Thanks Marcus, I'd like to know more about that stuff. It sounds like magic. I will try to show how I do things as soon as I do something and I decide what I'm really going to do. That will depend on how confident I feel when I get the old wood out. There really aren't that many pieces. I spent all day today working on a broken water pipe. I collect water from springs on our property and pipe it into tanks. From there it's piped to the house and outside faucets. The pipe between the tanks and house broke. I took all day on the tractor to dig it up. Hopefully I can get it fixed tomorrow. It's hell carving an empire out of the wilderness. Sometime life gets in the way of hot rods.
Hope that you got your pipe fixed! And got a nice hot shower after the water was hot enough! Nothing here except still trying to get on Rusty Bowtie.
THIS IS SMART. I wish I had done this with every new part or part I cleaned up on my builds. I've taken to trying to at least prime and seal stuff now but boy do I wish I had started this sooner!
watching the new baby sleep and trying to catch up on this and I have a few thoughts. 1: lets here more about this epoxy 2: I do a lot of the overthinking/ non stop thinking and find that 5 hours of crazy brain time is usually answered with about five minutes of looking at it in person 9 know sometimes it’s not possible to just pop in and look at it but it does solve the brain problem most the time 3: it does seem like a lot of options but I find when you look at it in person that the first step will lean towards what option will work the best for your situation/ car/ skills/ budget and that will dictate the rest of the steps. I like trying to plan every little thing but at the end of the day the car is going to tell you what it wants. So don’t stress to much, it’s good to have an idea but anything more is kinda waisted energy to a point. 4: when feeling overwhelmed I find that I like to set focus on a sub project and getting one project done at a time and eventually you’ll look up after a few of these projects and think “well shoot I’m almost there! This won’t be so bad” You got this. Don’t get in your head to much
I finished up an hour or so after dark last night by the tractor lights. A hot shower is a wonderful thing. It all reminded us of the early day of living here. The pioneer days of no power and no plumbing. It's easier when you are young. Friggen hippies! It's kind of a pain now and breaks up the flow for sure. I know it is already frustrating my helpers but I know me. I won't get back to a lot of it. The best I can do is to deliver as many useable components to the mix as I can. Hopefully when we drive it out it will be a driver, not totally done but near useable. You know they are never finished. I have to get back on the sub floor/frame jig thing so they can see the forward motion. Right now it's mostly in my head, a place they don't want to go.
Tim, These are good thoughts and very much like my own. That is very much the approach I have and working on the sub projects does make progress while I mull over the other issues. It is harder with most of the big pieces somewhere else the get quick hands on. Leroy wants to blast the frame so I will probably bring it home to do that after I get the sub floor thing done. Then the chassis can really get moving and the boys will be happy. They are trying very hard to accommodate my pace. Oh yea, the car talks to me. Sometimes I think I hear it whisper "Sell me, scrap me. I'm old leave me alone"
Mines next to the laundry machines it says “who cares about clean socks come stare at me mindlessly for thirty minutes”
Here are some pictures that GG2 put on a conversation we were having when he first started offering his help. There are some others there that should be here as well. If we get smothered in an over abundance of old Chevy roadster pictures so be it. Lots of information is a good thing.
Six Ball I just put these up on another site and they came out to blury so will try here. The first three are of a 25. The second two are of a 26. Note that there are only two vertical boards holding up the seat back.
Yes, They behave better here. I think I have one of the seat vertical pieces but not much of the seat back. I forgot to take seat pictures last time. I have some of the bottom frame and the small metal band that goes across the front and sides. I ordered a couple of wood measuring tools today.
Could you measure the metal band for me when the time comes? I do not think that my other roadster has one either.
You Betcha'! Good pics too. It is in good shape. I need to bring it back home and get the rust off. Here are the tools I ordered. I think they will help.
