Lotsa Primer

And now (6-20-2013), Dan has applied high-build primer to some of the panels to start block sanding.  This helps reveal imperfections that might not have been visible before.  Notice the low spot in the upper right image, for example.  The red color primer coat (in anticipation of some version of red as the final paint) is applied over a black 2-part epoxy primer.  Any high spots will show up during the block sanding as black primer revealing itself.

   

Progress on Many Fronts

There have been many activities going on with the car that are not particularly photo-worthy, but represent progress nonetheless.  

• The rumble seat lid had a slight warpage so that when it was in its closed position, one corner stood high by about 1/2 inch.  Dan re-glued the corners (Remember, there's a wooden frame supporting the steel skin.) using corner reinforcement blocks and braced the lid in a compensating warp in the opposite direction.  When the clamps were removed, the lid assumed its correct shape.  It now fits perfectly.
• The spacing around the doors was imperfect.  Dan welded to build up certain areas of the door edge and filed other areas down so that we now have perfect gaps around each door perimeter.
• The doors were imperfectly formed so that they bulged out in the center of their curvature beyond the overall contour of the side of the body.  Dan heat shrunk both door skins so they are now fair to the curve of the body.

These are items that had to be done but don't exactly jump out at you when you look at the finished product.  Here are a few detailed shots taken on 5-10-2013 of the kinds of body "tweaking" that take so long and are invisible in the finished product:

 

 

 

 

You can click on any of these images to see them in more detail.

Bumper Impatience

11 March, 2013 -- Apparently Dan Shady got tired of waiting for me to bring out the front bumper mounting bracket.  On a recent visit, this is what greeted my eyes:

Replacement Bumpers

Dan and I discussed the need for replacement bumpers.  When I acquired the car, it included the original bumpers, which had been replated, probably 40 years ago.  As Dan would say, they had been "loved on" a little too much.  The plater had gouged the surface with a grinder in several locations, the surface hadn't been properly prepared, and the plating was coming off in several locations.  I mentioned that when I restored my coupe I had located a gentleman in Ohio who reproduced the Model PB Plymouth bumpers.  I couldn't recall his name, but said I'd pursue a new set of bumpers.

I finally remembered the bumper man's name -- Paul Bowling of Buckeye Rubber Products in Lima, Ohio -- and I called him.  He hadn't made any bumpers for a while and he no longer has a chrome plater that he can trust to do his work, but he's making us a set of bumpers that we can get plated.  This was a big deal!

11 January, 2013 -- Today I took Andy Jattuso, a long-time friend, out to visit the car.  He had not seen it in over a year and was quite impressed with the progress.  I guess it's harder for me to appreciate how far we've come, since I usually see the car at least once per week.  It was fun watching Andy go over the details of the progress.  That's Clint Rankin talking to Dan and Deron Shady in the background.

Tail Light Surgery

Tail Light Surgery...

The car was originally delivered with a single, left-side tail light and a single brake light (The right tail light was a $20 option that very few people opted for; turn signals were non-existent in 1932.).  I had acquired a spare left tail light stalk and asked Dan if he could cut and resection it to make a right-hand light.  We did this on my '32 coupe and it worked very well, resulting in the option for turn signals and dual brake lights.  A couple of weeks ago, I visited the shop and Dan and Deron suggested that the lights would look better if they were made shorter and lower to the bumper.  Today (1-8-2013) I went out and saw the results:

A New Interference Issue

12-21-2012  A new and interesting challenge has arisen.  If you examine the back side of the hood sides, there are two features you'll notice.  There is an angle iron stiffener welded to the side near its lower edge.  The latch mechanism consists of a rod that extends the length of the hood with offset latches at each end and a simple linkage in the middle that is moved by the hood handle.  The rod rotates to engage or disengage the latch plates at the front and rear of the hood.  Here's a picture:

The problem we have encountered is that the handle assembly is right up against the valve cover on the passenger's side when the hood is secured.  In addition, the torsion rod part of the hood mechanism barely clears the front of the valve cover.  Check this out:

   

Dan has already come up with a recommended solution that we have discussed (Color me surprised!).  We'll probably move the control handle downwards and to the rear on both hood sides, keeping them symmetrical, and drop the entire latching assembly by a couple of inches to eliminate the interference.  Stay tuned!

Blisters III

11-20-2012 -- And here's what the blister looks like clamped in place:

Needless to say, I'm very pleased with the way this project is proceeding...