Customs 1937 Dodge, Ol Bessie Is Coming Home

Try sanding / grinding half the thickness off a couple of scrap pieces and see if you can get a joint that's closer to flush.

I like the work so far - looks close to pro - don't want the joints to bring it back to amateur.

 

It doesn't look like much but with no trim fastners of the right size and shape being located, and the ones listed for 37 dodge not fitting either the trim or the body holes.......Plan B.

Since every single fastner hole in the body, hood, trunk, grill shell, cowl are all accessable before upholstering.....I purchased later model MOPAR trim fasteners in the screw and nut configuration instead of the wire popin/popout type.

Spend about 30 minutes modifying the smallest of the fasteners (they were a touch too wide to fit properly) on the grinding wheel until each was a snug fit in the narrowest pieces of trim that goes on the hood. About another hour and a half was spent moving each screw into a position where the trim will fit right onto the applicable body panel and not need any moving around or much fiddling to get it into place over that pending brand spanky new paint job.

3 pieces of trim down. 19 pieces of trim to go.

 

Next projects started to arrive. Rear window garnish. I have to make a trip up and gather all the window frames/garnish molding but I believe I have all 9 moldings for the 11 windows in the car. This was the set I was missing, as far as I can remember. An inventory later will prove me right or wrong. But. Wrong color but glad to have them at a very fair price.

Once the trim and grill is done, I'll start in on cleaning these to bare metal and getting them prepped with prime and base color for wood graining.

 

I think the grill surround is about where I'll be happy with it, half laps and all. For the most part, everything lays down against the grill shell pretty well. Hand bending from scratch is hard!

 

Took the plunge, so to speak. Last big job on the exterior trim. I have a bid in on an auction for a spare grill, centerpiece and the elusive crank hole cover. The crank hole cover is the only thing I need but......gotta bid on it all. Meantime, trying to get as much rust off the Raleigh Parts Car grill as possible. Ol Bessy's original grill is long gone lost. For all I know, its still in the barn up in PA where we used to live.

2 gallons of CLR and balance of hot water. With luck it'll remove enough rust that I can encapsulate it all with converter and then top coat in black paint....though I believe silver paint was original. Black should show off the stainless teeth a bit better though.

The beginning of what is likely to be several days soak time.



And here, 20 minutes in to the soak, the rust stain that blead over onto the stainless steel caps on each grill bar is already loose enough to simply wipe away. I have high hopes the grill sections come out reasonably clean and with sufficient remaining strength to be touched up and reinstalled.

 

About 40 minutes into the CLR Soak and the heavy rust is already softened and in several areas it just wipes away down to bare steel.

Here, the lower tab on the center trim piece, all rust gone, bare steel.



Another tab, mostly clear of rust, a bit more soaking and it'll be fully bare too.



Here the very heavily rusted side of one of the center pieces......already much off the rust is softened and wipes away leaving bare steel. The pits are still red rusted but I suspect they'll come clean too.

 

After about 18 hours in the CLR I pulled the parts, gave a light scrubbing with brushes in hot water and was quite pleased. About 90% of the rust is gone and bare metal is shining through. Put the parts back in the solution to get more working time on the more stubborn rust but I believe with a topcoat of rust converter, the grill will come out well. This certainty exposes more bare metal with less work and damage than wire brushing or bead blasting.

Here, I flipped the center section. Except for the top, which is now in solution, its about as clean as I could ask for, though I see some adhering paint bits that I can clean off. Most of the adhering old paint bits softened up and floated away with the rust.



In the background, the other center section, which was much more heavily rusted, needs more time in solution. But, even it shows marked improvement.



As for the grill sections, they are looking marvelously clean. Still soaking, I'll rinse tonight and decide if they need more time on the first end or if its time to flip them over.

 

Grill center piece is done. It looks excellent. Cleaner than I thought it'd get and plenty sturdy. Flash dried it after a thorough rinse at 180F in GoodWife's oven (She's out of the house right now) and set it aside. I'll straighten the teeth and mask the stainless toppers in preparation for rust block and prime and paint.





As for the grill sections. Bottom halves are both done, cleaned and rinsed. The passenger side, normally the wetter side of a car, was more heavily rusted. But it came out fine and is still plenty strong. Driver side looks fantastic as shown in the photos below. Flipped em both over and dropped them back in the CLR to soak the top halves for a day or day and a half. After that, should be the same, rinse, dry, straighten, encapsulate, prime and paint. Gonna be a lot of taping before the paint, that's a lot of stainless steel bits to cover.

 

Begin the taping....



And after prime and paint, the vertical centerpiece looks splendid. Flat black brings out the stainless caps nicely.

 

And. I just won an auction for a grill set that includes the ever elusive and nearly impossible to find crank hole cover. Soon, Ol Bessy will have a complete grill. Top to bottom, for the first time in years and years.

 

Drivers side grill half is completed. Locked the remaining and stubborn rust down with three coats of Loctite rust convertor. Followed by two coats prime and two coats flat black. Pulled off the tape and the stainless shines right out. One more side to go and then a crank hole cover to clean up similarly.

 

Impressive!!

 

Its coming along. Can't wait to get the crank hole cover in hand an see what kind of shape its in.

 

Email to Dad.

Dad,

Just finishing up the passenger side of the grill here. After the second coat of flat black paint but before removing the tape from the stainless steel bars.



And here after removing the tape....



Just waiting on the crank hole cover to arrive from Oregon. Hopefully its in good shape. Had to buy an entire grill to get it but we'll see about getting that little bit cleaned up and ready to install on your car. First time in 60 or more years she'll have had a complete grill. Be nice to see it.

