Chapter VIII -- Final Assembly and Fitment
Well, I finally got to putting it back together, hopefully for the final time. The first step was to get the nose on so I could hang the wings. But, of course, it looked easier if I installed the radiator first. But there was that petrol pipe to the SUs that needed to be cut off and was a lot more accessible with the radiator out so that is where I started.
Next the radiator went in without any problems although it is a close fit. That was
followed by the nose. Then I discovered it was impossible to get the bottom radiator
hose installed. It fits between two frame cross members with little clearance and is
just under the steering rack. There is room to get fingers in from below but not a
hand and access from above is not possible. I finally found that removing the nose
and lifting the radiator just a little allowed me to start and guide the hose with
a lot of soap on it while Dick pushed from above and it worked. Then just reattach
the radiator and reinstall the nose and all was well, finally.
With that done, I could install the front wings. Needing another set of hands to mount the bonnet and having none available, I elected to start on the rear and smaller stuff. I got the boot weatherstrip and rubber buffers installed then started on the backup lights and tail lights. Since the backup light switch for the 5 speed gearbox would not fit in the tunnel, it had to be omitted. Maybe I should have closed the holes for the lights. Well, I didn't and the lights I have look pretty crappy. It looks like new ones may be in the works. I got the tail lights and tag bracket installed but it appears I forgot to paint the tag light plinth so that can't be installed yet. The only other issue was finding fastener holes. In applying filler over the back, it seems I covered several of them and failed to correct that before painting. I had to find them from inside then very carefully drill them without chipping any paint. It worked.
Next, I wanted to install the bonnet latch release cable. The first trick was finding where
the knob mounts. Mike Glass came to the rescue. It is two threaded holes near the driver
side heater outlet. A forum question explained its routing from there. My, still in the new
packaging from Moss, cable would not fit. Either the cable was to short or its sheath was
too long. I bought it 2 years ago so didn't expect Moss to replace it but I also did not
want to order another one with the same dimensions. My old cable sheath was 51 inches long
and the new was was 58. The cables were almost the same length. After two phone calls
and more than a week, they finally admitted that 51 was correct but 58 was the closest they
could get. I did modify it to work by cutting the sheath then gluing the ferrule back on
the new end. I think it will be all right.
In looking for more bits to install, I found several brackets that seemed like part of the car. There were two styles and three of each.They had all been restored and painted black. Examining the car showed that they probably fit between the inner wing and the radiator support. Either style would fit either side. I checked with Mike Glass and found that the angled one fits the near side and the squared one fits the off side. They should have been installed before the nose and wings but here they are after installation.
While looking for something else, I found a strangely shaped panel that I remembered from examining the boxes initially. At the time, I thought it was the backing for the windscreen washer bottle, the same area as the near side bracket above. When test assembling the body before painting, I decided for some reason I don't remember that it would not fit. That was wrong. It IS that part and it fills a big gap between the radiator and the inner wing and keeps a lot, or at least some, of the splash from the tires out of the engine bay. It also is the mount as well as gravel shield for the water bottle.
Logic seemed to suggest that there should be a corresponding panel for the other side, I
checked again with Mike Glass and found that there is. He had a car in the shop that I
could look at and take some photos. I did not have that panel. It is a mirror image of the
one I do have except it has a large hole for the fresh air duct to pass through and it does
not need the mounting holes for the washer bottle. Mike did not have one and it is not
available from Moss. The only option was to make one and it is a fairly complicated piece.
It took me a full shop day (9:00 to 12:00) to make a pattern by carefully taping a piece of
masking paper tightly to mine so as to follow the shape exactly then marking and cutting it
out with scissors. the next day I transferred the pattern to a suitable sheet of steel and
began cutting it out with my air saw. I discovered that all my blades had at least some
worn out or missing teeth so that cutting was not going to work well. The next day, with
some new blades, I was able to get it cut out. The next day, I drilled the bolt holes and
started the bolt slots; these had to be finished with the air saw and die grinder.
