'60 Cab project

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Jim Nelson
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Re: '60 Cab project

#166 Post by Jim Nelson »

Closing in on the little stuff. Haven't yet received the cab top window seals, and need to mount the windows in their holders. Do toe-in. Drive it bit, it looks a touch high in the rear, but with all new stuff we'll revisit that after a couple of hundred miles.

Put the hood handle on:
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Got the license plate holder on and a clean set of plates, I like the color contrast:
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Not quite there, but really close:
IMG_2530.jpg

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Jim Nelson
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Re: '60 Cab project

#167 Post by Jim Nelson »

Detail stuff. Original floorboards have their snaps riveted to them, not screwed in:
IMG_3821.JPG
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And the washer pump is held on with slotted screws to its mount, which is glued to the floorboard and held in place with one slotted head screw:
IMG_3823.JPG
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We are fitting new windows, so started that, and finished riveting the springs back on the seat rails. Note that the hole in the spring is not centered:
IMG_3827.JPG
IMG_3828.JPG

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Joris Koning
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Re: '60 Cab project

#168 Post by Joris Koning »

Jim, Are these the original rails I had done for Larry and me or still the crap Stoddard rails?
'56 Coupe
'57 Coupe
'59 Cab 
'60 Coupe

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Jim Nelson
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Re: '60 Cab project

#169 Post by Jim Nelson »

Joris Koning wrote:Jim, Are these the original rails I had done for Larry and me or still the crap Stoddard rails?
Hah! Cute, you know the answer....

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Jim Nelson
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Re: '60 Cab project

#170 Post by Jim Nelson »

So our old windows were the pits, and Larry managed to scare up a new set.
IMG_2538.jpg
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and they don't look bad; final adjustment comes when we get the cab top seals.
IMG_2543.jpg
Got our hinge covers in place, and we managed to turn the air blue this afternoon trying to fit door seals. (argh !!)
IMG_2545.jpg

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Re: '60 Cab project

#171 Post by Brad Ripley »

Seat rail springs with hole offset -- not always. Early springs are offset, later wider springs are not. The wider springs are used on the late rails that have rounded ends.

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Jim Nelson
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Re: '60 Cab project

#172 Post by Jim Nelson »

Brad Ripley wrote:Seat rail springs with hole offset -- not always. Early springs are offset, later wider springs are not. The wider springs are used on the late rails that have rounded ends.
Thank you, Brad. Do you know what the rough break is in the changeover?

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Neil Bardsley
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Re: '60 Cab project

#173 Post by Neil Bardsley »

Thank you for sharing this project. The level of the attention to detail is amazing. If you sell on the car someone will get a very nice example but it must be hard to let it go.

Unfortunately I haven't met Larry but I benefit from his expertise. He fitted a Harry Pellow engine and Dick Aubele gearbox (back when it was in CA for the previous owner) to my car and set it up. It still runs very nicely.

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Re: '60 Cab project

#174 Post by Brad Ripley »

B T-5 had the rounded-end rails and wide springs. I used to make those rails but nobody seemed to care about those details.

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Jim Nelson
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Re: '60 Cab project

#175 Post by Jim Nelson »

Brad Ripley wrote:B T-5 had the rounded-end rails and wide springs. I used to make those rails but nobody seemed to care about those details.
I can assure you, Brad, that your efforts are not unappreciated.

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Jim Nelson
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Re: '60 Cab project

#176 Post by Jim Nelson »

One of the little things that had to get replaced regardless was the washer pump. 50+ year rubber is not the hot ticket for a no-leak car. The reproductions are pretty good in this case, but like everything new, have some differences.

Different number on the top front and the side, though it may or may not be the same number as later cars:
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The company logo is just a bit different than the original:
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And the outlet has a different fitting:
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Still, it works with these things nicely, so that is what matters:
IMG_2551.jpg
And we've at least gotten one of these things to behave (door seal) :
IMG_2547.jpg

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Jim Nelson
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Re: '60 Cab project

#177 Post by Jim Nelson »

Starting on the cab top seals, this looks like it will be another time-intensive project. Made by hand, right....??
IMG_2563.jpg
It's a combination of getting the aluminum strips that hold the seals to align correctly, window adjustment, and very careful cutting of the seal itself to match the angles required. The seal itself is interesting as well, there is an inside and an outside; the outside that faces the exterior has a little notch internally that allows the window to rest on a real seal. So the grooved part goes on the outside:
IMG_2564.jpg
Repeating to ourselves....:
IMG_2562.jpg

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Glen Hamner, Jr
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Re: '60 Cab project

#178 Post by Glen Hamner, Jr »

Know you know, but, let's not forget to cut for shrinkage!

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Re: '60 Cab project

#179 Post by Brad Ripley »

Jim,
On the washer pumps, during development of the latest Stoddard NLA version, I found two versions of those pumps and different markings on five of them. We decided to make the one with the spring inside which seemed to give a more positive pump action when pushed in and good spring back. The number on the end near the screw appears to be the SWF part number. The number on the side must be a batch number, maybe the date code is in there somehow.

The screws are consistent : DIN 95, 4 x 25 wood screw, not plated 900-022-002-0A . The nylon nipple turned yellowish over the years -- almost white when new.

Usually these pumps don't go bad with squirt action, just that the area where the nipple sticks out splits and no amount of glue seems to solve the problem -- so buy a new one!
Attachments
Washer pump comps.jpg

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Jim Nelson
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Re: '60 Cab project

#180 Post by Jim Nelson »

Thanks for the behind-the-scene glimpse of how product development occurs, Brad. We noticed the difference in the new pump (with the spring), and really appreciate the time and effort that goes into a successful product. It's a winner, and like I said, with 50-year old rubber and a no-leak goal, sometimes it doesn't end well. This is one of the must-haves.

One thing that we didn't find reproduced is the little aluminum pieces that go on the forward corners of the cab top where the top meets the two locating pegs. Larry found a banged up one--and it doesn't take a lot of use for them to get banged up--for us to use as a pattern:
IMG_2565.jpg
Thankfully, it is one of the easier pieces to fabricate, here from sheet aluminum:
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And, they are the same piece, just bent differently from side to side. I suspect they don't get reproduced because they have to be fit to each top assembly; the little channels for the side window seals abut them, and those seals vary from car to car.

Gotta have two though, and we aren't done with them here:
IMG_2569.jpg

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