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1932 Chrysler CP Eight Sedan In Zimbabwe.


Guest Fergus

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Guest Fergus

Good afternoon and happy new year!

Some of you may have seen my first post from 2009 where I was asking for advice on purchasing a 1932 Chrysler CP Eight sedan near Harare in Zimbabwe. Well, I went ahead and finally collected it (using a breakdown truck) in early November 2012. It's now at my house and keeping another equally rusty old beast (1959 Jaguar Mk IX) company!

The wheels were all removed prior to collection and the tubes repaired at a typical African roadside tyre repair shop in the open under a tree near the garage where the car has been housed for many years! This was to aid manoeuvring the car out of the garage and onto the truck. Unfortunately, the rear tyres went flat soon after I brought it home and the tubes have perished so badly that they could not be pumped up again in order for me to push it out for some decent photos. Anyway, here are a few:

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The second last photo shows the interior without the front seat back but I do have it. However, the arm rests with ashtrays are both missing from the rear as are the foot rest and the rail from the back of the front seat.

The last photo shows the roof facing forwards. I am not convinced that the current wooden frame is the original as it looks too crude. Does anyone have photos of what the framing should look like or better still drawings with measurements?

Now that the purchase and collection are complete the long, hard and expensive slog of restoration can begin!

Best wishes for 2013.

Regards

Fergus

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Guest Fergus

Hi Keiser,

Thank you for letting me know about the photos not working. Here goes again:

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The second last photo shows the interior without the front seat back but I do have it. However, the arm rests with ashtrays are both missing from the rear as are the foot rest and the rail from the back of the front seat.

The last photo shows the roof facing forwards. I am not convinced that the current wooden frame is the original as it looks too crude. Does anyone have photos of what the framing should look like or better still drawings with measurements?

Regards

Fergus

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Alsancle,

It is dry most of the time and that certainly helps matters, however, just at the moment we are experiencing really damp conditions it being our rainy season!

Would you be able to comment on my photo of the wood frame for the vinyl covered roof section? I don't think that frame is original but stand to be corrected. Can you or anyone else point me in the right direction to find information on how it should be constructed, the materials, dimensions, photos etc?

Thank you.

Regards

Fergus

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Thank you keiser31.I just thought it looked quite crude and what I assume is the mounting for the interior light at the rear is made from block board I think. Would that be correct? How is the rest of this roof panel constructed above the frame? Is some sort of wire mesh used over the frame followed by other materials before the vinyl?RegardsFergus

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Good morning John.

Thank you for your reply with advice and photos. All much appreciated and educational! So much more to learn about though.

I noticed the other day that there are tiny holes in the metal part of the roof all the way around the outside vinyl panel opening. I currently assume that someone has tried to fit new vinyl in the past by nailing it through the metal rather than fitting it into the indented space around the edge of the opening. How should the vinyl be fixed around the edge of the roof opening? Is it folded underneath something and then secured?

I have so many more questions and I haven't even got beyond cleaning decades of rubbish and dust out of the car! Would you mind if I private messaged you or emailed you with these as they come rather than posting them all on the forum?

Regards

Fergus

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Good morning John.

Thank you for your reply with advice and photos. All much appreciated and educational! So much more to learn about though.

I noticed the other day that there are tiny holes in the metal part of the roof all the way around the outside vinyl panel opening. I currently assume that someone has tried to fit new vinyl in the past by nailing it through the metal rather than fitting it into the indented space around the edge of the opening. How should the vinyl be fixed around the edge of the roof opening? Is it folded underneath something and then secured?

I have so many more questions and I haven't even got beyond cleaning decades of rubbish and dust out of the car! Would you mind if I private messaged you or emailed you with these as they come rather than posting them all on the forum?

Regards

Fergus

PM me or email me. I will try to help out as much as I can. John

keiser31@charter.net

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Here is some information that has a similar top construction....The main difference being the tack strip or "hidem strip" on the Chrysler would be flexible vinyl, I believe. Click on the images a few times to enlarge. John

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Hi John,

Thank you for both your replies and the Fisher manual scans: very informative. I will PM or email you from now on.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend?

