Projects 1959 Chevy Nomad wagon build

More slow work on cleaning up areas that will not show much.
Finally decided to pull the VIN plate and start removing the bad seam seal and "dum-dum" putty. There is one hole that was filled in with putty below the lower drivers windshield that is ~1/2" deep. The area under the VIN plate was a real mess, glad it is finally off, spent way to much time considering it.

 

By any chance you might have a luggage roof rack or even the rear bumper steps.??? I know I'm going to need more parts but these are key items I'm looking for.. Let me know... Thanks

 

I do have them, but will be keeping them on my car.
Anything else not as rare you need?

 

After selling my wagon, I bought another 59 wagon more of a project really. I need to do an inventory of things that I might need and I will let you know..
Thanks

 

I'm also looking for a front bumper guard too..

 

I do have this too, but will be keeping them on my car.
Will keep my eyes open. The grill guards are available new, so much easier to find than the roof rack and bumper steps. Looks like they are going for ~500 to 600.
I just got a set of new rubber bullets for mine.

 

I love the 59's, and the wagon is super rare. You are going at it with a great attitude, doing it right is so cool. Best wishes on a neat project. ~sololobo~

 

Sorry but no roof racks or bumper steps.

 

Thanks sololobo for the words of encouragement i"m looking forward to getting it done but want to the best i can within reason. i need to keep moving to have the body work and paint done before the cold sets back in this fall. in the 90's today, but summer in Minnesota is a fleeting thing

 

After a lack of decisiveness i decided i need to prep the firewall too.
It turns out i had a mini-compost pile at the far end of the box where bits of leaves, dust and who knows what piled up. Removed the nasty paint and repainted, still working on the old seam filler, pink bondo and dumdum.
as usual, glad i kept after it, but still will have to draw the line somewhere.

 

The fan is not to visible, but i like the after picture a lot better the the before. now i need to get back on the body so it is primed (before it gets cold).

 

Looks good. Those small fixes really add up. And maintain progress. Keep it up.

 

when the fan was pulled the out of the box it had been in for close to 2 years, i knew something needed to be done . the good one is actually from the 61 parts car, it was not as bad as the original. and it is nearly the same. Just had to remove the damper and a short adapter, then sand and paint. Love it when parts interchange.

 

well the latest is deciding the only way to really do the firewall is to pull the engine and transmission and then that is it.....

 

not too much worth taking a picture of since the last post. welded up some holes on the flat area above the firewall and hammered out a small dent that had went unnoticed before.
reconsidering pulling the engine. After removing everything else from the firewall it is getting cleaned up pretty good.

 

Great score, they're hard to find, I had to settle on a pair of passenger car ones and modify them to fit the El Camino, same as your wagon.

 

Looking good! Little progress is still progress, Cant wait to start on mine, you guys inspire me.

 

made some more little progress, found a few more holes under the seam sealer. decided new metal was the way to go, even though it will not show and will be covered with seam seal again. filled in a smaller one on the firewall too. scraped off the rest of the sealant.

 

Looking good 1959Nomad.. I have to get started on mine soon or it will never get done. But I did score on a pair of rust free front fenders for $75.00 (left and right)
Yes, your reading it rite... $75.00 bucks.. Was I stoked.!!!!
Look forward to seeing the progress on your ride.

 

59Wood, Up here in Minnesota we mostly just dream about finding rust free parts like that!
Great find on the fenders. gathering up parts you need is a major step in the build, so i think you have started. when do you think the hands on work will start?

 

Well, since it has been a month without a update, i guess my update is not much done or to show.
Some sanding and a little filler, a lot of thinking. Hope to get some time on the car soon.

 

Keep after it Man. Weather is coming and if it's like my shop you'l be stuck with mechanical work until its warm enough to paint again in the spring.

 

Dont think too much....you might realize how much work you still have to do ...hey it all has to be done, a little here and there is way better than getting nothing done! keep at it!

 

That is the plan, to at least get the rest of the car painted with the DP-60 soon. there should be some days in October warm enough with some supplemental heat if needed.

Thanks for the encouragement, maybe thinking about it and worrying how it will go is getting me bogged down, time to "Just Do It" and learn a lesson one way or the other

 

Got a few hours to do one of the things i have been thinking about;
Tear into the rear floor and wheel housing covers?
Answer was yes, and good thing as more crud and rust outs were uncovered.
Plan will be to prime it all with the outside and figure out how to redo the padding under the wheel housing covers later.

 

If you're not going to buy the wheel house covers pre-made then you can get the cotton padding to glue to the vinyl at a good fabric store. It's the same stuff they put over the foam for the seats and indoor furniture. See if you can find someone who can get you some Red Leaf "K-Grip" upholstery adhesive. It's the stickiest stuff I've ever found for that application. You can buy the siphon gun to shoot it off Amazon for about $25.

 

This is pretty! What type of paint did You use on the blower motor?

 

Hi Sauli, the paint is "PlastiKote Lacqure, T-3 Hot Rod Black" (semigloss) i tried some other black first and it scratched off really easy. this seems to be quite hard

Fanatic, thanks fro the tip on the padding

 

Well tonight the phosphoric acid, in the form of "Metal-Ready", was used on the rear inside floor, figuring the parts can be easily removed later if for some reason it turns out bad.
Got a lot done last weekend when the cold weather caused for a change in plans on a fishing trip with my son who was in town from Alaska. He suggested we spend the day working on the car, yep, he's a good son.

 

Just new here and don't mean to hijack your thread,but thought this was a good place to ask................

Bought a 59 Nomad recently...... (BIG project,but really complete)

Front seat was missing.....have located a correct replacement but it doesn't have the Impala 2 pc aluminum side trim on it.

I know the hardtops & flat tops DID,what about Nomads?

Also,are the wagon & 4dr. sedan doors interchangeable? (I'm guessing the tops are different?)

Thanks for letting me interupt,I'm likely going to have LOTS more questions....