Customs A Tail of Two Fins (59 Impala)

Got another piece ready

 

59 Chevs are awesome...at least its a solid patient to tie the new structure into. Still understand the effort required as Mike said a seriously huge undertaking.

Good job Anthony...

 

thanks
people asked why we attempted this
the bones of the car was great, sometimes you have to look past the bad .....and its a conv

makes a big difference

 

Great job.

 

If you ever wondered what a 59 fin looks like off the car, here ya go

 

Tops of fins ready to weld
Top boot trim fits
Gettin closer

 

Details
This little baffle is unseen
It will hold some foam to seal the fin area
Just because no one will see it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be replaced

The original one on the left

The newly fabed one on the right

 

Rebuilt and epoxied fin tops ready to go back on for the last time

 

Getting closer

 

I was at a swap meet and two guys were looking at the a section of a 48 Ford convertible with title. It was the part behind the doors and half way to the back half of the car. That was it. With the convertible top frame attached. They said at one time there were cars that were unrestorable. Not any more. I found a 59 Chevy convertible for a friend of mine. I was at a junkyard, it didn`t have a front clip and the quarters were torched off. It was unrecognizable until I saw it from the rear. I`m guessing someone used it for a parts car for a hardtop cause all the convertible parts were there. Impressive work sir.

 

Unbelievable amount of shrinking was done on this. I think I have worn out a shrinking disc
It needs a little more fine tuning and it will be ready to epoxy.
The owner needs to fit his AC and cut the steering column for the new power box. And build the exhaust Then he can put it in the rotisserie to spray the floor

 

Trunk floor looks a lot better now


here is an engine hint

 

Oh Yea!! Good Job @anthony myrick

 

Impressive work! Did the fact that the frame had been removed and powdercoated affect your work? I would think that you would have preferred to reinforce the rusty body prior to it being separated from the frame. Since it was off the frame would a rotisserie made the job easier, or was it so much work that wouldn’t made that much of a difference.

Do any of your students follow or assist with your vintage builds?

 

Try as I might, it's impossible to tell if there's a dipstick on the passenger side. The suspense...

 

Fifth post in this thread says it's a 348.

 

The body was braced in the door area (doors removed) before the body was removed
It was on a rotisserie for blasting. I also replaced the front floor pans while on the rotisserie.
The owner assembled the powder coated chassis and suspension then we placed it on the frame
All exterior panels have been welded with the body bolted to its sprung chassis, sheet metal aligned and with the weight of the engine and trans.
The only issue the powder coat added was protecting it.

Students haven’t been involved with this one.

 

Can’t remember. It is a 59 block

 

I feel your frustration with the owner being keen and having the frame coated before tackling the bodywork. Frame coating should be done last after everything else is done. Great work so far, kudos to you. You're a patient man

 

Lots of aluminum foil and tape
Moving blankets protect it under the lift. Underneath the car is a mid rise scissor lift Helps save the old knees

 

I need to clarify. Some students do follow the builds on the HAMB. I did take a couple parts from the 59 to demonstrate heat shrinking and hammer/dolly work. I have had students work on small parts for other builds. We built the bottom of a 33 Plymouth grill at school for a fab demonstration. Some of my students view the HAMB regularly away from school. We do have a couple or threads posted here that highlight some of their work.

 

@anthony myrick -Don't want to de-rail this thread, but I have heard about those shrinking discs exploding. Wanted to try them but never have. What's your thoughts on them, and what kind do you use?

 

I think it came from autobodytoolmart.com
It is the flat version. I don’t think it works as quickly the wavy versions.
I prefer the sun chaser version better but it works ok.

 

The front sheet metal was s lot better than the rest. This is the worst spot on the front
The styl line was all Bondo and below it was some serious balll peen hammer pounding. I lot of shrinking and dolly work later and it will have a lot less of that 1/2 inch of filler
Still needs a little more. But very close. The rust colored areas is from the cracked bondo and will be blasted

 

Milestone tonight
The major work is done
Time for the owner to fit his AC then back on the rotisserie to refinish the bottom of the car
This one got all 6 avalible floor patches fit and but welded in place. These were the first pieces I put in but finished up the welding tonight where I couldn’t when the braces were installed due to it being on a rotisserie in the beginning plus I like finishing things while bolted to its chassis.

 

Also fixed where the truck horns used to be


Apparently this car sported a pair of big truck horns at one time

 

Its a milestone for me to chime in and see the great work you do @anthony myrick...Question for you...are going to apply these skills to a wild Hotrod someday and I know you and the student team are working on the Caddy but I'm talking yours and I know you have the wagon on the go...and what is your avatar...I'm curious?