'34 Dodge Brothers, double build.

[MercuryMac]

The other side is not as bad, but the back hangers and shackles are worse.
I've been looking into knitting as a hobby instead of building hotrods. Maybe 'tiddleywinks', that might be easier.

 

[MercuryMac]

Well, I pulled in the new bushing after cutting it to fit. [I could only find the size of bushing I needed in a longer format so I cut them off. pic one.] Then the spring pack got slimmed down, by throwing away four leaves. The second last pic is the spring back in place.
The last picture is driver side hanger bracket welded up and ground down.

 

[MercuryMac]

The truck is coming along. Here's the rear-end rolled back under the truck. Then I made some lowering blocks out of 2" x 2" aluminum, lined up the spring centre bolts, and clamped the whole shootin' match down. Both sides.
When I tackled the rear, rear spring bushings, hangers and shackles, I knew I was in for some real work. Here's a picture of the worn out mess on the good side. The bushings are so worn out that the housings that they were screwed into were even worn quite a bit. The left side that I didn't show a picture of was homemade. A couple of rusty smallish bolts and a piece of flat bar.

 

[Old Iron]

I've never seen a spring bushing worn out as bad as those.
Sad part is, a little grease every decade or two would have slowed down the ware.
I've got a slip roll that I use to de-arch leaf springs. I thought at first it would put the shackles in a bad angle but, it works just fine.

 

[DozerII]

Looking Good MM, looks like a ton of work.[P[P

 

[smallfoot]

Glad to see you're still able to hammer some of the old rotten truck parts into submission! Good work Mac![cl

 

[MercuryMac]

Thank you, Guys. I hammered a wee bit more of the old thing into shape today. The first picture is the right hand side finished, even with grease nipples, although no grease yet. [Suppertime intervened before the grease gun was used]. The left side of the truck was even more broken and worn out. The second picture is the back end of the frame with a patch welded in and ground down. Once I spray it with my miracle paint, Ultra Flat Camouflage Dark Brown, it will look like I never touched it, [I think].

 

[DozerII]

[P[P[cl[cl

 

[MercuryMac]

Here is a picture of the right side bushing and shackle 'assembly'. This was a 'low maintenance' vehicle, for sure.
Anyhow, I got the right side done now too, but I forgot to take that final picture. Again, the call to supper interrupted my forward 'progress'.

 

[bob w]

That's the fun work, Mac: saving the unsaveable.

 

[MercuryMac]

Thanks Bob. It is what I do; save the unsaveable. I like that saying. It doesn't always work out though.
Anyhow, here's a picture of the left side done.

Today I did something unique and not hotroddy. I started cleaning up a mess of fallen trees that beavers had chewed off. They fell out in my field and my renter won't be happy in the spring when he comes to plant. Hopefully they will make firewood.

 

[MercuryMac]

Back to working on the truck. I had measured my rear fenders and found them wanting. Now that I put a wee bit wider rear-end and wheel stud circle adapters on there my rear tires were flush with the outside of the fenders. The fenders were too narrow and broken up quite badly, so I went out to an old trailer that a neighbour had given me when he left the country and checked out its fenders. They were in better shape, wider and fixable. I ripped them off the trailer.
In the first picture you will see the old fenders and a brand new trailer fender that I was going the cut up to patch the old fenders with. The old fenders were very thin and bolted on in different holes than the previous ones, so I think they weren't the original Dodge Brothers fenders.
Second picture. My trailer fender test fit. It passed the test.
So I started welding up the cracks and beating out some dents.

 

[dutch]

I agree the old ones look way tired.... Those trailer fenders actually don`t look half bad on that bed [

 

[MercuryMac]

I agree, Dutch. There is a little more paint on these fenders than I would like, but the lichens growing all over them makes the right look. I think it says in the 'Ratrod' rule book, maybe on page three, that lichens are you friend.

 

[MercuryMac]

Well, I got the first old fender welded up and pounded into shape. There is still some grinding to do and I'm trying different painting tricks to try and match the patina/paint. Some ultra flat dark brown mixed with flat primer black and shop floor dust.

 

[DozerII]

Well, I got the first old fender welded up and pounded into shape. There is still some grinding to do and I'm trying different painting tricks to try and match the patina/paint. Some ultra flat dark brown mixed with flat primer black and shop floor dust.

Put a good wet coat down then hit a wall stud with a BFH should shake some patina down from above. [P[P

 

[MercuryMac]

Mostly a town day today, but I got a little more welding and grinding done. I have to admit that I didn't think of the 'ceiling patina', so I used the floor patina in wet paint again. Sorry Dozer.

 

[MercuryMac]

You know how you should test fit whatever you're building every once in a while, well I did that today. The fender didn't fit in the back of the running board at all well, so I tried to force it. Then I got to do more rewelding. I took the running board off and reshaped the back end of it without hurting too much of the old, old rubber on top of it.
Here are a couple of pictures of the finished, worst fender and the untouched one. Front and back.

 

[earthman]

You are right on the cutting edge of rat rodding with the lichens Mac.
They said patina was just a fad and the delusional would find their way back to the shine. But now you can lead us who appreciate character and history to another level of shabby chic. [cl

 

[Old Iron]

It would be hot rodding if ya didn't have to re-due some of the work that ya just done.