1934 Chevrolet Master Cabriolet Right Hand Drive Project

1934 Chevrolet Master Cabriolet in New Zealand.

    H i Doug,
                       My name is Dan . I notice that you have been restoring a 1934 Chevrolet Master  Cabriolet, I have just found and purchased a right hand drive car that needs work. I am having trouble finding information on them  to help with the restoration, I live in New Zealand. any info on were I can buy parts and technical books would be appreciated . also are they a rare car , and any idea what they would be worth restored.  my car has been in storage since 1966 and has the dickie seat in the boot, and side mounts.
   
   
                         hope to hear from you
   
                                                       cheers Dan

Dan,

Naturally, the condition of your 1934 Chevrolet Master Cabriolet would dictate the value of it. There were quite a few of them made but survival rate was not very high, just as it is with any wooden bodied car.

The 1934 Chevrolet Master Cabriolet is one of the most desirable Chevrolets of the 1930s however, if your wood needs replaced, which it likely does, you have a real project ahead of yourself. This is not a project to be taken on by someone without a lot of skill with body fitting and wood working.

My client did acquire a wood kit for the car that we did. Being a nice kit, between his son, himself (both very talented individuals) and I, having more than 40 years in the auto body and restoration industry, it was still a big project. I don't give you this information in an attempt to discourage you but rather, to inform you that you need to find the necessary skilled people to tackle the project, if you expect to end up with respectable fit when finished.

One of the reasons that Ford was so much more popular than Chevrolet is because they were made from metal starting in 1932. Chevrolet didn't give into metal until 1937. Of course the V-8 engine had a big part in capturing the popularity as well.

I'll be in touch with some important information. I'd like to see some pictures of your car that I could post on my site here.

Doug

1936 Ford Sedan Delivery Project Ask Doug

Chad wants to contact another 1936 Ford Sedan Delivery restoration project gentleman who wrote an ask Doug

Hi Doug

Was just reading your blog. Do you happen to have the contact for the gentleman named Bill that wrote in about fixing his Delivery with a 4 door? I may need to do something similar. Thanks!

Chad

Chad,

I expect that he won't have a problem with me giving you his contact info, but I will check with him first and get back to you.

Doug

RAT ROD RAT HOLE

Rat Rods can be fun and humorous. Getting a little carried away sometimes with the ridiculous is not uncommon either, but this one made me chuckle. I had to stop and take a picture with my phone camera.

This Rat Rod was at this year's Shake The Shack rockabilly ball, car, hot rod and motorcycle show at the Shanty Tavern in Seattle.

Normally when you talk about a rat hole, you are referring to cash you have put away in your rat hole account. It's not a good idea to put it in an actual rat hole cause the rats will likely shred it for you. It's just a figure of speech.

There was a good showing of street rods, hot rods, rat rods, vintage cars and trucks, and a lot of nice motorcycles. I don't normally burn my tires on my 1937 Chevy Truck, but the mood was right when I left the show that day. It's sometimes kinda fun to hear that six cylinder, dual exhaust cackle along with the sound of the squealing tires.

Traditional Hot Rod Turn Signal Custom Installation

1958 Style Hot Rod with turn signals that aren't offensive or cluttering. Some use the Guide 682-C headlights on their hot rods and those are in my opinion the least offensive turn signal lights for a traditional hot rod if you don't already have separate park lights on your original vehicle. If you have, you can easily install dual filament sockets in place of the singles.

Some install an amber dual light bulb inside the headlight where the original park light is, or install lights inside the horn. I however chose a different route on this 1936 Ford that I built in the 1958 theme.
I chose to use turn signals only on the back, figuring that you can see what's going on in front of you and really don't need the lights up front, especially on a car that didn't come with turn signals in the first place.

On the back however, we improved the visibility of the lights by using vintage period correct aftermarket Night Owl lenses. They were produced for trucks and acted as side marker light,as well as the tail light, prior to actual separate lights specifically for that purpose. These are quite rare and hard to obtain, however.