Next step was shaping it. I used a piece of 1x1 angle with a pair of C-clamps, the thick wood top of the table Rick gave us, my duck-bill vice grip and a body hammer. I started at the lower bend at the panel top then progressed on up to the top, saving that last flange for later. Next I bent the long flange down the side to 35 degrees. This is where it mounts to the radiator support. You may visualize how that distorts the top but it is impossible to describe except that there is a 90 degree bend coming into it that must be taken out. The smaller tab to the other side was bent around a dowel to match the other piece. This is where it attaches to the inner wing. finally, it was time to bend that last flange at the very top. Its main purpose is to eliminate that sharp edge that is exposed just behind the slam panel and to provide some stiffness. In this case, making it also was instrumental in dealing with the distortion caused by the long bend down the side. The last thing to do then was cut the big hole where the fresh air duct has to pass through. The original part was stamped, of course, and had the metal shaped to prevent cutting the hose. I decided that was not possible with the tools I have so I cut a long slit in a small rubber hose and will install it with weatherstrip cement for that purpose. After a good priming with epoxy and final painting, installation went without incident. It would have been a lot easier, though, if I had done that when I should have, before installing the wings.
I finally got the rest of the gaskets and finished the back. The seal around the boot seems
too thick and so far I have not been able to fully close it. We'll have to see how that works
out. Then I got started on the front lights. The main wiring harness goes along the off side
inner wing and through that shop made panel, see the photo above, then to the center line
behind the grille. The long pigtails on the head and side lights then all meet there in the
usual Lucas connectors. The first problem I found was the headlight pigtails. They were too
short to reach. Then I determined that they were not color coded as well as too small gauge
wire for the load. All this, of course, was after installing, removing, fitting and installing
several times. A new set of pigtails solved all that. Here we are finally installed for the
last time, including the back too. The problem with the fit of the boot lid and its seal is
fairly obvious here.
The next obvious thing to do was under the scuttle before finally installing the fascia. The first part of that seemed to be the windscreen wipers. That proved to be a real challenge. I had purchased a new tube and nut from Victoria British before they were bought by Moss Motors. Bending the first section to a workable shape proved impossible, even with a "proper" tubing bending tool. The correct size new tube I had was 5/16 inch outside diameter and measured .252 inch inside. The cable that runs inside it measured .246 inch. That leaves 6 thousandths of an inch clearance. Even with the hand held bending tool, with almost any bend at all you get tiny little ripples on the inside of the bend. Those just use up that clearance causing too much friction for the cable to move. I think the only answer is to have something like a mandrel temporarily in the tube with a .250 inch diameter that prevents those ripples.
My solution was to use 3/8 diameter tubing and this time I selected soft copper that would bend easier. Even that caused those same tiny ripples that caused some friction although it still might work. A final attempt, again with the 3/8 soft copper but this time bending by hand without using the tool seemed to work. Meanwhile, I had gone by Mike Glass's shop and got a photo of the existing tube in an earlier car. The motor is in a different place than mine but it gave me an idea of what shape the tube would need. Unfortunately, I deleted the photos of that car but I do have photos of my finished system shown below.
With the wiper cable installed, I finished a few minor tasks in the engine bay and, with a couple
of helpers, installed the bonnet. Of course it wouldn't close right. I had to loosen all the mount
bolts for the off side wing and elongate the associated bolt holes in the nose and slam panel to
move the wing outward about 1/4 inch. After tightening all the bolts again, it all lines up as it
should. It looks like I took this photo before the final adjustment, elongating the mount holes in
the near side hinge a little more to perfect the gap at the scuttle and the near side wing.
Attention went to the doors next. I had been advised to avoid the door seals, or draft excluders, from Moss as the they would not allow the doors to close properly. That sounded much like the boot lid seal problem in the photo above. A helpful person on the British Car forum recommended MacGregor in Canada as a supplier of quality, proper sized seals. After discussing it with Mr. MacGregor, I ordered a set of door seals as well as his boot seal. They fit as they should. The cost was a bit more than Moss but the stuff works so I am pleased.
