Now that the wheels are aligned as best I can until the car is closer to road weight, I switched my efforts to installing and fitting more sheet metal. The passenger door received s a new bear claw latch and I had a lot more confidence after doing a mockup on the parts car. I learned with the test installation to pay special attention to the pin alignment so I could remove the wide, thick washer and secure the pin against the door jamb. It loses a little bit of support and adjustability, but it looks and fits a lot better. If needed at a later time, I can retrofit with an adjustable plate for the pin to strengthen the support.
The passenger door installation and adjustments went reasonably well, although the original tolerances were nowhere near today’s computer designed and built cars, which meant I made compromises in fit. The door has a slight twist in it that can’t be adjusted to match the rocker panel, but the fender and quarter panels look decent. After paint and weather-stripping, there will likely be more tweaking to take care of.
The driver’s door fit is much worse. The door opening is slightly narrower than the other side, and the fender won’t move far enough to create the proper gap. I need to find another quarter inch fore and aft clearance, so I’ll have to remove bolts and probably slot some holes where the inner fender attaches to the radiator support. Another challenging problem that will require more thinking!
I decided that I’m going to install power windows in the doors, and after researching the various manufacturers, I quite sure I’ll be ordering from Specialty Power Windows. They get mostly good reviews and claim they are made in the USA, but I’m betting China made the motors and switches. My original window parts were in bad shape, and re-plating pot metal cranks is expensive, so I’m choosing to spend the money on new parts instead of fixing the worn and very rusty hardware. Since that means more wiring and adding another fused circuit, I want to run the cables while I still have easy access to everything, and before I start testing circuits.
Sorry I don’ t have many pictures, since my camera has again chosen to randomly malfunction.
Weather report: In the twenty-three years I've lived in North Texas, we never had a July when the temperature did not get above 100*F, and in 2007 we suffered more than forty days in a row over 100*! Compared to that hellish year, this has been a rare and wonderfully cool summer! However, August is our normally hottest month and the highs are expected to reach 100 to 104 for a few days beginning next week. Not sure if my little window air conditioner will make the garage comfortable enough to work in the afternoons, so I might have to retreat to the house.
You are doing great progress now Gary,so I'm hoping the weather remains cool,so you can continue work on the car..enjoys following your project,the photo's and description in detail.Nothing much happens here,exept for installing disc brakes up front on my 56' Savoy,not finished yet,so the car will probably not be driven this season..must try to get the most out of our very short summer,and not " waist " it inside the garage..
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work !
Regards,
Geir
Geir, it’s good to hear from you! I share your disappointment when our projects are delayed. When I moved into my new garage, I had fully expected to be driving my ’56 in two or three years, and here it is six years later and still there so much to do. With the arrival of August we finally reached the 100*F mark outdoor temperatures, and now I must use the cooler mornings to accomplish other chores around the place, so again I have too many conflicting priorities. I’m no longer going to predict when I’ll be on the road, but maybe things will go faster as my enthusiasm grows when it begins to look more finished. Thanks for following my progress.
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