Projects Project 29 Phaeton

They don't do much at all. How about mounting them INSIDE the frame?

 

....Still looks like two big Zits...?
Another idea is mounting them behind the radiator, shaft facing backwards and arms sticking out the side..(where the clamps are)
I think I'll mount them here for now...can always change it later...
Panhard (drag link) will go underneath (makes the car look crooked again)
Reinforced the center section (between the doors)..Want to take the body off soon to finsish weld and paint chassis components.

 

Maiking supports for the back (I always make two)
There's extra steel under the wood bars welded to the hoop...there will be another hoop + cross braces
Emptied out "shitty mill's" grade 8 inventory - Body bolts

 

Bracing looks good are you going to build a seat back there?

 

Back Seat:
Eventually ... Once I get it running & Street Rod Registered...
Back seat has to have Seat Belts.
Top Cover:
I met a guys who makes Boat Canvas Covers...He's gonna make me a
Top Cover, Splitable to have only back seat covered or Both front and back.
And a detachable Drivers side cover with a LARGE Steering Wheel Hump in it!
Hopefully a Top (really Low) later...Maybe even seat covers...we'll see?
View attachment 3016182
Using the roll bar as a rear bow ... foldable aluminum bow that attaches to windshield posts and Roll Bar..
- Or maybe Bamboo...?

 

Front seat was way too high...coinsidently made a perfect rear seat bottom.

Cut out the pan for seat backs

Louvers on top the center tunnel

+ Slap Stick Shifter & Hand Brake.

 

FRAME PAINT?

What's the best product to paint a frame with?
I'm not too keen on DP-90.....or should I be?
I have all the "fixens" for PPG Paint...in case all paint guys have the same kinda stuff?

 

You should be. The DP epoxy primers are the best thing to put on bare steel. In my opinion, the only way to do it right is sandblast it clean and immediately apply DP. Then whatever paint you wish...I don't know why you wouldn't use the same paint you will use on the body?
I've been using DP for 32 years...no problems. Nothing else goes on bare steel in my shop.

 

I also have a suggestion for your future top. Maybe you remember I finished my '29 Phaeton last year ? I have 6,000+ miles on it now, and only about five of those miles are with the rear window zipped up. Reason being, the air is way too turbulent with the window up. I am always driving with the rear window unzipped, or the top down. The problem with running it unzipped is that the damn thing flops all over the place and ends up hanging out the back. This means I had to figure out a way to hold it down. I used small bungie cords.
The point is, I wish I had just left the rear window out all together. It would have made the top a little cheaper to make and easier to use.

 

Howzit Metal Man

Thanks for the great advice! (Can't beat real road mileage experience...(it will take me a while to rack up 6000 miles on this rock))
Rear Window:
So, does it need to release the trapped air out the back?... or you get a big balloon?
Maybe I'll let the rear window hinge on top...so it opens at speed and falls down when stopped)
Or a small went under the window...?

 

Cardboard Windshield posts:
Square one looks a little "square"

I think I'll bend round tubing to go down the door post and weld or bolt it in = solid.
and then transition the sheet metal to the post (from square to round)

 

Finally got my tubing bender...like a year later.!..I found an E-bayer willing to ship to Hawaii.
(Tried to build one.......No Bueno!...not strong enough!)
Paid $100 for the roller and 250 for shipping. (No Crank Wheel and axel...to expensive to ship anywho!)
Would have been ~ $280 + $350-$400 Shipping

Time to finish the bottom of the body...

 

Yes, the air gets trapped in the back of the top, and causes a lot of turbulence. It knocks my head around and is very noisy.
Mine is probably worse than one with an original top, because I brought the top sides around closer to the rear doors.
My thoughts on the window hinged at top? You will have a lot of violent flapping , and will still need to rig up something to stop that, I think.
Vent under the window? Maybe... But it may be tricky because the top stretches so tight ( really tight). The vent would have to have a rigid frame, I think.
I'm sure you can figure something out, but if I had it to do over, I would just leave an opening and no window.
The car is looking great, Tommy. It's always impressive to see a guy building a car on his own, with fairly basic tools in a small garage. Well done,sir.

