My New '29 A Sedan!

Thanks Gregster! I don't see any panels on his site, so I guess I need to call him for those?

I have the Howell's and the Battleground catalogs and they offer all sorts of patch panels too. I just need to figure out exactly which ones I need and send off for 'em. I also need some windshield swing arms and associated hardware. Actually I need about a kazillion things, but I just gotta stay positive and take it one step at a time


Fred B.

deerchooper said:

lookin good.

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Thanks chopper! It's way early, but my goal is to drive it on my 50th birthday (I'm currently 43)!


Fred B.

got to have a plan set in place, lol.

youll get it.

Lots of work ahead,I can tel you that from working on my 29 Tudor.If you have a small angle grinder with the wire cup it will speed things way up from a drill,they just dont have the rpm to work fast. Plus the really thin flat cutting wheels work really well for cutting the old metal and are very precise.
What are your plans with it,chopping the roof,sectioning body? I made all my own panels ,a lot cheaper. I redid the whole botom of the car also redid the inside door bottoms . I left the bottom edges about 3 "shorter than factory so the body looks better with the 6" roof chop. If you want any pics to see what I did let me know.

ratdog said:

...If you have a small angle grinder with the wire cup it will speed things way up from a drill,they just dont have the rpm to work fast. Plus the really thin flat cutting wheels work really well for cutting the old metal and are very precise.
...
I left the bottom edges about 3 "shorter than factory so the body looks better with the 6" roof chop. ...

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What he said. It'll save you a lot of work and frustration.

Dang, you guys are spot on! I cut out that first piece to be patched using my 4.5" grinder with a thick grinding wheel installed. What a pain!

Then I was trying to remove some hard-to-get-to rivet and bolt heads with my Dremel using those super thin cut-off wheels... I must've went through 40 of 'em!

So I stopped by Lowe's on the way home today to look for some of the fiber-reinforced cut-off wheels. While I was browsing I noticed the thin cut-off wheels for my 4.5 grinder. They were $1.98 so I bought one. (The reinforced Dremel wheels were $7.98!).

So this afternoon I used the grinder (w/new wheel) to cut a hole in the bottom of my dash/tank. Holy crap! WAY better than that old grinding wheel!!! Now I just gotta find a cheaper source for the reinforced Dremel wheels!

Ratdog, I'd LOVE to see any photos of your build that you might be willing to share. You can email them to me directly if that's easier?


Fred B.

Gotta 29 too!

Keep up the good work and chop, chop, cut ,cut !
I cut 3'' off the bottom of mine due to rust and chopped the top 6'' then channeled it 4''! Like ratdog said you have a lot of work ahead of ya but believe me it's worth every second! Have fun and keep us posted!![P[cl[P

Mr.Gussett said:

Keep up the good work and chop, chop, cut ,cut !
I cut 3'' off the bottom of mine due to rust and chopped the top 6'' then channeled it 4''! Like ratdog said you have a lot of work ahead of ya but believe me it's worth every second! Have fun and keep us posted!![P[cl[P

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You did what? You chopped 3" off the bottom? Did you weld material back on afterwords? Or is your body 9" shorter than original?

And a 6" channel? Holy smokes, do you have ANY room inside that bad boy? [P

Hey, if either of you guys have build photos showing how you attached the body to the frame (or sub-frame) I'd like to see 'em. I'm trying to envision how the "channeling" attaches to the inside wall of the body.

Thanks for the encouragement and tips guys, I sure appreciate it!


Fred B.

I will look thru my pics and email you some. I have not quite got to the subfloor stage, having a bit of a hold up with building kitchen cabinets right now,car not moving along too fast. as far as the chop channel and interior height goes with three inch removed from bottom and the 6 inch chop even if I do a 4 inch channel, which I dont know if I will any more, there is plenty of hight sitting in a fibreglass type racing seat. Now I am not six foot eight like everyone else seems to be, only 5' 10" ,but seems to be enough height for me.

Doesn't look like much, but after nearly 30 hours of labor and about $125 in supplies my cowl/tank windshield frame went from this:



To this:





Insl-X Rust Arrestor (and I'd like to thank T1 for recommending this stuff in another thread). This crap is tough as nails! I missed some old paint before I covered it with Rust Arrestor so I got out the mouse sander to remove it. 80-grit would hardly put a dent in it!

Fred B.

Here are a couple shots of the patch panel cut-outs. Hopefully I can find some 18-gauge and bend that lip in my vise. Then my brother will weld 'em in for me using his mig. Tack, tack, tack... fill, cool, fill, cool....




And here is my new wire cup for my grinder (as recommended by Ratdog)!




Fred B.

i use them wire wheels as well. but please where long sleeve shirts and safety glasses. you will look like a pin coushin.

just dont want to here you put your eye out or something.

looks good

deerchooper said:

i use them wire wheels as well. but please where long sleeve shirts and safety glasses. you will look like a pin coushin.

just dont want to here you put your eye out or something.

looks good

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Thanks Chooper! I always wear safety glasses after seeing what my brother endured about 12 years back when he got a piece of metal in his eye... he's a real stickler for safety glasses now. The long sleeves tip will be useful though! Appreciate the concern


Fred B.

That patch looks same shape as mine did. If you want to retain the slight curve in that cowl and you dont have a stretcher to stretch the lip at the bottom, I welded it on after with the right curve. I made templates out of 1/4" ply from all the curved areas on the body that I was fixing before I cut anything so I could get the shape back to how it was.