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new member 1931 Sport Sedan


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  • 7 months later...

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Thought y'all would like a little update. Its not a huge step but it paves the way to getting motor/tranny (turbo 350) seated and rear end mounted. 

I have an S10 limited slip disc brake 10bolt rearend that is within 1-2 inches of stock width. 

Once engine and rearend are in place I will need to replace the leaf springs and order a drive shaft. Though im thinking I should maybe wait on that till I have the steering figured out.

Then our next step will be to find a steering setup that we like. I've meet one person the put a power steering unit infront of the axle. With a couple universal joints.

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This is the other guys car for steering reference. 

 

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Edited by cowboydanny
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Thanks for sharing.

So what kind of steering system is the other person got? A rack and pinion set-up or a more traditional power steering gear that is mounted forward of the axle?

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6 hours ago, Frosty said:

Thanks for sharing.

So what kind of steering system is the other person got? A rack and pinion set-up or a more traditional power steering gear that is mounted forward of the axle?

I wish I knew. We only met him the weekend before we picked up this car. But I did find someone that knows him so hopefully I'll hear back soon.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi, Danny,

     I sure like the dual sidemounts. That blue 27 Buick looks great, but the sweep of the 31 Pontiac fenders, with the spares nested into them,  looks better to me.  The holding apparatus looks pretty neat and straightforward.  A two inch wider rear end shouldn't be a big problem - it's only one inch per side, and if your wheel/tire combination isn't too wide, I'm guessing/hoping you should be fine. Unless you particularly want to, you wouldn't have to space out the front wheels - the track difference won't be readily apparent - it'll never be seen by a drunken man on a galloping horse fleeing for his life pursued by a seven-man  ad hoc posse in a February snowstorm at midnight after holding up the stagecoach to Abilene. And it shouldn't matter functionally - manufacturers have done that.  The Caprice rear end I put in my 53 Pontiac is wider than the original, and it works fine. I think your prospects for clearance should be better than mine were, your fender openings being fully arched.

Stephen

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Yeah his didn't come with side mounts he added them there. We will be cleaning up two original rims and putting them in the fenders for show. I will get custom narrow rims for that area later. 

I'll be using the original front axle and spindles and hubs so I am planning on making an adapter plate to bolt to the 6 lug pattern and convert to the 5 bolt.

 

We currently are trying to figure out if we can find and make a power steering unit work. Can't do mustang front end on this car. Fenders dive to fast and narrow.

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On 11/21/2017 at 2:30 PM, Frosty said:

Thanks for sharing.

So what kind of steering system is the other person got? A rack and pinion set-up or a more traditional power steering gear that is mounted forward of the axle?

Ok after a hour long call from my new best friend I have some more info on the 27 Buick. Earlier picture was a different car not his. 

His steering is a GM saginaw power steering box for a Nova, with pitman arm. It was mounted behind the axle and then it ran to the passenger side wheel which then crossed back to the drivers wheel. He also put the master cylinder under the drivers feet and battery under the passengers feet with trap door in the floor for access.

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Ok so lets talk about the shroud. Amazingly one of my best friends had some stainless steel wire screening at work that he gave me that is a 100% match the the rusty plated wire in my shroud. So actually an upgrade! The plating has pealed off parts of the shroud. So what kind of prep work do I need to do to have this thing replated? The screen just unbolts as does the old radiator. Brassworks thinks they have a radiator that will work and we will put the fill neck under the hood and bolt the indian head radiator cap in place to the shroud.

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The indian head already has a threaded bolt hole on the underside where the clip and gasket attached so its perfect dor bolting down. And this emblem is off a worse shroud that I bought just to get the emblem. Besides the bumpers this was the one piece I was missing. 

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9 hours ago, cowboydanny said:

Ok so lets talk about the shroud. Amazingly one of my best friends had some stainless steel wire screening at work that he gave me that is a 100% match the the rusty plated wire in my shroud. So actually an upgrade! The plating has pealed off parts of the shroud. So what kind of prep work do I need to do to have this thing replated? The screen just unbolts as does the old radiator. Brassworks thinks they have a radiator that will work and we will put the fill neck under the hood and bolt the indian head radiator cap in place to the shroud.imageproxy.php?img=&key=7a632d757925bc26imageproxy.php?img=&key=7a632d757925bc26

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Cowboydanny, the chrome plating company will need to chemically strip the old chrome off of your grille shell. I have tried to remove it by sandblasting and sanding, neither of which worked very well. They should also be able to do any metal repairs prior to plating.  Also,  look for a shop with a good reputation and be prepared for sticker shock. For chrome plating, you get what you pay for. 

