Projects Recreating the jesse lopez coupe

looks great ..

 

Was getting a crick in my neck trying to read it.

 

You might need some BK Royale’! I got some.

 

If the car has widows, then the woody has to have windows.

 

Well, I'm trying to remember when I first became aware of a problem with the paint. The car was upholstered in the coldest part of the winter in Texas, plenty cold.

So now I have the interior done, and it's back home, a good thing. Occasionally there would be a time when I completed a particular part of this project and be impacted by where I'm at recreating this famous car. The idea that this has become "other worldly "impacts me from time to time, and this was one of those times.

The thought about me really going to get this completed because of the enormity of it never really crossed my mind.

As I explained in the JCC thread when the car was sitting in my driveway waiting for the transport to the GNRS to arrive, I was always aware that I was in way over my head, I had never been involved in projects of this magnitude, with all these implications before, in my life. I did mention that being involved in this as I was, produced conversations with God that included confessions of inadequacy, and resulted in calling out for help, which I received. The reluctance to try and do things that I'd never done before was gone and I just pushed forward and continued with success, to my amazement.

So now its summer, its plenty hot, and I realize that I can take advantage of this "Texas oven" to help cure this lacquer that has a reputation for never curing. I like examining the paint finish, and the consistency of how the metallic lays out, which is important.

As I examined the paint carefully, I became aware that there are very small fractures in the skim coat of filler at the rear of the roof, between the 1/4 glass and the back glass, both sides, like stars. I don't like this development, but I realize that "life" recreating this car has been a problem, and this is just another one.

When I mentioned this to Chris, he explained that he made sure that there was "contact" between those layers of foam and material, and glue by "banging" the area with his fist until he was confident that he had accomplished this very important task. Of course, this had to be done twice because of the first incorrect headliner. My first thought was that this must mean that he doesn't do these kinds of headliners in cars with chopped tops.

My second thought was remembering why I eventually switched to pot from alcohol when I was a teenager because I just couldn't understand why someone would willingly submit to being "hammered" when they woke up in the morning.

To be continued...
.

 

This is what happens to things that are not cured out in the shop during this lovely Texas summer. That also includes humans.

 

Well its dangerously hot outside, the shop is worse. So, I move everything I can inside as you've seen. Here is the spotlight prepped (again) for chrome paint. I sneak out in the early morning and put in maybe a half hour of work. I want to get the ripple pipes ready so that I can do them both.

 

As I sit down and get ready to "retell" this paint disaster story, I need to go back and refresh my memory regarding all this stuff.

After finding the right page # and video that exposed the issue in a way that I couldn't ignore, I realized that I've already explained this part, it's all there.

If you go to page 89, it starts on the lower half of that page with the video and continues on as far as you want to go.

to be continued...

 

One more time and bring it indoors out of the Furnace.

 

looking pretty darn good to me Jerry!

 

This should have been included with the spot light.

 

nice , great detail

 

The second one explains the first one.

 

OK, I'm at the place where I need to wrap up this part of the story, and I've come face to face with the fact that it won't wrap like I thought it should. There's an element that refuses to be passed over. My writing area is strewn with the pages of at least three failed attempts at trying to say what I'm being compelled to say.

This thing that lured me in when I was an early teen, captured me, and dominated my life (and yours), with all its colors, shapes, creative genius, has to be called out, for what it is. My struggle has been centered around connecting Gods creative power to something as common, and mundane(?), as cars.

Now we know what happened with the paint part of this build to correct the human carelessness, that was on full display. God agreed with the plan that this would be as authentic and historically correct to the original car and Jesse's vision. That included a sidetrack and a correction that God saw was going to be needed, before this project even started, and he installed the circumstances that brought it about before this project was even a dream in Jesse's head. Pretty cool huh?

to be continued...

 

The spotlight and the woody have been separate entities for so long that I've been contemplating some kind of ceremony to mark this moment, but the hell with it, here they are.

