Roof Decking Repair and Water Pump, other solutions

Guardian1fox2

Water pump packing was a fruitless endeavor. I’ll just have to get one from Jeremy. Figured I’d give an update on that lol got door panel all back together with lubricated tracks etc, new vent glass installed. 

Got a guy that’s gonna stretch and tack the vinyl either today or tomorrow. So at least that will be done, then I can focus on sealing and trim. 

So much to do so little time 

Courtesy Man

The water pump shaft may be badly corroded and tearing up the packing leading to continued leaks. If that is the case  shaft  made of stainless steel would be advisable.

Guardian1fox2

Courtesy Man said:

The water pump shaft may be badly corroded and tearing up the packing leading to continued leaks. If that is the case  shaft  made of stainless steel would be advisable.

Yeah I’ve already talked to Mr. Burris ima get one from him when I got some money saved up. Finished cleaning the tacking strip, BOY that was an incredibly tedious job and I hated every minute of it. Fighting the dried sealant, old material, trying not to make holes in the tacking strip…AND trying not to scratch the paint any more than it already was lol. I see why people just weld a metal roof in. I dropped it off to the guy a little while ago, it drove beautifully. The ticking of the ignition is something ima have to get used to as I always think it’s something wrong 😂. 

When stopping I take it out of 3rd into neutral and after stopping I put it into 2nd to take off, once RPMs come down i find it’s easier to put into gear. Earlier tho I had some trouble getting it out of second but jiggled it a bit and it came out. It’s all rebuilt so I’m just gonna figure it’s the nature of the beast and I’m just new to it lol. Boy I love driving it and there’s something about just going slow and enjoying the drive rather than getting somewhere as fast as possible. Loved it and can’t wait to get that water pump done and that’ll be a wrap for a while; I need to recover lol

Toddh

Better check your transmission interlock linkage and make sure it’s set correctly.  It’s on the left side of the trans.  

Gear changing is not the same as later cars.  I start in first and am in third by 20mph. 

Guardian1fox2

Toddh said:

Better check your transmission interlock linkage and make sure it’s set correctly.  It’s on the left side of the trans.  

Gear changing is not the same as later cars.  I start in first and am in third by 20mph. 

How does that work? 

Yeah I do the same. Shifting up and into neutral is never a problem. Just when at stop light and going from neutral to 2nd depends on RPMs if it goes in smooth or with a little slight grind. Not much at all, it would be barely.

Guardian1fox2

Picked up the ‘34 from guy today the top looks great IMO. I’ll take pics soon. He heated up the vinyl and stretched it as he secured it. 

Man going into second from 3rd on the way home twice it was a big CLUNK! not sure why. I tried double clutching, clutch into neutral from third, then clutch into second, little better but idk. Just odd. Ima have to read the service manual tonight I’m sure it’s just an adjustment. 

Water pump has GOT TO GO. lol glad I put the cup under it while it was there cause it filled up bottom from leaking. I need to convince wife to let me have $400 of her yearly bonus so I can buy a spare and have it rebuilt while I drive around with the one I got! 😂

OH! I test fit one of the tacking strips make sure it’ll fit well, indeed it will. So that’ll be the next adventure. I’m working on a model T as well; I basically got it for free. It’s basically a frame and motor etc, no body. Been sitting for about 6 years after motor rebuild…so we’ll see what happens; maybe I’ll have it running tomorrow! Long term goal is a period racer/speedster. On a budget so that’s gonna take backseat until I get the Hudson where I want it. Although I got a model A Ford truck bed that came with it I need to get rid of in great shape. 🤷‍♂️

Guardian1fox2

Forgot to post pics, here are some! Think it came out GREAT! The trim fits perfectly where it’s supposed to so this week I’ll seal it, tack trim in, and then silicone the top of trim; then this era will finally be over. Don’t mind the shop junk in the background, I still need to clean and get rid of a bunch of stuff since the hurricane…it’s been down on my list 

