Hot Rods Cheatin' The Reaper

Baby's going to have a fat ass!

DSC02825 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 5:31 PM

New rear arches, about 3" wider than stock. Arrived at the weekend.

Whilst I was trying on the new panels I thought I'd snap a few pics:

DSC02827 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 5:31 PM

DSC02828 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 5:31 PM

DSC02829 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 5:31 PM

In one you can see a couple of gauges hanging underneath, these are Lucas gauges, probably fitted to the car in the 70's judging by the 'Lucas' logo.
Hey I'll need gauges! Pulled them off and tested them (they are both capillary gauges) and they work fine, so here's the 'before restoration' photo:

26322570362abac850 by Legendlives posted Jun 3, 2016 at 11:39 PM

 

All restored:



They look a lot better in the flesh than they do in the pictures. Now all I have to decide is where to put them.....

 

Cut holes for the gauges today. The pattern echoes the original pattern that was on the other side.
Small gauges are the 'restored' ones. Tacho is an old Stewart Warner $10 score from a swap meet. Hope it works!
Speedo will eventually live in the centre of the dash.

IMG_20160408_173201 by Legendlives posted Jun 3, 2016 at 11:39 PM

 

I guess it would be good to steer the car, so I found this aluminium box which came from a (whisper it) Lada.
I figure if it was designed to last a million miles around Soviet Russia with little or no maintenance then it could steer 'The Reaper' without any issues.

IMG_20160409_094236 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 9:26 PM

Mount bracket on right, cut from 10mm plate.

I made three threaded bosses and welded them to the back of the plate. The upper (larger) boss will pass straight through the chassis and is only threaded for the last 20mm, the shorter lower bosses will just be recessed through one side of the chassis and the plate seam welded in.
Lower holes through the plate are also threaded to give the maximum possible thread purchase.

IMG_20160411_174146 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 9:26 PM

IMG_20160411_174156 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 9:26 PM

Once the engine and rollcage are in place I'll work out the best place for it.

I bought a nice Momo steering wheel from a local boot sale,

IMG_20160421_153307 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:47 AM

which just happened to have the right boss for my column, but the boss was rough-as, so after removing all of the unnecessary plastic crap it looked like this:

DSC00712 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:47 AM

After a quick clean up (ignore the American flag!):

DSC01178 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:47 AM

I don't like the exposed shaft look on columns so turned up this tube which is an interference fit on the boss, but spins freely around the column outer:

DSC01181 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:47 AM

Tidies it all up very nicely:

DSC01182 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:47 AM

 

Solid front mounts for the engine that must not be mentioned......
Started out with a few odd shapes cut from 1/4" aluminium plate:

IMG_20160415_171619 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:32 AM

And after welding:

IMG_20160415_175841 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:32 AM

IMG_20160415_175830 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:32 AM

Imagine these the other way up, bolted to the engine at 45 degrees.
The square cuts will rest on the inside of the chassis members, and will be bolted to 'L' shaped brackets welded to the inside of the chassis members. I'm not going to drill any holes until I've trial-fitted the engine.

And just as a taster of body mods, here's the (unfinished) inner sill/step panels, expertly made from old wiring conduit saved from a skip:

IMG_20160414_180119 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:44 PM

IMG_20160414_180110 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:44 PM

The top of the panel will be level with the floor, and the lower (flat) panel will be the door sill top. They should give around a 4" channel lower than stock.

 

These are the weld-on brackets for the engine mounts, cut from 3mm steel:

IMG_20160416_122923 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:32 AM

The assemblies will sit on the chassis like this:

IMG_20160416_123319 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:32 AM

(this is the back view).

 

Q0YwQjVGRUEtMEUxNy00OEYyLUFEMEYtMDYwRjI4N0ZCN0FB;jsessionid=1CEEFDB4BA0D524BE1251D28707AB402-n1 by Legendlives posted Apr 17, 2016 at 2:39 AM

With apologies to Blairs, but thanks to my good friend and photoshop genius Nick Cordell, this is exactly the look and colour I'm aiming for.

