Jun 18 2010
openings
I have made progress on various parts of the ’51 and have lost track of what parts have been documented and what parts haven’t. The top chop and door opening job was done on a fill in basis between other things that were happening. Life is like that sometimes.
When I decided to widen the cowl I also needed to widen the windshield opening. The chopped windshield posts remained where they were and needed no changes. I put the driver’s side windshield post in place with my normal inside reinforcing plates. After it was all welded in I stood back and discovered that the post was not straight. No matter how I turned my head the post still was not straight. The only way that it looked right was if I turned the lights off. Figuring that at some point the truck would be outside in the day time I cut the post loose and took a second stab at it. Look twice and weld once.
In the middle of all this confusion I ran out of welding wire. I also ran out of shielding gas. Apparently a lot of welding is going on. Sadly with all the grinding a lot of the weld wire is ending up on the floor and being swept out the door. I am trying to include plenty of sharp pieces in the sweepings in a futile attempt at keeping the neighbor’s cat from using the sweepings for a litter box.
After getting both windshield posts lined up and welded on I was faced with the little problem of the front of the door openings being several inches offset from the rear of the door openings. I made relief cuts in the corners of the roof and then found that the inside of the front had a substantial inner structure that also required a relief cut. I expect that the front inner structure will need further modification when the windshield opening is created.
The relief cuts enabled me to pull the two parts of the roof into alignment and clamp them to a piece of angle iron. The angle iron just fit into the groove of the rain gutter, this made a handy place to put the filler piece.
When I went to cut the filler piece from the spare roof I discovered that there had been previous tenants residing in the roof. Luckily they had moved on and only the trash was left behind.
Putting the filler piece in place revealed a pretty large gap between the roof and the filler piece. I clamped a piece of copper 1/8” plate behind the gap and filled the gap with weld. The copper holds the molten metal in place while it solidifies. The weld doesn’t stick to the copper this allows the copper plate to be removed after the weld cools. This is a handy trick for people like me who have a hard time cutting patch pieces the right size.
After getting the filler piece in the door opening was actually pretty straight. The rain gutter needs a little tweaking. The door frame has a taper in it and so when the filler piece was installed there is some misalignment that will need filler to smooth out. Overall the extension worked out pretty well.
I intentionally left the roof piece short because I am intending to re curve the roof and the missing piece will be put in at that time.
I now have “grand openings” for the doors. All I need to do is to make doors that fit the bigger openings. Speaking of openings, I quit my job. This created an opening. I also accepted a new job. This filled an opening. So life changes even if the ’51 is not done.
Norm
Norm,
The angle-iron alignment jig was the same trick I used when I did my ’56 Ford, gosh, 15 -20 years ago, except I used it to widen the roof at the windshield as it came down, not to lengthen the doors. What you’re taking on by stretching the cab is absolutely awesome. [Those last two are good comparison shots.]
The part about enlarging the windshield opening by moving the ‘A’ posts left me wondering however. Knowing you, I’m sure you’ve measured the glass width and have a plan, but moving the bottom of the posts was something I never did. I know of and have read about others who use a windshield from a different make or model vehicle to get things right, but I’ve subscribed to the logic (if there is any in this) of being able to do more with the metal (in the area of forming, shaping, etc) than with the glass and will do what I need to do to make the metal work around the windshield. Glass is so much less forgiving when one tries to bend it.
John
John,
The plan with the windshield is to use the center of the windshield glass from a 91 Dodge Ram van. The Dodge glass is wide enough, tall enough and has a decent amount of curve to it.
Last night I started making the “buck” that will be used to modify the windshield opening to accommodate the new glass. I am using six inch wide fence slats because they are readily available and cheap, like me. I traced the curve of the glass onto one of the fence slats and then cut the slat with a jig saw. When I had the slat where it fit the windshield I clamped the slat onto the cowl. Now the plan is to make the windshield pinch welded area and the cowl fit the slat. Hopefully when I get done I will have an opening that has the same shape as the windshield.
After I am done with the metal work I plan to trace a pattern off of the new opening and use that pattern to cut the glass.
You are right about the glass not bending. I have had bad experiences with that very thing in the past. I have also been practicing cutting glass using a couple of old windshields that I got from a windshield repair place. Did you know that they will give you a cracked windshield for free? Right about my price range. Oh, in case you were wondering, don’t walk around the garage barefoot after cutting glass. Just a heads up.
I actually got a little caught up and that is why I had time to work on the truck. I am also hoping that it will happen again in the near future.
Norm