Projects Recreating the jesse lopez coupe

If you want something done right....

 

Ain't that the truth!


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Ok, son Dan and I are headin' for Oklahoma this AM. I can get this cheaper than the asking price. It doesn't have any suspension in it, front or rear. There's a lot of good parts. I can see that the kids have jumped on the roof. Iv'e had experience dealing with damaged roofs before. They have a "memory", so if you start easing them back into shape they will go, sometimes willingly.

 

Roof...roof...more pics...

 

Not bad buddy. $800 isn't bad and if you got it cheaper, even better.


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Jer, I'm glad Kurt was able to help you. He was at our shop a few days ago and we were talking about your car. He was impressed with you and had great things to say about your build and attention to detail. I hope everything else goes well in the future.

 

Thanks John. I've been thinking of printing out some pages of this thread and sending them to Kurt. I do think he would enjoy this journey. I don't think Kurt is online at all. As a matter of fact as I type this out I'm remembering the disastrous experience that he went through restoring the Zaro car.

 

We got to Oklahoma to find the body up on blocks which made things a little easier. We took the bumpers, top, doors, all the garnish mldgs, it had a beautiful rear gravel deflector that I really needed. The trunk lid was toast. The top...those kids were/are a little bigger than I had hoped. All the way home I was asking myself (?) WHY, WHY.

 

That Merc's windows indows looked like a greenhouse, you'll fix that.

 

I spoke with Kurt today and talked about and showed him this thread. You are right, he doesn't computer much. He does have a HAMB profile, but he chooses to be private about what it is. He trolls a lot here. I go over to his house often and help him web surf and I show him who is talking about him online. He is always impressed that people even know who he is at all. He is a great guy to talk to. He said that he is very impressed with the detail you did with the Junior clone.

 

Thanks again John. I have a Kurt McCormack story.

At the 2011 GNRS, Jr's car was at the entrance where there was a bench running down the aisle the full width of the building. I think it was Saturday night fairly late and there was a group of car owners talking and sitting near the car. Kurt was in the bunch and pretty much everyone was deferring to him in the conversation. I was very reserved because I'd never been anywhere like this before. For some reason I spoke up and said "well, I haven't been famous long enough to know everything". Everyone looked over at me and, then their heads snapped back to Kurt as he chirped " well I have". He was right of course.

 

I want to see some chop pictures!

 

What book has the pics of Jesse's car and Zaro's with all the info? I'm currently building a 46 Ford business (short door) coupe in the style of Snooki Janichs.
Matt

 

Barris Kustom techniques vol 1.

 

I spent a restless Saturday night thinking about that roof that I bought. It was sitting just outside my bedroom window. I didn't want to look at it on Sunday. Monday morning as I was waking up I decided that I would go out and put a couple of hours on it to see what it would do.

I removed the headliner bows and flipped it over onto the lawn in a level spot. I very carefully stepped out onto the roof with my size 13 shoes. It looked (and sounded) like it wanted to cooperate. The large expanse of metal DID want to go back to its original shape. I was encouraged. I got my big rubber hammer out and started to massage the areas next to the big creases (on the perimeter) back into the shape that they used to be in.

I took it into the shop and strung it up with my winch that's in the rafters. Man, talk about handy. It gives me access to both sides of the roof as it stands up and, because it has the lower rear still attached, its super stable. I hammer and dolly out the creases. Now we're getting down to the fine detail stuff. I put my body file on my straight line sander and start to pick and file the damaged areas. I can take my grinder with a 9" 24 grit disc and locate the high and low spots from the back side. I can push down hard out in the middle areas and there's lots of resistance. It's back from the dead.

I wipe some wax and grease remover on it to get it wet so I can look at it. All it needs is a little more work and it's ready for a skim coat of Bondo and a couple of block sessions and some K-36 primer.

I've got about 10 hours into it to the primer part. A lot better than losing more time and money getting another top. I paint the back side with a rustoleum oil based semi gloss black paint and look up, as the body arrives from Bob's shop.

 

Nice work Jer! Love following this thread.

 

I'm getting ready to go to Men's breakfast. I'll post more when I get back.

 

Rather than having that sort of "organic" flow that Jesse's roofline had, it looks a bit "forced" doesn't it? Starting over with the stock piece should prove to be much easier than working with the original as it stands here.

Sorry you had to go through this, but I find this adventure riveting thus far. I admire your perseverance Jer.

-Dave

 

Glad your starting from scratch...



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That rear window.....Oh My....







I'm glad things are going in a better direction.

 

I tried to put some paper in the window openings to see things a little better.

 

The height of the door window may not be completely off the mark, perhaps a little lower. The front window opening will shrink a bit with rubber in place. The c-pillar (or loft? Sail panels? Not completely sure what's the right terminology here) is too streamlined. Should be easier to see with the trunk lid in place.


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A pillars.

 

As TP would say, Holy Chit! Horrible.

 

Pro's eh.......
These guys must own stock in a grinding wheel and welding supply company.
Now I can see why you didn't use their real names.......
Torchie.

 

OMG.....they should whipped in the town square at high noon!

 

I spent about a half hour slow walking around and around this wreck, I opened the doors and very carefully looked things over. I was looking at first hand what I had only seen in emails.

I've changed how I think about this car from when I first saw it. After looking at a lot of '41-'48 Club Coupes I've come to appreciate how nice this car really is. To think what it could have been.

The more I look the more I see that is VERY interesting. I see the cuts near the beltline to the doors that lets them conform to the new shape of the roof. I see the same for the B pillar. I see how the door tops and ¼ glass openings are done and, more important, why. I see the upper b/glass opening slide under the lower area. These will change because the top will come down further but, I see and I understand.

There IS a lot of foundational stuff here that's done right. Something that I now can take and build on. I'm looking past all the thrashin' and see that this IS what I was looking for ultimately. My ignorance regarding what these round top cars need when they're chopped is gone.

Looking at all this and considering what it represents up to this point in this build, I think to myself, this is the price of admission. I also have a strong sense that the KUSTOM CAR GOD is saying to me You did ask for help, remember? You did want that experienced hand for this part, remember, My son?

 

My god you have your hands full! Good luck man

 

Jer, I apologize for being dense but I still have a question regarding the rear window. I understand having the top overlapping the "sail" panel, but is the rear window itself going to stay un-cut and just leaned forward or is it going to be leaned forward and cut as well, meaning that the rear glass and molding need to be cut also.I don't want to re-hash this whole photo distortion issue but just want to know if Jessee ran a cut through the rear window or not. Thanks again for your dedication on this project.

 

Karl, check out post #620. Although that isn't Jesse's car, that was how Sam was cutting those tops back then.