Hot Rods Build #2 I 30 Model A"Coupe" AKA Phoenix

Looking good, nice work on the wheel wells.


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I had a chance to play at the shop today. Chopped the top 5.75" and sectioned the rear window so it wasn't just a slit. Only took 4" out of rear window. Coming along. I'll button up the chop tomorrow and then I need to narrow the rear end and shorten the shafts and respline them.


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Looks great. Gary

 

Thanks for all the details in your post. Doing a great job on this one.


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Love it! Never been a big fan of mail slots.
I was planning 4 inch chop with as little out of the window as possible.

 

The sun went down and the moon came up.....and 5 3/4" was gone !!
Great job,


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5 and 3/4 sounded a bit much when I read it but, looking at the pictures, it appears to be right-on...........Very nice work!

 

I actually made a lot more progress than the pics suggest. I was able to get all the remaining welds from the chop finished and planished nice and smooth. I also got the Dana 44 narrowed a total of 5". The pics don't show but we used a fixture to ensure everything is true. It seats in the carrier bearing and outter bearing flange. I'm bad about pics but you can see the before and after.





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What's the width from flange to flange after narrowing it ?


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60"
It works with the back spacing I have on the wheels.


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How did you get the seams to line back up? Usually you have to do relief cuts to get them to line back up because the roof is wider

 

Mike, the seems almost lined up but they were still about 1/8" off. I cut a vertical relief at the edge and massaged the piece to vertical alignment. Did this on both sides and then blended the weld back. I wanted it at the edge to hide it but still blended it just because.
After everything was welded on both panels and ran the welded joints through my homemade planishing hammer. When you run your fingers over the weld seems you cannot tell unless you are looking at it. Smooth transition.
If the body wasn't so pitted, I might consider a unpainted metal finish but the metal was so rusty it'll all require a skim coat and paint.


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I just looked at the pic up close you are referencing. That was before the massaging. All the panels were literally just leaning against each other. I will take some more pics later today.


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Makes sense, thanks

 

Here ya go


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How bout a shot of the planishing hammer ?


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Thanks, love it !


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I have a spot that needs some stretching. Time for portable tools.


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My phone is screwed up so I apologize for poor picture quality. The camera function needs to be repaired


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Quick poser shot as I'm leaving the shop for the night


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The panel above driver door still needs some massaging. Everything was so warped that when you bring it all together there are some spots that don't agree with alignment. When I get back up here tomorrow I have a feeling I will win the battle of alignment....
Lots more cuts and shit on my hands.


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Is that your intended stance ? That would explain the size of the rear end.


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Pretty much! I haven't decided if I am going to channel the body one inch or none at all. The most it will be different than the pic is 1-2". I'm using 2x3" under the body for frame material. The front frame will have a sweep similar to a 32 frame which will require a lot of cutting/welding/fish playing for reinforcement and to give it the sweep of a 32.
The tires will sit just outboard of the rear body.


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Buddy of mine sent me a quick clip he snapped. I didn't know he was doing a video but, hey. Here ya go. Using the homemade planishing hammer.

 

Cool tool


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I've heard that mig welds can crack from hammer welding. Is that true with planishing after the mig weld has cooled? I guess I should have asked if you are mig or tig welding the panels?

 

If a MIG weld can, there is no reason a TIG weld wouldn't either. Metalurgically speaking the alloys are the same. There is no reason a different process would cause a problem. Work hardening DOES happen with anything for the most part. So, if I were to tig the panel with the same alloy and hammer, I would expect the same work hardening. Cracking CAN happen with anything if you push it. I have no cracks.


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One other thing that some may say that cracking can happen is because with MIG, there is considerably more deposit material than say a TIG weld. Hammer a spot weld from a MIG more and the "dough" squashes flatter and wider and eventually splits when there is nowhere else to go. I typically grind my MIG tacks relatively flush and the hammer the outer areas flush with the mating panel.


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