'57 Ford Custom 300 Tudor Sedan

[Elliot949]

This is looking great Vic...

[Low Elco]

Go Vic Go! You ain't kiddin with that Urethane. Gawd, what a mess. Like bearing grease, that sticks and stays, until it wants to spread. Glad you're clear of it.

[Vic1947]

Took the day off yesterday going to Sedalia. Helped my buddy Steve with his computer and dropped off some parts at Sure Coat for powder. Also had lunch with my Dad who turned 91 yesterday. Good trip all in all.

My paint work is pretty much finished so I've been assembling some parts. The hood hinges presented a little challenge until I figured out a homemade tool to help with the process. Working with springs under pressure always makes me nervous, so I was glad I got it done without a trip to the emergency room.

I woke up in the middle of the night a few weeks ago with the inspiration to two tone the dash in the body color, so since it wasn't much effort to tape it off, I did so and I'm happy with the result. I mocked up the parts today to see how much adjusting I'd need to do and so far it's gone pretty well. Still have a few minor things to deal with, but not more than a couple of hours worth. BTW, the carbon fiber vinyl looks blue in the photos, but actually has more of a purple tint in person.

Still no word from the body shop. Probably call them tomorrow for an update.

[jlsanborn]

Whoa, the dash looks stellar Vic! Way to use your noggin on the springs too. Those look vicious

[swamp rat]

Love the dash Vic!

[Elliot949]

That dash is kick ass Vic...

[texasld]

Man, It's looking good! I'm going to need a ride when it's done!

[Low Elco]

Mucho Bueno de Dos Tones. Viva Vic!

[knomadd]

The dash looks good!

[flashed]

That dash is a real work of ART .

[Xeen]

That dash is redonkulous!

[Vic1947]

Thanks, everyone! I'm pleased with the way the dash turned out. Now I just need a car to put it in. John is still swamped and the car has essentially sat for the last week with only a small amount of progress. He's now estimating they can pick back up on it next week. It's all taped off or I'd go down there and get some measurements to start building the console. Guess that will have to wait until it's back home.

I'm doing odds and ends tasks while I wait. Still some parts to clean up and I need to lay out the wiring and make some decisions about routing and such. Steve dropped off some vinyl for me this morning that he had cut from a .dxf file I sent him. I spent almost an hour just weeding it out to where I could put on the application tape and transfer the graphic to the hood scoop insert. It looks better than just plain color, I think.

[Vic1947]

I also got one of the glass setting tapes I ordered today. That allowed me to do the vent windows. I looked online and several posts mentioned the same factory technique for setting the glass.

First step is to make sure the tape is the correct width. A good way to estimate it is to measure the width of the channel and subtract the width of the glass. Divide that number in half and get the next size up setting tape. For me, the measurement was .050" so I got 1/16" (.0625) tape. As a test, lay a section of the tape across the channel and push the glass down into it. If it goes real easy, you probably need the next size up. If it's too hard to push in that small cross section, it's probably too thick.

Next you cut the strip long enough to fit the channel from end to end. If the glass has corners like the vent does, mark the location of the corners on the tape and notch it to make it fit the glass better.

Use clamps or similar (one guy on the net used clothespins) and then apply masking tape at just the very edge of the setting tape to help hold it.

All the posts I read said to apply motor oil to the setting tape and let it soak for about 5 minutes. This will cause the tape to swell after about 24 hours and hold the glass tightly. Assemble the glass into the channel using a rubber or leather hammer. Support the glass on a phone book or stack of magazines to help absorb the shock. You can strike the assembly with gusto if the need arises, but if the tape is sized correctly, it should go together fairly easily.

Next day, carefully trim the excess tape with a razor blade or Xacto knife. I plan to add a dab of black RTV at the ends of the glass to help retain it, just in case. But overall, if this works the way it's supposed to, if I ever have to remove the glass, it shouldn't require MAPP gas, chisels and profanity.

[jlsanborn]

Artisan glass job Vic! The pie-cuts around the bends make sense and I can see going Math-OCD on that layout (I love CAD). Was that vinyl cut with a laser? Was it double sided - how'd you transfer it to the painted piece without having it look all wavy? Nice job!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Artisan glass job Vic! The pie-cuts around the bends make sense and I can see going Math-OCD on that layout (I love CAD). Was that vinyl cut with a laser? Was it double sided - how'd you transfer it to the painted piece without having it look all wavy? Nice job!

Thanks, John. I did the layout for the honeycomb on my little CAD program. Steve imported the DXF into SignLab and cut the vinyl on his plotter which uses an Xacto type knife. It's so precise it pierces the vinyl but not the backing paper on the adhesive side. After you weed out the unwanted vinyl pieces, you lay a piece of application tape (aka release paper) on top of the vinyl. It's the milky white material in one of the photos above. It is mildly adhesive on one side and holds the vinyl in place when you remove the backing paper from the adhesive backside of the vinyl.

It's sort of translucent, but you can't really see thru it, so before removing the backing paper, I marked an XY axis on the application tape with a Stabilo pencil. I also marked an XY axis on the bench top. Then situated the part on the bench so it was lined up with the marks. I removed the backing paper and lined up the marks on the application tape with the lines on the bench, then gently lowered the vinyl onto the part. I used a plastic spatula to smooth down the vinyl, working outward from center. Once the vinyl was firmly affixed to the part I trimmed the edges, gently peeled away the application tape and voila!