By trial and error, I have discovered that assembling the inner parts of the doors must be done in a very specific order. I installed the rear widow track first. This is optional but I felt that it helped stabilize the window in later steps. The first part is the drop window regulator. Ensure the gear is in the center of the sector and stretch the remaining parts as far as possible toward the rear of the car then slip it in through the larger opening at the back. In this configuration, the crank handle post will just clear the framework but be careful not to damage the door skin. Do not bolt it down as it must be moved forward to insert it into the window lifter track. This is the only configuration I have found that will allow it to be fitted without stress or binding. Next insert the vent window but do not bolt it down. Tilt it to expose the bottom end of the drop window track through the opening and loosely install the lower bracket to the track. Now crank the regulator to the top and insert the window through the slot and manipulate it and the regulator to fit the lifting pins into the lifter track. This is a bit fiddly but you can do it. You will want to tilt the vent window forward a bit. It helps to have a helper hold the top of the window during this step. After this, you can bolt the regulator to the door. The top holes for the center bracket are farther apart than the lower ones so be careful aligning all four holes of the bracket. Lower the window as far as it will go then bolt the bottom bracket to the door and tighten its bolt to the track. Finally, finish mounting the vent window and, with the window again as far down as possible, install the scrapers. This is where you will have or wish you had that overpriced tool from Moss Motors. You could easily make a similar hook tool but that magnetic strip on it is really handy for holding those tiny clips.
I have to backtrack a bit here. The above assembly proved to be inaccurate or at least incomplete. It seems that the door cap should be installed before the glass. It looks possible to set the cap on and probably install the washers and nuts with the glass in place but it would be a lot harder. In any event, I had my glass out for another reason so I can't prove that. I can say with some certainty that it will prove impossible to tighten the front nut with the vent window in place although I did get it started and finger tight before removing the window to finish the job. It might be possible to remove the vent window while leaving the main window in place but I did not. I also found the door cap studs from Moss to be too short so I used the longer ones intended for the cockpit rear trim. There is plenty of room and that made it easier to get the washers and nuts started. Now if I can just remember all that on the off side installation.
The instructions with the window scraper clips installer tool stated that the scrapers are often left
off even in some quality restorations. I can understand why that would be. There is just no way to
install them without a tool at least quite similar to the one from Moss. I have heard and read that
the window must be installed before the scrapers because there is not enough space for the lifting
track to fit between the scrapers and I believe that. Even if that were false, the scraper clips still
have to be installed from above and with the glass installed and all the way to the bottom, it is not
much in the way. I was not able to get the outer clips to start without spreading their tops a tiny bit.
After that, it was not too hard. The inner clips come with a flare on one side that makes them easier to
start.
With that done it was finally time. I had to fix the problem on the off side vent window. There are two
studs that mount it to the top of the door. Both were broken off flush with the frame. They seem to be
part of plates that are riveted into the bottom rail of the frame below the opening window unit. The
rear one also includes the fixed part of the latch. There is just no room to work inside that frame. I
was able to drill both out, one from the top and one from the bottom, with a foot long 1/4 inch bit.
then with a lot of grinding and a little welding, I was able to modify the heads of 1/4 inch bolts to
fit into the frame and through the drilled holes. The modified heads will not turn inside the frame but
I added a bit of epoxy just so they don't even wiggle. I didn't get any photos of the pieces but here is
the frame with the new studs installed. Notice that the front one is a little shorter.That is for more
clearance for installation.
The next day, I started working on installation. The first step was to install the rubber then the window into the frame. Unfortunately, the rubber is too thick, just like the other side, so that the window will not close. I have found on the other side that I can close it with a little help. My options then are close them and just leave them always closed, leave then always open, try to trim the rubber a little with an Xacto knife or try to find another source for the rubber.