Regards

Fergus

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Guest martylum

Fergus-on the roof structure-if the body is a Budd body you might be missing the removeable wood framework for the vinyl covered top. This framework would drop into the opening after replacing the vinyl covering. The framework pictured will support attaching only the inside headliner. Your missing framework would have arched slats. I took some pictures of the 32 Dodge 8 body which is made by Budd but can't find in my archives as it is pre computer days photos.

Martin Lum

332 Dodge DK 8 and 33 Chrysler CQ 8

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Hi Martin,Thank you for your reply and advice. I can confirm that the body on my car is a Budd one and that the other wooden slats you describe are missing. If your photos ever show up please keep me in mind!Would anyone else viewing this have photos or drawings of this structure?RegardsFergus

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The last photo you originally posted of the slats looks to me like you have all, but the chicken wire, cotton and vinyl. Can you show a close up photo of those pieces? The wood may have to be re-arched, but it looks fairly complete. John

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Guest 1932 CI Chrysler

Hi! fergus; I just finished restoring a 32 ci 3 window coupe. the roof construction appears to be the same,the little holes in the gutter

are for nailing the roof fabric down,there must be a wooden strip underneath and up against the little holes or you will have nothing to

tack to.When you put the chicken wire on tack it on the wooden surround just up to the edge of the steel roof,not in the groove. You will

trim the wire after you have finished tacking it or you will have no way to stretch the wire and it wants to be as tight as possible.Next

I put cotton batting on top of the wire just up against the steel just like the wire. On my car I ran a bead of urathane windshield sealer

in the gully before tacking the roof on,just do one side at a time or you will have it smeared all over the place. I placed my tacks about

an inch apart which leaves spaces and holes to tack on the hiddem welt that you will need to finish the job. When you are done tacking the vinyl you have to trim it close to the tack heads so they will not stick out from under the hiddem welt. BTW I used a very sharp awl

to poke through the vinyl and locate the hole that I wanted to put the tack in, that way the tack can be set in the hole and hammered

in part way and finished with a blunt punch,good luck. Fritz Feel free to E-mail me if you need to.

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Hi Fritz,

Thank you very much for your post and information, which will be very useful when the time comes round. I may well take you up on your email contact offer. Would you be able to PM me with your address?

Regards

Fergus

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi John,

Sorry to take so long to reply and I hope the photos of my roof slats attached here are close enough as I forgot that part of your request when taking the photos? If not let me know and I'll take some more.

I am certain that all the slats will have to be re-arched as they're almost all flat or even slightly arched downwards now. Parts of the surrounding frame is a bit warped too and there are some slats and frame parts, which would require replacing due to splitting around the nails. Referring to Fritz's reply below the small holes around the roof opening on my car are all outside the 'gutter'. Perhaps someone tried to fit a new roof incorrectly in the past and just nailed it on in the incorrect place. In some of the attached photos you'll see a few of these holes especially on the photos showing the corners of the roof opening. Would you know if the whole frame and slats should be removed for recovering and then fitted back to the car or is this the only way possible anyway?

There are two block board pieces fitted near the front of the roof and they bear a little resemblance to the dome light structure over the rear. Would you know what these are for? They are shown individually in my attached photos.

I look forward to your reply.

Thank you.

Regards

Ferguspost-64064-143141740757_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good evening,

I came across these photos and several more of what looks to be a very original CP Eight on the Just a Car Guy Blog. Does anyone know this car? Perhaps the owner is a user of these forums? If so I would love to make contact for the many questions I will have during the restoration of my car.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Fergus

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Good evening once again!

It's amazing what pops up here in Zimbabwe from time to time. Have a look at these photos of what's described as a 1931 Chrysler De Soto! They're from the Zimbabwe Classifieds website on the following link:

Chrysler Desoto 1931 : Classics

It looks like it could be a poor restoration job with missing and incorrect bits especially with what looks like Peugeot 504 hub cabs in place of the originals. Can anyone supply the correct year and designation?

Regards

Fergus

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Hi John,

Thank you for those photos. Looks like it could be a lovely car for someone but not me: I have my hands more than full!

Did you see my posting of the roof slats about a week ago as requested?

Regards

Fergus

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Hi John,

Thank you for those photos. Looks like it could be a lovely car for someone but not me: I have my hands more than full!

Did you see my posting of the roof slats about a week ago as requested?

Regards

Fergus

Yes, I did see the slats. They DO look a little bit more crude than the items in the roof structure of my '31, but really hard to tell if original.

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