Projects Giant speedster project

And a few (faux/non pop) rivets?

 

Jerry,

I checked with my rustang buddy about which type of bondo he likes better; he told me, "The one that comes in 55 gallon drums."

 

Probably the best application of a tuner I've ever seen.

 

Jerry,

I agree you are making great progress.

plym49 I have to disagree with the statements on the quality of work "back in the day". This is an afffront to craftsmen who existed when being good at what you do was really respected.

Back in the period you are representing perfection was sought after & in many cases affordable with wages at $1 a day.

For example if Mr. Bugatti found a file mark on your vise you were immediately fired.

A hand built body like Jerry's would be covered with about 1/8" or more of white lead compound & finished perfectly smooth then painted. Bondo is a much more user friendly material than the old white lead.

Welding was not actually used much but if it was it would be with a torch & done quite well. Screws, bolts & rivets were the fastening method of choice.

 

More Bondo

My camera acted like it had dead batteries but I just changed the batteries. Go figure. I used my cell phone camera but the results are not that spectacular. I used to use a brick layer's mortar board to mix bondo on but over the years I've misplaced the thing. This time I used a worn out glass from the bead blaster. It worked very well. Easy to clean. I just applied more bondo and sanded today. The floor is a mess. Maybe I'll be ready for a coat of primer tomorrow. Getting the body ready to paint will be a big step!

Jerry

 

Great progress! Keep up the good work!

 

Excuse me bud, I was not disparaging anyone, let alone those craftsmen of days gone by. I was observing that welds back then do not look like the welds of today. There was no MIG or TIG. There was no shielding gas. Ergo, the welds looked rougher than what we are used to seeing today.

Grab an old copy of Hot Rod or Rod and Custom - a really old one - and take a look at the visual appearance of the welds on the top dragsters of the day. The welds look lumpy and rough - not at all like the perfection seen today - and that has nothing to do with the quality or ability of the workers; it has to do with the tools and techniques that existed back then.

As far as body waves go, the older vehicles sure had them. (An aside: a buddy of mine has a 120 Jag whose drivers door is 1/2" longer than the passenger door. Does this mean that the panel beaters who built that car were not craftsmen? It certainly does mean that today's standards of fit and finish have evolved a long way from years ago.)

A period car, IMHO, that is over-restored to the levels sometimes seen is not correct. It might be art and it might be a statement of the builder's capability, but it is not a faithful representation of what these cars looked like back in the day.

That's not a criticism, it's an observation.

 

The pictures do a good job of conveying your progress. You have come a long way with what you have put together and it's really looking good. Love your adjustable work rack under the body. Is that sheet metal so heavy that you need a hydraulic lift to pick it up?

 

Haha Just the opposite. The body is so light it kept falling off the saw horses from the pressure and vibration of the air-file, so I just put up the lift. It still falls off.

Jerry

 

My camera's gone completely haywire now. I took two pictures before it gave me an error reading. But now they're gone. Not much to see anyway. I finished the rough bodywork and sprayed it over with primer. Now I need some hi build primer and block sanding.

Jerry

 

glad of no skivvie accidents today............

 

Jerry,
Please give that camera a proper burial. It has served us all very well...

 

Blocking

This is fun. You hand sand a panel until it reveals all the low and high spots. Then you fill them in and repeat the process, repeat the process, repeat the... You get the idea. There's a kind of Zen about it which I think actually means your mind is dulled and you achieve a zombie like state. Actually it's not too bad because you know you're nearing the end of the process. I had to use my cell phone again but I have picked out a camera to buy--GE X500 BK. It's sort of a tween camera but I like the 15X optical zoom. Most importantly it's cheap--$128.

Jerry

 

I'm going to open it up one more time to see if I can bypass the lens cover switch. I already extracted the view finder and rigged the lens motor, so why should I stop. Maybe I'll set it to movie and run over it with the Seagrave.

Jerry

 

There'll be plenty of flaws--trust me.

Jerry

 

Now that would be cool.

 

fully painted of course..

 

Don't worry Jerry, you should be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel soon, although it may be a train.

 

More blocking

I know it looks like I'm going backwards--maybe I am--but I don't think so. Mountains and valleys keep showing up so I patiently sand down the mountains and fill in the valleys. Keep going. Keep going. Arms tired. Getting weak. Must--be--kryptonite. Or possibly kryptonite colored bondo.

Jerry

 

Are you using a fairly stiff longboard?

 

Real stiff, the base of an old air-file.

Jerry

 

Try cross hatch sanding with your long board using 120 grit.

if that gets it close as it should, then with your rigid long board sand in a circular motion which will blend the surface together. Also depending on your climate your bondo/putty can be shrinking. Maybe allow it to dry for a 8 hour period, that may help.

 

Jerry in 2000 I worked in at a yacht building company while going thru a divorce try working the mud on a 165 ft hull & make it straight. They used 6 & 8 ft long boards bought bondo cases by the pallet load.

 

I worked in a yacht yard in Singapore about 20 years ago. They had ten foot sanding boards, which four guys would use between them on the hulls. They'd sit on scaffolding, and just rub the board back and forth, for hours.

Before they were taught about that, by a Kiwi yacht builder, they just used electric sanders, and predictably the hulls were rubbish.

 

Interesting fact! Let me do the math. 165 ft hull, 8 ft. board 16 ft body, .8ft board. .8 = approx. 10"

My board is 12" WOW, I'm right there! And using that formula I'll only need .8 of a pallet of bondo. Super! I thought I'd need a lot more.

Jerry

 

Primer

I've finally got all the heavy body work done so I shot on some more primer. I don't know why I bought black but I'm stuck with it now. Sorry about the phone pics, but my new camera is on the way from Amazon--along with my month's supply of Chinese Viagra--a one pack. Just kidding about the Viagra, I use only American made.

Jerry

 

Looking good Jerry.

 

viagra , long board,amazon,phone pics,?what the hell is going on here? ... fenders please and snap to it

 

Jerry,

How are you finishing off the rear seam?

 

He's taking a Viagara, using the long board and taking pictures of the end result with his phone