The last step was to install the window scrapers. The inner one turned out to be a problem this time. The
other side inner went together easier than I expected but not this time. The outer, though, was probably
a little easier than the other side. That is more like what I expected; practice makes perfect and all.
With that, both doors are finally finished, except for upholstery, of course.
I had to order more plate studs to install the scuttle pad. The ones I ordered for it originally apparently were actually for the rear cockpit rail, only nine instead of the required ten. Then the door cap studs were too short to work so I used four of the cockpit studs there. Finally another batch came and I got the pad installed. Installing and then tightening the nuts was anything but a simple job, requiring well over an hour but now it is done. I also installed new defroster hoses. Again, they would not fit as received, requiring close to two more hours when it should have been maybe ten minutes. The outer diameter of the hose rather than the inner is the same as the ends they are supposed to fit and they do not stretch, at least not easily
After several distractions, I finally got back to assembling the body. The major part of that was the windscreen. The brackets that mount to the frame and hold the center support rod were both missing and not available from the usual sources. I found a fellow in New Jersey who was able to supply them as well as that long missing bracket for the horn button. Then getting them installed was another delay. Then there was some quickie work on the Prefect and some repainting on Dick's Model A.
I also spent some time working on the grille. Someone had apparently leaned on it too hard with the
bonnet raised, bending the top frame and breaking every one of the teeth in the top row. Also, two of
the mounting tabs were broken off. I made and installed new tabs then fairly well straightened the top
frame. In this photo where it is temporarily installed, you can see the missing teeth. Most are there
but just bent out of sight. I have a plan to repair that next. Meanwhile, there are additional pieces
that surround the entire grille. Mine are not in very good condition and I actually think I like it
better without them. I especially do not like the one that fits onto the front edge of the bonnet. I
think I will just leave them out.
Here are the bumpers finally fully assembled and installed. Getting there was a real pain as every bolt and nut was rusted in place and required at least the torch to remove. I had two of each bumper and three of them had overriders. I picked the best two bumpers and the best four overriders. Two of the overriders came off all right with just heat. The bolts broke off of the welded nuts in three of the others. The fourth welded nut broke loose with the overrider still mounted. What should have been a day or two turned into over a week. Oh, the bonnet is not quite closed and latched in this photo.
Well, I did get the grille repaired, at least well enough to live with it for a while. The only way
to make it right is to replace it and that is $400, money better spent on more pressing items. I bent
each of the teeth back as close as possible to their respective positions. That top rail (distinct from
the top frame but riveted to it) is not perfect so some are too long and some are a little short. Then
I bent a short piece of thin welding rod to fit each one and stuck them in place with a dab of JB Weld.
Two of the teeth were actually missing so I cut replacements from sheet aluminum and applied them with
JB Weld. This time, the welding rod was not necessary as I could bend the teeth to fit both the upper
and lower rail. Here it is installed. It is not as shiny as a new one but even from this close, the
repaired teeth are not readily apparent. The bonnet is finally latched here but looks like it still
needs a small adjustment. I should add, the windscreen is not fully installed in these photos. Instead,
it is fully assembled but just setting on the car.
I actually started on the windscreen before the grille. I ordered a new one then disassembled the old one with the broken glass. Logistics and having enough straight days to get it done, I knew one day was not to be enough, caused some delays. Yes, I was probably a little afraid of it too. Anyway, getting it apart was not too bad. I was afraid some of the screws might not come out easily but that was not a problem. Getting it back together was a little harder but, with Dick's help, we got it done. I had been warned that the replacement glass might be somewhat under sized and I think that turned out to be true since the glazing rubber was too big. This hampered getting the seal bedded into the frame as it should be. But, it finally went together with only one small redo.
