Reconstruction of a '34 Chevy Master Coupe

[Landman]

Installed the Signal-Stat unit using the instructions found on eBay. Mounted the driver's side taillight. Rearranged my connections and this allowed me to rout the conduit on the inside. I think it looks better. I'll change the other one to match. Trial fitted the door glass. That'll require some fiddling yet. Received the tailight bezels. It is resting on the custom brokerage sheet that wouldn't be there if the shipper had mailed them.

[Landman]

Installed the door glass and the rest of the stuff in the driver's door. When I picked up the passenger door to do the same, I found the vent window had a crack right across it.:mad:

That wasn't there when I had put the door aside. Took the vent window off, removed the glass and took it to the glassman to get another one made. Another step backeards. Grrrrrrr!

Installed the door glass and the rest of the parts in the passenger door.

[Luv2Wrench]

gotta love that woodgrain job you did

It really is amazing. Great work Pat!

[Roger Zimmermann]

It could be that that piece of glass did not like the efforts due to the wrong dimensions you experienced some time ago.

[Landman]

I think you are right Roger, it was a tight fit in the frame.

[Landman]

Picked up the rest of the parts and the new vent window glass. Reassembled the vent window in the passenger door, hopefully for the last time.

My heavy handed surgery to the rear bottom of the body resulted in an ill-fiiting tailpan. Had to glue some 3\4 " grommets to the crossmember to support it as it no longer rests on the crossmember.Cars without the rear spare holder used chrome bolts in that spot. I used the type used to mount the mudgards on transport trucks. I used oil pan drain plug washers to protect the paint.Installed the welting and gas filler neck grommet to the tailpan. Mounted the tailpan.

Hung both doors & re-reassembled the grille.

[Roger Zimmermann]

It's now looking like a real car! I suppose your were not alone to install the doors...

[Landman]

It's now looking like a real car! I suppose your were not alone to install the doors...

Oh yes! My son-in law was here all afternoon giving a hand. Then he took us out for Pizza.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Oh yes! My son-in law was here all afternoon giving a hand. Then he took us out for Pizza.

A good son in law. Car is looking good!!

Ben

[Landman]

Thanks Ben. Hopefully I can get it to run as well as it looks. I've had an invitation to go on tour in June. Now there's some incentive!! Or is it stress?

[keiser31]

I had started this in the Sticky thread-The new "current restoration projects", postings 62,63,66,68,69. Looks like I was in the wrong place for a long description.

After the heap was taken apart I set out to find the missing pieces. I found a crushed town sedan in a farmer's windrow locally. A coach on an abandoned farm about an hour away. Five fenders in an old scrapyard. None of it very promising. My wife wasn't impressed.

After re-reading parts of this thread I gotta ask....is your wife impressed, yet?? I can assure you that WE are!

[Landman]

Thanks Mr. Keiser. I think she is more tired of hearing about it and is more than ready for me to go to other activities.

[Landman]

Not much today. Printed the instructions to get YOM licence plates approved and got ready to send them in. Cleaned up around the shop and tweaked a few things here and there.

Attached the inner fenders to the front fenders. Installed the shifter but something isn't right. It flops from side to side at the 1-3 position and doesn't seem to want to go up to either reverse or second.

[F&J]

Installed the shifter but something isn't right. It flops from side to side at the 1-3 position and doesn't seem to want to go up to either reverse or second.<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Did you have the entire top cover off, or just the stick?

I have not done a Chevy of that year, but have done some 30s GM.

On the ones I have worked on, flopping side to side might be a broken of missing spring in the shifter center. But with 2 problems, it almost sounds like the shifter is not installed into the "slot" between the gates.

[Landman]

I only had the stick out. It shifted before when we took that first ride up and down the drive. I think you are right, I put it in wrong.

[Landman]

Spent quite a bit of time tweaking the fit of the tailpan. It stuck out a bit at the top and didn't sit quite right against the driver's side fender. Ended up taking it out, shaving the two top rubber spacers by 3/8", reinstalling the tailpan and retucking the welting. Now I am happy with it. Underlined it with a bumper.

With the help of my wife, lifted the passenger side front fender into place and began the tedious lining up of holes and insertion of bolts.

[keiser31]

Looking sweeter all the time!!

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi Pat,

Looks great. I know what you mean lining up the holes for the bolts. I'm still having issues with mine but continue to chip away at it.

Keep the photos coming.

I really enjoy watching your progress.

Ian

[Landman]

Installed the other front fender. Installed the passenger side running board, mat & molding. Easier said than done. Hours of lining up, tugging, pulling, pushing, slowly bringing stuff together all the while making sure not to scratch anything, or worse, pop the filler.

[mike brady]

Pat,

It seems that you will be ready for the first cruise night of the season !

[Landman]

Could be Mike. After this comes the interior, wiring the headlights and the horns then sorting it out mechanically. That could take some time.

[Landman]

Was away for a couple of days doing some paying work. This morning began making the welting for the other running board. My son in law came in after lunch and we put the grilleshell/rad assembly in place with only one scratch. Spent the rest of the afternoon trying to line up holes & getting bolts in. Managed to get a few in. Probably at least another full day. NOT a fun job.

[Landman]

Son in law came again today. Together we finished fastening the front fenders to the grille shell, the grille shell to the car etc.

[Landman]

A little more today. But first I had to get rid of about 6" of snow. Installed the other running board, mat & molding. Installed the headlight stanchions. Installed the front hood retainer. Assembled the hood and masked the edges where it'll sit for the installation.

[Roger Zimmermann]

One bit at the time; you will soon have nothing more to asemble! Fortunately, the snow will be gone when you are ready for the first test drive!

