Charles W Morgan Restoration; A Volunteer's Perspective-1

[Morgan Volunteer]

Time to take the valves out of the Packard PT boat engine.



A block of wood held the valves in place while the springs were compressed and the keepers removed.

Not fancy, but it worked well.



The homemade spring compressor worked like a charm.



Like proud parents showing off the new baby. (The first valve)



All the valves looked good. They had very light pitting on the seats.



All the springs on a wire resembled sausage links

[Morgan Volunteer]

Now on to Roann.


This is an oil fired cook stove and it had been all polished up and restored.

However....

It belongs on Roann and now that her mast is back in place it no longer fits down the companionway.

So once again it is coming apart so it will fit on board.

Two steps forward, one step back.


He told me that once the front was off it should fit.

[Morgan Volunteer]

A local celebrity showed up at Mystic Seaport yesterday.

Usually found in Watch Hill Rhode Island, Aphrodite is a 74 foot 1937 Commuter yacht. The seaport often has beautiful yachts coming to visit.





It wasn’t until I was on my way back from lunch that I learned the details.

There is a British television program called Three Men in a Boat and as part of the series they are using Aphrodite for a segment.

Talking with this gentleman, I asked about what was going on. I asked what role he played in the show (Producer, cameraman, actor, gofer?) and it turns out he is one of the actors. (Shows how much I know) I didn’t get his name but I showed the picture to another visitor from the UK and he recognized him immediately.



The actor above said the man below is even better known in the UK.



Sorry, I don't know his name either.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008l392

I did learn that the show will air in the UK on or around Christmas Day.

Sadly, at this time it is not listed on BBC-America.

Too bad, I love the British version of Top Gear. This one sounds like a winner too.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Roann, Mystic Seaport’s eastern rig dragger.



Last week I posted a picture of Roann’s stove being taken apart in the DuPont Preservation barn. Restored and rebuilt it was too big to get past the mast now back in place on deck.

The too-small gap.




The stove will sit on the base already installed on the floor.



Our guys were able to help and turned the stove right side up.



LA Dunton is supposed to come out next week. Meanwhile Sabino waits her turn.

[Peerie Maa]

There is a British television program called Three Men in a Boat and as part of the series they are using Aphrodite for a segment.

Talking with this gentleman, I asked about what was going on. I asked what role he played in the show (Producer, cameraman, actor, gofer?) and it turns out he is one of the actors. (Shows how much I know) I didn’t get his name but I showed the picture to another visitor from the UK and he recognized him immediately.



The actor above said the man below is even better known in the UK.

Rory McGrath, not an actor - comedian and writer.

Sorry, I don't know his name either.

Griff Rhys-Jones, comedian, writer and presenter, with an interest in old buildings. Owns Undina

Third man in a boat is the comedian and presenter Dara O Briain

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008l392

I did learn that the show will air in the UK on or around Christmas Day.

Sadly, at this time it is not listed on BBC-America.

Too bad, I love the British version of Top Gear. This one sounds like a winner too.

[Morgan Volunteer]

On the Morgan the port side access hole is finally closed up.



This is the starboard access hole and the only one left.



But not for long.

The steamer was cooking the next to last plank all morning long and just after lunch the guys pulled it out.



Inside the hull the aft end is set in place.



Then it was jumping and stomping to get it in place.

[Morgan Volunteer]

After jumping and stomping it was time to drill holes for clamping.



The clamping.



It’s hard to make out the clamp but he is twisting the wing nut drawing down the plank.

Next came the big hammer. You can't see it here because it's moving to fast. It's in his right hand. He's pounding on the 4 x 4 to prevent damage to the plank.

I try to not use flash. I would hate to have him blink at the wrong time.




A little more stomping.



This piece is in place now. The only plank left to do is about ten feet long and that will finish the ceiling plank job. By the time I get back to Mystic I’m sure it will be in place so I will miss the very last plank going in.


Out side some extra bracing is going up.

My guess is that since the stem is coming apart this will support the bow.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The Seaport is hosting a play to help to celebrate Charles W Morgan’s arrival at Mystic Seaport 70 years ago. Starring Brian Dennehy you can see the details here.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...A8B0D5EB66F7AB

The play will be held in the DuPont Preservation Shipyard barn. Naturally, when company is coming you have to clean the house.