I had also heard many times that the frame to body seal would be next to impossible to install. I saw a John Twist (the guru of all things MG) video and he had his professional glass installer do it from the side, inch-by-inch with a glass tool. We tried that method but it was a complete failure. I finally took one of the side frames off and threaded it in from the end. that worked surprisingly easy with a little help from both Dick and Dan. Then I reinstalled the side frame and we set it on the car.
Well, that turned out to be the easy part of the installation. The windscreen to body seal was the
next hurdle. The part you see when it is installed is actually completely turned under initially and
it is quite stiff. Getting it turned out where it finally belongs requires a great deal of effort and
certainly two people, if not three. Even after that was done, it still required a tool for prying from
the inside while a helper pressed down from the outside in order to get the retaining bolts installed.
Then I had yet another problem. I remember doing some body work, including filler, on the near side
shoulder of the scuttle. I don't know if that was the cause but we could never get that side seated
far enough to get the bolts in. I eventually had to elongate the mounting slots in the body probably
as much as 1/8 inch to get the bolts in. The last thing was spacers that are not available. There was
a gap between the near side mounting post extension and the body of a little over 1/8 inch and the off
side was a little more than that. Those gaps had to be filled in order to tighten the bolts. My friend,
Harold, made them for me from aluminum stock and I was finally able to finish the windscreen install.
I don't include more photos of the installation since they don't show anything different from those
above. I do include one photo here showing the cap between the windscreen post and the quarter light
frame with the door closed. This was hard to achieve, especially on this side.
In order to reach the mounting bolts for the windscreen and especially to elongate the holes in the body
on the near side, I had to remove the fascia. With that task done, I could finally reinstall it. This is
not a hard job although it is a little fiddly. It is attached to the bottom of the scuttle by three
screws that must be done by feel. Then there are brackets behind on both sides that again are better
installed by feel. Probably the hardest part of the job though is just trying to accomplish it without
scratching any paint.
The next problem was yet another item from Moss that does not fit, like the bonnet release cable, the door and boot lid seals, the vent window gaskets and the defroster hoses. The seals between the windscreen posts and the vent windows just fall out of their tracks. I called Moss and my complaint was referred to tech support. I got a call back from the tech guy the next business day this time. He said he would send me the correct seals, which he did. They were another copy of the exact same seals that would not fit. I tried to call MacGregor three times and got voice mail each time. He never returned my calls. I will attempt to glue the seals instead and will report on the success or failure.
So, I took a break from the windscreen installation for a while to start on the instruments and related
wiring. I expected this to be relatively uneventful but that was not to be. I got the choke and heater
cables installed only to discover that the bottom of the fascia panel really needs bracing to the
bulkhead. I found no such braces among any of my boxes so I had to make them. That was not hard but
getting them installed was another matter. Then I discovered that I had routed the main wiring harness
wrong where it comes through the bulkhead under the dash. The photo shows the problem at the far right
side.This took a full day to correct but I will spare you the details. I purchased a new dual gauge
from Nisonger.com and a new oil pressure pipe from
Moss and got all that installed, expensive but at least it is done.
Then trying to figure out the rest of the wiring, I discovered that the diagram in the Haynes manual shows five green wires from the fuse block and my custom diagram that started from the Haynes shows six. There are only four connections available for the green wires and none of them have multi-wire connectors so the car originally only had four. The diagram also shows one of them going to the signal flasher and from there to the heater switch. Only a single wire is at the flasher and it does not go the the fuse block. Obviously some further investigation would be required. I finally determined that one wire goes directly to the wiper motor, one to the brake light switch and one to the reverse light switch, as the diagram indicates. The fourth goes to the tachometer and from there to the fuel gauge then the flasher. The heater switch then gets its power from the fuel gauge where there is a double connection. That is how I intend to finish it and make my custom diagram match. A copy of that diagram is here.
