Does anyone know what size and type bolt goes thru the side sill(s) at the front ? The one that goes thru the metal body from outside to the inside? Any help is appreciated.
I do not know about a '32 but on some models it was a 1/4" carriage bolt. I think it was to keep the wood sill from splitting at the front body/sill mounting bolt and to tie the cowl to the sill. The '28 open cars had a tab welded in the cowl the bolt went through to tie the cowl and sill together. It was probably also the starting point to nail the sill to the cowl. I would have to go look at one of my '29s.
On my 31 it is a 5/16 carriage bolt , about 3 inches long, 18 threads per inch. It had a fairly small head so a hardware store bolt would not look too bad if you take any markings off of it. The originals seemed to have a thinner head with a sharper edge, if that makes sense. I will post a photo of a few originals but not right for your application.
I'll get a picture tomorrow as it in a warehouse now but will try to explain better. Where the side sill (main sill) front goes toward the cowl, it goes under an "L" bracket that is welded to the cowl. A 5/16 bolt goes thru the sill (from top to bottom) to bolt the sill to the frame. There is another bolt that goes thru the cowl (on the outside)metal, thru the sill (approx. 1 1/4" back from the front end of the sill thru the sill and thru another hole on the inside of the cowl and has a nut on the end of the bolt. The inside hole in the cowl metal is approx. 3/16".
As Bears Fan posted and photos by Dave39MD posted . Just make sure the head does not extend out from the cowl recess and fit the length and diameter as needed. Don't use a bolt that has the thread all the way to the head.
