Projects '36DD - (My Double Duty 3-window build.)

I'm lovin this build can't wait till the next Episode.

 

I'm really lovin' doing this too. Finding the time is my biggest issue...

I'm working on the front shock mounts at the moment, so there should be another 'episode' comin' real soon.

Bear

 

I like the stance in the first photo. Your chassi table looks good too.

 

Your workmanship is amazing. I like your attention to every detail. Much respect.

 

It's always interesting seeing how hot rodders in other countries have to fit their build to certain laws such as no welding on the brake pedal arm. Us hot rodders in America have it way too easy but we don't realize it..

 

Thanks for the kind comments.

Getting the stance in the first photo had to be the easiest part of the build - mocked up on a spare frame with no suspension

It's only taken the last year to get the real frame to work at that ride height!

I admit I do get a bit hung up on the detail but I really wouldn't be happy with the build any other way.

Got into the front shock mounts in the last week. I had been looking at the kits available for the '35-40 front ends, but I really didn't like the look of how the lower shock mount 'piggy-backs' off the front shackle (I like the dogbone style shackles that I'm running) and the upper mounts look a bit spindly for me.

I bought a pair of the So-Cal shorty shocks to avoid the long 'bug-feeler' look of a tall top mount, and figured that at the ride height I'm going for suspension travel is gonna' be limited anyways.
Bandsawed out a couple of pairs of mounting lugs to weld to the wishbone for the lower mounts, then once I'd worked out the correct length to get the best amount of travel out of the shocks, I started fabbing some top mounts.

I slash cut some box section to the correct angle for the frame mounting and found that the sides of the box flared out some once cut - probably from the tension in the formed box section. Kinda' liked the look of that, so I cut the boxing plates to match the profile rather than straightening the channel.





Then I had a couple of threaded mounting bosses turned up to attach the upper shock eye to. Normally I would like to mount these in double shear, but in this case there is very limited space around the top of the shock, and I figured this mount should easily cope with the loads a single shear mounting will place on it. There is also another reason for its placement which will become apparent when I come to fit the inner fender panels.




Here's how they sit in relation to the shock.



Next step is to scribe them to the frame rail and tack them into place.

Bear

 

And then tacked onto the frame...







Its all a bit of a tight fit in there and I will need to relieve the inner guards slightly, - as it sits there is only just enough clearance from the bones to the upper shock mounts at full compression.

It aint' easy being low!

Bear

 

Wow!! Amazing metal skills thanks for posting I have to subscribe to this for sure....

 

Wow nice work, I love 3 Window Coupes, your metal work is great......

 

Hey, thanks for the kind words,guys. I'm really just figuring this stuff out and learning as I go along!

Bri, I just happened to be checking out your pickup thread yesterday. That is one seriously cool little truck!

Bear

 

Got the lower mounts final welded to the wishbones, and while I was at it, finish welded the bungs into the end of the bones. I've pretty much just tacked everything to this stage, so it's a good feeling to actually get a couple of components finished.







I sanded a nice deep 'V' where the bone met the bung, and got a good root pass down on to the spigot portion of the bung, then built up the remainder of the v with weld before blending the ends to look like one piece.







Cool thing is, they ended up looking exactly how I pictured them at the start.

Bear

 

Love the quality of your work.Just outstanding.Subscribing.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

I guess all the detail pics help with the certifying process?
Nice welds by the way.

 

I figure it won't hurt to have as much of it documented as possible. There's no certifiers within 150 miles of here so we can't just get one to drop in and take a look at every stage.

Just hope I haven't put anything on here that might turn around and bite my ass!

Bear

 

Great build thread, subscribed.

 

Lookin Good Bear. I am at the other end of a build....but looking at yours I want to get back to the beginning of the next one........does anyone know of a cure for this disorder......maybe even an intervention.

 

Between Bear & Woodbox, we have the best 2 threads on the HAMB.
Both Kiwis of course.

 

Those tie rod ends have been on the shelf a day or two.

