Grant used some alternator tensioner plates as motorcycle grab handles.
Author: DW
Mustang II Sway Bar
I just received an email from Grant Schwartz (say "shh-warts") of Schwartz Welding with some pictures of a Welder Series universal sway bar being used in a Mustang II application.
’32 Update: trunk work (article 16, archived)
Trunk Work
The Bear body has some neat compartments in the trunk with access panels attached with machine screws into metal inserts. We will be putting a lot of things in the trunk – sub, amp, CD player, CD changer, battery, air ride compressor, air ride tank, valves, and probably more things that I’m not thinking about. Also, we won’t be carrying a 2×3 hardwood beam to rod runs to hold up the deck lid – a support will be installed in the near future.
We got all Clarion sound equipment, and it arrived the day after we ordered it! (Clarion APX640.4 Amplifier, DCZ625 CD changer, DXZ655MP CD player, and a PXW1041 Sub). A sealed sub box was bought from an automotive stereo shop. It is designed to sit behind the seat in a truck, but I figured it would work great in this application too. The manual says not to mount anything to the box, but a friend in the know said it isn’t a big deal. So, because of limited space and the fact that The Testament on CD and Gordon Lightfoot will probably be the closest thing to heavy bass my dad will listen to, I’ll be mounting pretty much everything to the box. I cut a piece of plywood to the shape of the floor of the space and Vette Panel Bonded it to the floor. The LizardSkin insulation had to be removed in the areas I was slopping the panel bond. I also had to move the wire connection block from the center of the box to the lower corner because of the depth of the magnet and because I was putting the amp on the back of the box.
Here’s the plywood piece I put from the wheel well to the front of the compartment which holds the compressor, tank, and valves. Do not put the panel bond on any outside surface – it will eventually show through and you’ll never be able to get rid of it.
An Optima yellow-top battery will be used. I’m mounting it through the base of the battery with four bolts into special inserts threaded into the wood.
The CD player and changer will need to be accessible even when the back panel is installed, and there is luggage in the trunk. The changer won’t play mp3 files or wma, but the deck will. So, we will be able to listen to six regular CDs plus one assorted CD. The box is attached to the wood with the same inserts as the battery. If you’re wondering how we’re going to change tracks and adjust the volume, I’ll tell you. We’ll simply pull over under a bridge, open the trunk, unload the luggage, take out the six machine screws holding the back panel in place, then turn the knob or change to the next CD. Simple, eh? I have a better idea. There will be a hidden “eye” somewhere in the dash (see if you can find it before the car is done… it’ll be fun!) that will send a signal along a wire to an LED transmitter that will be pointed to the CD player. So we will be able to perform all the functions that we’ll need to perform minus changing sound levels and fade, etc. from a remote inside the car, without a CD player to look at all the time. The dash will be nice and clean. A removable access panel will be added right in front of the CD player and changer so that we can change settings and CDs easily. But I’m sure 7 CDs can outlast a 60 year old bladder.
These bulkheads from Air Ride Technologies will allow us to run the air through the trunk floor, keeping the lines between the floor and the access panel.
This is looking up at the bulkhead from under the car. It’s a good thing we got that Backyard Buddy lift – I would have had to actually crawl under the car to take this picture!
That’s all there is to it… run the lines from the solenoids to the bulkheads, and nobody will ever know.
I’ve got the solenoids mounted upside-down on the same piece of wood that the tank and compressor are on. It would have been wise to have mounted it before I installed the wood panel, but who doesn’t envy a contortionist once in a while? All six feet two inches of me that was twisted like a shamois (aka Shammy) doesn’t. That’s Vette Panel Adhesive holding the wood to the ‘glass. That stuff is amazing!
’32 Update: Gauges (article 17, archived)
We’re finding more and more ways that this Bear body is set apart from the rest. We’ve always been looking for ways to remove as much as possible from the dash, without leaving it completely blank. CD player, A/C and heater controls, wiper switches, air ride switches, ignition, and finally, most of the gauges, would look better… somewhere else. Turning back to the body, it has a neat little compartment, complete with a removable face, over the windshield. “What a neat place to put all that stuff!” we thought. So we laid out where everything would go with masking tape, sat in the car for hours at a time, and, with our fair share of criticism (coming from within I might add) proceeded to cut some holes. Here’s how it turned out (so far).
