30 Coupe. Gonna Have To Raise the Dead

[Flop]

picked this up today . almost feel like i stole it for the price i paid. going to need a subframe and patches all the way around but i kinda like a challenge !!

.

more pics when i get it out of the truck!!

[Milton]

I'll be ready to see them as long as my mouse arm can hold up. The bummer is you don't get paid to do this one, but you will be rewarded.

[Banky]

Nice!

[Gumpy]

been looking for one of those for a friend,,,enjoy your new project!

[Flop]

should be a fun project ! needs about 1000 dollars worth of subframe and i can make the rest of the patches except for the wheel wells

[Banky]

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Get on that shit yo!

[Flop]

this is gonna be a rough one.

finally got the car in the shop . shes missing alot of metal!

[Barry B./ Ma.]

Looks good Flop. My 29 Special coupe looked worse , had to replace the cowl and many body and subrail parts weren't available in 1980. Have fun!

[Flop]

well i started on my coupe today . firewall is coming out . going to get it sand blasted and then start on the subframe and mount the firewall to that then build the car around that !

spot welds



i couldn't get the screws out of the top of the tank /firewall

i wouldn't recommend this with any kind of fumes in the tank .this car is dry as a bone in the tank with no odors




i welded nuts to the top of the screw heads and they come right out . didnt have to grind the heads off etc etc .

[DGNY]

If anyone can do this, it's you! We all appreciate your detailed photo essays on metal reconstruction, particularly sub-frames and junction areas!

Regards,

Dyson

[Flop]

thanks jeff! i Will keep the pictures coming DGNY

got the firewall out today .had to drill out the last 4 rivets on the door post area




also got the firewall out of another roadster project today as well

over 50 spot welds uncounted numbers rivets and bolts on the floor ..looks like i manufacture metal shavings



headed to the sand blaster tomorrow!!

[jkeesey]

Id patch it up and run it the way it is but that's just me. Is that a Waylon or Shooter sticker on the back window of your truck?

[Greg Jones]

Keep em coming, Flop, you are an inspiration to get me off my rear end and do some stuff!

[montanafordman]

I think there is a special place in heaven reserved for people that resurrect cars like this. Nice work and good luck with your project! We're all anxious to see the results as they come in!

edit: - What are your plans for the car? looks like it was incomplete (just the body?) and even if you rodded it you might get a pass on that one... Thinking of selling it, putting it back together as a stock coupe, or hopping it up a bit? Looking forward to your progress!

[Flop]

now way to just patch this car up jkeesy the car is a mess top to bottom . and it is a waylon decal .

im trying to get a few hours in between customer stuff greg

thanks montana . this car i hate to say will be a traditional hot rod no not a rat rod. i cant stand those cars. shiny paint etc .. i know i just lost a ton of ford barn points with that one haha . but i will have to get the alot of the car back to stock before i start on any of the hot rod stuff. i hope you guys still follow along .

the previous owner decided to go at the hinges with a torch for what ever reason which really makes me mad since 4 screws came out with a screw driver and a few taps with a hammer. im sure if i woulda soaked the screws with some blaster and heat the all would have came loose.



a stack of ruined hinges



all the hinges out and a pile of 1930 ford metal haha



doesnt look like much but to me its progress. firewall out .doors off and hinges off. pretty soon the cowl will go to the blasters.

[Steve Wastler]

I am envious of you guys getting the time in the garage to work on your projects. There just aren't enough hours in the day for me to even touch mine. Hope this changes soon. My Fordor was delivered in late Feb. And have yet had the time to pull the cover completely off, oh well one day....

Progress is looking really good for you, keep em coming!

[montanafordman]

Nice! You won't get a complaint from me. Hot rods have their place too, and while I prefer stock model A's if a hot rod is done right (and tastefully)they are very cool and get other people into our hobby as well. You might get some frowns if it had been a rust free and complete original car but this one is not complete and is getting some serious TLC and a new lease on life so I applaud you for that. As much grief as hot rodders get around here they are a great source for original parts for some of us. You have also breathed new life into others stock models A's so your talent is an asset to both groups. Its too bad I can't send my coupe to you to fix some of my random firewall holes. Good luck on the project and nice work!

