A little progress on the Roadster today. I trial fitted the windshield posts and frame, after re-tapping the threads for the pivot bolt. Someone had re-tapped them for 5/16 coarse, the correct pivot studs are 5/16 fine on the w/s end and 3/8 fine for the wing nuts, so I brazed the holes full and re-tapped them. I need to get new studs, as the threads are booggered up on both of them too, but those are cheap.
The only parts for a ’34 Ford that are cheap…
The w/s frame itself I decided isn’t good enough to have plated. I found two more pinholes, which I can braze full, The posts, new bronze castings, I buffed, and I sort of like them as is. Which isn’t correct, but I’m out of funds for chrome, so I’ll run ’em as is, with the w/s frame painted, until I can get the posts chromed and new frame.
After months of watching that on-line auction site, today I spotted a re-chromed, but slightly damaged ’34 grill. The bottoms of the bars are tweaked, but I think I can straighten them, and since I’m going to paint the bars anyway, it won’t mater if the chrome is damaged in the process. The chrome on the surround looks really nice. On a genderless car, the grill shell is the focal point of the whole front of the car, so bad chrome really hurts the whole car.
The dash insert is in, and gauges floating in the holes. The water temp gauge has the Bourdan tube nipped off, I have a parts store electronic gauge I’ll take t he guts out of and put in the SW housing and face. I have a fuel gauge, a small one, that I need to figure out where to put, and the ignition and headlight switch have to go somewhere too.
The gas tank is mounted, front and rear spreader bars fitted. Headlight stands and front shocks mounted too, all with stainless hardware that I buffed up before putting the bolts in. The headlight buckets are on the stands, I have to polish the reflectors and wire the new Halogen bulb sockets.
Little by little…
Cool McCool's Garage 