My mom inherited a 32 ford roadster and I was looking it over for her. Besides one door not closing (sure to be a future post if I can’t find the topic already on the forums) there are a couple areas where the paint is cracked (see photos). Also do I have to worry about rust under it or had to tell without sanding down? It’s been garage kept for like 60 years. On my vehicles I have used model paint for small touch up details. With the one that has the most separation can I use model putty then model paint? I really don’t want to sand down the whole area and paint it. Just looking for suggests on how others have addressed these issues. Thank you Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The one on the upper quarter is going to keep flexing, so putty will only pop out later. Touch it up with paint only. The other crack, is telltale of issues below. Looks like other bubbles in the same area. Touch up may bring attention to it, or hide it, depending on your skills. They are both part of the story of the car. Fixing them by sanding out and repainting will only lead to more and more work. Enjoy the vehicle as is.
Looks like the crack at the door jamb will require welding. And the crack at the decklid is over somebody else’s previous weld. They both should have further work before paint if you want them gone permanently. A bottle of touch up isn’t going to cut it.
steel body. So the door jam is likely split in sheet metal? With both of these extent of rust if any is probably hard to determine without sanding? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
looks like bondo cracking old school try a magnet on it.as others said drive it unless prepared to do a lot of work a lot of unforeseen work.touch up and drive.use a small weak type magnet
Unfortunately, both area's will require more than touch up paint. The first picture most certainly will need someone with welding skills. The second picture will need to be stripped and who knows what you will find. Can you post a few more pictures?
Here are some more photos with a small bottle cap magnet of my wife’s, haha (all mine were to powerful). With the less powerful magnet it does grab less around the areas where the cracks are but still grabs. Where I have placed The magnets is about the end of the super strong magnetic response. The door area is strong up to that cracked corner. Yeah probably bondo? And It’s probably cracked because the door upholstery is about 1/8 an inch to far and the door catch hits the upholstery so family has been just slam it closed for years (on my list of things to look at one of these days). Strangely the back part near where the rubble seat is has a lot larger area of less magnetic (seen in second photo). Sorry, very much a noobie, grandpa bought it in the 60s, restored it himself and I didn’t have a chance to pick his brain before he passed. Now I’m just looking after it, don’t really want to mess with much cuz it runs and drives now. Just minor things. Other photo is just wide angle of the whole car. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Nice car. It’s from 1932, there are bound to be blemishes. Enjoy it. The first pinstripe jobs were to hide blemishes. Just a thought, not that it solves your issue.
It’s fine, don’t open a new (big) can of worms. Enjoy the car with the flaws and all, I know I would.
That might end up being one of those Damned if I do damned if I don't deals. Doing band aid jobs to try to fix those spots is going to end up looking just that way "someone did a band aid job here". The right way is probably taking the body down to bare metal and fixing the issues correctly and painting it back black. That may not be in the cards and so be it. Best way is probably for her to drive and enjoy it and just have the " I really haven't decided how far I need to go to fix that right" answer for anyone who comments on it. As long as it is all gone over to be fully safe for her to drive, it is up to how deep you want to get into body repair..
The tulip panel above the decklid was originally bolted in and had a seam between them. Somebody welded it, and that has probably cracked. Also looks like the crack at the door jamb could have been because of grinding and thinning the metal. Both are rather involved fixes to repair correctly. As many have said, just enjoy it as is. Don't start digging a hole that gets harder to fill.
Sounds good. Yeah I don’t want to open a can of worms bust wanted to check it wasn’t anything major. Thank you all Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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