More About Running Boards

10-18-2013  Got to see a little progress this week.  The rear fenders are now back from the sandblaster.  Dan got them primed this week.  Also, he got more body filler on the running boards, having finished stripping and blasting them.  He discovered that the patent stampings are still intact on the undersides of the running board panels.  Quite remarkable really, considering how much these have been exposed to the elements for 81 years!

 

      

The subjects of the patents are as follows:

#1,660,307:  Entitled "Running Board" -- This invention relates to running boards for automobiles, and has for one of its objects to reduce the number of parts and the number of operations in constructing, finishing and applying running boards to automobile chassis.

#1,660,308:  Entitled "Runningboard or Other Tread Member" -- The subject matter of the present application embodies certain improvements, particularly in the shape of the metal body and the manner in which the rubber covering is interlocked with the body.

#1,784,781: Entitled "Composite Steel and Rubber Article" -- This invention relates to a steel and rubber article of the type wherein rubber or similar non-metallic composition is attached by vulcanization or equivalent treatment to a metal base such as a base stamped from rolled sheet metal.

#1,784,782:  Entitled "Composite Running Board" -- The invention relates to running boards for motor. vehicles formed from an elongated stamped sheet metal body with a layer of rubber vulcanized and interlocked to the running board body.

Who would have thought that so much design and patenting would have gone into something that looks so simple?

Rear Axle

9-6-2013  Today, while at the shop, I learned that I'm now the proud owner of an 8-inch Ford rear axle donated by a derelict Mustang (Yes, there'll be a few Ford components in this almost all-MOPAR build.).  There is a salvage yard near the shop and people are forever stopping to ask the Shady boys 

directions to the salvage yard.  One fellow recently asked directions, explaining that he was clearing out a piece of property with dozens of old cars.  The ever-vigilant Deron asked if there were any mid-'60's Mustangs with five-bolt brake drums (The 6-cylinder cars had only four bolts.).  Today, when Deron came back from lunch, this had been deposited by the fence.  We think of ourselves as recyclers.  Before it is installed, it will be cleaned, inspected, and have all new bearings and seals.  Depending on what gear ratio it has (yet to be determined) it may get new gears as well.  The overdrive on the T-5 transmission may allow us to use a somewhat higher gear ratio in the rear end than the most common 3.00:1 that came on Mustangs and Falcons.  Yes, this axle dates to the time of Ford Falcons!

Running Boards

8-29-2013  Dan has started working on the running boards.  On the original parts, the rubber was vulcanized directly onto the steel using heat and pressure.  The underlying steel panels were perforated with dozens of tiny holes to allow the air to escape and some excess rubber to flow out as the pattern was pressed into the heated rubber.  After 80+ years, it takes a lot of manual effort to remove the brittle hardened rubber.  I was fortunate a few years ago to find out that the Canadian Plymouth 4-Cylinder Owners Club had reproduced the running board rubber and I was able to buy one of the last available sets.  After the steel is cleaned up and sandblasted and primed, we'll fasten the new tread using a superstrong contact cement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How the car looked today (8-29-13): 

Blisters VI

8-29-2013  And as of today, the left side hood panel is pretty close to being finished:

                                                                                                              

BTW, sometimes it's fun to just stand back and appreciate how far we've come on this project...

Blisters V

8-22-2013  As of today, Dan is working on the left side hood blister.  If you're a close observer, you might notice that the left side blister is placed slightly forward of the right side (Count the fins forward of the blister.).  It's because of the slight offset in the banks of cylinders in a V-8 engine, which places one rocker arm cover slightly forward of the other.  The goal here was to place the center of the blister (the point of highest clearance) Directly over the highest point on the rocker arm cover.

A Gift of Great Savings -- Bumper Bracket

10 August 2013   I looked high and low and couldn't find the front bumper bracket.  Then one day the latest issue of The Plymouth Bulletin arrived in the mail (the quarterly magazine of the Plymouth Owners Club).  In the classified ads was a listing for a huge variety of Model PB Plymouth parts, including bumper brackets!  I called the seller immediately and acquired the front one, which had already been completely restored.  It arrived 8-8-2013.  Here it is right after we had the "unveiling" at the Shady shop:

                           

Blisters IV

8-2-2013  Dan has gotten back to the blisters and here is the result:

  

Notice how Dan is welding the cut ends of the louvers back into the side of the hood in such a way that the contour of the louver ends follows the upper curve of the blister itself.  I think the effect will be that this is the way the hood side was originally crafted.  What an artist in metal!