To the questions about the primer used and the change to SPI, here is a home brewed video (not mine) on a torture test using SPI epoxy. Enjoy!
Great video link Robert. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and ability. You give us back yard guys renewed optimism.
Tonight's update. We took delivery on some nice used core support side panels from Jay Hammond's Chevy Parts. The others were quite mangled, so this will save quite a bit of time in making a set. Kyle finishing up the battery hold down modification... We also mocked up an MT24F battery... The factory version of this battery location for an air conditioned car also calls for a "zee" bracket to the back side of the core support. So with dimensions taken, a practice piece was cut out of poster board... Laid out on some 16 GA CRS... And got a bit more blocking done across the door gaps..
This has got to be one of the top builds, on the HAMB. Amelia Island Concours' d Elegance is calling you, for next year. Been so interesting to follow. Surely a candidate for the upcoming Motor Nation TV series. JT
Today Kyle cut out the battery tray's zee bracket, and I had told him we should tip the top lip first and then make the vertical bends... As you can see, it turned out horribly, and sometimes I need a learning curve myself... We had used a narrow bottom die to tip the top flange, and should have also used something different for the vertical bends. So let's back up and punt, here bending the vertical bends FIRST and using a roll former die to keep any markings to a minimum. We did a partial bend here, then did a partial tip, and jumped back and forth a few times for a much better result: Plug welded through the thinner battery hold down into the 16 ga metal of the zee bracket using a Letter A sized holes and enough heat for weld penetration to show on the back side... Also did more fine tuning on the front end today.. Test fit of the "early" side emblem..
It's not really off a 55. We want to see how many car shows it goes through before anyone notices.. here's one for a 55
We noticed the driver's side hood gap was a bit tight and then noticed a difference in the end plates on the core support. The driver's side appears bent straight, so some hammer action made them more consistent and helped out the gap issue.. After checking the hood brace to core support for any fitment issues, we noticed some cutouts that will allow the air around the radiator. This opening, although minimal, was re-formed with a couple of fancy chisels.. The excess metal ruffles were addressed easily with the kick shrinker... The next opening was a bit more substantial, and would require some replacement metal. Here was our first attempt at a bead along the edge of the panel.. The dies would not permit quite enough length, so we used a vee die off the press brake and a 1/2" steel rod to make a radius die for the mag brake.. ...and between that and a straight die in the press brake, the edge bead was formed... ...here transposing the crease locations... To pre-stretch the areas for the diagonal vee beads, we loaded these in the bead roller.... This didn't appear to add enough stretch, so the linear stretch die was used in the Watervliet planishing hammer.... Vee was added using 3/4 wide female bead die and a narrow tipping die.. A bit of heat was added to make it a bit easier to transition the round and vee beads together... ....and this one we'll get formed up on Wednesday night and get both welded in place...
I had a bit of a short night as I had to pick up the young'n from after school activities, so most of the progress this evening was Kyle's efforts. Making the patch for the center relief, starting with adding the radius to the bottom edge... This uses a bottom vee die from the Diacro and a 1/2" rod to form the radius.. Test fit of the radius... Trimming out the hood brace... Scribing the patch.... Trimming some of the excess on the bandsaw, and then fine tuning with the snips.... I did work a bit more on hood gaps.. an official gap gauge shown here.... Also took some radiator leak preventative measures.... Trimming the other patch for the hood brace.... Kyle persuading the patch's crease over a bit. This uses a glancing blow to keep the crease's new location from sliding down on the anvil... Both pieces clamped in place, we'll get some welding done on Saturday...
The subtle things you have done, that most people won't even notice, are simply over the top. Whoever your customer is will have one heck of a 55 wagon! Just seeing your posts have helped me to do much better with my limited tools, also in keeping at it till it looks right.
Thanks! Today Kyle needed to start some welding on the hood brace, so while he was getting set up with the welder, I started making him an anvil that he could use to planish the weld dots inside the radius voids.. Heat applied... Kyle's first job at welding sheet metal, he's a quick learner. He did have a couple spots that didn't like the heat and blew a hole, but he did a real nice job in getting those fixed as well. Planishing weld dots on the new "anvil".. Full weld penetration... While he welded away, I turned my attention to the front end. The passenger door had a bit of a tight spot to the rear edge of the fender while opening.. Using a hack saw blade as a "feeler gauge", it was tight in one area. To help out the situation, time for another tool. I have a dent puller with a small pair of vise grips permanently attached, so we just need an adapter kit... This was some leftover square tubing scraps... In use.. After the pulling effort, the tight gap was well over two HSB thicknesses. Moving on to other fender fitment, the bottom edge of the fender was higher than the adjacent rocker. Any adjustment was futile as the bolt was at the bottom of the adjustment hole. Time for some die grinder action to bring the hole downward and also flatten the bottom edge of the hole so any movement forward or backward doesn't push the bolt upward..... This was done on both fenders.. Test fit shows much better alignment.. This may be why the 57 went to a square hole.. Kyle done with his welding on the center patch, just needs to be dressed with the sanding disc. We'll save that for after the other patch gets welded in place.. Front: Rear: And I was also busy making more dust... Can't wait for springtime and the leaf blower
The leaf didn't fall from the mighty oak ! Great work , puts most of us in the dirt . I'm learing a lot , Thanks , Blue
Someone noticed we use some rather "vintage" ice picks as scribes for metalwork, and asked to see a closer look.. I had picked these up a few years ago at an auction as my wife looks at me with that "and why do we need those" looks... The one came shorter as shown, but to prolong the life of the picks, sharpen with a very fine file, never use a grinder The auction was in Fredericksburg VA, if anyone recognizes any of the old ice plants, be sure to chime in so we can all get a history lesson. I tried calling them but nobody answered 8 or 30..