If you know how turn signals operate, you are probably wondering at this point how I was able to make turn signals work on just the rear. It's another little trick I thought up in order to overcome a relativity simple obstacle in the whole picture of this fabulous car. I took the flasher apart and just did a little tweaking on the flasher until it started flashing with just one light drawing juice through it.

General Jumbo Wheel Restoration Clev Weld Wheels

I call these General Jumbo Wheels Because that is what they are most often called. The reality of it is that these are Wheels that were made by Cleveland Welding Co. and these eleven spoke wheels were produced for Goodrich Tire Co.

Because the 11 spoke wheels are more of a refined look than the 9 spoke wheels that General Tire Co. used, we are modifying these to take the General caps. No one that I know of ever reproduced the Goodrich caps which were made to snap onto a clip ring that was spot welded to the rim center. The caps for Goodrich were larger in diameter too.

These wheels are far more complicated to restore than the 9 spoke because of the way the center was constructed.

The rivets were drilled out of the rims and a large portion of the rivet fell inside the spokes. That was when we realized that we would have to cut the center out of the spoke section. They had a bit of rust inside them making them hard to press apart after the centers were cut at the weld on the lathe.

We had all the pieces sandblasted and installed 1/4 inch nutserts in each spoke so we could refasten the spoke section to the rim without welding after the center section is chromed. Originally they just burned some of the chrome off the back side after riveting them into the rims, and just painted it with some silver paint to cover the burn.

We are putting wider rims on the pair for the rear so the holes for the spokes will have to be indexed by our machinist.

After we install the spoke centers in the rims they will be set up in the lathe again and the lug bolt plate will be welded into place. Also the adapter ring on the face so they will accept the General caps, will be welded at this time.

The next step will be to remove the centers again and copper and file and sand until they are ready to polish for the final chrome finish.

Installing the chrome centers and painting the rims black is the final step in this complex project.

The results will likely be proud ownership of what will probably be the only set of these wheels that have ever been restored.

235 261 Chevrolet Dual Exhaust Header Manifold

A split manifold on a stove bolt Chevrolet 235 or 261 engine makes for a unique sound and increases breathing capacity, therefore slightly increasing horsepower.

The early Corvette came with what was called the Blue Flame Six. It had the dual exhaust manifold and three side draft carburetors.

Through the years, there have been a lot of standard manifolds split, and they were done in a wide range of fashion. Sometimes done with a plumbing elbow, just scabbed onto the side of the manifold with just an extra hole exiting the manifold.

There was a rear section offered for splitting the manifold that was actually a separate cast manifold. You would cut the original manifold just behind the heat riser and block it off at that point, making the process quite simple. These are quite rare to find, but make for a nice vintage correct look and are of pretty nice quality, although they don't really look like they match when finished.

I have an example here of a very nice original 235 manifold that has been split, using an original flange from another manifold. It has also been blocked off just behind the heat riser so as to make two separate chambers. In making two separate chambers, it gives the exhaust a definite cackle. If you have pressure equalizing between the chambers, it softens the sound greatly.

The welding of the cast iron is a tricky process. It is best done in conjunction with an oven for preheating and controlled slow cooling after the weld is done. It can be done by Brazing, cast iron welding or nickel allow welding. Keeping the manifold bolted to a head with the intake in place as well, provides for a great jig to prevent warping.

This example here has a very nice tight shaft for the heat riser, with almost no wear on it. Because it is quite an involved process to do a manifold like this, it is not worth the trouble to split one that is not in excellent condition. This one was welded together with nickel alloy rod. A final finish of VHT cast iron paint was applied. This coating holds up very well. I used it on my 1937 Chevy pickup manifold, several years and 30,000 miles ago.
                 Sold                                           For Sale $325

Seattle Roadster Show Pick by Harley Earl's Grandson

The Seattle Roadster show was a three day event. It seems though that it always worked out that for several nights before the event, you were preparing into the early morning hours. There is always a lot of special preparation and detailing to get your car ready for the white glove treatment. This of course means that you will need to have the entire undercarriage absolutely spotless.

The variety of cars entered in a large indoor show such as the Seattle Roadster Show is quite interesting and usually presents something for just about everyone to enjoy. It's rare to see a true classic car in such an event though. They are usually displayed at shows like the Kirkland Concours d' Elegance or Pebble Beach and Forest Grove Concours d' Elegance.

