theterrym Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Good day everyone. Im Brand new to the forum. Last weekend I picked up my newest project. This is by far the oldest car I have owned. I bought it from a gentleman who purchased the car in 1956 as his first car. In the early 90s he planned on restoring it. He got all of the bumpers chromed and thats as far as he got. They are still wrapped up in newspaper. The wood (so far) appears to be in fantastic condition and as far as I can tell there appears to be no rust. As I go im know I will have many questions so I hope there are a few out there that can share their wisdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 13 minutes ago, theterrym said: The wood (so far) appears to be in fantastic condition You hit a home run there. The wood in those is usually suspect. I always liked that year and body style. Glad to see another new member posting on this restoration-forum. We need more, bring a friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jan arnett (2) Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 nice looking car., welcome aboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted May 6, 2017 Author Share Posted May 6, 2017 Alright, my first questions. The trunk lid doesn't fit flush against the body at the bottom. Nothing is broken or out of sort so im guessing this is how it always was or 90 years of wood drying created this? Second, the roof is missing trim around the covering. I haven't been able to find any photos for reference of what is supposed to be there. What should be there and does anyone know where to find or what to make it with? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 3 hours ago, theterrym said: im guessing this is how it always was or 90 years of wood drying created this? Was not like that when new. Most curved side rails for lids in that era, use multiple pieces of shorter wood with finger joints, so that would not happen.. Short pieces resist changing shape over time. Can you look to see if it is only one long wooden piece to make the curve? or several pieces that maybe have loose joints? Trimacar is a member on AACA, he would know your top question, but may not read these resto threads. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 (edited) The original was an aluminum extrusion similar to your eaves trough only it didn't have a trough. When finished it was a shallow half round molding. When purchased three quarters of the half round was standing straight up from the base. To install you nailed the base on (using appropriate sealers and nails) and then swaged the upright part down into the base making a finished job. I was unable to find the correct molding thirty years ago and just used half round aluminum and installed it with counter sunk screws covered with a dab of body filler. Since then I have seen the correct molding advertised occasionally. If you look at the end of your eaves trough you will see that the rounded part on the top is actually bent down into the trough. There are moldings available for Model A F***s and other cars. I'm sure your good looking Lady in Black would rather be out playing in traffic with a foreign molding than sitting in the garage just because her roof leaks. Edited May 6, 2017 by Guest (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted May 6, 2017 Author Share Posted May 6, 2017 Thanks Tinindian for the info and F&J to answer your question the wood rails for the trunk are smaller pieces jointed together, but the joints are all tight. I found the piece that runs along the back bottom does have a crack, but when I clamp it tight and twist a little pressure it does pull the metal in about 1/8" not quite the 1/2" to make a flush seam. Once I take everything apart more mysteries should reveal themselves. Thanks guys!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 2 minutes ago, theterrym said: Once I take everything apart The 29/30 Chevy coupes that ended up with wet wood for long term: The worst place would show up just ahead of the deck lid where the back panel of roof, joins the curved down rear body panel . Those 2 sheet metal panels are not welded to each other, they are nailed to the wood behind. Many wet cars show separation at that area. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 That would make perfect sense why everything lines up all the way down, but the very bottom where the curve is the greatest is pushed back. Thats why I love forums. Good answers from folks that know what they are talking about! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Nice find. Welcome to the group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Glad to see you and your '29 Chev coupe here ! I am curious about the condition of the interior. Is the upholstry original ? What condition ? How is the instrument panel ? Also , does it run well now ? Welcome ! You are in the right place. The cumulative brain here knows virtually everything about cars. A great and generous group ! - Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted May 9, 2017 Author Share Posted May 9, 2017 The Interior is in good shape for being 90 years old. The seat is original with no rips, but pretty worn. The dash was painted in the 50s and door panels were changed. The car runs, but has a bottom end knock. Ill deal with that when The engine comes out. Im not quite sure how im going to tackle that yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 I love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clouddriver Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Looks like its at a good starting point, good luck bringing back all its beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danoz Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 that is a sweet survivor nice find! is it original paint or has it had a respray in the past, if original are you going to preserve or go the full restoration route. dont see many chevy coupes around these parts. nice car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Nice car! I have a soft spot for the 29-32 Chevies, my first car (that I still own) in 1964 was a 1931 Chevy tudor. Wood condition always an issue in these cars. I'd say from the pictures and looking at the applied stripe that it's a repaint, if it was original paint I'd say leave it alone and keep it as is, and in fact, it'd be a lot of fun if you did just that anyway! The description of the trim for the insert top by Tinindian is correct. When I restored mine in the sixties, nothing was to be found, and I have a piece of half-oval aluminum in place. As to the engine, the original was, of course, Babbitt mains and rods. One of the problems with rebuilding these is that when the crank is ground, then the Babbitt on the rods has to be thicker to make up the difference. Babbitt is an awful conductor of heat, so if a rod bearing starts warming up, the Babbitt will tend to start cracking from the heat, and then start to disappear. One weakness of the early six cylinder cars are the rear axle shafts, they tend to break, so just be aware of that. Have fun with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted May 17, 2017 Author Share Posted May 17, 2017 Thanks for the info and