nonhog
Well-known member
Even the grinding looks great.
The video is down.
The video is down.
Chopped 51 Merc Build
- Thread starter Duke55
- Start date
Thanks to all for following along and leaving comments.
The two paint schemes I have given the most thought are the simple clean two tone I previously stated and a wild heavily paneled/blended/striped paint job using various shades of root beer kandy.
For some reason on this car I feel simple/clean or wild/over the top are the only options (nothing in between).
Not sure what the issue is with the p-hammer video. Currently it's not letting me repost it either.
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The two paint schemes I have given the most thought are the simple clean two tone I previously stated and a wild heavily paneled/blended/striped paint job using various shades of root beer kandy.
For some reason on this car I feel simple/clean or wild/over the top are the only options (nothing in between).
Not sure what the issue is with the p-hammer video. Currently it's not letting me repost it either.
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Last edited:
sevt_chevelle
Well-known member
Care to share the construction of your p-hammer frames? A good friend of mine loves my Milwaukee but doesn't want to spend the kind of money they bring. I showed him some pictures of the one you built and would like to build one himself.
What are the specs of the tube?
Thanks
What are the specs of the tube?
Thanks
I have been using 3/4" schedule 40 black pipe for the frames and 1-5/16" schedule 40 black pipe for the yoke that holds the hammer which fits without machining. My goal was quick and inexpensive.
I had a friend drop off his Watervliet to let me try out for a bit so I can now compare to a real unit.
If I had a real one I would still keep my homemade ones around. The Watervliet is a lot more powerful, rigid and heavy. It is way quicker for shaping but was way more temperamental for finish work (likely a non-issue if I had a little more time to figure how it wanted to run). The air needed to be turned way down and with the rigid frame I found the preload between the hammer and lower die needs to be just right or the hammer won't start up. This is not the case with the homemade. Can run quite a bit higher pressure so it always starts up even with a lot of preload.
Also if you are only doing finish work it is quite time consuming so it is nice to have the lite weight frame. The lite weight frame work good if you keep the throats reasonable. The really deep one I made flexes a bunch but still does the job when finishing. I plan to make a 1-5/16 OD frame someday similar to a real unit to see how it will perform.
Last frame I built I added another joint so I can get into many more locations.
I want a name brand one even more now that I have used one but it is nice to be able to make whatever frame you need within an hour or two also.
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Can’t believe it’s been as long as it has since I posted last. Looked through all my threads last night and figured I should get posting again. Since I left off with a planishing hammer I start up with another.
Picked up this Milwaukee hammer. Started machining some dies out of S7 today. Ended the day with a pile of die blanks ready for final profile and a handful with the profiles done.
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Picked up this Milwaukee hammer. Started machining some dies out of S7 today. Ended the day with a pile of die blanks ready for final profile and a handful with the profiles done.
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C_F
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Those look great! Glad you're back, I'm looking forward to your thread updates. 
Looked through my pictures and I haven't made much progress on the merc for a while. Since my last update I did rework all the gaps on the rear bumper. 
The pile of non merc related updates that I have will be posted in my chopped 55 thread since that's turned into my catch all.
Thanks for looking
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The pile of non merc related updates that I have will be posted in my chopped 55 thread since that's turned into my catch all.
Thanks for looking
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Miss the Pontiacs
Well-known member
Great project. Looks fantastic even at this stage. When I was a kid a neighbour had a four door but it always intrigued me. The suicide doors were something I didn’t see again until another local guy bought a 1964 Lincoln.
It is going to be a beautiful to drive that down the road.
It is going to be a beautiful to drive that down the road.
eae197
Well-known member
Good to see you posting. Was wondering if all was well. 
skrap metal
Well-known member
beautiful metal work.
eae197
Well-known member
The dies are very nice. Almost too pretty to use.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
racer-john
Well-known member
Nice work, any updates?
Bob P1
Well-known member
Very nice!
tlmartin84
Well-known member
Where did you send your dies to for heat treatment?
How are they holding up? Do you have a set to planish your spot welds prior to knocking them down?
How are they holding up? Do you have a set to planish your spot welds prior to knocking them down?
xtremek
Well-known member
Waiting patiently
I took them to a local machine shop for heat treat. They are holding up great. I use whatever die fits the panel best on the spot weld or final weld.
Growlertdi
Well-known member
Amazing metalwork. its too bad the video of the hammer in action doesn't work anymore. its hard to understand how the thing works without some description..
is one die rounded and one die flat? are they a matched convex/concave set?
All I know is the photos of the metalwork after you replace the patchwork with one sheet look amazing.
is one die rounded and one die flat? are they a matched convex/concave set?
All I know is the photos of the metalwork after you replace the patchwork with one sheet look amazing.
Generally a flat upper die and a radius lower die that matches the contour of the panel. If it is a reverse curve then the radius die is on the top. Didn’t realize the video doesn’t work anymore. Will have to do another comparison video with both my homemade hammer and my Milwaukee.
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don long
Well-known member
Hey Duke
It was fun visiting with you last week. I hope the Roadster show was a good one for you.
It was fun visiting with you last week. I hope the Roadster show was a good one for you.
Glad all the timing worked out. Good to catch up and see all the work you have done on the party garage since the last time I visited. Roadster show was good. Brought home a nice 51 merc front bench seat for my merc.
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Offcenter12
Well-known member
Man, glad to see you back. All your work is great, but I'm kinda hankering for some COE progress.
