Projects Tim's (aka anothercarguy) 1938 Ford Club Cabriolet Build Thread

Very cool! Anxious to see the results.

 

Interesting. Anything that will hold liquid will work. Many years ago I soaked my 40 dash in molasses (don't use that anymore - smell.) Some things - even the dash - are surprisingly big when you need a container! Anyway, I dug a hole in the corner of the back yard, lined it with black plastic, filled it with solution and the dash for a week or so with a cement sheet over it. Worked a treat then filled the hole in. Have also done A model hoods, roadster doors etc in a kids wading pool.

 

Not trying to hijack your thread, but I think you’ll be happy with how well it works. This is the inner structure for the 64 elCamino I have in the shop. De skinned it so I could get it in the best shape possible. Citric acid is my favorite.

 

Nice! How long did you have it soak? Did you go over the panel with a wire brush?

 

The weather was warm which speeds up the process. I let it soak for a couple days, pulled it out, and went over it with a copper colored pot scrubber type pad from the grocery store. I then put it back in for another day. Pulled it out, hosed it off with just a spray nozzle. Blowed it dry and then I wiped it down with some Metal-ready prep and wiped that dry. If you have 10 lbs of powder to 50 gallons of water, then it will probably work fairly quickly, depending on the water temperature.

 

These work well.

 

The citric bath experiment came to an abrupt end yesterday afternoon! I may be getting ahead of myself here, so let me go into a bit further detail. The temporary "containment" device I had put together with scrap 2x6's and tarps was not quite deep enough for a full submersion. I figured no problem, place the hood upside down for a few days, and then flip it over for a few days and repeat as necessary. So in it went upside down.

After a few days of soaking, I took the hood out for a quick pass with some steel wool (I couldn't find any type of copper scouring pads locally that @ronzmtrwrx showed) and a light wire brushing followed by a rinse. It came out pretty good, though it looked like it could still benefit from another day or so in the bath.

So, I flipped the hood right side up and left it in the bath to soak for a few days while I would be out of the shop. This would get the hinge area and the bottom of the nose of the hood. My plan had been a couple days in the bath right side up followed by a quick steel wool and then one final soak upside down, final clean up and all would be good with the world. However, when I returned to the shop yesterday, it was clear my very simple "containment" device consisting of a quadruple layer of plastic tarp draped and clamped over the 2x6's was suddenly not as robust as I had thought. Suddenly those clever citric acid reconnaissance molecules had found a chink in the armour and were implementing their escape! Experiment - ABORT ABORT ABORT!! I knew I should have held out until I found a larger kiddy pool!
So everything was quickly dismantled, rinsed off and let air dry in the sun. I still couldn't find any of the holes in the tarps (maybe I nicked the tarp when I flipped the hood?)...none the less, there was no denying the leak. I have the etched concrete floor to prove it...I've rinsed the floor and sprinkled baking soda to neutralize the acid. Lesson learned...this is an outside experiment!

The hood which was right side up during the great escape, had a minor amount of flash rust which my original plan to flip the hood one more time would have taken care of...however.

Instead the final bit of flash rust was abraded with steel wool, followed by a very quick dusting with the sandblaster and finally a light pass with the 3M strip-it wheel. I just realized that I didn't take a final photo of the bottom side of the hood...but it came out as well as the top.

So the moral of the story...citric acid bath works very well for de-rusting, citric acid molecules are smarter than 4 layers of cheap plastic tarp (not to mention the clown that thought this would be a good idea), citric acid and concrete don't mix and life goes on (occasionally we earn the battle scars to remind us).

 

You can stop that flash rust by covering the exposed parts in a sheet dipped in your solution and covering that with plastic to stop evaporation.

 

Love the story!!!! Goofs, make for experience. Just don't repeat 'em, eh! Thanks for sharing the hiccups a well as the successes.

 

Exactly right. Keep the top side wet while the bottom side is working. Also should be noted is the fact that you can trap a large air bubble on the underside of a hood of that shape and get no action in that area.

 

I have a friend that installs/maintains several in ground pools. I told him recently that the next pool he replaces the liner in, I would like to have a large pice of the liner. He stopped me last week to tell me he had just pulled a large liner and it was in nice shape, just doing an upgrade/expansion. I went by his place and cut two large pieces about 10’x10’. One for myself and another for a friend. It should hold up better than the 3mil plastic I used previously.

