1949 Ford bobber build

Hey icebox, thanks for the pics. It looks good. Are you building this truck? I imagine you would have to just reshape the wing windows a little more than if you split the roof. It would be nice to not have to weld the entire roof.

I have been working on my front cross member a little more. Cleaned up the welds a little. Gotta try and remember its a Rat Rod. Easy to get carried away.

I also started making the box plate for the front frame section. YOu can see the two sections sitting inside the frame rail. I might remake the very front one out of 3/16 plate to add extra support to the cross member.

I need to find another radiator. The original is crazy heavy! I saw a post on this site recently of modifying a horizontal flow chevy aluminium radiator. Might give that a try.

I'm waiting for my parallel four link to arrive from Welder Series. In the mean time I found the fire wall was broken away from the front cowl. Previous owner had riveted it back together with some real light aluminium rivets. Had to remove them and weld it back together. Did some work on the passenger door where it had been hit once. It was creased pretty deep. Now it oilcans pretty bad.[S Gotta figure that out with a hammer and dolly.

gold03

Oil canning is evil, I had a couple spots as well, I end up cutting an X or t shape in that area and working it back while welding it up... I dunno if others do it this way, but even with all the hammers and dollies I have, I cant seem to do it any other way, I suppose heating it up would probably work too =)

I have a air planishing hammer. I have seen guys make hand held units to work a fender. A door would be tough. I was thinking it could be used to restore some of the crown, but the skin is probably stretched already from dent pulling. I tried the heat and seem to have just pulled out some of the crown in areas and made oil canning worse.

Previous owner sprayed ash fault coating in doors too. Yuck.

Gold03

gold03 said:

I have a air planishing hammer. I have seen guys make hand held units to work a fender. A door would be tough. I was thinking it could be used to restore some of the crown, but the skin is probably stretched already from dent pulling. I tried the heat and seem to have just pulled out some of the crown in areas and made oil canning worse.

Previous owner sprayed ash fault coating in doors too. Yuck.

Gold03

Click to expand...

Yea, once its stretched, unless you can shrink it you're kinda screwed... I think that spray is standard from Ford, cause it was in my doors too.

I could see it working out a dent, but if you had an oil can condition, where the metal was stretched already too far, I can;t see it working that out, but I guess it depends on the situation... I do know I can remove it with a cut and a weld though =) [

yes i am building it.i am going to try and get it done this summer. i have all most all the parts i need. next i need to z the frame.i have a 59 caddy 390 mated up to a chevy 3 speed . with the help from a friend i built the adapter the hook them together . i am not going to put the vent windows back in.
icebox

Looking forward to seeing it icebox. Hope you start a build thread.

I was out reworking my passenger door tonight. [S not so much oil can now, but I think it might just be the lumps I made stopping the oil can

gold03

I feel your pain, believe me =)

Those area that remained too high from working out the oil can I X cut and welded back together while working the area flat with a hammer and dollie. sp?

I think part of the trick is to remember I am building a rat rod. I don't want to get it so smooth that I am tempted to put a $10,000 paint job on it. I intend to drive it like I stole it. And park it at the mall once in a while[ddd

I like the idea of the X cut and weld though.

gold03

I received my parallel rear four link from Welder Series in Ont. Canada today. Looks good to me. Now I can start setting my suspension and do my rear frame Z.

I didn't post pictures of the dent repair in the passenger door, but here are a few. Had a pretty good crease in the door and had to fight oil can after this, but its all close now. I don't think these are in any particular order, but you can see how I managed to pull out the crease. Hammer and dolly and a ratchet strap attached to the vice grip.

goldf03

Looking good on the 4-link and the dent repair, I have a ton of those... I might leave them for character =)

Fix it

dirtyrat said:

yea, once its stretched, unless you can shrink it you're kinda screwed... I think that spray is standard from ford, cause it was in my doors too.

I could see it working out a dent, but if you had an oil can condition, where the metal was stretched already too far, i can;t see it working that out, but i guess it depends on the situation... I do know i can remove it with a cut and a weld though =) [

Click to expand...

u have to scring the metal with a torch and hammer and dolly

Did some more on the build today. I clipped off the rest of the rear frame section. Notched out where the 2X4 tubing is going to insert into the frame for the rear Z.

I'm going to drill through the frame and weld a few plug welds to the 2X4 tubing edges when I install the Z to ensure it is bonded to both Layers of the laminated frame, as well as welding the edges of the tubing to the frame.

I am going to box this section of frame as well to reinforce the Z, and to give a surface to mount the four link.

I was hoping to get my four link installed on the outside of the frame, but it might go inboard. We will have to see. I want to mount it forward as far as possible, but on the outside the drop in the cab skirt gets in the way.

The tubing is just there to fit the notches at the moment. not making a monster Z.

gold03

Little more thinking today. Suspension going out board. Frame is going to get modified to allow for frame bracket. I need to find some air springs to determine the frame height.

gold03

Did something a little different today.I needed my front four link bracket to fit between the cab and the frame. I thought about extending the frame, but thought it would look goofy. So I relocated the cab corner a little. About two inches. Initially I cut the curved corner out then I removed another two inches and welded the corner curve back into place. Looks alright and the four link bracket will fill the space. This is probably a little different than the usual way... but its my way.

I did both, but have not finished the passenger side welding yet.

Now there is room for the bracket to slide right up to the cab mount. This shortens my back end a little.

gold03

Looks like it never happened =)
Nice work on the relocation.

Thanks man. I finished the other side this after noon. Well... sort of. I still gotta weld up the underside but the metal finishing is done.

I went to buy some 2" roll lock disks and found they make a 2" flapper wheel roll lock made of zirconium. That makes grinding weld real easy.

I also found a way to fill in the knock outs on the passenger side of the cowl. I took out the big rectangular one to repair a small dent, and got to thinking about the little round knock outs. I took a pair of vice grips and pinched them back into flush with the rest of the sheet metal. Cleco clips to hold the rectangular piece and I'm ready to weld.

gold03

The welding magnets work well for that too. Looking good!

Truth is I just wanted to try out the Clecos and clips I made

gold03

OK, I've been a little busy, but getting some work on the truck.

I have finished the cab corner relocation. Welded the stress cracks I found in the firewall. Filled the gas tank filler hole, and built my rear frame section. Mocked up the rear suspension. you can see how the four link bracket bolts in tight to the cab where I relocated the corners.

I need to do some work on my panhard though.

gold03