[Milton]

Hot Rod???? Well nobody's perfect, including yours truly.

[Flop]

thanks alot guys makes me feel a little better but this body is preettttty bad after i got the cowl off of the car today if you could restore this one back to orig god bless you little heart haha !!





cowl removed looks really weird now!



late 31 truck tank at the top and the 30 tank at the bottom .the little differences are amazing

[Tinbasher]

Yup!! Looks like a standard Canadian restoration. You guys down south are so spoiled!! Know wonder your cars turn out so well!!

Just a bit of fun, keep up the good work.

The Old Tinbasher

[glenn in camino]

Youi are a brave and talented guy. I've always started with the best, most complete Model As I could find.

[Richard Wilson]

Originally Posted by glenn in camino

I've always started with the best, most complete Model As I could find.

Really good advice from Glenn. My version is "always start with the best, most complete Model A that you can afford." In my world those are usually not the same ones Glenn is talking about.

[Flop]

hey thanks guys !! i skipped some hot rods steps i took but still figured you would like to see some structure pictures and maybe the measurements will help someone out down the line

well almost time to get the patches put in

fixed the inner structure tonite

i had one side that i could take some measurements from lucikly

not the prettiest but it worked. from right below the bottom hinge bolt to the bottom of the post is 7 & 15/16ths



and the other side



and how it turned out





also got one side of the firewall spotwelded in again !

[Flop]

this thing is getting less rusty by the day ! subframe connectors in ! patches tomorrow!



re-riveting these rad support brackets really made my day for some reason!




and if anyone needs some meaurements.. its 15 inches from the 90 degree angle where the subframe connector meets the inner pillar up to the support on the upper pillar that surrounds where the arm from the firewall enters.( if that makes any sense)!

[Flop]

sorry there is a little hot rod thrown in but i figure you guys would still like to see the rust repair

got some patches from snyders today . i expected them to be the full bottom but nope.

the tig likes those gaps tight!



all welded up



i guess they dont expect people to be fixing super rotten cars . so i had to add this piece



in place



this little piece was the biggest pain of the day took a few attempts to figure out how to make the weird bead shape



and this is it all said and done minus the rivet to the subframe connector

[Flop]

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passenger side lower cowl . got the major welding done now just have to do the 2 detail pieces that dont come on the patch panel .

[CountrySquire55]

Love seeing pictures of your work. You are a master with metal!

[Banky]

Unreal man!

[peters180a/170b]

Beautiful work.... Now i am sorry passing up on another 180A body to be restored. It would of been a walk in the park for you. If you have a spot at HERSHEY MEET this fall showing your work let us know.

[Not George]

Kinda figured it would be a hot rod from the first post, but that's OK.

[Tom H.]

Really nice work. Just my opinion, but I think if you have the talent to repair that body, you should build it into anything you want.

[Flop]

thanks alot every one i really do appreciate all of your comments !!

peters.. I will be at hershey but I will be doing some shopping . it would be nice to meet up with some of you folks if you have spots!! then I am heading to Jersey after to work in a shop out there for a few days .

i got a pm about how i made the weird break /bead on the fire wall . so hopefully this will help some of you guys out down the road if you ever have to make this piece.

this took me a while to figure out but its relatively easy once you know how to do it .

fold a piece of steel in half . i started it by hand then finished the job with a body hammer



unfold then find a way to make the bead deeper . i myself used a small opening in my vice with the chisel end of the body hammer made it more pronounced



then i had to work it more to match the bead once it was on the car



and thats what it looks like all finished up



also had to make this piece but its just a simple break



still have to fill a few pits but im about 99% done with the cowl now!!

[Flop]

snyders sells the cross channels for 75. i had 25 dollars worth of sheetmetal and labor into them from the local hvac shop

[Kevin in Mass]

Verrry nice work!

[Walt Dupont--Me.]

What's that flathead in one of those pic up against the wall with the finned heads and the exh manifolds on top? Is that a Caddy? Walt

[Flop]

thanks Kevin!