32huson

Looks good in this view. I don't understand what the trim is tacked to. How about some close ups of what your guy tacked the vinyl too and the trim piece you are tacking down and the sealer being applied,

Guardian1fox2

32huson said:

Looks good in this view. I don't understand what the trim is tacked to. How about some close ups of what your guy tacked the vinyl too and the trim piece you are tacking down and the sealer being applied,

So in the channel where the trim was, there is a fibre tacking strip that’s laid in there. Not sure what it’s made of but that’s what it’s called. I know on other makes it’s usually wood that’s a part of the roof that you’re tacking into, this seems pretty thin and lid in there in sections. The material is all stapled in the channel to the strip, then, sealant will be applied on top of these staples and materials, and the trim will be pushed down into the sealant, and tacked in the channel. Then I’ll most likely if possible cover the tack heads with the sealant in the middle of the channel and allow to dry. Once this is all complete, then will do finally application of black silicone. I forgot to mention I’ll be soaking the trim pieces in evaporust tomorrow, clean, and paint black with rust inhibiting paint. You’re not gonna see the trim exposed but just wanna be safe. 

Guardian1fox2

Courtesy of Fogey, I’m hoping to have similar results here: 

32huson

 Now I am understanding better thanks. Who or where is the fiber strip available from ?

Guardian1fox2

32huson said:

 Now I am understanding better thanks. Who or where is the fiber strip available from ?

Man don’t get me lying. I used the original one, but it probably won’t last another re-roof. You could possibly use wood…someone else may be able to answer that; as I’m not exactly sure how thick the strip is. I believe the strip is tacked itself into some wood. I didn’t go any further than I needed to. Perhaps something can be mixed and poured in that’ll harden to attach to? 

32huson

 Thats cool. I am using wood on mine.

Old Fogey UK

I read somewhere that you can buy flexible hard nylon tacking strips.
It was a while back and because I didn't need it , I didn't make a note of the details.
A web search should turn it up.
3M used to make ready to use rolls of narrow black caulking strip that you just peeled off the backing paper and it into gaps.
I would have used it but it wasn't available in Britain so I had to use black silicone from a gun and finished the job off with my patented wet finger method 

Guardian1fox2

We are finally getting extremely close to closing this thread on roof fabric forever lol. 

Got the front trim tacked back…boy…I learned a lot and what a pain in the A$$ it was. 

First, the sealant I used is by all means great, and I would say is probably the closest equivalent to what they used back then but better. It’s more runny, fills in any gaps etc, and it takes over night to set…WHICH was very important lol 

I placed sealant, it filled the gap, then I took the front tacking strip and put in place. 1st mistake, I didn’t try it before hand cause I was as in a hurry…and didn’t realize that removing the rust and cleaning it up resulted in it bending a bit. This caused massive sealant covered headache. Then…the tacks I used had slightly larger heads than factory. So I basically had to use a small punch and use a larger hammer to tack it into place. After finally getting a rhythm and figuring out how to tack it, started on one end, put about 4-5, then about every 1.5 inch or so. Then in corners I pretty much put one in every hole then again 1.5” along the straight run. 

Unfortunately with the rusted out corner sections it proved to be a big pain. LUCKILY the larger tack heads helped me here by grabbing more of the trim. Once I got it going on the bad ends, I used my larger hammer and tapped the trim in since it was being difficult and it got back in shape and filled the gap and as I would tap I would add a tack in the corner. Inside the center of the trim my tacking job looks a little rough, but the trim looks decent considering it’s shape! 

I took a break I’ll do other two pieces next weekend. I’ll fill the center of the trim with the sealant then silicone like Fogey did…and FINALLY I can move on lol. I’ll take pics soon. 

Old Fogey UK

I used only silicone sealant for the whole job and have had no issues with it.
You may have a pain in the posterior now but you'll have a worse one in your finger by the time you've finished smoothing the sealant - however, it'll be worth it for the end result ! 😂😂😂
Good luck !
David.

