1936 Terraplane Progress

 

Check out Tim's movie of the front vent window action.  

Keep rotating the handle and the mechanism jumps gears to a different action.

Yeah, it's a Series 62 alright.

 

Click here for some vintage Terraplane literature

 

 

LATEST

July  2011 

Runs Under It's Own Power for the first time since 1951

 

Tim Anderson did the body and mechanical work.

Paul Anway did engine and transmission work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20 April 2007 Car arrives in Warrensburg, Missouri from California.
30 Nov 2007 Powerdome Out
30 Nov 2007 The engine water jacket was clogged with a mess of rusty particulates and 'stuff'.

Need to replace the Number one piston and the connecting rod for cylinder 6.
   

The front brake forks were missing. After two years of fruitless searching (stopping short of buying a parts car), I got some from NAPA that were close and had them machined down.
  Paul grinding the radiator mount bolts off
June 2008

One of the first things I did was send the dash cluster off to be refurbished in Arkansas.  When I got it back, it went back inside for a few minutes.
 
 

 

stripped
 
  By Oct 2009  we'd gotten the front down to the frame.
 

       Major Milestone: November 2009  Tim and Paul remove the body from the frame and bead blast the entire thing.
 
15 Nov 2009

 

Trunk floor isn't all that bad, except where the gas tank straps attach, and some perforation

After blasting, lots of pinholes everywhere, as to be expected.  The passenger front floor is gone.  No-one seems to have floorplans available for the '36, so I'm using pans made for a '37 that have to be modified to be made to fit.  Not quite 'right' looking, but will be solid and good enough.

 

'Terraplane shock absorbers' were being listed on ebay for $149 for a set of four, but I got a new set from NAPA for $17 a piece.  

NAPA also had new Front Wheel Seals, the original Timken number is still valid there.

10 Dec 2009
All shackle bushings were replaced. Most all were completely shot. There were complete assemblies being listed on ebay for $90+ each, but I got a complete set of just the shackle bushings from Rare Parts in Sacramento, CA for about $12 each.  

They fit perfectly.  It really does pay to shop around a bit when getting parts for these Terraplanes.

28 Feb 2010 Tim reports good progress on removal and replacement of rusted out sections of metal.  There was a lot to replace, but the gas tank strap attachment points have been restored now.  The U channel under the floor connecting to the seat frames had to be replaced, and we found excellent replacements at Mill Supply (rustrepair.com).  They were a bit oversize, but still fit just fine.

The rear stabilizer arm ends are completely shot and will need replacing. I've contacted Rare Parts to see if they can help.
23 Mar 2010

Continuing progress on removal and replacement of rusted metal.  The frame is essentially completed now.  All cracks repaired and the frame beefed up here and there. Brake lines replaced, shocks installed - looking pretty good.  The is now back on the frame, for good.  Tim's still working replacement of rusted metal.

Obtained a set of '36 correct wheels from Tom Pett in Illinois and they're at the powdercoaters now.  They were baked and then blasted to clean them up.

31 Mar 2010

The wheels are back from the powdercoaters. They're a nice dark red color to match with the maroon color planned to go back on.

05 Apr 2010 Finally found a replacement right rear fender. The original is really trashed and beyond repair.  The right rear seems harder to come by than others - not sure why.
20 Sep 2010

Seats are being redone at a local upholstery shop. Doing them up in medium, aged leather.
15 Nov 2010 Received the rear stabilizer arms from Rare Parts. Much beefier than the originals, and they fit just fine. They are great guys, and they know what they're doing.
14 Feb 2011 Got a replacement clutch plate from Ron Fellows in Texas, and it fits great. Great service and a great price!
04 Mar 2011 Paul & Tim got the engine and transmission put back in, fired it up, and it runs on its own!  Its smokes a fair amount.  We expected that, but hopefully some STP will stop that.  Maybe, maybe not.
06 Mar 2011

When I first bought my Airflow, one of the first batches of parts I bought, in early 2006, was from a guy in Minnesota who had a box of Airflow parts and a non-Airflow heater. I bought the parts, and not caring about the heater, I boxed it up and it went on the shelf, forgotten about.  

Then in March 2011, I notice a photo of the heater Hudson Dealers were selling to go in their cars.

 I recognized it, and remembered the one I bought years ago - sure enough, it was a Hudson Terraplane heater, bought years before I got the car to go with it. (Twilight Zone time)   Refurbished it, replaced the core and painted it Hudson brown, it's ready to go in.

07 Mar 2011 Paul & Tim achieve First Motion on the Terraplane - it moves under its own power for the first time since 1951.  Initially it smoked quite a bit, disappointingly so. But the culprit turned out to be old oil and other material inside the muffler which smoked heavily once it warmed up.  After a while it burned away and the smoke output, while still present to some degree, is very minimal, and quite acceptable.
04 July 2011 Engine work and initial bodywork completed.  We partly reassembled the car, fenders, running boards and trunk, to drive the thing with more mass and to get it ready for transport to another shop for final bodywork and paint.  We relocated the battery from under the front seat into the engine bay. We also drilled holes in the firewall to mount the heater, and installed for a check fit. 

       Another Major Milestone: July 2011  Terraplane is moved to another shop for final fender repair and paint. ECD is April 2012.