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34 Dodge Update

Posted By: B1arno

34 Dodge Update - 04/02/13 03:13 AM

I haven't posted in awhile. Personal things going on. I finally got some time to wind down and work on the car. I decided a couple of weeks ago to strip my car to bare metal. I have been hesitant to do this, afraid of what I would find. The car actually looked pretty good so I thought I could get away with just doing a little body work and painting it. Long story short, I'm glad I stripped it even though it will require much more work. There was some known rust in front of the trunk lid that needed to be taken care of. My sheet metal fabricator came over and got to work makeing a patch panel and reconstructing the drip rails inside the trunk lid. These had been mostly cut out by a previous owner. I wish I had the tools to do this myself. The shrinker/strecher intriques me. There were also some major indentations maybe 3/4" deep, that he noticed right away that had been filled with lead. He says that this was not uncommon from the factory and they just filled them rather than pound them out. Anyone have experience with that? Anyway, Here are acouple of pics, one before and one after some time making and fitting parts.

Attached picture 7651081-34dodge005.JPG
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/02/13 03:14 AM

With new parts.

Attached picture 7651082-StrippedforPaint009.JPG
Posted By: Robbins

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/02/13 12:37 PM

Awesome! Looking good!
Posted By: Webster

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/02/13 01:05 PM

Looking good....Some Big Booties going on her by the looks of the tubs
Posted By: moparx

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/03/13 01:48 AM

arno, my humpback has major "divots" under the leadwork where the roof panels meet the a pillars, and where the roof and b pillars meet. this is a very common thing found under the lead joints. i can see similar "workmanship" in the rear by the door opening and 1/4 panel joints, but the lead is still in the joints on the outside, but cracked pretty good. i'm sure there will be a mess as i expect under the lead. you will be glad you took the time to strip and repair properly in the long run.
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/03/13 03:00 AM

Thanks guys! For those that may be new on here, this is a pic of the chassis from some time ago. Just working on the body now.

Attached picture 7652495-AssemblingChassis020.jpg
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/03/13 03:10 AM

Quote:

arno, my humpback has major "divots" under the leadwork where the roof panels meet the a pillars, and where the roof and b pillars meet. this is a very common thing found under the lead joints. i can see similar "workmanship" in the rear by the door opening and 1/4 panel joints, but the lead is still in the joints on the outside, but cracked pretty good. i'm sure there will be a mess as i expect under the lead. you will be glad you took the time to strip and repair properly in the long run.



Thanks Moparx. It just seems odd that assembling all new parts freshly stamped that there would be this kind of damage, but apparently it happened. Oh well, fix it and move on. With a little luck and a lot of time, and if life doesn't get in the way, I might have it on the road by years end.

Attached picture 7652521-StrippedforPaint003.JPG
Posted By: Hemi Allstate

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/11/13 02:44 AM

Quote:

Quote:

arno, my humpback has major "divots" under the leadwork where the roof panels meet the a pillars, and where the roof and b pillars meet. this is a very common thing found under the lead joints. i can see similar "workmanship" in the rear by the door opening and 1/4 panel joints, but the lead is still in the joints on the outside, but cracked pretty good. i'm sure there will be a mess as i expect under the lead. you will be glad you took the time to strip and repair properly in the long run.



Thanks Moparx. It just seems odd that assembling all new parts freshly stamped that there would be this kind of damage, but apparently it happened. Oh well, fix it and move on. With a little luck and a lot of time, and if life doesn't get in the way, I might have it on the road by years end.



Good job Arno,
It's going to be an awesome coupe!
Keep up the good work.
Mark
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/01/13 12:50 AM

A little more progress. More rust repair and PO crumby work repair. It's slow going but I feel confident it will be a much nicer car when I'm done because of it. I cut the roof plug off of it and am redoing it. They just lapped it on top of the existing sheet metal, tack welded it, and buried it in fiberglas. A few pics.

Attached picture 7760602-34dodge003.JPG
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/01/13 12:51 AM

Another.

Attached picture 7760603-34dodge004.JPG
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/01/13 12:52 AM

Patch panel in front of rear wheel opening.

Attached picture 7760605-34dodge005.JPG
Posted By: moparx

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/01/13 02:13 AM

good deal arno ! was your roof skin just laying on top of the roof with the padded top channel under it ? nice job on the 1/4 patch !
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/01/13 03:12 AM

Quote:

good deal arno ! was your roof skin just laying on top of the roof with the padded top channel under it ? nice job on the 1/4 patch !




Yeah, it was just laid on top and tack welded in position. It looks like they used a roof section out of a minivan or suv with stiffening ribs in it so there was no bracing underneath to hold it up. It looked a bit funny because pretty much every panel on the car is rounded and the roof ended up flat across the top.

