Chassis Mockery

Chassis mock-up is in full swing. I have bolted up the front end using the So-Cal 4" drop forged axle, Speedway 29" spring, and original Model A front wishbone. The above picture shows that I am using Speedway spindles and disc brake adapter kit. Disc brakes...it's a shame, I know. But I got the rotors and calipers for free. Plus, I am wanting to make a cool little backing plate that will make the disc brake assembly look old. Or weird. Maybe old-weird...
After the front is put together completely, I get to mount wheels and then start estimating where and how to mount the rear end. And all this stuff will be assembled and disassembled more than once! After I determine the chassis assembly, I have to remove everything and weld up the frame mounts, drill body mount access, etc. Mock-up stage, its a big part of the build. BIG!

Here is the mount for the driver side split wishbone. I used weld-in 11/16 bungs and Ford 7 deg. rod ends. The mounts are made from Speedway tapered generic mounts that I lengthened.


Above shows the front of the driver side split wishbone. I decided to flip these '29 'bones to allow for my tie rod to clear; hence the reversed forged end. I still wanted the factory weld of the 'bone to face the ground, so the rest of the wishbone is facing up-just the front is flipped. The two welds show the flipping and the pie-cutting, which give me 10 degrees caster. I figured I would be safe this way, since there will be rake to the car once the wheels are installed.

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Yikes!

Yikes was right when I took this body panel off! I am apprehensive to go this deep into the core of an antique automobile...especially one I've never familiarized with. But the initial fright has slowly subsided as I find out how the basic body structure fits together. A big benefit is the body is bare steel, and was carefully mocked up in it's assembled form before I brought it home. So removing a few tack welds and fasteners have made learning the kindergarten version of Ford Model A body assembly run smooth.

The only reason I'm side tracked on the body is because I made its first mock fit on the frame so I could become familiar with proper mounting locations and clearance (since I've boxed and "Z"d the frame). And this shows me where floor changes need to be made, involving sheet metal work. And sheet metal work tends to get me noticing other body needs...


The above pic is the "yikes!" one. This is the passenger side body panel separated from the inner structure piece.


Above shows the close up of the lower quarter patch I just finished on the big panel. It is a repop patch that came with the car when I bought it. The small compound curve piece is one I made on the brake and the shrinker/stretcher. I used thicker 16 gauge and had to do a series of partial bends to get the wide curve angle that matches the existing shape of the inner wheel structure. It took lots of shrinking, checking, hammer form, more checking, more hammer...


This above picture shows the inner structure that supports the big body panel right inside the door edge. The bottom 4" of the vertical channel and the bottom plate where the angled support connects were rusted through, so I made these patches again from heavier 16 gauge and with the metal brake and shrinker.


And this picture shows the driver door test fit. I just finished chopping this door a true 3". I was a little paranoid- I wanted to be sure I matched the existing chop of the body structure. The 3" chop was already done on this coupe body, and was a major plus when I considered buying it. Any more chop to me is too much, and would look "rat rod" more than "neat old hot rod". I like to think this one is going to at least look the part of a traditional hot rod.


Here's the mock up stage, full view. Now I have to figure out where to modify the firewall...


Above shows my modifications to the factory style trunk floor. This is an upside-down view of the side rails and raised hump that I made. These allow for clearance of the rear crossmember and stepped frame rails; necessary because of the now "Z"d frame.


Top view of tunk panel. I made the hump with the brake, shrinker, stretcher and my cheapo punch/flange tool (for the even weld holes).


Above shows the modified trunk floor installed as it will be viewed from opening the decklid.


And here's another view of the mock up. It is starting to get my ideas flowing...

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February 13th & 14th Classic Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia Auction

Footman James Great Western Show and Autojumble
Royal Bath & West Showground
Please view details of the rest of the show on the Bristol Classic Car Show Web Site

Classic's already submmitted to the auction include 'Morris Minor Million' as featured in Classics February 2010 issue and:


A 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL, registration number YRW 623L, chassis number 2285404, engine number 2285404, yellow with black vinyl roof and black coachlines and script. The BMW CSL (Coupé Sport Leicht) was the lightweight homologation version of the 3.0 CS. Utilising thinner gauge steel, bespoke aluminium panels (doors, bonnet & boot), slimmer glass and less sound deadening, this reduced the overall weight by 300 lbs compared to the standard CS coupé. This very rare lightweight coupé is one of 500 right hand drive examples, this being No 404. The specification and equipment levels were high with all-round independent suspension, Getrag 5-speed gearbox, 3003cc straight 6 engine with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection. The performance figures are still impressive by today's standards with 0-60 mph time of 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 149 mph when new. The current vendor purchased the CSL in 1981 and used it as his everyday transport until 1986. The coupé has been kept in dry storage since. The indicated 67,000 miles is believed to be genuine. The history file contains the last MOT dated November 1986, owner's handbook and various magazine articles. The CSL will now require careful recommissioning and localised restoration to retain the originality and should appeal to any BMW collector. V5, no current MOT or tax £3,000 - 5,000