All tools are good. The last, or best vote is after using them! I looked at the last pics that I put up again, and noticed that a board is missing on the 26 seat. The rear top of the bottom wood that goes in to the side lap joint is not there. These are pictures that other owners sent me over 25 years ago. I am still very apriciative for their efforts! They are cars that have been brought back, But maybe not totally complete! I think that I have us covered on seat patterns. I think that the first 25 pic is clear enough to zoom into the top corner of the seat. The seat top back board, sandwich block, big block, and the back belt rail. Oh, and the side belt rail. It screws onto the sandwich block and also the big block. I found another piece of poster card pattern, but all it had on it was screw hole size and location (that is where the idea of possible spacer came in) It turns out to fit on the back side of the big block to locate the holes to connect the two blocks! ( That shows me, that I was too lax on my notes!!!!) I'll shut up now.
The last small pieces I found have part of the big block and I will glue it to the other piece still on the quarter, Also the piece of the back small wedge on the right sill that has the back body to frame mount hole in it. I'll glue that back in place. I want as much of the connection in the seat, quarter, trunk area together before I take it apart. I am so worried that I will get a nice wood sculpture together and the metal won't fit.
I understand how you feel! Yes putting everything you can back together will help. I know that I put Ray's wood back together, and I would definatly have taken pictures, but have not been able to find them. I need to put all of these parts together to get you some 3D views. Oh, another thought, many years ago a guy that did this for a living, gave me some pointers that helped him. One was, if you have to use a hot wrench, have a toy squirt gun handy. (more for closed bodies.) Two, when putting the wood pieces together for the first time only use a few smaller shorter screws. That way, if you are off a little, they can be moved a little, and a slightly bigger pilot hole and screw used. This will work two or three times before getting out to the proper size screw. Do not glue until all steel is fitted.
The pipe broke again a bit further along the line probably just missed it. It's all done now and covered. . A friend was killed on his way home from the bar is a senseless accident on Sunday. Life is fleeting be grateful for what you've got left. I stopped by the roadster today for the first time in a long time. I brought home the pistons and rods. Tired of screwing with the sticking up Ross things. I have a set of 307 SBC pistons that will work fine with a thinner gasket and have very near the same compression. I'll save the forged set for a hotter engine later. I confirmed that some of my wood ideas will work and I found the missing box of brackets that I KNEW were there. They had gotten moved away from where my parts are supposed to be. So far this remote build isn't working like I had hoped it would. Once I get the template for the frame made it will be better. I'm also doubting my idea of mounting the axle on top of the springs. If I mount in the stock position It will be quite a bit higher unless I get a dropped axle. My end up with this look. I could live with it.
I’m sure enjoying your thread Six Ball, but I don’t envy you having to deal with all that wood. I’ve got a buddy who’s building a ‘30 (31?) Buick four door sedan, talk about wood! Most all of his wood will need to be replaced. We’ll be watching hoping to catch a few tips along the way. I’ve got three big projects going simultaneously right now and I’m very familiar with that “overwhelmed” feeling. (Very little wood thank Goodness). I just try to do one or two little things when that feeling strikes and soon I’m back up to speed. Any progress is progress, sometimes even just entering what I’ve done in my notebooks counts as progress. Keep on keepin’ on...... Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Sorry to here about your friend! I hate it when someone goes early! About your water line...do you have an 'air chamber' at the bottom (or where most of the water is used)? I am guessing that you used black plastic pipe!? We had problems with multiple breaks, found out that the plastic pipe die left a slightly thinner spot because something was stuck on it. The water hammer caused by a valve closing quickly (like the toilet) exceeded what the thin spot could handle after years of use. On chevy wood, nothing has moved. THE BOSS insists that a handrail for the front steps is way more important! Also the truck is in the hospital......is going to need new transfer case & guts. Lost oil!
