Lavron's '64 Build Thread

[lavron]

once you get this new tank in and it works ,,you;ll never replace it

You are probably right, I just didn't want another tank to rust out, but then again I don't think the car will ever be in the same circumstance again, besides it rusted from the outside in.

I got out today and did a few things, I got the left front fender primed and started cutting out some of my past sins (slothfulness ) in the trunk, most of the rust is gone now but will probably replace more than I have cut out, not sure until I get into it a bit more.


Obviously the big chunk I cut off the right side was not rusty but removed for the tank to fit in, the right side for the most part is pretty good with the exception of the spot I cut out over the rear spring mount and then you can see a rusty spot up by the wheel well, the left side, however, wasn't so good. The frame rails are both ok.

Next I will start making some parts to repair it, I only have one problem, I may have to go and actually buy some steel unless I find some more laying around that I forgot about I have used up almost everything except some heavier stuff.

I have a good idea of how to proceed so have to wait and see how that goes

See Ya,
Mike

[caseville cyclone]

Its a lot of work Mike but at least you can see how nice your rear suspension looks. How about Plexiglass,just kidding. Andy

[lavron]

Its a lot of work Mike but at least you can see how nice your rear suspension looks. How about Plexiglass,just kidding. Andy

Maybe if I had done a better job on the brake lines

When I am done getting all this stuff fabricated and welded in I will feel better, I am going to loose a lot of trunk space by the time I get all the stuff like an air tank and compressor in there, plus the gas tank making my trunk 2" shallower, but no back seat going back in so I should have room for luggage back there

I was just looking at air tanks this morning, I would like to go ahead and get one ordered so I can have it here before I finalize plans, I guess now it is down to me finding the cheapest one I can (well that is what I want, I already found the tank, which is not the cheapest tank I could get)

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

Look what I found, hopefully it was not something I saved because it was important because it was around the proper gauge metal I needed.


I think it was part of the furnace from our old house that I kept because, well it is good raw materials, plenty big to make several patches. Of course it is galvanized because I love to weld galvanized metal so much

Went ahead and patched in the right floor, I reused the lip edge I had cut out so the tank would fit.


If I was doing it over I would have made the patch butt up over the center of the outside frame rail because I could not get behind the metal to clamp it or anything, now it is lower there, will probably just put some Bondo Glass in there and smooth it out, I am not going to spend a ton of time making the inside of the trunk look nice.

I also welded a piece of 1 /14" angle iron to the back edge to extend that out, so far so good the tank still fits Next I need to patch the left side, will probably cut back a bit more on that side.

I am going to cut the good part of the trunk floor out of the parts car and make it work so I can keep from buying anything (little) to get this done, I think there is enough of the little trailer left to make the front part of the floor and maybe even a fire wall for behind where the rear seat is supposed to be, especially now that I am adding an extra 6 to 8 gallons of gas back there

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

Big hole on left side patched, I had to go all the way to the back of the car and I am going to replace everything on this side that is why nothing is touching.


I have enough metal to replace the top of the piece that goes down to the fender. the piece to the front is going to be the stock trunk floor from the parts car scooted toward the rear of the car, I think I will have to make a little narrow strip to fill in but I haven't measured yet to see.


My next task is removing the floor from the parts car and seeing what mods will need to be done to make it fit. Hopefully it will reach all the way back to my patch and it will look like I know what I am doing (probably not )

Maybe some day I will get a pan brake and some new steel and make a new trunk pan for the car when I need a fun project but this will do for now.

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

Last year when it was hot I had to drag out the umbrella to shade me so I could work, this year I have a better solution, I can just spin the car around so I can stay in the shade, I guess I have come a long way (it has been sitting on it's own suspension for quite a while, no leak down at all from the airbags)



Still working in the trunk, less rusty stuff every day, I worked a little on the doublewide this morning (getting it ready to re-stain the siding plus a few other things) and then the Comet in the heat of the day (105 heat index today) so didn't feel much like welding but I got the patch bent up and trimmed out on the left side, I have some trimming to do on the floor but cut a big chunk out and temp screwed the panel down.



Pretty happy with it, I wish my metal would have been about 2" longer but you work with what you have. Speaking of that, I figured out what the metal was from, it was for a furnace but it was the top off of the filter box for the wood furnace sitting in the back of the shed I don't really care, I found the rest of the box out behind the shed, so now I have more metal, if I ever hook that wood furnace up I will probably forgo any kind of filter anyway.

Should be able to get this thing welded in sometime this week, they are forecasting a cool down after tomorrow which is good because I have been putting off mowing my grass and it needs it

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

Decided I didn't like my patch on the right trunk floor and I found that other metal so I went ahead and bent up a replacement right trunk floor out of it.



It is a little rough but not bad for bending it by hand (I am satisfied with it), I will clean it up some. I haven't cut out the floor under it yet but will try to get to that next time and get it welded in.

I wish I had done the same on the left side but don't have another piece of metal so it will stay being two or three parts welded together, it actually looks better than the one I just did, probably because it is easier bending the funny angles in parts as opposed to one piece, I think it will all look ok when I am done.

Still hoping to get the parts I need cut off the parts car and fit in, might be Friday before I can take a stab at that.

