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Making new Stone Shield attachment brackets
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-09-29 11:11 PM (#588141)
Subject: Making new Stone Shield attachment brackets



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Location: Lower Mainland BC
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When I did my first Stone Shield replacement on my 56 Dodge (right side), I got lucky and was able to reuse the original brackets. When I finally got around to doing something about my left side stone shield, I discovered that I wasn't going to get that lucky this time.

This is what I found when I took the left side stone shield off:



Before I removed then, I scribed their position into the back of the stone shield with the tip of an awl. Then I removed the brackets and put them in a jar of Rust Eater.

This is what the brackets looked like after 24 hrs in Rust Eater:



The upper one was going to be fine but the lower one (where more crud (wet dirt, etc) would have accumulated since May 1956, was a bit done. Time for a new bracket.

My first thought was to use some 1/8" x 1.5 inch aluminum bar stock (because I had it).

To make the bracket a "rolled" the old bracket over the alumium bar stock noting where the 90 deg (or so) bend need to be and where the slanted cut needed to be.

Then I cut the bar with my Bosch jig saw (with a T118 metal blade). Then I bent the bracket with a vice and a hammer. Then I tried the bracket in the stone shield. It was going to be too tight so I trimmed about 1/8" off each end and tried to get it into the stone shield again. It needed some persuasion (a bit of prying and quite a bit of "urging" with a hammer to the previously marked locations.

I then removed the bracket and used the old bracket to mark where the square hole for the carriage-type bolt need to be located. Then I drilled a hole about the diameter of width of the square on the carriage head bolt. Then I used a very small triangular file to cut the corners for the square bit. A couple of trials and it was done.

Tried the new bracket in the shield:



Seemingly all was good.

But it wasn't.

Even with a very flat headed carriage bolt loaded in the 1/8" thick aluminum bracket, it was too stiff to bend enough to load the bracket back into the stone shield and get it to the correct position.

Oops.

Okay, Plan B = make a new bracket using some of the 16 gauge galvanized steel sheet that I had for another project. Same method of measuring, cutting, drilling and filing the bracket as with the 1/8" aluminum, this time in thinner more easily bendable steel. Tried the unpainted bracket in the shield with a flat headed carriage bolt and all was good (ish). Had to do a little trimming on the ends again.

Took everything out and painted the new and old brackets with Tremclad Professional Grade Semi-gloss Black rust paint (I like it because it dries much quicker than the normal Tremclad Rust Paint).

While the paint was drying, I used my Dremel with an E-Z-cut cutoff/grinding disc to grind off most of the curved head of a 1/4" carriage bolt (to make the head about the same as the flat head carriage bolt that I found in my stash). Also trimmed the 1/4" carriage bolt to the same (shorter length) as the flat head carriage bolt.

Then I installed both brackets in the stone shield and temporarily installed the stone shield on the car to check the fit. Tomorrow I will take it off and photograph the area under the stone shield that I fixed (a couple of small holes) and painted (rust paint and then the proper top coat). I will also polish the shield some more (today I sanded it with 800 and 1000 grit wet/dry (wet) and polished with some Mother's Metal Polish) and add big neoprene rubber sealing gaskets on both sides of the holes in the body.

Photos from today below:

Previous thread (with a bit of scope creep from the right side to the left side):
http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=63716&...





Edited by 56D500boy 2019-09-29 11:17 PM




(16GaugeMetalBracketShowingDrillAndFileUsedToMakeSquareHoleForCarriageBolt.jpg)



(NewStoneShieldBrackets_16GaugeSheetOnLeft_1EightAluminumOnRight.jpg)



(StoneShieldWithNew(Left)AndOld(Right)Brackets.jpg)



(StoneShieldWithNew(Left)AndOld(Right)Brackets_CloseUp.jpg)



(StoneShieldWithNewBracketsTemporarilyInstalledOverNewlyPaintedSectionOfCar.jpg)



Attachments
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Attachments 16GaugeMetalBracketShowingDrillAndFileUsedToMakeSquareHoleForCarriageBolt.jpg (163KB - 94 downloads)
Attachments NewStoneShieldBrackets_16GaugeSheetOnLeft_1EightAluminumOnRight.jpg (150KB - 108 downloads)
Attachments StoneShieldWithNew(Left)AndOld(Right)Brackets.jpg (173KB - 92 downloads)
Attachments StoneShieldWithNew(Left)AndOld(Right)Brackets_CloseUp.jpg (140KB - 99 downloads)
Attachments StoneShieldWithNewBracketsTemporarilyInstalledOverNewlyPaintedSectionOfCar.jpg (103KB - 96 downloads)
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BigBlockMopar
Posted 2019-09-30 5:41 AM (#588155 - in reply to #588141)
Subject: Re: Making new Stone Shield attachment brackets