Walt that is a 41 caddy flathead

picked this up at canfield as well

the holes cancel out how solid this panel is !!

[Flop]

worked on the panel under the decklid today been a while since i messed with my own stuff

[Flop]

before




and some after action



progress !! now gotta wait till hershey to find some doors and hinges and maybe the inside of a decklid .

[C26Pinelake]

Sell it for parts !

[C26Pinelake]

Without being obnoxious, do you have any idea how much this project is going to cost you ? That might be the best place to start ( figureing cost ) before putting welding torch to work. I think you relaize by now that no matter how little you paid for it you definitely did not steal it !
The seller likely has a big grin on his face that he was able to find a buyer !!

[zzlegend]

Great work Flop. Your saving another one.

[28-31]

Excellent repair, Tom -- can't even tell the holes were there.

[Flop]

thanks ZZ

thanks Jeff

hershey was good . some doors and hinges for me!!




insta progress

[Mitch]

Flop,

Looks like you have 2 different size doors. The one shown with the cowl appears too big for a coupe. The one in previous picture on the left should be the one for the coupe. Am I missing something?

[ckulchar]

Amazing

[Flop]

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both are coupe doors and measure in at 27-5/8th as all of my tudor/pickup doors measure in around 29 inches. seems to be an optical illusion since the left corner of the door on the right is kicked out .





there will be some shrinking ahead of me

[Flop]

for being really nice doors they still had a ton of work that needed to be done to them



i screwed up and used patches instead of making the cowl panels myself now im into this mess .





all in all the door came out awesome and i will have to cut the cowl out with a piece i make myself

[Flop]

well it was after 5 oclock ... time to work on my own stuff!!



pretty sure this was the first time the car was split since 1930

really not that bad in my opinion .





it looks like a car and not a pile!!

i can see some light and seeing it like this gives me a huge push in motivation!



doors out and low at the bottom due to no body side hinge !

[Flop]

heres the next big step . i took the template off of a beautiful quarter panel on a roadtser i am doing as well . the bead is thoroughly shot the whole way around and missing from the bottom .

i want to try to make it all in one piece on the bead roller .

[Will Ziegler in LI NY]

The wheel opening is different, how? Don't they use the same fender?

[Flop]

interested in that as well . coupe and roadster same fender right ? pattern came off and fits around the bead perfectly . the quarter behind the door is longer but what else is different?

[Flop]

well kept the midnight oil burning on this one after customer work was done .

some sheetmetal . transfered the template to some 18 gauge then ran it through the bead roller to make the step .



all kinds of measurements



tipping wheel was simple to make





well it was about 4 hours of work and its alright .still needs a ton of work to be right but hell only cost me 40 bux and a free skate board wheel from the local skate shop. the tipping wheel was simple to make i took the harbor freight cutting device that comes with the bead roller and fit a giant washer over and ill be damned a tipping wheel made for free.

[dumb person]

[Greg Jones]

Flop, you da man! Why dont you come move next door to me? I could keep you busy and I have a fridge in my shop with cerveza....

[WRA]

Nice work

[Flop]

hah thanks person!!

it would take alot to get me out of Pittsburgh Greg but i appreciate your offer!!

thanks wra !

its been a while been super busy with customer stuff . friend brought over some corner patches for me . do the fit ? well you can be the judge !

shes really not that rusty



the patch



going to take a little doing to get this one right

[Greg Jones]

Yeah, I always found those back corners to be one of the most difficult on the coupes to get right. I remember working with some of those corner patches and thinking, "hmmm, why did they bother to make this if they weren't gonna do it right?" Guess you could say that for a lot of repro sheet metal.

[road_king]

Originally Posted by Greg Jones

Yeah, I always found those back corners to be one of the most difficult on the coupes to get right. I remember working with some of those corner patches and thinking, "hmmm, why did they bother to make this if they weren't gonna do it right?" Guess you could say that for a lot of repro sheet metal.

I agree.. It seems like some of the older repop pieces from 30 years ago were made better and fit nice. Some of this stuff today is a joke. Flop has the right idea, better to make it yourself.