Thanks guys I'll try to get something done today even if it's just cleaning a bit of work space for the piston work. I'll try to put tools and material together to take down tomorrow to work on the frame template. I think I have figured out a plan to get what I need for both sides from the pieces on one side. GG2, I think that the line on the inside of the sill is a straight line. If so does it run parallel to the center line of the frame? If so I can figure width along the outside line by knowing the width of the inside of the sills at the front of the cowl and at the back where the big cross piece fits the sills. It looks like the frame is flat from the front of cowl/sills back 5'. Then the kick-up starts and drops back to the end of the body. Depending on how much wider the body gets I may be able to cut a piece for the quarter/ trunk length for a 2x6 or 2 laminated 2x6 pieces. I have some of the left sill from the rear over the kick-up but part if the inside is warped. I can attach a straight piece on the inside to connect the cowl foot to the rest of the right sill. I may even be able to do that on the right. Another but more time consuming for now plan would be just to make patterns and assemble them to make the template. Do you have a measurement across the body mounts on the outside of the frame near the middle of the body. ? The pipes are 1 1/2" schedule 40 PVC. I have air chambers in the house at all the faucets and valves but not on the outside frost free faucets. I added two slip joints to the main pipes that will allow a bit os stress relief. I think this was due to ground movement over nearly 50 years. The initial break was behind a retaining wall where there was a lot of fill. If it lasts another 50 years I'll hire someone the fix it next time.
Six Ball The line on the inside of the 'main' sill is a straight line. As fare as being parallel to the center line, no. I remember that the floor boards get longer as they go back from the cowl. The center line to center line of the outside frame mounts is (%$@#) I forgot to write it down! Second trip: 40 1/4". Also I found a couple errors on my part: You are right on the thickness of the main sill 1 3/4", found my goof. Second, I carefully un screwed the bolt that was in the top support hole. (used when the top is down) Someone used a carrage bolt with rubber hose on it. Anyway, I will be using a 7/16" coupling nut not a 1/2" to screw onto the big blocks.
All right then. I can establish a frame centerline. It's not hard to find the placement of the very front of the two ends of the sills in the cowl. Continuing the right sill inside straight line all the way up and measuring from it to the frame centerline I can repeat all of that in the first 5 " and just flip it. At the back of the body the curve comes back to where it is now. I can use the back parts I have to copy the curve over the kick-up. At least now there is fuzzy plan that may work. Thanks for the effort on the measurement. I need to do some drawings with all of our measurements on them to see at a glance while working.
I've been looking back through the wood photos and their posts. Just seeing it again has cleared up a lot. It made me see that I am making some of it too hard. I have to take a piece of a time. Still trying to get the band saw out from behind a bunch of junk and find out what is wrong with the table saw, other than cutting aluminum and firewood with it for years. I'm gathering wood for patterns and practice. What doesn't turn out to be a Chevy part is firewood, win-win.
There is some indirect progress being made. The band saw is in the shop and I have new tires for the blade wheels to install. There are new blades on order. The motor on the table saw is toast. The same one is on sale at Harbor freight for $115. I'll get one when I'm in town. Some wood clamps are on the way and a couple of tools came today. I ordered some Chevy parts I didn't think I'd ever find that will be nice details for the car. Hood and radiator shell lace kit, windshield rubber, replacement door sills, radiator mount kit, hood bumpers. I'll get some new pictures up soon. Hopefully pictures of saw dust.
Saw dust is GOOD!!!! I left you a request message on the other site. I hope that I was not too blunt. Sounds like you are really getting things going!
I'm trying. I need to make a list. I keep loosing track of small easy to do things that would make me feel like I was making progress.
Heading down tomorrow to visit the big parts. I have a list of pictures and measurements to get. Have some Ideas to try. Today I cleaned and got the tires on the band saw wheels. The new blades came, I'll pick them up tomorrow. Cleaned and derusted more small front end parts. I cleaned the new pistons and removed the pins. I'll do the initial weigh in tonight for balancing. Hopefully more pictures and info tomorrow. Has anyone used the Eastwood 2K paint? I thought the oscillating tool might come in handy. I wanted one anyway.
I hope that you started your list yesterday morning! You can mark off quite a few items!!! Even more by tonight! Things have really changed here yesterday! We are having flooding, lost some bridges, roads, lots of soil and rocks! Yesterday morning when I went to W-W our support pipe for the well across the creek was about 1' above the water, When I came back, it was gone! Must have had a tree come down, because the support pipe is (WAS) 6" well casing. The creek has gone down 3' by this morning and I can see about 10' feet of the near end, it's bent almost 45 deg. Also got about 1' of water in the irrigation pump house, so will have to pull that pump and have it cooked out and bearings. Just glad that this was it. Others were not so lucky! I have not heard of any fatalities yet, Hope there are none!
