'49 Ford lead sled (sorry George)

[LennyB]

4 hours ago, customline said:

Oh... Well, I did  read a lot of it again (there's some funny 💩 there.)  The work you did with the interior and the firewall, etc was what I thought you were referring to.

OK, think I'm in drive again and moving forward.

[customline]

51 minutes ago, LennyB said:

OK, think I'm in drive again and moving forward.

Crank up the jams!

[customline]

I like to use brass rod to pin stuff together and sometimes the result is less than great. Such is the case in the first photo where the exhaust manifolds line up a bit off with the exhaust pipes. This is because A) I didn't drill my pin holes precisely and I didn't drill my pin holes precisely 🥴.  

You all know the full length exhaust systems in these old-a$$ kits can have behavior issues and my solution is, well, brass pins.  

The pins help during assembly to hold the pipes to the floor.  

Here ☝ you see I leave the pins long which allows me to get them easily through their "recepticles". They are glued into the pipes so, after insertion through the floor, they can just be bent over to hold tight. 

Below is a better view of the gas tank relocation and spare well delete. You can see where I have filled unused holes with styrene rod. Also the "C" in the frame is obviously a tad over done. I may install snubbers;  just in case 🙂.

Above, I have the mountings for the springs in place. It ain't great but it's more than the kit provided.  I have raised the rear a tiny bit to get a rake or, at least, level it up. Thats all I accomplished this weekend.  Thanks for your interest (if you still have any. 🥱)

[LennyB]

I’m cranking them up so I don’t hear you cursing over those misaligned pin holes😖

I’ve got hidden pins all over the place to keep things where they belong.  I have pins going thru the motor mounts on the Vette to keep the engine center cause it kept wanting to go off kilter.    😤 The pins win……

[customline]

4 minutes ago, LennyB said:

I’m cranking them up so I don’t hear you cursing over those misaligned pin holes😖

I’ve got hidden pins all over the place to keep things where they belong.  I have pins going thru the motor mounts on the Vette to keep the engine center cause it kept wanting to go off kilter.    😤 The pins win……

Yup. I had to pin the front motor mount. It's a big help. Drilling holes in tiny mating parts is usually just guess work. You get one shot at it. You could hear me all the way up north? Sorry. 🤭

[LennyB]

7 hours ago, customline said:

Yup. I had to pin the front motor mount. It's a big help. Drilling holes in tiny mating parts is usually just guess work. You get one shot at it. You could hear me all the way up north? Sorry. 🤭

[David G.]

Great work beating that chassis into shape Jim!

David G.

[customline]

6 hours ago, David G. said:

Great work beating that chassis into shape Jim!

David G.

Thanks, David.  These old kits need additional detailing just for a stock build.  As a custom like this I feel like I can get away with a lot of "improvisation." 🥴  It's gotten really cold here now and I need to get some paint on the chassis to move it along and get it up on all fours but there's still plenty of body work to keep me busy. 

[Speedpro]

Thats some pretty serious chassis work you had to perform! But that's what it takes sometimes to get things to function together. Looks really good!

[customline]

4 hours ago, Speedpro said:

Thats some pretty serious chassis work you had to perform! But that's what it takes sometimes to get things to function together. Looks really good!

Not at all, Paul, but thanks.  I've been in much deeper doo-doo that this one. 💩

[customline]

The doo-doo I referred to in the previous post is evident in the photos below but I posted them to show what the final stance will look like.  You can see Mr. Surfacer pooped all over the window reveals but sanding will be done later so please ignore it.  The engine is what was in the kit and I don't know what it is and, truthfully, I don't care.  I painted it with a brush using Tamiya gloss blue thinking it might be a Caddy but who knows.  I took the liberty to assume the intake is aluminum. The carbs (which appear to be installed backward but were installed according to the instructions) have been drilled for fuel lines which are ready to go when the time comes.  The generator has no visible means of support and appears to be covered with a low-buck item from the J. C. Whitney catalog ( I miss those- it was the only mail I got beck in those days 🤓.)  I wonder what it would cost to have that seven blade fan polished and plated at today's prices.  I forgot to paint the distributor and may do so but it's already black so....🥴

Thanks for looking and have a great hump day 🐪

Edited December 4, 2024 by customline
Removed a stray "u"

[LennyB]

It's amazing how those generators were able to stand up like that on their own. An alternator can't do that, they just fall to the ground.