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A 1979 HONDA CB250N SUPERDREAM MOTORCYCLE, registration number YYE 679T, frame number CB250N2012571, engine number CB250NE201578, blue. This very original two owner motorcycle has covered a believed genuine 2,800 miles from new and the current vendor purchase it direct from the first owner. The air-cooled over head cam parallel twin Superdream has a 6-speed gearbox and a pair of bespoke panniers. The history file contains a workshop manual, owner's handbook, old MOT's, tax discs and manufacturer's hand tools. V5C, MOTed to May 2010 and tax £600 - 800

THE HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT ONE MILLIONTH MORRIS MINOR 1000 SALOON, registration number 1 MHU, chassis number M-A2S3/1000000, engine number 503889, originally 9M-U-H/504066, lilac. The millionth Morris Minor rolled off the No 1 assembly line at the giant Cowley Works on the 22nd December 1960. Its designer Alec Issigonis was there with other Nuffield organisation top brass to savour the success of a car which had captured the hearts of the British public. The publicity department played their part, issuing a press release on 4th January 1961 entitled The Morris Minor Million - a Great Engineering and Commercial Achievement, which went on to tell of the feat unique in the history of the British Motoring Industry i.e. the production of one million vehicles of a common design - the greatest British-made seller in any class. The Millionth Minor, one of 349 Specials produced, 318 were sold on the UK home market, 31 left-hand drive models were exported to North America and 9 to Europe. Based on a standard 1961 2-door saloon, the Millionth Specials were painted in eye-catching lilac. They received a luxurious white leather interior with black piping, white door cards, black carpets and grey sun visors, externally they bore extra chrome rings on the wheel trims and unique 1,000,000 badgeing.

The actual Millionth Minor was passed from the Nuffield Group publicity department to the National Union of Journalists on the 20th April 1961 for use in a National fund raising campaign in aid of the British Red Cross, and was subsequently raffled on National television. The lucky winner was a Miss Susan George from Wales, who was too young to drive at the time and it was subsequently sold to the local postman.

The Millionth Minor came to the attention of the current owner in 1970 when visiting his holiday home in Dyfed Wales, still going strong, although now painted red. In 1971 the car was involved in an accident when it slid into a ditch damaging the driver's side.

The current owner purchased the car soon after the accident and trailered it back to his Birmingham home. Two further house moves and two decades passed before restoration took place at Northbrook College in Worthing, where it received a full restoration by Derek Smith, a Senior Lecturer in Motor Vehicle Studies. There is a vast history file with the car within five document wallets containing receipts totalling approximately £15,000 for the restoration, various magazine and newspaper articles relating to the car, photographs of the rebuild, Heritage Certificate and old MOT's. The car has been dry stored in recent years due to pressure of work and has only covered a nominal mileage since the restoration. This is a unique opportunity to purchase an historically significant vehicle and a small piece of the British motoring history. RF60, V5, no current MOT, currently on SORN £18,000 - 22,000

A 1960 ROVER 80 P4, registration number 631 RPH, chassis number 645002463, engine number 645002776, green. The Rover 80 was introduced in 1960 and continued in production for two years until 1962, and had the 2286cc four cylinder engine mated to a Solex carburettor producing 77bhp when new. This three owner Rover 80 has covered a believed genuine 37,199 miles and has cream leather interior with walnut dashboard and door cappings, and a 4-speed gearbox with overdrive. The history file contains all MOTs, tax discs and some service history, the vendor informs us that he has known the two previous owners to verify the mileage. V5, MOT to July 2010, tax exempt £2,500 - 3,000

A 1977 TRIUMPH TR7 COUPÉ, registration number OTC 730R, chassis number ALG 14140A, engine number CG009632HEA, white. This time warp TR7 has had two registered keepers from new and covered a believed genuine 16,000 miles. The first lady owner sold it to the current vendor in 2000 and it has been part of a small private collection since. The current vendor has undertaken some preventative maintenance work including a new cylinder head gasket, radiator, tyres and a full service. This rare automatic coupé has red carpets, black vinyl and red tartan upholstered seats, radio/cassette and electric aerial. The history file contains a full service history with all old MOT's, original owner's handbook, and workshop manual. V5C, V5, MOT to May 2010, currently on SORN £3,000 - 3,500

