Primed for adventure…

It’s always good to lead with a pun, right?  The past month has been a whirlwind of activity, and life has gotten in the way, but finally I think I’m through the stress and have gotten back on the “fun” stuff.

The wagon, which you’ll remember I’d gotten the rust repairs done over a month ago, has been stalled.  We missed my (seemingly easy) deadline of having it ready for the Milford TCT Spring Rally (vintage trailer gathering), and the Muskegon rally last weekend, but today I finally got primer on it.  I’d thought I’d be shooting primer Monday, but found a soft spot on the drivers front fender, down low, behind the rocker molding,  made a patch for that, got the body work finished this morning and 4 double wet coats of high-build primer on this afternoon.

I’m happy with how it looks, although I discovered some pinholes in the filler on both sides, something I’ve never had happen before.  I bought high end, expensive finish filler, so maybe I’m better with the cheap stuff!  It’ll mean a skim coat of some polyester finish putty, but I have to block it all out, prime again, and then a guide coat, so it’s really no big deal.

I think the skirts are killer.

In other news, we’ve given up on the  period correct Frigidaire fridge in the Spartan trailer, it just doesn’t get cold and stay cold.  We had it converted to propane, and it’s never done a good job.  Well, it’s cold as long as the ambient temps are below 70, but seldom can we rely on that in the midwest in summer, so, it’s going away.  In it’s place, will go an early 50’s GE fridge, that we’ll keep electric only, with it’s original compressor.  I bought it here in Kalamazoo from a nice hot rodder guy who follows me on Instagram.  Plugged it in when we unloaded it and in 2 hours the cabinet temp was 20.5!  I had it cranked WAY up, so I dialed the thermostat down, and it’s humming along a 34 right now.

New gaskets are on the way for the door, and I’ll fix some minor damage to the door tomorrow and get it ready for a new coat of shiny white enamel from Tractor Supply that I have on hand.  I put a 2000 watt inverter in the trailer last fall, so we can run it on the battery (the inverter converts 12V to 110V) while towing and the car or truck alternator will keep the battery charged.  A solar charger and one more coach battery would enable us to go entirely solar and still have the fridge, although we couldn’t use the AC.  It’s going to be a HUGE improvement.

The ’34 has been running great, I’ve put about 700 miles on it, enough to have the cheap reproduction Harley speedometer (junk to begin with) stop working, the old SW vacuum gauge to stop working (hole in the diaphragm), and tonight, the brake lights to not work.  I also discovered the play in the steering, which I’d blamed on the cheap, reproduction Vega steering box, but turned to be the cheap, off-shore made pitman arm which was slightly thinner than the box was made to use.  That meant the nut didn’t tighten the arm down on the shaft completely, leaving some “slop” between the steering box shaft and steering arm.  Scary.

I “fixed” that with a couple of flat washers that were in the bolt bin, and the car drives like a slot car  now.  I’ll keep my on that Vega box, they have a reputation for being sloppy and wearing quickly, but for now, it seems like it’s all good.  There are always some bugs to work out, but overall, it’s great.

Our son Craig and his wife Kathleen bought a ’65 Ford Ranch wagon earlier this  spring, and I helped them wire it for a trailer lights, installed a brake controller, fixed the power steering pump and put a new high performance radiator and new hoses in ahead of the sweet running 352.  It looks pretty nice as is, I’ll do a little rust repair this winter for them on the rear fenders and rocker panels, and blend the paint.  It’s got a pretty decent “used car lot” repaint from decades ago that polished up pretty well, and they want the car to be a funky, driver type car, so that makes it easy for me.

We gave them the little “Tini-Home” canned ham trailer, they’ve already used it once, we hope it’ll give them years of family fun, just like it has for us!

So, lots of activity here a Cool McCool’s Garage.  We’ve been to a couple of cruise nights with the roadster, and a weekend of vintage camping with our friends at Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon.  June is half over, but summer has just begun!

 

I’m exhausted…

I went to a local muffler shop the other day and got two 10′ sticks of 2″ exhaust tubing, and had them bend a 90 degree in one end of each.  I also bought two steel pack “resonators”, some chrome exhaust tips, and handful of clamps and hangers.

