'26 T firewall question

[Ragtop]

I need to remove the firewall in my coupe and started to drill the rivits tonight. I noticed a bunch of little dents all the way around - are these things rivieted and spot welded?

 

[Doug Money]

Whats wrong with the firewall?

 

[t42]

I have a 26 /27 firewall hanging in the garage and I don't see any spotweld marks. Mine are all rivit connections. The lacing area has rivit attachment also.

 

[tmodelman]

The firewall for Improved open cars is indeed riveted and spot welded in places around the cowl. They are really hard to remove, and most restorers don't try. The Fordor sedan firewall is different, as is the chassis firewall for the '26-'27 Ford.

 

[t42]

Spot welding was not used on the auto assembly lines until its start in the early '30's. Every 1/8" hole or 3/16" hole on my 26 coupe firewall is either a flat head, round head, or split rivet (for lacing). Open cars may be different, but I have replaced two coupe firewalls and only needed to drill out the flat and round head rivets.

 

[John Otis]

Took a '26 apart years ago and it was both riveted and spot welded.

 

[tmodelman]

Facts from Ford, 1926 "Ford Industries" brochure. Page 14.

 

[flatheadernie]

Drill the spot welds, replace w rivets, ernie n tx

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Use this for cutting the spot welds out. On a typical spot weld the fused area is usually about 3/8"... ws

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-3-8in-double-ended-spot-weld-cutter.html

 

[John Otis]

I used to pop into my local Ford garage body shop years ago and that's exactly the tool they used to cut spot welds. It was a really slick tool and when they had a car that was really crunched they used it a lot.

 

[garrisonm89@yahoo.com]

Oh crap. I just realized I left my spotweld cutter at the farm after the divorce. Well I won't be seeing that thing again.

 

[RonC]

Why do you need to remove your firewall?