Sweep the floor and dust off the machinery.



All the toys need to be put away.

These Morgan parts are normally stored in the barn.



The sail will be the backdrop for the stage.



http://www.sailthemorgan.org/

[Eric D]

at the end of page 12, you mention they were disappointed with LIVE oak over WHITE oak for the stem, any reason for that? I guess I was under the assumption that LIVE oak would have been a better choice for durabilty there.

Thanks for all the info and updates!!!

[Morgan Volunteer]

For the part they were making, apparently live oak was going to be too difficult to work with . I never saw the finished part. I only saw it the day they were roughing it out on the band saw. At one point the shipwright took and adz and trimmed away at the surface and his only comment was, “Yeah, live oak.”



I’ll try to remember to ask next week.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Two members of our Scrapin’ & Paintin’ crew (On the left) returned from a summer of cruising and fun to get their hands dirty again with us.



Last week we welcomed a new member to the team and he dove right in to the job.



We are in our winter quarters now, AKA the Plastic Palace, named for the plastic walls that keep us warm in the drafty DuPont barn.

We have been working on a davit with several broken trunnels. I drilled out the trunnels with an undersized drill bit and was able to drive out the rest with a hammer. I wanted to be sure to not enlarge the original holes.



Once the trunnels were removed the holes did not align. Even when clamped together the holes were off. The shipwright found that the davit needed to be reshaped to bring everything into alignment.

A ratchet puller did the trick.





Up on the Morgan the last ceiling plank is in place.



Anything going in the bilge now will have to come down through a hatch from now on.

[Morgan Volunteer]

LA Dunton has been hauled out for inspection and maintenance.



Power washing the bottom.



The seaport is doing its part to keep the environment clean. All the water from the wash down is collected in an underground cistern and then pumped into this tank.

A waste treatment truck will be by soon to pump it out.









http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...C891E3E4FD18A0

[Sailor]

Have you got any profile shots of the Dunton up on the lift?
Thanks for maintaining this thread, it's very interesting to see all this "old world" stuff still being practiced.
Daniel

[Morgan Volunteer]

The green was reseeded after hurricane Irene and it is starting to look good.

While the crowds of summer are gone the seaport is still open and the fall is a wonderful time to come.



Across the green the horse drawn carriage is waiting for visitors.





http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...D0CBAAA9EA9CEA

Left over from Halloween Geo. H. Stone general Store still has its decorations up.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...469252F7638DCC






A new visitor to Mystic Seaport. Lynx will be wintering over with us until April.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Show time!

The stage was set.

The audience was ready.



The lights dimmed and George White introduced the “Prince of Whalers.”



Mr White is Chairman of the International Council at Mystic Seaport and is the mastermind, writer and director of
the show.


Readings from classic books on whaling was the predominate theme of the show.

Excerpts from “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,” “Moby Dick,” and "The Whale Hunt” were just part of the show.

Brian Dennehy, Linda Hart, Maria Tucci, and Joe Grifasi took stage.






Geoff Kaufman with David Littlefield and Rick Spencer sang period music.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The curtain/screen/sail at the rear of the stage offered a few vintage pictures during the show.







Outside in the dark other stories are being told by the ships and stars of Mystic Seaport.



Taken in almost total darkness, Photoshop enhanced this picture into an almost ghostly image.

[rbgarr]

Re the live oak v. white oak question:

Live oak is hell on edge tools and has gnarly fibers and uncooperative grain. White oak can cut like butter and ring under an adz. Live oak sounds like a car crash. Makes me cringe.

[Morgan Volunteer]

I spoke with the lead shipwright about the live oak-white oak question. His opinion was similar to "rbgarr" in the previous reply. Apparently the project at hand was too complex for live oak and white oak would work as well.

"rbgarr," thanks for your input.

[Morgan Volunteer]

We have a new guest for the winter. Lynx call’s herself, “America’s Privateer.”



From their website.

[Morgan Volunteer]

http://www.privateerlynx.com/

[Morgan Volunteer]

A lot went on yesterday. The morning started foggy.









Then it cleared was a warm and sunny day.

This was at 2:30.



