I had no problems such as you described with the back window runners, but I used 1/4" MDF for the mock-up window. As I recall the original 36 Ford manual back window regulator had 2 long slots on the lower side of the metal window glass channel for regulator arms, your fabricated/Model A set-up has one, kind of off center as well. I recently had my body up on a rotisserie. After etch priming everything, Lizardskin was applied and then final paint. It worked out OK. The Lizardskin is easy to apply and is water soluable, not to mention the sound and heat benefits. Good Luck
Thats what I was thinking the original rear window was like. Mine works but it work better if it 2 arms like original. Cheers Mark.
Well luckily the weather did improve and we've managed to lay some paint and get things moving along. The last update showed the body has it had just been removed from the chassis and rolled over. We finished up underneath and got the panel seal and stone chip on. The firewall is going to finished and glossed so I can get the engine in. The firewall was taken back to bare metal. A mass of filler was found on one side only but with no reason for it to be there confused, so it was all taken off. The whole inside was wire brushed, a hideous job, and more paint laid on. With the body done for the moment attention was turned back to the chassis. A few jobs were left on the chassis like fitting the battery holder, fit fuel pump and run fuel lines, fit fuel tank and touching up the paint. The biggest job was to fit rear shocks. I used standard length SoCal gas shocks and got them upright and tucked inboard on the chassis to make a neat fitment. The brackets were complicated due to the axle having different sized casings each side. The body mounting pads were all placed in anticipation of fitting the body back on.
Great progress Clark.Can't wait to see it in the flesh. The 'A' looks good with the fenders fitted.Don't think I've seen many pics of it with all four wheels on the ground.LOL Mark.
Looks great. Love the look of the 36's and you're doing a fantastic job. The underside of the car is so nice it's almost a shame to put it toward the ground! Can somebody help me with my ignorance though...What's the extra "stuff" hanging off the right side of the rear end? (left side in the last picture) Is it an OD switch or something? Thanks, James
Awesome job man!!! We are in similar places right now. I finished my firewall after cutting out a bunch and replacing it with a donor firewall because of a previous butcher job for heater holes. Your car is coming along great!!! Show me what you did or are doing for the battery. My braces are gone but I would like to return the battery to the original location.
Man this car is going to be sweet, 35 and 36 ford bodies are my favorite. The work is comming out really good. I still need to mopunt my front and rear shocks on mine. I will be going the same route.
Thanks guys. I think my firewall has been replaced also properly for the same reasons. I'll get some battery pictures for you in the next couple of days. Its basically a copy of the original but made to fit a modern battery. Yep!
Thanks for not treating me like a moron. I just read through the thread and saw your little expose on the Columbia. Hadn't had a chance to read all the chapters when I posted that question. I'm interested to see how good that Columbia does for you rpm wise. Also, like everyone else I love your dash...that's beautiful work. -James
Enbloc, I was just looking over your dash/heater setup and wondered, have you figured out a way to run defrost, or do you not need it over there? -James
We need it alot over here. I'm not going to run defrost, just haven't got the room. I had to remove the defrost part of the heater to get it to fit behind the dash and also lack the space for the pipework as well.
Heres the pictures of my battery holder. I was missing one side of the battery holder, the other being the chassis crossmember was still in place. A new bracket was fabbed, which wasn't so bad as it could be made to fit the modern 12V battery. I used the original style hold downs and made a new top brace to hold the battery down.
Awesome! I pictured it in my head since I never see the original and this all makes sense. Thank you so much for pics. I am going to get to work!!
Got the first bit of gloss paint on the car now. Painted the firewall cream to try and bring some colour and light to the engine bay. Made a start on the engine. I bought this one way before I got the car as I knew I would be needing an engine and it seemed a good buy. It came from a '42 Canadian COE Army lorry that was getting a French engine put in it because the owner wanted the bigger capacity of the French engine due to having plans of running it on LPG! It was sold as a runner (Aren't they all!) and the story checked out as I got to ride in the COE running on LPG! I also got to see his array of Flatty powered military vehicles including a Bren troop carrier with Learner plates for the road! It was time to drag the engine out and have a poke around. Much to my joy it seems like a good engine. I pulled the sump off as I was going to change the 11" boat anchor to a more Hot Rod friendly aluminium flywheel and 9" clutch from my Banger. All I found was the remains of clean oil, no sludge anywhere, honing marks still showing on the bores, perfectly clean cumbustion chambers and fresh gaskets all round. That was as far as I dare go as this has always been a "suck it and see" engine. The only thing I can put it down for is it being a small bore 24 stud, but if it runs good I don't care. The blue it was in was pretty yuck but I didn't want to get involved with painting it, especially as its still an unknown engine. My thinking was if I leave grungy it will be a good engine and if I pamper it it will turn out to be a bad engine! I couldn't bring myself to leave it, so had to decide if I wanted it in black as originally thought or cream that just happen to be in the gun at that moment... As you can see I went for the black! Time to bolt it back together with all the previously painted black parts. I think it works.... After battling with trying to attach the gearbox and engine together due to a ever so slightly rusty input shaft it was lowered down and then "BONK"... Seems like a combination of a repaired/reinforced crossmember and round repro u-bolts has lost the clearance for the sump. All the gearbox and engine mounts line up perfect and bolt up fine so I'm ruling out a drivetrain problem. I think we're going to dimple the sump and mess around with the u-bolts to regain the clearance. But engine and 'box are in in, sort of...
looking very nice clark ,I own the blue 5 window that came at thr same time ,have been doing my wiper same old route mgb wiper motor and rack ,did you find a longer inner cable /rack as mine is also too short have checked a landrover inner but also too short
I think my last message was far too abrupt for how nice of work that you are doing. The firewall looks awesome and maybe it's because I am at that point on my '35 right now but it's like everything I hope my car looks like as far as quality. I love that you are doing it yourself and doing a really great job.
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