[F&J]

If possible, can you take a pic of how the hood handle connects to the long horizontal latching rod?

My Nash is missing a plate and a short connecting link? My long ago 32 Plymouth had these same parts, but I just can't recall how they moved that long rod.

I don't need any measurements, just a pic would jog my memory. Thanks in advance.

[Landman]

Let me know if this helps.

[F&J]

Thank you! That is it. Same exact setup as my 32 ply was, and I am positive it will fit the 32 Nash. I did recall the pigtail loop, but nothing else on how it rotated the long rod.

I am going out to look at it right now. Thanks again.

[Landman]

I don't know if it is because there are two thirteens in the date, but today is best forgotten. It started with another walk behind the snowblower, then the wind promptly put most of it back, mostly in front of doors. So I figured it didn't snow inside the garage. With the intention of working on the headlights, I had my wife help me move the hood from the work table to some sawhorses until I can gather a crowd big enough to lift it on to the car. So instead of working on the headlights, I decided to install the other sidemount spare tower. The four bolts that hold it screw into two threaded plates within the frame. I had glued them in place knowing that it would be easy to start the bolts without having to reach into the frame. Well, one of them is loose. Those are easy to hold if you have a bare frame but you would need arms four feet long with three joints to reach inside with the body on and all the goodies in place. So I opened the driver's door to see how much other than the floorboards I'd have to remove and heard a "clack" which turns out to be a broken latch spring. Great !:mad:

So, in disgust I quit and went into the house, had lunch, then a nap. Having slept on it, I think I'll drill a third hole between the bolt holes, tap it and put in a third bolt and remove its head. That should hold it until I get the towers on.

Then to top things off the courier brought the envelope with my YOM plates. They were refused because that number is in use. My guess is a trailer, as a lot of trailers have a two letters/three numbers sequence.

[Landman]

Today, worked on the headlights. Wired the bucket pigtail to the bulb pigtails. Tested. Installed the reflector/bulb assembly. Installed glass with the retainer springs. Connected the conduits . Tested again. They look like they more to "be seen" than to "see". In one photo, they look cockeyed. I imagine aiming will correct that.

My initial spark plug wires were a cheap plasticky sort that cracked just looking at them. Replaced them with lacquered cloth wires. Big difference, not so visible in the photos.

[ply33]

Today, worked on the headlights. Wired the bucket pigtail to the bulb pigtails. Tested. Installed the reflector/bulb assembly. Installed glass with the retainer springs. Connected the conduits . Tested again. They look like they more to "be seen" than to "see". In one photo, they look cockeyed. I imagine aiming will correct that.

My initial spark plug wires were a cheap plasticky sort that cracked just looking at them. Replaced them with lacquered cloth wires. Big difference, not so visible in the photos.

Your wires look a little small for carrying the current the headlights will draw. Did you use the stock (original) size wire or something smaller?

That little test battery does not have sufficient capacity to actually run your headlight bulb, so it will be dim.

And you can get a quartz-halogen headlight bulb that draws the same power as the one you have there but delivers about 40% more light.

All that to say that, while they won't be up to modern standards, you can get more light out of those units than you currently are.

Here is what I did: How good can those antique car headlights be?

p.s. I am very, very impressed by what you are doing and sharing with us on this forum.

Edited March 15, 2013 by ply33 (see edit history)

[keiser31]

Were the lens retaining clips items that you already had or did you have to buy new ones? If new...from where??

[Landman]

From The Filling Station, https://www.fillingstation.com/, item GR-231.

[Landman]

Your wires look a little small for carrying the current the headlights will draw. Did you use the stock (original) size wire or something smaller?

Those pigtails were bought from The Filling Station. The ones at the headlight bulbs do have smaller wires than the harness. I'm not sure if that'll affect anything.

[keiser31]

Thanks.

[Landman]

Installed the hood with the help of my son in law and his brother. I'm a bit disappointed, it is very tight at the back and has a gap too wide for my liking at the front. Ah well, another thing for the long list of adjustments & things to sort out.

[36 D2 Coupe]

Pat - In spite of the problems with the fit of the hood, the car is looking just fantastic! What a testament to patience and determination. I know it must be frustrating to be getting so close to having it assembled and yet things don't just fall into place. I just took a quick look back at what you started with and I can see why. You get a whole lot of bonus points for this amazing restoration:)

[Landman]

Thanks Jim. Perfect fit couldn't be expected from something that was as warped as this was and with the amount of patching required and my possibly less than accurate wooden framework. The real ordeal is still ahead though; sorting it out, trouble shooting all the little gremlins, electrical, mechanical and others. I simply detest that part. I hate stuff that doesn't work and I hate looking for the cause even more.

[Landman]

I only have half of the brackets for my trumpet horns. A quick survey of the market showed that they are next to impossible to get. A lead led to a pair that I can't afford, at least I am not prepared to pay the asking price. So with photos supplied by a VCCA mamber, I set out to make some patterns.

Refilled the radiator with coolant. Attacked the loose plate in post #709. Had to buy a 90 degree attachment for my drill to fit between the wheel well and the frame. Even had to cut the bit. Drilled a hole through the frame and the plate and secured the plate with a heavy pop rivet. Removed the capscrews and installed the sidemount pedestal.

Let out the rods at the cowl giving about 1/8 clearance to the rear of the hood. After opening and closing both sides a few times it seems to have found an acceptable set. Started installing the trim on the sidemount face plates.

[Luv2Wrench]

It's looking great Pat. I love the profile of that car. The way the roof slopes down to the front. It looks like it's flying just standing still.