"New" head on an old fourdoor.

Tonight I didn't get to do anything on my own project, as Brian asked me to help him with some work on a beautiful, black '31 fourdoor.

The part-owner, a business associate of Brian, bought this beautiful fourdoor late model A with his father-in-law some years back, but didn't prepare it for winter storage, and therefore the water, and not coolant, expanded at frezzing temperature, cracking the head.

So we needed to install a new head, so it can get ready for a wedding at the 10th of December.

I immediately spotted, that it was a “C” head with the three bolt water pump, and saw to my delight, this beautiful car was equipped with a G28T motor, modified to fit the model A.

And again, this one has also had the full aluminum oil pan cut to fit a model A front bell housing – I cannot grasp, why people are doing this, instead of using the model B bell housing and gearbox.

Brian found an old G28T head in the storage, but it was in pretty bad shape, so he welded the corner of the cast iron head with the tig welder.

We lay a modern gasket under it, and as Brian was putting the head on, I had to leave in order to get home with the last train-bus connection.

I haven't heard from him, so I guess, it started up perfect and that it's not leaking.

Keep 'em kruzin!

Dannerr

More cut'n'weld

Yesterday I finished a number plate for a friend and fellow Copenhagen Custom Cruiser, Søren, for his café racer inspired stretch bicycle project. He wanted a plate on his front fork, where headlight normally goes, to keep the style of café racer, so I started working on an oval sign, similar to the old enamel DK-signs, when we were at the exibition at the Bella center, and finished it yesterday.

After that, I got about half an hour's work done, so I did some more "cut, bend and weld"-job on the back brace.

Barrels of fun, and the back starts to get some shape

With the show coming up next weekend, preperations has to be made – and this year’s decoration will consist of oil barrels – lots of oil barrels! So last night went by with planning and the painting of Pirate Kustomz logo on the side of them.



Ole gik på tønden! (A Danish expression for going to the little house.)

After the paint job, I got barely an hour’s work done, but I got started on the inner frame for the back, based on the shape on the wooden back brace. A pure cut, slice and weld job!

Next week we’ll be hauling barrels to Bella, and the week after usually goes with unpacking after the show, so it’ll properbly be a couple of weeks, before I’m back and working on the back.

Tape and wood

My iPhone broke! For the first time in the 2 years and 7 months, and after the last drop on concrete, and  the charging plug in is loose, so it will not charge. I must say, that iPhone has impressed me - been dropped on the floor/ground/table/garage floor/ asphalt a couple of dosin times, been dropped in a tub of engine cooling fluid and been run over by my Tudor, but it kept on going! I'll miss you, old friend... So I'm now without my smartphone, but I'll try to keep posting (almost!) weekly, so bare over with me, if the picture quality drops or it takes several days before the post is up.

This week I stumbled upon an old enamel sign in the shop, stating "Use the mat" - my thoughts went elesewhere, as the mat is slang for the hairy area above a woman's privates...


After going around the shop, laughing for my self about the sign, I got to work. With some help from Oliver and Mads "the mini munk, the body came back on the subframe, and I started mocking up the body-to-be with wooden parts and tape.
I cut up some old pipes from a bicycle frame, so the doors could be aligned.


Jag-Per came by in hos Ford (k)A (if he'd just remove the k from his trunk lid, that gas-saver would be sooo much kuuler!), and found the windshield deco funny.





Next week - trying to get some shape to the back, the B-post mocked up, and possibly weld the rear "legs" in pace.

Keep 'em kruzin!
Dannerr

"She got legs..."

Tonight started with a mini-quadbike race, where I beat Oliver once, Victor once, he beat me twice, and Oliver I don't know how many times!



After that, there were some people comming by: a couple of rigid frames- Panhead and Knucklehead, a couple of guys with some work for Tim on a '39 cowl for a woody, and a Mustang, that needs widening. Kuul projects, and I still need to get a Knucklehead... some day!
Besides, I actually got some real work done! I closed the curtain to the welding shop, so I didn't mess up the rest of the shop, and for some reason, that kept people out.
I managed to make the two rear "legs" for the subframe, cutting and welding like last on the ones i front, but this time I also remembered to grind them after welding, while they were still loose!






Testing after bending:


Complete, to be welded into place.


Now all I have to do is to find out, exactly where they should be welded to the subframe- but now "she got legs"!

Keep 'em kruzin!
Dannerr

Tuesdays subframe

I was actually only going out to the Pirate shop in order to dismount the pedals off of my strech bicycle, which I've sold, and the plan was to go early to pick up a new set of pedals. But I got an urgent case at work, so left there so late, the shops were closed, when I was done with the pedal work.
So I made good use of the time, and decided to stay for a while, in order to weld the last mounting brace to the subframe, while the chassis was still laying down.


After that, it can be moved off the chassis frame, and to a much smaller spot, untill it is nessecary to put it back on the chassis.


Plan for tomorrow: Cut and weld a set of legs to the back, and maybe a brace for the small "running board", which will be between front and rear legs.

