#1104 (Gen1) Steve's 33 Rod Build - door panels

[Michael101]

Nice looking Steve. I'd looked at those consoles for my Chevelle before but I couldn't get a good enough image from their website or any response from them to make me want to pull the trigger. That thing looks great though.

Bonamassa is one of my favorites too!

[FF33rod]

So problem statement - the AC/heat vents are flat and I want to put them in an area of the dash that has a curve in it...

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Decided to try creating a filler wedge, worked pretty good. Although I think it was beginner's luck as the first one went very smooth and so far the second one is kicking my butt.

Placed wax paper on the dash and wrapped the vent in saran wrap....

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Used some Everglass and went for it....

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A bit of trimming and voila...

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Steve

[Chris C]

The man has skills!

[JOP33]

Nice job Steve!

[FF33rod]

Well, time to start assembling it again. Had previously trimmed the console to fit properly on the tranny tunnel and now it was time to trim the top of the console to fit properly under the dash. Good news, I didn't screw it up!

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Also got the Lokar Door latch cable release kit to go between the Clayton handles and the latch. Managed to find a way to attach it properly to the handle, that was the tricky part.

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Steve

[FF33rod]

So the challenge for those of us who want to run with the engine side panels off once in awhile is how to arrange it so we aren't ripping apart all the headlight assembly to change over.
I can't remember where I saw this solution but whoever it was, I think it was a darn good idea and I copied it.

Here's a pic to show the arrangement, I haven't actually finished cutting the panel in two yet. The front section, with the headlights attached will be permanently on the car and the rear section will come off and go on as desired. The brackets are held on both with panel bond as well as 2 x #10 flathead screws coming in from the exterior. Screws are countersunk and will be filled over with EverGlass. Might also put a layer of glass over the aluminum on the inside.

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Steve

[AJT '33]

Hey Steve, I split mine by shaping an aluminum insert onto the backside of the panel, then molding off a flange on one side, then once cured I trimmed it a bit cut through the flat, but not the end flange, added tape and then added wax paper on the newly molded flange so when I laminated the other flange it would not stick to it. Once cured i simply cut the the two end flanges then I just cleaned up the flanges to fit as good as possible. I added Rivnuts to the body and non-removable side so I can simply bolt through the flange to add it on. Here are a few pics.
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20180810_134710.jpg Temp Bolts to allow for fairing them
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[FF33rod]

Seems like I'm all of a sudden posting regularly. It's so darn nice to be doing something different from cutting, grinding, filling, sanding, filling, sanding, filling,....

As I'm assembling the body back on the chassis, it was time to do the cutouts for the seat belts and see how the rear cockpit trim fit. Turns out 2 of my waterfall attachment points were in the seat belt cutout area, so I had to change that but otherwise, pretty pleased with how this is setting up. It's not going to be perfect or be show quality in the end but that's okay.

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Steve

[JOP33]

Looks great Steve, you probably already have something in your plans for this, but make sure you baffle your speakers somehow on the backside. I just bought some pre-formed Boom-Mat speaker baffles to size off Crutchfield and inserted before the speaker...

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[FF33rod]

Yes sir, got them some time ago, sitting in a box around here somewhere! Also just ordered a powered subwoofer to tuck in behind the passenger seat. Was going to wait to hear how things sound but decided it couldn't hurt

Cheers
Steve

[JOP33]

Yes, I am already thinking of a bit a re-vamp with regards to speakers...just need a little more clarity at higher volume.

[HVACMAN]

Well, time to start assembling it again. Had previously trimmed the console to fit properly on the tranny tunnel and now it was time to trim the top of the console to fit properly under the dash. Good news, I didn't screw it up!

IMG_3656a.jpg IMG_3657a.jpg

Also got the Lokar Door latch cable release kit to go between the Clayton handles and the latch. Managed to find a way to attach it properly to the handle, that was the tricky part.