I personally like the cars that are more toward the restoration side rather than the custom or modified side of the spectrum. Classic Car Shows are always interesting as they are almost always geared toward correct restoration.

Slight modification, sometimes to me is fun and really quite practical when it comes to bringing some of the early cars up to a level that makes them functional on today's highways. This doesn't mean you will need an independent aftermarket front end, disc brakes, and a computerized engine and transmission. You certainly don't need a 9 inch Ford rear end either. It's a strong one but if you're not drag racing with a 600hp engine, it's way overkill, and there are plenty of rear ends out there that will work fine for less money.

To me, there is something to be said about using "real car parts" and personally orchestrating a work of art that is both reliable and highly functional on modern roads. Following a "theme" in building that work of art as though it was built by a true hot rodder from the 1950's is what turns my crank. I also like to make subtle upgrades that are almost undetectable by the average car guy. This is what I did with my 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck.

Because I built my truck so different than the majority build their cars, it is something that most people question. I wanted it to look like a 1937 Chevrolet Pickup and not a plastic replica car. In other words I want my outside door handles, hood ornament, original mirrors and all the trimmings that this truck came with. When you open the hood, it still looks like a vintage truck engine, not a modernized kit car. I did use some vintage speed equipment on it but nothing you can buy off the shelf or out of any magazines. When you look in the bed of my truck it looks like a truck bed, not some funny furniture.

In order to make a point, I drove my drum brake, 6 volt, 6 cylinder 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck with 1941 running gear and a R-10 modified overdrive from coast to coast and back on a solo trip in 2007. Cruising speed was 70 mph for most of the trip. It handles fine a 80 mph too but it runs real smooth at 70.

Getting back to the Seattle Roadster Show and the point that I was going to share here:
During the show when I and a couple friends were looking at the cars at the show, we were admiring a 1950's open Cadillac that was a very nice restoration, but it had a cut rate parts store battery in it. That stood out like a sore thumb. As we where looking at it, another guy came up and also made a comment about that battery. In talking to this guy, the question came up "what's your favorite car here?" His answer was "that blue 1937 Chevrolet Pickup". Shortly thereafter he shared that Harley Earl was his grandfather. Was his choice based on the fact that his grandfather was doing the design work for General Motors at that time period?

Kelsey Hayes Bent Spoke 40 Spoke Wire Wheels

Bent Spoke or 40 Spoke are common terms when referring to early Ford 16 inch accessory wheels made by Kelsey Hayes. Kelsey Hayes has made a lot of different wheels throughout the years. Some of them were wire spoke wheels. In fact a lot of them were, in the 1930s. Probably most of the standard wire wheels on production cars where contracted out to Kelsey Hayes. Even the wire wheels on the 1950s Buick Skylarks were made by Kelsey Hayes. The 15 X 5-1/2 inch original accessory artillery wheels that I have on my 1937 Chevy Pickup Truck were also made by Kelsey Hayes.

Ford guys seem to have adapted the terms, Kelsey Hayes, bent spoke and 40 spoke as their own, however you can see a very nice example of those wheels that were made for Chevrolet as a genuine accessory wheel in the early 1930s. They have the bow tie stamped in the center that signifies Genuine Accessory. Comparing the design of the Chevrolet wheels opposed to the Ford wheels of the same type, you will notice a much more pleasing appearance of the center design. They just seem so much more balanced in design appearance.

I had collected these wheels thinking that I would some day build  a teardrop trailer to pull behind my 37 Chevy pickup, but I'm realizing that I probably won't get around to it in this life time. If you are interested in the wheels, you can contact me through the Contact Doug link on the top left of my site here. I also have a nice period correct hitch for the trailer, and possibly a light. THESE WHEELS ARE SOLD

General Jumbo Wheels on 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck

General Jumbo Wheels made by Cleveland Welding or Cleve Weld Wheels that were used for the General Tires and equipped with General Hub Caps give the 1937 Chevrolet Pickup a very unique look. When I first saw this combination on my truck, I thought "nasty". The tires are Good Year Collector Series tires because they are the only tires reproduce in this size that are period correct for the wheels. I now have some custom made Good Year Caps that fit and I have the wheels, tires and hub caps all for sale. Update: My truck has the red Kelsey Hayes artillery wheel back on it now.

