, and the chance of setting something heavy into the back and breaking them, the less I liked that idea. I decided to build a very shallow box instead, that will actually screw to the bottom of the truck bed to keep it stationary. The inside of the box will be lined with felt, and there will be a divider panel covered with felt that lays between the two windows. I made up the perimeter frames from 3/4" x 1 1/2" pine, with 1/8" Luan mahogany as the main panel material. I had a peice of brass piano hinge laying around that was long enough (37"). The box will fit crossways in the bed of the rpu just ahead of the tailgate. I put a dark stain on the pine to bring it to the same colour as the mahogany, then coated everything with spar varnish (2 coats on, one to go yet).---Best part of it all---I was finally able to justify buying a belt sander!!! I've wanted one for years---just had to wait for a project to come up that justified the purchasing of one. I will post more pics as this thing comes together.----Brian
Brian, Am I missing something here in your post? What are you talking about? A speaker box? Am I not awake yet or just hungover? and... Belt Sander. Hmmmmmmm Well I worked as a Fine Furnature Finisher in a very High End Shop and if I ever touched a Belt sander the Boss would say WHAT YOU DOING? Because it was to Hog out and remove a Major problem and then get down to the hand sanding to finish it. Please update more on what you are doingor talking about or showing in pictures? This Curious mind wants to know....
Sorry HonestHerman---This is about a box to hold my sidewindows---see attached thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=350203 As for the beltsander---well---I never professed to being a carpenter. Since 1/8 Luan mahogany is such a bitch to splinter when sawed on my ancient tablesaw, I made the panels 1/8 oversized from the frame all around, then used the belt sander to bring it flush all atound. Hey---It worked for me---
Brian, I understand your project now. It is too late now. But if you ever had the time. Have you ever considered. a FULL Top all the way back to the tailgate. Sorta like a Carson Type top. You could slide the bottom into the bed tubes (no holes drilled) from the back and attach it to the Windshield frame in front. Put White Material over it, So you would only see wood around the inside and frame. Then the walls of the top behind the doors could be hollow and accept a slide back window frame. on drawer tracks. So you could push them back into the top itself and then open the door and get out. Get back in close the door and then slide the window back out of the inside of the top and lock it back onto the frame of the Windshield frame. Just an Idea I am hoping you could picture it. I thought you were someone who was building something else. Best of luck and PM me anytime , I will look for those pictures of how your project works out for you. Have fun on the trip. Thanks for the reply too... Herman
So---My foray into the world of hotrod carpentry has ended succsesfully!! The box is finished, the hinge installed, and my two side windows fit into it perfectly. (Almost too perfectly---I added a second strip of aluminum channel to the top of each side window to keep them from flexing at 70 MPH and it was almost enough to make them not fit into the box.) I still have to add a layer of felt to the inside bottom and top of the box, and I will machine up a brass latch on my milling machine. This box will get screwed to the bottom of my pickup bed to keep it from sliding around in there, and then I will have my side windows with me anytime I need them. (The rpu has a locking rigid tonneau cover).---Brian
Finish carpentry is really not my thing. I've built a couple of houses and cottages in my 62 years, and I am okay with framing carpentry, even drywall, but I'm a lousy "finish" carpenter. I have a friend (the fellow who is riding with me on the "Canadian Rod Tour") who is an absolute magician on the fine work and finishing of furniture. I just lined the box with felt.---certainly wouldn't want to do that for a living either. I was okay right up to the point where I had the inside of the box and one side of the felt coated with spray on contact cement. Then I called my good wife out to the garage to hold one end of the felt while I held onto the other, and tried to lay the felt EXACTLY into the bottom of the box without touching the sides.--Its good enough for me, but man, I wouldn't want to line coffins for a living---or anything else that was on public display.
Looks nice. It's practical and unique and you did it yourself. The brass looks good,too. I've never seen a Billet Piano hinge, but some fool probably makes them, As for the belt sander, there are two general rules I try to employ-first, never do any project without first buying b\new tools as in "Sure I'd love to hang that picture,but first I'll have to buy a cylinder hone,etc." this no longer works with my wife-who hangs the picture herself and tells me if I want a hone, buy a hone. Second, you should NEVER say a project is complete-then people can complain about the work you did. Say it's still in progress and this is all you've done so far and you'll fix it later-then they can only offer suggestions. Maybe this is why hotrods are so popular?
Well acturly---I think that brass billet piano hinge is cheap Chinese shit metal with a very thin coating of brass electroplated onto it. I am going to use some REAL brass (left over from one of my model steam engine builds) to make a latch for it. Funny----I never thought too much about it while building the box, but its damn near impossible to buy a latch for a box thats only 1 3/4" total thickness. I ran all over friggin town to different hardware stores and craft stores looking for a simple lunch pail type latch---they have them for boxes 3" thick, but nothing for a box this size, unless I want to order them from Lee valley tools for a kazillion dollars each. Oh well, this is part of why I bought the lathe and mill last year.--I'll post a "latch picture" when I get it made.
We have a latch!!! I milled a couple of peices from brass and made up a knurled knob from aluminum exactly the same as the knobs I made to hold the windows in place on the car (works as a spare in case I lose one.) This seems to work great, was more or less free, and gets the job done.
Well boys---Thats all she wrote!!! The project is finished. The storage box for my sidewindows is built, lined with felt, and screwed to the hardwood floor of the truck. Now when I take those big jaunts away from home, I don't have to worry quite so much about inclement weather on my trip home. This has been a kind of "instant gratification" project, as it has went quickly and succesfully. Total cost, storage box included has been about $300.
If the two lexan pieces have any way of sliding around, put a piece of felt between them, and a 1/8 inch scrap that fits in the 'dead' space, to prevent the top piece from sliding on the bottom. Otherwise a single stray piece of sand can wreak havoc (scratches).
They fit the box "size on size"--they can't shuffle around. The aluminum strip at the top and at the bottom of each sidewindow sticks out 1/32" past the Marguard on each side, so that when the two windows are in the box there is 1/16" between the Lexan surfaces.
I build lots of trophy cases and custom furniture that require felt or velvet lining. I hate working with contact cement inside of newly finished drawers or cases. If you cut a piece of waterproof panel board or thin panel board or luan door skin a little smaller than the box you can upholster a nice wrinkle free perfect shaped bottom for your box. When you push it into the box the extra material takes up the space and makes a tight fit. bubble wrap would be nice to seperate your two windows for traveling. Very nice job I love your hinges.
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