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One more thing I forgot to mention— the tires are designed for sidecar motorcycles, so they have a flatter tread profile like a car tire, they are not designed for banking turns like many bike tires.
So I’ve been moving ahead with research for tires for the Ford wheels as I complete the major body work/gas tank project. With the fenders that I have, my best bet for tires would be the 400-19 size. They are just a little bigger than the radials I have on there now, and the low profile should give the car a great 1920’s racer look— exactly what I’m seeking.
So looking at tires, I looked at all the vendors who might have classic styled tires, and Coker is the only place that has 400-19 car tires. As I researched, I also came across motorcycle tires in the same size. Long story short, as I spoke to Coker about their tires, I noticed that the Duro HF308 motorcycle tire has better specs than the car tires and should fit on my rims… the Duro tire leads in these categories:
— 6 ply vs. 4 ply
— load index of 680 vs. 594
– While price is a secondary consideration, the Duro is about $60 per tire vs. $166
And they should fit on my 3” rims, as the minimum rim width is listed as 2.5 (no max listed).
just wondering if anyone has an informed opinion about this… I’ve done a bit of research and see on hot rod forums there are a good many people running motorcycle tires on cars (and vice versa for that matter, but that’s immaterial). I’m trying to see if there is any compelling reason not to go with these tires, and so far I’m just not seeing any. Thanks for any advice.
For the spoke, I would choose the two part epoxy as Gorilla Glue tends to expand as it cures. Probably not an issue for something like this, but I find epoxy easier to work with.
Wow, I thought my project was technically ambitious, that fender job is amazing!
I’ve had a look at the Ford wheels, and I think it’s adapters or nothing with them. Drilling blank drums would center them better under the fenders, but I think there may be problems with the rim construction and how it would sit on the drum. The adapters would push them out far enough so that it wouldn’t be an issue. With the fenders as they are that would keep the wheels under them but not centered— OK but not ideal. I am going to give some thought to moving the fenders outboard a bit— because they’re not directly mounted to the body but are on brackets there may be a way to mod those to push them out a couple of inches.
Well rather than just doing measurements in my head I entered the numbers into a CAD program, and while using adapters would work, the best solution would apparently be to get the custom brake drums done. If I go that route it may prove slightly more expensive depending on what price a machine shop can quote me for the drill & tap, but it would be a cleaner solution.
Thanks for that tip!
Michael— thanks much for the advice! I am very much leaning toward the Ford wheels.
Just to be clear, I believe they WILL work with adapters. The 2-piece adapters will ride out the wheels slightly, but with the narrower rims I think I will still be under the fenders. I will double check my fitment to be sure, but as you say I can always invest in custom brake drums if need be.
Bill— thanks for the input, I will email you for pics.
From a pure appearance angle, I don’t think I can do better than the Model A wheels: They will look period correct because they are. I would have to use a small section width tire of a size more often seen on motorcycles, but given the kind of driving I would be doing I don’t think that’s a big concern, and it would definitely give her that 20’s racer look. Next best thing for appearance would be knockoffs, as the Type 37 originally had, but not only do I not know if that’s a possibility, I am a little nervous about that technology, even though my understanding is they’re perfectly safe if checked often. Last in terms of appearance are the larger rim width wire wheels, but they’d still be an improvement over what I have now.
What size are the ones you run?
Edward– thanks for the input! What you describe is pretty much what I had in mind, I especially appreciate the tips on how to deal with the seam.
My personal preference is to take the cut top to bottom on the rocker panel, but not align it with the rear hood cut. My gut was that having it not align would be aesthetically better because it would establish the hood panel as one thing, and the body/rocker panels as an entirely different entity with its own geometries and construction. Interestingly, on real Type 35’s there is a seam (actually multiple seams) in the rocker panel just ahead of the hood but not aligning with it. The proportions will be slightly different on mine if I cut it where I intend to (or even further up a little), but that doesn’t concern me too much since nothing on the kit car is exactly like the real thing. Approximate will fit right in.
Image above is immediately after hood removal (there are still a few acorns and such a squirrel left there many years ago!).
If I did the cut for option C, it would be straight up and down directly under the rearmost hood hold down, making sure to go at the point directly between two false louvers.
Another benefit of going behind the hold down is that the two screws that will mount the lower portion of the hold down to the car would also go on either side of the cut, so the hold down bracket would bridge and stabilize the cut (obviously I will be building out a plywood wall where the hood overlaps the cockpit).
OK— I made most of the cuts, and the hood is now detached. I still need to remove the lip at the front of the hood that attaches to the “radiator” (it will be replaced with a new lip the hood rests on) and the central cut down the hood I still need to sand down on each side to account for the thickness of the piano hinge. But the worst is behind me, and the two critical cuts at the rear and bottom cane out darn near perfectly. So thanks to everyone for the advice, I’d have been lost without it.
So now I have a new (and partially related) issue that I’d like to run by all of you… it touches on other things with the car, but no need to do a whole new thread:
My gas tank needs work. It had rusted inside, and my VW guy flushed it but it can’t be driven much at all without getting this fixed. The current tank is a tapered box that fits perfectly in its spot (lower right side). My mechanic would ideally like to remove, reline, and reinstall the tank. The problem is that it was installed before the body was put on and there’s no easy way to get it out. So it seems like I have three possible options:
A: Decommission the existing tank and install a new one. This would require venting the old tank (I would probably cut a hatch in it and use it for ballast). The downside to this is that there is t a great place to put a new tank— it would have to ride high and would be difficult to secure. Also not that important but a consideration is that it would kill any “trunk” space I might have in there (I was hoping to put a shelf on the frame above the gas tank and other mechanicals).