Guardian1fox2

Okay here are some pics of the front trim tacked and sealed underneath in place. Still have to seal tack heads then silicone. I’m not completely happy with how it turned out, but I’m not sure how else it would’ve turned out with the trim in such bad shape. After rust removal, there wasn’t much left in either corner. The other 2 pieces are still in amazing shape. I used tacks that resembled the original with larger tack heads. This posed a problem with my hammer, so I had to use a small punch to drive each one and BOY it was a frustrating endeavor. In the end, there’s a ton of tacks in it and the sealant set and it’s definitely not going anywhere but the corners especially on the driver side isn’t flush like I wanted. After getting coated black maybe it won’t be as bad but it just got me a little frustrated and upset as I’m kind of OCD with this stuff. To fix it will prolly be more expensive and time consuming…so perhaps i should just leave it? Or maybe I’m being too critical. Still gotta do the backs. 

32huson

I think it will be fine with the sealer and smoothed out with your finger, Cover the tacks and the strip completly filling the seam gap on either side of the strip, Do not use silicone !!!!!  Paint will not adhere to silicone at all. If you get paint on the adjacent steel body is bad news,  I use urethane actual  poly urethane gutter sealant for everything house and cars as well. Takes paint well comes in black or white inexpensive about  $10 a tube and cleans up smooth with mineral spirits .
 I would live with it. 

Old Fogey UK

I used a brand called Tiger Seal that was especially for vehicles. I don't know if that brand is available in the US. I have called it silicone but I'm not sure exactly what it was. After it dried it had a matte finish and felt like actual rubber. It didn't feel like silicone gasket maker.
I painted the tacking strip before putting the sealant in and painted over it again once the sealant was in (I probably didn't need to paint over the sealant because it was black but it said on the canister iit came in that it could be painted over, and I guess I'm a bit anally retentive 🤣 ).
I used Humbrol Satin Black paint that I bought in a model store. I used a small modeller's paint brush and kept my hand very steady. The whole job only took one of those small Humbrol cans.
The sealant accepted the paint and there have been no issues with the sealant or the paint since I did the job 5 or 6 years ago - and no leaks.
It's important to also get the sealant into the gap between the tacking strip and the car roof. I did this after the sealing/painting the tacking strip. It was difficult to get it in there as the gap is small and uses a lot of sealer because most of it gets wiped off by your wet finger. Afterwards any dried-on smears of sealant left on the paintwork of the roof came off with white spirit from a home decorating store on a rag. The white spirit didn't effect the car's paint but I was very careful not to rub the sealant away in the gap between the roof and the roof insert.
Don't worry about the way it all looks now, I'm sure it will look exactly like mine when you've finished the job. Just take care and don't rush it.

Old Fogey UK

I've just googled Tiger Seal. It's U-Pol Tiger Seal. It's available in the US. It's polyurethane not silicone - sorry, my bad 😞.

32huson

Good comment and advice  Old Fogey.

35 Terraplane

3M 08609 window- weld is similar if not the same as Tiger seal

Old Fogey UK

32huson said:

Good comment and advice  Old Fogey.

I won't pretend that it was an easy job.
 I made plenty of mistakes and spent a fair proportion of my time removing new sealer from sections  of the tacking strip and re-applying it until it looked OK.
The whole exercise took up a weekend of solid work and that was just the sealing and painting.
 I was fortunate in that my car had been stored in a dry barn for nearly 40 years of its life and had a sheltered life thereafter.
The original rubberised roof fabric was in perfect shape and didn't need replacing. The original mastic in the tacking strip, although totally dried out, had stopped rust forming in the central channel; I only had to tackle light rusting on the flanges and that was hand sanded, treated with tannic acid and then painted with anti-rust primer before the top coat of satin black.
Yes, a lot of work but it was a job that I didn't want to have to do again !