Category: 32 Build

Updates on our ’32 Ford build.

’32 Update: body bolts, motor mounted. (article 39)

 

I welded stainless washers to stainless allen head cap screws for the body mount bolts.

We thought for a while, drew our thoughts on the blackboard, and finally came up with a much simpler edition. Since the floor of the Bear Fiberglass body is so thick (almost 2″), and it is composed of two layers of fiberglass sandwiching a sort of foam material, it can be ‘squished’, for lack of a better word. Imagine standing on a pop can. Or you can stand on a soda can. Either way, unless you’re reading this blog from the comfort of the womb, you will probably collapse the walls of the can. Imagine now that you drop a steel tube inside, just shorter than the height of the can. The walls will collapse just a tiny bit, but then the strength of the tube will hold your weight. Probably.

Same idea here. We’re putting a tube spacer inside the floor so that when the bolts get tightened, they will cinch the body down but won’t be able to overtighten and crush the fiberglass.


This is one of the only pictures you’ll see of me working on the car… and it happens to be the easiest job other than cleaning.

Time to install the engine! Here, the transmission mount is swung (my computer didn’t put a red line under “swung”, so I guess it’s a word) out of the way, waiting for the transmission.

Great! Fits just like it did the first time!

Sneak Peek…

 

’32 update – deep breath (article 38)

Sometimes planning ahead can be a pain in the behind. A long time ago, before the rear end was painted, we decided to drill a hole for the breather. Great idea, we thought. It looked pretty slick, right between the four link brackets like it was supposed to be there. Fast forward to a few weeks ago (yes that makes sense if you think about it), and now there is a sway bar tab right over the breather hole. In order of priority, the sway bar tab wins. I had tacked it in place from below, and I didn’t notice/didn’t remember that the breather hole was there too.

I removed the tab, filled the hole, ground it smooth, and welded the sway bar tabs permanently. Then we had to choose a new location for the breather. As it turns out, it was a good thing we waited to install it; Garth Webb, a builder from next door, brought over this mini stainless breather for us to use! The holes in the sway bar tabs are 3/8″, so you can get an idea of how tiny this little guy is.

Thanks Garth!