The fog came back in at 3:30.




Nice day, but wait, there's more!

[Morgan Volunteer]

The work on Morgan’s planking is really moving along now that the ceiling is finished. (The ceiling; planking located on the inner surface of the hull.)

This is some of the old planking removed from the bow.






Farther aft, down closer to the keel, one plank has been removed. The removal of this plank has confirmed what has long been suspected. The planking on the bottom is original to 1841!




There are a few clues that confirm this. If the planking had been replaced, there would be older trunnel holes left in the framing. There are none.



Another clue. When at sea there is always some water in the bilge. As the ship rocked the water and debris was in constant motion eroding the inner surface between the frames. You can see that erosion clearly.



Another clue is the condition of the bronze spikes that have been removed. The corrosion has eaten away almost the total thickness. Of course this can happen virtually overnight through electrolysis, but it’s been 170 years. I think if there was any significant electrolysis Morgan would have fallen apart long ago.




Now on to the modern science.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Now on to the modern science.

The lead shipwright on the Morgan project has some concerns about the fasteners holding the keel and stem together.

The wood is ok but if the metal fasteners are bad it will be a lot of work to replace them.

So what is a shipwright to do?

Call in the man with the iridium.



The boss on the left and the lead shipwright on the right are talking with the man who will xray the Morgan's keel. (He's the one with the iridium. More on that in a bit.)

This is the area of concern.



The uppermost area to look at is just at the shipwright’s right hand.



Just like in the dentist office, the film goes on one side and the x-ray goes on the other.

The small silver part is the business end of the “camera.” Attached to it is essentially a hose that conducts the radiation from the source below to what is effectively a lens that sends the radiation through the target (Morgan’s keel) to the x-ray film.






The “Hose” is a tube lined with tungsten and surrounded by lead.

This is the source. Inside is a piece of iridium about the size of “A .22 short.”




I looked up iridium and found this. (Just in case you didn't already know.)

http://www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResou...opesources.htm

[Morgan Volunteer]

Attached to the back is a pair of cables to control the exposure.




The final preparation is to rope off 80 feet or more around the ship to prevent injuries.

Once the setup was ready, a trial exposure was taken and developed. From there a more educated guess was made for the best exposure time.

The lab in the back of their truck.




The developing time is not very long but he was going to be taking several exposures. At this point is was getting late and I have an hour’s drive home. Since there is really nothing to see while he was taking pictures I decided to call it a day.

Next week I will ask if I can see the x-rays and I will try to get a picture.

This is the company doing the work.

http://www.mistrasgroup.com/

They’re an international company.

[Morgan Volunteer]

LA Dunton is out for routine maintenance. A clean bottom, new paint, and re-caulking some of her bottom was going on last week.









I don’t know where this part goes but our newest scrapin’ and paintin’ crew member was rubbing it down with alcohol. I am assuming it was finished with shellac.




We rounded up more parts to be worked on and had Mystic’s head rigger tell us what parts were good and what would need to be rebuilt.



The steel (iron) parts will come off and be sandblasted. I guess that will be my job.

Ugh!

[Morgan Volunteer]

This is one of several x-rays taken of the keel and stem last week. I was under the impression that they were checking the integrity of the bronze fasteners but there is more to it. The primary goal was to find where additional fasteners can be placed without interfering with the parts that are there now.



Not much to look at considering my untrained eye.

No x-ray needed here. This futtock is made of green heart. It’s not rotten. It splinters badly when fasteners are driven in. Part of the stem is green heart too and will also be replaced.




To remove the planking the board is pried and wedged away from the frames and the trunnels are cut using a sawzall.





Generally, any bronze spikes are coming out easily and they don’t have to be cut.




As a museum piece everything is documented including the size and location of ever part.



Tape measure in hand the documentation goes on.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Out in the yard are two lower planks removed last week. The shorter one on the right is a garboard plank and the other was located farther up, away from the keel.




They have copper name plates on them now. This will help later when it’s time to duplicate them.



I believe the bottom one says P Garboard 1.

In the DuPont barn there is a large stem part. I don’t know if it’s ready to go or needs more work yet.




In the shed near next to the saw mill is where a lot of Morgan parts are stored. It’s getting pretty full.