There is one other deviation from the original and the diagram. The reverse light switch on the Datsun gearbox would not fit in the tunnel so it had to be plugged and abandoned. The cars originally had a switch on the dash to turn the panel lights off. They come on with the headlights or side lights actually. Finding no reason for that feature, I just wired the panel lights direct and used the switch for a manual reverse light switch. That seemed like a much more useful feature to me. I did leave the red/white wiring for the lights although it should be plain red since it is no longer switched, and I added an inline fuse for the red-wire lighting circuit. Also, I added a courtesy/map light under the fascia. There was a purple/black wire in the harness that just fit from the fuse block to that light so I used it although a purple without the tracer would be correct. I could find no reason for that wire being there but it was so I used it.By the way, I have drawn a complete wiring diagram that does match this car exactly here.
After a few more attempts and a few more jumper and ground wire setups, I finally got everything done.
Everything but the turn signal switch, that is. After having enough problems with undoing and redoing,
before I got to that point, I prelabeled all the wires from the switch as well as matching wires from
the main harness and that did make the connections fairly uneventful. Off-and-on, I spent the better
part of a day-and-a-half getting the cover over the switch and its wiring bundle. Do keep in mind that
our typical work day is nine to noon. With that finally done, I set the steering wheel in place just for
these photos. I believe the electrical system is now ready for testing. When all is well with that, I
will tuck all the hanging wires under the dash some way and clean up the remaining mess. There are a
few small items to deal with then all that remains is building something for exhaust and firing up the
engine. Upholstery is a whole different enterprise for another chapter.
Next I did get around to checking all the wiring. The horn wiring seemed to work although I had not installed a horn. I had one good and one bad but the second horn was optional anyway. I couldn't find its mounting bracket but Dan gave me an extra from his MG build. That meant remove the grille to install it, of course. While it was out, I polished it the best I could by hand before reinstalling. With the key on, the Ign light, wipers and turn signals worked although I originally installed the indicator lights reversed and had to correct that. Also, the heater fan worked, although the switch can be a bit fiddly, the coil had 12 volts and, by shorting the switch, the brake lights worked. I hit the start position on the switch briefly and the starter engaged. The reverse lights worked through my repurposed panel light switch. With the light switch in the intermediate position, the side lights, tail lights and panel lights all lit up. The headlights, however, did not.
After a time of trying to trace down the wiring fault, I took a short break and installed the tag that
I bought some time ago. I bought a frame with hardware that didn't work but a little searching through
my fasteners solved that. So here it is looking ready to drive until 2028. Oh crap, then I noticed it
has a black year sticker. That means it can't be driven on the streets. Well, I registered the car and
got its first tag before it was insured; I didn't bother insuring it until we decided to start on the
restoration. Now I hope the state will let me convert it to drivable.
While trying to find where the voltage loss was in the headlight wiring, they suddenly came on. But as I was walking around to the front to look, they went back off. I finally was able to jiggle the switch and prove it was the culprit. I called Moss and they promised to send me a replacement as soon as they got some. Within a week or so, the new one came and I tried it. It did light the lights very reliably but it did so in the off as well as the on position. So now I have two bad headlight switches. Yet more junk from Moss (from China) that just does not work or does not fit. This is getting old. While waiting for the warranty switch, I attempted to restore my original switch one more time. This time it seemed to be correct and the feel was much better than either of the new ones so I installed it instead. The headlights, high and low beam, now work as they should.
The other problem with the electrical system was the fuel gauge. With the key on, it jumps to 1/2 full
and I know the tank is empty. The first guess on that would be the sending unit but I have to drop the
tank to test it. I can, however, disconnect the wire to it where it joins the main harness under the
dash. With that circuit open, the gauge should read full. It does but I have to touch it to ground
briefly first. With it grounded, the gauge should read empty but instead, it reads about 1/4. I next
removed the gauge and tried to adjust it with little success. The empty coil was about as far from the
needle as possible so that seemed like a pretty good clue. Moving it as close as possible had little
if any effect. I do have another 12 volt gauge that I used on the
Prefect years ago. I will try that one next.
