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I need some advise...

Started by kimmc, September 20, 2012, 01:03:50 AM

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kimmc

Well, today I got a good lick in on working on the top wood repair of the '29.  Finally made up my mind how I was going to go about it and started taking things apart.  I removed the top bows (4); laminating them with 1/8" plywood will be easier now.  Then I removed the heavy wood piece that supports the top rear of the cab above the rear window.  Had to use the sawzall to cut some wood screws that were installed before the sheet metal was applied so that was the only recourse.  That let me pull that piece out because the right end of it has rotted off.  This also exposed the sheet metal above the rear window making it easier to treat for rust and repaint.  Now, with the bows and rear beam gone (it supports the back end of the top slats), I have better access to the right rear corner where the dry rot is.  I'll post some pictures; it may take 2 posts.  At least I feel like I made some progress today, even if things are still being taken apart and not yet going back together! 

kimmc

3 more pics to go with my previous post...

kimmc

Well, some progress, but slow.  Milled one of the new wood pieces I need using a small table saw, a bench belt sander and a hand-held belt sander.  I am satisfied with the piece; I just haven't drilled the screw holes to secure it.  I am waiting to get everything together and then will dry fit the parts before making any necessary final modifications to the new replacement parts.  The 1/8" plywood strips are drawn on the sheet stock and ready to cut out but blade broke on the bench-top band saw so I have to make a trip to the store to find a new one.  I have 2 more parts to mill; maybe these will go a little faster now that I've got some experience with the finished one.  Not easy...nothing is square as the pictures show...lots of angles and compound curves.  But it's only wood for the concealed top structure so it doesn't have to be perfect, just solid enough to hold the fabric top in place and to provide base for attachment of the interior fabric.  I am attaching a picture of the completed piece (along with the matching piece from the left side and the rotted piece I'm replacing) and the next one to mill (along side the glued-up blank stock).  Life is good!  mc

kimmc

Got the new band saw blade and cut out the large thick corner piece.  Tomorrow I will do some hand-held belt sander work on it to shape it then cut the mortise.  I am leaving the mortise end a little long for now until I fit the various pieces together.  I began to cut out the strips of 1/8" plywood that I will use to reinforce each side of each of 4 bows.  The cutting was going easily compared to the thick corner piece but even though I was being very careful not to stress the blade, it broke again.  That's 2 today...they are just such small blades....I'm not really surprised.  I've got one more and I hope I can finish the plywood strips....6 to go, each 4 ft long.  But, overall it was a good day...not a lot done but progress!

1930

If it helps than if the Plymouth construction was anything like Graham Brothers truck construction than all of the parts were hand fabricated using various jigs when necessary. My point is that no two pieces were absolutely identical and nothing was perfect.

I get where you are going with this because I have been there. I have had to learn and am still learning that nothing is perfect and good enough just has to be good enough if you want the car done in our lifetimes. From what I see everything you are doing is good enough and above.
Jason Anderson

kimmc

Thanks Jason.  I appreciate hearing from one that has been down this same laborious road.  I expect making the parts will be easier than putting everything together and making it all fit!  Gotta go....wife just told me we've got no water pressure so have to go see what's going on at the well....don't ya luv it!!

kimmc

Here's the latest wood fix.  The back top bow was broken at one end right at the dado that fits in the side beam.  Initially, I glued it in place but didn't like the result so I removed the bow to make a better repair.  I was afraid that if I didn't fix it right or make a new bow, it might fail during or after a new top installation.  So, the glue joint seemed pretty tight (break visible in picture "bow end 5"), but I put 2 small dowels through the break into good wood on either side.  These, coupled with the 1/8" plywood re-enforcmnent I will soon attach to both sides of each bow, should make the bows much stronger as well as re-enforcing the weak spots.  It might have been easier to just cut out new bows but each is a different length and each has a "bow" (about 1/2"+ above level) at the center (in simple terms, they are curved).  Hope this isn't too much detail or that I'm boring all you that have done your restorations.   

kimmc

I'm on a roll.  Got a couple of the bows laminated today.  Glued plywood strips to each side of a bow and then stitched them in place with 5/8" long narrow crown staples at 3" intervals the length of the bow.  That really stiffened them up and made the bow feel a lot more substantial.  After sanding one down I just had to fit it in the top; looks good.  Two more bows to laminate; made a simple jig to hold each one in place while I glue and staple the plywood strips.  You will notice several holes in the middle of one bow; the adjacent bow has the same holes.  I think those were probably to mount a block between the bows in order to mount a dome light in models other than a business coupe like mine.  But I am going to place a block between the bows because I may want to install a dome light someday even though this car didn't come with one originally.  Probably would have gotten more done but I ran out of glue.  So I spent the time figuring out how I'm going to make the next repair piece.  I want to get this wood repair done and get on to something new and different.

SDGlenn

Kim, Things are looking good. Congrates. We had a nice trip home from Tucson also, we hit a dirt storm also, not as bad as the one you got in, but it was hard to see for a while.  We followed "Old Route 66" for quite a ways Then we hit a snow storm again,  from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins where they closed the highway. lol  We still made it home. lol And it is good to be home.  We met a lot of real nice people at Tucson and I will sure remember that trip for a long time. Hope we meet up again one of these days.  I had the 29 out for a cruise Monday, and had a new Exhaust System installed, coming home the cab filled with smoke and smoke coming out from under the hood, the wire from the Generator burned up. The cutout shorted out.  They don't make a cutout anymore that even looks like an original, and those are in the $100 dollar range, so I am still working that one out, I may have to see if I can fix the short in this one. lol
Take care.
SDGlenn
SDGlenn

kimmc

Well, work on making the replacement wood pieces has been sporadic but I've finished that part.  Now I have to take out some shallow dents in the sheet metal in the upper right rear corner before I install the wood parts.  Once the wood is in, I won't be able to get at the metal behind the new pieces.  I am showing the separate new pieces below; I've had to make modifications from the original in order to fit the replacement parts to the good wood that remained after I cut out the dry rot.  I've also included the only two original pieces that came out in bits but I was able to glue them back together for at least partial patterns.  The parts pictured include 3 pieces that will fit in the curved corner; a long piece that extends from the L side to the R side across the back of the cab (the top gets tacked to this piece); 1 of the 4 top bows that I re-inforced with plywood strips along each side; and a couple of the new top slats (and an old one).  The top slats were cut from 1/4" T x 5 1/2" W x 48" L pre-cut poplar that I found at Home Depot; I was able to cut 3 of the 1 3/4" wide slats from each stock piece.  I made 15 slats for about $2 each.  I will install the corner wood pieces after I complete the little body work.  But I plan not to install the top bows and slats until later; I think it may be better to have that top hole left open while I tackle some of the other work.