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1939 Chevy coupe

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  • #91
    Originally posted by DanStokes View Post
    Looks great! I'm lazy enough that I went to the good hardware store and bought gage-sized hole saws which did the job well. I DID have the cut out the rectangles for the Auber digital gages and the Monarch tach readout but that wasn't TOO had with the Fein saw (kind of like a cast saw).

    Dan
    I couldn't locate a 3 3/8" holesaw at my upper end hardware store. They had the same ones I had.

    I'm unsure if I'll leave the brushed aluminum finish it has now, or put a covering, or paint it? Have to decide after I decide what color to paint the dash. I'm contemplating doing the faux wood finish that some Master Deluxe Chevys had on their dash. If so, I might do a cream color or tan to go with the wood look.

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    • #92
      if you're careful, you can use an adjustable can-light drywall cutter to cut aluminum. Slow, steady with the metal screwed to a wood bench...
      Doing it all wrong since 1966

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      • #93
        Originally posted by 1946Austin View Post

        I'm unsure if I'll leave the brushed aluminum finish it has now, or put a covering, or paint it? Have to decide after I decide what color to paint the dash. I'm contemplating doing the faux wood finish that some Master Deluxe Chevys had on their dash. If so, I might do a cream color or tan to go with the wood look.
        A word of caution: I did Mutt's dash in shiny aluminum and it blinded me at the track. My buddy Dave Rackley (mentioned him before) said "Sand it" and that did the trick. The moral of the story is that shiny dash bits can be a bad thing depending on how much sun you're in. I'd think a wood grain w/semi gloss clear might be nice.

        Dan

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        • #94
          Originally posted by SuperBuickGuy View Post
          if you're careful, you can use an adjustable can-light drywall cutter to cut aluminum. Slow, steady with the metal screwed to a wood bench...
          I have one of those and didn't even think of trying it. I'm sure it would take some time as thick as the aluminum is, but the holesaw wasn't exactly fast either! Had to keep adding cutting fluid to ensure the teeth wouldn't get loaded up.

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          • #95
            Originally posted by DanStokes View Post

            A word of caution: I did Mutt's dash in shiny aluminum and it blinded me at the track. My buddy Dave Rackley (mentioned him before) said "Sand it" and that did the trick. The moral of the story is that shiny dash bits can be a bad thing depending on how much sun you're in. I'd think a wood grain w/semi gloss clear might be nice.

            Dan
            Friend of mine mentioned using faux engine turned contact vinyl like he put on his Willys pickup truck. It does look good, and is old school as I like. Might go that route maybe. Still want to do the dashboard different and try my hand at the wood grain look.

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            • #96


              I got a couple dozen holes welded up in my firewall this morning. I have no idea what the vast majority of these holes were even for? Can't begin to imagine on some of them? Of course they were the usual PITA to weld and not blow out too. The bigger holes got filler plates welded in, and 1/4" or smaller just got welded.



              Then a coat of All Metal over them to finish them off.



              After that I sanded down the dashboard and gave it a shot of 2x primer. Then another sanding and a 2nd coat. Some spots have some rust pits, (like the glovebox door) but most of it is pretty nice shape.

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              • #97
                Got my 3/8" heim joints, so made up the shifter arm. The lever I got for the trans is an aluminum piece and when I bolted the heim to it the head of the bolt hit the trans in reverse or park. Stupid design with no offset. It's 5/16" thick, and not easily bent, so I countersunk the backside and used a flathead allen bolt to attach the heim and it cleared fine.
                Lots of adjustment as each heim end has an inch. So I installed it, and adjusted travel to make 1st-4th easiest to reach, and just a little bit farther to get to park and reverse.

                1st


                Park


                The stupid shaft on the trans drove me nuts trying to find a nut. Then I remembered it's new enough to be metric!! It's a 10x1.5mm, so went and bought one.
                On the way home my trusty '69 Suburban was fine for 3 or 4 stops, and then in the parking lot of the parts store it wouldn't start! I could hear it trying to pull in, but wouldn't crank. The parts store checked the battery and said it was great. I reached down between the headers and tried to twist the hot cable and it moved! I cranked it CW to see if it could be tightened and it started up after that. So had to climb under it when I got home and give it a good wrenching to ensure it was really tight. Not sure how this stuff loosens with a lock washer on it?

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                • #98
                  An OREGON thing.

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                  • #99
                    Got my front brakes fully assembled today, right down to the hoses. No lines yet. Then I pulled the rear tires and put on my 1.5" billet spacers. The guy who custom makes these tells me they're the only spacer allowed by NHRA. Very nice quality! So the tires are sitting out just where I wanted them now.
                    But of course I had to cut clearance on my fenders to allow them to hang out a bit. Just close for now as I'll do one more layout and cut the openings exactly where I want them. Whoever repaired these fenders used 3/8" rod, and it wasn't even down in the recess in most places. I cut the tack welds and the rod came right out.



                    So now I'm looking for input from you guys as to possibly doing a bit more trimming. If you look at the image above you'll notice I marked the front edge of the fender where it meets the body. The fender hangs down past the body because of the original running boards. I'll never use running boards on a car myself, and I think this extra looks odd. But I'd like to hear from you guys as to whether it looks OK, or if I should just trim them off where I have the mark? Feel free to give your honest thoughts before I get to cutting!

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                    • I'd shorten them - at minimum put a radius there to eliminate the suggestion it's missing running boards....
                      Doing it all wrong since 1966

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                      • X2.
                        Ed, Mary, & 'Earl'
                        HRPT LongHaulers, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.


                        Inside every old person is a young person wondering, "what the hell happened?"

                        The man at the top of the mountain didn't fall there. -Vince Lombardi

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                        • Originally posted by SuperBuickGuy View Post
                          I'd shorten them - at minimum put a radius there to eliminate the suggestion it's missing running boards....
                          Thinking maybe I'll alter my mark and make the cut parallel to the existing lower edge now, instead of the curved line I drew.

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                          • Just a reminder picture from when I bought the '39. It shows how much longer that front of the fender really is!

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                            • did you / are you going to do the same to the front fenders? I am cursed with a symmetric disorder!

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                              • Originally posted by cstmwgn View Post
                                did you / are you going to do the same to the front fenders? I am cursed with a symmetric disorder!
                                Too early to tell. I've never really set the one piece frontend on the car and looked at how it fits. At least not set on close enough to stand back and really assess it. My shop is so small I really can't have it inside until I'm ready for it. So it's sitting outside wrapped up in a tarp to protect it until I'm ready to put it on.
                                But I believe the running boards go under the front fenders, so they don't hang down as far as the rear. If so, then they shouldn't need trimming.
                                Last edited by 1946Austin; October 20, 2019, 11:19 AM.

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