 

I pushed the like button..... not because I was happy to see the results of the leak but that you shared it with us so we might learn from your experience. Good recovery!

 

Great thread Tim! Well written, with good photos and explanations. It'll help the rest of us get in waaay over our heads!

 

Hey Ralph...good to hear from you! Thanks for the kind comments (and the offer to ride shotgun ;o).

 

I may or may not be in a majority with my opinion but I personally think that the '38 Deluxe front sheetmetal is the perfect example of the Art Deco design of the '30s. Much more beautiful than the '35, '36 '37, '39 and '40. My favorite car at the GNRS years ago was this 3W '38 coupe that was a masterpiece of metal work. All the proportions were spot on and the beautiful front sheetmetal was the icing on top. Really like what you are able to accomplish on your build and look forward to the completion.

 

Thanks @Fogger for the compliment. Wow, that phantom 3 window '38 is killer! They got the proportions perfect! Thanks for posting.

 

I spent a few minutes working out some of the dents in the hood top and then test fit the top and sides. I have some work ahead on that front (pun intended) to get everything to fit properly, so decided to take a detour and rolled the roadster into the shop for a little attention. First up, a little upholstery adjustment...I want to lower the seat a bit more and add a listing to pull a little more shape into seat bottom.

 

All I can say is WOW!!! A friend turned me on to your thread awhile ago and I've been slowly reading through all 10 pages. Your metal working skills are phenomenal. Really impressive build. Chapeau sir!

https://images.app.goo.gl/Nc12W4thZyeJ6j5z6

 

Thanks for the kind words...I've been watching and enjoying your build thread as well. I'll be heading to the Qualicum Father's day car show this weekend in an OT vehicle. Are you going to be be there as well?

 

Unfortunately I can't make it this year. Are you coming over for Deuce Days? I'll be there for sure.

 

The "When Build Threads "Go Cold", What not to do" thread came to the surface again...which lead me to once again realize that my '38 Cabriolet thread had fallen off the radar. It's still waiting to get some love and attention, but I've been focused on bringing my recently acquired (within the past 4 months) '32 coupe up to road warrior status (which turns out to have been a much longer path than I would have guessed). I'm hoping to have the '32 done before Christmas at which time the '38 will get some attention. Sorry for the delay.

 

Nice front axle lifting set up!

 

I have to ask, is that a seam? A stamping line maybe? If so, could you show the other side. I'm curious what Henry did there. Thanks.
Oh, looking good there. Proves my theory that Island living keeps you youthful.

 

That's not a seam...it was the "high tide" line in my make shift citrus acid bath/pond.

 

While I did see the top and the bottom High tide line (that was just plain Island funny by the way), it was the middle line that stood out. Had me thinking the standard hood might be made from a deluxe hood if push came to shove. Thank you!

 

I think the centre hard line was probably the citric acid bath level while my makeshift container was still doing it's job... creating a "parting line" between acid bath and air. The softened grey area on each side of the "parting line" is likely the result of the "container" no longer containing.

Thanks Rob...I've used that set-up to lift and lower front and rear axles on my own. It makes the task relatively easy and safe (and I no longer need to ask my wife "can you give me a hand lifting this (fill in the blank)...bring gloves."). lol.

 

Haha I know the feeling I made almost everything on my car a one man task! I think the guy who invented the speed bleeder fittings for brakes has at least saved my marriage

 

Not a real update...but I am getting closer! Work on the '32 is down to setting timing and carburetor adjustments (after a 5 month long slog of "going through the car that should only take a month"). I need to have the overhead doors open while making those adjustment and it's been unseasonably cold here of late (pretty much like the rest of North America!), so I'm waiting for a return to more "normal" weather before taking this on. That, and a little slack time for the holiday season is not all bad anyway. Once done, I'll be back to making progress on the '38 cabriolet.

So, Merry Christmas and all the best to any of you HAMBers that are still following along! And a closing picture of the stable mates in the shop.

So in lieu of a real update, I provide the following: "Bunny with a pancake on its head"...as he hasn't made an appearance on the HAMB for quite some time!

 

And a very Merry Christmas to you sir!

 

Have a Merry Christmas Tim and I'm looking forward to the updates when you're back on that project! All the best 2023.