Reconstruction of a '34 Chevy Master Coupe

[Landman]

For the next little while the postings may not necessarily be in order of the work as I am not sure anymore. I kept adding goodies to the frame. Mounted the springs and rear end.

The steeering gear and column were the only mechanical parts left on my car. I opened that up, put in a new mast bushing (for the horn contacts), adjusted the worm & sector so it doesn't have any slack and installed it.

AO Smith steel made the frames for GM, or at least Chevrolet in those years. All the frames had a stencil showing the date of manufacture. The one from the parts car is shown. Since mine had disppeared a long time ago I copied the one from the parts car but subtituted my birthday.

[keiser31]

SWEEEEEET!!!

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Neat job on the stencil. The one on my '50 Buick is upside down.

Your project gives a whole new meaning to the word 'rebuilt'. Can hardly wait for the finished product.

Ben

[Landman]

Thanks guys.

Installed the rear brake cables and adjusted to where they stop the wheel. Don't know whether they'll stop the car yet.

Mounted gas tank.Shaped and installed fuel line. Used modern rubber-lined clips. I was since advised by the good folks at VCCA that a copper fuel line is a no-no, it work hardens with the vibration and then breaks off. So I'll either make another one out of stainless steel of figure a rubber junction between the front of the line and the engine. Open to suggestions. Stock was steel all the way through. The parts car had a copper fuel line, which misled me.

[Guest knuckle head]

As well as the issue of work hardening there is also the compatibility of gasoline with copper. The steel tubing is not that hard to bend.

Great progress thanks for sharing!!

Henry

[Guest Dean_H.]

Nice nice nice! You go above and beyond the call of duty, it'll certainly be a reliable ride. The copper line will do fine. I don't buy the work hardening story. Your installation looks great.

[Scotts_DG8]

I agree on the copper gas line, I don't see a problem with it. My '31 Dodge has its original gas line and it is a copper run line from the tank all the way to the pump. Now I can't speak to what type of coper it is but I can tell you that it is I believe a softer copper as I know that it is caved in in a couple spots from a previous owner. I was checking it out some when I was placing an engine in the car. When it gets replaced it will again be with a copper line. Scott...

[Landman]

Thanks guys. The more ideas, the better the results.

I installed new king pin bushings in the front axle and mounted it to the frame along with the radiator cradle. Somehow I felt it wasn't right so I asked the good people at VCCA again. They said there's supposed to be a sandwich between the rad cradle and the front crossmember. I rummaged in the stash and found three little plates with what looked like thick cardboard tied together with a tie wrap and a label "radiator mount". So I made some new rubbers, not having that carboard looking stuff and installed it like that. Looks better in my opinion. The piece with the tabs goes between the nuts and the bottom of the crossmember and locks the nuts.

[Landman]

Next I needed to install the independent suspension units. I attach a diagram for those who are not familiar with GM's famous Knee Action. They have a built-in weakness. The main shaft that supports the wheel arm rides on needle bearings. The idea was that they would rotate with the shaft movements. The arm only moves maybe 30 degrees, so the needle bearings were supposed to roll along with it and eventally around the shaft thus wearing evenly. They didn't. They went flat and allowed the shaft to move a bit thus damaging the seal creating leaks. If the owner didn't keep them topped up they lost the shock action and got accelerated wear. One of the photos shows where one shaft has worn into the housing. The modern cure is to replace the bearings with bushings.

I took several apart to select the best bits to rebuild two. I had to make a tool to unscrew the big cap on top. I found one of the housings already had bushings. So I took that along with another one to the machine shop. They pressed the shaft out of the arm , rebuilt it with weld and turned it down to fit the bushings. In the other one they installed bushings as well.

When the units came back, I installed the housings with new king pins and reassembled the units. You need to compress the springs in the shock absorber units to get them on. After I got all that together I noticed the arm on the passenger side was riding higher than the one on the driver's side. That's either a result of my mixing and matching of parts or the machinist didn't put the shaft back in the arm correctly. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I plan to dismantle them again and compare the arms side by side to see if the set screw holes line up. If they don't I have to get one reset,

[Landman]

I had sent the grille shell to the panelbeater along with the fenders because there was a rather big tear at the bottom and I was afraid to tackle it. The first three photos show his work. He elected to make a completely new "chin" as he called it.

During the first reassembly I noticed that the grille itself didn't fit very well at the bottom. The peak was offset a bit and the corners were wrong. It was then I remembered that it had been "scrunched-up" on the parts car which might have caused the tear. So it wasn't his fault. To his credit, he rebuilt it exactly as it was. Another mistake of mine. I should have given him the grille surround as a guide :eek:

[Landman]

So this time I set out to do it twice....again. I cut the bottom, straightened the corners to fit the grille surround. Spliced in the bottom of another shell I had to get the bolt holes and filled my cut with a sliver of metal. I am particularly proud of how that one fit. I wish my early patches had been that neat.