 

It only took about 60 years to find one Dad and I could both afford and in good enough shape to restore and install.

But....bought all of this.....



To get this......The elusive crank hole cover. All the rest can be dispensed with, this is the gold/keeper from the auction.



Its resting in vinegar as I type this to remove the bulk of the rust scale. In a week, we'll have, for the first time since we got the car in 1957, a complete grill for Old Bessy.

 

Part out of the vinegar. Came out about 95% bare metal with a hot water scrub. Got some flash rust in the oven at 180F for 20 minutes to dry it off. A quick shot of converter will lock it all down and ready for prime and paint.

Some loss of metal on this lowest piece of the grill....also likely the wettest over the years. But, still plenty of study metal and the silver brazed joints are strong. So. Clean up and it'll be ready to ride again in Old Bessy's snoot.

After cleaning and before taping off the stainless bars.

 

It cleaned up good. I might go install it all in the spare nose and see what it looks like!

 

I set the grill pieces in place in the spare nose, just to see how they'd look.

 

It was and Awesome day at GoodGuys in Raleigh. But I gotta tell ya.....whats being offered in the $25000 to $40000 bracket are not much more than/or should be priced lower as daily drivers with their heavily flawed repaints or very poor base body work. Folks, I didn't see a car worthy of a high price untill we were looking at vehicles in the $50000 and up price range. Dad and I were in agreement, what we saw at or below $40K was in large part much lower quality than even the amateur work we did on numerous cars back in the 1980s and 1990s. We look forward to having the 1937 Dodge home soon as we believe its professional body and paint work would compete much better than the many overpriced samples we saw. Neither of us was disappointed with the show, but rather shocked on our first foray back to Hot Rodding in over 25 years. We do not recall such overpricing of very poor quality work from our days trolling the annual shows and swaps of Hershy PA.


And as for the old 37. Doors are on and aligned. Front motor mounts are out. Much of the antiquated suspension is loosened and the car should be in the suspension/motor bay next week for transplant of modern heidts suspension front and ford rear and then the 5.3/4L60E.

 

Hi Sharps,
How's progress mate? I can't see any of your images anymore.

 

pretty much dead in the water. no changes since jan 17. lots of talks with dad and i'm ready to walk away from it and go buy one that we can drive....coulda bought two daily drivers so far. I told him i was going to pull it at christmass and count the thousands invested to date as a total loss/sell the car but....he wants to reengage with the shop. we'll see.

 

I don't know the whole situation, but sometimes it makes the money worth it to have a bond and time with family. I guess what I'm trying to say is. The new daily driver will never be the car that you planned and built with your Dad. In the end it's your decision. Hobo Jim

 

Surely you can retrieve it as is mate, and store it for a little while. You've come so far, you're at the pointy end now. Don't give up Ol' mate.
Cheers, Mudgy

 

What's doing, Sharps? I hope you still have the car mate.
Cheers, Mudgy

 

I agree with Mudgy any updates on this project? I also hope the two of you still have this car. Hobo Jim

 

Sharps40

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I was wondering if sharps project would have kept going if he got it to his own garage??? Wow thats to bad...I hope that man gets his car back...I would have used the drivetrain that was in it.

 

Talked with shop owner, late December 17, just before Christmas. He admitted, his fault, not keeping it on the rotation. I can't pull the car even though I want to as its really dads car first and he now wants it done top to bottom, bumper to bumper and turn key....and he wants this shop to do it all. Friends.

I told Dad, I'd havepulled it, sold it/parted it out, etc and bought that solid restoration we saw in Maine for $13000 long ago..... Told dad so and then felt bad about saying it. I'm $25K in and paid up through all body work, instalation of drive line and power pack and wiring, etc to have a running driving primed body. I feel good about the investment, the body work is great, the mechanical work will be as good. Its just so fucking slow.

So.....no wheels or control arms under it yet but at least a solid gm rear axle is installed, a good 5.3 is on hand along with a 4l60 and all the harnesses/injection/alternator, etc, to make it go. Front suspension was ordered from a major maker and summarily rejected by the builder due to the inordinate number of Chinese/Taiwanese parts included. So, Good for the builder, I still trust him,.....its just so GolyDayumed Fugginazz slow!

but, after a heart to heart with the shop owner, he understands a bit better about dads health (which dad never mentioned to him, Dad is 78+!) and that time is going to become a problem....(i.e. getting Bessy done and running before Dads parkinsons gets bad enough he can't even drive it with me or even remember riding it it an hour later...parkinsons ain't just the shakes....it destroys the entire person, body and mind).....I asked for two things in Jan/Feb 2018: A $$ estimate of a fully completed car (since I'm out and Dad's got the money stick for HellCat B5 Pearl Blue, rubber/glass/tilt/ac/tires/wheels/stereo and upholstery) and the exact day in late 2018 or jan/feb 2019 for Dad to arrive at noon, link up an MP3 playing War's Low Rider at a setting of 11 on the volume dial and take his turn key car on its first run in over 25 years.

We'll see. Its hard to leave it sit there, but I have to honor dads decision. Its always been his car, even when it was mine.

 

Dad

78 years young and with his Battle Rattle



Last year he killed this, 230 yards, back of the neck....one shot Dead Right There.....Parkinsons ain't got him yet.....damn steady on the trigger still.

 

Thanks for popping in fellas. Didn't think anybody gave a shit. Maybe some progress this year.