B: I could remove the entire front of the body and slide the tank out the way it came. This would obviously be “best practice” but would be a staggering amount of work, may carry with it unforeseen problems, and given how this car was assembled in the first place I am concerned whether it would be possible to put it back together properly.
C: This option I need advice as to whether it would work… I will post pictures when possible to help visualize it. After cutting the hood, I am left with a strip of body at the lower portion of the passenger side approximately 4 feet long by 10” high. I could Cut the strip behind the gas tank and remove it in the same way I would if I took the whole body off— only I would have just three bolts to undo. After re-installation, my plan would be to rejoin it and touch up the paint to match (I have a commercially available spray paint hat is a near-perfect match to the body color). I could also disguise the join line: Of the 10” to be cut, 3” is curving away under the car, 4” could be placed between two false louvers, and the upper 3” could be placed behind the rearmost hood hold down. If it could be joined, I think it could be well camouflaged and wouldn’t be too noticeable (the car already has quite a bit of “character”.
So I have two questions: First, which seems like the best solution? Second, if I were to do Option C, what would be the best way to rejoin the two pieces and fill the cut line (about 1/8” thick)?
As always, your expertise and advice is greatly valued.
Thanks, Dale! That is helpful. Do you think some metal bar stock applied the same way would do? Seems like it would provide similar rigidity with a lower profile.
Thanks, Edward. Very helpful.
Do you think it would make sense to add a little bracing in the back? If so, what would be the best way to do that?
I am about at the point of doing this cutting project and talked to a guy in a body shop to pick his brain, but he does not seem to know a lot about these kinds of cars or this kind of fiberglass. I am going to do the job myself, but some of the things he said brought up questions that you all surely jame more expertise on:
— He seems to think it would be necessary to build an attach a frame to back of the hood to keep it from warping. I don’t recall seeing that on any other fiberglass kit cars, and would think that if I have the piano hinge at the top and a flap behind all the edges with 3 strong hold downs at the bottom, that warping wouldn’t normally be a problem.
— Also, he was of the opinion that the whole car would need to be repainted No matter what, but from your previous replies it seems like taping the cut and using a very fine grinding blade for tile or metal would help avoid chipping, and that sanding and painting the edge (I may do epoxy under the paint as well) should probably— PROBABLY— be fine. In terms of minor touch ups, I have found a readily available paint shade that is a near PERFECT match for my car’s finish color… so minor touch ups along the edge are a possibility.
So, in the opinion of those who have experience with this kind of cutting, and experience with hoods (!), am I right or wrong? The main thing is I want to get this work done and look good, but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg or take the car to pieces to do it.
Thanks! I actually would prefer the Brooklands style screen, but it came with this one. I believe the racing screens were not street legal in CT when this was registered (nor are they now). So full windshield it is. While the Brooklands would be more authentic, there were some contemporary Bugattis with similar windscreens, so it’s not entirely without precedent. And as you say, it provides a bit more anti-bug protection!
Who knows, if I ever move somewhere with less stringent regulations, I may well change it out.
BTW, what color was the one you had wanted before the MG came your way?
I should do a proper post on this li’l jalopy, but since you’ve been so kind in sharing your expertise, here are a few pics per your requests!
I appreciate the additional advice. Just how concerned should I be about fire? I have seen people cut fiberglass with small circular saws like the one I plan to use (as well as multi-tools like the Fein Multimaster). If I keep a good feed speed, should fire be something I fear or just be mindful of and ready to deal with if things somehow go south?
At any rate, I think I need to use the small circular saw at least selectively. Even if I have to use a jigsaw for the main cuts, I at least need to do an initial plunge cut to get started. Also, there are a few select places where there is material I need to not cut fairly close behind the body panel and that a jigsaw would impact. One of the things that attracted me to the Ultra Saw was that it has precise control over cut depth and maxes out at 3/4”, which could be vital in those spots.
So hoping the Ultra Saw works as described, but if not I can fall back on my jigsaw for all but a few cuts.
Thanks again!
Thanks for the tips— I need an extremely straight cut for this, so was thinking of using the Dremel Ultra Saw, which is a small and fine bladed saw that has built in guides that I can use with a jig to keep the cut straight.
in addition to taping the area to cut to avoid chipping and marking the line on that, I thought it would make sense to put hash marks across the cut line to facilitate proper alignment when I reinstall the hood piece.
in terms of finishing, I understand the edge needs to be sanded, but is there also a need to seal it? I was thinking to spread a layer of epoxy along the edge to avoid any future delamination or flaking.
Thanks again for the help— any other advice is greatly appreciated! Will make sure to post a few pics of the Bug-atti when I get a chance.
Thanks for the replies (FWIW I know New Bern well— my kids go to Camps Seagull/Seafarer).
The CT inspection process was simply more than I could deal with, luckily I found out that cars titled in-state require NO inspection… you simply bring the paperwork to the DMV and everything is easy.
so I started looking for a car in CT, which limited my options. I did not locate an MGTD replica, but I was able to find something that will do for now… but that’s another thread.