I did a bit of body work on the apron as well, stripped primed and painted it.

Turned out OK.

[TexRiv_63]

I agree on the copper gas line, I don't see a problem with it. My '31 Dodge has its original gas line and it is a copper run line from the tank all the way to the pump. Now I can't speak to what type of coper it is but I can tell you that it is I believe a softer copper as I know that it is caved in in a couple spots from a previous owner. I was checking it out some when I was placing an engine in the car. When it gets replaced it will again be with a copper line. Scott...

You can also use Cunifer, a copper / nickel alloy. It has all the formability advantages of copper without the work hardening issue.

[Scotts_DG8]

Pat,

Great job on the shell. It’s funny the first time you turn it over to the “Pro” because you were afraid to tackle it and then after getting it back and seeing the mistake you realize the “Pro” in the mirror actually has the skill to fix it. Great job, really. I think seeing for yourself what you can accomplishing when you put your mind to it along with a bit of thought and patience has to be gratifying, as it’s turning out you really do have some great skills.

<O:p</O:pOh, and I know that you said that you would be covering a number of activities going forward that might be out of sequence in what you had actually performed them but I’ve seen the wheels both finished and unfinished in a couple of your recent posts. In this case they are again finished in the background of your current set of pictures and I want to say now that they do look great too. I’ll be patient until you get to your posting of that project/task as I’m sure it too will be coming up sooner or later.

<O:p</O:pAnd again I, and others here, are very happy that you decided to post your project here. Scott…

[Scotts_DG8]

You can also use Cunifer, a copper / nickel alloy. It has all the formability advantages of copper without the work hardening issue.

Don,

Thanks for the thought on the use of the Cunifer. I'd read/followed this discussion here in another post and have already made a note to follow up on researching local suppliers. Scott...

[Landman]

I suppose I could do the wheels now Scott. One day I was driving by a truck repair shop just down the road and ther had a setup to sandblast truck wheels in series. They had truck wheels lined up on a steel beam set on sawhorses and he was going up and down with about a 600cfm sandblaster. I went in to see the owner who is an old schoolmate of mine and asked him what it would cost to add 6 wire wheels to his lineup. The price was right so I brought them over. I shot them with self-etching primer then hi-build lacquer based primer. Then sanded, and sanded, and sanded. Another coat of high build, more sanding. I used acrylic enamel with lots of hardener to paint them. Since that stuff has isocyanates and one should use a full air supply mask (which I don't have) I just put on the old organic vapor cartidges and went outside. I may have lost some brain power. Actually I shouldn't post this because the long arm of the law might come in and grab me tomorrow. I gave them two coats. Friend Jack Pope installed the tires. He has a pristine 48ish Ford or Mercury pickup in his garage waiting to be restored. I think it was his dad's too.

[Landman]

I screwed up. The fifth picture should have been this one.

[Scotts_DG8]

Pat,

The wheels did turn out great. It is insightful as to how you redid them as my ’31 also has wire wheels which will need restoration when I tackle that project. I like the color too. Did you decide what colors and color scheme you are going with on the car? I would think that you have if you’ve already completed the wheels. And although they may have been black wall tires from the factory I do like the white walls, they make it look a bit more sophisticated/upscale.:cool: Scott…

[Landman]

Scott,

Back in the day I owned a Packard. So I bought the Packard "Bible". In that book is an absolutely gorgeous '35 ivory coupe with orange wheels. I thought if I ever owned a coupe it would be that color. Then I saw a cream '34 Chev with black fenders. I thought that maybe all cream would look nice too with orange wheels and orange pinstripe. Then I thought the current Chrysler color "cool vanilla" seen on PT Cruisers and 300's would be better than that cream. Then I came across the picture of the cabriolet. The actual color isn't as "pink" as in that photo. I found the owner and he gave me his paint codes. I'm leaning that way. Now isn't that cabriolet gorgeous? The 3-window is nice too and has an actual '34 Chevrolet color. I think it's called "Ormond Brown" but I'm not sure.

When it was new it was gray with red wheels. The black paint you see in my first posting was brush-applied by my dad and his brother. they also rechromed the grill and bumpers with aluminum paint.

What do you think I should do? I lean very hard towards the cabriolet.

[Guest raywilks]

landman, my vote is:

first, the cabriolet

second, the dark brown coupe

very good work!! i think you should consider doing a station wagon next. with your skills and patience you could put together a nice wagon and it would be worth a bunch.

i also like the work your panel beater does, it looks like he is a sharp metal worker.

i still visit this site at least twice daily. thanks for posting!!!