I cut out the exact OUTER DIMENSION of the bezels of the instruments as well as the biggest dimension for all the other gadgets. It’s very important to calculate your space based on the bezel diameter, not the mounting hole size. See the big square on the right? That’s the wiper switch. There’s a big box on the back side that takes up space, so I couldn’t lay out the knobs right next to each other or there would be interference.
No, I’m not moving them to the top of the dash. Once again, I used some masking tape to lay out where the holes would be.
The paper layouts were oriented by hand, so I had to convert “eye” measurements to “measuring tape” measurements. I ran a strip of tape along the very bottom of my paper templates, so I knew where the bottoms where. At the bottom of one gauge, I marked the center. Now I have a home base.
This handy ruler was given to me by Zac at Classic Instruments. It has all the bezel dimensions as well as all the mounting hole sizes for all their instruments. I had to keep remembering that I was laying out the outer dimension of the bezel, not the mounting hole. I thought 5/16″ would be a good amount to put between the bezels. So, from the first centerline mark, I was able to go out half the bezel O.D. each way. Then, 5/16″ more and I could start the next dimension. Mark the center of the gauge so you know where to drill. If you’re wondering how I got the centerline level, then I must be pretty good. Write me an email if you still don’t get it.
Sha-WING! White Hot series, curved glass, radial bezel. There’s a tach too.
Oh No! Two extra holes! I hope my dad doesn’t see this!
Phew, good thing Classic makes a 2″ tach and a matching air ride pressure gauge.
Since the tach is a little deeper than the other gauges, I put it in the middle of the panel. The gauges come complete with senders and neat little aluminum mounting brackets with nuts. The other nice thing about the removable panel is that it’s removable, which has obvious advantages.
“ok, tower, request permission to land. over.” I like it. (My aviation lingo might be a bit off.)
Having all the tools at hand, I grabbed a bigger hole saw and cut out the hole for the speedometer. I laid out the hole location in the same way. We decided to place the Vintage Air heat/cool vents beside the speedo for consistency and they will be at the proper height for blowing cold air at your chest.
Hey! Look out for that ’40!
Please email with your comments – I think I’ve only got one email, from someone asking if I’m related to Tim, and if this is the Official DonutMobile.
Where will we be this summer?
I thought I’d post a little reminder of where we’ll be this summer with the Welder Series booth.
July 8-11: Atlantic Nationals, Moncton, NB, Canada
July 16-18: Syracuse Nationals, Syracuse NY.
August 5-8: NSRA Street Rod Nationals (plus 😉 ), Louisville KY.
While you’re in Louisville, come on out to the Hot Rod Industry BMX Challenge on Saturday night at the Derby City BMX track, put on by Tim “Big Guy On Tiny Bike” Strange of Strange Motion Rod & Custom Construction. Check out some pictures of last years event: https://www.myrideisme.com/Blog/hot-rod-industrys-1st-annual-bmx-challenge/
Hope you can make it!
As usual, we won’t be bringing product to sell at the show. What could we possibly do to make that up to you? We’ll get it to your front door for no charge. Place the order at the show and we won’t charge you the freight! Sounds good to me – I’d rather not carry steel parts around at a show.
Looking forward to seeing some of you again, and meeting others for the first time.
dw
Dear Welder Series… track width
Dear Welder Series…
I have a pro street car and was wondering the best way to measure it out to get the right track width for my front end.
Dear Nick…
Nick, mock up the sheet metal and position the front wheels & tires where you want them. Note the distance between the wheel mounting surfaces. This is the “track width”. Our kit track widths are nominal dimensions because the actual dimension depends on the brakes used.
If your frame is already fabricated, tell me the inside and outside frame rail dimensions. It will help to know the frame height (top & bottom) at the spindle and the spindle height.
Give me those dimensions and I’ll reply right away with the kit I think you should get.
Thanks for looking at Welder Series parts.
Paul Horton
’32 Update: gas tank (article 18, archived)
Since it’s pretty obvious what needs to be done to make the tank fit (try sliding it in. If it’s not fitting, trim something.), I’ll just show some pictures to confirm that it’s done.
Even though the rear spreader bar will cover the back side of the tank flange, I decided that my faithful readers would be disappointed if I left the flange alone. So, I trimmed it along the weld except on the passenger side where the weld doesn’t match the driver’s side. I’m happy with the gap between the body and the top of the tank.