 

@jivin jer thanks for sharing with us your journey. I doubt for anyone, believer or not, that projects of this magnitude don't stay in the purely physical. They all become much bigger than that, I have be taught lesson's, encouraged & inspired in ways which seems to be beyond me,

 

I appreciate the observation.

 

I'm aware that God has access to all this and is aware of my struggle with this project, and all the obstacles that have been put in my path. This time he dropped a thought into my mind, and it simply was in the form of an incomplete portion of scripture that I'm familiar with. It was six words, "made in our image and likeness." It's from the first book in the Old Testament, and it's the first portion that I want to focus on. Genisis 1:26 "Then God said, let us make man in our image, according to our likeness..."

As I processed this when I woke up the next morning, I was overcome with the power and significance of this scripture. It explains what's behind the fascination with creating something new, and the environment that God has given to us to exist in, with all the colors in nature, the beauty of a crystal-clear mountain lake, the fade away colors in a sunset. Do we not see all this (and more) in these incredible custom colors that are coming out of the Avante Gard shops these last years?

I see this creative force in carefully selecting the right car that's always been a traditional favorite, and coming up with something new, being careful to stay within the "normal" boundaries. We have even come up with our own rules for doing this stuff, from waay back. The finished car has to be an improvement to the original design, or (these days) from the traditionally acceptable norm. When we get it right its power is something that can't be denied.

Who do you think was the creative force behind Barris Kustom? Junior Conway told me that when it was new car announcement time George Barris would take multiple days off from work to carefully study all the new cars to see what he could possibly use on his next creation. What would he choose, or reject as elements of future creations? How could he not be aware of the creative power that he was being manipulated by? I suppose it's possible that he thought he was the force behind everything that came out of the "dream factory" that him and his brother Sam started.

We try to grasp the power that created a Darryl Starbird, Ed Roth, Gene Winfield, Bill Cushenberry, Dean Jefferies, and lately, Boyd Coddington, Chip Foose, Dave Kindig (yeah, we kindig it). My apologies to the many others that should be included in this (ongoing/expanding) list.

Oh, and the Texas kid whose dad gave him his first car. It just happened to be a hot, '55 Chev cpe with a 4-speed, that he would bang through the gears on the roads near his house. Every time he looked in the rear-view mirror, he couldn't help but see the name "JESUS" etched in the back glass. He kept thinking "if I just keep bangin' away at this message board I might "create" something, someday."

Are we thankful that he kept at it? WE ARE! It's given us a place to be and become. Dad no doubt knows a thing or two about how things work.


To be continued...

 

HEY!!

 

That looks great!

 

Looks awesome Jerry!

 

Thanks everybody! It would be very George Barris of me to bask in the limelight and take all the credit for what you see here. The fact is that if we didn't have a Frank Palmer, we wouldn't have this. Thanks 'brother Frank'. I had no idea what to expect when I gave him these 'woodies', and I did have a vague notion about how things should be, but not this.

 

The spray chrome is consistent with the experience that I had with the garnish molding awhile back. They just won't tolerate any handling. It wasn't an issue with the JLC with minimal trim pieces, but the JCC with all the trim it needs to be "tuned" up.

 

Well that is unfortunate. Having seen you over come each obstacle, I’m sure it won’t prevail against you.

 

OK! It's time to unleash the brain power of the HAMB. If we can seal off/encapsulate the chrome with something that won't affect the chrome appearance, we'll have found what we need. The automotive clears (even the early ones) separate the particles and give it a Metaullic look. I'm wondering if looking in other places we can find something that will work.

As I start to process this my first thought is varnish, could that work, or a wax of some kind to provide a barrier to the oil on our hands? HELP!

 

I'm going to give this a "shot.".

 

Boy, I don't have a clue about that. I've never tried to clear/seal it.

 

I resprayed the "wheel", about a week ago, the "hubcap" has been on the shelf for months. It's pretty frustrating.

 

The thought just came to me that I should be having this discussion with the manufacturer!

 

It looks like the plasti dip might work. It doesn't force the chrome particles apart when I carefully spray it on. I'm waiting on the enhancer to give a shine to make it look right. In the meantime let's