I hung the tubing temporarily under the car after welding the header flanges on, and fired it up.  It was evident that mufflers were going to be redundant, so, the car now has straight pipes.  I like the way it cackles under throttle, it’s pretty mellow going down the road, and, best of all, I did it myself.  I did put a little “bow” in the pipes by putting a 2×4 between the pipes and the frame in the center, and jacking the back up until the pipes hit the gas tank.

Now, on to the top.

Closing in on the finish.

I’m “done” enough at this point to call it good, at least to take it to Detroit for the “AutoRama” in two weeks.  The interior is indeed finished, with the exception of hooking up the turn signal indicator light in the dash, and a couple of screws in the carpet to hold it in place.

You can see the black knobs for the safety latches.  Those were ordered from Summit a day and half a go.  Super fast shipping, and they’re pretty nice quality, certainly nicer than the barrel bolts I had bought at the hardware store…

Yesterday I had cut and bound the carpeting, which is just an indoor/outdoor area rug I ordered from Home Depot.  It’s all synthetic, no backer, and I used bubble wrap “Reflectix” insulation rather than jute padding under it.  It should be very forgiving weatherize, and the chocolate color compliments the saddle interior.  And, it was $18.00.

Winning.

In addition to the upholstery, I re-chromed (again) the rusty but repaired windshield frame, and got that installed, complete with the newly cut down glass.  I’m not particularly happy with the gasket, it’s so loose in the slot in the frame that I had to glue it in with some silicone, but it seems to be staying put.  I trimmed a little against the posts so the windshield frame snuggles right in between the posts perfectly.

From Home Depot I also bought a 4×8 sheet of white “FRP” plastic to make the trunk panels from, if I have time next week I’ll get the trunk upholstered and carpeted too, but if I don’t get to it, we’ll leave the trunk closed.  It’ll be a nice bonus if it’s done (I’m sure I will), but it’s not a priority at this point.

The big decision at this time is how best to title and register the car.  I like to title it as a ’34 Ford, but the cost of a title may be a factor.  Otherwise, an “Assembled” title would work, I’d have to put temporary bumpers and windshield wipers/washer on for that, so we’ll see.

See  you in Detroit in two weeks!

 

The car may be cut and buff(ed), but I’m exhausted…

Today’s task was to go to AutoZone and spend my Christmas money on transmission fluid, wax, hand buffing compound, tire cleaner, wheel cleaner, fuses, and other miscellaneous stuff.  (Of course I didn’t get a three prong flasher, number one on the list…).  I added 2 quarts of trans fluid, and backed it out of the garage into the (almost) sun.  

It was then that I could see that I wasn’t done buffing and polishing!  The paint is single stage  urethane, and has fully cured, meaning it’s pretty hard.  I wet sanded it with 1200, then 1500, then like 4,000 on my DA, which left a pretty uniform satin finish.  Then I buffed it with 3M Heavy Duty Rubbing compound and wool bonnet, washed the car, and then used a foam pad and 3M machine finish glazing compound.  If I’d done all this when the paint was still soft, lets say within a week of shooting it, it’d have been much, much easier.

As it was, I had quite a few “hazy” areas, that needed a lot more polishing.  So, out came the buffer, foam pad and glazing compound, and I hit most of the car again.  I also hand rubbed the character lines, door and hood edges, as I didn’t want to cut through the black.  I’d originally planned to intentionally cut through into the red-oxide primer beneath,  to make the paint look old, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do that.

Call me crazy…

Now however, I’m very happy with the results, the paint looks deeper, and has a somewhat “softer” shine, a bit less “plasticky” than the uncut urethane.   I got supplies to detail and spiff the car for its debut at AutoRama in Detroit in one month, like tire dressing, some Meguires liquid wax, spray detailer, wheel cleaner for (very hard to clean wire wheels), Armor-All wipes for the interior and so on.

 

 

I ordered some little stuff for the interior, some welting, Common Sense snaps for the saddlebag style map pockets in the doors, vinyl tack strip, and metal spring clips to hold the trim panels on, as Kim hates using screws and trim washers.  I don’t mind that, but she is right, it’ll be a more finished look.

So, it’s coming down to the wire.  The car runs GREAT, it looks as good as anything I’ve ver built, it seems to drive OK, at least up and down the drive, the brakes and steering are tight and feel really good.

See you in Detroit!

Coming out.

