fletchersons T project

[meangreen]

Although I personally dislike buggy springs (all of them I have ridden in or driven are stiff and handle badly), I tend to agree with roadmonster. Just dump the helper springs and install some good gas-charged shocks for now. If more radical changes are warranted, you can do them later after you've driven it a while. One thing that everyone else seems to be overlooking, though, is the fact that this car has lift bars AND split wishbones. Unless the front pivot points on all four bars are in exactly the same geometric location, the rear end is always in a bind as soon as it moves up or down. Whoever designed this rear suspension had their head up their @$$. If you decide to keep this car you may want to completely rebuild the rear suspension later.

 

[fletcherson]

Although I personally dislike buggy springs (all of them I have ridden in or driven are stiff and handle badly), I tend to agree with roadmonster. Just dump the helper springs and install some good gas-charged shocks for now. If more radical changes are warranted, you can do them later after you've driven it a while. One thing that everyone else seems to be overlooking, though, is the fact that this car has lift bars AND split wishbones. Unless the front pivot points on all four bars are in exactly the same geometric location, the rear end is always in a bind as soon as it moves up or down. Whoever designed this rear suspension had their head up their @$$. If you decide to keep this car you may want to completely rebuild the rear suspension later.

Actually, the front pivots are in the same location visually and per a tape measure. I have not yet cycled it with the springs removed to verify it's functionality, but plan to. I have no idea of the mind set of the designer, but it was built to go strait and fast for a short time by a speed shop that specialized in drag racing thirty years ago. I don't remember what was in at the time, maybe this was the thing? I am leaning towards doing what you and Roadmaster suggested to start with, then go from there once I put some miles on it. I had another guy look at it and he suggested removing all but the top, long spring and add adjustable coil overs to it. That may become a plan b on my way to just removing the buggy spring and adding a pan hard bar and coil overs. I have seen bolt on brackets for 9" with pan hard bar, so I wouldn't have to weld on the chrome housing. For now, I am going to focus on things that it needs no matter what direction the rest of it goes such as 4-wheel disc brakes, steering box location, leg/ass room, etc...I will get it running and painted then decide what else it needs. I always paint frames black, so it will be no big issue reworking the rear suspension later if need be. I haven't actually done anything other than purchase a rotisserie for a different project due to feeling like crap, due largely to our horrible weather lately. I wonder if the sun still exists? The joy of Ohio Winter!

 

[meangreen]

Yes, if that's a 9-inch Ford rear there are brackets available that attach at the pinion support bolts and use a "J-bar" style panhard bar to center the rear end. That style is commonly used on stock cars but should be easily adaptable to your T-bucket frame.

I know what you mean about the "joys of winter"; I am originally from central Indiana. I moved to Florida 34 years ago and have never been sorry. Yes, the sun still exists! It shows up here for at least part of over 330 days a year!

 

[fletcherson]

Yes, if that's a 9-inch Ford rear there are brackets available that attach at the pinion support bolts and use a "J-bar" style panhard bar to center the rear end. That style is commonly used on stock cars but should be easily adaptable to your T-bucket frame.

I know what you mean about the "joys of winter"; I am originally from central Indiana. I moved to Florida 34 years ago and have never been sorry. Yes, the sun still exists! It shows up here for at least part of over 330 days a year!

Yea, My in-laws moved there about eight years back and remind me how nice it is during the winter, of course, they don't like the heat/humidity in the summer, but they are getting use to it. I have investment property and kids in high school and college, so I am doomed for now. The clock is ticking though! I will likely become a snowbird in the not so distant future.

 

[fletcherson]