2011 Silverado Towing 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck

My 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck is quite a compliment to the new 2011 Chevrolet Silverado. I'm hopeful that this filming of the new Silverado towing the 1937 Chevy in the Cascade mountains of Washington, will actually make it to national television advertising. It was an interesting afternoon spent with the filming crew. We hooked the trailer to the new Silverado about noon and finally disconnected it about 8:00 pm. Though it was raining off and on, filming continued through the afternoon and into the evening, during the summer daylight hours. The crew that did this, was involved with a number of different themes for the national Silverado advertising campaign throughout the week here in the northwest. Keeping my fingers crossed for Superbowl Sunday! Gotta dream right?

1937 Ford Pickup Truck Brakes

Alex wrote:
Where and how do i put brake fluid in my 1937 ford pickup?
Thanks,Alex

Alex obviously is new to vintage vehicles, and that's okay. We all started there at one time. It's good to see new people interested in the hobby.

My answer to Alex:

Alex,
If your 37 Ford is original, you don't have brake fluid. It is a mechanical connection from the pedal to the brakes. Ford did not go to fluid brakes until 1939 and I am not positive that the trucks had fluid yet then. Usually commercial vehicles were a little behind the cars in technology. Mechanical brakes can work great as long as you keep them in good condition and adjusted properly. They do require more adjusting and maintenance than hydraulic brakes do.

A popular conversion is to use the 39 juice brakes on the earlier models, but as you can imagine, it is usually a bit of a hunt and when you find the stuff, you will need a pretty good chunk of change in your pocket to do some serious talking.
Doug

1941 Chevrolet Truck Recirculating Ball Steering in 1937 Pickup

Anonymous asked:

What type of lube did you use in the '41 steering box? Heavyweight oil or just grease?

The 1941 Chevrolet Truck steering box that I used in my 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck is built from NOS parts so consequently, it is nice and tight. The standard lubricant for this is 90 weight gear oil. I have heard of people using grease when they have worn out steering boxes. I do have another set of NOS parts to build another steering box and I have a nice core to build it in.
Not having a way to contact you, I hope you get this information, and it helps.
Doug

1948 Chevrolet Panel Truck With Door Handles Removed

Pete is trying to make his 1948 Chevy Panel Truck a little less of a hassle to get into. Seems some self proclaimed designer decided it would be a good idea to have doors without handles.

Doug

I have a 1948 chevy panel truck (just got a month ago) the front doors are shaved and the person put a keyed switch on the running board to open the window and reach in and unlock the door, but the rear door has a handle not lockable I am wanting to find a lockable handle for the rear to be able to get in still in case I lose battery power. I am think about putting door poppers with remote door locks for the front. Do you know where I might find a lockable handle for this truck? Do you recommend any type of door popper set up?

Thanks for any help or ideas.

Pete

Pete,

I think it is unfortunate that the handles have been removed from your truck. I personally would try to bring that back. I think the object of removing handles was to cut down on wind resistance and I don't think it really makes any difference on your truck. Removing them did however create a nuisance every time you go to open your doors. Guess there was a reason for putting door handles on the vehicle in the first place.

Reminds me of the kids wearing their pants around their knees.

I have a friend that had some parts, and I have asked him to look when he has a chance, to see if he still has some handles. If he does, I will let you know. Otherwise you can probably get some on e-bay if you put your time in.

Doug

1934 Chevrolet Cabriolet image 34 Chevy Cabriolet

1934 Chevrolet Cabriolet in Ox Blood Red and Black Fenders. This Car is nearing completion. We still need some good headlights for it though. The headlights are 1934 Master only. If you have some headlights that are worthy of restoration, and are willing to part with them, please use the Contact Doug link.