[Flop]

90 percent of repop stuff is good for cutting apart and making the rest . occasionally you find a panel that fits right . I think you could make a mint of making correct model A pieces .


it was an interesting little project to say the least to get these things looking pretty good



the first pic is the patch .second the measurement from the coupe . the 3rd a measurement from a roadster and the label for coupe patches in the 4th . i wonder how they fit in a roadster ?

heres how i did it



i had to make a new bead all the way up due to rust and remade the corner piece



after some welding






looking less like a parts car by the minute!

[Kevin in Mass]

Flop,you are a real craftsman!! I always enjoy seeing your progress,nice work!!

[DGNY]

Astonishing expertise, modestly and clearly presented. Laudable [and rare] combination.

Regards to all and thanks to Flop for the tutorials,

Dyson

[blgitn]

OK: Flop,.. you are amazing!

[29ModelA]

I envy your metal working skills, and in a picture I saw you do not look much older than I. Where did you learn all of this?

[Flop]

thanks kevin!

appreciate the kind words DGNY!!

thanks blgtin

29modela

Im 27 been at this since I was 15 when I got a 55 cadillac and knew nothing about antique cars . I am self taught and it turned into something I love .

heres a photo from last year with a 55 caddy custom I did for a customer.

[29ModelA]

Originally Posted by Flop

thanks kevin!

appreciate the kind words DGNY!!

thanks blgtin

29modela

Im 27 been at this since I was 15 when I got a 55 cadillac and knew nothing about antique cars . I am self taught and it turned into something I love .

heres a photo from last year with a 55 caddy custom I did for a customer.

Awesome, especially for self taught - I wish I had that patience. Also, apparently your younger than me (I'm 31), you can just grow a better beard

[partridgekelley]

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I think you should get a pat on the back for taking on that project. I have had to deal with a lot of junk to make what I wanted but that one is a real challenge even though you seem to know what your doing. You make me think there might be hope for a yard art of an old cab I have. I think it's even worse off than yours. Good luck Gary

[Flop]

thanks again 29! I can barely grow a beard this one took a year and a half!

thanks Gary takes some patience and a few more hours here and there but it the end i would have to do half of these things to a 4 or 5 thousand dollar coupe .


patched in some of the wheel arc i made late last night !

[Flop]

i really cant get enough of this car. it hasnt fought one bit !! cant wait to get it on a frame!

orig bracket fixed up !


its been a while since these 2 have been together



devils in the details!



reunited!

[Flop]

so sick of re pop panels and have making lower patches down pretty decently . wish i had a pullmax to make the beads but this was all done with a bead roller english wheel and shrinker stretcher .






before the tipping wheel



and after .. still have to add some crown to the bead



big dent that needs to come out before any welding



super happy with the way this things comin together!!

[Flop]

less rusty by the minute!



patched up



cut out some more crap



time for some welding!!



then file until you are blue in the face !



the pictures came out horrible today for some reason





im excited for the other side its not nearly as bad!!






i will take some better pictures tomorrow !!

[Russ/40]

Starting as young as you did, and for as long as you have been doing it, I can see why your craft is so good. You should be extremely proud of your skill, as it is extraordinary. I took a body class, and I can really appreciate your panel work skill from your welds to the straight panels your producing. If I was close enough, I'd be paying you to just watch. I could learn so much. Are you TIG welding your panels, or gas or MIG? Thanks so much for posting progress photos.

[Dal's Dream Car]

Nice work Flop. I am so glad mine was done when I got it, but so wish I could have your talent and time. Keep it goin..

[30Ford]

Just amazing

[eeyore]

A note that stands out for me is the time it takes to stop what you are doing get the camera take the photos work some more stop again, take another pic,ect. Then keep then downloaded and labeled. A big job well done by you sir! Thanks Dale

[druids62]

Thank you for taking the time to post your progress. Incredible work Mr. Flop.

[Stan/MO.]

I'm glad you're the age you are. I feel confident that there will be cars saved during your working career that otherwise would have had the best parts cut off, and the rest of it tossed out.
Keep up the good work, It's good to see someone in this day and age that has your passion to do the very best work you can do, and rightly so feel proud of the work you've done. All the best to you and yours.
Keep savin' em'

[Elcastor]

Makes me want to move next door to Flop and learn a new trade at 65!