Sometimes removing the application tape can lift the vinyl if there are small letters or designs. In those cases, after working down the vinyl with the spatula, you can spritz the application tape with Glass Plus. After a few minutes, it will release from the vinyl on its own. On large areas of vinyl, after a good cleaning, it's often best to lightly spritz the area with a mixture of water and Glass Plus before laying down the vinyl. That way it's easier to reposition the vinyl if needed. No matter how you do it, there are often some tiny bubbles present after the application tape comes off. Use a needle or the tip of a sharp Xacto knife to pierce the center of the bubble and then carefully work it down with your finger. Any residual air will dissipate within a few hours to a few days, depending on the temperature, and the vinyl will be stuck tight and smooth against the surface.

[Vic1947]

Woke up about 4:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep, so a little after 5 I went ahead and rolled out for the day. Figured I could put together a punch list while I waited for the Sunday paper. Probably shouldn't have gone down that road. Transferring the list from my head to paper makes it look a lot worse.

With the glass all finished up, the dash assembled and the interior parts all painted and ready for the upholstery shop, I started laying out the wiring and putting together some of the plugs and weather pack connectors. I'd never tested the little solid state box that triggers the shaved door handle solenoids. After spending about two hours on it and calling BIL Rick twice, I gave up and boxed it up to mail to him. He has some test equipment that's better suited to troubleshooting electronics, plus he's like a pit bull when you sic him on a problem like this.

I was clocking along real good with my wiring connections when disaster struck. The bench was cluttered with tools and supplies and as I stepped away from it, I snagged the wires attached to one of my new halo headlights. Yanked it off the bench and when it hit the concrete it shattered into a bazillion pieces. If you ever wondered what it looks like to set fire to a hundred dollar bill... just check out the aftermath. Nothing to do but lurch into the other room, flop down at the computer and order a replacement. As Mom used to say, "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."

I did get finished wiring some of the various subassemblies and realized I needed additional connectors before I could continue, so it's on the back burner for now. I need to mock up a shroud for the radiator, paint the stovebolts to match the bumpers and a few other odds and ends. Sure hope John and Mike can get some color on the car this week. I don't want my forward progress to come to a halt.

[sduckworth13]

Awesome job on the dash Vic, that looks real cool.

[jlsanborn]

Bummer about the lamp Vic. Anxious to see some sano wiring so I can pick up a few tips!

[Low Elco]

(Slow motion light falling) Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

Hope you get some shot soon, Vic.

[Vic1947]

Turned off rainy and cold today, so I puttered around in the workshop. I've been mainly doing stuff I'd planned to do while the car was at upholstery. Not sure what I'll do while it's gone for that, but I'll think of something. The glass run channels for the quarter windows come as 60" long straight pieces. Long ago, I hosed one up trying to form it. The trick with them is to prep the ends of the stainless beads by cutting them back a short distance with a thin kerf Dremel cutoff wheel. As you're bending the channel around the corners of the window, the stainless beads slide along the edges and extrude at the ends of the channel. The stock pieces are pinched at the ends and won't slide properly if you don't make a clean cut to remove the pinch. Bending slowly and gently removing the reverse curve generated by the bend is the trick. When I dug into the bag of clips that attach to the channel, I realized I didn't have near enough, so I placed an order for a bag of 10. Should be here by the first of the week.

Meanwhile, I needed to clean up the seat mounts before taking them to the upholstery shop. Jeff said they would reassemble them to the buckets. I did get the plastic trim pieces painted the other day. One rattle can of adhesion promoter plus a rattle can of flexible parts paint set me back $38. It boggles my mind how the prices for parts and supplies have gone up over the years. Gotta pay to play I guess. All's quiet on the paint shop front.

[jlsanborn]

Hard to believe the glass work your pulling off. I thought my vent windows kicked my butt Power seats!?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Hard to believe the glass work your pulling off. I thought my vent windows kicked my butt Power seats!?

Power seat only on the driver side, John. Both front seats do recline fully, though. Speaking of seats, Kathy and I went to the upholstery shop this morning to drop off the seat tracks and freshly painted plastic moldings. They'd finished the rear seat and it looked outstanding! I wish I'd thought to bring the camera, but I'll get a photo as soon as I can.

On the way back, we stopped at Precision Collision and John said the guys were preparing to shoot the dark grey on the body, doors and bumpers today, then tape off the two tone line and shoot the silver tomorrow. Should be finished buffing out the clear by late Monday or early Tuesday. He said I could bring the fenders, hood and deck lid when I come to pick up the finished work next week. WooHoo!!

And for the trifecta... brother-in-law Rick called this morning to say he got the pop lock transmitter/receiver gizmo programmed and it's working perfectly. He's also building me a couple of circuits to control the LED halos in the headlights so they can be used as both parking lights and turn signals instead of just one or the other. Thanks, Rick! I owe you mucho cerveza and nachos!

[flashed]

Cant wait to see more pics ,glad its moving along ,it sux about your broken light .

[Elliot949]

Congrats Vic... Your vision for this car is to long in the making...

[jlsanborn]

Good to have the electronics guru in the family that accepts the universal currencies! Sounds like you're going to be getting really busy, really quick. Bring the photos!!