Hotrodarama 2010 My pick for Best of Show 1932 Ford Coupe

An inline six is not what you would normally expect to see in a 1932 Ford Coupe hot rod. Probably the number one choice would be a flat head v-8.

The Chevrolet 261 bored to 278 and sporting the extremely rare 12 port Wayne head is what makes this such a refreshing work of art. On top of the 5 carb mainifold you will see 5 very rare large logo Stromberg 81 carbs. These were the carbs that came on the little V-8 60 flatty.

It is using a Spalding cam for opening passage through the 12 ports in the Wayne head, that holds the 12.5-1 compression of combustable and allows passage of waste. This little inline six pumps out some healthy ponies.

I personally think you'd be hard pressed to find a Ford flathead that could keep up with this Wayne powered vintage style hot rod.

The Joe Hunt Scintilla magneto does the job of turning the vintage 1940's early 50's Stewert Warner mechanical tachometer, as well as starting the fires in the cylinders.

At the rear is a much desired Halibrand Culver City V-8 Quickchange.

1940 Lincoln brakes for stopping,Okie Adams dropped axle and 49 Ford F-1 steering box, with a 1937 Lincoln Zephry steering wheel keep this hot rod going down the road in a controlled fashion.

The 1932 Auburn dash ads a little finishing touch to the interior.

Yes, the wheels are real halibrand mags and knock offs. They are 16x5 and 16x6.

Keeping to a theme seems to be quite a difficult task for car builders. It seems that some things always have to be made better than the period offered. Pat and the builder did a much better job than most on this one.

I sincerely feel this was by far the best example of a vintage style hot rot at the 2010 Hotrod-A-Rama. My hat is off to Pat, Butch and the others involved in this work of art.

Cruise in at the Bomber Car Show

Hot Rods, Classic Cars and Street Rods were all present at the Cruise in at the Bomber, Car Show. Arriving late meant that we had to park on the other side of the street. We got out of there before the awards but I did get a few pictures of a few of the cars. The 1935 Cadillac is one that especially caught my eye.

We were on our way to the ocean at Newport and hoped to make the Toledo Show but leaving Kingston WA in the morning and driving my 1937 Chevrolet pickup truck just took a lot longer than the trip would have in the bomber, when it was still flying.

I had a little bad luck on the way down as I was cruising 75mph, my right hand wiper flipped up over the top and ended up on the highway where it probably has been ground into the pavement pretty well by now. I'm glad I have picked up a few more spares off e-bay because those Trico 5ply blades are getting harder and harder to find.

Remembering to remove the tandem wiper arm assembly when I'm doing highway speeds is something I need to work on cause this was the second time I lost a blade like that. The other time, I had that inline six pushing the 37 Chevy down the road at over 80mph.

Here's some good pictures of the car show, and one of my truck at the bridge at Newport Oregon.

1934 Chevrolet Cabriolet Restoration

In 1934 Chevrolet made one of the most beautiful cars in the history of the company. This 1934 Chevrolet Cabriolet is being restored to exacting standards. We had to recast the 1934 Chevrolet Cabriolet Windshield on this one because the original was in bad condition. We recast it in bronze to replace the original pot metal frame.

Side Shaft 7-1/2 hp Gasoline Engine Hit and Miss

This vintage Gasoline engine was built by Ruston-Hornsby Company in 1912. When resistance is applied, and rpm drops, it fires more frequently in order to maintain the rpm. This is much different than the modern day engines that fire regularly on every forth stroke or every second stroke, depending on whether it is a 4 or 2 stroke engine. This video was taken at the 2010 Arlington WA Air Show.

The owner wrote that the engine was most likely used to run an overhead shaft which in turn ran a flex shaft that ran clippers for shearing sheep in the outback of Australia as it was shipped to Sydney from England where it was built.

The tower in the right side was actually the cooling radiator. Water was pumped up to where in ran down over the screens to cool the water.

General Jumbo Cleve-Weld Wheel

General Tire company offered a wheel/tire combination in the early 30s. Here is a nice example of what you would get. There aren't any appropriate General tires available for these General Jumbo rims, although you can get a period correct Good Year tire that fits. That is what I intend to do for my 37 Chevy Pickup Truck. It will certainly set my truck further apart from anything else out there.

