I spent about 10-12 hours the last two days making, I think, a really neat shifter out of the original clutch pedal for the '36. First thing this morning I went out and adjusted the linkage, did a little fine tuning and got it working like silk. Then, and only then, did I notice that the shift arm passes directly in front of the speedo drive on the trans case. Bloody Hell.
So now, what to do? I really like the shifter. It works, it looks functional, and I made it. Do I re-engineer the entire thing, or just slap the "Tom Tom" on the dash when driving it? Maybe just walking away for a couple of days will bring the answer...
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It took only about 20 minutes, after walking away from the ill fitting rear fender for a day, to get it to set properly over the rear tire. Ended up heating and bending the forward strut a couple of degrees, sliding the main mounting bracket inwards a quarter of an inch, and VIOLA, fits!
Now, I just have to duplicate this entire process on the left rear. Hopefully, the fourth one will be the charm...
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Like front fenders, it took ALL DAY to make the brackets for the right rear fender. Now that it's all done, I think it sets about half an inch too high off the tire, and one of the mounting bolts hits the body when the suspension is jounced. Crap.
I think I can take care of both issues by simply lowering the main mount, which bolts to the rear axles lower control arm mount. That will have to wait till Saturday. I know I can get things fit properly, and a couple of days to think about it can't hurt.
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OK, the rear ones aren't bolted to anything, and only one is widened, but it has potential! Today I widened the right rear fender, originally the spare tire cover for a '37 Buick sidemount. I split the fender down the middle with a brown blade in a cutoff tool, and welded in a 2" strip of 18 ga. Easier said than done...It was kind of tricky to get the halves clamped to the center strip, and keep the correct profile on each one, but I managed.
Making brackets will be interesting too, as there is very little room between the '36 body shell and the tire. I had to trim about 3/4" off the front inside edge of the fender, and it looks like the bracket will have to mount to the rear, or bottom 1/2 of the fender to clear. I'll make the brackets out of 1/4"x1" cold roll, instead of the hex bar stock the fronts are made from.
I also fitted the right side front filler panel, originally the inner fender, to the hood better, and made the rounded corner for the crappy, but heavily sectioned repop grill shell. It looks MUCH better now.
The roll bar pattern is at a local fabricators shop to be made from 1 3/4 DOM tubing. It's now going to be a 4 point bar, rather than a 6 point cage, owing to the fact that with foward bars, there is no way I can get out of the car with the top up. So, no faster than ll.50's...
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Thanks to my buddies Tom and his tin bending son Mike, the Fordillac is now TANKED! Mike made a beautiful stainless tank, to my crude pattern (I'm always pleased and surprised when my measurements are correct!), and I just got from him today the stainless straps and copper covers for them. I'd wanted brass or copper straps, but was concerned about strength, so Mike simply sheared a strip of copper the same width as the stainless straps. These I made slightly smaller than the straps, so when the bolts are snugged up, the copper tightens up against the stainless. Viola, polished copper gas tank straps.
The roll bar is mocked up in PVC tubing, and I'll get the main hoop bent by a local fabricator. I'd originally wanted, planned and built the mounts for, a 6 point cage, but the side bar, particularly on the drivers side, didn't allow for entry and exit. With the top down, I could get out around the wheel and the side bar, but with it up, no way. So, the bar is the main hoop, and two struts to the rear, angled slightly to the center. The 3 point seat belt retractors will mount to the bar,and it looks suitably "racey". I don't know if it's gonna be techically "legal", but since I probably won't be racing it, it will provide rollover protection. It probably won't hook up anyway...
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