I did have a set of reproduction inner fenders and like any of the reproduction metal pieces that I’ve purchased they all needed to be modified in some way or another to properly fit. We decided to stay with my original inner fenders because they fit almost as they should. The driver’s side fit the best and just needed a little adjustment to its fit where the inner fender fits to the front grill. The fender curvature was off and didn’t line up flush with the curvature of the front grill.
The back of the inner fender lined up nicely with the cowl and its belt line.
I bought the wooden floorboard from Roy Nacewicz Enterprises LTD. www.fordscript.com the fit was excellent, exceptional quality and no modification were required. However the Steering Column Floor Plate and Transmission Cover required modifications to achieve the correct fit.
The Transmission Cover needed a slight adjustment at its curvature in order to lay flat on the outside of the bottom of the floorboard. If you look closely you can see 2 angler cuts on the front of the Transmission Cover, the cuts were then welded up and ground flush. The Transmission Cover was originally installed in the car but I suspect that it was a reproduction part and I haven’t had much luck with the fit of reproduction panels.
The Steering Column Floor Plate was modified because the steering column was not centered in its opening so cut it to fit, weld it up and grind it flush!
The reason there is a hole between the floorboard and the Steering Column Floor Plate is that there is a cover plate that fits around the steering column flush to the inside of the floorboard were the clutch and brake levers pass through. There is also a steering column rubber seal that fits between the Steering Column Floor Plate and the Cover Plate. I will show you the fit of these parts in a future update.
The Transmission Cover fastener holes were slightly off and did not line up with the holes on the floor pan as you can see in the following pictures.
The holes were filled and redrilled to fit.
Now that look much better everything fits and bolts up quite nicely.
We’re now back on track after an extended delay because the body man who started the 34 decided to take a job with another body shop leaving Byron a little short on the expertise to work on it. I didn’t realize how difficult it was to fined a qualified Metal Fabrication specialist with artistic skills. The craftsmanship of recreating the originality of a vintage vehicle demands ingenuity, resourcefulness, high technical skill, and a feeling for vintage machinery, not an easy ticket to fill. Panel beating, or recreating a body panel in the proper shape and size from a piece of flat sheet metal, requires a skilled hand and an experienced eye. I’m starting to think that in our current throw away society these specialist are slowly becoming extinct.
I decided to shoot my first video to give you a better idea of the overall progress and I quickly realized how difficult it is talk, walk and video all at once! Let’s say that I have no intentions of quitting my day job in Oil & Gas Facilities Engineering to become a cinematographer. I apologize ahead if time for the frequently repetition of the word nicely. And my wife reminded me that “there is no ‘u’ in ‘we’!” Obviously, I’m not the one doing the actual body work.
I do plan on making a few more videos – so hopefully I will get much better with time – like a fine wine!
Hi, I’m Steve. I restored my first car at 19 years of age, a 1929 Chev. I did it in my brother’s garage because I knew my Dad would kill me if he thought I was wasting my money on such a thing. I’ve been wasting my money, and loving every minute of it, ever since.
