Bullfrog_eng Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Richard, John may have already sent you this info, but I think what you are looking for is Did this for my DA and works well so far, but I have only driven a few hundred yards!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted July 24, 2021 Author Share Posted July 24, 2021 Thanks everyone- that’s what I was looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted July 24, 2021 Author Share Posted July 24, 2021 Angie, my upholstery lady came over and put the fabric on my top insert. I live in a very small town, but her shop is right down the street. We had more room in my garage, so she decided to do the job here. One of the benefits of a small town, friendly folks and good service. I had kept the old material in case she needed a pattern, but it wasn't necessary - she went right to work. We put the new stuff out in the sun. It's over 90 today so it really softened up. She had the cotton padding on in no time. Then the fabric. It looks great! I forgot to take a shot of the finished job, we were practically fainting from the heat, but you get the idea. Then I went inside to cool off and ending up watching some of the HenRefurb YouTube videos on the restoration of a 31 Dodge Brothers truck. As he was explaining his problems removing the steering box (I had exactly the same problem) he mentioned he would have to remove the engine before he could get the steering box out of the frame. My blood ran cold. My freshly painted, ready to go steering box was sitting out in the garage ready to be installed. Was there enough room between the engine and the frame on my 32 to allow the steering box to fit? The thought of having to take the engine back out at this stage was heart-stopping. I rushed to the garage and steadied my nerves. I measured the distance between the engine and the frame - 9 inches. Then I measured the width of the steering box - eleven inches. Oh, no! So I grabbed the assembly and carried it over to the car. To my relief, I could angle in into the generously large hole in the frame (which is boxed up front from the factory) and slide it into place. Catastrophe avoided! I'm getting too old for stuff like that. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted July 24, 2021 Share Posted July 24, 2021 She did a great job , looks fantastic. I can imagine how that felt thinking the engine had to come out. Thank god it doesn’t. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted July 24, 2021 Share Posted July 24, 2021 Top looks good. Where did you get the material? It doesn’t look like the usual Model A cobra grained stuff. Maybe the angle or lighting but it looks closer to the original than I have seen for sale. I wonder if the padding around the metal edges of the insert make an issue getting it installed. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted July 24, 2021 Author Share Posted July 24, 2021 It's very tight to the metal. The padding compressed to just about nothing when she stretched the material over, there is no give on the edges. The old top actually had rather thick tape all around the metal edges - I have no reason why, but it was replaced some time before I bought the car in 1965. I don't think it will be a problem. I got the material from Restoration Specialties. They list it as Sedan Decking, and I got the Smooth Grain Black. I agree, it looks very similar to the original material I have seen. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted July 31, 2021 Author Share Posted July 31, 2021 Another senior moment today. I'm reassembling the door latch mechanisms and have everything laid out to put them together. Then I realize I'm missing a part from the rear passenger side. A while ago ply33 sent me some of his spare parts and I was sure I had this and it should have been in the marked box with everything else. Nowhere to be found. The usual search came up empty, but I was positive I had that part in the box and had cleaned it up. I checked my old one, but it was too bent and damaged to use or straighten. With a heavy heart I come inside and begin a post begging anyone who has this part to contact me. I figured I'd better take a photo since the part is left and right handed, so I grab the old one and just check it against the door to make sure I have the right one. That's when I noticed the two screws by the latch opening. With a head slap I realized I had bolted the good part in the door to make sure it would fit. I did it since ply33's parts were almost identical, but the metal was just a bit thicker. Anyway, I will put the mechanism together tomorrow and take some pix in case anyone needs to go through the process. If I can remember to do it. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 22 minutes ago, Taylormade said: Another senior moment today. I'm reassembling the door latch mechanisms and have everything laid out to put them together. Then I realize I'm missing a part from the rear passenger side. A while ago ply33 sent me some of his spare parts and I was sure I had this and it should have been in the marked box with everything else. Nowhere to be found. The usual search came up empty, but I was positive I had that part in the box and had cleaned it up. I checked my old one, but it was too bent and damaged to use or straighten. With a heavy heart I come inside and begin a post begging anyone who has this part to contact me. I figured I'd better take a photo since the part is left and right handed, so I grab the old one and just check it against the door to make sure I have the right one. That's when I noticed the two screws by the latch opening. With a head slap I realized I had bolted the good part in the door to make sure it would fit. I did it since ply33's parts were almost identical, but the metal was just a bit thicker. Anyway, I will put the mechanism together tomorrow and take some pix in case anyone needs to go through the process. If I can remember to do it. Don't feel bad....we have all done similar (or worse) goofs. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 52 minutes ago, keiser31 said: Don't feel bad....we have all done similar (or worse) goofs. Definitely, that was like me spending a whole day polishing and Nickle plating 2 left hand side cowl lights. 🙄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 1, 2021 Author Share Posted August 1, 2021 (edited) I've finally finished the restoration of my door latch mechanisms. Many thanks to ply33 for supplying needed parts from his stash (his 33 door mechanisms were made from thicker steel than mine, but they still fit), and to Knobless for his repo parts which also fit perfectly. I discovered that the spring was missing on the interior mechanism on the passenger side rear door. I found some new springs on Ebay, expensive at twenty bucks for two, but they fit. To replace the spring I needed to remove the cover plate held on to the main plate by four tabs. I was lucky to get this part from Knobless as the tabs broke off the old one when I bent them back. With everything disassembled I was ready to clean everything up. You can see the repo cover and the new spring at the bottom. It was a bit fiddly trying to get the spring in place. I eventually just laid it in place and slide the cover over it. I bent the tabs down and gave everything a shot of white lithium grease. Job done. Edited August 1, 2021 by Taylormade (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 1, 2021 Author Share Posted August 1, 2021 (edited) Next came the more complicated exterior door latch assembly. Two of mine had cracks and were bent out of shape. This is a weak point on this car. When ply33 sent me some replacements from his stash I was worried as they were slightly different - mainly the steel was thicker, making for a more sturdy unit. I had to disassemble them to switch over some parts, so I was starting with just the basic main section. The biggest problem was the fact I'd had to grind off some rivets to get things apart. They were stepped rivets and I was afraid I might have to turn then on a lathe. Luckily I found replacements from Hanson Rivets and ordered them. They are exactly the right size and depth except of the bottom part of the shaft, which was slightly too large for the existing hole. Here is the main piece and the new rivet. The rivets are nicely made and just the right size. They have many sizes and depths available. I had to drill out the hole in the plate to accept the slightly larger rivet shaft. It needed a 1/4 inch hole. The rivet fit perfectly. The rivet holds the latch slider. It has to be properly stepped to allow the piece to slide back and forth. The pieces assembled. Everything assembled and the spring in place. That's another stepped rivet holding the extension arm. Getting that spring in is no easy task! Three done and the fourth is already in the door. Edited August 1, 2021 by Taylormade (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minibago Posted August 1, 2021 Share Posted August 1, 2021 Thanks for a very detailed and helpful post. Nice Job. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 4, 2021 Author Share Posted August 4, 2021 Another frustrating day. I was installing the windows and giving the glass a thorough cleaning before they went in. As I tried to clean what I thought was overspray on both rear door windows, I realized the whitish "fog" I had always assumed was some stray primer that had gotten on the surface of the glass was actually etched into the glass. This has completely mystified me as I removed the glass before any work was done on the body. I wrapped the glass in old towels and it has been stored in my garage since then. How this got on the surface is beyond me. The car was very dirty when I disassembled it and it may have been on the glass all along, but whatever caused it, I'm now going to have to replace both back door windows. So, a trip to the glass shop tomorrow. They were already replacing the drivers front door glass, so more business for them and more money out of my pocket. I can't seem to catch a break lately and I'm so close to finishing the car. As usual, not as close as I thought. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted August 5, 2021 Share Posted August 5, 2021 That has to be frustrating when you thought they were ok. It will look nice with new glass throughout though. Not something you want to waste money on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knobless Posted August 5, 2021 Share Posted August 5, 2021 If anyone is looking for the “ repo” spring covers, I have them, as many as you need, made up a batch of them, 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 6, 2021 Author Share Posted August 6, 2021 17 hours ago, knobless said: If anyone is looking for the “ repo” spring covers, I have them, as many as you need, made up a batch of them, They are excellent reproductions that fit perfectly and are very reasonably priced. They made replacing my missing spring very easy. I highly recommend buying a set if you are working on your door latch mechanisms. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 8, 2021 Author Share Posted August 8, 2021 Boy, was this another classic screw-up on my part. I went to install my newly rebuilt rear door latch mechanism this morning and for some reason it didn’t seem to fit. I tried everything but it was a no go. I took it back out of the door and examined it and realized I had put things together backwards! These things are right and left handed and I had put together the right latch as a left latch. So, I took everything apart and put it together the correct way. I’m glad I bought two spring covers from knobless, although I probably could have salvaged the one I removed. The mechanism is back in the door and works perfectly. On to the next disaster. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullfrog_eng Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 Makes me feel soooo much better to know that others make these silly problems for themselves as well as me!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minibago Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 I have to commend all members in admitting their mistakes to their peers, this this is how we all learn, from mistakes. It is so much quicker to learn from others rather than having to make each mistake ourselves. Well done all.👏👏 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 8, 2021 Author Share Posted August 8, 2021 If you've followed this thread, I have provided an endless stream of mistakes and not to do moments for my reading public. I'm certain there will be many more before I'm done. I have discovered that, despite the car appearing to be in decent shape, I have had to repair or restore virtually every part on the vehicle. Today I spent the morning making a pattern for the rear exhaust pipe - muffler to rear of the car. When Phil and I started the car in Connecticut. the exhaust was full of mouse nests and it blew off the tailpipe. I kept the pieces and and managed to make a pattern. It's 95 degrees today and crawling around under the car was not fun, but I got a decent pattern made and once it's fabricated and on the car I can run it with asphyxiating myself. Not exactly a thing of beauty, but my exhaust guy is pretty patient and I think this will allow him to get the job done. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 17, 2021 Author Share Posted August 17, 2021 Got the final door mechanism and window crank mechanism on the car. Here they are just before installation. Now it's time to address the door bumper issue. Mine are hard as a rock, the rubber has no elasticity whatsoever. There are two for each door, all identical, so I'm obviously going to need eight. They are rubber with a metal base that appears was molded in when the part was originally cast. Here you can see the top of the part with the hole for the screw visible, and the small lip at the top. It's easy to see the rubber is in rough shape. Here is the bottom of the same part. Notice the threaded metal insert. I'm not sure if this is bonded to the rubber or can slide out. It appears to be held in by angled lips in the rubber and has the same angles on the edges of the metal. So, I don't know if I can get the metal piece out and reuse it or not. The rubber is so hard it may just be locked in place by the stiffness. The solution to replacing these parts comes with a built in problem. Steele has a replacement that has exactly the same dimensions as my originals. The problem lies in the metal insert. I called Steele today and their salesperson says their part is all rubber and has no metal insert - they think. It happens they are working from home and have no access to the actual part to see if it's all rubber or has the insert. They said I could return the parts if they didn't work and were as helpful as they could be under the circumstances. The schematic drawing shows the recess in the back for the metal, but I can't tell from the drawing if the rubber has the angled sides on the recess to grab the metal insert. I'm sure I can modify the part if necessary to get things to work. I have heard of people softening rubber by soaking it in lacquer thinner, but these door bumpers take a beating and I think new live rubber is a better way to go. Any suggestions? If someone has purchased these bumpers from Steele let me know how they are constructed. It's part number 40-0010-70. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 17, 2021 Author Share Posted August 17, 2021 I need some advice from the experts. I'm getting ready to put the door handles back together and install them. Like an idiot, I forgot to take pictures before they went to Paul's Chrome. I'm pretty sure I have the correct order of parts, but I need some help. Here is a shot of the handle parts. From left to right you see the handle with the integral shaft, the tube that covers the shaft, the escutcheon with the two screw holes (the holes accept screws that attach the assembly to the door), a large washer, a spring cup, the spring, and the other spring cup. As far as I can see, they assemble in the order shown. Originally everything was held on the shaft by what appears to be a factory applied swage. You can see the swaged area on the shaft in this shot. It has obviously been ground down to get the assembly apart. I can't see how I can reproduce the swagging process myself. Has anyone figured out how to do this while you're trying to hold everything together? I think I remember someone suggesting drilling a small hole in the shaft and using a metal rod to hold things in place. This is actually done on the door handle that locks. Any suggestions and any photos of the assembled shaft showing this area would be appreciated - especially an original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArticiferTom Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 A double E -clip fills and grips 2 hours ago, Taylormade said: I need some advice from the experts. I'm getting ready to put the door handles back together and install them. Like an idiot, I forgot to take pictures before they went to Paul's Chrome. I'm pretty sure I have the correct order of parts, but I need some help. Here is a shot of the handle parts. From left to right you see the handle with the integral shaft, the tube that covers the shaft, the escutcheon with the two screw holes (the holes accept screws that attach the assembly to the door), a large washer, a spring cup, the spring, and the other spring cup. As far as I can see, they assemble in the order shown. Originally everything was held on the shaft by what appears to be a factory applied swage. You can see the swaged area on the shaft in this shot. It has obviously been ground down to get the assembly apart. I can't see how I can reproduce the swagging process myself. Has anyone figured out how to do this while you're trying to hold everything together? I think I remember someone suggesting drilling a small hole in the shaft and using a metal rod to hold things in place. This is actually done on the door handle that locks. Any suggestions and any photos of the assembled shaft showing this area would be appreciated - especially an original. nice . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullfrog_eng Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 Richard, the door bumpers look the same as the ones I used on the DA. It is a while ago, but I used ones from Metro Moulded Parts Part number DB 37. They came with no metal in place but were moulded to take the tapered edge metal pieces that I was able to remove from my old ones. Width is 1 1/4 but height is only about 7/8 inch, these taken from my old sample, so MAY have shrunk a bit. They do have others very similar, not sure of measurements. On their site, if you search for db it will bring up a number of them some similar, does not show measurements though, so might have to contact them if interested. https://metrommp.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 18, 2021 Author Share Posted August 18, 2021 The Steele bumpers are the exact size but I can’t tell if they take the tapered metal piece. They are also quite a bit more expensive. The Metro moldings take the metal, but are about a 1/4 inch off in height. Could you take a shot of one of your moldings in place on the door jam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullfrog_eng Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 OK, let's see if this makes sense. As you know, the rubber does funny things over the years, so I figured that the only way I was going to get accurate measurements (sort of!!) was to measure one of the new ones, so I took one out. I think it will do what you want. If I have not been clear enough, or you want other info, please let me know. Good luck. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knobless Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, ArticiferTom said: A double E -clip fills and grips nice . I’m in the process of making the small 2 step collar that gets destroyed when disassembled, to reassemble them to their original state, “almost there”, but my work” keeps getting in the way, haha,,,,I will update, I tend to considerate on the extremely hard to find parts, to reproduce, as no one is making them,,,and in most cases you need to buy the whole door handle,,, I will update,, , Thanks, Knobless” Edited August 18, 2021 by knobless (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 18, 2021 Author Share Posted August 18, 2021 Tom you mean one of these? Bullfrog - could you measure the steel insert? Mine is 3/4" top and 1/2" bottom. it's 5/8" wide. Yours looks slightly different and the bolt seems larger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 18, 2021 Author Share Posted August 18, 2021 14 hours ago, knobless said: I’m in the process of making the small 2 step collar that gets destroyed when disassembled, to reassemble them to their original state, “almost there”, but my work” keeps getting in the way, haha,,,,I will update, I tend to considerate on the extremely hard to find parts, to reproduce, as no one is making them,,,and in most cases you need to buy the whole door handle,,, I will update,, , Thanks, Knobless” Do you have a picture of one of those collars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArticiferTom Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 Yes , put two of those e-clips side by side from opposite direction if I remember . They go at 45 degrees from square in . I do not remember the size . My buddy had a multi size kit in his service station . One would work two just made it look better and filled gap . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullfrog_eng Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 I have a number of those steel inserts left over and they seem to vary a bit. However they are mostly the same size as yours. I do have some that are a bit smaller, 3/8 inch top, 5/8 inch bottom, all same width (5/8 inch). All use 3/16 inch metal thread screws. The one in the photos above are the smaller version, you will notice that they are not a snug fit in the rubber. I found it did not matter which I used, as even if I used the smaller ones, they hold the bumpers fine, but the larger ones are preferable as they are a bit firmer when you push the bumpers into the door jambs. Can't remember why I used some of both, probably grabbed the first ones I could see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArticiferTom Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 Here is pic e-clips are against inside of handle . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 Thanks guys! Looks like the Metro moldings will work and the e-clip idea is brilliant. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knobless Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 22 hours ago, Taylormade said: Do you have a picture of one of those collars? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 Picking up all my new side window glass tomorrow. Hopefully, the installation won’t be too much of a hassle. I also got the exterior door handles assembled using Tom’s e-clip idea. It worked great, but I could only get one clip on. Two was a no go. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 31, 2021 Author Share Posted August 31, 2021 Got my parts shipment from Metro Molded Rubber. Checking the catalog I discovered that DB-36 was the recommended part for the door bumpers rather than DB-37. They were correct and the bumpers are an exact match for my originals. The metal insert fit perfectly. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 31, 2021 Author Share Posted August 31, 2021 I also ordered part number MP 642-A for the door handle pads. Looks like they will work with no problem. They stretch just a bit during installation which gives a nice tight fit. Installing everything tomorrow after I get the metal inserts and screws on the door bumpers cleaned of rust and grime. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted September 5, 2021 Author Share Posted September 5, 2021 A very frustrating day today, despite the cool weather. I installed all my outside door handles and the front doors worked just fine. The latches moved smoothly and things were looking good. Then I installed the rear door handles and discovered they refused to turn. At first I thought they were locked - you pull the inside lever up to lock the door. But no, they were not locked. I finally had to take off the handles and then remove the door mechanisms. Not difficult, but tedious and depressing since I knew I’d be going through installing them again. Once they were out it took me two hours of fiddling, thinking, musing, experimenting and cursing before I discovered the simple solution. I’ll post the answer tomorrow with photographs so you don’t have to go through this. I’m too tired tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted September 8, 2021 Author Share Posted September 8, 2021 A few days late, but here is the solution to the problem that cropped up over the weekend. The outer door handles on the back doors refused to turn. I took everything apart and tried to solve the mystery. Looking at the latch mechanism, the part indicated by the arrow has to move freely in an arc inside the opening. here it is moved all the way to the right. Here it is moved all the way to the left. But when I inserted the door handle it would only rotate this far to the right. It took awhile to figure out the problem. I'm using some donor parts from ply33 and the latches are slightly different. I finally realized that the assembly I was using was designed for a different type of door handle. Here is the opening of the original latches from my car. Notice the circle opening on top and the square opening below it. The square is part of the part that rotates. This is the top of the new latches. Two squares, no circle. Then I realized that the locking door handle has a different design than the other three handles. The three non-locking types on the left and the locking on the right. It was obvious that the locking handle was designed to work with the double square latch. The other handle, with its square extension, was hanging up on the top square of the latch, limiting the turning radius. I was using a front latch on the back door. A quick trip to the drill press took care of the problem. I drilled out the square opening and had the necessary clearance for the handle to rotate through its full motion. As usual a simple solution to a perplexing situation. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 I think it would have taken me longer to figure out that difference and how to fix it. Good work! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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