 

Looking great! Keep it up!

 

Back in the thread you'll find my amazing (and not very HAMB friendly) yard-sale Momo steering wheel (a whole $5!)

IMG_20160421_153307 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:47 AM

In the early build, someone gave me this badge. I can't remember who, and I don't know what it's from, but it's nice,

IMG_20160421_153319 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:47 AM

So I turned up this aluminium boss, and threaded a couple of studs into it that pass through the wheel and hub to secure it properly:

IMG_20160421_153326 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:47 AM

Which leaves it looking like this:

IMG_20160421_153340 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:47 AM

Lovely!

 

I bought these lights from a swapmeet for $8 the pair, but I was not convinced that they were right for the car until I accidentally propped them in an existing hole and the realisation of my own subconscious genius dawned.

IMG_20160423_112237 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:44 PM

So I made up these steel tubes to partially french them in. They're about 3 1/2" diameter:

IMG_20160423_112744 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:44 PM

They'll be cut at an angle (thinner at the top) so the lens is partially exposed, but you get the idea.

IMG_20160423_112828 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:44 PM

I'll reveal where they're going later.
Sorry that I seem to be leaping from mechanical to body to interior etc etc, but I'm doing stuff as I have the time (and money) to do so. I'm really looking forward to getting the body mounted as the project should accelerate quite quickly after that.

 

I've at last got the impetus to start tackling the bodywork. The sill step panels are now tack-welded into place (no pics - sorry!) which will allow me to position the body on the chassis (when I've got some extra muscles).
Then, moving around the back I was struck with a dilemma. I want a bootlid in the car, and was going to make up a smooth, flat one (like Prefects have) until my petrol-head daughter insisted that I keep the 'spare wheel' moulding on the back.
So starting with this - the place the spare wheel mounted:

DSC02898 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:44 PM

I carefully cut around the perimeter which left me with a hole:

DSC02933 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 5:31 PM

And if i then invert the panel I've just cut out, I end up with a very slick, 1938 made bootlid which looks as it should:

DSC02931 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 4:24 PM

I'll cut it along the bottom swage and put hinges at that level, remove the reinforcement strut to smooth it out, and there will be a bonnet-style spring catch hidden beneath the top of the curve.

 

I was really unhappy with the look of the front of the engine that shall not be mentioned, particularly the ugly water hoses & thermostat housing;
So pulled it all out and started making a replacement dual top-hose system (like the old flatheads had).
Started with the 'head' end and made these 'o' ring bosses. These have water restrictions machined in them which are equivalent to the single hole restriction in the original thermostat:

IMG_20160430_111034 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:32 AM

IMG_20160430_111024 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:32 AM

DSC02930 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:40 AM

Then turned up a couple of water-neck hose barbs and welded them at a 45 degree(ish) angle:

IMG_20160502_175831 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:32 AM

The second set of necks in the last picture will be welded to the rad top tank.

DSC02939 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:40 AM

DSC02938 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:40 AM

DSC02937 by Legendlives posted Jun 4, 2016 at 3:40 AM

Getting there.......

 

Just collected this:

IMG_20160506_153214 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:44 PM

One piece flip front. At some stage in it's past someone has bonded in an original steel grille and steel side-vents. I'll remove these and re-glass the holes.
I'm aiming for the smooth front as on the Blair's car.
I got it for a straight swap for the original tins, and both I and the swap-ee are more than happy.

 

Back with the trunklid.
I made up this hinge panel. Panel is 2mm steel, and the actual hinge brackets are in 3mm:

IMG_20160507_125325 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:44 PM

IMG_20160507_125352 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:44 PM

Which is then (tack) welded into the wheelwell:

IMG_20160507_131815 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:52 PM

Bearing in mind that this is now the INSIDE of the trunk. The hinge panel and lower part of the 'wheel' will be welded back into the body, and the top cut carefully along the hinge panel and made into the hinged lid panel.