Ok, I found my old build thread. I will try to make myself update it now that I have reserected it after being away from the site for a while instead of posting in reference to others, when it reminds me of what I am doing. To those I have infringed upon, sorry! I'm sure it will come back around, lol.
Ok, I will come back and fill in some blanks when I post pics, but most of my effort has been discussed in individual posts, so my most recent progress includes finishing the steel fab on the cowl reinforcement, read door post reinforcement and seat mount, and rear body and seat mount. I also fit a plywood substrate into the firewall, as it was cut out and fit with a chromed steel plate. I will reuse the plate, but wanted a solid firewall to help strengthen the cowl, floor, dash area for solid windshield and column mounts. I routed the wood so it fits the existing flange around the cowl and for a plate on the inside, top that has supports welded to it and a angle that runs across the inside top of dash that is welded to plates that connect to posts that connect to plates that serve as body mounts. The posts serve as front door posts and the windshield mounts to the plates. I welded a column support to it behind the dash as well so the column drop will be just behind the dash. This has been enjoyable, but tedious work, especially since I had a three week emergency plumbing episode in the middle that required a major back hoe emergency welding repair also... Joy! Anyways, it took its toll on my big mig, so I had to revert to the ole arc welder. I revamped my mig with new liner, tips, wire, ground lead, magnifying lense, lol, a good cleaning, etc... Wow! I forgot how a mig welder was supposed to work. I have just gotten used to it as it slowly degraded to a unacceptable state. It welds like a new one again. I was actually thinking about buying a new one, but I don't weld often enough to justify it. I also bought these little round felt lube pads that are supposed to clean and lube the wire and make the tips and liners last longer, work better. Time will tell. The magnifying lense was a well spent five bucks, I only ordered it because I needed to spend a few dollars more to get free shipping.... Glad I did!
I left it with resin curing in the top of the dash, as I glassed the cowl support to it. I plan on some more glass work today, if I have the energy. I want to glass the floor to the cab. I took some pics of my effort and will post asap.

 

[fletcherson]

Any tricks to curing fiberglass? Of course, the very day I start glassing, the weather changes, gets significantly colder and very damp. I am in a heated garage, but very slow curing, especially where I intend the glass to be thick to fill a void between a support brace and the dash, to strengthen and reduce any chance of rattle. I used body putty where I could reach to fill voids, but the top inside dash is not accessible for that process with the brace going across. I kept it almost 80 all day yesterday, over 70 all night, I put a heat light on it today. It's fresh resin, pro grade, pleanty of hardener, air moving to keep the vapors from shielding it. I forgot how frustrating it can be, it's been a while since I done it and remember the sun was the best curing aid back then.

 

[kcline40]

A Few heat lamps and the garage being heated will be your friend. That's what I have been doing to lower my cure time. I had the garage at 80 when it was 35 outside, and still used the halogen work lamps while curing. Took it from a 3 or 4 hour cure to a 2 hour.

Good Luck.

 

[old round fart]

Heat lamps?

 

[choppedtop]

I have had some real slow curing parts too. I use a small heater or heat lamp, then covered the whole area with a tarp for a while. Didn't take to long to heat up. When it cooled back do

 

[kcline40]

Heat lamps?

Halogen work lights, essentially fire in a metal case. Hence the term Heat.

 

[fletcherson]

Thanks guys, I procured a couple infra red heat lights from the chicken coup and that seems to have done the trick. Poor cold chickens, lol... I left them two. I had a unopened quart of resin that I had been using to mix with body putty, and decided to use it up on the inside of the dash. It set for two days in a very heated shop and didn't cure. What a mess, I cleaned it out and cleaned the entire mess with lacquer thinner, let it dry good, used fresh resin, it done better, but still didn't totally cure over night. Not sure what I done wrong, I assume the hardener for the first batch must have been bad, it was unopened, but had been on the shelf for a while. Not sure about the new stuff. It seems to be curing much better now. The infra red lights are the trick. I had a electric heater blowing on the tub from inside with a cover over it and it was so hot in the shop, I couldn't stand to be in there and that didn't do it, the lights cut the cure time down significantly. I plan on using them from now on. I think the humidity must be a big inhibitor to the curing process, like with high solids paint, that's my theory.

 

[choppinczech]

I have one of these charts hanging in my shop. Mix a bit hotter for cooler weather. Less of hot days.

90° Day - 1% 70° Day - 1.25% 60° Day - 1.5% 59° Day or less - 1.75%




And if you don't already have one, get one of these CC/OZ. squeeze bottles. Forget using drops of catalyst.

 

[fletcherson]

I have one of these charts hanging in my shop. Mix a bit hotter for cooler weather. Less of hot days.

90° Day - 1% 70° Day - 1.25% 60° Day - 1.5% 59° Day or less - 1.75%


View attachment 11910

And if you don't already have one, get one of these CC/OZ. squeeze bottles. Forget using drops of catalyst.

View attachment 11911

Thanks! That chart will be handy.

 

[409T]

It set for two days in a very heated shop and didn't cure.

