Still More Sanding

5-14-2014  At a visit to the shop this week, I got to see more of the progress in the endless "prime, sand, prime, sand" process:

 

More Sanding and Priming

3-21-2014 All that beautiful primer you see above has been block sanded again practically down to bare metal to make the surfaces as perfect as possible.  In the pictures below, you can see the final coat of primer that will bond to the final colr paint -- if I can ever make up my mind on a color!  This week's favorite:  1961 Lincoln "Black Cherry Metallic."

Endless Sanding

12-1-2013  I visited the shop this week to find Dan sanding the rear fenders.  He uses progressively finer grades of sandpaper as he prepares each part for final painting.  It's a case of putting paint on and then removing most of it to create the smoothest possible surface.  He also maintains a hand-written "spreadsheet" to keep track of his progress.

Care and Covering

11-8-2013  The car is resting under cover as Dan works on a station wagon project.  He didn't want to get dust on my car.  That's the kind of care you dream of in a restoration shop.  Thanks, Dan and Deron, for caring so much.

   

More Red Primer

11-4-2013:  Today I visited the shop and noticed that many new additions had been made to the inventory of pieces in the red primer.  This is the last stage of the elaborate sequence to get the surface prepared for finish painting.  Each of these pieces will now be sanded with progressively finer grades of sandpaper to get them ready.  I'm getting antsy...

  

More About Running Boards

10-18-2013  Got to see a little progress this week.  The rear fenders are now back from the sandblaster.  Dan got them primed this week.  Also, he got more body filler on the running boards, having finished stripping and blasting them.  He discovered that the patent stampings are still intact on the undersides of the running board panels.  Quite remarkable really, considering how much these have been exposed to the elements for 81 years!

 

      

The subjects of the patents are as follows:

#1,660,307:  Entitled "Running Board" -- This invention relates to running boards for automobiles, and has for one of its objects to reduce the number of parts and the number of operations in constructing, finishing and applying running boards to automobile chassis.

#1,660,308:  Entitled "Runningboard or Other Tread Member" -- The subject matter of the present application embodies certain improvements, particularly in the shape of the metal body and the manner in which the rubber covering is interlocked with the body.

#1,784,781: Entitled "Composite Steel and Rubber Article" -- This invention relates to a steel and rubber article of the type wherein rubber or similar non-metallic composition is attached by vulcanization or equivalent treatment to a metal base such as a base stamped from rolled sheet metal.

#1,784,782:  Entitled "Composite Running Board" -- The invention relates to running boards for motor. vehicles formed from an elongated stamped sheet metal body with a layer of rubber vulcanized and interlocked to the running board body.

Who would have thought that so much design and patenting would have gone into something that looks so simple?

Rear Axle

9-6-2013  Today, while at the shop, I learned that I'm now the proud owner of an 8-inch Ford rear axle donated by a derelict Mustang (Yes, there'll be a few Ford components in this almost all-MOPAR build.).  There is a salvage yard near the shop and people are forever stopping to ask the Shady boys 

directions to the salvage yard.  One fellow recently asked directions, explaining that he was clearing out a piece of property with dozens of old cars.  The ever-vigilant Deron asked if there were any mid-'60's Mustangs with five-bolt brake drums (The 6-cylinder cars had only four bolts.).  Today, when Deron came back from lunch, this had been deposited by the fence.  We think of ourselves as recyclers.  Before it is installed, it will be cleaned, inspected, and have all new bearings and seals.  Depending on what gear ratio it has (yet to be determined) it may get new gears as well.  The overdrive on the T-5 transmission may allow us to use a somewhat higher gear ratio in the rear end than the most common 3.00:1 that came on Mustangs and Falcons.  Yes, this axle dates to the time of Ford Falcons!