things to look out for. The car was repainted back in 56 when the second owner bought it. It was a father/ son project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 The correct roof edge molding is available from Bob's Memorabilia or the Filling Station. Bob manufactures it and sells it to the FS so I just purchase it from Bob's. I put on a lot of roofs with the aluminum moldings from him. Here's a sample of three different cars all done with Bob's moldings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted May 21, 2017 Author Share Posted May 21, 2017 I finally got a good days work in on the 29. Without a doubt the car was built in Oshawa Ontario. I don't know if it was wishful thinking or just being naive, but i figured the wood was going to be in fantastic condition. Turns out most of it needs to be or should be replaced. On the bright side I don't think i will find anymore dead mice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 8 minutes ago, theterrym said: Without a doubt the car was built in Oshawa Ontario. Now that is a very cool thing to have found in ANY car. Thanks for that pic, I'd never known it would be like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 CN Chevys were wooded with maple, not ash like US cars. Maple is harder to work with. I would use ash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Are the generator and starter made by McKinnon Industries rather than Anderson? If so what does the name tag look like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted July 6, 2017 Author Share Posted July 6, 2017 On 2017-05-22 at 4:24 AM, Spinneyhill said: Are the generator and starter made by McKinnon Industries rather than Anderson? If so what does the name tag look like? They are Anderson. Sorry forgetting back so late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted July 6, 2017 Author Share Posted July 6, 2017 I have been slowly picking away. Shes almost completely naked. Now that its taken down its time to start building it back up. New king pins should arrive in a few days and its almost time to clean and get some paint on that frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARY F Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 you are doing nice work, and fast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILIKECARS53 Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Looks like it is going to be a fun thread to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted July 17, 2017 Author Share Posted July 17, 2017 New king pins installed and frame is finally painted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cabnut Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 The original top mouldings are two piece. A channel nails down and then a cover is hammered over it. The underside of the trim has a dovetail and the channel sides bend over to hold it. I can send some pictures to you of it. I have two Oshawa built 1929 Chevrolets and am slowly getting the wood done for and yes they are maple and maple actually works nicely. My woodwork can be seen on my Facebook page "Automotive Wood Bodies". regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted November 6, 2017 Author Share Posted November 6, 2017 Motor is all back together and back where it should be. Hopefully it will be running in the next few weeks. I have the wrong fuel pump, but for now it gets the job done. I may leave it since this is how I Got the car and its part of its past. I have another question for the experts. What is the hole in the block near the back below the manifold? When I got the car it had a wooden plug in it. Im guessing thats not how Chevy designed it. choose files... Click to choose files 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Looking GREAT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 (edited) The 29 only had a crank case breather in that hole and I believe a pipe from the breather to the air filter. The are no holes or vents on the valve cover or push rod cover on the 29 either. If you don’t have the correct 29’ air cleaner, it can be hard to find. Edited November 6, 2017 by chistech (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cabnut Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 (edited) As mentioned there would have been an oil separator/crankcase breather in that hole with a pipe to the air cleaner mounted to the carb. Without it you will have a buildup of gasses in the block especially if you have the early top pan with no vent holes. Finding these three parts can be very difficult and expensive if you do. By the way the correct air cleaner only fits the original Carter carbs. As this seems to be an early car it would have had a Carter 125S carb that has the short fat accelerator pump. You can use the later 136S or 150S carbs with the long accel pump but they are not 100% accurate. If interested I can check as I may have these parts available as well as a NOS 150S Carter carb. I also have various 136S carbs that need rebuilding. Also with the fuel pump if it does not have the correct lever to engage the cam there could be fuel delivery issues to the carb or eventual damage to the cam lobe. It should be verified same as the proper pump. Another thing you have the wrong cap on the oil filler tube. Edited November 6, 2017 by Cabnut add info (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 On 11/6/2017 at 2:19 PM, theterrym said: Motor is all back together and back where it should be How are you getting on with this restoration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theterrym Posted August 20, 2018 Author Share Posted August 20, 2018 It has been a very long time since I posted any progress on my project. Its now running and sort of driving. That was a big hurdle to get done. Those first few trials very stressful wondering if I forgot something and the engine will blow up and it was all for nothing. Luckily it runs and sounds great. With two kids and a busy job I havnt had much time to spend on it in the last few months. Like all projects I have found it to be far more work than I expected, but thats the whole reason of doing it! The wood is slowly coming along, but also far more detailed work than I could have ever imagined!!! I like to keep a oil stain on the floor under it to keep the dust down? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cabnut Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 It looks like you are missing a cross sill that should be behind the frame crossbar that holds the ebrake hanger. It would be 1 1/4" thick and have a 3/4" board behind it. I don't see the mortise for it? Also there should be a 3/4" board at the front seat directly behind the front floor board. These are permanently glued and screwed to the main sills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cabnut Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 How is your project coming along? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, Cabnut said: How is your project coming along? Last visit Nov. 1. Hover over his handle and you will see it in the pop-up. Quote something or send a pm so an email is sent. Edited May 22, 2019 by Spinneyhill (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now