Improved Open Car Surgery And Build
Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 4:18 pm
I will post a series of photos of the process of working on my 1927 Roadster.
I bought this car in 1978 in Camrose Alberta when my passion was high and my Model T knowledge was low. From then on, I have been in Model T College and then University. (self-described)
Being a type A personality and journeyman auto-body man, I am cursed with attention to detail. Some would call it over thinking. In the interest of doing the repair that I wanted to do, my discoveries were an evolution. I knew that if we want to do more than patch and fill our cars, we need to get at the skin.
Early in my search, I found that the Model T was designed on a graph paper using vertical and horizontal lines and a compass.
On this car the cowl skin was riveted to the firewall under the cowl lace, bolted at the dash, held by the door hinges, and wrapped under the sides. This was a very simple removal. The cowl skin came off like a glove.
This led to simply drilling all the rivets on the sub-assemblies and panels and, using a small rotary burr to separate the spot welds. Afterward, I surmised that this car along with thousands of others, was pre painted at the factory in small parts and sub-assemblies, then crated and shipped to plants for assembly where they would get the final paint. My car was likely built at the Winnipeg Manitoba plant.
I have 36 photos in line but I think I can only post 5 at a time.
I will start with the frame.
I set it up to be level and square. I discovered that it had been bumped in the right front corner and was out of square. I removed the distorted rivets because they were no longer a tight fit. I straightened and refit the bracket #2860B, and replaced the rivets with temporary bolts. Next was to push the frame to a relaxed square fit, and then tighten the temporary bolts. I then replaced the bolts with rivets one at a time.
I bought this car in 1978 in Camrose Alberta when my passion was high and my Model T knowledge was low. From then on, I have been in Model T College and then University. (self-described)
Being a type A personality and journeyman auto-body man, I am cursed with attention to detail. Some would call it over thinking. In the interest of doing the repair that I wanted to do, my discoveries were an evolution. I knew that if we want to do more than patch and fill our cars, we need to get at the skin.
Early in my search, I found that the Model T was designed on a graph paper using vertical and horizontal lines and a compass.
On this car the cowl skin was riveted to the firewall under the cowl lace, bolted at the dash, held by the door hinges, and wrapped under the sides. This was a very simple removal. The cowl skin came off like a glove.
This led to simply drilling all the rivets on the sub-assemblies and panels and, using a small rotary burr to separate the spot welds. Afterward, I surmised that this car along with thousands of others, was pre painted at the factory in small parts and sub-assemblies, then crated and shipped to plants for assembly where they would get the final paint. My car was likely built at the Winnipeg Manitoba plant.
I have 36 photos in line but I think I can only post 5 at a time.
I will start with the frame.