On the right is hull planking and on the left are futtocks.

It seemed quiet today. There was no noise in the barn all day. The LA Dunton is supposed to be launched tomorrow and a lot of people were working on her.



The scrapin' & paintin'crew had new parts to work on.




.

[Morgan Volunteer]

We took a walk during lunch and stopped into the Buckingham-Hall House in the village.




The interpreter in the kitchen.



He was baking a cake.



That's the cake in the pot.

Well actually the cake is in the pot under the lid.



The cake is in a cake pan that fits inside the pot that sits on hot coals next to the fire. The lid has more hot coals sitting on top.


Sorry, there are no samples. The state says the kitchen is not up to modern standards. How did we ever survive?


Some of the other rooms.








http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=B926A51 9-EEAD-662E-7B0624AF604E6AB1

[Morgan Volunteer]

The dock where Sabino ties up is getting a major overhaul. Last week I showed the pilings and now it’s getting new planking too. The framework below is in good shape.





In the engine shop the Packard cylinder jugs are finally separated from the manifold/cam support. (Or whatever it’s called. It looks like the head but it’s really a manifold that supports the cam, valve springs, and rocker arms, etc.)







Gaskets are easy. They are four O-rings that fit between the jug and manifold.


Lynx is getting a winter cover.

She will still be open to visitors at times during her winter layover.



Mystic Seaport will be closed from January 2 to February 15, 2012.

Other than this time the Morgan will be open every day, all day, along with many of the other boats and displays.

You can check for schedules here.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...F5A4493CF8FF0E

[Morgan Volunteer]

The first major piece of the stem was set in place yesterday on the Morgan.

To prepare for it a hole needed to be drilled through the other older parts into the bilge. The hole is for what is essentially a large rivet made out of copper. It will reach from inside the hull out through the new part that will be installed soon. Once the copper is in place, both ends will be peened over to make rivet heads.

Here they are using a plank to add push to the drill and very long drill bit.



The drill had to be removed often to clear chips.

Note the electric drill in the lower right corner.



They hit the target dead center inside!



Now that's good work!

Time to go pick up the new part. A little out of focus here; it's a blow up of the picture after this one.

[Morgan Volunteer]

To lift the part an eyebolt was installed overhead.



Then a hoist.



More rigging is set up to lift it closer.



Small problem. It needs to clear the scaffolding.






Extra hands made it easy,....sort of.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Now they removed the block and tackle and added another hoist.




After a few adjustments it was pulled into place





Now for a little fine tuning.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Next they will drill the part just installed. They will drill from inside the bilge using the hole drilled earlier as a guide.

A temporary threaded rod, pushed through all the parts, will draw them up tight.

The gap shown here opened up when older parts were removed. It should close up again when everything is tightened up.



Back in the barn the next part is shaping up.





It will sit on top of, and behind, the part just installed.



Further aft preliminary bottom work is going on.

Another plank is coming off.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Meanwhile over in the engine shop, it was clean up day. More goes on than antique engine restoration in this shop and the Packard was taking up too much room. So it was a day to put all the small parts away.



The place almost had a sparkle to it.


Last week the crew finished up an engine stand for the Packard.



In the Plastic Palace, our scrapin’ & paintin’ room for the winter, we have a brand new volunteer.



All of these parts need to be cleaned up and then inspected. Some need to be replaced. By cleaning up the bad parts the woodshop crew can see how they were built. We’ll polish up the good ones later.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The large part of the Morgan’s stem that was fitted into place last week was being tightened up as I walked in yesterday. The gap from last week was gone. It looked perfect.



Later on it was undone again. It seemed like a step backwards so I asked what was up.

Now that the fit was good they guys needed to coat the mating parts with tar. As I was leaving at the end of the day they were just bolting it up again.



The tar is not very exotic, just good old roofing tar.


In the DuPont barn the knight heads are ready to go. My first question? What’s a knight head?



I find it amazing how every one of the shipwrights and apprentices will stop what they are doing to answer questions. I see visitors ask questions and get thoughtful and informative answers. Naturally, this is not their job but it might as well be. They’re really a great bunch.

Back to what’s a knight head.



The answer is; One of two vertical pieces at the bow. Each one stands taller than the gunwale and the bow sprit fits between them.

