Hot Rods Storage of Fenders, Doors etc. 40 Ford Coupe update

Hi All,

Still workin on the 40 Coupe. The car is in final paint and I'm working on the frame assembly. Here is my problem. The body in sitting on my trailer (for now...have a body dolly) The fenders, doors, hood and decklid all painted as well are just sitting. I have wool blankets to cover them (paint is dry) but they are sorta in the way.
My Question...What is a good way to store them till I'm ready to attach everything to the frame. Should I hang them...wrap them up...or just somehow get them out of the way protecting them from accidents. What have you all done? Thanks.
Murph

 

Living room or, hang them from the ceiling joists in the shop.

 

You could just sell me that Galaxie so you would have more room to store the parts for the '40.

 

Last two builds I painted all of the doors and such separately then wrapped them in bubble wrap and stored them in a spare bedroom. When I finished the body I unwrapped each piece and assembled the car.
I have a '40 Chevy project going now and bought some of those "L" shaped bicycle hooks and have the doors and hood hanging on the shop walls.

 

Common problem for me, it's surprising how much room all the painted body panels take up waiting their time to be installed. Right now I have 3 cars painted but in assembly, even though I have a 4000 sq ft shop I rented one of those self storage units to keep all the body parts till I'm ready for them. Besides being out of my way there is much less chance of accidents happening having them around where we are working.

 

Just listen to you!.....LOL.....I luv the Galaxie.

 

I was going to say either living room or dinning room. The kitchen is definitely out.

The best thing you can do it get them as far away from your work area as possible. it looks like you may have gotten the cart before the horse on that one and now you have a dilemma. In my house if I had no other place to keep them safe the living room would be fine, I can't say for your house.

 

I like the hanging ideas....Thanks

 

Your right!....Barn cat already scratched one fender...no biggie, but it got me thinking about storage. thanks

 

Storage place right up the street! Hmmmmm

 

I'm a bachlelor, so I have 3 spare bedrooms in my house. They all end up with project pieces here and there.

 

You Da Man!...LOL

 

What you want it to have them some place where they don't have to be covered. I don't know what you used for paint but I'll bet it will be gassing out for a while and you run the risk of the wool leaving a pattern on them that cutting and buffing will not really remove.

I am what many would consider to be a dirt bag, I have had engines, transmissions, bike, and *entire cars in the house at one time or another so my advice won't work for most. My lady just says (in her best Okie accent) "Well that's my huuuuusband." But my main point is that you get them out of harms way. You have worked hard to get them to this point and the scratches and dings that they get should be from being driven.

*We removed the front windows once to drag an old coupe in. The frame fenders doors and etc. went through the door just fine but the shell posed a problem. We actually had it set up in the dinning room while we were collecting pieces to build it, looked pretty cool or so we thought. Oh to be young again.

 

This isn't the best pix of what I did, but the only one. Before I blew-apart my first build, a 37 Fordor, I built a lattice of 2x4s and 1x4s on a wall and hung up all the fenders, plus hood and trunk lid, as high as I could using rope or large diameter nails. Some of the nails went thru holes in the fenders or were bent into shapes to fit the parts. I stored the doors up on short 2x4s laid 90 degrees to the walls, to keep them off the concrete or prevent water damage. I did drape some blankets over the doors to prevent dings, but the stuff up high didn't need anything at all. Gary

 

Good idea. I don't have a pic but I have a roadster shell hung from the rafters in my place up north. It is 16 foot to the bottom of the trusses so it is not really a head knocker and it keeps it out of the way.

 

I have put doors, hoods and fenders laying on blankets in the living room and spare bedrooms many times to get them out of the way until assembly. As beaner said I did not cover them (did that once and it left a pattern of the bubble wrap). My wife has no issue with this and there are just the two of us so there is no danger of them getting scratched.

 

I built a shelf or deck above my '35 coupe and below the rafters in my storage garage. I've got about 20" in height up there with a freshly powder coated impala frame tucked away. There is still plenty of room for my Impala, the Ford, and assorted stored items. This wouldn't work for a garage you work in, but for storage it's great. Here's a pic of the model I made before I built it.

 

this cost me.

 

I hang everything I can, from rafters in my shop (12' ceiling) and wrapped up in the cheap moving blankets I bought from the local Harbor Freight for about $5.00 each. Parts that can't be hung up are wrapped in the same type of blankets and stored in an out of the way corner, up off the ground.

 

I feel blankets on things are a false security when they are still near enough to get bonked, scraped or stacked upon. if they're someplace far away- attic, hanging from rafters, other dedicated storage, maybe cover them loosely (outgassing as previously stated). -rick

 

I used satin black urethane paint with mild activator...dried real quick...been done nearly 2 months. I figure it should be more than dry. I found a good place to hang the fenders and doors. Thanks for the story...