Projects 1949 Buick Sedanette Mild Custom Build

The car is in the paint shop and I am working with my buddy, Steve, doing grunt work and learning what goes into a quality paint job. So far, we have filled the worst low spots and paid a lot more attention to panel gaps and fit. We are starting to sand filler and will probably spend most of this week just skimming and sanding.

So far, I have learned at least four things.

1. Weld ALL pinholes and finish all grinds. ALL of them.
2. Get the metal smooth as possible. Shrink any knots and raise any small low spots.
3. You can move door edges, fender corners, etc if you try. Get all the edges lined up with the rest of the body so that you don't end up with any "fat" edges.
4. Sanding filler is a skill that can be learned and I am learning. I'm also learning that it is an extremely messy process! Jesus, that dust piles up and gets everywhere!

The hood peak turned out really well. We glued it in with panel adhesive and sanded the adhesive down. I don't think I would ever have gotten it as straight if I had welded it.

 

The peak was formed by breaking a 3 " wide piece of 18 ga. sheet metal and then partially flattening it in my press. I trimmed it to fit in the trough and shaped it so that it laid flat in the trough. The adhesive is not very viscous, so don't count on any resistance from it to help straighten the peak.

 

You might have a ghosting seam problem from bonding the peak in.

 

Hope not. We're letting it dry a long time and then skim coating it. Its possible, I guess. Ugh!

 

Love your build, What color are you painting it ? If it’s ghost at all it would look like a shadow of the peak. At least it’s not a two piece hood with a right and left side joined down the middle, that you had to weld up and run lead on.

 

The plan if for a dark blue pearl, 2017 Dodge Challenger Contusion Blue is on the very short list.

 

I like dark Blue good choice

 

Looks like you are making great progress. Please keep posting your progress.

 

As I said before, I am helping my buddy Steve, who is painting Big Bertha. I am doing grunt work mostly. If you have never worked with someone who knows how to get a car smoothed out, you need to try to do that. You also should sand down some body filler so that you not only appreciate the experience and talent required to get a smooth finish but also the hard physical work and time required. Then you would have a greater appreciation for why a nice paint job costs so much.

This car is all curves. No nearly flat surfaces anywhere except the doors. We have got the rear end, the fenders and the doors worked out. Next up is the hood and the roof. The paint WILL be slick, I guarantee it.

 

The 60’s Lincoln Tudor had long and flat 1/4 and they were time consuming to get flat. I been doing body work over50 years and I can appreciate the time and effort you are putting into the paint job. It’s kind of like eating a elephant a little bit at a time, it just takes longer. Especially since you picked a dark color. Anxiously waiting to see your Buick completed.

 

Thanks. You have to develop an appetite for Elephant.

 

Got my instruments back and assembled the bezels onto them. They look great but the guy forgot to zero the odometer. How do I do that?

 

Pretty sure you're going to have to open the speedo housing back up. If it was mine it would be going back to the guy, too much chance of messing up the little fiddly bits inside.

 

^^^ This.

 

That is what I thought. Thanks.

 

Primer!

 

Looking good!!

 

Rounding 3rd and headed for home!
And then extra innings of wet sanding and buffing, lol
Why do we do this to ourselves again?

 

Bet you are really happy to be at this point in the build!

 

I think has to do with two things.....ADHD and OCD.

 

Looking good! Man I need rear fender(s) fr my Sedanette. Mine are nonexistent at the front.could fix them if I had some pieces. Currently adapting Jag front suspension. Screwed it up several times, but on track now.

 

This is a fantastic build! I have wanted to do a tilt hood on my 41 coupe since the open doors collide with the hood on whichever side it’s tilted to. Your installation is awesome so I hope to duplicate it.


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You are making great progress. I can't wait to see it painted! Going to send my bumpers off to be plated soon. Were you looking for door latches? Flatnose, where are you located?

 

Yes, I am looking for door latches!

It will probably be March or so before we put final paint on it. (Wait for warm weather.) We did get all of the many piece parts primers today. So, all parts are primers and the exterior is in Slick Sand, high build primer.

 

Car and all parts are in final urethane primer and just sitting and waiting for warm weather. Steve's paint booth sucks all the warm air out of his shop in a hurry, so that is the reason for waiting until it gets warm.

Engine is disassembled and parts ordered. Once I receive them, it off to the machine shop. All external parts have been blasted and are off to the powder coater. Chrome is in Erie, PA at Advanced Custom Chrome. Transmission needs to be reassembled but I'm waiting for my Covid vaccine to be effective before I bring my buddy back to finish that up.

So, next week I will start polishing stainless. Oh joy.....I just love polishing stainless. Not! Anybody got any tips for polishing the curved windshield surrounds? I know I can tape the long straight pieces to a board but how do you protect those right angle pieces?

 

Polishing stainless ehh? May suggest you keep your favorite adult beverage around just in case.


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Rockable do you use Flitz? Was a post here this week about it's polishing power. I have never used it but others have with good results.

 

I will us a buffing wheel with multiple grits to do this. Flitz is great to shine up an existing polished surface but it wont do what I need done.

If you've never done this, you are in for a treat!

 

Maybe he thought it would be illegal? Used car dealers used to be charged if they turned odometers back.

 

I waiting to see the finished product