Keep 'em kruzin!
Dannerr

Subframe off chasis

Today I finished the cross member, welded it to the frame and made a brace for the front.
Then we tried to take the body off the subframe, in order to make it all mobile for Tim and Brian to move it around the welding shop- but some idjit (read: me!) had made the drop legs too long outwards the a-pillar, so the body couldn't come off! I then cut off these, shortened them about an inch, and welded them back on, and the body then cleared nicely.
About 5 minutes later both body and subframe was off the chassis, so now the Pirates can play with the space - I just hope, they'll find room for my project again!



Keep 'em kruzin!
Dannerr

Aligning doors – first impression of the roof

Last wednesday I didn't get anything done – Brian had put a soft-ice machine in the shop, so it had to be tested... And tested again... And again. It work – all three times! And then it ran out...

And then I had some pictures taken for a guy from Norway, Vebjørn, who needs the top of a '30-'31 gas tank, using my body as mock-up. Ha had posted a wanted in a group on facebook, and I gave him contact info for Pirate Kustomz, so hopefully he'll be the happy owner of a rusted through danish gas tank.

Last night I had a couple of colleagues out to see the shop. One of them, Tue, is about to start sheet metal work on an old Peugeot 304, and needed to see, what our course is about. The other, Jes, is renovating a '76 Corvette, so not a lot of SMW on that. But I'm now hoping for a ride in both, when they are finished!

At some point a guy from streetfrie.dk came by, and we started talking about the upcoming show in the Bella Center, 2nd to 4th of November. If Brian's plans is carried out as they are now, we'll have a very kuul booth!
Won't be able to get the P-U body with there, which leads me to the next:
I'm not gonna make it! No matter how hard, I'd be working on it, I will under no circumstances be able to finish the work on the body before my 30th birthday. So, next deadline is the ESRA meet in Jylland next july – see www.

But nothing comes from nothing, and even though I didn't get to work on the body before half past eight, my plan about doing just a small amount of work actually succeeded yesterday; I got to align the door hinges and hang the passenger door:

Then I started on aligning the doors, and getting an impression of, how the roof is gonna look.
With Victor as my double DDH (Den, Der Holder – Den, Der Henter – danish for “the one, who holds” and “the one, who fetches”), some pictures were taken, so I can look at it later, and start plan and perhaps sketch my ideas for the roof and back of the body.

Next week I'll be welding the lower part of drivers side patch panel – if we don't have to arrange another meet!

 

Keep 'em kruzin!

Dannerr

Cleaning...

... doesn't get cars build, but sometime it's nesseceary. So last night, we cleaned the back at Pirates, and I took some sales pictures of the fiber-body:

And suddenly, some idjit jumped in the "car", trying to take it for a spin:

Looks fast, but he didn't get far...

Correct width demands hanging of door...

As to ensure the width of the bottom of the cowl, I need to hang the doors. So yesterday I cleaned up the door pins with a power brush and table grinder, hammered the door hinges in to place, in order to fit the hinges on the cowl, and hung the door - it took some seriously massaging (read: hammering with heavy hammer), before the three hinges on the door all could fit the hinges on the cowl.
Note to self: buy new door pins.
After that, I dreadfully discovered, that I might need to be cut off and reweld the "legs" on the sub frame (the ones, that I place the rear bracket of the cowl on) to the sub frame, as they are too wide. When the "legs" are too wide, they press the cowl outwards, and then it doesn't align with the profile of the door.

My girlfriend came by the shop, and took this picture of me, dry-cruising the build:

Keep 'em kruzin!

Dannerr

Bending done, welding begun

Last night was a bussy night at Pirate Kustomz! Boss-man Brian was back fromfour weeks vacation, Vic was back from three weeks workation, Tim, Martin, tail-dragger Ole and Lørs was there, and Shane and NC stopped by again. NC tried to work on a tool for the trumpets front wheel, which he had driven there. A parallel twin is still sweet music to my ears!
I started with the bends on te passenger side patch panel. It took a while and a few do-overs, but finally I was satisfied.
A quick break away from the sheet metal resulted in a taped cross on NCs headlight:


And after that I started welding on the new patch.

Meanwhile a HD-owner helped Brian to get the Panhead started up, which is quite noisy:

All in all, a good night, got some work done, and next week I'll weld the drivers side finished, grind the welds, and patch up any holes in the weldings.

Keep 'em kruzin!
Dannerr

NC's headlight and a new bend

Last night my friend NC came by, as did Jim again, and for the first time, Shane, who also builds old Volvo's. Jim helped NC out, straightening his headlight ring out for his Triumph Bonneville, which was tilted in the weekend. But a little hammerwork, which Jim still amazes me with, it was done very well, and now I just have to bring NC a headlight bezel from one of the Volvo's, as it is a match, and he's off on the motorbike again!
I was supposed to make the bends on the passengers side patch panel, but alot of talking don't make cars, so I only got to start the first bend and next week has to hammer it to shape.



Keep 'em kruzin!
Dannerr

Drivers side tagged

Instead of going to the Model A club after oil for the tudor, I drove out to the Pirate shop and tagged the drivers side patch panel on:








It's gonna look good!




And it's only tuesday, so I'll be here again tomorrow!

Keep 'em kruzin!
Dannerr