Man, glad to see you back. All your work is great, but I'm kinda hankering for some COE progress.
Thanks. I am anxious to get back to work on the Merc and COE. I can’t believe either one of them have been on the back burner this long. The last year I think I have been as busy as I have ever been. Now I have a few more projects ahead of them. I am just finishing up a pretty wild Model A that should be sent down the road in a couple weeks. I started a party garage build this last Fall that I should have created a build thread for. Still a long ways to go on the garage. I pulled a 59 F100 4x4 into the shop to build for my oldest daughter (have made good progress). Hopefully some day soon I will learn my lesson and not start any new projects until the Merc and COE are done.
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Offcenter12
Well-known member
No problem, I understand completely. Have a "father/son" 59 Ranchero in the driveway with no engine or trans and the usual floorboard/rockers evaporated after 60 years, but it's raining like a dog here and won't see much progress till the weather warms and dries out. Your projects are all inspirational so look forward to anything posted.
Thanks, John
Thanks, John
tlmartin84
Well-known member
On your home made version, how did you hold your dies in the needle scaler???
The upper dies are held in by the lower die or sheet metal under it. Other then that they are free to fall out.
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don long
Well-known member
Hey Duke
You mentioned that you were working on a version of the party garage
How about a couple shots of your party room.
You mentioned that you were working on a version of the party garage
How about a couple shots of your party room.
Not much to see yet but a mess. I took a couple quick walk around videos today but it won’t let me post them.
Front (2nd floor - 48’x32’ half suspended concrete and half floor joists)
Rear (1st floor - 48’x60’)
3rd floor party room 18’x32’
2nd floor party room 24’x32’
Easier to see the 3rd floor here
The third floor will have a closed section with lots of windows in the end and a covered deck section.
Full Bathroom on 1st floor
The plan is to work in my little shop and leave this one for clean storage, parties and an upholstery room (no dirty work).
Obviously a lot of work to go. I took the winter off to work in the heated shop until it warms up. Then I’ll get back to it.
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C_F
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Hoooleeyyy ****! That new garage looks fanTASTIC!!
Three floors? I have long dreamed of building a multi-level garage like that into a hillside, using suspended concrete for floor joists. If they can build parking structures that way, why not a garage?
Please post more build photos as you go.
Also, I see a '65 F250-ish? grille in one photo, what's going on with that? IIRC, the wrecker truck you obtained was an earlier model.
Three floors? I have long dreamed of building a multi-level garage like that into a hillside, using suspended concrete for floor joists. If they can build parking structures that way, why not a garage?
Please post more build photos as you go.
Also, I see a '65 F250-ish? grille in one photo, what's going on with that? IIRC, the wrecker truck you obtained was an earlier model.
Hoooleeyyy ****! That new garage looks fanTASTIC!!
Three floors? I have long dreamed of building a multi-level garage like that into a hillside, using suspended concrete for floor joists. If they can build parking structures that way, why not a garage?
Please post more build photos as you go.
Also, I see a '65 F250-ish? grille in one photo, what's going on with that? IIRC, the wrecker truck you obtained was an earlier model.
Thanks. I have dreamed of a building like this for a long time also. I have big plans for the inside.
I finally got my hands on my dads factory 65 ford crew cab. It is one of the very few first year crew cabs built in Detroit before they moved the operations to Canada. Wreck is a 1960.
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larry4406
Well-known member
I like that crew cab!
xtremek
Well-known member
Amazing party barn
tlmartin84
Well-known member
I have been using 3/4" schedule 40 black pipe for the frames and 1-5/16" schedule 40 black pipe for the yoke that holds the hammer which fits without machining. My goal was quick and inexpensive.
I had a friend drop off his Watervliet to let me try out for a bit so I can now compare to a real unit.
If I had a real one I would still keep my homemade ones around. The Watervliet is a lot more powerful, rigid and heavy. It is way quicker for shaping but was way more temperamental for finish work (likely a non-issue if I had a little more time to figure how it wanted to run). The air needed to be turned way down and with the rigid frame I found the preload between the hammer and lower die needs to be just right or the hammer won't start up. This is not the case with the homemade. Can run quite a bit higher pressure so it always starts up even with a lot of preload.
Also if you are only doing finish work it is quite time consuming so it is nice to have the lite weight frame. The lite weight frame work good if you keep the throats reasonable. The really deep one I made flexes a bunch but still does the job when finishing. I plan to make a 1-5/16 OD frame someday similar to a real unit to see how it will perform.
Last frame I built I added another joint so I can get into many more locations.
I want a name brand one even more now that I have used one but it is nice to be able to make whatever frame you need within an hour or two also.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Duke, when you are getting these onto your panels are you removing the hammer and then reinstalling it once the unit is in place?
This one looks like you can un assemble it, or just rotate it to the side. Are than any side affects of that joint? Flimsy, vibration, etc.
I'm trying to figure out a quick way of opening mine to get it on a panel and close it that is still "solid".
Attachments
The hammer has a jamb T-nut but that can be loosened to allow the hammer to raise up. The one I put a slip joint in and another jamb nut was to get into a tough spot. It works just fine with the extra joint.
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PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Awesome thread, Royce.
Late to the party but subscribed for updates!
Late to the party but subscribed for updates!
Thanks. I don’t post as much as I used to but I always plan on doing better.
For anyone that does Instagram I do quite a bit better posting on that lately. @dukesfabncustoms.
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