After spending the better part of a day cleaning up the beater's frame, I was finally ready to get started on some assembly. Having eyeballed what had come as part of my original purchase, I saw I needed a couple of important pieces for the rear suspension. For these pieces I hopped in my pickup and buzzed over to So-Cal Speed (a quick 20-minute jaunt from my shop) to grab what I needed. Once in the door, the most difficult part of my visit was purchasing only what I really needed. The showroom is chock-full of goodies that I would have loved to incorporate into the project, so I had to show restraint and keep my meager budget in mind. Just as I assumed, they had everything I needed in stock, and within minutes I was headed back to the shop with a brand-new ladder bar crossmember, a pair of rear spring shackles, and a rearend-housing-to-spring-bracket kit--ready to go to work. Follow along as I start the long journey to hot rod nirvana, one and sometimes two steps at a time.
Wire-brushing and metal-prepping...
Wire-brushing and metal-prepping my rusty frame wasn't the most pleasant of jobs, but it was one of those things that just had to be done before I could proceed. For this chore you can't beat an electric grinder and a quality cup-type wire brush. Just remember to wear safety glasses as bits of wire tend to release themselves from the cup-brush at a whopping 23,000 rpm.
Seeing that I started work...
Seeing that I started work on a day my nephew Josh couldn't make it over to give me a hand, I was forced to spend a few minutes rigging up a rolling stand for the rearend assembly. It was well worth the effort as I'm sure it saved me from a probable hernia.
Before I could proceed, I...
Before I could proceed, I had to remove the rearend's original leaf spring perches and smooth out the axle tubes. An electric grinder and a 4 1/2-inch cut-off wheel, followed by a few passes with a standard grinding stone, took care of business.
Once the axle tubes were readied...
Once the axle tubes were readied for the rear transverse spring perches, I mounted the spring to the frame. First I found the centerline of the frame and scribed it on the rear crossmember. I then fabricated and drilled a spacer to fit between and center the spring. Using a pair of U-bolts from my parts stash (I believe they're stock Model A rear spring bolts) necessitated welding a mounting plate to the rear crossmember as their width and diameter equaled more than the width of the crossmember.
Here you can see the components...
Here you can see the components I'd picked up from So-Cal Speed. In the foreground is the ladder bar crossmember with the two spring perch brackets and gussets behind.
Prior to test-fitting the...
Prior to test-fitting the brackets, I used a large C-clamp to press in the bushings supplied with the brackets (you don't want to be bangin' on these babies with a hammer).
I then test-fit the brackets...
I then test-fit the brackets to the spring to make sure the centerlines of the axle tube openings were parallel with the axle centerline I'd measured and marked earlier (I used the standard 103-inch Model A wheelbase as my guide). All looked good; I removed the brackets and proceeded to split them at the center of their openings so I could fit them to the rearend's axle tubes.
By the time I was ready to...
By the time I was ready to roll the rearend under the frame, my Pop showed up to make sure I'd gotten all my measurements correct and everything was lined up before welding.
After Pop's approval and after...
After Pop's approval and after fitting the brackets to the rear leaf, I tacked both halves of the brackets to the rearend assembly. For the next step I split the rear ladder bar brackets the same way I did the spring perches.
With the rear ladder bar brackets...
With the rear ladder bar brackets clamped in place, I laid out the crossmember location. The So-Cal ladder bar crossmember is, I believe, about 40 inches wide, so it had to be trimmed to fit between the framerails. The frame tapers toward the front, so careful marking and measuring is a must for trimming the crossmember tubes at the correct angle.
Once the crossmember was narrowed,...
Once the crossmember was narrowed, I forced it into place (it was trimmed for a snug fit). Attaching the fronts of the ladder bars to the crossmember helped to locate the correct placement and angles of the rear brackets on the rearend housing. I then double-checked that everything was centered and tack-welded the brackets and crossmember into place. With everything tacked into place and with all my measurements double-checked, I went around and began my finish-welding. Next month, we'll move to the other end of the frame and begin the installation of the front suspension.