 

 

   

[NOBLNG]

You’re moving in the right direction Jim!😎

[customline]

2 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

You’re moving in the right direction Jim!😎

But slowly, Greg. Very, very slowly. 🐌

[customline]

2 hours ago, LennyB said:

It's amazing how those generators were able to stand up like that on their own. An alternator can't do that, they just fall to the ground.

 

 

   

1975. Yessiree! The year I made my first big mistake 👰‍♂️

[LennyB]

1 hour ago, customline said:

1975. Yessiree! The year I made my first big mistake 👰‍♂️

I told you not to buy a Granada😝

[customline]

34 minutes ago, LennyB said:

I told you not to buy a Granada😝

Actually, I was driving a '56 Desoto. She had a new Pinto. 🤮

[David G.]

I think that engine will work just fine. The body work is coming along quite nicely too.

David G.

[LennyB]

11 hours ago, customline said:

Actually, I was driving a '56 Desoto. She had a new Pinto. 🤮

The Pinto could almost fit into the trunk of the Desoto.

It's easy to replicate the Pinto in scale, not sure you have much out there for the Desoto🤔

 

[customline]

I didn't like the kit-provided hood hinges/slots so I deleted all that. I was thinking magnets but wanted to try something different. It's not perfect, and I'm not sure it's gonna stay but I figured I would try it. My big problem with it is the DeSoto grille that I would like to use would not work with this hinge style. I may try a double axle type if I can figure out how to configure it. I've seen it done on some T-bird or what not so....anyway, this is how I spent my morning. You are welcome to the usual praise, questions, suggestions, criticism, laughing outbursts...it's all good. 🤓

I filled the slots and installed a platform for the hinge.

The radiator support was cut down for clearance. 

In order for the nose of the hood to clear the grille surround its necessary to slide the hood forward and the Desoto grille won't allow it to open a practical amount.  This may be the deal breaker. The replacement just doesn't look good.

I may be looking at magnets again 🥴

[BK9300]

To bad about the grille conflict, for the moment - you’ve done a ton of great body work here and good idea with the hood.  Pretty sure you’ll solve it.

[David G.]

It's not bad though.

It's just not real good.

David G.

[LennyB]

Interesting idea for the hood hinge.  Looks wicked open. I don’t know if it’s possible to move the pivot point forward, that might help it clear the grill.   
 

If it makes you feel any better the 49’s had a terrible hinge design.  Could never get then to open evenly on my friends car.  Hood would always bind on the passenger side.   

[customline]

15 hours ago, BK9300 said:

To bad about the grille conflict, for the moment - you’ve done a ton of great body work here and good idea with the hood.  Pretty sure you’ll solve it.

Thanks Brian, I've been going in a new direction today. I'm determined to use the big toothy grille. It's iconic. 😬

12 hours ago, David G. said:

It's not bad though.

It's just not real good.

David G.

Thank you David. That's exactly how I felt.

12 hours ago, LennyB said:

Interesting idea for the hood hinge.  Looks wicked open. I don’t know if it’s possible to move the pivot point forward, that might help it clear the grill.   
 

If it makes you feel any better the 49’s had a terrible hinge design.  Could never get then to open evenly on my friends car.  Hood would always bind on the passenger side.   

Len, I belonged to the now defunct 54 Ford Club for a short time and at the end of every newsletter was a reminder to "oil your hood hinges". I was warned because, I guess, you could put a nice kink in the hood if you failed to oil the hinges on a regular basis. It was apparently a common problem with Fords of that era.

[customline]

Going in a new direction.  I think I can make a conventional hinge work with this configuration.  This is where the fun is ! 🙃  I cut the black hood wrong 💩. Luckily there was another in the box. From the '50 'vert.  I'm using sprue goo for a change.

I post in real time, guys. If I screw it up, it shows up here.  If there's a wrong way to do something, by golly,  I will find it!   It's more fun this way, right? 🤓

That tool you see sitting there is something that Wifey provided from her extensive inventory. The blue business end is silicone rubber and works really well to apply filler, glue, mustard, whatever. Just wipe it off with a rag. It's one of a set with different sizes and shapes.  It's quite useful. Thanks for reading this if you did. If you didn't, thanks for looking at the pictures! 😉

Edited December 8, 2024 by customline
Added a photo