Bought a rotisserie to put my car on
Now I can do a nice job on the floor plan
Jerry
That's one very nice heavy duty looking rotisserie that you have there.
I couldn't help but notice in picture #698 that there is a round plate on the left rear of the car.
Is that the remnants of an old whip antenna? Is there a chance that your car might have been an old police car? . Thanks Jay
Sharp eye Jay....wouldn't one of those be cool.
Jerry very nice setup...that rotiserie is going to take all kinds of time off that restoration....money well spent. The rust areas on your car look very similar to what I started with, and it certainly looks like your getting ready to do it right.
Jerry, Looks like you got a nice unit there.I was looking into some car lifts,but That might be a better option.Would you mind letting us know what they run and how you happened to pick that one.I am hoping to have my ranchero going that direction in the spring.
Thanks Al
I don't know if it was a police car but it has holes that have been patched up front by the windshield where they would've had spotlights to. I bought the rotisserie from dave@carotator.com for $1295.00 very nicely built all 4 inch square 3/16 thick and made in USA and I just like it.
Beautiful car, those rims and caps look good on it.
It does look great, but hard to believe it's the same car as the rotisserie pictures.
Thanks Jerry,good to know.I do think I will go that way.Wow that car sure came a long way since I was on here a couple hours ago.Looks Good.
Thanks Al
I guess what Al said made the point better than what I said..those last pics look like a car that just came off a rotiserie instead of going on.
Quote from: RICH MUISE on 2014-01-09 23:52
I guess what Al said made the point better than what I said..those last pics look like a car that just came off a rotiserie instead of going on.
Yup...we know what a good looking exterior can hide........
That right I had no idea it was like this the pictures they sent me and all the under coating you could not tell. But it is ok with me this way I will know what I have. And I like working on the old car.
I'd like to have a rotisserie, probably second on the list to a lift. I should help my buddy with his Chevy 2, then steal his rotisserie! :rippedhand:
Yep, gotta agree, having had a rotisserie in the past that I (stupidly) sold and then having used a body roller on the Ranchero (the sort that bolt under the body and have a curved arm to allow the body to be rolled on its side), the rotisserie wins easily. The one I had was home made which meant you couldn't adjust the centre of gravity, get it wrong and when you start to roll the body, it just "goes" and you have to let go or it'll take you with it!
If I get another rotisserie (if/when I find a 57 wagon.....) I'll mount castor wheels on it so I can get the whole thing onto the trailer to haul the body to the shot blasters.
Started the floor repair. I got the rear left side cut out and new floor panel welded in. It take a long time welding it in I am seam welding every thing. My first time welding thin metal you have to go slow and jump around.
It must be nice. I could never justify the cost unless I motorized it to cook a whole cow and sell BBQ beef on the side when not in use :003:
Quote from: Jerry Box on 2014-01-12 19:38
Started the floor repair. I got the rear left side cut out and new floor panel welded in. It take a long time welding it in I am seam welding every thing. My first time welding thin metal you have to go slow and jump around.
One tip if you're butt-welding the edges together is to hold a piece of flat copper bar behind the weld. It helps stop it from burning through and the weld won't stick to it.
Also, get your new body mount kit ordered asap. There are many vendors, but to my knowledge, only one manufacturer, so when they (Dennis Carpenter) run out, so does everyone else. It was almost a year before I was finally able to get mine.
Thanks for the tip on the copper bar I will try it.
I will order body mount kit right away thanks.
My wife bought the rotisserie for me she felt sorry for me working on my knees.
Thats cool of your wife Jerry.I will have to let my wife know about that when I get ready to order one this spring.I emailed them and they will deliver for 285.00,and I will save 100.00 not paying cal. tax. Thanks for the info.
Al
I need to buy new inner rocker panels and body braces. Has any one ever used Mac's antique auto parts before? They have body to frame kits too.
I have four cardboard boxes in the garage FULL of parts from Macs! Prices seem good and (as a foriegner) their ordering and shipping is very efficient. My body mount kit came from there and is now installed & was no-problem.
Thank you.
Quote from: Limey57 on 2014-01-20 09:58
I have four cardboard boxes in the garage FULL of parts from Macs! Prices seem good and (as a foriegner) their ordering and shipping is very efficient. My body mount kit came from there and is now installed & was no-problem.
Limey
I have been carefully studying your build and know that you are well qualified and have the needed skills. After I welded Mac's lower quarters on my car, I proceeded to cut them off because I was not satisfied with the lines. Someone gave me a 58 four door custom with nice lower quarters, so that's what's on my car now.