This might be the problem. In general, casting resin, glassing resin, etc., doesn't completely cure when it is exposed to air. For a final coat you need to use a surfacing resin which releases a fine coat of wax to the surface that then insulates the resin from the air, thus allowing it to cure.

 

[choppinczech]

This might be the problem. In general, casting resin, glassing resin, etc., doesn't completely cure when it is exposed to air. For a final coat you need to use a surfacing resin which releases a fine coat of wax to the surface that then insulates the resin from the air, thus allowing it to cure.

Very true. I always finish off with either a coat of PVA or go ahead and add high build primer. Once the layup is sealed off from the elements it cures quick and thoroughly.

 

[Tjbucket]

I would certainly be looking at product shelf life verses temp. If, you are 70 degrees or over, I find it hard to believe that temperature is your culprit.

 

[fletcherson]

Pretty sure the first issue was the catylist. I've had it for a while. The rest of it done ok. The stuff I did yesterday cured fine, but the stuff from monday not so well, and both from the same batch and container of resin and hardener. The garage was very warm, big humidity difference. Everything else is the same. ??? I understand that laminating resin remains tacky for re coat, this stuff just didn't cure. It was soft. The first stuff that wouldn't cure at all was finishing resin with wax. I actually have a additive to add to the finish coat of resin to allow it to cure. I don't remember if I shook the new resin or not prior to mixing it with catylist, perhaps it wasn't well blended, or something, I have done this before and the only time I had a similar issue was When I redone a entire boat floor and it refused to cure in the garage. I pulled it out in the sun and it kicked. It's just the way my luck has went lately. I am ready for the tide to change. The infra red heat lamps really helped, they even cured the stuff that was sticky and soft.

Very true. I always finish off with either a coat of PVA or go ahead and add high build primer. Once the layup is sealed off from the elements it cures quick and thoroughly.

even between coats of cloth and resin?

 

[choppinczech]

The last and final step. After laying up the entire thing.

I've only split a layup into 2 seperate days one time. On my seats. Believe me, if I had a chopper gun setup I'd use the hell out of it.

Usually it's a long 12-18 hour day of sniffing fumes.

 

[fletcherson]

The last and final step. After laying up the entire thing.

I've only split a layup into 2 seperate days one time. On my seats. Believe me, if I had a chopper gun setup I'd use the hell out of it.

Usually it's a long 12-18 hour day of sniffing fumes.

Ok, yea, I get the fumes thing....totally. I used to actually sort of enjoy a little of it, back when painting a hot rod on a Saturday night was a party with friends after prepping the car and drinking since Friday after work, lol... Now, not so much... I was just curious about the between coats thing. I thought I was ok on it. I went out and checked the parts that I laid up last night, and they all cured fine. The only thing I can think of is perhaps I didn't mix the resin prior to adding catylist and it was not mixed? It was a new jug, so it would have been off the top. I usually do pre mix or shake everything, I just don't remember doing it. The same resin now is fine, so I obviously done something wrong. I don't know what is worse, not knowing how to do something and trying to learn, or knowing how but not doing it often enough to stay sharp. I know when it goes bad and I thought I knew what I was doing, I feel like an idiot... At least not knowing is an excuse, right? Oh well, I ordered more of the same resin, I will be sure to pre agitate it this time. I buy it in gallons because it's not but a few dollars different between buying five of them verses a five gallon bucket, and the gallons are easier to handle without a pump in my opinion. I wish I had ordered more initially but I wanted to try it first, now I am in a holding pattern. I ended up doing more than I planned on initially because I decided to preglass the bottom of the floor on a jig to stiffen it, and make sure it's flat along with the rear kick up, then I will place them on the frame, with the body and attach them with some chopped glass and resin, then I can pull the unit off and roll it around on the shop floor to gain access and do a nice job laminating it, top and bottom, so it will be very rigid and strong. With the mounts and supports that I built, I want to marry them on the frame to be sure the fit is just right. I have things shimmed and spaced to allow for the glass and rubber strips to be placed between the frame rails and the body, so if it glued together in place, it darned sure should work later. Anyways, the floor and that biaxial matt absorbed quite a bit of resin. It seems very rigid with only one side glassed. I appreciate your expertise! You and everyone else who offered up wisdom.

 

[Tjbucket]

Hey Fletch, where you at on progress? I have been slacking the last few weeks......so close to being done, but, haven't done anything in the garage. the weather here in WI has been crazy.....great one day and snowing the next. Just kills the motivation......