1943 Ford GPW Build from Rescued 1943 Parts

[70th Division]

Hello Dave,

Thanks for the information !
I will try to use the spring clip rivets, and I also will have to repair the torn out punch holes, so I will make them the same as the spring clip holes.

Maybe that will work.
We always have odd repairs to areas that someone destroyed for no logical reason !!
This jeep has int rear panel, but the seat brackets were ripped out.
Not nicely removed, but the rivets and brackets were torn through.

I appreciate all your efforts !!

Best Regards,
Ray

[bowman]

My 43 GPW brackets are missing too but luckily they were drilled out. The original seat brackets I have here have holes 0.27" - 0.28" which agrees with the panel blueprints. I can see the marks left by the rivet heads and they are approx. 0.42-0.44" diameter.

The only other larger rivet that might fit a 0.28" hole is the 9/32" which is 0.28125". Might just squeeze in but you normally need a little wiggle room and this doesn't give you any.

In terms of rivet length, the allowance for forming the head is 1.5 x shank diameter.
So the total rivet length would be total material thickness + allowance

The panel is 18 gauge (approx 0.0490") and my original bracket is approx. 0.17" thick. So total material thickness is:
0.0490" + 0.17" = 0.219" total material thickness (T)

Allowance for a 1/4" rivet = 0.25 * 1.5 = 0.375" (A)
Allowance for a 9/32" rivet = 0.28125 * 1.5 = 0.422" (A)

Required rivet length for 1/4" rivet:
0.219(T) + 0.375(A) = 0.594"

Required rivet length for 9/32" rivet:
0.219(T) + 0.422(A) = 0.641"

According to the military standard, the bucked counter head diameter of the rivet joint must be larger than 1.4 times the diameter of the shank.
So...
1/4" rivet min head diameter = 0.35"
9/32" rivet min head diameter = 0.39"

Your choice of 1/4" x 9/16" rivet might be slightly too short to form a correct head. Maybe try 5/8" long rivet instead?

[70th Division]

Hello Dave,

Those are some great calculations and information for us all to use !

Thank You !!!!

I will order some of the suggested rivets to go with the other rivets I will order for the spring clips.

This will be a fun learning experience for sure !!

I need to get a rivet air hammer with a cupped attachment for these rivets.

I am looking forward to it and certainly will post the results here once I getting started !!



Best Regards,
Ray

[bowman]

Look forward to seeing your work Ray. Good luck!

[70th Division]

Hello,

Thanks Dave !!

I will order rivets tonight, and get things organized !!


With your clear and concise rivet information, this will be great !!!


Best Regards,

Ray

[bowman]

I'm no expert Ray, just picked up various info to help me when I get to that point in my project.

I've been looking at max hole size recommendations for 1/4" rivets and you may find that your 0.28" holes are a bit large for the 1/4" rivet (0.265" max according to this table). I guess too big a hole would eat up some of the allowance and not leave enough material to form the correct head shape.

I'm a bit stumped what Ford would have used in this location. Hoping some more experienced guys will offer their views. At the end of the day you can always practice and figure out what combination creates the best looking head.

Dave

[70th Division]

Hello Dave,

More great info there !
I think practice will make perfect and I will try some sample rivets to see what I can do once they arrive and I get the tools needed.

I have never riveted anything before so will be looking forward to this work !!

Best Regards,
Ray

[JAB]

Hello Dave,

Thanks for the information !
I will try to use the spring clip rivets, and I also will have to repair the torn out punch holes, so I will make them the same as the spring clip holes.

Maybe that will work.
…….

Best Regards,
Ray

Aren’t the rear seats spring clips bolted on with 1/4-20 X 1/2” bolts, not rivets? Or were you still referring to the leaf springs? You jumped from the rear seat pivot rivets from the leaf spring rivets so fast that I lost track.

[70th Division]

Hello Jeff,

On the Ford built bodies, the rear seat bracket , sort of triangular shape, that the seat sits on, is riveted to the side wall of the wheel wells.

The spring clips for the rear seat are bolted on as you described.