In this picture, the forward quarter is 57 Failane 500 (trimmed down). The rocker is Mac's and the lower quarter is 58 Ford Custom 4 dr. The dog leg is hammered out from scrap flat stock.
You have a unique problem because of where you are and OEM parts are not walking into your shop, but I'm confident that you will do a nice job with what you have to work with. Feel free to PM.
Please forgive me for hijacking this thread.
I just sent my order in with EMS through Hot Rod Sheet metal. I order all new floor braces, trunk braces, transmission tunnel, inner and outer rocker panels. I will hope for the best. Thanks for your help keep watching for me on here because I need all the help I can get.
Quote from: Jerry Box on 2014-01-20 11:34
I just sent my order in with EMS through Hot Rod Sheet metal. I order all new floor braces, trunk braces, transmission tunnel, inner and outer rocker panels. I will hope for the best. Thanks for your help keep watching for me on here because I need all the help I can get.
Jerry
In my opinion I think that you made a very wise decision with the EMS panels. It seems like the guys that have used them are very satisfied with them. Just take your time and and measure several times before cutting your panels. You don't want to cut off too much and have to weld it back on so you have to start over again.
That was a good tip from Limey about putting brass or copper behind the weld. I've been doing that for years and it works. It's a good heat sink too Jay
Thank you for your help. Going out to work on the frame while I wait for the floor parts to come.
My floor parts can in so I will be working on the rockers and floor braces here are a few pic's
It took me all day but I got 3 floor braces in and the left inner and outer rockers in. Here some pic's.
"all day" ain't bad by a long shot. Looks like you've got a handle or two on things. Nice job..keep us updated.
When I am working on my car I get so busy I forget to take pictures. But I will try not to forget. I like looking at the pictures when I am done.
Quote from: Jerry Box on 2014-02-17 22:00
When I am working on my car I get so busy I forget to take pictures. But I will try not to forget. I like looking at the pictures when I am done.
That's how I am, couldn't be bothered to think of it and my phone/camera is always on my work bench, I've taken a few just not as many as I should have. HRD
Nice job !
There is a tool available from Harbor Freight for the welding. It looks like the spatula at Pizza Hut they serve you a piece of pizza with.It is made of copper and has a nice handle made of wood so you won't burn your hand.Also , they have the little panel clips. They are for holding the two panels in place, aligned so a tack weld can be placed. They come with about 8 on a card.You really want these tools. The cost is about $7.00 per set of panel clamps, clips, vises or whatever they call them, the same for the copper backing tool.$ 7.00 Available in the welding section.
The problem I found with the copper backing tool is you normally would need another hand to hold it in place if you can even reach the area at the same time your trying to hold the mig steady with one hand. What I did was use a piece of copper tubing flattened and bent at 45* on both ends, and attached one end to a magnetic indicator holder...the type with an on-off switch and and adjustable arm. If you use a length of copper long enough, the magnetic field won't screw up the mig as a strong magnet too close to a weld area normally would. The indicator holder sold by Harbor freight is not really strong enough to hold well...although I used it many times when welding fender trim holes. I picked up an old Starrett machinist' magnetic base at a swap meet for 10 bucks..works perfect. I can post a pic if wanted.
Thats a damn good idea Rich. I've tried holding copper plate in place by trapping it with a jack, using duct tape, holding it with my free hand (not for long!), but I'll try your idea, save me getting burned fingers (again.....).
I have some with magnets imbedded in them...maybe Eastwood.
Knew I had a pic somewhere...Took me forever to figure out why my tack welding was so bad when I was using strong magnets really close to the weld area. I don't know why it screws up the mig welding, but it does. As I said, this setup gets the magnet far away enough to be a non issue.
I got the panel clips and like your magnet that is cool thanks for the picture
Quote from: RICH MUISE on 2014-02-18 19:36
Knew I had a pic somewhere...Took me forever to figure out why my tack welding was so bad when I was using strong magnets really close to the weld area. I don't know why it screws up the mig welding, but it does. As I said, this setup gets the magnet far away enough to be a non issue.
That right there is one heck of a good idea :001:. I'll remember this this one.
I had made the same copper pipe ,but dinking around with all sorts of ways to get it in place.That a neat little gadget Rich ,thanks for sharing....again.