A 1976 AUSTIN ALLEGRO 1500 VANDEN PLAS, registration number NYB 805P, chassis number VF4SJ-232183A, engine number 36544, Pageant Blue with gold coach lines. The luxury version of the Allegro was introduced in 1974 and continued in production until 1980 when manufacture ceased. This three owner Vanden Plas has covered a believed genuine 46,477 miles, and has a cream leather interior with walnut dashboard and door cappings, thick carpets, extra sound deadening and rear picnic tables (which were very unusual for a mass produced car from the 1970's). The history file contains the original Austin passport to service with eight stamps, old MOT's, tax discs, owner's handbook and some service history. The vendor informs us that he has known this Somerset registered Allegro from new (purchased from Bartletts of Wells) and the two previous owners to verify the mileage. V5, V5C, MOT to September 2010, currently on SORN £700 - 1,000

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The Model A Coupe

Change has been happening. (Heck, I have spent the last two months just moving tools!) But even change becomes a "has-been", and I slowly grow almost comfortable again. Amid getting accustomed to a new place, I am actually starting a new project...and it's an intimidating one. Recently I have carefully scrounged parts and pieces for building another hot rod, and finally the job is underway. From the free engine (thanks to the Wiscombe family!) to the unbelievably cheap frame, I am now officially working on a '30 Ford Model A five-window coupe.

The almost professional picture above is actually about the coupe body, not the ladder... I picked this body up from a gentleman in West Jordan. It was nicely chopped only 3", and came with an entire new floor section as well as lower patch panels.



Here's the start- an excellent '28-'29 Model A frame. I have just finished a very moderate step to the rear frame/crossmember, following the measurements of the Bishop-Tardell rear frame stepping procedure. The only difference is I "Z'd" the rear kickup rather than straight cut. Same end result, but the overlap feels better to me.



This picture shows the passenger side of the frame and rear crossmember, and the flush cut edge of the crossmember as done in the Bishop-Tardell book. This is for body clearance from the now kicked-up rear portion of the frame. The "Z" shape is welded and ground smooth.



Above shows the driver's side rear frame area (same process), with 10 gauge fillets welded in and the area ground clean.

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Frame Boxing

Continuing with the preliminary stuff, I am now boxing the '30 Coupe's frame. The process is rewarding so far, and I haven't had to buy any of the metal! I am using 10 gauge, lining it up on the spot and scribing a mark line. The picture below shows the first piece (placed for marking) under the c-clamps.




Then I take the piece to my flimsy table and mark a Sharpie line 1/8" inside of the scribed lines. This gives me a line that makes up for the oversize pattern that comes from scribing the piece from the outer edges of the existing frame.



Here's the marked piece with makeshift guides clamped along the pattern markings, about another 1/8" outside of the marker line. This allows the drag tip of the plasma cutter to rest against the clamped guides, and lay the cut right on the Sharpie line.



And here's the plasma cut piece test fit on the frame. The space next to the middle crossmember is left open so I can remove the crossmember before completing the boxing. I left the center 'member in to assist keeping the frame true while welding the rear. It will then be removed to allow full boxing.



And above shows the frame sitting flat, with both rear sides boxed and welds cooled, allowing removal of the center crossmember. I just cut and ground the rivet ends, and hammered out them out.
The welds are turning out less than good due to the inner frame being still full of impurities, as well as my skills at the 250 MIG being very rusty! Even after cleaning the welding edges with a flap disc, I am leaning toward using the stick welder and DC 7018 rod on the front boxing sections. I am still easing into the big MIG though, and I was even able to get it to run better towards the end of the day (well, after re-spooling the .035 wire, replacing the tip twice, and...) All in all, the car is an intimidating task. But it also happens to be an old car. An awesome old car!

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Broadcast From Foreign Soil

It's been over a year with no post. Wow! Life has run away with me. I guess I've lost subscribers by the boat load as well.

Well, lots has happened. Firstly, the Lotus is sold. To a Frenchman living near Cambridge, a lovely guy who is perfect for that sort of vehicle - loves to do his own servicing, etc. He has just relocated from the south of France to Cambridgeshire for work.

Secondly (and here's the big one) I finally did it! I used the money to relocate, ironically given who bought the Lotus, to the south of France. So here I am, on the outskirts of Uzes, on the border between Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon, writing my first blog post in flippin' ages!

