Silver Hawk Major Modifications

[Treblig]

I wouldn't own a car without a CHMSL. Good choice.

I agree, I also put one in my son's '46 Chevy and since I had the headliner out I took the time to weld a mounting bracket onto the underside of the roof (before the car was painted), just above the rear window. Once the headliner was installed I had a good solid place to mount the third brake light!!
You can just see the 3rdbrake light in the last pic.....



Treblig

[Treblig]

So I had to make this simple bracket, I welded some elevator bolts to the bracket to make it easy to install:




This bracket goes inside the brake light and allows me to bolt the light down on top of the package tray.




The long piece of 1/2" box iron is designed to hold the light securely against the package tray and also span across the speaker hole in the metal part of the package tray. I didn't want to bolt the light against the package tray fiber panel so I decided to span the speaker hole so I could pull the light against the upholstery nice and tight:



I used blue painters tape to locate the holes for the elevator bolts and an extra hole for the wiring:



Now all I need to do is run a wire from the brake light switch (now mounted just behind the brake pedal arm) to the light. I ordered a super bright LED light to replace the 1156 bulb so that the Silver hawk will get plenty of attention when my daughter hits the brake!!

Treblig

[Treblig]

I got the 3rd brake light all hooked up, had to run a dedicated wire from the brake light switch to the new light. I wanted a really bright light for my daughter's safety so I searched ebay and found a 2000 lumen LED 1156 bulb replacement. I couldn't find the amperage draw on the LED I bought and since the 1156 factory bulb only has 402 lumens I really wasn't sure if the LED would blow the fuse??? The new system will actually have three lights, the two stop lights and the 3rd brake light. I wasn't sure if three lights would be too much for the factory Stude fuse/wiring. Either way I ordered the super bright LED and installed it today. Before I removed the old 1156 bulb I used my amp meter to see how many amps the old bulb pulls with 402 lumens. The regular bulb uses 1.85 amps, I would imagine that the tail light bulbs use the same amount. I installed the LED and was pleasantly surprised that, even though it has 4 1/2 times more lumens, it only draws .59 amps!! That's less than 1/3 as many amps with more than 4 times the brightness!!:



Now that I know how many amps these super bright LEDs actually use I will surely replace the tail light bulbs soon. The LEDs also have a much, much longer life!!

treblig

[Treblig]

Learned something new about the Silver Hawk today:




I received all the new 1/4 glass rubber, front and back glass rubber, tail and reverse light gaskets and license plate light lens over Thanksgiving period. I also got the vent window rubber. I removed the 1/4 windows to replace the rubber and figured it would take a few minutes but found that the glass hinges actually go through slots in the rubber. You have to drill out 6 rivets to remove the glass and separate it from the window trim. Now that the glass is out it's an easy job to install the new rubber. You have to take a lot of care when removing the rivets so that you don't damage the trim or the glass or the hinges!!

treblig

[Treblig]

Well that was more challenging than I thought it would be??? The old original rubber came out pretty easy, it simply broke into a million pieces (like sheet rock). I cleaned and sanded the whole thing, primed and repainted. It was kind of difficult to get the new rubber seal into the window trim. I'm glad it was difficult because if it wasn't a very tight fit it would probably leak. Either way it took about an hour to get it in there and seated. I thought the glass part (hinges) would simply slide into the slots in the rubber seal but it's not that simple. The factory must have had a fixture and some special tools because it takes a lot of effort to get both of the hinges to push through the slot in the rubber seal. Or maybe they used some sort of lube. I didn't want to use any lube because it hard enough to push and pull on the glass panel when it's bone dry!!:



The hinges barely fit through the rubber slots and you're also pushing against the whole rubber lip (on the hinge side of the glass). As you can see in the pics I've got it pretty close. Once I get the holes to line up I can put the rivets back in. That last 1/4" is going to be a bear, the glass panel won't hardly move as it is. But the tighter the fit the better the seal!! I let the whole thing sit over night to let the rubber shape itself to the glass panel, besides, my fingers and fingernails were getting sore from all the pushing/pulling.
I initially thought that this would be a 15-20 min job............guess I was wrong.

treblig

[Corvanti]

do you have a heat gun? i've used one on "difficult" weatherstripping to soften it up. i've had a Harbor Freight gun for years. a hair blow dryer will work, but not near the heat a gun will produce.

[Treblig]

do you have a heat gun? i've used one on "difficult" weatherstripping to soften it up. i've had a Harbor Freight gun for years. a hair blow dryer will work, but not near the heat a gun will produce.

Great idea!! I hadn't thought of using a heat gun. Yes, I have a real nice heavy duty one.

Treblig

[Treblig]

I had to use every scribe and probe I had in the tool box to get the holes to line up. It was extremely tight. As I looked at it and was getting ready to install the rivets I said to myself, "It shouldn't be this tight!!". So I looked at it from many angles and tried to figure out why it would be in such a bind. Then it hit me!!! I had inserted the glass panel from the wrong side of the metal trim. It's pretty easy to put the glass into the trim from the wrong side because it fits either way. But it only seals properly when installed from the "outside" of the trim, by outside I'm talking about the outside of the car when the trim is installed.




So I pulled my scribes and probes and inserted the glass from the other side of the trim. It went "in" a lot easier. It was still pretty tight but with much less binding. Now that I have it all figured out I'll remove the other trim and glass panel so that I can rivet both of them at the same time. Of course I'll sand and paint the other side before I reinstall the glass.
I hope the vent window rubber seal is easier!!

Treblig

[Treblig]

Windshield scratches!!! YIKES!!