 

Mahalo Metalman!! That means a bunch from someone with your skills!!
I've seen adds for Mail Slot window that opens...May not be enough releif though...
Maybe something like this? (from Sid Chaver's Bop Tops)

It rains A LOT in Kaneohe so i really would like somekind of rear window.
I guess I'll Just have to remove it before my Bonneville Record Pass....haha.

 

That looks real good, because it appears to come out completely. That 2" tall black strip in the bottom photo must snap in to clean up the looks when the window is out ?

 

Got the tubing bender set up...
(I bought it without the shaft and crank wheel)
I was just heading out to the hardware store...decided to take one more look in the junk pile...

Pulled this out and noticed the splined end...(cut a model A steering box in half...to get the top column)
I even found a steering wheel in another "pile"
The roller is bigger than the bearings so I machined it with a step in the middle...

Tomorrow Bending time .... finally!

 

Works Good!! "Backbone" for Sub floor / under door trim.

It likes to twist so i clamped on a level and adjusted it with a wise grip...

tried on a 10' piece of 1" EMT... makes a nice wheel for bending 2" one day,

 

Added some more bracing on both sides today...

...So I could remove the tacked strips that held the body together and open the rear door.

Found a booboo on one of the supports...bend in wrong direction...don't know how I missed it!

Cut the tack welds today...will heat and rebend tomorrow.

After that bent 1 inch tubing install...(repeat on drivers side)


kept getting distracted by Blue Angels Flying by my house...

 

1. I was working on this

2. Used the tool in the picture

3. for this

4. So I grabbed a Beer and a lawn chair, and sat down and watched this

 

Looks like you took the guard off of it, not a good idea with a hard wheel grinder. Not that I need to tell you that now ( Captain Obvious). I hope you grow back OK.

 

Yep...Thanks (Captain Obvious) LOL!
I always wore the thick glove on the grinder hand for this reason...
AND I always wear a face shield!
This time i slipped and hit the hand holding the material...So I'm still a DUMB @$$....
Luckily, I missed the tendon...
Just sucks to work with one hand till it heals...That fricken thumb does a lot of work!

Good Advices:
My buddies down at Burger King Friday Night told me all these Horror Stories about cutting disks ...(Grenading / going in to orbit etc.)

LESSON LEARNED!
Now I'm allays using TWO THICK gloves, Face Shield and my Leather Welding Jacket.
These 1/32" discs are awesome to cut stuff with! Nuff Said!!!
Guard?....Can't find them...and I don't think they're big enough.
JUST BE VERY CAREFUL USING CUTTING DISCS OK!
USE YOUR PPE's AND GOOD LIGHTING!
I see guys on TV wearing nothing but a T-shirt and cool glasses...Using an 8 inch 1/32 disc...
NOT RECOMMENDED!

I don't just post here when I lay down perfect welds (If ever)...I post when I mess up too!
Aloha Tommy

 

Sub floor supports finally tacked in...(1" SCH 40)

additional bracing and steel cover will finish it up and make the sub floor solid.

Playing around with the top roof line

 

Mounting ponts for houdaille's...It was groing on me...

Shock "nuts" (Grade 8 nuts...i trim them in the lathe / fits counter sink bit I have perfectly)

Through frame Brake tubes from Heidts...I could have made those for that price...

 

Just an observation, not a criticism, but where your top meets the rear panel I think it would be much more pleasing to the eye to have the top curve down to meet that panel, even if it's only a few inches tall. Just looks far too abrupt to me.

 

Hi Daddio

Your observation is right on the money...!
My drawring looks good but when i "taped it up" to visualize it...
...It definitely needs a small kick / extra bow in the back to look good...
And it'll "frame" the rear window nicely...(it would look really weird to have a rear window almost horizontally)

Mahalo Tommy

 

Drag Link Travel Cowl Cutout

 

finished the shock mounts yesterday

 

Got wheels again....Couldn't wait any longer..... so I cut off and cut a 30deg taper on some Weld wheel washer type left nuts!

Shocks look pretty good.......now....

 

w. Rear Window Hump...much better!

 

For the first time since January 2013...It's FORDOR again...All the doors are open!
Bent the Windshield Posts.

33 Austin seats will arrive from Kauai tomorrow!