[Scotts_DG8]

landman, my vote is:

first, the cabriolet

second, the dark brown coupe

Pat,

I'm thinking that the way that you'r leaning is a good way to lean. The color is not your everyday standard red, black, maroon, blue, green colors you normally see. And the reason to include Ray's thoughts was because I tend to agree with his thinking, 1st choice yours and his as being the cabriolet, 2nd choice Ray suggested would be my second choice too. My 3rd choice would then be the cream and black fendered combination. All in all though my personal thoughts are that your first choice is probably the best and also appears to go with the wheels real well too. Scott...

[Landman]

The tailpan you see at the bottom of posting #86 isn't the one I cobbled in an earlier posting. It is an almost pristine one I obtained from a very special hobbyist. Those things are next to impossible to find in good condition. They are always mangled. They stick out below the bumper and get pushed up by chains pulling the car out of a hole or the get rolled under from backing over a stump. Anyway, all there was with this one is a torn tit and a stretched area where the bodyman got a bit excited with the hammer.

I will try to improve and refinish the cobbled one and attempt to sell it.

Below is fixing the good one.

[Landman]

Another thing I did last summer was the steering wheel. I used body filler. I shouldn't have. Any push or pull on the wheel will reveal the cracks. Next time, epoxy.

[Landman]

So now I had a fairly complete chassis minus engine and transmission. It had the front and rear sheet metal. I suppose the next step is to put something in between. Photo 005 show the bachelor lean on the wrong side caused by the glitch in the front suspension.

I installed a bucket seat, called on the neighbor to take a smug old fart photograph.

[Landman]

landman, my vote is:

first, the cabriolet

second, the dark brown coupe

very good work!! i think you should consider doing a station wagon next. with your skills and patience you could put together a nice wagon and it would be worth a bunch.

i also like the work your panel beater does, it looks like he is a sharp metal worker.

i still visit this site at least twice daily. thanks for posting!!!

Ray,

The panel beater is AWESOME!!! here's his website www.garygeady.com .

He'll likely be pissed off at me because he pulled all his advertising since he can't keep up. The roadster on the right hand side was made from flat sheet steel, even the trunk lid. I attach a few photos I took in his shop when I was there. The form on the wall was for his quarter panel. All the blue tools on the wall he made himself.

[Guest raywilks]

that looks like first class work from a first class shop!i am impressed with both you guys. thanks!!!

[Landman]

The sedan had a remnant of a seat in it and since coupes have a bench seat in front I decided to use that. The top part looked solid enough to reuse with a bit of glue and some retightening of the screws. There was barely enough left of the bottom to get patterns.

So I cut it just above the dogleg and made a new bottom.

[Landman]

The sheet metal of the back was rusted out at the bottom so I replaced about 4" of that and made new ends to the two straps that tie into the floor of the frame.

I made a new frame for the seat cushion. I used parts from my car's seat adjustment track as well at the one from the sedan to rebuild a useable one.

I could figure out where to mount it because there were still holes in the old wood that showed the location. I didn't have a location for the two channels at the back of the frame though. So I just left them off for now.

[Landman]

Did it again. Here are the photos.

[Landman]

The transmissions from the sedan and the rodded coach were both opened up. The one from the coach had obviously been rebuilt and even the bearings were good. The only thing wrong was the boss for the speedometer gear was broken. Luckily that is in a separate casting so I used the one from the other transmission.

I know, I know, it is supposed to be all black but I like a bit of bling.

[Landman]

I have two engines also. The one in the foreground is from the rodded coach, the one in the back is from the sedan parts car. According to the seller the coach engine ran when it was removed. The owner of the sedan said his car had not run in the 25 years or so that he had owned it. He was sure it had been parked even longer because he said they had to dismantle a woodpile to get at the car 25 years before. Both engines turned freely.

Naturally, I assumed the coach engine to be better. It was certainly cleaner. So I took some compression tests and some leak tests. Looked like leaking exhaust valves but the compression came right up. So I set it up with gas tank, gauges for a test run. As I inquired around about cooling issues I was told it could run up to 15 minutes without any problems. Another one told me to keep a running garden hose in it. One of the good people at VCCA said it wasn't a good idea to start it at all. To take the time to open it and look first.

So I started with the thermostat housing to see where I could stick the garden hose and found the chamber full of black goop which looked like caviar.Uh-oh!