Quote from: RICH MUISE on 2014-02-18 19:36
Knew I had a pic somewhere...Took me forever to figure out why my tack welding was so bad when I was using strong magnets really close to the weld area. I don't know why it screws up the mig welding, but it does. As I said, this setup gets the magnet far away enough to be a non issue.
Yes,an awesome bit of tech there Rich..
Thanks Rich...Now I have to fit one of them to my magnetic base on my dial indicator.
I am still working on the floor. I have both rocker panel in, left fire wall all in, right fire wall tack in, right and left front floor panels tack in. Ready to put in the tunnel in. Five new floor braces are all in. So here are some more pictures.
More pictures, the green rocker panel was cover up with the red rocker panel it was pop rivet on and rivet we're cover up with under coating.
More pictures
Lookin real good Jerry
Thank you
Doing it right!, nice job. I think it was common years back for patch panels designed to go over rather than replace like you found on the rocker. Makes me wonder about some of the nos panels you see advertised for sale as to what the intention was.
Nice work Jerry,thanks for taking time to post pics.I like it. Al
Wow, that is some clean efforts ! I already have a rotissery I will put my wagon body in and I plan to replace floor panels as you did. I am afraid of body warpage in the rotissery when cutting out and welding in all those panels. i see that you did some reinforcing on the door openings but is that enough ? Did you find any problems concerning this ? Reason I ask is because my chassis is twisted and the body is twisted with it, so much that the a pillars/windshield frame will not line up anymore. So I'm really not sure if the body is that flexible or if it will keep straight in the rotissery at all ?! should that rocker work be done while the body is on the chassis ?
If your chassis AND body are twisted you will NEVER get it straight. If I were you I would tack weld some 1" box section between the door apertures in an X shape and then some from the pillars to the transmission tunnel to stop it distorting any more. Then lift the body off and put it to one side, bite the bullet and source another chassis or find a body shop with a jig that is prepared to straighten it for you, the factory dimensions should be available somewhere.
Only when you have a known straight frame as a datum can you work upwards and start to straighten the body. Prepare yourself to lift the body on & off a few times. With the frame straight you can see how far out the body is, it might well only be out in one area and after you unbolt it from the twisted frame you MIGHT find the body loses some of its twist. Remove the temporary X braces and get the body bolted down to the chassis, use a porta-power (hydraulic body straightener) to move the twisted area to the right place, or drill out the spot welds in the affected area so you can release the twist and get it bolted straight. From there I would do any repair/replacement work to the rockers, floor and braces with the body ON the chassis to keep it all square, only when that is done I would put it on the rotisserie to finish it off, but remember to brace the door apertures and pillars to keep it square once you've got it square.
Thx, Gary that would be exactly my thinking. of course truing the chassis first, I have all dimension tables. The welds on my chassis crossmembers were broken and rewelded, they welded in floorboards and parts of apillars in the twisted body, so all of that will have to come out. I don't even dare to weld in the rain gutters at the moment, because obviously the roof will be twisted somewhat along with the whole body and welding now would further hold the distortion in the upper body lines. when I saw Jerry's work on the rotissery, I would be afraid of losing its shape with all that rocker and floorboard work. But maybe I am to scared. your opinion adds to my theory of placing body on/off the chassis several times and welding floorboards and rockers on the car with a fresh body mount kit in place ( I already have that)
I was worried about thing moving on me to. So before I did any work on the rocker panels I put 4X6's under the car to braced even more. Angle iron in the doors and across from one side to the other. And I was very easy with all my work because I was worried about it moving. But once the rocker were in I did one floor brace at a time trying to keep it together the best I could. Then the car seemed to be pretty solid. Then I did the fire wall once I had that done I started the floor. I also measure the car all over the place and made a drawing with the measurement on it. And I check the measurement all the time. I think this is why it is taking me so long but I am learning a lot and having fun.
Ok, absolutely makes sense. I didn't see the bracing neither your checking measurements in the pics. I felt from the beginning that , even if the body seems to be buildt like a tank, it wouldn't hold its shape when doing rocker work. I will post my efforts later on in my personal Del Rio topic. thx for your infos.
This for Ron here are some pictures
Nice shot of the dreaded cowl drains, I picked up my 57 ranchero body in February of a very mild winter up here. I poked my head inside a couple of weeks later, and got a good laugh, the rotted cowl hoses were leaking right on a spot that needed metal repair, Mark
So, is there a specific rubber pipe/moulding that should go on there?