I had mentioned a while back about some pretty scary scratches or scrapes in my daughter's windshield. I really didn't want to order a new glass so, instead, I ordered a Cerium Oxide kit ($28) from China. It was put on a "slow boat" (as we all know) and finally arrived the other day. The kit came with velcro polishing wheels, other buffing devices and drill adapters.
Here are some pics of the windshield. It's really hard to get a good clear pic of the scratches (too many reflections) but I'm pretty sure you can see them in some of the pics.



I used tape on the inside of the glass so I could keep track of where the scratches were located. Once you start polishing it's really hard to see the scratches, the slurry get in the way. In this pic I had already polished the area a few times so the scratches are really hard to see.



More scratch pics:



At first it didn't seem like anything was happening but as I kept working on the glass the scratches started to slowly disappear. Before I started the glass looked like someone had run the WW wipers without any rubbers on them. I really didn't think this Cerium would work but was I surprised!! The driver's side had 3 long scrapes the full length of the WW wiper stroke. The passenger's side only had one major scrape along the WW wiper stroke. As I polished I examined the glass closely and found that the areas that I had polished looked way better than all the rest of the glass. As it turns out, the whole windshield was covered with these tiny fine scratches. I decided to do the whole windshield so that one area wouldn't be super slick with the rest just looking OK.
I'm pretty happy with the results but I can't show them to the Studebaker world because it's really hard to take a picture of something that isn't there (NOTHING)!!!LOL


All you have to do is have two containers. One with water and one with a slurry of the Cerium mixed with water. You wet the buffing wheel then dip it in the slurry (left bowl). The water bowl eventually gets a little slurry in it but it doesn't matter.




treblig

[sweetolbob]

Neat, glad it cleaned up. Just one question, how's the view after dark with lights shining through it. I hope fine because I could use that technology in the future. Bob

[Treblig]

Neat, glad it cleaned up. Just one question, how's the view after dark with lights shining through it. I hope fine because I could use that technology in the future. Bob

I'll have to drive it at night to see but I can tell already that the glass looks super clear and no reflections from all the tiny scratches/imperfections that were in it before. It's nice to look out the front through the glass and not see the glass itself!!

treblig

[garrilla]

Hi Gil, do you have a link for the cerium? I have a couple of windshields that need work.
Thanks, Gary

[Treblig]

Hi Gil, do you have a link for the cerium? I have a couple of windshields that need work.
Thanks, Gary

Hey Gary...where u been???

Winter is the best time to polish the glass because the main thing you need to watch out for is getting the glass too hot. You have to constantly touch the glass (as you polish) with your bare fingers to make sure it's not getting hot. Once it starts getting warm in one area I would move to a different area and return to the first spot after it cools off. The glass will crack/break if you get it too hot. Being that it's cold outside it took longer for the glass to get hot and also cooled off much faster. If you notice that the stuff is getting dry on the glass just dip your fingers in the water and spritz the glass with some water, polishing with a dry buffer pad really creates a lot of heat.:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/332005071236?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I was mistaken about this item coming from China, the stuff from China is a lot cheaper and you can also find it on ebay. I wanted to get the front glass repaired quickly because of the low angle winter sun for my daughter so I ordered this more expensive one from California. But it was well worth it!!! What I have found is that businesses in the US order the exact same product from China or Pakistan or wherever then they increase the price 30 percent and resell it on ebay. When you need it fast you gotta pay more!! Take your time and be sure to keep the polishing pad moving so that you don't create a low spot. It's much like sanding body putty on a metal body panel, you sand up and down when diagonally then horizontal so that it comes out level in all directions.
One more thing, clean up is much, much easier if you tape off all around the edge of the glass to keep the slinging slurry from getting embedded under the stainless trim, once you have the trim taped off cover the hood, fenders and roof with paper (or a cheap plastic painter's tarp) otherwise you'll spend an extra 20-30 minutes wiping down the car.

Nice to hear from you again!!

Good Luck and be careful!!

Treblig

[garrilla]

Thanks Gil! I've been distracted with my 59 Ford Ranchero as it is driveable and my Wagonaire isn't right now. Both have scratched windshields and are impossible to see through when heading towards the sun. I have a 3" orbital buffer, do you think that would be aggressive enough? I also have a drill with pad I can use if that's better. I have glass kits from Eastwood and Griots that I haven't tried yet but those 2 aren't as aggressive as what you used.
Ranchero:

[Treblig]

Thanks Gil! I've been distracted with my 59 Ford Ranchero as it is driveable and my Wagonaire isn't right now. Both have scratched windshields and are impossible to see through when heading towards the sun. I have a 3" orbital buffer, do you think that would be aggressive enough? I also have a drill with pad I can use if that's better. I have glass kits from Eastwood and Griots that I haven't tried yet but those 2 aren't as aggressive as what you used.
Ranchero:
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That Ranchero looks like it could turn out to be a very cool looking car....HINT, HINT 428!!

I used my battery powered Makita drill which was a little more awkward than a 90 degree buffer. But the polishing kit comes with velcro buffing discs which are designed for polishing the glass with the cerium. The kit also comes with the small adapters so that you can put the polishing wheel/disc on any drill that has a chuck. The polishing pads are also velcro. I'll post some better pics of the kit later today. The orbital buffer would be ideal if you can get the special buffing disc on there?? The cordless drill I used torques in a manner that is awkward but with no cord it makes it a little easier.
They sell the Cerium (on ebay) without any of the discs/adapter but I don't know what would be the proper disc or buffing pad to use against the glass. So to be safe I ordered the kit with the proper discs and wheels. Once you start seeing results you'll start to get excited and try to polish faster....IT'S A TRAP!!! The faster you go and the more pressure you apply the hotter the glass becomes!!!

treblig