| chrismac | -- 11-21-2010 @ 12:35 PM |
|
I am restoring a 1940 station wagon and doing the steering box now. Was the box assembled and painted or were the parts painted and then assembled with raven finish bolts? How about the 3 bolts that secure the box to the frame; raven or painted after installation? Many Thanks! Chris
|
|
| kubes40 | -- 11-21-2010 @ 4:10 PM |
|
The steering box was painted 'chassis black' as an assembly. Most restorers doing a high point car would normally paint the individual pieces and then assemble. The fasteners were all raven finish (S2). That includes the ones holding the box together as well as the box to frame fasteners. Also, during chassis touch up, near the end of the assembly line, there was a good chance this area was over-sprayed to some degree. The part that many folks doing extremely high point cars (myself included) seem to choose to ignore was the fact that these cars were assembled in a hurry with little (or no) attention to chassis detail. Personally, I will continue to ignore that aforementioned reality and build the next vehicles as if they were giant models ... that is, as close to perfection as possible. I know this is a long answer to a short question but I felt obligated to tell you the truth (the reality) as well as modern day Concourse reality. My regards to you Chris, Mike Kubarth
|
|
| Stroker | -- 11-21-2010 @ 4:40 PM |
|
Chris & Mike: Chris, I really respect your desire to get it right; and Mike, I also respect your desire to provide the best possible restoration information available. Having said that, I offer the following: I'm older than "dirt", and one of my biggest bitches at car shows are vehicles that I remember when new, that are "over-restored". I very much admire the workmanship, but I'm also a historian, and I think that we must be careful not to do a disservice to "what was". Perhaps this is why I'm a fan of the Rouge Class, and the Touring Class. Once you depart from "what was", to what we fantasize as "what we think it should have been", we are in fact re-writing history. I love the "over spray" and the mis-alignments that are part of our mass-produced Ford heritage, including all the screw-ups. One of the things that I battle daily is the tendency to memorialize anything that has been written. Once someone writes "the way it has to be", it becomes a part of written history, and is referenced, quoted, and otherwise considered gospel. The reality is that it wasn't quite that glorious, and the finished product often had a number of "rough edges".
|
|
| kubes40 | -- 11-21-2010 @ 6:03 PM |
|
Hey Stroker, I respect your opinion and in many ways agree. That is why I offered what actually 'was' and what is common place on the Concourse in reply to this particular question. The book I am authoring will address how the cars were intended to leave the assembly line. I will not dare dabble in the techniques of restoration nor the merits (dis-merits?) of over restoration. Can of worms? My gosh... I, for one, enjoy that strive for perfection even though I know the cars were not authentically close to the quality I attain. Respectfully, Mike "Kube" Kubarth
|
|
| chrismac | -- 11-22-2010 @ 6:21 PM |
|
Thanks to you both for you opinions! This club offers more benefits than I ever imagined! I am restoring the station wagon for me. It may appear in a show but not more than one or two. I would like for 1940 Ford afficionados and experts to appreciate its accuracy and attention to detail but it's really the process that trips my trigger. And the satisfaction of driving a restored vehicle that has all the bugs sorted out and can run to Florida for the week. That being said, how did the factory do it? Did they assemble the entire steering box, paint it chassis black and then bolt it on? Or did they paint the parts, assemble with raven hardware, bolt on and then spray all or part of the assembly when touching up the frame after assembly? Doing it the way it was built is nmore important to me than what looks good. Thanks again! Chris
|
|
| kubes40 | -- 11-24-2010 @ 6:58 AM |
|
It was originally painted as an assembly. The fasteners holding it to the frame were not painted initially but may have been covered when the chassis 'touch up' was done.
|
|
| chrismac | -- 11-26-2010 @ 5:26 AM |
|
That's kind of what I thought. Thanks for the confirmation! Chris
|
|
| EFV-8 Club Forum : | https://www.earlyfordv8.org/forum |
| Topic: | https://www.earlyfordv8.org/forum/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=14&Topic=2212 |