But yes we were referencing an earlier great discovery that Dave had posted , the information on the GPW leaf springs, that have 4 spring clips, riveted onto them, with a bolt through the top end of the clips. He found the rivet size we need to reattach missing and damaged U shaped spring clips on the leaf springs.

Willys spring didn't use the Ford type riveted on spring clips, but a banded on clip.


Best Regards,
Ray

[70th Division]

Hello,

Well here is the blasting media that I got a deal on, 80 bags of 50 pound glass blasting media !!

I squeezed them into the barn next to my 1942 GPW.

This will be plenty to blast the jeep project tub, frame, springs, and axles.
It is enough blasting media to do the WC-56 Command Car, the WC-12, the GMC , and other things
.
The glass media is made 100 percent from recycled glass bottles, and crushed into a sand like material.
It says no silca dust either so is a safe media to use !!

I plan to use this with an attachment for blasting, that attaches to the coupling on my gas powered powerwasher.
It will blast to clean metal very quickly !

I am looking forward to it, just waiting on the attachment from ebay.

Plus, when dried on the concrete, I can sweep it up, filter it through a piece of small mesh screen , and use it again.


Here is a close up picture of the material :

You can see the multi colored glass
beads , very great use for glass bottle recycling !!

Best Regards,
Ray

[70th Division]

Hello,

I got the frame outside in the driveway, and put it on some steel saw horses.

The frame is now getting blasted clean with a powerwasher attachment that I got off ebay for $36. It works great !!

Best Regards,
Ray

[70th Division]

Hello,


Ok I have started blasting the frame with the powerwasher sand blaster attachment and the glass blasting media.
What a great new way to do things !

Here are some pictures of the blasting attachment for the end of the power washer wand. It just snaps in the fitting.

It blasts fast, and also sucks through blast media fast, which is fine, as it cleans the metal to a nice white status.

What I did was after I did a short section, to stay ahead of flash rust, I dried the area then primed it.
This should work well to get the whole frame done.

I wear safety glasses, and a full face shield, a long sleeve shirt as well.
You do get a little wet from blow back, and you get some media on your as well.
However, there is zero dust !!!
It is a nice way to blast that eliminates the nasty dust cloud from the old ways.
I will never use sand again, and just use this glass media that is made from recycled glass bottles.
Once you get used to this method, it works great.
I ran out of daylight, so will get an early start tomorrow and should get the whole frame completed, hopefully !!!


What is nice is that when the glass media dries on the driveway, I can sweep it up, sift it , and reuse it !!
Saving the expensive media !!

Best Regards,
Ray

[bowman]

Nice work Ray, seems to work very well and the dust component goes straight down the drain. Ideal.

[70th Division]

Hello,

Thanks Dave !

Inch by inch, it is getting done,
It is like a water sport !!
But no dust, and it does a great job.
It does take time to stop and refill the hopper with glass.

I also do a section, then stop, and wipe it down and dry it off.
Then I run the air hose to help dry it off, and prime the area that is done.

This way I stay ahead of the flash rust, which is real !
I don't know how is gets brown so quick, so I get it primed asap.
After blasting a section to prime, areas that get a little flash rust, I blast again quickly then dry. Works well .
I really enjoy doing this work now, and have about 10 bags of media in play. I will sweep up the glass once dry and refill my hopper .
I did it once with 4 bags swept up and recovered.
I want to get the frame done, but don't want to wait for it all to dry.
However, I don't want to have too much glass to sweep up and store in buckets
So,
here is a little more progress today :

Once I get all these areas blasted and primed, I will flip it over and do the bottom of the frame .
I will also do the inner frame rails and as well.
The power washer has such great pressure, it blasts inside the frame out very nicely !!
It will all get blasted and primed.

I am excited making progress and look forward to painting it with olive drab !!

I will get a bunch of 5 gallon pails from Lowes to store the media when I am done.

It blasts everything clean, and fairly fast !


Ok- I got a little more blasted ,dried, and primed . The passenger side rail. I will get the media dried, and start the inner rails next.

Best Regards,
Ray

['42 Peep's Motorpool]

Hi Ray!


Excellent work saving another one!