[Flop]

Russ Thanks Alot !! I am tig welding all my panels .

thanks Dals .this is a fun little challenge!!

thanks 30 ford !

thanks dale ! takes little more time but i figure it will help a few folks down the line !

thanks druids!!

appreciate the kind words stan!

house just went up for sale a few doors down from the shop elcastor !!

wheel well time






drivers side pretty close to being finished up besides welding in the wheel well patch and some detail work where the lower quarter patch meets the b pillar.

[TommyCoupe]

Flop,

Thanks for posting pics of your projects. My coupe has some of the same rust as this coupe that you're working on. Perhaps they were parked next to each other once upon a time

Tommy-

[1936ford64]

I have a new inner deck lid panel , reasonable. Pleasure to see your work 541-582-8966

[1936ford64]

I have a new inner deck panel for sale . Great work. 541-582-8966

[Flop]

1936 i will give you a ring later on and thanks !!


yeah im on a roll . averaging about 15 hours a day of model a work between me and customers!!





this side is 100 times better !!

[Russ/40]

I am SOOOOOOO jealous of your skills. How in the world do you get your panel welding to be totally void of any low spots? There is absolutely no sign of work on the front of your panels. Can you recommend a TIG unit that is capable of the fine heat control needed for such work that won't break the bank of a home shop. I know that doesn't take the place of skill, but it helps.

[Flop]

thanks again russ

combo of welds with out pits and hammer and dolly work .

tig is pretty important part of the mix for finishing these panels thats for sure .

check out millers small line of inverter machines . if you arnt interested in welding aluminum ever im sure they will be even cheaper then one that will weld ac and dc .

door is way out on the bottom making that patch on the cowl look even worse

[lance leblanc]

This is something that I posted on another thread started by Flop but I felt that it was worth saying here as well...

Flop,

Just so you know,

"Your threads are the single most motivating thing I have found to drive me to spend more time in my garage working on my Tudor. My friend, if that was your intention you have over-achieved. Thank you".

[road_king]

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Flop is the man, he is very motivating and helpful. I've learned a lot from his fab skills while I'm doing the same on my roadster body.

keep it coming !!

Originally Posted by Flop

thanks again russ

combo of welds with out pits and hammer and dolly work .

tig is pretty important part of the mix for finishing these panels thats for sure .

check out millers small line of inverter machines . if you arnt interested in welding aluminum ever im sure they will be even cheaper then one that will weld ac and dc .

door is way out on the bottom making that patch on the cowl look even worse

[Vin-tin]

I think Flop has motivated alot of people on here, including myself.
After seeing him work his magic i finally got brave and started cutting out rust, shaping new metal, and welding it back in. I'm not near as good as Flop, but you have to start somewhere. I'm using a Miller syncrowave 200 tig welder and it does pretty good. But it takes practice, practice, practice, to get as good as Flop.
Now if i could only figure out how to handle a hammer and dolly to finish it as nice as you, Flop.
Maybe you could do a tutitorial on that.

[QGolden]

Wow, you sure know your way around a bead roller. I just bought one for my next project. It is expensive to learn to use it. You need to buy the sheetmetal, which ain't cheap, and your output is not usable for anything as you work through the learning curve. You just make a lot of funky panels with beads and grooves in them.:-) Did you find a source for material to practice on, or did you mess up a lot of patch panels as you learned?

[Flop]

thanks vin tin glad you are out working on your car !! tig is an important part of the game for me which allows for heavy use of the hammer and dolly . i have a synchrowave 250 .

qgolden

what kind of bead roller did ya get ? lots of ruined sheetmetal but eventually you get the hang of it . make your self a gate to get straight lines!!


alot of unexpected rust today from the passenger door

going to make a skin tomorrow due to the orig skin being dented and stretched

[grapp]

Flop that is looking awesome.... I have a roller coupe and contemplating both doing it, and doing it "Flop Style" blowing it all apart like this. Thanks for the pics...

[JasonGauthier]

Simply amazing! Your skill is the reason why words like "craftsman" and "artisan" are still relevant in the 21st century.