In my Mac's auto parts catalog the windshield cow drain tube black rubber for 57-58 ford part number 49-29827-1 $ 15.95 pair. I am going to get some small radiator hose an extended mind out from the firewall to the inner fender so that it will drain down on my tires. I don't want the water to drain down on top of my inner fender and down to my rocker panels anymore
Quote from: Jerry Box on 2014-06-16 18:31
In my Mac's auto parts catalog the windshield cow drain tube black rubber for 57-58 ford part number 49-29827-1 $ 15.95 pair. I am going to get some small radiator hose an extended mind out from the firewall to the inner fender so that it will drain down on my tires. I don't want the water to drain down on top of my inner fender and down to my rocker panels anymore
This exactly what I plan to do Jerry.I never understood why this was not implemented from the factory.I would have solved a big problem.
Longevity wasn't a top priority by automotive engineers or bean counters, you can't make money that way :003: They would rather have you want a new one every few years..
Jeff:
Here are a few photos of that fix Rick Crawford came up with for my 57's cowl drain setup. Everything now drains to the outside of the fenderwell through a copper tube, then down to the ground.
Bob
57 AGIN
I love the pictures, that is what I am going to do on my car.
Jerry:
Since we are on the subject of ideas for correcting factory design problems on our 57's, since they definitely weren't designed to last over 50 years. Here is another idea for saving the front fender up in the headlight area. After I had the Paxton-Novi supercharger installed, I found that the air cleaner needed to be relocated away from the headers. It is now located just behind the driver side front headlight, but that is not the subject of this thread. The subject is protecting the headlight area from water, road grime, mud, etc. and the rusting issues that many of our 57's have suffered. My air filter had to be protected from these hazards, as I also believe the upper front portion of the fender could use some protection. It is cheap and easy to do. Get some cardboard to make a pattern, some light sheet metal to make a shield and some molded rubber to make a gasket to keep this area from collecting debris. The attached photos show how easy it is and without having to do a cutout for the fresh air ducting it should be pretty easy. Something to think about for the guys that still drive their 57's when it is wet out.
Bob
57 AGIN
Since the shields are usually shot and hard to find, this design might be the repop part upgrade.
That looks great and cleans up the engine compartment at the same time I will have to do that to.
Nice job, lots of satisfaction in doing a mod like that...And it looks good too
Quote from: gasman826 on 2014-06-19 06:54
Since the shields are usually shot and hard to find, this design might be the repop part upgrade.
Randy Conner is re-poping the shields.....
I'm jealous. I need both, since I moved. The rotisserie and the concrete floor....someday soon.
The shields that Bob added go alot further to protect the fender nose...the original shields didn't do a thing to protect the headlight area..just became another place for road crap to pile up on....and another part to rust repair/replace
Here is an up date of how far I have gotten on my car.
More pic's
Jerry.....A few major steps completed..got to be a good feeling. You're doing a great job on a not-to-glamourous portion of a build...the undercarriage. You're never going to have that "wish I had taken that extra step" feeling when the car is done. I'll bet you're like me...you're at a car show, you walk up to an awesome looking car and start looking at the details. That's when you start seeing the old paint, original hardware, some old road rash down in the cracks and creavases...etc., etc. You start wondering why they did such a beatiful job on the top and didn't bother with the rest. That really kills a car for me.
In post #70, the last pic..is the flat black the final paint or was that a paintable undercoating?
Ha...after I typed the above, I went back and looked at the beginning of this thread because I couldn't remember what you were working on....man if anybody knows what I was saying it's gotta be you! Were you able to get all that underside work done without damaging the outer body/paint?
Yes I know just what you are saying. The bottom of the car is done with truck bed liner. I am hoping it help sound proof the floor. The rocker panels and fire wall are the body paint I need so far. But if I can save $$$$ to redo the the body I will time will tell.
I was wonder about the possibility of the car being a police car. What is the engine code or first letter of the vin.
On the cowl drains, we have been panel bonding adhesive a small piece of pipe slide over the original drain tube pipe of the inner cowl, instead of reusing the rubber seals/boots, the tube will never go bad glued on. You do have to use part of the repo rubber boot to seal around the tube, or make a nice metal bezel to totally seal it.
It's already been 20 years since I changed the rubber set out on my black sedan, so it's possible the rubber may go bad sometime during my ownership. My dad changed the ones his retractable over 40+ years ago, Hopefully we will still have both those cars 30 years from now. I wonder what the rubber will look like then?
Here is the tags on the door jam and the frame
Here are a few pictures of my car going back together.
More pictures.
You don't waste much time...you were just asking about the control arm bushings a few days ago. Looking great!