Auto Restoration 101

The work continues on the rust repairs and panel replacement.

The lower quarter panels were in bad shape and had no strength because of the rust. We purchased the lower quarter panels from EMS. Here we have the patch panel tack welded in.

To help with the fit of the lower quarter patch panel we had to install the right rear fender.

Here the panel is welded in.

The patch panel did not fit the new fiberglass fender very well. We had to add some metal on to get a good fit.

The new patch panel didn’t come with the lower part of the door jamb. We fabricated this area with some new metal. We also have the new running board from Direct Sheetmetal installed.

From the U.S. National Archives:
Old Cars Serve as Water-Break on Navajo Reservation

These auto restoration and hot rod build tips are courtesy of Hot Rods

During final polishing mask the entire car with plastic and tape all the gaps to avoid polishing compounds from entering in and under trim gaps etc.

When painting small parts we recommend using 1/8th to 1/4 inch hooks to stabilize the parts. Notice the hooks are taped at the top of the rack as this keeps them from swaying during the force of air from the spray gun allowing a smooth paint job.

Often the edge of a panel will be wavy or unstable compared to the center especially on open panels that are not folded back. The use of a mig welder to spot a few areas and then cool with a wet rag will stiffen the panel just enough. Simply grind them back down slowly to the surface before body work and priming.

When buffing small and or larger stainless trim parts use various sizes of wood to bolt or screw them down to eliminate holding the actual part and tweaking it during the natural heat build that occurs.

The restoration continues….we have some more parts painted. We also started the repairs to the rear fender skirts.

Here are the door hinges, trunk hinges, trunk lid and the grille surround painted the body color.

The convertible top bows and irons were all sandblasted and primed. They were all in great shape and needed very little work.

The primer on the convertible top parts was sanded smooth and then they were painted the original tan/light brown color.

The rear fender skirts were bead blasted and pre-fit to the quarter panels. Shown here after bead blasting.

After we knew they fit correctly, we then removed a few dents and sprayed them with primer. I think the car is going to look great with fender skirts.