I needed to trim the rails a bit as well as the flange. I have used 3/8 button head bolts, with weld nuts welded underneath the rail. We will be switching to stainless button heads for the final install. We won’t be using anything between the tank and the frame rails… we’re not expecting it to move enough to be a problem.
If everyone’s tank fit like this, the world would be a better place. We’re using a TANKS tank, part number 32-ZS. It has rounded corners like a stock tank and uses a stock-style twist-on cap.
’32 Update: air conditioning (article 19, archived)
Installing a Vintage Air Compac in our 1932 Ford project.
’32 Update: suicide door locks (article 20, archived)
This is the kit we’ll be using to protect the occupants: it’s the Rocky Hinge manual kit. They also have one that’s controlled with an actuator. It’s so easy to install, even if you lose their excellent instructions. What I like about it is all the dimensions are “major” fractions. You won’t have to worry about whether you’re counting 32nds or 64ths; all the dimensions you need to know are either 1/2″, 1-1/2″, etc. It comes with led lights and a built in switch that will tell you when the pin is either in or out.
I decided to put it in the middle of the door because I was afraid the latch would get kicked if it was down near the floor. This way, it’s in line with the door pin too. Just slab some masking tape on there, and drill some holes.
To find the location of the hole that needs to be in the door, I put some tape around where I thought it would be. I mounted the unit, closed the door, and drove the pin against the door a few times to mark the tape. I decided to put the main unit in the kick panel for one major reason: if it’s accidentally switched when the door is open, the pin won’t hit the outside of the car.
The knob comes in a brushed aluminum finish, but I painted it black to blend in. The stainless bolts are standard.
I ground a flat where the set screw in the knob tightens on the shaft so it was oriented to be pointing towards the door when it’s locked.
Evelyn’s dressed with Welder Series parts
“Evelyn” is the name of a particular ’31 Chevrolet a fellow in Dracut, Massachusetts. Evelyn has become famous for her appearances in Rob’s YouTube videos as she is assembled from the ground up. One of the latest videos highlights a Welder Series rear four link.
Check it out! And while you’re there, have a look at Rob’s other Evelyn videos too.
Welder Series Bonus Event program
We get a number of requests to support various car shows, cruise nights, cruises, swap meets, etc. While sending a bag full of pens or stickers is one way to “support” these events, I’m not sure it does much for the actual charity or cause that the event actually supports. But… “people like pens”, as the saying goes.
We wanted to approach the situation a bit differently this year, and what we came up with is a way to support the charity/cause that the event is supporting with actual dollars, while still promoting our business.
Basically, if you’re at a Welder Series Bonus Event and order parts within a week of the event, let us know you were there and we’ll send 10% of your order to the charity/cause the event supports. We’ll ship that order for free, too.
Check out the link in the red bar up near the top of the page, or click here for some more info.
Send an email to request that your event have Bonus Event status. There’s no charge.
’32 Update: headlight/shock mounts (article 21, archived)
We've liked this headlight/ shock mount combo from Pete & Jakes for a long time. We didn't think about installing another bracket, because we like the curves and gracefulness.
’32 Update: mirror installation (article 22, archived)
I'm using cowl mirrors from a '40 Ford made by Bob Drake, minus the cowl attachment piece. They're quite swoopy and I think will match nicely with the door handles.
’32 Update: headlight wiring (article 23, archived)
Headlight Wiring
This is what I was making when I discovered that the tire was a great bending die for a large radius.
You can see a very slight bend on the horizontal section of tube. Basically, I wanted to give it some shape so it wasn’t straight.
The little stainless piece in the back of the headlight is a piece from the Parr headlight conduit kit. It comes with some braided hose, and two of each frame fittings and headlight fittings. I machined a shoulder on the headlight fittings and drilled them 3/8″ all the way through, for the stainless line. There are six wires in a ’32 headlight with turn signals, which *just* won’t fit in a 3/8″ tube. I took the ground from the turn signal and bolted it to the inside of the light, which is bolted to the frame. Five wires fit very snugly inside the tube, but they do fit.
’32 Update: booster or no booster (article 24, archived)
If you can't decide whether to run power brakes or not, or if you just want to experiment like we did, just run braided lines to the master cylinder from the frame.