1934 Chevrolet Goodrich Tire Original

Original 1934 Chevrolet tires are a rare thing to see. I would like to see one of the reproduction tire manufacturers take one of these five original tires that we have, and make a nice copy. I did offer it to one of the companies and all I got was, "We don't do custom orders" He couldn't understand that I was offering him an opportunity. At least that's what I thought. We would certainly be the first to buy a set if they were reproduced. These tires are beautiful, but they are only good for static display. Being 75 years old, you wouldn't want to tour on them. The spare tire doesn't look like it's hit the ground. It looks like we painted the red on the tire to match the wheel, but we didn't. The red on the tire was actually done that way originally.

Installing a 302 in the 1936 Ford

Les wants to put a 302 Ford engine in his late father's 1936 Ford to complete his dad's plan for the car.

Hello Doug,
 

I am currently attempting to finish the engine conversion that my father, Phil Diez had started and then suddenly passed away half way through. He was one of the original Tampa Knights and an early pioneer in real steel street rods in the 70s and 80s. I have inherited his 36/ 5 window coupe and wish he was here to pick his brain on how the heck he was going to shovel the 302 he built to replace the 327 that was originally installed.  He had cut the firewall and I have 2 special motor mount flat plates that I believe he was going to use. In a quick mock up placing the engine and tranny into the car , the engine really protrudes into the gas pedal area etc. if the fan is going to clear the radiator.. I have been flying over in Afghanistan and Iraq and am now home for good and want to try and finish the installation. It is a beautiful car that was his proudest achievement. He is a real old school resto rod streetrodder and Nascar sportsmen legend from the Tampa bay area. Cecil Taylor of Hercules Motors was a big help in letting me safely store the car at his shop until I could arrange to have it hauled to North East Ohio several years ago. What started the conversion idea was when Don Garlits was picking on him for not having a Ford in a Ford now that a rear sump option is available. ( They went to high school together) Originally he was going to install one of his old Offy powered flat heads in there but elected to build a Boss 302 instead. He was on Social security disability the last 10 years and had to watch his pennies.  Anyway, I would like to honor him with the completion and take the car to the Tampa NSRA Nats some year in the future so that all of his friends can see that it was possible and etc. I would be very appreciative of any guidance I could receive.

Best regards

Les

Les,

I encourage you to look at shortening the water pump in an attempt to fit the engine in between the original firewall and radiator. Another option is to use a 260 water pump. If you can find one, it will save on machine work expense. You may also need to shorten your fan blades slightly, in order to clear the lower outlet on the radiator. You can also pressurize your radiator in order to enhance the cooling ability. 

Hope this information helps. 

Thanks for presenting you question,

Doug

1937 Chevrolet Panel Truck

1937 Chevrolet Panel Truck shown here in an original photo offered by Darrins Photoclique on E-bay. This is a great photo showing what the custom pickup truck, in my previous blog post looked like before it was customized.

1937 Chevrolet Custom Pickup Truck

This 1937 Chevrolet Panel Delivery was converted to a Pickup Truck, similar to an El Camino. Who knows, maybe it was the inspiration for the El Camino. This original, vintage photo was used with permission from Darrins Photoclique.

1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck Cross Country Tour

My 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck and I made the trip from Seattle Washington area to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and back in August and Sept of 07. This was a solo trip.

The most modern mechanical part of my truck is the 1960 235ci inline six truck engine. The rest of the running gear, and steering etc is 1941 Chevrolet truck. It does have a R-10 Borg Warner overdrive spliced into the torque tube, that was removed from an early 60's Rambler transmission.

The 37 is still equipped with 6 volt system but has been upgraded to 1941 as well. The advancements that were made in those few years were quite amazing. The brakes are basically the same as 37 and they work great. In fact, I can apply brakes at 50mph, hard with hands off the steering wheel! The brakes will lock too, so I am mystified why everyone thinks that they need disc brakes. Mine don't chatter!!

Cruising at the 70mph speed limit in 100 degree temperature was no problem either. I did experience vapor lock when stopping at the rest stops, so when I stopped, I lifted the hood and allowed the air to flow through. That solved the problem.

