31 Roadster Side Mount

G

gbaker

Junior Member
I'm putting a side mount spare tire on a 31 roadster. I have the fender done and holes in the frame for the mount. I drilled a hole in the splash pan straight out from the center hole in the frame. It doesn't appear to be in the right spot. It's almost down in the radius of the pan where it curves to meet the fender. Does anybody have any tips on how to drill / locate the right spot for the hole in the splash pan?
 
There a few ways to do it.Somebody even sells a jig to put in the hole to find the center.I just reach in through the back of the bracket with a pencil.Hold it tight to the side,and slide it around with the point against the apron.It may take a couple of tries to figure out how to keep it from slipping,but you will wind up with a circle where the arm will slide through.To put it exactly where the factory put it and have it fit you need everything perfect.Frame,fender,running board brackets,front fender brackets,aprons,and an unbent original bracket.I have always had to bend the repro's to fit.That is also a spot where the frame bends in at the top,from abuse and the weight of the engine,and also gets bent outward from the spare tire bracket.There are not too many perfect frames to start with.
 
I installed 2 sidemounts for my friend on his 31 widebed. I marked the aprons exactly the way Keith described, then used a hole saw. As I recall it did cut into the curve a bit, but everything lined up perfectly.
 
Thanks. I knew the hole in the apron was supposed to be straight out from the big hole in the frame, so I made a jig that bolts in to the center frame hole and has a punch that slides through the jig. One smack of the punch and I had a mark on the apron.

This 'should' put me in the right spot, but like I said, it looks a little low.

Does anyone have a pic of the hole in the splash pan?
 
Don Turley has previously posted his foolproof method for locating holes. Do a search , ck his site, or maybe he will re-post.
Paul in CT
 
splash.JPG

splash2.JPG
 
I spoke with Justin at Mac's Antiques and he sent me a picture with measurements of the location.
 
When I did mine on my 31 roasdter. I used a flashlight, shinned it thru the frame from underneath the car, marked with white chalk, found center and centered punched it, worked well with me, both sides turned out fine...just my 2cents!!
 
I asked the same Question about the place to drill the hole in the Splash Shield in this Thread, which Don also answered.
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=104022#post104022

No one could send or post a Photo of a Factory punched hole in the splash shield, I found this not so good Photo of one on e-bay. Hope it Helps. As you can see, as mine turned out to come in almost Center of the roll at the bottom of the Shield.
 

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If you are having doubts or second thoughts on what to do, then the best way to do it is to take it to a mechanic who really knows about cars, and do it the proper way. The one you are having is a unique and a rare model and you don’t want to ruin it for the sake of saving a few bucks. Also drilling is a bit difficult and needs extra effort because the smallest mistake could turn out to be a disaster.
 
johnson said:
...drilling is a bit difficult and needs extra effort because the smallest mistake could turn out to be a disaster.
Click to expand...
I still shiver every time I think about the time I drilled the holes to install cowl lights, even though I had the tool that located the correct location. Same thing with the RH tail light What if ... :eek:
 
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