Loving the progress

 

Where these rod ends attach, do you have some sort of doubler plate inside the rails to build the thickness and spread the tortional load?

 

These have a solid machined boss running right thru' the rail to the back side.
The back is relieved so that a socket can get in there to tighten the nut, and the front side is machined with a taper to accept the tie rod end.




This shows the back side



And this is the front side



When finished, this will be fully welded to both sides of the boxed frame section.

Bear

 

Top stuff Bear.

In ya last pic, Top Marks for the gap between the Weld-in Bung and the Split Radius Rod . This prep is often overlooked , people tend to drive the bung in hard - leaving no gap - , so even though they've "V'd" the weld area in prep, they haven't allowed for weld shrinkage, which in turn creates a stress crack !

The builds coming along Sa-Weat

Shrapnel

 

Very nice bear. I did something similar for mine onto the tube chassis. Very tidy. Are you going to split pin the nut or nylock?

 

I'm thinking it's probably gonna' be a nylock. When the time comes I'll try to slip a splitpin in there, but I'm really beginning to relate to a saying my Grandad used to have about fiddly shit - 'I'm all thumbs!'

Bear

 

Another relatively unproductive weekend from me. Alternated between work and shed stuff, which is great for messing with your train of thought. I'm now at the stage where I need to get some of the less 'glamorous' stuff squared away before I strip the frame down for final welding.

So, here goes with the clutch master cylinder mount. Doesn't look like much, but there is probably at least 3 times as much figurin' as there is fabbin' on this boring little piece.

It needs to bolt in to the existing crossmember, be somewhere I can top up the fluid easily, allow for the right amount of travel, handle the load from the pedal, and most importantly to me, not look like some sort of contraption that was chucked on there as an afterthought.

In fact, if any body actually notices it on the finished car I'll be kinda' pissed off!








And here's where it sits when mounted. I had to relieve the top of the x-member channel to allow access to the reservoir - shouldn't cause any strength issues as both m/c mounts span that section of channel.










Bear

 

I'm getting close to the stage where I'm gonna' have to start on building a new floor for this thing.
I'll probably do the exhaust next, but I figured it would be good to get the body setting somewhere near the frame so's I can start to visualise how the floor is gonna' go together.
I gave the shop a bit of a tidy up and rearranged things so the body and frame can kinda' 'get acquainted'.




There was a whole bunch of stuff stashed inside the body - running boards, few sets of rear fenders, along with some for my woody project, so I emptied all that stuff out to get a clear run at the floor.

I'd forgotten how many fenders I had collected over the last few years - none of them are real good, but I hope to have enough pieces there to make up a useable pair. In the middle are the rotten '35 coupe fenders that came with the body, and the rest are '36 sedan fenders that I've accumulated from NZ and the US.





Now I've gotta' find someplace else to stash this crap 'til I need it!

Bear

 

You got me hooked on your build, you do great work !

 

I wish I had a 36 coupe passenger fender. Not any chance you have a spare? Lol great looking build man. Top notch work all the way around!

 

Me too ! In fact I'd probably give my left nut to get hold of a pair of coupe fenders. All of mine are sedan ones, 'cept for the stuffed '35 coupe ones that came with the body shell.
They are totally stuffed - held together with fibreglass matting and resin on the inside. They're only good enough to get a pattern of the body mounting flange off of.

Everything else on the body is quite good, and original to the car, apart from the hood top which appears NOS, and the early accessory smoothie hood sides.
The guy I got it off had already sold the genuine rear fenders ($$$$$) and was keen to keep the garnish moldings too!

It had a real clean floor in it, which unfortunately is no use to me, but I don't feel so bad cos' somebody had already hacked the front section out of it.







I'm planning on getting the remainder out intact in case somebody else can make use of it.

Bear

 

I have a pair solid 36 coupe guards here, Blenheim, good shape need some repair if youre interested, [email protected]

 

Always enjoy seeing updates here, how's it looking??

OB