Did you ever get the mig welder light? If so, does it help?
Posted By: Hemi Allstate

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/01/13 03:39 PM


Looking Good Arno!
Keep the pictures coming too.
Posted By: moparx

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/02/13 01:23 AM

Quote:



Did you ever get the mig welder light? If so, does it help?


i rigged up a cheapo led pocket flashlite to try out the idea first. i just tried a couple of tacks and the jury is still out. i have a project i hope to do this coming weekend which will require some extra light. if it helps, i'll let you know !
Posted By: 80arrow

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/04/13 02:32 AM

That looks awesome and like a lot of work, but fun . I wish I had the knowledge, patience, and guts to do a complete project like yours. Any idea what you are going to do with the roof?
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/04/13 04:15 PM

I have a friend with an english wheel. We kind of messed around with it to see what it would take to make a plug for the roof. I need to get the rest of the areas where they screwed up the chop on the roof straightend out before we can make the plug. Then it will be flush welded in.
Arno
Posted By: 80arrow

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/04/13 06:28 PM

That will look very nice with the roof filled in. Was that the way they came with an opening in the roof? Mine has about the same hole in the top, they have tinted lexan over it, like a moon roof. I think it would look better to fill it in like you are going to. I'll look for that wiring harness this weekend hopefully, thanks
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/04/13 09:09 PM

It had a fabric covered top originally over a wood framework. I'm not sure why they were done this way. My guess is cost savings in production. Maybe someone else can enlighten us?

Arno
Posted By: MuuMuu101

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/04/13 09:36 PM

I am liking the looks of that right there. It looks super aggressive. I'd like to do one of these in the future with a 30's Plymouth or Dodge.
Posted By: poorboy

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/05/13 06:12 AM

Quote:

It had a fabric covered top originally over a wood framework. I'm not sure why they were done this way. My guess is cost savings in production. Maybe someone else can enlighten us?

Arno



I don't think they had the capacity to stamp a full metal roof until 1935. Mopar was about the first to have a full metal roof in 35, everything before that had a cloth insert unless it was just tin tacked with nails over a wood frame. Gene
Posted By: moparx

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/05/13 10:39 AM

Quote:

It had a fabric covered top originally over a wood framework. I'm not sure why they were done this way. My guess is cost savings in production. Maybe someone else can enlighten us?

Arno


the reason this was done this way was because there wasn't a press or die big enough to stamp a top section in one piece. all manufacturers did this untill 36 or 37. in the early days it was only possible to stamp front, rear, and rt/lft sides then weld together to form the top. the welds were often very poor as the joints weren't precise by any means. they were then leaded over to fill the seams. the resulting hole was then filled with a wooden framework covered with "chicken" wire and a fabric covering.[my humpback has the luxury of having 2 holes in the roof made this way.] i read this somewhere a million years ago in a book about henry ford.......

gene, you are right. mopar was the first to make a solid top, but in 35 the sedans still had a roof insert, at least the early production ones had them. not sure about 36, but all had a "one piece" top in 37.
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/06/13 04:24 AM

Quote:

Quote:

It had a fabric covered top originally over a wood framework. I'm not sure why they were done this way. My guess is cost savings in production. Maybe someone else can enlighten us?

Arno


the reason this was done this way was because there wasn't a press or die big enough to stamp a top section in one piece. all manufacturers did this untill 36 or 37. in the early days it was only possible to stamp front, rear, and rt/lft sides then weld together to form the top. the welds were often very poor as the joints weren't precise by any means. they were then leaded over to fill the seams. the resulting hole was then filled with a wooden framework covered with "chicken" wire and a fabric covering.[my humpback has the luxury of having 2 holes in the roof made this way.] i read this somewhere a million years ago in a book about henry ford.......

gene, you are right. mopar was the first to make a solid top, but in 35 the sedans still had a roof insert, at least the early production ones had them. not sure about 36, but all had a "one piece" top in 37.



I knew there would be people on here that could answer that. Thanks guys!
Posted By: Robbins

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 07/07/13 07:37 PM



That's going to be a sweet ride!
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/13/14 01:20 AM

Been about 6 months since I have been able to work on the 34. Hopefully have now remodeled my last bathroon and got back to the car on Friday. It took awhile to get things sorted in my head again as to what to tackle next. As usual I started on several areas at once. It seems to help when I get stuck for ideas to stop on one area and move to another. Not really my style but it seems to work on this thing. I've never done sheet metal replacement before so this is all new to me. I was able to buy some patch panels but many patches need to be custom bent. Fortunately I have a friend that was a body man and he gives me some pointers if I get stuck. I feel for you guys in the rust belt. Here are a few new pics.

Attached picture 8110290-2014sheetmetalrepair001.JPG
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/13/14 01:25 AM

That first picture is the passenger side where the A pillar meets the roof. The sheet metal was pretty much gone. Had to figure out how to patch this rather complicated piece. Ended up making it in two pieces that will be welded together. This pic is where I left off today, still needing some tweeking, but getting there.

Attached picture 8110300-2014sheetmetalrepair002.JPG
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/13/14 01:28 AM

The replacement rear panel welded in place. I have to recreate the ends where it transitions into the rear quarters.

Attached picture 8110304-2014sheetmetalrepair003.JPG
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/13/14 01:30 AM

Lastly, this is the passenger side front cowl patch panel. It also has some more fitting to be done but pretty close.

Attached picture 8110306-2014sheetmetalrepair004.JPG
Posted By: 5wndwcpe

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/13/14 04:51 AM

Quote:

The replacement rear panel welded in place. I have to recreate the ends where it transitions into the rear quarters.