And what of the Fiat?

It had another marathon haul across Europe. The result of which was a knackered wheel bearing, but never mind. It was an epic performance from the little car and it got me there without issue. I went from Dover, England to Uzes, France in 15 hours. That's not bad in a modern car, never mind in a 1971 Fiat with 15bhp (if you're lucky). My tactic was to slipstream trucks the entire way and it worked well. 0600 start in Dover and rolled up the drive in Uzes at 2300.

And I sang loudly most of the way to alleviate the boredom. Stereo? What stereo?

Of course, we now have the hassle of getting the Fiat on to French plates (just declared it as exported to the UK authorities yesterday) so the little car from Milan will, having spent the first 30 years of its life pottering about Italian city streets, have been driven from Italy to London, all over the UK and now back down to the Mediterranean once more.

One of the things the French want, before you can register *any* car in France, is proof of EU type approval. This is ludicrous for cars that were bought in and have never left the EU - what's the point in a common market then? - but there's no telling the French authorities that. Fortunately, wife being Italian and all, we were able to procure a faxed copy of an original Fiat 500 F type approval document from the 1960s, courtesy of one of the Italian Fiat clubs. We read some people have spent hundreds of Euro buying such a document, so count ourselves rather fortunate.

Now all we need to do now (besides a lot of form filling and queueing) is organise a CT (or Controle Technique - the French equivalent of the MoT, the British safety check). After that we'll be all set to get some French plates on this baby, and add the British ones to the mantelpiece, beside the Italian ones that came off it in England.

After we buy a new battery that is. The old one packed up the other day, stranding my wife in town. Fortunately, we are now seasoned classic car owners with tow ropes, jump leads, tools handy and a large-engined Volvo estate for towing things home!

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Rare!

Rare cars come along every once in a while. Sometimes rare cars are cool, sometimes weird, sometimes ugly. And the term "rare" is also often applied to cars that...um...aren't. When I stumble across any old car that I deem desirable, it usually fits the rare category just because it comes from a different time. Any "old" car is rare, when comparing it to what is on the road today.




But then there is a rare car. I mean rare. Those cars that are your personal favorites, and limited production models that are only in pictures (or imagination) of a history you never even lived in. I'm talking those cars that magically appear as a quick blip on the screen, once in a decade, if ever at all. And I am just thankful my eccentric car views stumbled on to this rare one.



This little worn out creature (read: another junker) is a rare car, rare indeed. And it happens to be one of The Originals according to the opinions that clog my brain. It is a legitimate 1964 Oldsmobile 442. This car was released quickly, late in the production year, as an answer to the competition posed by Pontiac's new GTO. The '64 GTO was selling far better than anyone expected, and Oldsmobile decided to bust out a last-minute option on the F-85/Cutlass line to try and catch up to speed. The 1964 442 became the addition of the B-09 option code, which was the Police Apprehender package. This included the Cutlass 330 c.i.d. engine with a different camshaft bumping horsepower from 290 to 310. The package also gave front and rear sway bars, fully boxed lower control arms, and extra frame reinforcement. And the new little 442 name meant four barrel carburetor, four speed transmission, and dual exhaust. This was also the only year that the moniker "442" meant its original meaning. None of the '64 442s were automatics, and they all had the B-09 option. The rusty red hardtop I just picked up is one of only 1,842 hardtops made in '64; 2,999 total '64 442s being made. Compare that to the production numbers of the '64 GTO, which I also consider rare. There were 32,450 of those built. Big difference.
The '64 is hard to document, and can only be considered a real 442 if it has the correct B-09 options. This little clunker has 'em all, even the extremely rare (and expensive!) dual snorkel air cleaner. It is a long way from its original condition, and will likely be my first body-off-frame restoration of a car. I am planning on replacing entire rear 1/4 panels, welding on new floors, trunk, window channels, and more. This little car is going to be a huge project. But it is also a huge piece of automobile history...to us lovers of old American cars, anyway.

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Bel Air Minor Details

Minor details are finally getting the attention they deserve. I stripped the yellow steelies, sand blasted and then primed them with Variprime. Then I sprayed the wheels with Martin-Senour gloss black catalyzed urethane. This stuff is wonderful paint...and very affordable compared to the other brands. My local Brian's Auto Napa store carries the whole line of Martin-Senour. Brian (the owner) mixed my 1/2 quart of "Pepsi Black" himself . And the paint turned out excellent.



