Re-attaching Drip Rail 1930 Fordor

[ryanheacox]

In my ongoing battle with rotten wood, I discovered that the driver side drip rail is beginning to detach at the front of the car. I first thought that it was nails pulling out of rotting wood but I then discovered that someone reattached the drip rail with pop rivets at some time... surely because the nails pulled out and now the furthest front one has loosened up. It hasn't pulled out completely but it has allowed about a 1/8" gap to open up.

Wondering what the best way to go about reattaching it would be? Actually first what would the best way to remove the old pop rivet? The paint on this car is nice but it really does seem like they put lipstick on a pig


You can see in the photos where it pulled away and how much. The next fastener in line is tight. Was thinking I’d try to sneak a hacksaw blade in there and cut the rivet to get it out? Still no idea how to reattach it though.

 

[Mike Peters]

I have never had a fordor, but Roger Kaufman used to stuff fine steel wool in rotten or loose wood screw holes, replace the screws, and they held tighter. Can you drill a new hole next to your pop rivet and put in a long screw and just leave the pop rivet in?

 

[1930artdeco]

Ryan,


Did the former owner put the rivet through the header sheet metal? Wow, that is good as there isn't much room there. Pop rivets are almost always aluminum so a hack saw should cut right through it. After that, then you will have to either do what Mike said or I use tooth picks, or an injectable putty that will harden into wood.


I will follow this thread as I am doing the same thing right now on my car. I had to use 'Git Rot' to stabilize the wood first and then I added a putty-hope it holds. Still have more to do


Mike

 

[ryanheacox]

Thanks Mike and Mike. Ideally I'd like to remove the rivet instead of drill another hole. I've been repairing rot in the roof rail over the rear driver side door with a kit from Abatron. It's good stuff, comes with a penetrating epoxy and then a filler putty. I had to fill some big voids around the T bracket and was able to get the screws nice and tight once the putty was cured. That job is done now but I have epoxy left over that I may try to inject into the hole after removing the pop rivet somehow.


Yes, it does look like the rivet goes into the header sheet metal. With the roof rail work I saw that the drip rail is pop riveted along its entire run. I will try to get a hacksaw blade in there first. I also have a Fein multimaster but I worry about nicking the paint with it.

 

[ryanheacox]

Here are pictures of my rot repair job. Ended up needing to make up a whole new piece. I epoxied, carriage bolted, and doweled it into place as well as added dowels where the old wood was broken or cracked. Maybe this will help someone else.

 

[Cape Codder]

Is picture #4 what you removed and #5 shows the replacement? If #4 is the piece that you removed it doesn't seem there was enough to get a pattern from it. From picture #6 it seems as though it is a Briggs body but is it a Town Sedan or "Blindback"?

 

[Russ/40]

Wow Ryan, I really hold in high regard people who are willing and capable of handling problems like that. It would scare me to death.

 

[ryanheacox]

Is picture #4 what you removed and #5 shows the replacement? If #4 is the piece that you removed it doesn't seem there was enough to get a pattern from it. From picture #6 it seems as though it is a Briggs body but is it a Town Sedan or "Blindback"?

#4 is indeed what came out after all of the loose rot was vacuumed away... not much left of it. I mostly used the metal trim piece to pattern it but there was still a lot of fiddly work getting it in just right. Only used the old wood to match the thickness. This car is a Murray standard Fordor 165-C

 

[ryanheacox]

Wow Ryan, I really hold in high regard people who are willing and capable of handling problems like that. It would scare me to death.

Thanks, Russ. If the paint weren't as nice as it is, I'd be pulling the body apart and going through all of the wood to do the job right. This patch should hopefully last a while though. I like woodworking so maybe it's not such a bad thing I inherited a wood bodied Fordor.

 

[Cape Codder]

ryanheacox - Of course you are correct that you have a Muarry Bodied car now that I see the slight curve of the top of the door! Please accept my apologies!

Did you have to get involved with the header on that side? If so how did you disconnect the side from the header? Is it bolted in there vertically?

 

[ryanheacox]

Not a problem Cape Codder. I’m not sure what piece you’re calling the header. The only piece I touched was the bottom lamination of the drivers side roof rail over the rear door. Would have been much harder to do if the old piece weren’t so rotten. I basically ripped the metal trim piece down and what remained of the wood broke away with it since you can’t get to the nails covered by the drip rail.