It’s out!   A week ago I fired it up and drove it up and down the drive, a short trip but at the time there wasn’t any coolant in it.  I’d had a struggle getting an aftermarket swivel thermostat housing to seal, and ended up using a stock Chevy housing.  I’d already made a two piece upper hose, I just had to trim it a bit and rotate the bottom end to meet the stock housing.  It looks better too.

Yesterday I color sanded and polished the entire car, managing to not ruin the mediocre paint job and turn it into a fairly good paint job.  Now, on to the interior, which I have the (almost) matching saddle color vinyl for the door panels an other trim panels.  My wife had the idea of using waxed cotton duck for the map pockets I planned in the doors, a good idea.  She ordered the material, and it’s here, so we’re making progress.

Looks like “AutoRama” in Detroit in 5 weeks is a go!  The last time I took a roadster to the show using the ’51 wagon as tow vehicle in February they asked me to show the wagon, and brought home a “Best Wagon” award.  

BRRRRRRR….

It’s a relatively balmy 8.5 degrees F here today, which may seem cold to my warm weather friends, but if we keep in mind thats 3 X as warm as it was last night when I came in from the shop, it seems better.  The shop air temp warmed up pretty quickly to 50 degrees, but the floor, the tools, equipment and 4 cars remained a chilly 20 something, which made working not very pleasant, although it was acceptable with a sweatshirt and insulated boots.

Anyway, I got the headlights DONE!  I’m happy, and slightly impressed, with the job I did on the wiring harness.  Everything worked first time, the lights are very bright, the turn signals work (amazing), and I really like the amber glow of the park lights and turn signals.

The headlights are ’36 Chevy commercial housings, I added a base for Halogen bulbs, and a socket for 1157 park/turn bulbs.  The silvering on the reflectors polished up beautifully with a bit of Wrights Silver Cream, and the hole I initially drilled in the bottom of the left light was easily fixed with a stip of Gorilla tape to the rear, and a small circle of HVAC aluminum tape on the sticky side of the Gorilla tape in the hole.  Invisible behind the lens.  Which very proudly proclaims “Chevrolet” at the top, and “Tilt-Ray” on the bottom.

Just a little hint as to what lurks under the hood.

Va-Rooooom!

I’ve been forced to upgrade my WordPress account to accommodate more memory, so, as a Christmas present to myself, I splurged and added more memory, more features I don’t fully comprehend, so you, faithful reader, can suffer along with me and all the shenanigans here at Cool McCool’s Garage!

Here’s the latest video of the Roadster NOT shucking the fan belt at WOT (a study in frustration trying to determine the correct size belt, then the challenge of actually finding one in stock somewhere).  In addition, I ordered a pair of rear wheel cylinders, a new Stewart Warner mechanical temp gauge in the correct 2 5/8″ diameter to replace the one I tried to rebuild using a cheap gauge as donor, and a speedometer cable.  I ordered them at 4 pm on the 22nd, they were delivered at 2 pm the 23rd!  That’s excellent service, and the cylinders are Raybestos, made in USA, at the astoundingly low price of $5.97 each!  Free shipping too, props to Summit Racing!

We’re relaxing in front of the tree, our presents to each other are opened, we basking in the glow of the fire (and a couple of Mimosas), so  to all our friends, Happy Holidays, and thanks for reading and following along!  Stay tuned for lots more fun this next year, and look for new stuff here with all the widgets, features and improvements at the site!

It’s Alive!

​​What I did yesterday…

Winter Wonderland.

Here at Cool McCool’s Garage, the first snow has fallen, but it’s toasty warm inside the shop.  

I’m busy getting the ’34 Roadster wiring harness made.  I’d salvaged miles of 12 and 14 gauge wire from the ill- advised motorhome project, and an equal amount of black plast loom.  Not period correct I know, but it’s all going to be hidden up under the dash, behind upholstery panels or in the frame.  

I’ve got the engine ignition, starting and charging circuits done, so in theory, it should start now and run, but I haven’t tried yet.   I’ll finish the complete harness before I fire it, I still need a ground cable and make ground connections for the engine and steel body bracing.  Obviously the wiring has to be tidied up and tucked in the looms yet, but it’ll look good completed, and should keep all the magic smoke inside the wires.

Happy Hot-Rod Holidays!

