Fenders Back On

And by today, April 2nd, the fenders are back on for test fitting.  We have a few issues with past repairs having stretched the metal in a couple of places, but Dan assures me that these are minor.  It's really starting to look like a car again!

Back on the Chassis!

And so, in just a few short days, as I was on a well-earned vacation, the body finally made it back onto the chassis.  It gets bolted down with shims pretty much matching the shims that were there when we dismantled the car.  Then Dan measures clearances on all the panels and doors where they meet,  He then removes or adds shims to adjust the body and get everything in alignment.  In fact, this is probably way more attention to detail than was originally done at the factory.

Back on the Chassis (For Now)

And now, as we begin March, the body is coming back together!  The individual sections are now mounted on the "sills" (the full-length laminated ash beams that mount on the frame and support the body).  The next step will be to mount the sills on the frame and shim the sills to ensure that the body alignment is correct -- door gaps, etc.  Then we remove the body to finish restoring and painting the chassis.

And so, in just a few short days, as I was on a well-earned vacation, the body finally made it back onto the chassis.  It gets bolted down with shims pretty much matching the shims that were there when we dismantled the car.  Then Dan measures clearances on all the panels and doors where they meet,  He then removes or adds shims to adjust the body and get everything in alignment.  In fact, this is probably way more attention to detail than was originally done at the factory.

Looks Like Face Cream

It's time for a few touch ups with the hammer and dolly and a thin coat of body filler for final smooth sanding: 

 

Fenders and Cowl Work

Dan Shady has been working during January, 2012, on the rear fenders.  One of these fenders (the driver's side, I believe) had been damaged along its outer edge.  That one took a fair amount of work to get straight.  The other one was not quite as bad, but it, too, needed a little loving to be made ready to prime.  Speaking of priming, Dan got the cowl section back from the media blaster and had a warm day on which he was able to prime it with the epoxy primer.  Here are some pictures as of the end of January:

 

 

Doors are Mounted

Today (12-6-2011) the doors are mounted!

Repositioning the Rear Skin

12-5-2011  The rear body "skin" is back in position on the wooden framework and Dan is fastening it in position!  The body is held in place (believe it or not!) with dozens of tiny brads that go through holes in the sheet metal into the wooden structure.