Water and fire are two of God's greatest inventions. I wish he'd taught them to behave. I hope you can get it all fixed soon. The weather here was beautiful. When I weighed the pistons and pins last night out of 7 (# 8 is in the shop somewhere) One weighed 640.0 grams. Three others weighed 639.9 grams. Done! Total spread was 3.7 grams. This morning I picked up the saw blades and two 90 degree clamps I bought on eBay. I ordered a new flywheel and my son and I will drill and tap it for a 10" clutch tomorrow. I did a lot of measuring today but not all I set out to do. I will try to get some drawings on here soon. but here are some numbers and pictures that I hope will help. I measured from the front of the sill where it ends in the cowl. I nailed a straight piece along the straight inside sill line to join the cowl end to the rest. 1. To center of the first body mount hole is 4 1/2" 2. Along the inside flat of the sill the rabbit begins at 5 1/4" and curve ends 2 1/2" beyond that. (7 3/4" from the front end) At that point it is 7/8" wide 3. It continues back to 25" from the front. The next mount hole is at 26". It is 34 1/2 to the front of the B pillar notch. At 25" the rabbit it 1 3/4 wide and has a rounded corner and comes out new the straight inside line and I missed the width it comes back to. The length to where it ends is 30 1/2". I think that may be under the seat. This will make a lot more sense in a drawing. Maybe the pictures will help. The depth of the rabbit begins a 7/8" and ends at 3/4". It may be 3/4" all the way with the 7/8" being rotten wood. The big back piece it too difficult to even try to describe with the wedge slot from the sill and all. The back is 4" high and the front is 3 1/4". The angle on the bottom is the same as the drop in the frame in that area. There is a rabbit across the front top that is 3/4" deep and 5/8 wide. It is 2 1/4" front to back. It is basically 40" wide but there are two tenons on the front that make it 41 3/4. I did not get good pictures of it today.There are small rabbits on the back ends for the sheet metal piece to fit into. They are 1/8" wide and 3/8" deep. We got a good fit on the right quarter to the sill and the back piece. If we can get the rest to fit that nice I'll be happy. I think this is going to work. We talked a lot about the frame. I think rather than cutting and bending we will add a piece to move the body and frame lines th match. More about that when we get to it. The seat metal piece is 37 1/2" across the back and 32" across the flat part of the front. That doesn't count the curves. It is 1 7/8" tall. Didn't get a depth. These are out of order; This is where the floor rabbit ends at the seat. The rest is for the seat frame I think. 1 View attachment 4570098 2. This is where the floor rabbit begins in the foot of the cowl. The two small holes are where the metal brace for the front floor angle brace screws it the sill. 3. This is the gap where wood is missing. The left is in the cowl foot and the right is at the front of the door and back of cowl where the A pillar would be. The new piece of wood is nailed to the inside straight line of the main sill to locate the front across the gap to the rest of the main sill. 4. This is again where the floor foot ends measured from the front of the sill showing where the floor rabbit mets the rabbit for the seat frame and the #2 body mount hole. 5. Front of sill and start of rabbit at 5" and #1 body mount hole. Two holes at right are where steel angle for brace screws to sill. 6. Fitting bottom of quarter to bottom if sill. 7. Back metal piece and quarter in place. Nice fit 8. Another 9. Along inside of top sill and quarter line, Holes are #3 & #4 body mounts (4 on each side) 10, Closer look. Notch is for a vertical wood brace that connects to the long S piece in the top of the quarter. Nice fit at sill and wheel well indent. 11. Across large trunk area. With trunk lid removed this could be a small pickup. Likely a reason for the change from '25 to '26, There was a pickup bed available either an option or after market. 12. The metal piece that wraps around the front and sides the seat. There is still a small piece of wood screwed into it. 13. From the outside. 14.
The Jalopy Journal