The trim is slowly getting attached to the Bel Air. It is tedious but rewarding. Most of the trim pieces are in good shape, just requiring bufffing with tripoli. Attaching the trim is slow at best, and I'm finding out I will have to make or buy some of the trim clips and fasteners. The photo below shows the taillight mounted...it looks like a car again!

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Paint is On!

The '54 Bel Air post coupe is finally painted, and it looks good considering I did it in my drafty small garage. The picture below shows more primer coating and blocking work just before paint time. After I blocked and sealed any more needed areas, I removed all masking and cleaned the surface, scuffing any new sealed spots with a fine Scotchbrite. Then I re-masked the entire car again, mixed up the paint and sprayed it on.


I mixed the catalyzed urethane as per instructions and sprayed one fog coat followed by two wet coats. The paint is Hot Rod Flatz 30% gloss Dark Gray Primer Tone, an actual color with UV inhibitors meant to be a final coat. This stuff is known to cause tiger stripes when sprayed by professionals, but I was happy to see it turn out actually very even on the Bel Air. There are still imperfections, but it turned out better than I expected! I just hope it resists chalking and fading as it is supposed to. Also, the paint turned out true 30% gloss, which settled my fears of it looking too shiny. Many example cars covered with this brand end up looking too glossy, but this matte finish is just right. The work has paid off!



Just need to straighten and polish the trim, and then I can put this car back together.



More pictures show the matte dark gray urethane. It coated and blended well.



And no, the wheels are not going to remain bright yellow! I am leaning towards full gloss black or maybe a neutral green or tan...
And yes, the plain steel wheels stay on the car.

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Bel Air Due Process

The '54 Bel Air is wading through its facelift on schedule, without too many problems. This is a first...! The rocker panels I formed (in the previous post) are done and safely covered in etching primer. The picture below shows the pass. rocker panel with its next (epoxy primer) covering. I started tearing into this car after the rocker panel rust repair by removing all the trim. And boy there is a lot of trim clips! After all trim, lights, and bumpers were removed I started the arduous task of lining up the body panels. The driver fender was mounted too far forward, and with the help of my brother I managed to line it back closer to the door. The hood required much adjustment, including moving the passenger hinge location forward and up. I had to pry the springs from the hinges in order to line up the locations properly. Last adjustment was the passenger fender. With the help of body shims and loosened bolts, I moved this fender inward and a little upward.


After all the body adjusting and trim removal, I started scuffing the existing paint and primer, focusing on any areas where surface rust had flashed underneath the primer. I ran 80 grit on the 6" random orbital sander to strip the thin pools of rust, and to thin the flame job that was much thicker than the rest of the car's primer coat. Then came general blocking with 80 grit on the 17" power inline sander. I just ran it up and down at 45 degree angles, keeping the movement flat. This showed any new pockets of underlying surface rust.

After all of the initial scuffing and blocking, I treated all the bare steel areas with Valspar etching primer as well as Dupont Variprime etching primer. Then, started the masking process and shot three heavy coats of Valspar LIC epoxy primer, which is very high solids stuff. It was almost impossible to mix the stuff, it is that thick. After this, I sprayed a fog coat of cheapo rattle can black and started blocking away...



The above picture shows a couple of the blocking tools I am excited to begin using. The small manual one is an excellent product that Scotton Tools makes in California. I bought their set of high quality block sanding tools at Pomona from the company owners, and I am amazed at the quality and price. These are excellent tools, and the price is low...too low! I will take these USA made Scotton Tools any day over the more expensive ones available at local autobody supply shops.

The red pneumatic sander is a nice little Viking V101 that I picked up at the UVU swap meet for ten bucks. It was new, and after taking it apart I simply had to carefully file off a burr on the piston. Now this $250 Viking tool works great.




Here above shows the arduous process of blocking all that thick primer, removing the black fog coat until all is gray. That shows it's flat. You can see I have still a ways to go downward.




Back view in above picture shows I'm almost done blocking the trunk. I have been going with 180 grit to break through quick without going too rough.




Top of hood shows where blocking has been going, and front shows the fog coat still un-sanded. Again, I just block until the fog is gone. The front of this hood also received filler on small flat spots where original emblem holes were welded shut.

The Bel Air is actually very straight, and I didn't have to do any more straightening or rust repair. I will definitely need to prime and seal the car again after this first blocking, but then I should be close to paint time. The Bel Air is finally in the works, and it is going much quicker than I ever expected, especially since the injury. It is nice to be progressing in the old car obsession-I actaully feared this would no longer be possible after the TBI. But here it goes!

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