1937 Chevy Coupe

[Dr Crankenstein]

We worked on the trunk lid yesterday.

We built some brackets and bolted them to both lower corners, where the original lock/latch hardware belongs...

Then we cobbled a pair of "tensioners", using the threaded portions from a set of cheap stabilizer jacks we had kicking around...

Pressure applied. We added tension, hammered a little, added tension, hammered some more, eventually working out a sharp buckle in the structure and some light pressure points on the skin...

Above, we had to apply some heat and another cobbled device to help pull the buckle out. (No pictures of the device, sorry.)

Closed the lid and it fit bad, really bad... but we still had a ton of pressure on it. We removed the tensioners and closed the lid again... hot damn, it's nearly perfect!

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

Remnants of paint and primer deceive the eye and actual fit. It's better than the pictures show and we're very pleased with the results. The other side still needs some work, but it's close and should work out just as well...


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[Torchie]

Great job Doc. [cl
A port a power with out the power.
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[Torchie]

Thanks Torchie. That's a '37 or '38 Chevy all right! I like the Buick fenders. Dodge tail lights? Looks like he changed the dash as well...

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looks buick or olds by the tail and dash to me

I't's a 37 Chevy for sure. He did a bit of work on the quarters to get the Buick fenders to look right.
I can't remember what the tail light sare from but I know he made the pedestals
The dash shell is from a 53 Plymouth Cranbrook with a custom made wood insert that houses a set of classic gauges.
It's really a sweet build that is very well done. He has been able to log on but hasn't done an intro yet.
I'm encouraging him to do it as he would be a great addition to this site.
Torchie

 

[Skip]

Deck lid looks great, Doc. I like your "tool". [cl I've done something similar with a VW bug jack and some home-made attachments.

 

[Burgerman]

Dang Doc. Nice work! No easy task. [cl

 

[dutch]

sweet
can you reach both sides of the skin for repair?

 

[BillM]

Well done Doc! Thanks for sharing that idea, I'll keep that one in the memory bank.

 

[Old Iron]

Nice application for sure [cl[cl[cl

 

[DozerII]

That turned out very well Doc.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Thanks guys, one and all!

A port a power with out the power.
Torchie

Exactly. I wanted even and constant pressure over time. (Hydraulics have "let me down" before. ) Had I remained in the body and collision business, I'd have a different arsenal of weaponry, but such is not the case... improvise, adapt and overcome...

I't's a 37 Chevy for sure. He did a bit of work on the quarters to get the Buick fenders to look right.
I can't remember what the tail light sare from but I know he made the pedestals
The dash shell is from a 53 Plymouth Cranbrook with a custom made wood insert that houses a set of classic gauges.
It's really a sweet build that is very well done. He has been able to log on but hasn't done an intro yet.
I'm encouraging him to do it as he would be a great addition to this site.
Torchie

Thanks for the info. I hope your friend gains traction and appears here. I'm intrigued and any friend of yours is a friend of ours.

sweet
can you reach both sides of the skin for repair?

Mostly. The underside is fairly open and accessible for some hammer and dolly therapy. What I can't reach (freely) is workable with a spoon or three. I haven't fully explored that issue yet, but I've come to understand the metal is relatively soft, responds well to small inputs and shapes easily without work hardening, within reason...

Underside of the trunk lid, again. Here, you can see how much open space is available...

The yellow arrows indicate a pair of bolt locations. They have siamese twins on the other side which leads me to believe we're missing a sturdy brace. (The lid is surprisingly "flexible" from corner to corner.)

I suppose we're missing that sturdy brace through the middle...

At any speed, the inner structure needs some help. We'll start with the missing brace and finger it out from there...

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[lowbudget50]

Dang fine work sir!!!

 

[donsrods]

I just read all 48 pages of this build. Really a solid, sweet car, and that frame should be able to take anything. Good job.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Dang fine work sir!!!

I just read all 48 pages of this build. Really a solid, sweet car, and that frame should be able to take anything. Good job.

Thank You both.


It's hotter than seven barrels of sh** here... don't know if we'll see any shop time this weekend, maybe Monday. (Monday is a stat holiday in SK. )

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[joedoh]

holy freaking crap, sometimes this website is a master class.

[cl[cl[cl[cl

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

More trunk lid work today.

We put the tensioners back on and finished pulling the buckle with our primitive device...

We removed the device and the tensioners, closed the lid again and checked the fit... hmmm... one of these things is not like the other!

The driver side fits really nice and the passenger side improved with the stretch and hammer therapy, but the upper (passenger) corner still sits high.

Further experiments proved the hinge on that side must be bent. We removed the lid and both hinges... sure enough, one hinge is straight as an arrow, the other is bent and twisted. We buggered with the hinge for a while until it looked straight again, but the critical dimensions didn't change.

My plan, as of now, is to relief cut the hinge, correct the geometry and weld it...


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[Torchie]

Sounds like a plan to me..
Some times you just cant pound them back into shape. [ddd
Not to complicate matters..... Did you check the shape of the DS trunk gutter edge against the PS.? Not to mention the entire trunk opening.If it got hit hard enough to bend that hinge........
Just musing out loud as I'm sure you have already done all of this.
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[Old Iron]

I was wondering how you were gonna pull the buckle out [cl[cl[cl
[P[P[P

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

I was wondering how you were gonna pull the buckle out [cl[cl[cl
[P[P[P

A simple thing from a simple mind.

Sounds like a plan to me..
Some times you just cant pound them back into shape. [ddd
Not to complicate matters..... Did you check the shape of the DS trunk gutter edge against the PS.? Not to mention the entire trunk opening.If it got hit hard enough to bend that hinge........
Just musing out loud as I'm sure you have already done all of this.
[P [P [P
Torchie

The damaged hinge is a mystery to me. There's no damage in the package tray area (where the hinge attaches to the body), no visible evidence where the hinges attach to the lid. [S

Looking inside the lid, you can see the large, flat, triangular surfaces the hinges bolt to... not a wrinkle, dimple or pimple in sight...

The black arrows, near as I can tell, are superficial/cosmetic and have no appreciable effect. (I believe the lid was closed on an oversized object or six in the past 80 years.)

With the bent hinge loosened or removed, the lid fits pretty damn good with nice, even gaps.

I can only surmise, the hinge was borrowed from another car, or skillfully bent by telekinesis... maybe aliens... or somebody's grandmother stepped out of line and went for a ride in the country, kicking and screaming...

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[Old Iron]

Couldn't get that last case of shine in without buckling the lid [ddd

 

[05snopro440]

or somebody's grandmother stepped out of line and went for a ride in the country, kicking and screaming...

[cl

Mother-in-law maybe? [ddd