Hey Arno,

Where did you get the rear splash pan ? The last time I worked on mine, nobody was making Mopar stuff. We had to adapt Ford pieces or make them from scratch.
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/13/14 05:01 AM

Quote:

Quote:

The replacement rear panel welded in place. I have to recreate the ends where it transitions into the rear quarters.



Hey Arno,

Where did you get the rear splash pan ? The last time I worked on mine, nobody was making Mopar stuff. We had to adapt Ford pieces or make them from scratch.



I got all my patch panels from Floyds Body Shop.
http://rileyreproductions.com/patchpanels.html

Their stuff is very nice/accurate and reasonably priced as far as I'm concerned. I'm looking at Ford repro drip mouldings for mine.
Posted By: moparx

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/13/14 12:41 PM

you are doing good arno ! keep up the good work !
Posted By: Hemi Allstate

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/15/14 04:25 AM

Quote:

you are doing good arno ! keep up the good work !




It's GREAT to see this progress.
Keep up the good work Arno!
Posted By: fstfish66

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/15/14 09:50 AM

i think we all have had our projects pushed back at one time or another,,,,glad your back on it
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/20/14 12:31 AM

Got a little time to work on it again today. The bottoms of the doors had some pretty funky rust repair done on them so I'm cutting out the old repair to see what I can do. The first three pics are of the pass side and the last two are the drivers side. Now to figure what I'm going to do to fix it!

Attached picture 8117870-34doors003.JPG
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/20/14 12:31 AM

#2

Attached picture 8117871-34doors005.JPG
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/20/14 12:32 AM

#3

Attached picture 8117872-34doors009.JPG
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/20/14 12:33 AM

#4

Attached picture 8117873-34doors010.JPG
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/20/14 12:33 AM

Last

Attached picture 8117875-34doors011.JPG
Posted By: dogdays

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/20/14 02:39 AM

34 ford patch panels?

R.
Posted By: fstfish66

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/20/14 08:47 AM

Quote:

34 ford patch panels?

R.



there is a guy called the plymouth doctor, he makes panels but i dont know for what all he makes panels for or how to get a hold of him,,,
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/20/14 11:15 PM

Quote:

34 ford patch panels?

R.



This sounded like a good idea so I went online looking at Ford 32,33,and 34 lower door patch panels. They have obvious differences in their shape but I will keep them in mind. I do have access to an english wheel so that will probably be what I try first. Not sure how I will be able to duplicate the pinch weld along the bottom and have a nice straight line.
Posted By: Mopar Ron

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/21/14 07:24 AM

arno check here

when I do door bottoms I just take apiece if metal and have a bend made at the bottom as far as the break will go and then I fit it to the bottom and hammer and dolly it together and on the curve area I put a piece of metal and then weld the door edge and grind it smooth...


http://www.srpmstreetrods.com/srpm/1933-...0b816573-p.html

full door is a bit pricy
http://www.srpmstreetrods.com/srpm/1933-...0e0b6581-p.html
Posted By: Hemi Allstate

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/21/14 07:19 PM

Quote:

Quote:

34 ford patch panels?

R.



there is a guy called the plymouth doctor, he makes panels but i dont know for what all he makes panels for or how to get a hold of him,,,



I Googled and found this.
http://www.theplymouthdoctor.com/
Posted By: B1arno

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/22/14 02:24 AM

Quote:

arno check here

when I do door bottoms I just take apiece if metal and have a bend made at the bottom as far as the break will go and then I fit it to the bottom and hammer and dolly it together and on the curve area I put a piece of metal and then weld the door edge and grind it smooth...


http://www.srpmstreetrods.com/srpm/1933-...0b816573-p.html

full door is a bit pricy
http://www.srpmstreetrods.com/srpm/1933-...0e0b6581-p.html




Hi Ron,
I have seen their stuff but it looked like they mostly did the trucks. I called them today and they said the difference is in the lenght of the doors. Coupe doors are longer. They said that they could make up some longer if I give them the measurement. I didn't realize that the bottom of the door is straight except the very front so getting a nice line on the bottom should not be a big deal as you suggested. Knowing that, it looks like it may not be hard to make up the door repair panels. Thanks!

Also, anyone have ideas on drip rails? Mine had been removed and the slight indentations left where they had been were filled with bondo. I've looked at repop drip rails for Fords. They are exspensive and I'm sure I will have to modify them if I can make them work at all. I may just smooth that area but that leaves me with the body details just dead ending above the doors. I just can't see that looking right. Ideas?

Attached picture 8120189-driprail.JPG
Posted By: moparx

Re: 34 Dodge Update - 04/22/14 02:48 AM

glad you brought up the driprail problem arno ! my humpback rails are gone, but depending on how a guy sees it, there is only rust to contend with instead of digging out bondo and fixing a shoddy repair. my thoughts on that area was to just fab up something that would tie in the front body line to a shape similar to what is above the back doors, which is just a slight outward bump that I guess just points the water away from the top of the door opening. I won't be getting into the body for quite a while tho.......you are doing a great job so far !
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