1932 3w build thread / “freshening up

[Mr. Will]

Car looks great.Very nice work...

[Firepower flyer]

Nice build!!! That car is as clean as they come, great detail. Not to be to picky but you have to lose that cogged fan belt.
Joe

[ctaulbert]

Well it's been awhile since I posted progress on the car. We were in a mad thrash to get the 3w done, and my new 5w back together in time for the Good Guys show in Columbus. Fortunately, we made it but it was a ton of work with a few of those "steps backward" along the way.

On June 25th, we were finally going to take the car on it's first drive around the block. I fired it up, pushed the clutch in, and tried to pull it into first. It wouldn't go though, and would grind.....the input shaft wasn't slowing down. I shut the car off, pulled it into first, and fired it up. It didn't try to pull the car, so I eased the clutch out to get the car outside. Sure enough, once I left the gear I couldn't get it back in. I pulled the floor and inspection cover on the trans and confirmed the pressure plate was lifting.

The next day, I pulled the engine out of the car to troubleshoot the problem. The input shaft looked good (no signs of rubbing the back of the crank), so I turned to the clutch. Once I had the disk off, I test fit it on the input shaft. It slid on just fine until the very end when it bound on the splines. It turns out that the disk couldn't slide on the input shaft, and was hard against the flywheel, not allowing the input shaft to slow when the clutch was disengaged. I had a brand new clutch (different size though) from Fort Wayne Clutch for my 5w and tried the new disk on the input shaft. It fit great. I took the suspect disk and tried it on a core '39 trans and confirmed it bound again.

So now that we knew what the problem was, we looked to see where we could get a disk the quickest - bare in mind this decision was made about 8pm that Thursday. Dan and Ashley were going to Lansing on Friday, which meant Fort Wayne wasn't really out of the question. I called Fort Wayne Clutch Friday morning to make sure they had a 10" disk in stock, and had them set it aside. By the time I got home from work, they were back and we were putting things back together. It was back together that night with a couple small details to button up Saturday morning.



Last weekend, we started to put some more miles on the car to shakeout the inevitable bugs. On the 19th, we took the car down to Woodward to grab some dinner at Vinsetta Garage. The car ran great, rode great, the Columbia shifted great, etc. I ran home at 70mph on the highway, and the car loved it.



The next day, Dan came down and we took my 5w and his 3w out for a drive. The car did well for him as well as we grabbed lunch in Milford and stopped at the Baker's weekly cruise for a few minutes. We headed home and as we were leaving a stoplight about a mile from my house, the driveshaft let go. He coasted into a parking lot and we had it towed to my house. Interestingly enough, all six torque tube to banjo bolts had been pulled out of the banjo flanged and remained safety wired together (so we knew something had gone wrong inside the torque tube).

I pulled the axle after it had cooled off at the house, and found that the driveshaft tube had broke at the weld on the rear coupler. As it cracked, the tube started to tear torsionally which tried to make it longer, finding the weakest link of the closed driveline to separate - those six bolts. Fortunately, it only pulled the threads off of the bolts and did not damage the threads in the banjo flange. I was able to chase the threads and clean those up.

You may remember we shortened this '33/34 torque tube and driveshaft to use the Columbia. We shortened the driveshaft on the front side, and that weld still looked great. We welded the torque tube in a fixture to make sure it was true, and checked it again to confirm it is still true. So I guess that means that factory weld might have been fatigued over it's service in the past 81-ish years, and the additional torque from this motor might have been too much for it.



Last Monday, Dan remachined the front splined coupler and rear splined coupler after removing the original tube, and picked up a new piece of DOM tubing to make a new complete driveshaft. Dan welded the new driveshaft together on Tuesday. We were constrained on the ID of the torque tube to go with a larger driveshaft tube, so we went with a heavier wall to gain a little more strength and ended up with about 5% more cross section (it can't hurt).



When I got home from work on Tuesday, I reassembled everything, checked fluid levels in the Columbia and trans, and set everything in place. After a quick brake bleed, the car was done - and not too bad considering the old shaft broke about 48 hours before.

[motordr]

Nice work. Appreciate the updates!

[John R]

Cory,
Thanks very much for the update.
It's really amazing that the driveshaft problem created enough fore-aft force to strip out six 3/8" bolts.
Regarding the clutch disc problem: what was the source (manufacturer) of that bad disc? I'd sure like to avoid that problem.
PS: The car looks awesome!

[motordr]

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Cory, what type of controls did you use to shift the Columbia?