I did find the old Prefect gauge and it worked or at least tested all right without the sender. When connected to the sender, it shows about 1/4 full and I know the tank is dry. Looks like I may still have a problem at the tank or sender. So I changed to the better bezel from the original gauge and installed the substitute. After that, I cleaned up all the clutter of parts, tools and junk then tucked all the loose wiring back up under the dash and out of sight. This part of the restoration is finally finished. The photo shows the result. The other photo is just the wipers installed. With the fuel gauge finished and the wiring cleaned up, I put the arms and new blades on. And they work, well at least as long as it isn't actually raining, Lucas you know.
I finally got a break a couple of weeks ago. I tried MacGregor again and he called me right back this
time. He does have the windscreen post seals and he guarantees they will fit. I fact, he read me the
dimensions of the Tee and I was convinced they would. I ordered a pair and installed them today. As
he promised, they fit and probably tight enough to not need any retaining screw, ashe claimed. So here
they are. Looks pretty good and it also gives a tight feel to closing the door. The top still needs to
be cut off to fit but that is to be done after the hood (convertible top) is installed since that is
what it has to fit.
Then I spent the rest of the day working on the off side vent window rubber to get it closed. I mentioned above that with Dick's help we got the driver side window closed but it will always require four hands. We never did, however, get the passenger side to close. I trimmed a lot with the Exacto then still sanded a lot more with a coarse 1 inch disk on the die grinder. I was finally able to close it but still with a lot of effort. After finishing, I finally checked MacGregor and he does offer them but at $119 for the pair. They probably fit though. Well, right now I don't need them to open that bad. Oh, this brings to mind yet another Moss piece that doesn't work. The handle for this window was broken off so I ordered one from Moss. They didn't have the correct one so I had to order one for the later models, along with its retaining pin. I got the old one off and the new went on with no issues. The next time I moved it the pin just fell out. I did later get another pin and it seemed to work.
Knowing I would have to figure out how to get the car to him, I checked with my local muffler shop about building the rest of the exhaust. I have the header installed and the head pipe that connects to it and makes the 90 degree turn to the back. Both these are ceramic coated. His estimate was $350 - 450. Now I have never had the desire to build an exhaust but a quick check indicated I could get the pipe and the muffler for about $50. And the pipe goes under the axle so there isn't even much labor involved. I decided it was time to learn exhaust building. And, that also eliminates the need to worry about getting it to the muffler shop.
So I bought the pipe locally and ordered a muffler, all for $50. Of course, I would need clamps and at least one adapter. My head pipe is 1-3/4 and the exhaust pipe is 1-1/2. This seemed like a simple problem but it turns out that apparently no one makes that particular adapter. Everything else you can imagine is available off the shelf but not that. I finally found a 1-3/4 to 1-3/4 connector that is 1-3/4 inside on one end and 1-3/4 outside on the other. The smaller end is still about 1/8 inch more inside than my pipe's outside but with the pipe centered, I could weld them and fill the gap.
I was initially a little concerned about bending the pipe but that turned out to be uneventful, for the most part. It did require a little help, mostly for weight to hold the other end down and eventually some coaxing from the acetylene torch. The muffler was more of a problem. The length from the axle to the rear dictates a fairly short muffler and the space between the fuel tank and the rear leaf spring is limited. The oval muffler I bought had to be mounted vertically making it hang a little too low. Most of the round mufflers I found were 6 inch diameter. That fits so close that I feared it would bounce against and rattle. I finally ended up with the muffler from Moss that is designed for the car. It is 4 inch diameter, leaving plenty of safety room and the length is right. It also has the correct bracket welded on to attach to the rear hanger and it has the tail pipe already welded on. The only down side is the cost. I am now well beyond the original $50 but still way below the shop's estimate. The total cost is around $125 to $150 with adapters and clamps. Here are a few photos with everything installed and ready to test.
From here I will move on to getting the motor running, here while I work on the upholstery at home, here.