IMG_3655a.jpg


Steve

Remember to allow for the tunnel carpet. This will change the fit between the console and dash. Ask me how I know. lol

[FF33rod]

Thanks for the reminder, a bit more trimming will have to be had. One of the reasons why I haven't drilled any holes or made any brackets to attach it anywhere. Fits pretty snug at the moment under a bit of compression from the foam-type FFR sound/heat insulation.

Heading towards the doors this weekend and trying to align the power windows - going to be my fave part of the build I'm sure....

Steve

[BC Huselton]

Thanks for the reminder, a bit more trimming will have to be had. One of the reasons why I haven't drilled any holes or made any brackets to attach it anywhere. Fits pretty snug at the moment under a bit of compression from the foam-type FFR sound/heat insulation.

Heading towards the doors this weekend and trying to align the power windows - going to be my fave part of the build I'm sure....

Steve

Just saw you consul...amazing. Did you make it or source it from a vendor?

Where / how to acquire one?

Sorry if I missed a response to this in an earlier post..Thanks, BC

[FF33rod]

Getting more real all the time....

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[Bgardner]

Great progress Steve

My build has been on hold for a bit with a few other things going on but hope to get back on it in a couple of weeks

I will get an e-mail off to you and fill you in on what I know about the registration. The 2 main issues I need to figure out will be a mounting place for front licence plate and a front wiper. I was hoping to get the car registered prior to sending off for body and paint but not sure what to do with front windshield as it would need to be in.

[FF33rod]

Thanks Bob, on the wiper you can always borrow my roadster windshield. No reason to have a wiper if there is no top is what inspector told me a year or so ago. For the plate mount, I was thinking the bottom part of the grill as well, for something temporary. But the other thought was maybe a light bar mount bracket on the upper control arm extended forwarded and then attached to a plate holder? might not be sturdy enough
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[FF33rod]

One of the reasons I stripped the body parts off the chassis again was to get all the power window assembly stuff into the doors - if you're going to take the doors off might as well go the rest of the way, right? So now that I'm putting all the pieces back on I've been procrastinating like crazy to avoid the doors and windows. We all know why. They really shouldn't be as difficult as they are. This is about the 4th time I've put them on and I swear they fit different every time. You spend hours and hours farting around and feeling like you aren't making progress. I think the passenger side is a bit closer after some work tonight. The fit at the dashboard is now decent - this is a gen 2 door mating with a gen 1 body and there was a big misalignment with the dash contour that has taken a lot of glass, filler and sanding... Celebrate the small victories!

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Steve

[AJT '33]

One of the reasons I stripped the body parts off the chassis again was to get all the power window assembly stuff into the doors - if you're going to take the doors off might as well go the rest of the way, right? So now that I'm putting all the pieces back on I've been procrastinating like crazy to avoid the doors and windows. We all know why. They really shouldn't be as difficult as they are. This is about the 4th time I've put them on and I swear they fit different every time. You spend hours and hours farting around and feeling like you aren't making progress. I think the passenger side is a bit closer after some work tonight. The fit at the dashboard is now decent - this is a gen 2 door mating with a gen 1 body and there was a big misalignment with the dash contour that has taken a lot of glass, filler and sanding... Celebrate the small victories!

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Steve

Your rough in looks great, interesting to see the wider doors on a Gen 1 body.

[FF33rod]

Passenger side door fitment is not looking too bad. Added the glass for the power windows and ran into a small problem. The support for the vertical edge of the window was too far away from the glass and there's wasn't enough adjustment available to correct it. I ended up adding standoffs to move the vertical channel towards the rear so it would engage and support the glass.

On the driver's side, I had the door all trimmed and working nice. Then when I went to add the window, I couldn't get the window far enough forward to line up with the hard top. The front vertical edge of the glass was hitting the inner fiberglass at the top, where it angles to fit in with the dash. So I've had to push the whole door 1/4"+ forward and then built up the rear of the door to fill in the now much too large gap. Good fun.