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Nice work.
I think I would've tried to use stainless steel, but when sealed properly this will last a very long too.
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-09-30 4:12 PM (#588183 - in reply to #588155)
Subject: Re: Making new Stone Shield attachment brackets



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Location: Lower Mainland BC
BigBlockMopar - 2019-09-30 2:41 AM

Nice work.
I think I would've tried to use stainless steel, but when sealed properly this will last a very long too.


Thanks. I had some stainless but it was too thin to use and I'm not that worried about rust - the car isn't going to see much if any rain and no snow (or salt) during my ownership. The sealing is to prevent water from getting into the body/rocker via the two holes, not to protect the brackets.

I missed the opportunity to add the before and after photos of the body under the stone shield in my post above so here they are:

Before (after removing the stone shield):



After (before installing the stone shield with its new/reno'd brackets and bolts) (yes, I need to do something to get rid of/cover the overspray):



Edited by 56D500boy 2019-09-30 4:15 PM




(56DodgeAreaUnderLeftSideStoneShield_AfterRustConverterAndPaint.jpg)



Attachments
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Attachments 56DodgeAreaUnderLeftSideStoneShield_AfterRustConverterAndPaint.jpg (81KB - 113 downloads)
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Apollo 61
Posted 2019-10-01 12:32 AM (#588216 - in reply to #588141)
Subject: RE: Making new Stone Shield attachment brackets



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Nice! I have do those same repairs on 61 ply stone guards. What do you think of the use of wide banding steel?
You know like lumber banding or pallet banding steel. It's flexible yet strong?


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56D500boy
Posted 2019-10-01 2:21 AM (#588221 - in reply to #588216)
Subject: RE: Making new Stone Shield attachment brackets



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Location: Lower Mainland BC
I don't think that pallet banding steel would work: TOO flexible and/or too difficult to work with. I was happy with the 16 gauge galvanized steel but would consider a similar stainless if I had to do it again. That said, I don't know how easy it would be to drill a hole to make/start the square hole for the carriage bolt.

But hey, you can try the banding - it might work. I tried that 1/8" aluminum bar stock and it might have worked too (but it seemed TOO stiff).

I polished the stone shield a bit more today- with Mother's mag and aluminum cream polish - while I had it off. Then I permanently installed the stone shield with 1.5" diameter rubber washers and black silicone sealant on both sides and metal washer and lock nut on each of the two inside carriage bolts. Also re-installed the big screw at the bottom of the shield that goes up into the rocker panel.




Edited by 56D500boy 2019-10-01 10:24 AM
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mikes2nd
Posted 2019-10-01 3:19 AM (#588223 - in reply to #588141)
Subject: Re: Making new Stone Shield attachment brackets


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yeah id try to go stainless, even the hardware if you can but looks great. i think if you take it off every couple years and clean it out should be fine
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1960fury
Posted 2019-10-01 6:32 AM (#588231 - in reply to #588141)
Subject: Re: Making new Stone Shield attachment brackets



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Good job. Do not forget to use sealer or caulking tape around the bolt holes. After that I'd pray it with penetrating wax between body an shield. Should last another 65 years, but yes I'd have used stainless too.
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-10-01 10:23 AM (#588234 - in reply to #588231)
Subject: Re: Making new Stone Shield attachment brackets



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Location: Lower Mainland BC
1960fury - 2019-10-01 3:32 AM
Good job. Do not forget to use sealer or caulking tape around the bolt holes. After that I'd pray it with penetrating wax between body an shield. Should last another 65 years, but yes I'd have used stainless too.


Sid you must have missed this:

56D500boy - 2019-09-30 11:21 PM Then I permanently installed the stone shield with 1.5" diameter rubber washers and black silicone sealant on both sides and metal washer and lock nut on each of the two inside carriage bolts. Also re-installed the big screw at the bottom of the shield that goes up into the rocker panel.


Even with non-stainless, I am not worried. The first brackets were out in the real world of the Seattle area for 34 years or so (before the car went into hiding in a high rise basement parkade for 25 years) and the original brackets were not that bad (the nuts siezed to the studs though). Now the car won't see rain or snow so I am pretty sure it will be fine.



Edited by 56D500boy 2019-10-01 10:24 AM
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