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  • 1 month later...

Hi cowboydanny. I'm new today and took particular interest in your restoration project since I also have two pontiacs I am restoring, a 1930 4dr sedan and a 1931 2dr sedan. I was curious, what are you going to do with the original radiator?

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The original radiator is not efficient enough and will be replaced by a brassworks radiator. I contacted them last year but have not ordered it yet. But they have made one for a 1931 chevy which should be very similar. They want you to measure the radiator and then they'll let you know if it will fit. I will be bolting the original Radiator cap in place and turning out a new fill neck under the hood. Ordered from brassworks that way.

I looked back at your previous post that others replied to and gathered that you might be interested in my old radiator core. But it sat without its crown jewel for years and so I believe that the radiator is filled with mud from wasps.

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Thanks, I am restoring my pontiac to original condition and I need an original radiator since my old radiator froze and destroyed the lower honeycombs. Brassworks 1931 pontiac restoration radiators are too thin (their cores are 2 1/4 " and I need 3inches to fit in the tanks. I already have had numerous conversations with brassworks. If you think your radiator can be reconditioned, I would be interested in buying it.

John

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I would have no idea if its good or not, but as soon as it warms up here in MN I'll try to flush the thing out and let you know. Just pay the freight and throw a couple bucks my way and its yours.  You don't by chance have any spare fender lights do you?

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  • 5 months later...

A little update on our project. We have the universal cross member and motor mounts on order. And found some 2.5" diameter perches for the 10 bolt rear end. 

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  • 3 months later...

How is your project coming? Did you ever flush out the old radiator? I am still interested in it. As far as your fender lights are concerned, I too amlooking for a pair. Saw some go by ebay some months ago for 762.00. Wow! I bid $220.00. you can email me at [email protected].

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  • 6 months later...

Found some original 1931 plates. Had then restored by the guy that will be doing my paint. I gave them to my wife for our anniversary and she loves them. 

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You have a really good painter there. He clearly took his time to sandblast, rust encapsulate, high build primer, and then paint it back to near new condition.

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Yes he is very talented and under paid for his abilities at his day job. This is my v-star 1100 he painted a couple years ago. There was a large dent on this side of that tank he pulled out, pressure tested the tank and painted it and the fenders to a pearl grey. He will be doing the Pontiacs paint as well. Possibly the same colors. That is a 1931 GM blue and 1931 antique white paint colors. 

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  • 8 months later...

What did you do with the original radiator? If it holds water, I would like to buy it.

 

I have some extra rear fenders that may fit your car if your interested in a trade for the radiator. Did you ever find any fender lights? I also have two wire wheels.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Rebel sorry have not done as much on the car as I had hoped by this point. Because well -12 below right now.  I do have the original radiator and driveline for the car that I am willing to part with. But the radiator needs cleaned out. I will put it at the top of my to-do list soon as temps increase so I can run a hose without making ice. 

No I have not found any fender lights yet.  But I have 6 wire rims which I will o my be using 2 of. If I don't sell the stock rearend, I make turn that into a trailer for the car and use two original rims.

As for rear fenders I'm not sure if they would work, this car is the biggest of them all with side mount wheel wells in the front, no rear spare so even a different rear bumper and the rear fenders are different they sweep out longer than the 2 doors. 

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Dan, I can understand the cold weather putting a damper on car restoration. I have the same problem here in Michigan. I'll wait to hear from you about the radiator. How far are you from rochester, MN as I have to go to the Mayo clinic in two weeks and maybe we could get together and I could get a look at your car.

John

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Does anyone else feel like watching this restoration process is like watching a baby being born? Exciting! 😀 (nice V-Star, btw! Looking forward to winter breaking and starting to ride again myself)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Rebel I sent you a message check there for info. It's supposed to be in the 40s this next week so maybe I can run some water thru it. I have a hot water valve on the side of my garage. So that may help.

 

Dan

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