Test fit the front and rear glass in the hardtop. Rear fits fine but the front was a bit too big and some grinding had to happen on both the driver and passenger sides to increase the length of the opening. Need to adjust the angles of the power windows now and decide what beltline weatherstripping to use against the windows. Baby steps...

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Steve

[FF33rod]

Actually rolled the car out of the garage today. First time I've taken it out with the body on. Getting close to that day when I drop it at the body shop....

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https://youtu.be/s6tI6fW5WHY

https://youtu.be/FEUEOOoF-IM

[FF33rod]

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[JOP33]

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Where did you get your side vents Steve?

[FF33rod]

Where did you get your side vents Steve?

Sorry Jamie, totally missed your question. They are 1954 Buick portholes (or sometimes called Ventiports). There are a few different shapes depending on year. These had a metal plate blocking them off but a quick touch of the grinder to remove a tab and the plate pops off. http://www.oldbuickparts.com/advance...tion=1&x=0&y=0

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Steve

[FF33rod]

Wow, almost 2 months since I posted. Really haven't done much on the car since June. There's two reasons for that. We've been vacationing out on the water, we have gorgeous somewhat protected waters here on the west coast of Canada with lots of islands with bays & coves to relax in while in at anchor. But the other reason is the fun part is almost done and the majority of what is left is a real bear to do - aligning the power windows for example! So, I've been procrastinating a lot.

In the past couple of months I have chatted with 2 shops about their doing the final stages of body work and paint. I think I've made a choice, it's a full custom build shop so they don't have an opening until end of the year. That's okay, I can't decide on colour anyway LOL. In the mean time though, I've found a hot rod friendly safety inspector and am putting the paperwork together to get a VIN assigned and the inspection done (as a roadster). Then I can register and insure. Not sure that will all happen while the weather is still nice but a good time to get it done.

What I can share in terms of progress are mirrors! Some of you may have picked up on the oval/elliptical theme I got going on with the Buick ports, AC vents, and interior door handles so it will be no surprise that the mirrors are part of the theme as well. Went with Hagan Flattie for the rear view and Billet Specialties Oblique for the sides. The Hagan is on an extension as the angle of the windshield is so steep the mirror can't be adjusted properly with only 1 point of adjustment

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The angle of the car might look weird in the pics as the rear is up on jack stands while I fix up some of the wire routing to the rear lights.

The other bit of "progress" is that I've now changed out the front springs for 220s. I was going to change the rears on the IRS to 400s thinking that they were 500s but it turns out they're already 400s. So I'll leave it for now and see how it rides initially.

Cheers, Steve

[Michael101]

I like the mirror choices .

Can’t say enough about the console, that thing really looks great

[FF33rod]

Had to take some non-artistic shots for the VIN/Registration process - no angles, no fancy lighting.... Pushing this through as a roadster, better argument as to why there are no windshield wipers (although I may still add them at some point).

You can see my added license plate holder in the rear shot (United Pacific 50187). Has built in backup light and license plate light. Also mounted a backup camera there. For the front, I have a removable STO-N-SHO plate holder on order.

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[FF33rod]

It wasn't until very recently that FFR started including a Charcoal Fuel Vapor Canister with the kit. I didn't get one but wanted to cut down on the gas smell in the garage. I believe it was Pat Landymore that put me onto the canister used for the Fox bodies. I ordered Dorman 911-198 and worked out great. I plugged the smallest vent, one of the large vents and connected the tank vent hose to the 3/8" ID vent. I left the final large vent open but narrowed it slightly with a plastic insert (one of the plugs from the AC system that I drilled out)

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I mounted it on the driver's side under the tank just in behind the cockpit. Sits up in there quite nice...

Steve

[sethmark]

Car looks fantastic!