As you can see above, these appear to be very complicated pieces. To start off with the end is a quadrilateral. Then it twists and curves to the other end where a different shape quadrilateral. If this was new construction every thing could be fitted to it. Not here, it has to fit where it’s going or do it all over again.

Here is where they go.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The knight head weighs 700 pounds.



I wondered how they knew some of the futtocks weighed 500 pounds. Now I know.



Not your ordinary fish scale. It goes up to 10,000 pounds.







It's great to have power tools.

However....now it needs to be lifted up and into place.

Here is another heavy weight. This piece of ash will be whaleboat oars.

[Morgan Volunteer]

After so many trees that have been cut up the guys are getting really good at moving this stuff. Once this one was out on the ground the chain was moved to the center of mass and it balanced perfectly on the first try!

They do it all the time, honest!



Over by the horizontal saw the wood on the right will be whaleboat steering oars.



Meanwhile we continue to scrape.





Above is the boom from LA Dunton getting ready for new paint.

[Morgan Volunteer]

We had to repaint it so it could be back on board for the start of the seaport's Christmas tours.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...4AE6C94AB00581

This is one piece. it's almost as long as the barn.






The seaport has decked the halls.



All ships that planned to be in port over the holidays would mount a tree at the highest point possible.







While the tree above is not truly a mast, it is used as a mast for the breeches buoy demonstration.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The holiday spirit is in town too. They are working on the drawbridge into downtown Mystic.



Looks like Santa is working on a BIG toy!



Thanks to my scrapin' partner for the two pictures above and the one below.

[Morgan Volunteer]

I’ve been away from this for a few days. Cousins from Sweden came for a visit and we have been having a grand time.


The internet helped us find each other. Until I did an internet search I never knew my grandfather had any siblings. All I knew was my immediate family.



Now I have “cousins” all over the place and the family is traced back to 1470!



I brought the cousins and their husbands to Mystic to see the Morgan. I was a little concerned that they wouldn’t enjoy it because so much in Sweden is much older.


I needn’t have worried. Once the interpreter started talking they were hooked. He told them all about setting off to sea and not seeing the first whale for four months. Then he described how the hunt and kill were done. (He had me hooked too.)





From there he described the rendering of the blubber and stowing it in the hold.




In the captain’s quarters.



Sabino was hauled for annual maintenance.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The rudder came off this week.





The lower planking will remain. The garboard and broad strakes and a few planks above them are still if very good condition. I learned this yesterday when I commented that the edge of the piece I was looking at looked new. It has been protected for 170 years by caulking and you can still see the original color of the wood.



The original bronze spikes are not too good but the trunnels are perfect. The trunnels will not be replaced but more bronze spikes will be added.

Another plank is coming off.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Over in the engine shop the second Packard PT Boat engine is being cannibalized for parts. The engine they are restoring has a few problems. Some of the cylinder bores are not in the best condition. Since spare parts are available on this engine they will just swap them out.

This is the engine with a hole in the crankcase.



One of Mystic Seaport's visitors for the winter is Lettie G. Howard from the South Street Seaport in New York City.



I hope you can read this. Use your "zoom" button located in "view" on your tool bar.



This week her masts have been removed.



I have not gone out on the dock to look at her yet. All the dock's decking is removed and all they have is a narrow plank to walk on. Perhaps later.

http://www.seany.org/index1.aspx?BD=8999


Just one more thought for today.

If you ever plan to visit Mystic Seaport to see the Morgan and her restoration, this spring will probably be one of the best times to do it.

Most of the pictures I took in this and the previous post were taken from areas open to visitors.

This spring the saws will be cutting whole trees (Minus the branches and roots, of course.) and sawing them into planks for the bottom.

The planers will cut them to size.

The shipwrights will be shaping them to fit.

The steam box will cook them till well done.

The shipwrights will install them.

And, we will be scrapin’ and paintin’.

Most of this is in areas that visitors can see.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...F5A4493CF8FF0E

[Rob Stokes, N. Vancouver]

One of the best threads going - thank you for your work and dedication, both to "the cause", but also to this thread.

[MiddleAgesMan]

The scale of this project is astounding as are the individual parts they are putting into the bow. Thanks so much for your very interesting and thorough documentation.

