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Old 11-07-2012, 07:42 AM   #1
Bruce/CT
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Default 1936 ford body help

Hi,

Help please. Sorry if this is long but I'm trying to be complete.

I have my 1936 Body up on blocks and have the cowl and rear bumper bolt holes attached to a Rotisserie. I still have 4X4's and cement blocks under it. I have a new set of Bradley Floor Pans and am ordering Sub Rail pieces from McPherson Metalworks in Kansas. My floors are intact with small rot out areas. They have been patched by prior owners. I have cross-braced the cockpit with 1X1 steel.

I had hoped to turn the body up 90 degrees and put in the Sub Rails BUT with significant rot at the Drivers side Cowl and the Sub Rail completely rotted at the Cowl, I am concerned that there will NOT be enough support at the Drivers front corner. I am afraid things will twist before I can do the repair.

I have entertained the idea of moving the front 4X4 pillars towards the rear and removing the front rotisserie.They I could do that corners work and the put it back on the rotisserie.

Any comments?

Thanks,
Bruce
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Old 11-07-2012, 08:34 AM   #2
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

Bruce, I would bolt it back on the frame and work from that foundation. Line up the doors before cutting anything out. I bought a 36 roadster once that had all the floor work done off the frame and nothing would fit when mounted back on the frame. Hope this helps, Dale.
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Old 11-07-2012, 08:38 AM   #3
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

Bruce, If it were me I would not want to weld anything that is structural on the rotisserie. I think you should fit the subrails and floors to the body while it is still on the frame. I would do my cleanup and finish welds on the rotisserie after doing as much as possible while it is on the frame and also make sure all of the panels such as doors , running boards , fenders etc. fit before removing it from the frame after making the repairs.
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Old 11-07-2012, 08:59 AM   #4
Kurt in NJ
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

My 36 had work done on the subrails near the cowl, it was done off the frame -thought having door braces from hinge points to striker would be enough----when the body was put back on the frame it didn't fit, the right door post sits 1/4" high, worked for weeks shimming, adjusting doors,then decided it has to come back off the frame ----you need to set the body up on the rotisseri in away that the frame can be test fit and the door alignment checked before all the welds are finished---

Another thing I have learned is when you think all the body parts are fixed, all the dents out, and everything is in primer --put it all together to check alignments and fit , do it before final paint ---making adjustments that require cutting, driling and welding are much harder when you don't want to scratch the paint----bolt up the doors, fenders, grille, hood, take a few steps back and look at the lines.
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Old 11-07-2012, 09:18 AM   #5
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

I had my 36 5 w on the frame,lined all the bolt holes up supporting the body to frame,using what ever to keep the body in position,cut out the old rockers and floor taking measurements before cutting out the old parts.rebuilt the rocker strips front to back.then layed the new floor pans in working with the transmission cover in place as a guide and the tunnel in place for the length ,take time and get things square,then drill and use sheet metal screws to hold everything ,maybe hang doors to check for fit,.I then drilled the sub rails and plug welded to floor pan and tunnel remove screws and weld up holes.there are raised pla es on the new pans that should line up with the frame rails .,in the middle of new pans,these are a good guide to align the pans also before drilling for sheet metal screws make sure you get the frame rails centered in these bosses of floor pan.I believe I had to trim a small amount on the outer sides to get a good fit,hope this helps some.
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Old 11-07-2012, 01:15 PM   #6
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

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(1) Repair the corner so you retain the hole for mounting.Trial fit the door .
(2) With the bracing in place remove the old floor
(3) Mount the new floor and rockers on the chassis
(4) Lower the body over it
(5) Aline all, bolt and clamp in place ,
(6) Fit all the small panels doors ,Hood, Grill bumper irons ,fenders
(7) When you are satisfied of aliment ,tack weld the body mounting points at each pillar
(8) Screw the Rocker and floor together ,bolt across the K member .and rockers into the side of frame .
(9) Repair any lower body Patches .tack them in .
(10) remove it from chassis ,Final weld every thing and into the rockers from underneath ,*
* your choice
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Old 11-07-2012, 03:23 PM   #7
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

Thanks for the great replies. Good food for thought.
Any other ideas.
Bruce
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Old 11-07-2012, 03:38 PM   #8
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

My '35 had no floor or body mounts at all when I got it. I started by making the mounts to the frame first with the frame at ride height on jackstands so things didn't move around. I made sure the door openings fit the doors, and then added the floor from there. This method seems to have worked pretty well. By doing it this way, the frame is almost like a jig to hold everything in place.
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Old 11-07-2012, 10:48 PM   #9
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

Quote:
Originally Posted by uncle buck View Post
Bruce, If it were me I would not want to weld anything that is structural on the rotisserie. I think you should fit the subrails and floors to the body while it is still on the frame. I would do my cleanup and finish welds on the rotisserie after doing as much as possible while it is on the frame and also make sure all of the panels such as doors , running boards , fenders etc. fit before removing it from the frame after making the repairs.
Lots of good advice here and in other replies. The body must be locked in position when rust repairs are done. Even then it is imperative that you guard against the welding pulling the body as it cools causing the car to end up with door fit too tight. I have always started with lower cost rusty bodies and there are some lessons learned the hard way that are never forgotten. With good planning and patience you can make a pretty rough car very good but make sure it is supported and braced well.