[FF33rod]

I've been looking for a front license plate bracket that works well and is easily removable. A front license plate is mandatory in our province but I really don't want to permanently mount one. I finally came across something that looks like it will work great. The brand is "Sto N Sho". They make a ton of different versions to different OEM vehicles. I looked through the ones that I could find available on line and rolled the dice on SNS126 - intended for some models of Porsche. I had to bend the front plate a bit but other than that I'm happy with it!! After I ordered it I actually emailed them to see what they would recommend for the '33, I'll update this thread when I hear back from them.

In the mean time, here's what SNS126 looks like with it in place and removed...

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Steve

Update from Sto N Sho: To avoid having to bend the front frame as I did, you can order SNS144 (Roush F150) - it will have a similar base to the SNS126 but with a 90 degree front.

[FF33rod]

I know, I know, having a stereo in these rods makes no sense since they're so darn loud when running. However, I NEED a stereo system (just like I needed all the other stuff I changed up from and added to the kit)!!
Took the passenger seat out and mounted/wired in a Kenwood sub on the cockpit wall. I'm not a thumping, feel it in your bones bass type but it rounds out the sound quite well. Still have some 5-1/4 speakers to go in the doors eventually. With everything tidied up and the seat back in you'll never see it, so here it is before I cleaned up....

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Steve

[JOP33]

I know, I know, having a stereo in these rods makes no sense since they're so darn loud when running. However, I NEED a stereo system (just like I needed all the other stuff I changed up from and added to the kit)!!
Took the passenger seat out and mounted/wired in a Kenwood sub on the cockpit wall. I'm not a thumping, feel it in your bones bass type but it rounds out the sound quite well. Still have some 5-1/4 speakers to go in the doors eventually. With everything tidied up and the seat back in you'll never see it, so here it is before I cleaned up....

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Steve

I have been shockingly surprised at the quality & volume I have been able to get with just (4) speakers. I was also concerned about the loudness of the vehicle, particularly with the top off, but I have to say it has been a non-issue. I am only running (2) 4-1/2" in the front powered by the stereo and (2) 6-1/2 in the rear powered by a 2x50 amp and the sound is amazing. You will have plenty bump with your set-up - just make sure you keep your fuel line clamps tight from the vibration! Nice job on the insets for the speakers btw!

[AJT '33]

I know, I know, having a stereo in these rods makes no sense since they're so darn loud when running. However, I NEED a stereo system (just like I needed all the other stuff I changed up from and added to the kit)!!
Took the passenger seat out and mounted/wired in a Kenwood sub on the cockpit wall. I'm not a thumping, feel it in your bones bass type but it rounds out the sound quite well. Still have some 5-1/4 speakers to go in the doors eventually. With everything tidied up and the seat back in you'll never see it, so here it is before I cleaned up....

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Steve

After deciding to move the battery to the trunk I was able to mount the sub behind the drivers seat in the waterfall. Made a custom speaker box and lined it with Dynamat and some filler to keep the sound throaty and directed. Have 2 speakers in the front with tweeters in the door. Still need to final mount the door speakers but I still have not decided how I will mount my door handles and locate the speakers for clearance to make sure they dont take up space in the car and interfere with my legs and shifting.
20200622_193738.jpg You can see the tweeter in the door.
20200618_144001.jpg Still need to decide on door handle locations
20200603_111045.jpg You can see my 8" sub tucked in behind the drivers seat so it has the best exposure for sound movement and fit

[FF33rod]

Woohoo. My VIN application was approved today! Now I can make my appointment for a safety inspection.

Here's a couple of pics on the fitment of the waterfall at the door jamb. On the passenger side, I have a 10-32 screw holding it on the inside (obstructed by the seat). On the driver's side, I had to put the 10-32 from the top as seen in the pic as it was sitting a bit too high and this pushes it down as well as holding it in alignment with the door outline.

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Steve

[FF33rod]

So in prep for the safety inspection next week I installed the horn button last night - didn't work!