At one point in North Dakota when I pulled into a rest stop, I ended up driving through a herd of Buffalo. After parking, I found out that they do ram vehicles and charge people. Oops. Well they must have thought my truck looked like one of them cause they didn't ram it.

There was a lot of picture taking along the way when people would drive up along side, going down the freeway, so they could get an image on their camera.

I had never driven across country before, so there was a lot for me to take in, on the journey. I don't think there could be a more enjoyable way to make the trip. I spent a couple hours at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and got a lot of pictures of the vintage race cars in the museum. They wouldn't let me take my 37 Chevy around the track, but we did make the tour in a bus.

Being a pilot myself, Kitty Hawk and the museum there was another wonderful highlight of the trip.

Classic Car Tire Repair Original Ad

Tire repair was easy with So-Lo. Just spread it on with your butter knife.

Tire failure was common in the early years. This was the land of opportunity too, so you could make and market just about anything, as is obvious in this other example of the Glare Shields for Blinding Headlights.

I really don't think you'd want to patch a tire like this and drive any distance or at any speed although, you might be able to limp along to the next repair station if you didn't have far to go. This added goop might just save the inner tube from getting punctured.

1936 Ford Front End Assembly

Assembling a 1936 Ford front end is not an easy task. Generally it has to be assembled on the floor and set on the chassis as a unit composed of fenders, front horn panels, grill, inner fenders, radiator, lower nose panel, headlamp mounts, front inner panels, hood latch hooks, oil cloth between the sheet metal, inner grill panel, and stainless fender bead. I'm probably forgetting something here too, just pulling things off the top of my head.

Because the positioning of all the pieces determines the final fit of the hood and whole front end, it is difficult and quite time consuming. It generally requires a lot of positioning and repositioning, to get that "perfect fit". Now understand I don not believe there is a perfect car out there. It is only perfect to the eyes of most when you get it to a level that is usually attainable with much dedication, expertise and patience.

I have developed a Radiator jig to simplify the assembly of the 1936 Ford front sheet metal assembly. Because I have had a lot of experience with them, I finally decided it was well worth the time to fabricate the Radiator jig, rather than fight the assembly process again. In doing so, it has allowed me to assemble and adjust the front sheet metal, on the car, rather than building it on the floor and then putting in on the chassis.

1970 280 SL Mercedes Classic Collector Car Insurance Claim

Doug's Classic Coachworks was chosen to do the collision repair on this very nice low mileage 1970 Mercedes Benz 280SL classic car. It's fortunate and quite surprising that Mercedes still offers parts for this car. If you have access to a mid early 1980's Mitchel Crash estimating guide, you will find that you can multiply the parts prices by 10 and you'll be very close to current pricing. I was able to locate and borrow a manual from a local shop that has been in business for some time and saved some of the books from back then. I had a subscription back then but those manuals are long gone now.

The parts that I was able to get from the Mercedes dealer for this 1970 280SL are basically very nice. I did however find some substantial defects in the fender, and show that in one of the pictures. I had to pull the spline out of the rear portion of the fender, and separate the two part spline in order to get it to lay down properly. The fender was also chopped off square and too short, which required adding on to it.

We had to go with a used air cleaner canister because it was unavailable from Mercedes. The secondary AC condenser that sits behind the bumper will need repair as it is unavailable. Obviously it would be the first thing to be destroyed in most front end collisions. It is constructed of copper tubing and covered with aluminum tubing and fins. It's a rather unusual design but we will be able to save most of the condenser capacity by sectioning in some new tubing where it is smashed.

More pictures will be added as the project advances, so bookmark this link and come back again. Thanks, Doug

Undercoating a Mercedes correctly is not done with a can of rubberized undercoat. Mercedes used a very dense and heavy undercoating. This material is of waterbase makeup. Consequently, you will need to clean and prep the surface properly and coat the bare metal with epoxy primer so that the bare metal does not rust from the water in the undercoating. Compensation for this procedure is sometimes difficult to get from the insurance companies, however I will not compromise the repair process as a result.