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Old 11-08-2012, 07:25 AM   #10
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

Problems. I can probably reattach the doors but some of my bracing might prevent them from closing. The Running Boards are in a box, having been rubberized By Acuff. I would hate to mess them up.
Would putting the fenders back without the Runing board help me at all?
Bruce
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Old 11-08-2012, 07:31 AM   #11
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

Bruce I agree with a number of the prior comments. I had someone help me with my 32 Body. When I brought it to him he asked where the frame was. I told him that I had tacked in the right areas and not to worry about it. Well guess what occurred when I picked it up and refitted to the frame it was way off on the back side and I had to tear part of the inner body up to even get it to sit right. Tom G
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Old 11-08-2012, 01:28 PM   #12
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

You wont need the brace when its back on the chassis. The guy doing this Coup in the picture ,is a very good body man all the sections except the rear panel is hand made , hes not using bracing .You can tape cardboard over your running boards as you will You need aliment of them if you are doing B pillar patches .You could use some calipers to take reference points .if you are working say on the rear wheel wells for instances you prepare your patch then over lay it on the rusty section then scribe around it for the cut line ,that way you can get the holes lined up .Be careful about were you rear bumper irons attach .The body hight here is important .Believe me ! I am offering this from experience and the mistakes I made .The maroon 35 coup was brought back from the dead,by another body man , a old stock car that had extensive damage ,The front fenders had 3" of the edges (rolls ) replaced plus the roof cut a stretched to fix door gaps .Are you doing a coup ??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce/CT View Post
Problems. I can probably reattach the doors but some of my bracing might prevent them from closing. The Running Boards are in a box, having been rubberized By Acuff. I would hate to mess them up.
Would putting the fenders back without the Runing board help me at all?
Bruce
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Old 11-08-2012, 01:45 PM   #13
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

You can get things lined up cut ect, then remove your running boards for welding .
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Old 11-08-2012, 02:45 PM   #14
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

Hi All,
This is my plan as of now. It's open to change.
I'm going to weld patches on the the frame then move the body onto the frame. Bolt the frame and body back together, just snug. Then I'm going to put back the old running boards plus doors and all fenders. They are good enough for fitting up. Then temporarily sheet metal screw the subrails and floor pans to align them. Then I will tack and then full MIG weld everything.
Comments welcome!!
Bruce in CT
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Old 11-08-2012, 02:50 PM   #15
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

Hi Ted,
You are right on. My rear passengenger corner was in an accident. The frame behind the rear wheel is solid but bent in and the rear crossmember is bent. I haven't decided how I will deal with the bent side frame yet. I bought a new rear crossmember from Precision Coachworks. The rear bumpers did fit OK before dis-assembly.
The prior repair was just more layerrs of lead.
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Old 11-08-2012, 03:31 PM   #16
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

Sounds like you are on the Money Bruce .take somthing from all the good posters,
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Old 11-08-2012, 07:44 PM   #17
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

After aligning everything WELD THE DOORS SHUT! Tack weld small pieces in the gaps, in a manner that allows for removale when done.
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Old 11-08-2012, 11:22 PM   #18
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

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After aligning everything WELD THE DOORS SHUT! Tack weld small pieces in the gaps, in a manner that allows for removale when done.
I personally do not like to do this. If the body ends up under stress, you will not know it until you cut it loose. I prefer to be able to open and close the doors and constantly check the gaps.

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Old 11-09-2012, 10:07 PM   #19
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

this thread is timely for me as I just acquired a 36 4 door sedan with bad floors, rockers, and marginal front cowl corners.
The 36 frame looks pretty bad in places but I have a 39 good frame to transfer the body to and do the repairs.
I was thinking of building a cross braced frame from 1 or 2 inch square tubing on the inside and moving the body but after reading all of the above was wondering if it makes sense to do some of the repairs like the front cowls on the original frame and then transfer to the good frame for the major repairs.
Fenders, running boards, and fenders appear like they have never been off the car.
All the bots are rusty and will likely break during removal.
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Old 11-09-2012, 10:15 PM   #20
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Default Re: 1936 ford body help

Listen to Ted; he is a most excellent restorer of these things and knows what he's talking about. About all I can add is to make sure the chassis is square and straight firstly, because everything else directly or indirectly hangs off that!
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