Jason

[Flop]

no prob grapp

thanks Jason appreciate it !!


not to good of a day for the door skin i was making !!

[QGolden]

Uh-oh. Hope that was not anger related. .

[desotoguy]

Flop, IMHO, your comment about the door bottom being way off. I doubt the door is off, my guess is the cowl panel is off. Wouldn't it be better to have the door mounted and align the front cowl panel to match the line of the lower door. I

[Flop]

qgolden now i was on the phone ad trying to take the skin off and it got caught up on the hinge

desoto the door is way out because of as broken off bolt in the hinge not letting it go in the whole way making the situation look way worse then it is !

thats how i started



rolled my bead



then broke it at 7/8ths of an inch



then you shrink the panel



and some english wheel action



round 2 went much better ... tipping the edges in






break time is over time to head back tot he shop and weld it in tonite .

[Flop]

getting there slowly but surely .. weld by weld

[Model A Bill]

Nice work flop. Looking at post #79 .were you able to make that piece and get the radius correct with a shrinker? Did you have to make small cuts in the piece that returns down or is that marks left from the shrinking process.I am getting ready to make mine and I could use all the help I could get Thanks Bill

[Tinbasher]

Nice Work: Always glad to see another Fabricators work. Drop me your address and I'll send you one of my Sheet metal Repair books. E-mail me at [email protected]

J.Poole The Old Tinbasher

[Maclab58]

All I can say is DAMN!!!!!!! What amazing skills!!!!!

[Flop]

thanks model a bill! Those are marks from the shrinker . If you need anything else dont be afraid to ask .

thank you tinbasher ! i will send you an email soon !

thanks Maclab!


doors done but was to tired to put it back on



still needs some tweaking here and there but the hard work is done

[Flop]

[dumb person]

Worlds biggest garden gnome.

[QGolden]

Flop, back in post 90 you asked me what bead roller I got, I missed that question, sorry. It is a Harbor Freight. I am well aware of their shortcomings, but it was in a local Classified Guide at a price I could not pass up. I know I would need to rework it and I have already re-built it with a 3/8 backing plate, and reworked the dies, and built top arch to stiffen it.(I used to be a machinist and am lucky enough to own Mills, lathe etc.) You mentioned making a gate for it and you are spot on there. I made two. One just clamps on to the frame and gives me a guide, the other is a modification of one of my two rolling work tables in the shop. I made a fixture to mount the Bead Roller to the work table at table top height and made a fence, sort of like a table saw to guide longer pieces through. It works well, but I really need a source of scrap sheet metal to build technique. Thanks again for all you do here.

[TonyM]

Awesome Thread!!!
There are build threads like this on HAMB all the time. Nice to see one here on Ford Barn. Great work. TM

[Flop]

qgolden thats what i have as well . after stiffening it and putting a steering wheel on it instead of a crank its ready for work!! no problem Q i enjoy it thats why i post here.


thanks tony!


been super busy at the shop havent had time for my own stuff .


but i finally got the door in its hole !!



someone on the hamb wanted a picture of the back of the panel as well so i figured i might as well post it here

[Flop]

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well heres a peek into my friday nights....

roll em



stand back and look



put the break where it meets the b pillar then head home because its 10 :00



merry christmas folks!

[metalho]

Fantastic work. Mad skills Sir.

[QGolden]

I like the steering wheel idea, lets you use the roller alone. I have been scheming up a motorized version with a foot switch, but I think I will infringe on your patent instead. ;-) Much simpler.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by QGolden

I like the steering wheel idea, lets you use the roller alone. I have been scheming up a motorized version with a foot switch, but I think I will infringe on your patent instead. ;-) Much simpler.