[svaap]

Thank you for posting on this thread!

I am reading every update with great interest, and I am truly amazed by all the projects that are undertaken at Mystic.
Would love to visit this place some time!

/Ole

[Morgan Volunteer]

Thank you for all your kind comments.

I am having a ball scrapin' and paintin' along with the other projects I can get involved with.

I don’t get my hands dirty on the Packard PT boat engine but it is great fun hanging around in that shop.

Then there is this thread.

I have the Morgan's cook stove in my shop and it is ready to go except for the new legs. We are waiting for the foundry to cast new ones.

I have the LA Dunton's stove here as well. I was asked to see if I could make it run on electricity instead of wood. Perhaps someone can offer an idea on this.

Right now I have one 400 watt surface mounted heater. It is supposed to sit on a flat surface and transmit the heat into the object to be heated. (The stove) The space will fit as many as 16 heaters. This is probably more than needed.

The problem I have right now is how to create a smooth flat surface on the inside of a roughly cast, round stove.

One suggestion has been to use wood stove cement, not furnace cement, to fill in the rough surface and press the heater into it to create a flat area.

Any other ideas?

This is one forum where I know there is a world of varied talent out there.







Below is where I want to mount the heaters.

[Thad]

Last year at the Gloucester Schooner Festival someone from the ADVENTURE said that the CG was requiring them to make the wood stove propane for safety reasons. As the Dunton never leaves the dock electricity would give dry heat without tending. Expansion and contraction are the main factors with electric elements, and wire to the source, no need for air flow. One factor is burning out the elements. I don't know enough to say what would work.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Just some scrapin' and paintin' pictures today.












A little sand blasting too.





All of the above are part of Morgan's rigging.

[rbgarr]

I think I can answer the question about the jug & lines on the shipsaw - it is for blade lubricant. The blade gets pretty hot when trying to cut curves and bevels on dense wood, so lubricant is applied to the blade to cool and grease it. Often this is dish soap or liquid floor wax, but every shipsaw operator has his favourite slush.

and sometimes with a pitchy wood it can be kerosene to cut the buildup of pitch on the blade.

[rlaggren]

> electric stove...

Thoughts:

Might want to calculate very roughly what BTU that stove ran through it. Use that as a ball park for what the stove would be able to handle in terms of electrical heat.

Think about where that heat was located in the stove and try to provide some approximation of that from the electrical elements. This because the stove is made of various pieces connected more or less rigidly, which "expect" a certain temperature range and whose contraction/expansion and material properties are happy w/in that range. I can imagine a scenario where you place the elements in the top part of the stove because that's where you would want the heat for use; however if that leads to the top parts of the stove becoming very hot while the bottom parts (where formerly there raged a small fire) remain (relatively) cold, things might crack.

Another question is what use you expect to get from the "electric" stove. If just space heating, you're home free - just put in about the right amount of BTU sort of evenly distributed and don't worry about special shapes, surfaces or anything like that - the whole thing will just radiate whatever heat you put in it and you'll have a space heater. If you want it to actually cook, then you'll likely need to get a lot of heat under the pot hole or plates or whatever; so you'll have a more interesting design problem. If you need to show "flame" dancing visible through the door, then you have a real interesting design problem. < IAC, you can likely put together some kind of "frame" from steel rod sorta like a BBQ grate with legs which fits firmly in the stove and supports your elements. But you likely don't need a working flue so some kind of plate or plug might reduce the air flow and thus reduce your BTU requirements - unless you want to use the flue to heat "upstairs".

You'll need a power lead and if you want elegant, that might come up through one of those legs or down the flue (depending on where your heat ends up going...). Either cast in a passage in the feet or mill one out later. The separate parts of the outside of the stove will need to be fully grounded together; don't know if the nuts and bolts would be considered a proper chassis ground so you might have to plan on ground clamps, straps, whatever; ask the local authorities. Some kind of "over heat" protection might be required or desired if you put in enough BTU to make the thing really authentic. In the same vein, because of Murphy and the presence of the Public who bring Lawyers, you might want to power it from a GFI breaker if you can find one big enough. The power lead needs an equipment ground, of course.

Fun project.

Rufus