Duncan's (sort of) project - 1940 Ford

[KELMO]

13 hours ago, Duncan said:

I'm quite chuffed currently. 🙂

As you should be.

[Duncan]

11 hours ago, ]2eDeYe said:

Such a great looking car. The deco dash is gonna be awesome. 

 

Thanks man.  I was driving it yesterday, and realized how lucky I am to have found one of my dream cars, AND be able to afford it. 

 

I still love the Datsuns, too.  I have a family member that has a couple of 240Zeds where the two cars could make one decent one.  I am considering maybe taking that project on.  We'll see...

 

 

[Duncan]

Holy shit!  Was this a score.  Pic dump ahead...

 

Got my gauge package today.

 

 

In the box are the temp and oil senders that work with the gauges on a Chevrolet engine. Also, the clock, and a speedo cable.  I'm not sure if the speedo cable will work with the 200r trans I have, but I plan to check it out.  I know of a place that will make a cable that will work.  Also, Art Carr's transmission shop is less than a mile from me, and he can calibrate the speedo..

 

 

 

Front of clock and wire harness attached so it lights up when the headlight switch is on..

 

 

 

 

Wasn't quite sure what to make of this.  It's a sheet metal panel that was vercro'd on.  After checking out the other stuff, I came back to it and pulled the little panel off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a surprise.  It had been converted to a battery powered mechanism.  I was a bit disappointed to find out it didn't work, but that mechanism shouldn't be too tough to replace.  I had a working original 12 volt clock in my Sunny.  It kept lousy time, and I had to install a switch to turn it off when the car wasn't being used as it would drain the battery if left for about a week. 

 

 

 

Instructions.  Sweet!

 

 

 

 

 

That beautiful gauge cluster with the back already wired with the 6 volt converter (the stuff right above the speedo) and a nicely done harness.

 

It seems that all I have to do is install the proper senders, then change the wires from old to new.  With my AC unit in the car and an early GM cruise control system in the way, the hard part is going to be getting to the old cluster.  The AC is going to go back in, but the cruise control is outta here..

 

It'll be at least a couple weeks before I get to it, but I can't wait to get the billet stuff outta there..

 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Duncan

[datsunfreak]

On 2/15/2023 at 6:21 PM, Duncan said:

What a surprise.  It had been converted to a battery powered mechanism.  I was a bit disappointed to find out it didn't work, but that mechanism shouldn't be too tough to replace.  

 

So the aftermarket clock parts don't work? If so, yes they are a snap to replace (and buy). This is a good idea I wish I had thought of. Stock Datsun clocks keep such lousy time...  😄

 

[Duncan]

4 minutes ago, datsunfreak said:

 

So the aftermarket clock parts don't work? If so, yes they are a snap to replace (and buy). This is a good idea I wish I had thought of. Stock Datsun clocks keep such lousy time...  😄

 

 

The mechanism was $7.50 or so on ebay.  It's kinda cobbled together in there, along with some custom-made clock hands that resemble the original hands.  It also has a weird homemade wood spacer in there so the hands sit in the right place in relation to the clear front cover/lense.

 

If I get it happening, great.  If not, I didn't really pay anything for it, and I can tinker around with it in my spare time..

 

I thought the battery mechanism with a great idea.  I have two clocks that like like amp fronts.  One is a Fender, and one is a Marshall.  They have the same mechanism in them, and one single AA battery seems to last about two years or more in them.

 

 

 

[datzenmike]

On 9/21/2022 at 8:54 AM, datsunfreak said:

 

I think 4:20 is funny, but would have done 7:10.  😄

 

My only issue with 4:20 is the hands are so close together, then my OCD kicks in...  

 

 

 

Got the 710 covered.

[Duncan]

Well, shit.  Again.  I'm having DejaVu about how much trouble I had refreshing up the clock that is in the car now.  This one's going about the same...

 

 

I found (and bought) the exacy same clock on ebay.  The seller's description said something about the shaft being a 1/2".  The old one on the right has a shaft that sticks up 1/2" inch.  The new one is 1" in length.

 

I found my old Marshall amp clock and see if has EXACTLY the same mechanism in it..

 

 

It's been put away for 20 years or so now, and it's looking a little road worn.  (Old guitar amps get hash on them, too.)  I'm considering robbing the mechanism, but decide to throw a new battery in it to make sure it works first.  Nope this one's dead, too..

 

Just for grins.

 

This is my Fender amp face clock.  I've owned this one since '93, and I have three friends that have tried to buy it off me.  When I first started at Fender, these had already been discontinued, and someone dug a new one up for me.  It still works fine, but I'm not pulling this one apart or even looking to see what mechanism is in it.  I also have a similar official Fender '59 Bassman life size amp front that is a bulletin board.  I actually think they might be worth a few bucks.  I've never seen any of these for sale anywhere, and I know the collectors are looney for stuff like this..

 

I should hit up Joe Bonamossa...

 

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by Duncan

[KELMO]

If I'm thinking right that bulletin board is probably 3 foot by 3 foot. I have a Bassman 410 amp that I bought used in the early 80's and it is roughly that size.

[Duncan]

49 minutes ago, KELMO said:

If I'm thinking right that bulletin board is probably 3 foot by 3 foot. I have a Bassman 410 amp that I bought used in the early 80's and it is roughly that size.

