Details, details...

Getting down to the fine details on the 40 Ford before it goes for paint. Which aren't minor, and take a lot of time, so I guess they aren't really details....are they?  ;)

Today, more dash work -

Fitting the billet aluminum dash gauge face plate:  Although made for this application, you need to double check all this before paint. Even it it fits - snuggly - that's too tight. The application of primer and paint will add several mils of material to the edge, material that will flake off with the slightest pressure - so the plate has to fit in easily, with a slight gap. That meant material was going to have to be removed.....

I removed material from the edges of the aluminum plate with 80 grit, then 120G and finally - and only because it was on the unseen edge - finished it with 240G. If you did this on a forward facing piece, it would have to be finished with 600G (at least).

Next, I whipped up some new tabs to be welded to the back of the dash to hold the dash plate.

A set screw will allow for some adjustment -

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Continuing on 1940 Ford Custom Console

                           This is where we left the console yesterday -

In order to mount the AC controls and knobs, I had to spend some time getting the holes deep enough to get the rather short switch poles through the half-inch MDF and also opened up enough to accept the knobs. In the end the knobs will be countersunk into the surface, giving it all a custom-finished look.

The entire assembly went in and came out a few times again. Much of the fitting today was spent cutting the sides to go over the tranny hump that widens up towards the front, as well as getting things out of the way in order to fit everything together.

I also had to spend quite a bit of time re-routing wires so that they could be attached to the switches without putting undo strain on the connections.

I have a lot of reservations about the size of the newest cordless drills. I prefer my Black and Decker in which the battery is no bigger than a normal handle. Here I was having trouble getting at a screw between the steering column and console.

....of course these dilemmas are often bitter sweet - often another tool is required to get the job done, like this angled screw bit holder:

 After wiring up the tach, the 12V power source and the power window buttons, as well as attaching the AC knobs to their switches, I screwed it all back together to see what we had:

The space in front of the shifter will be for a pocket  - y'know.. for todays essentials. Unfortunately, there's no room for cup holders! Maybe between the seats, but its pretty narrow there. Oh well, its gonna be a fast show-car:  NO DRINKS =  NO SPILLS!

The console can be covered in a variety of ways, according to the owners wishes. I've see some wrapped in leather with an engine-turned insert looking really good.

Just before closing up for the night, I took the Snap On box parts out of the parts washer, wiped it all dry and repaired the two sliders I had to remove forcefully:

The backside rivet ends protruded a bit and I didn't want them to get hung up in the future, so I hammered the ends flat. After that I also hammered a lot of the damage out of the boxes - but forgot to take pictures!

Lastly, I put the box on a sheet of plastic and gave it a liberal dose of Metal Prep - POR15s phosphate rust fixing agent.

/Wrapping it up keeps the solution active for much longer - like 24 hours, vs, the 20-30 minutes you would get allowing it to evaporate.

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