Let me offer up something regarding this. I visited a race car shop about ten years ago and saw their beadroller with a steering wheel and said I am going to do that. He said "be sure and use a big one." I went home and found a used 28/29 Model-A steering wheel so I drilled out the hub flange rivets and adapted it. It was a great improvement and I knew why he said that. I used it that way for a couple of years until I was at the Chickasha, OK swap meet in the Fall of '04 when some guy had a large wheel off of an oilfield pipe valve that is about 30" in diameter. I bought it for like $5.00 on a whim. After removing the Model-A steering wheel and installing this valve wheel, it made yet another HUGE difference in the quality of the panel we could produce. Might I suggest that if you are going to install a wheel on yours, that you find someone who has a ring roller and fabricate a wheel instead of using a steering wheel. Matter of fact, a 10' long piece of EMT conduit rolled into a circle will make somewhere around a 38" diameter ring. 3 or 4 pieces of 1" wide flatbar will make the spokes and you would have a very nice wheel that will make your roller MUCH more controllable without a fence.

With THAT said, after you have used a motorized roller some, a manually operated one really sucks to use IMO. If I didn't already have a Pullmax, I would have fabricated a motor mount on my unit. The quickest way to motorize one is to use a Harbor Freight 12v winch motor and remove the spool and attach a small chain sprocket from a salvage store. Then bolt/weld/attach a larger sprocket to the roller shaft and connect to a battery. If someone was creative, they could probably scrounge up a old bicycle and cannibalize the chain and sprockets off of that. With a motorized roller, both hands and both eyes can stayed focused on the workpiece, and the speed can be controlled by the same brain that is guiding the workpiece.


.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Brent, an old exercise treadmill would have a variable speed motor, but if you want a reversible variable speed motor, you'll have to find an old 1/2" electric drill.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Brent, an old exercise treadmill would have a variable speed motor, but if you want a reversible variable speed motor, you'll have to find an old 1/2" electric drill.

Yep drill motors have been used too... This Youtube vid covers it pretty nicely;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqErTwU1rSE



...along with winch motors;

[Flop]

The wheel is simple ,reliable and takes minor force to turn . All in all I think I have 10 minutes max into that bead and making the break at the bottom .

No need to over complicate things in my opinion for something that you use for what maybe an hour a week?

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Flop

The wheel is simple ,reliable and takes minor force to turn . All in all I think I have 10 minutes max into that bead and making the break at the bottom .

No need to over complicate things in my opinion for something that you use for what maybe an hour a week?

Oh, you say that now, ....but someday you will likely find yourself using some sort of forming machine at least 25%-35% of your time doing your craft, --maybe more!! Having a machine that is efficient will be a value to you and your customer. I think it would be a blast sometime if you could come down and hang out some. I used to host some workshops at my shop where a bunch of us Fordbarners from all over gathered for a weekend just hangin' out sharing ideas and exchanging fellowship. RockHillWill called the other day and suggested we should do it again. Maybe we should. It would be cool if you could come hang out with us too!

[Flop]

I have a line on a pullmax in the area . Im sure it will help and gonna be awesome to be able to make full skins and complex body lines . But for things like making the simple beads for someone who isnt going to use it like you or I would .... seems useless for a motor to be put on .

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Flop

I have a line on a pullmax in the area . Im sure it will help and gonna be awesome to be able to make full skins and complex body lines . But for things like making the simple beads for someone who isnt going to use it like you or I would .... seems useless for a motor to be put on .

You will love your PMax!! Mine is a P-5 and I think Will's is a P-7. Mine reportedly came out of the Whirlpool prototype labs and came with quite a bit of tooling. I have probably spent another $5+k on tooling, and we have made quite a few other pieces of tooling by having them water-jetted out. Will showed me how to draw up the profiles we need using a CAD program and then we send the file off to have the profile cut in steel. Terry Stolarski also has a nice DVD (--or two) that shows how to hand fabricate dies with just a lathe, a welder, and a few shop tools.



.

[Chris in WNC]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

I used to host some workshops at my shop where a bunch of us Fordbarners from all over gathered for a weekend just hangin' out sharing ideas and exchanging fellowship. RockHillWill called the other day and suggested we should do it again. Maybe we should. It would be cool if you could come hang out with us too!

another of those weekends would be very welcome, I'm certain.
last time you had one I was sick as a dog but came up from FL in spite of my condition.
Alice & I would be there for sure. she enjoys working on cars and wants to learn more.

