The Ford Barn

joeypoconos · 05-24-2012, 06:28 PM

Purchased a set of closed car wind wings from MAC's for my 1929 Sport Coupe. The brackets are affixed to the car by screws (3 on top of door, 3 just above belt rail. Before things get ugly, does anyone know what sized drill bit I should use for the mounting screws

? The last thing I want to do is drill over sized holes leaving me with a mess to repair.

glenn in camino · 05-24-2012, 07:28 PM

If you're using sheet metal screws Drill a hole in a scrap piece of sheet metal and try to install the screw. It should start out hard, then get easier as it goes in. Use a center punch to locate the hole so the drill won't walk away messing up your paint.

joeypoconos · 05-24-2012, 08:45 PM

glenn -thanks for the response. Great suggestion, will give it a try in the morning.

Tom Wesenberg · 05-25-2012, 01:39 AM

I usually get a drill bit just a little smaller than the screw shaft less thread diameter. Then use a hex head screw with the same thread size and grease it to form the thread. Then the slotted screws should go in nicely without danger of the screwdriver slipping off to the side.

Personally I wouldn't have the heart to drill holes in my car!

joeypoconos · 05-25-2012, 07:35 PM

Tom - thanks for the tip. I was planning on performing the surgery this morning but got sidetracked with other projects. Just got home from a cruise night so tomorrow will be drill day. I wrestled with the idea of drilling into original Henry Ford doors, as usual, my dumb side prevailed.

Tom Wesenberg · 05-26-2012, 04:38 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by joeypoconos

Tom - thanks for the tip. I was planning on performing the surgery this morning but got sidetracked with other projects. Just got home from a cruise night so tomorrow will be drill day. I wrestled with the idea of drilling into original Henry Ford doors, as usual, my dumb side prevailed.

It won't hurt to sleep on it for several nights. I bought step plates for my nice original 1929 Chevrolet Coach and waited for over a year thinking if I really wanted to drill holes in good original running boards. After a year or two I finally drilled the holes and mounted the step plates AND knew as soon as I did it that I made a BIG mistake.

pooch · 05-26-2012, 05:07 AM

I use rocol which is a thread cutting paste to ease the screws in without chopping extra metal away.

Particularly with stainless screws which can gall and ruin the whole job.

05-24-2012, 06:28 PM	#1
joeypoconos Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 90	1929 sport coupe wind wings Purchased a set of closed car wind wings from MAC's for my 1929 Sport Coupe. The brackets are affixed to the car by screws (3 on top of door, 3 just above belt rail. Before things get ugly, does anyone know what sized drill bit I should use for the mounting screws? The last thing I want to do is drill over sized holes leaving me with a mess to repair.

05-24-2012, 07:28 PM	#2
glenn in camino Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Camino, CA. Posts: 3,086	Re: 1929 sport coupe wind wings If you're using sheet metal screws Drill a hole in a scrap piece of sheet metal and try to install the screw. It should start out hard, then get easier as it goes in. Use a center punch to locate the hole so the drill won't walk away messing up your paint.

05-24-2012, 08:45 PM	#3
joeypoconos Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 90	Re: 1929 sport coupe wind wings glenn -thanks for the response. Great suggestion, will give it a try in the morning.

05-25-2012, 01:39 AM	#4
Tom Wesenberg Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mpls, MN Posts: 27,582	Re: 1929 sport coupe wind wings I usually get a drill bit just a little smaller than the screw shaft less thread diameter. Then use a hex head screw with the same thread size and grease it to form the thread. Then the slotted screws should go in nicely without danger of the screwdriver slipping off to the side. Personally I wouldn't have the heart to drill holes in my car!

05-25-2012, 07:35 PM	#5
joeypoconos Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 90	Re: 1929 sport coupe wind wings Tom - thanks for the tip. I was planning on performing the surgery this morning but got sidetracked with other projects. Just got home from a cruise night so tomorrow will be drill day. I wrestled with the idea of drilling into original Henry Ford doors, as usual, my dumb side prevailed.

05-26-2012, 05:07 AM	#7
pooch Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: South Coast NSW Australia Posts: 2,596	Re: 1929 sport coupe wind wings I use rocol which is a thread cutting paste to ease the screws in without chopping extra metal away. Particularly with stainless screws which can gall and ruin the whole job.