The issue is that when pressing the button, it does not make contact with the underlying (internal) connection that it should.
Here's a pic of the underside, the horn wire attaches to this center terminal which is actually a screw whose head is supposed to be the internal contact (shown in adjacent pic)

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Trying to unscrew it didn't work, had to grind off the contact end of the screw and replaced it with a #10 with a few washers under the head to raise it internally. Now it works!

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I'd actually like to replace the center section of the horn button with either a plain one or one with a V8 logo on it so if anyone has a lead on a replacement that fits would love to hear it.

Steve

[Bgardner]

Steve great to hear about VIN #

One step closer.

[AJT '33]

So in prep for the safety inspection next week I installed the horn button last night - didn't work!

The issue is that when pressing the button, it does not make contact with the underlying (internal) connection that it should.
Here's a pic of the underside, the horn wire attaches to this center terminal which is actually a screw whose head is supposed to be the internal contact (shown in adjacent pic)

IMG_4067a.jpg IMG_4066a.jpg

Trying to unscrew it didn't work, had to grind off the contact end of the screw and replaced it with a #10 with a few washers under the head to raise it internally. Now it works!

IMG_4068a.jpg

I'd actually like to replace the center section of the horn button with either a plain one or one with a V8 logo on it so if anyone has a lead on a replacement that fits would love to hear it.

Steve

I had an issue with my horn we could never figure out, when we pressed it we would get a feedback and get shocked, we ended up bypassing it to a separate button on my console, not convenient however better than getting a bad shock. I would have preferred to keep the horn button on the steering so I am not scrambling to press the one in the console.

[FF33rod]

Been doing some work on the trunk, didn't follow the curvature of the body so ended up adding filler on the top and passenger side. Also had to grind down the lower corner on the passenger side to sit flush with the body. Looks pretty good now. Hopefully the body/paint guys will find it acceptable and it won't need too much touch up.

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Also, the rear part (hinged end) of the driver's door was off. With the majority of that door edge sitting flush with the body, the top part was about 1/4" indented from the body. Added filler, still needs some finer work but it's going to turn out fine.

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Will continue to finesse the various panels over the next couple of months as I wait my turn for the paint shop. In the mean time, safety inspection is this Thursday. Who knows, maybe I'll just have it legal to take advantage a few sunny autumn days....

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Steve

[RoadRacer]

Good luck!!

[FF33rod]

Well it was a very successful day!!!

Didn't start out that day. Showed up at U-Haul at 7:15 this morning and somehow they botched my reservation. Took them 45 minutes to sort out the paperwork for the pickup and car trailer. The location was a half hour from home so I'm now running into morning rush hour traffic. Saw posts regarding the ramp angle can be a bit steep and you can scrape at the top of the ramp so I put a couple of 2x4s on each side to reduce it a bit, it helped. When I started the hot rod to load it, the belt ripped to shreds - wrapped around various components in the engine compartment. Good thing I had a spare. Got the car up on the trailer and went to put the straps around the front wheels - there wasn't enough room for the straps to go between the fender and the tire so I had to remove the fenders. Finally got on the road and of course there's a traffic accident that bogged down traffic and caused a further delay. Ended up almost a half hour late for my inspection appointment but I had called and gave them a heads up.

The good news, the inspection took about an hour. I have no idea how he checked simple things like horn and headlights because I didn't see him check it but the boxes are checked. The VIN was the the first item to get done and it specifies it as a 33 Ford Replica so they were fine with making sure it conformed to 1933 standards Anyways, PASS!!!! what a relief. I had no idea what to expect so was a bit up tight. He commented that the mechanicals looked excellent.

Then he tackled the wheel alignment. It was a computerized system and he clearly new what he was doing, took a little less than an hour.

The final event of the day was getting the car weighed, 2359 lbs (1070 kg). Pretty much what was expected.

Woohoo, now I can take all that documentation to the local insurance guy (we have mandatory government run system) who will register the vehicle in the Province and then can issue me the plates with insurance.
Oh so close!!!!

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