[Flop]

did some exploratory surgery and im pretty excited!! the B pillar is almost intact !!



this side of the car is prettty damn nice!!

[squirrel]

Wow, just wanted to say you have awesome skills with metalwork, very nice looking coupe as well.

[msmaron]

love watching this thread, your work is very impressive

[Flop]

thank you squirrel

appreciate it msmaron!


its been a while sooooo lets get this side started

another rusty corner but not to bad!



this quarter it pretty damn nice compared to the drivers side
trimmed the wheel well out of the way so i could get some more access



rolled this out to get me started!

[hotrodderhaag]

Amazing work... Gives me alot motivation to go tinker on my model a...

[Flop]

thanks hotrodder!!

ready for some weldin !

[hotrodderhaag]

I see your heading to the medina swap meet. Hopefully ill run into ya. Would love to meet you. Nice work

[Flop]

thanks again hot rod! look for the youngest guy there haha!! you can give me a ring saturday if ya want.. 412 867 1659


I can see the light at the end of the rusty tunnel!!

corner is done!!!!!

[TinCup]

Flop Thanks for taking the time to document your work. It is a great source for all of us in the hobby. I was wondering why you don't media blast the body before you start the repairs?

[metalho]

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[QUOTE=TinCup;567856]Flop Thanks for taking the time to document your work. It is a great source for all of us in the hobby. I was wondering why you don't media blast the body before you start the repairs?[/QUOTE
I didnt either, wanted to wait till the metal work was done before media blasting, I wanted it totaly clean before epoxy primer.

[Flop]

no problem tin cup!


metalho brings up a valid point in why as to why wait if I can. i like my work to be blasted as well incase anything is thin ... the blaster will blow through !


well the last of the bracing to be rebuilt is the b pillar where it attaches to the subrail . It really wasn't in to bad a shape but still needed redone .



whipped this little piece up to fill the void

[Flop]

well thats done now to cover it with the outer sheetmetal!!

[justindwright]

Flop. The work you do truly is amazing!

[Flop]

thanks justin!!

well had an extra hour today to work on my coupe .




bracket in that holes the b pillar to the subframe ... never to be seen again



door fit to the quarter



i like my bottom body line to actually line up !







and tacked

[Russ/40]

Did I miss something? What is the purpose of the slice in the door bottom?

[Flop]

I brought the edge of the body line down by about a 16th of an inch .

[zzlegend]

Flop, that seems like a very small hiccup, compared to what you started with and all the improvements you are making to this body. Keep up the great work. This is probably one of the most interesting threads on the Barn. Wish you were closer. I have a 27 roadster pickup body that needs a little attention.

[Flop]

zz thanks !! ive had to do alot worse then a simple slice over the years thats for sure!!

that little 27 sure sounds like fun!!



fresh coat of gibbs since the shop was condensing due to the warm weather!



well then i started working late and then got hungry so thats where i stopped



patch finished up

[Flop]

tied up some loose ends/ details on the B pillar tonite




threw Ralphs decklid on just for kicks !





half impressed that it actually fits

all the major stuff just about done on this side !

[Flop]

well i got the whole back of the car together with nuts and bolts! ! no more vice grips!!!



they seem to be multiplying!!

[29ModelA]

Looking good! Did you ever find any info on all those A's around the corner from your shop?

[Flop]

29modela thanks!!

havent received a phone call yet . going to go back when i get a free afternoon and see if my notes are gone or still hanging .

[Flop]

actually had some time to mess with the coupe . changed the latches out from the orig set of doors so now the doors shut !!




they fit very nice now and close like new !

[bgarrett]

Will you please step by step us on this piece?

[Flop]

bead roller ,a break and a shrinker was used to make that piece . not to much involved in that panel honestly . roll your bead ,break the vertical edge and then hammer form the bottom break .




got my hands on one of the nicest decklids i have seen in a long time !!




now to make it fit !

[Flop]

this thing fits pretty well for a car that was a rotted heap





still some tweaking to do to the right lower corner and the top left corner of the body where the old decklid was mangled in a previous effort to remove it before i got it !

[TonyM]

What a great thread. Outstanding work. Flop, you are the Man.