 

It's pretty close.  I have a reissue '59 Bassman, and they look pretty damn near the same size.  I'd take a photo of it, but the damn thing is completely covered in stuff. It's a very much used bulletin board.  🥺

[Duncan]

What the hell.  I think there's a bulletin board in there somewhere...

 

 

 

A glimpse into my life which is (in no particular order of importance) guitars, cars, amps, English Bulldogs, and Doctors Appointments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by Duncan

[KELMO]

Nice!

I think I see a light switch in the pic too.🤪

[EDM620]

The Ford is definitely a super clean car. The attention to details might not be noticed by average Joe, but we all know the difference...

[Duncan]

I got the correct clock mechanism replacement in.  While removing the hands off the old one, it's very obvious that the original clock hands don't go on the newer movement.  I removed the custom made ones with my clock hand puller tool, and I accidently un-glued the two piece minute hand setup.

 

No biggie, but while I super glued it back together, a piece of debris accidently got glued to the painted part of the hand, and removing it left a big 'ol snafu in the ivory paint.  Well, that's no biggie either because SOMEWHERE, I still had most of the bottle of ivory paint I bought to freshen up the original clock hands. (And they look great, I might add) 

 

It's turned out to be a biggie now because I can't find the bottle.  So now I'm waiting for a new bottle to be shipped from Arizona that I ordered. 

 

It's funny because this same shit happened when I was freshening up the first clock.  If I take a hammer, or use a welder on something, it's usually no problem.  But when I mess with  stuff that has size 0 and size 1 screws, it all goes right in the crapper. 

 

Here's where I am at after about ten days or so.. 

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by Duncan

[Duncan]

Very typical. I was having breakfast this morning, and it dawned on me that there was one place I didn't look for this little bottle of model paint.

 

 

It was only $7.00 shipped, but I find it comical because lost stuff usually shows up right after after the replacement does.

 

 

 

The new bottle should show up tomorrow. 😁

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Duncan

[datsunfreak]

20 hours ago, Duncan said:

It was only $7.00 shipped, but I find it comical because lost stuff usually shows up right after after the replacement does.

 

Yeah, common joke at our shop is "the best way to find something is to buy another one"...  😄

[Duncan]

4 minutes ago, datsunfreak said:

Yeah, common joke at our shop is "the best way to find something is to buy another one"...  😄

 

That is the story of my life 🙂

 

 

[Duncan]

I took my gauge cluster to a shop in Whittier today.  I wanted to make sure it was working fine before undergoing the huge effort to install it.  Better to find snafus now than when it's in the car.

 

The guy ran it on his test fixture, and every gauge and light worked just fine and dandy.  Took it over to his speedo tester, and unfortunately, the speed indicator/pointer was fouling with the lense, and wouldn't go past 30mph.   He said it was a simple fix, and my total bill for everything would be about $20.

 

I was mega-chuffed seeing those original gauges reading correctly off a 12 volt source.

 

BTW, DF, the cheapie battery clock insert is really a Mickey Mouse way to get an old clock working.  I had to repair/repaint the hands again today. Instead of gluing the movement back into the housing  like it was, I'm going to try to use velcro so it's easier to remove if it fails again.  It'll probably work again, but it seems pretty ropey, IMHO.  It's generally not how I like to do things. 

 

Just IMHO, of course.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Duncan

[datsunfreak]

13 hours ago, Duncan said:

BTW, DF, the cheapie battery clock insert is really a Mickey Mouse way to get an old clock working...  It'll probably work again, but it seems pretty ropey, IMHO.  It's generally not how I like to do things. 

 

Generally, if no one can see it, and it works well, I'm fine with ropey. 😋

[KELMO]

21 hours ago, datsunfreak said:

 

Yeah, common joke at our shop is "the best way to find something is to buy another one"...  😄

I just start to look for something completely different, then forget what I was looking for in the first place.

[Duncan]

Finally got the Cartoon-inspired clock back together after a few hit and misses.  The hands are on, and it's running.  Before I use double-sided tape to anchor it in the case, (when I got it, it was super glued in) I'm going to let it run for a few days just to check it out.  At this point, it's doubtful I'm going to put it in the car, but we'll see.

 

 

I think I'd probably enjoy it more as a desk clock above my desk in my office here at home.

 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Duncan

[datsunfreak]

On 3/1/2023 at 12:28 PM, Duncan said:

I think I'd probably enjoy it more as a desk clock above my desk in my office here at home.

 

This is what I was thinking. Or a fun "top of the tool box" clock. 

[Duncan]

7 hours ago, datsunfreak said:

 

This is what I was thinking. Or a fun "top of the tool box" clock. 

 

I put it back in the case and buttoned it all up.  I set it at 10:00am yesterday, and it's keeping very good time.  It's looks just like the original that's in the car, so who knows, it may get installed.  Cheese and all 🙂  We'll see..

 

 

 

[]2eDeYe]

Those are cool amp/not amps, haven't seen those before. 

[Duncan]

1 hour ago, ]2eDeYe said:

Those are cool amp/not amps, haven't seen those before. 

 

I have a LOT of stuff like that. 

 

I need to go through it.  And figure out what to do with it..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by Duncan

[]2eDeYe]

Look at it and say, "That's cool" and store it back away til next time? lol