[Landman]

I bit the bullet and took it apart. Removing the side cover revealed wetness below the head, a sure sign of a leaking head gasket. Removing the pan confirmed it. The "white" sludge supposedly indicates coolant in the oil. I found out that rods 3 & 4 had been replaced while the other four retained the original bearings. Journals 3 & 4 were also much better that the others which were marked. Even the nains were not real shiny. Someone told me that was a storage issue and not necessarily galling. Time to look at the other engine. :confused:

[Guest Backyardmechanic]

good reading.We have a 27 dB engine in shop that was supposeing to be rebuilt 50 years ago place in a large plastic bag without a pan or head Then place in the backseat of the car.The new owner contact me to inspect the engine and assemble it.The fist thing we did was to strip the block of the parts what we found out was the old "rebuilt job" was the main bearing shells were reverse(the cap bearung place in the block;the block bearings were place in the caps) the babbitt on the bearings that were in the block is worn down to the brass shells.So one can not relay on what the saler says.Beward!

Vern

[Guest Dave Boyer]

Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to post it all, I love this site.

[41specialman]

I can say good job . It looks better than my 34 master coupe . I would walk past it going to school when I was in 6-7 grade never thinking 25 years later I would own the thing

[Landman]

Thanks guys.

Opened up the other engine which had supposedly not run for something like 35-40 years. First surprise, it contained at least three gallons of oil which meant that eveything had been bathing in oil all that time. Interestinly enough, it also had a block heater which promptly fell apart when I tried to remove it. Turns out that engine had a nice smooth crankshaft as well as 4-ring pistons which I had never seen before. Invited a friend who owns some measuring instruments and went through both engines.

Coach engine: Bored .035 over. Rod journals .003 to .008 undersize. Mains slightly better.

Sedan engine: Bored .020 over. Rod journals .0025 to .005 undersize. Mains about the same.

Verdict: they both needed a rebuild. So I went out and shook the money tree....nothing. So that part of the restoration would have to wait.

[Landman]

I found that the heat riser valve was stuck in both exhaust manifolds. I damaged both trying to free them. So I made a new shaft. Cleaned up the manifold and hooked up the spring and counter balance weight. Heated the spring housing with a torch and it worked. Refinished the whole assembly and put together. The tag is to remind me to install a new hot spot gasket.

[Landman]

I can say good job . It looks better than my 34 master coupe . I would walk past it going to school when I was in 6-7 grade never thinking 25 years later I would own the thing

41 Specialman, does your coupe still have its trunklid supports?

Pat

[sambarn]

Landman, what nice work!. When I was nine I moved back to the states from the army base I'd been at with my family. There was a 34 chevy Master Sedan in a carport that we had to pass by every time we left the house. A year later, Army Severance check in hand, my father knocked on his door. Long story short, We have loved "Betsy" for 33 years, always the go to car in what began with her, turned into a lifetime hobby that has kept our family close. After many years of touring and showing and parades and prom nights, Betsy needed a cosmetic cleanup. Paint and upholstery. As she was loved much, much love went into her and she is still the go to car, my widowed mother and another AACA widow took her to the VCCA Tour in Alabama last year and are going to Tennessee in her in this Spring. We chose a paint scheme very similar but not exact to what you have. the colors have official names and the color charts are in the AACA library but they are a cafe au lait creamy brown (Navajo or Pueblo Brown I think), Black fenders and Swamp Lily orange wheels and pinstripe. A gorgeous color combination that just looks so good on the 34. I've really enjoyed watching this thread and can't wait to see it done and on the road. Good look with the engine.

[Landman]

Landman, what nice work!. When I was nine I moved back to the states from the army base I'd been at with my family. There was a 34 chevy Master Sedan in a carport that we had to pass by every time we left the house. A year later, Army Severance check in hand, my father knocked on his door. Long story short, We have loved "Betsy" for 33 years, always the go to car in what began with her, turned into a lifetime hobby that has kept our family close. After many years of touring and showing and parades and prom nights, Betsy needed a cosmetic cleanup. Paint and upholstery. As she was loved much, much love went into her and she is still the go to car, my widowed mother and another AACA widow took her to the VCCA Tour in Alabama last year and are going to Tennessee in her in this Spring. We chose a paint scheme very similar but not exact to what you have. the colors have official names and the color charts are in the AACA library but they are a cafe au lait creamy brown (Navajo or Pueblo Brown I think), Black fenders and Swamp Lily orange wheels and pinstripe. A gorgeous color combination that just looks so good on the 34. I've really enjoyed watching this thread and can't wait to see it done and on the road. Good look with the engine.

Sambarn, thanks for the kind words. I see you have a Hudson 33. I attach a couple of shots of a 1912 which belongs to an acquauntance of mine. It was resurrected from a burned out hulk.

[Landman]

Of the two clutches one had adjustable fingers and the other one didn't. The one with the adjustable fingers looked to be better and it cleaned up nicely. A quick refacing and she'll be good to go.