See Ya,
Mike

[popscomet]

how much you think this comet is gonna weigh????I know you being the tight wad ,,,the more it weighs the more that little 6cyl has to pull////just wondering just how much extra weight you;ve added by using what ever thickness of metal you can come up for free or almost free ????….a 100 pounds added or taken away is worth a tenth of a second in a qtr mile drag race,plus or minus////that's a fact,,,I know your not building a drag car,,,but !!! you still have to tote the weight....and MPG is going to be a vast concern of yours....pop

[SASSY]

Seems to me a couple posts back somewhere he said he was going on a diet to make up for any additional weight the car picks up, least I think it was this forum , jeez, not sure now, should I delete this post?

[lavron]

how much you think this comet is gonna weigh???...just wondering just how much extra weight you;ve added by using what ever thickness of metal you can come up for free or almost free ????

Probably anything is heavier than rusted out thin metal. The stuff I am using in the trunk is around 18 gauge, I don't know what it was originally maybe 20 (18 is 2 lbs. sq. ft.- 20 is 1.5 lbs. sq. ft.), everything else I have changed or added were the floorboards, which were stamped replacement panels, the front core support I cut out of the parts car, the front inner fender panels that replaced the shock towers are 13 gauge and the rusted out torque boxes will probably get the same 13 gauge to replace the spots on them.

I can't say for sure what weight differences there will be with the air ride (replacing steel springs with air bags), MII as opposed to stock suspension components (steering box etc) and the 4-link rear instead of leaf springs, I did add some 3/8" steel boxing to the frame in front and plated the rear frame with piece of 3/8" as well on the inside edge. I am sure the 8.8" is heavier than the 8" rear, going to guess the aluminum driveshaft is a wash as far as weight and the T-5 is probably lighter than the cast iron top loader 3-speed, the wheels are lighter I would imagine but probably not a lot.

Just guessing on a lot of stuff, I know some will add weight and some will take away, there are so many variables of stuff being added and taken away like there is no longer the 3 speed column shifter parts on there, no back seat etc. even the hydraulic clutch system is probably a tad lighter than the z-bar system. Then stuff like the 250 weighs more than the 170, I guess I really did not sit down and engineer it all out to be super lite and because it is going to be a road car it is going to get stuff like A/C, insulation. I hope putting the 5 speed in and a higher rear gear (than it had) bigger back tires etc will all help with fuel economy (relative speaking).

I guess there are certain things I could do without but I am adding anyway that add to weight like a rear firewall but will be more comfortable with them in place (I have some old metal duct work I will probably use for the firewall, not sure what it is maybe 26-28 gauge, doesn't need to be structural like the trunk floor just block fire).

And if I did not make it clear, I am removing all the old sheet metal in trunk (and everywhere else) and replacing it.

I guess I can try and weigh the car when I am done and see what I have.

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

Seems to me a couple posts back somewhere he said he was going on a diet to make up for any additional weight the car picks up, least I think it was this forum , jeez, not sure now, should I delete this post?

I have lost a lot of weight already guess I can diet some more

See Ya,
Mike

[popscomet]

so your thinking it will balance itself out,,,,that weight will trip you up.....you saw ol rusty at the gathering last year,,,with just a windshield ,no other glass or hardware in the doors,,no carpet etc, we weighed it on our digtal scales we use for dirt cars,,,it tipped the scale at 2662lbs.....

[lavron]

so your thinking it will balance itself out

No, I think in my long wordy post I said I really didn't know Ford claims the stock weight of a '64 2 dr. sedan 6 cylinder is 2540 lbs., I am sure that is probably dry weight, IIRC hardtops are a little heavier than sedans (2670#?).

ol rusty at the gathering last year,,,with just a windshield ,no other glass or hardware in the doors,,no carpet etc, we weighed it on our digtal scales we use for dirt cars,,,it tipped the scale at 2662lbs.

Do you know what gauge the trunk floor/tubs were fabricated out of in Ol Rusty? And again I am only guessing on what the original metal is in the car, I can't imagine it is any lighter than 20 but it might be (?) if it is, for the trunk floor I am adding less than 10 lbs. (once you take out the gas tank) using 18 gauge (+1/2 lb. per sq. ft.) I mean not considering my old trunk floor was paper thin with rusty holes .

If I can figure out a way to weigh it in the end I will, I assume mine would originally been a 2540# car if it really ever weighed that (never can tell with how the manufacturers do stuff)

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

Went out to check this morning to see if I could figure out what gauge steel the original floor pan is, I measured both the parts car and a non rusty piece of my original floor and the replacement steel I am using, it all appears to be 18 gauge (0.0478").



I also found the replacement Falcon floor pan that Auto Krafters sell had this for the description on their website (on sale for $550 + $100 boxing fee + freight shipping);

Fits 1964–65 Falcon 2- and 4-door sedan, hardtop, and convertible.
Complete trunk floor that includes the center floor panel, rear filler panel, left-hand and right-hand floor pans with extensions, and the rear cross-member. This is an excellent reproduction and is easier to install than multiple floor pan repair panels. Gives a more factory-original appearance and makes a more rigid floor. 18 gauge (0.0043") stamped steel.

The rest of the research I was able to gather on the web said it is actually 19 gauge (0.0418") (take that for what it is worth) To my best guess from what I have read, the body panels are 20 gauge (0.0359"), the floors are 18-19 gauge and stuff like the torque boxes are 14 gauge (0.0747").

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

Busy day doing other stuff but I was able to get the trunk floor cut out of the parts car and started fitting it into the Comet, don't be too critical of this I only just got started fitting it up, I have a ways too go.



I think I will have to split the corners to get it spread out flat enough and then make fillers to go where I have to spread it.

See Ya,
Mike