37 Ford build--IE: old Header issues thread /37 Ford/5.0/GT40P heads

[randyr]

Randy- Nice looking rear seat. They are comfortable and it looks great in your car, but a word of caution if you are not planning on reupolstering, the stitching has been known to bust open on those seats. I have not had trouble with mine yet (knock on wood), but it's something to think about.

Thanks 35Fordcoupe! Yeah, I'm aware of the stitching problem on the top of the seat. Mine has it but it looks repairable. I haven't decided my interior colors yet so I don't know if I reupholster it or fix it and stay with black. I've been reading on a GTO forum about these things and I see you have an '06. Once I have mine put together, it won't get as much sun on it as it would in the GTO because of the small back windows. I need to see a pic of how the seatbelts/shoulder harnesses are installed so I can fabricate mounts for them. I'm supposed to talk with a guy who's parting one out today to get some pics of that.

[35fordcoupe]

I believe my car had tinted windows before I got it. I found out when the tint guy I took it into told me there was lots of glue residue (wonder what else was done and taken back to stock that I don't know about) so hopefully the tinted windows have saved my stitching.

You have those door panels a bit further back toward the seat than they come in the GTO. It looks like if you slide them toward the front of the car they won't fit so tight against the seat and still be functional...just a thought.

[randyr]

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You have those door panels a bit further back toward the seat than they come in the GTO. It looks like if you slide them toward the front of the car they won't fit so tight against the seat and still be functional...just a thought.

Actually, the armrest is not in it's final place. It's just lodged in there to hold it up. I was just showing Dave that I think there's room to use those narrow armrests with these seats. There is still a lot more fitting to do before it's functional. Thanks for the heads up about placement though..

[406Rich]

Also, Bobby, if you haven't done anything with your clutch pedal yet, on page 143 of Bob Drake's new catalog he has a 39 Hydraulic Brake & Clutch Pedal Assembly that's designed to use the orignal 3 bolt MC or the later 2 bolt Ford MC with dual reservoir. pt#91A-2473-K, $250. Don't think it lets you use a power booster if you wanted power brakes. Looks like a nice bolt-on unit for 35-38 Fords if you don't want to hassle with re-working yours.

I`m not running power brakes on mine, has no problem stopping, actually stops better than my truck which has power brakes.....

[bluestang67]

I`m not running power brakes on mine, has no problem stopping, actually stops better than my truck which has power brakes.....

Only thing that can get you is heat fade and water . That's why the disc system will not falter here .

Randy yes I am still going with power disc in all 4 corners just for the power stops . Traffic and people can be mayhem right .

[406Rich]

http://probaway.files.wordpress.com/.../cimg4774b.jpg

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...w=1472&bih=722
This is the route we take to one of our favorite 4 day shows in Sept, Tahoe cool Sept days, its 110 miles thru mtn country, from sea level to 6,500 ft above sea level, several times in sever rain storms about two inches an hour, never had a brake issue. Been there now for 15 years, last eight with the `37

[randyr]

This is the route we take to one of our favorite 4 day shows in Sept, Tahoe cool Sept days, its 110 miles thru mtn country, from sea level to 6,500 ft above sea level, several times in sever rain storms about two inches an hour, never had a brake issue. Been there now for 15 years, last eight with the `37

That looks like a beautiful drive, Rich! And to drive it in the '37 would be a blast!
I look forward to taking mine on some nice trips like that..........someday...

[406Rich]

Last year we had 12 cars follow up, I`ll see if any of them have road trip pics they can foward to me. I had my wife shoot some one year but she can`t hold the camera steady or something they never come out..

[bluestang67]

Besides the house chores I have been working the door gaps . Welding and metal finishing so the Taiwan skin looks better . I had to cut some down in the front and weld it up some in the rear . I think I am getting happy with its fit and calling it done .

[randyr]

Besides the house chores I have been working the door gaps . Welding and metal finishing so the Taiwan skin looks better . I had to cut some down in the front and weld it up some in the rear . I think I am getting happy with its fit and calling it done .

That looks good Bobby! So when you do that are you just welding a bead down the edge of the door then grinding down to where you need it? How are you keeping it from warping? These are all things I'll probably have to do so I wanna know more about how it's done.......

[IC2]

Bobby - that looks real good - so good that I'm inviting you to help me fix one of my doors.

Now, why I now lack clearance at the upper reveal is a mystery as that clearance was fine before disassembly and now - a paint chip and virtually no clearance with the rest of the door being good@#$% gremlins most likely.

[bluestang67]

That looks good Bobby! So when you do that are you just welding a bead down the edge of the door then grinding down to where you need it? How are you keeping it from warping? These are all things I'll probably have to do so I wanna know more about how it's done.......

Randy just right I weld just the door edge building it up where its wide and just welding where I ground to open the gap a bit . , but I do It In slow intervals between welds . There is 3 layers of metal there so war page is not a issue . I put my 110 Lincoln On lowest setting ( A ) And adjust wire and just jump around . Here I could weld the rear and it cooled when I went to the front .

Grinding you have to be careful the metal is thin and will not take much to make it thinner or grind through . I would knock off the heavy with a 60 grit hard disc , Then I used 80 grit roloc to get it down smother .

The very edge I used a file to make it straight after I roloc off the thicker areas , you can control the metal cut much easier this way . Grinding at this point would look like waves . Plus filing just almost naturally makes it straight edge .

Dave you already painted would make me shiver LOL


Remember when hanging a empty door it should be high in the rear . Or you need to simulate the glass and mechanical weight and hang it over door . Then make adjustments .

[randyr]

I'm still working on this rear seat installation. I'm glad I'm doing it now rather than after the paint work is done!

I ran into a few snags along the way, which is to be expected. First, I had to modify the floor pan under the seat a little because of where my rear sway bar attaches to the frame there was no clearance for the long bolt & bushings. I formed some pieces of 16 gauge steel then cut out that portion of the old floor and welded in the new. Yes, I know the welds aren't too pretty but they'll be covered up with sound deadener and the seats!

Then I had to fabricate some mounts for the seat frame and the seat belt receivers. I also added some support to the center of the seat frame so I could get rid of that stack of wood in the previous pics.

I still have some things to figure out on the back of the seat plus the best way to mount the seat belts but it's coming along.....ever so slowly.....

[randyr]

Well, the back seat fitting continues. I just finished making brackets to mount the seatbelts/shoulder harness from the '05 GTO into my car with the help of 35FordCoupe. He has a '06 GTO and actually took the rear interior side panel off his car to take pictures of how the belts are installed in the GTO. It was way beyond the call of duty but REALLY helpful & GREATLY appreciated!!!!

As shown in some previous pics, I mounted the seats and welded in the seatbelt receiver latches. From there I needed to create brackets to mount the seatbelt mechanism plus raise the front of the package shelf about 1.75" to match the taller seatbacks.
The first pic shows the original placement of the package shelf. I cut that out and started over. The seat belt mechanism had to be mounted at an angle to free up the internal locking mechanism. That's why the brackets are cut at an angle. I improvised with the materials to make these brackets. I cut up a low-rise cart that originally came with my welder. It was strong enough and available. I had already purchased a different cart for my welder so this one was just waiting to be repurposed.
I still have to get the correct anchor bolts for the upper mount and redo the X-brace for the package shelf.
Overall, I'm pleased with how it turned out. It'll look much better when I get everything media blasted & primed.

[IC2]

Randy - you're doing a great job. I'm not sure that I would have even bothered with rear belts