IMG_20160507_131758 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:44 PM

 

Hinge time.
I seem to have forgotten the pictures which show the hinge top mounts, but here are the start of the hinges.
These are made from 3/8" steel tube, the pivot end is 1"cds with a 6061 alloy bush pressed in.

IMG_20160514_093604 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:52 PM

I made them, then realised that although they would work fine it's only a matter of time before someone uses the open trunk as a seat, so reinforcements were called for:

IMG_20160514_095821 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:52 PM

These were welded in, and then the top hinge fixing bracket welded to the assembly:

IMG_20160514_132318 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:52 PM

IMG_20160514_132304 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:52 PM

Here's the finished hinges in place:

IMG_20160514_132257 by Legendlives posted May 28, 2016 at 8:52 PM

All I have to do now is cut the outer skin between the two horizontal brackets and I have a hinged trunk!
(There's still plenty to do before it's finished though).

 

That's a cool looking hinge bro!

The trunk drip rails will be fun to watch.

That shit is hard enough to make in straight lines with one curve. You'll have a circle on a compound. Honestly I never could understand why anyone would weld a deck lid shut until I built a trunk opening and deck lid from scratch. There's a lot of in realized work there, most of its thankless but it needs to be right.

 

In your opening photo, is that a green snub nose 1/2 ton Thames in the background?

 

Yes. The guy I bought the 7Y from had a collection of old vehicles on his land. They were all for sale or sold as he'd sold the property and was up against it to get them removed. I'm sure my car was not the only bargain bought from that place.

 

Hopefully it will turn out good enough that no-one will notice it wasn't built that way!
I already know how I'm going to do the driprails and seal sections. Fortunately I had a miss-spent youth making chassis' and panels for Cobra's.

 

You just need some one here in the states scouting for your wheels.

 

Whilst the trunklid is ongoing at work, I thought I'd attack the front end at home.



In it's past, someone had bonded in original steel grille and side-vents. These have to go as I'm looking for the smooth look like Blair's car. Unfortunately they were cut down to fit so are pretty useless. I think they'll become wall art!
Fortunately the rust had loosened all of the filler, and within an hour it looked like this:





Next job will be fill the holes. I already have a plan!

 

More work on the bootlid and closing panel.


On the bootlid I've added a 2mm reinforcement along the lower lip which is welded to the reinforcement panel and edge-welded to the skin.



On the closing panel I've added a vertical blade which will (probably) have a seal along it.



Still lots to do but I'm getting there!

 

Lot of creative metalwork to fab that reversed trunk lid.

 

Have just gone through this entire thread.
The knowledge and high quality workmanship of Legendlives is amazing.

 

After a quick clean-up and beat out of a few dents the trial-fit works!
Here's the lid in closed:


And open:



Positions.

All cleaned up, ready for the next step:



But it looks a bit bare....... So:


That's better!

 

Great thinking!

 

"Have just gone through this entire thread.
The knowledge and high quality workmanship of Legendlives is amazing."

"Ladies and Gentleman of the HAMB:
This mans work will show you the difference between a "Weldor" and a "Fabricator"! As I quoted in other threads like the "Certificated Welder Thread", this guys work is the work of a trained, experienced metal (and other mediums) real life, true "Fabricator". Many here can learn from both his thought out process AND his welding and fabricating skills. I would gladly follow this guys work down any street without fear of parts being spit out the back because of sorry ass welds and improper joint configurations.
This is the type of work that makes me step up my game everytime I see this while working on my project and to remember NOT to take shortcuts, especially when I am tired and "just want it done".
Congrats! This is very inspiring to watch!!!"

Wow bobg1951chevy and michaelvz51, thank you so much for your kind words. It means a lot to me to be appreciated by my fellow rodders. Hopefully I can continue the build to the same standard.
Thank you.
Trevor

 

Are the pictures gone for everyone? With all the positive comments I'd sure like to see this thing!!

Bill