‘Tis the Season to be Jolly, and nothing makes me jollier than working on the Hot Rod!   Everyday is like Christmas lately, with the Big Brown Truck or the mail-lady bringing me little trinkets and presents from Speedway Motors, eBay and Vintage Ford Parts.  If I’d make a list and order everything I needed at once, it’d be less shipping but also less fun getting stuff delivered.   I will say that of all the things I’ve ordered, only one thing has disappointed, and that was the windshield gasket, a “Mr. Roadster” part, I ordered from Speedway.  It is totally wrong, doesn’t come close to fitting the original Ford frame, so I have to get another one, probably from Steele.  Oh well.

 

Yesterday my pal Jake Moomey turned the Ford front hubs down to fit the good Buick aluminum brake drums.  The car came with a pair of drums fitted, but one was no good, the (steel)  liner was paper thin, and the pilot holes in both were slightly off center, they had a tiny bit of run out.  I bought one,  stole one from the ’63 Riviera (it hurt to pull the the drum off the Riviera, but I have another one for it), and we (well Jake, I watched) turned the hubs down to fit the Buicks smaller pilot hole.

It felt really good getting the car back up on all four wheels as opposed to setting on jack stands with the front wheels simply mocked up the stands.

 

Jake has a ’49 Chevy Tin Woody wagon project, and along with that came a ’49 4 door sedan parts car.  It has 5 original Chevy 15″ wheels.  I’m buying the wheels, which gives me a third option for wheels and tires.  I have the Dayton knock-off wires, for a contemporary look, the 14″ chrome slots and bias belted wide whites (shown above), for an early 60’s vibe, and the Chevy 15’s for a post war traditional feel.   I have a nice pair of 7.20×15 Cokers that’ll be perfect up front, and will be looking for a pair of 8.00×15’s to mount on the other pair for the rear.

Neither sets of whitewalls will be suitable for long distance driving, but the Daytons and radials will be perfect.  Since the car has a Chevy bolt pattern behind the knock of spliced adaptors, a space saver spare in the trunk, a jack and lug wrench will serve as “one size fits all” spare tire.  We had flats twice with the ’36, and with different bolt patterns on each end, no trunk room, bias ply tires and tubes, it wasn’t a very practical set up in case of tire trouble.

 

I’m down to the final fitting and finish stage of the build, so the long up coming winter will be just the right amount of time to get things fitted and finished.  I had the top bows on, but loosely mounted.  With the mounts firmly bolted on, the top bound slightly folding, and had to forced to fit behind the seat back in the top well.  Not good.

It turned out that one of the mounting holes I’d drilled in inner body structure (that I built from photos found from an old Street Rodder Magazine build on line) was slightly off.  That fix turned out to be as simple as a new hole a quarter of an inch rearward and up, which let the top irons stack without binding, and pulled them back just enough to clear the seat and drop into the top well perfectly.

I’ve made patterns for all the interior panels, and just have to make them now for the trunk, which will be upholstered to match the interior.  No rumble seat cushion plans at this point, we’ll use it as a (very spacious) trunk.  The rumble lid actually seems suited better hinged at the rear for loading and un-loading.  If at some point I want seat cushions, we can add them at any time.

I’m still going back and forth daily on the color for the top.  Either black or tan will look good, so I can’t go wrong either way.  I’ll probably decide as I’m ordering the material. Tan would look good with the whitewall tires, black would be good with the chrome spokes and blackwalls.  The interior will be tan, the existing seat, and the top likely won’t be up very much anyway, so I don’t know why I’m agonizing over a decision.

With the fuel line hooked to the tank and wiring to the solenoid it’s ready to fire up.  Now that brakes are all finished I can bleed the lines.  The steering column and wheel are finished and mounted, and the dash is lacking only a new Stewart Warner manual temp gauge.  The (rather clunky) aluminum gas pedal and throttle cable arrived yesterday, so the list of things to do is getting shorter every day.

 

I’m (sort of) committed now to having the car in the basement at AutoRama in Detroit at Cobo hall in February.  That seems like a very reasonable goal now, and a good place to debut the car.  For a Christmas present to myself I’d like to have it to the point it’ll start, steer and stop,  and get the paint cut and buffed.  Anything I get done after that, upholstery and top, is optional to get it to Detroit for the show, but a good thing to aim for.

Cheers, and Happy Holidays!