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fletchersons T project

Fletch,
Keep on your path.....eager to see your doors. Yes, I agree the price of stuff has gone ridiculous! I took angle and flat aluminum to the local welder and told him what I what I wanted to get my battery box.......turned out larger than what was needed, but, in the end worked and served the purpose.
 
Tjbucket said:
Mr Roadster?? Didn't Speedway buy them out?
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Speedway sells them. I don't know about who owns them. There seem to be very few independently owned businesses anymore. Bad news for all parties. Prices go up, quality goes down, people loose jobs, customer service goes to hell. Welcome to the new America...
 
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Worked on one of the hinges. I think it's very doable. I only spent a short time with the press and cut off wheel to get one into useable shape. I am going to see if I can score some actual model T hinges without spending too much, if not, I am going to move forwards with the Stanley hinges. They end up being 2" instead of 1.75" like stock, but I think they will work out just fine. I will likely weld the holes shut and re drill to fit the jambs better, but they are pretty much ready to install. A dip in the media blast cabinet to remove the brass coating, and they will be good to go to paint. I had a thought about installing knobs that match my dash and column knobs to the ends of the hinge pins to make them look truly trick and custom and match the feel of the build. ??? I also thought about adding the strap like the originals
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to make them more stout, but I honestly doubt that it's necessary as long as they are properly mortised and fastened securely. Any thought?
A couple pics....the one of the bucket is of the 3/4" holes that I drilled in the mount to enable the use of the cowl supports as conduit as well. Those channels will be glassed over when finished. I like being able to utilize as many aspects as possible.
 
Why cant you just find some steel hinges and cut them to the dimensions of the top and bottom and then weld them together to create your own set of 23 hinges? Just a thought.
 
kcline40 said:
Why cant you just find some steel hinges and cut them to the dimensions of the top and bottom and then weld them together to create your own set of 23 hinges? Just a thought.
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That's what I am doing, sort of. Debating if connecting them is really necessary. Pretty simple design, really.
 
old round fart said:
Connecting them is just to align the pins. Once they are mounted connections are not necessary.
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I thought about using a long rod in place of the pins to align them while installing them. Holding them I place to scribe the location for the mortises is the only tricky part that I can for see, and really after the top one is located, the rod would be the guide to locate the bottom. Should be easy..
 
A benefit to the original T style hinge besides alignment is it would give you space for a couple more screws , I know you're planning on the brass inserts , but in the end they're just threads in wood...
dave
 
2old2fast said:
A benefit to the original T style hinge besides alignment is it would give you space for a couple more screws , I know you're planning on the brass inserts , but in the end they're just threads in wood...
dave
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I thought of that. And that is a concern. I don't want to use full sized hinges because I think they will look odd. Cutting them works out ok, but it definitely reduces the mounting surface and limits the number of fasteners. I do have steel posts behind the hinge side of the jamb, and could slot and install backing plates before glassing the inside of either the door or jamb. I am considering doing just that to be on the safe side. I thought that through before fastening the oak to the tub. I would have preferred to install something in the oak before attaching it, like you did, but I had too many unanswered questions related to the actual door size and position and hinges. I figure I can simply cut a slot parallele to the mortise and cut a plate to slip in and epoxy in place, then drill and tap. Should be rock solid. The only advantage that I see that the brass inserts offer besides machine threads is that they are a larger corse thread, so they get more bite, but I am leery about not enough fasteners. I have an old machinist tool box built from oak with machine screws holding it together and it's at least 75 years old, so I now that oak is dense and hard enough to hold threads, it's the vibration and leverage issues that worry me. I am going to try to score on some actual T hinges at auction, but if I can't get them reasonably, I am moving on with home made hinges. I have enough other stuff to do to keep me busy this week to justify waiting to see if I can end up with them. I need to pick up some narrow flat bar somewhere to build them if I decide to duplicate the T hinges unless I decide to get busy and cut what I have to size. I am leaning towards adding the strap. If it is properly mortised, it would be very strong. Most of the force would be on the mortise, the fasteners basically just hold it in place. Good design. I found some original T strikes and like how heavy they are but the catch part likely won't suffice for my use. I think I can cut that part off and make them work. I will post pics if I decide to proceed.
 
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I did manage to grind and sand the door reveals off as well as most of the paint and primer, as well as lots of gel coat, but it will soon get a dose of 2k primer all over. I glassed the inside of the channel fore and aft of the doors so I can begin the finish form. I ran out of resin again, ordered more last week, but it's not here yet, and I have a fair amount of glazing to do to feather the door reveals, the dash, and the inside around the jambs prior to spraying the feather fill. I got quite a bit of the initial sanding started. I still need to decide what I want to do to finish the inside bottom of the top of the tub around the seat. Still pondering... I want to get the doors cut this week and be ready to hang and latch them and spray it. It will be ready for color of I keep moving. I did discover a oversight that I need to devise a resolve for. The seat will fit almost against the sides of the tub. I don't plan on anything other than painting the inside. There is just enough room for a cell phone or the like to slide down in there. That would be no fun to retrieve. If I manufacture a flat piece to fit under the seat, and seal the compartment underneath, I fear the springs from the seat will contact it on bumps, etc...I may make wings that mount under and cover just the sides to resolve the issue. I was able to locate dimensions of the slim line speakers. They are around two inches, so I would have a one inch bubble inside of my doors. I think it will be ok. I still need to climb in and make sure that real estate is available, but am pretty sure I will do it. Pics of the tub with reveals gone and channels covered.
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Here is a question.... Look at the side view picture and look at the inside of the soon to be door. Envision a bulge with a speaker mounted in it. Would it look better going from the inside edge of the square frame to the round bulged flat speaker mount, or should I cut pieces to fill in the corners so the bulge is round from start to finish? The flat outside ages must remain flat, at least that's how I envision it. No right or wrong answer, just trying to decide.
 
fletcherson said:
Here is a question.... Look at the side view picture and look at the inside of the soon to be door. Envision a bulge with a speaker mounted in it. Would it look better going from the inside edge of the square frame to the round bulged flat speaker mount, or should I cut pieces to fill in the corners so the bulge is round from start to finish? The flat outside ages must remain flat, at least that's how I envision it. No right or wrong answer, just trying to decide.
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I think I would bulge it only around the speaker. And put them in the lower front corners.

fletch door.jpg
 
That's a good idea, thanks for the reply! The reason I thought about centering it is that a larger area would make the bulge less noticable, but it's hard to visualize. I need to climb in it and make sure they won't intrude into all ready tight areas or be in the way, but I think it's pretty dead space, behind the knee bend. The good thing is it's only about an inch, so it shouldn't be too bad. I hated losing that inch that I lost as a result of installing the steel in front of the door jamb, but that's right where the clutch pedal and steering column are already tight. One thing for sure, trying to make these little cars somewhat comfortable makes you think things through.
 
fletcherson said:
One thing for sure, trying to make these little cars somewhat comfortable makes you think things through.
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Yup, I'm seriously looking at a Steer Clear box to clear up my foot space.

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