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Body Modifications, Part 1
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This is a section that we will be updating as the body modifications are added.
Fuel Door Installation
To clean up the fender lines, Mark chose to use a round, curved fuel door from Hagan's Street Rod Necessities.
After cutting a new hole around the original filler door, it was tack welded into place. Keep checking the fit as you go. It was then finish welded and ground smooth. A small amount of filler is all that is needed to finish it off.
Hagan's hidden hinges for the doors will be added when the body is mounted back onto the frame.
Hidden Hinge Installation
After watching the installation video that was included with the Hagan's Street Rod Necessities Hidden Hinge kit, the location for the receiver tubes was determined and corresponding holes were cut into the door jambs. Then, using several levels to be sure things were plumb, the receiver tubes were tack welded into position. After checking that everything pivots smoothly, they were finish welded and ground smooth.
The doors were then positioned to determine the location of the hinge pockets. After cutting the necessary holes in the door, it was repositioned on the car to tack weld the hinge pockets into place. Mark recommends taking the time to fill the original hinge pockets before adding the new hinge pockets. Two sheetmetal braces were added to the lower hinge pocket for support and Mark plans to add another at the back of the pocket after determining space needed for speakers.
The doors can now be removed for final welding and grinding of the hinge pockets. Notice that braces were cut from square tubing and added to reinforce the receiver tubes to the cowl. The doors can now be reinstalled and adjusted for final fit using the adjustment screws in the Hagan's Street Rod Necessities hinges.
Gas Strut Trunk Hinge Installation
To make the trunk easy to open and keep it up when open Mark wanted to incorporate some gas cylinders. After weighing the trunk lid and calculating the cylinders position relative to the hinge centerline two industrial gas cylinders were chosen. They are rated at 30 lbs each and measure 12.63 compressed and 19.63 extended. The original support on the drivers side was removed and the new brackets bolted to the body just above the original bracket. Two more brackets were bolted to the trunk lid to complete the installation.
Power Window Installation
Mark wanted to retain the stock roll-back vent function of the original window regulators but still wanted power windows. A Deluxe Power Window Kit from SPALÒ fit the bill.
The upper hidden hinge pocket in the door was shortened a ¼" to make room for the regulator. The hinge end was also trimmed to clear the shorter pocket. A rectangle hole was cut in the door to clear the power drive and the original front 2 slots for the regulator screws were welded closed and ground smooth. The stock notch in the middle of the door was cut and welded (A) deeper to maintain a low profile on the drive cables. Two tabs were welded to the door for mounting the motor (B & C).
To gain the rest of the space needed about 5/16" was trimmed off the front of the stock regulator and the original front 2 nutserts were removed. The SPALÒ Kit comes with a multitude of adapters to fit almost any window-crank shafts out there. The drives can be mounted to the stock regulator but Mark chose to alter his regulators to achieve a lower profile. The 3 rivets were drilled out that attach the crank housing to the regulator. The ears were cut off the stock drive gear and a new piece machined to register on the I.D. of the drive gear and mate with the SPALÒ adapter.
Pictured from left to right, the stock gear, the trimmed gear, the machined part, the adapter and the machined part and adapter assembled.
Since the original drive gear is helical and sits at an angle Mark chose to make aluminum ears that screw to the drive and align it to the original gear centerline. With the regulator bolted in place and the drive unit positioned on the gear, the door and regulator were match drilled and then disassembled. The holes in the doors were then slotted to maintain adjustability of the regulator. Two 10-32 nutserts were then installed in the holes drilled in the regulators.
Everything was then reassembled to the doors and checked for smooth operation. SPALÒ also offers polarity reversing switches depending on your application.
Copyright © 1999-2004 Bob Shetrone