[Russ/40]

I, for the life of me, don't understand why you didn't start with a Brookvill body. What an outstanding example of a what was, an unmolested original car. I'm sure the price was staggering to find in such great shape. I do appreciate your attempt to not chop it or some other molestation. Honestly though I'm saddened by its fate, but it's yours to what you wish.

[deuce_roadster]

Russ/40. I agree with what you said.
As long as folks with lots of cash can buy a Dearborn car and turn it into a hot rod for less then one already modified or incomplete, this will happen. My avatar roadster was an incomplete rusted out body to start with (see my public album). Subrails and floor and about 10" of the body were either lace work or gone. In 1984 you couldn't buy a Brookville or I would have tried to. Quicker and easier then what I had to do. (But I did hone my hammer welding skills.)

[motordr]

Originally Posted by Russ/40

I, for the life of me, don't understand why you didn't start with a Brookvill body. What an outstanding example of a what was, an unmolested original car. I'm sure the price was staggering to find in such great shape. I do appreciate your attempt to not chop it or some other molestation. Honestly though I'm saddened by its fate, but it's yours to what you wish.

Originally Posted by deuce_roadster

Russ/40. I agree with what you said.
As long as folks with lots of cash can buy a Dearborn car and turn it into a hot rod for less then one already modified or incomplete, this will happen. My avatar roadster was an incomplete rusted out body to start with (see my public album). Subrails and floor and about 10" of the body were either lace work or gone. In 1984 you couldn't buy a Brookville or I would have tried to. Quicker and easier then what I had to do. (But I did hone my hammer welding skills.)

Here we go again. Suggest you reread post 43.

[Ol' Ron]

I think it's just beautiful, excellent build. Don't forget the seat belts.

[ctaulbert]

Originally Posted by motordr

Here we go again. Suggest you reread post 43.

Originally Posted by Ol' Ron

I think it's just beautiful, excellent build. Don't forget the seat belts.

Thanks guys. Like motordr referenced my previous post....yes the car appeared very original, but in reality it had been touched over the years. We didn't do anything to it that can't be undone by unbolting a few parts.

[ctaulbert]

Originally Posted by motordr

Cory, what type of controls did you use to shift the Columbia?

It has Joe Longobardi's setup using the electronic solenoid valve.

[Tim Brown]

You guys have done an excellent job saving the soul of this old car. I love everything you have done to it, while keeping the "do no harm" thoughts in mind. A++

[deuce_roadster]

I like the car and how it looks, just not the starting point. How many cars like that are left? Like stated by someone else, his car, his money he can do what he wants.

[Russ/40]

Originally Posted by motordr

Here we go again. Suggest you reread post 43.

Yes, I read it. Still say the price was probably staggering. A Brookville would be a better choice, and I would prefer a different end for real Ford steel. Being one of only a few dissenters, can I have my own opinion?

[d.conrad]

Originally Posted by Russ/40

I, for the life of me, don't understand why you didn't start with a Brookvill body. What an outstanding example of a what was, an unmolested original car. I'm sure the price was staggering to find in such great shape. I do appreciate your attempt to not chop it or some other molestation. Honestly though I'm saddened by its fate, but it's yours to what you wish.

That's just what I did, used a Brookville body and a butchered original frame and a few other original parts. People can't tell it from a real one.

[Old Ford Addict]

Looks fantastic from here Cory.... just how they should’ve looked the day they were made

[Krylon32]

Maybe it's just me but as I read the article I see nothing that would prevent this car from being put back to stock. I sold them a nice wish bone and dropped heavy axle so they would't have to use the original. The modified parts were out sourced and not the originals and if you check carefully I think ever thing is bolt on using the original holes. Yes the cry original once is correct but it can be returned back to stock if deemed so. I guess I just appreciate one mans version of what increasing the drive ability of an early Ford is. Get off it!

[Henry Hopper]

Originally Posted by Krylon32

Maybe it's just me but as I read the article I see nothing that would prevent this car from being put back to stock. I sold them a nice wish bone and dropped heavy axle so they would't have to use the original. The modified parts were out sourced and not the originals and if you check carefully I think ever thing is bolt on using the original holes. Yes the cry original once is correct but it can be returned back to stock if deemed so. I guess I just appreciate one mans version of what increasing the drive ability of an early Ford is. Get off it!

Totally agree with the above sentiments.....the car is perfect and has been done with a lot of thought and nothing is spoilt.....the car in its present version will be enjoyed much more than if left stock.imo....keeping the good looks and enhancing the steering,braking and power output all make sense and sum up to me ,a perfect Hotrod.

[RB]

I'm watching with great interest & wishing my 32 was leaning more to the traditional build, ...but then who knows, down the road someday, it may... with a few other projects out of the way!