Kyle finishing up on the hood brace.... Because he had gaps to contend with, we used some copper to insure less chance of blow outs. A piece of 1/2" copper pipe was flattened and bent in the press brake to make a fitted backing for the vee bead detail.. Just a bit of work with the sander and this part should be done. Like the new look without all the gaping holes.. Meanwhile, I continued to make dust. Here's a good view of the built in "guide coat" feature of the SPI. Blocking on the top of the hood shows a low spot..... And with just a couple scuffs from the bottom, the low shows up there as well Just a few bumps with the hammer from the bottom into the small shot bag on top and the low is gone. And the rest looks pretty much the same other than the piles of dust on the floor moving around..
A while back we had made the brackets to make up three "reproduction" battery trays based on a 1955 Chevy factory air conditioned car. The only part that did not come with the used original pieces we had as patterns was the factory hold down with it's attached "zee" bracket that secures the battery hold down to the rear of the core support, as seen here in the factory assembly bulletin. We recently mocked up the battery location, and made a zee bracket based on the picture and the dimensions we had in front of us. Now to make the remaining two brackets for the other two battery trays.. A roll former die in the press brake was used to make the vertical bends. A bit of tipping using a press brake die as an anvil, and then using the tipping tool... The finished brackets and a comparison....
Kyle finishing up the hood brace.. While I continue to generate dust on the floor... Recently we installed a used core support that was quite a bit nicer than our original, but still showed some issues... Here we see some rust... And not quite enough clearance to the petcock.. So this will be next on the list, cutting out a new one with a bit better fitment.
Ain't it the truth! Well as I still hadn't finished blocking the front end, rather than pull the core support just yet, Kyle will start on the rear of the wagon in wrapping up some details there. Before pulling the tailgate, there was one gap that was inconsistent, so I gave him a hand with the rework before he got welding.. First to unfold the flange a bit... Next, some 14 gauge steel was cut out and a strengthening bend added to use for some friendly persuasion.. Refolded... For comparison, before: After: Then we tweaked the twist of the tailgate for good fitment to the opening and Kyle added three plug welds down each side to lock the skin to the inner tail gate. ...Then we removed the tail gate so he could finish the plug welds for the top flange of the tail pan, I had only tacked it in place when the tailpan was installed, so this should help check off another item from the list...... Meanwhile I continued blocking out the front end..
Well Kyle skipped out on me tonight, something about a birthday and his parents taking him out to dinner.. and here he could have been welding! So I took the opportunity to have dinner with the family, so tonight was a short night... One of the other areas I skipped over at the rear of the wagon was when the tail pan was installed. The factory version with the pinch welded flanges has a gap in the crimp seam for the rear bumper seal: As I got rid of all the pinch weld seams at the rear of the wagon to eliminate those rust traps, the gap at the crimp seam will be filled in. To assist in filling in the wide gap, a piece of copper flat bar is used as a backer.. Next, as the reproduction tail pan has a rounded crimp seam and the area on the original quarters is more of a square, we'll add some hammer action here. The remaining piece of the flat bar is clamped in and used as an anvil.. Continuing welding... .....and a repeat on the driver's side...
Today Kyle finished up another loose end, tying in the bottom of the NOS quarter panel.. A bit of hammer bumping to get the panels aligned... Plug weld holes drilled and filled..... Then he turned his attention to duplicating a second half for the front divider panel for the rear seat. Using the Erco kick shrinker.... Needs a bit of fine tuning still but he's getting there... And I was making progress on more blocking of the front end body parts, at least until an emergency phone call from one of our tenants indicated some water pipe issues from the recent low temps... This is what I was greeted with.... The hole to the left is where the plumber had put the pipe through, right against the outside wall. Then the brainiac insulators failed to caulk, and then put insulation over TOP of the pipes, keeping them well acclimated to any outside temps. I cut some access holes in the wall and relocated the one pipe farther away from the outer wall board where insulation could go between the pipe and the wall, as it should have been done from the get go. And here's the culprit... I'll let things dry out overnight, and finish tomorrow with adding a bit of caulk and insulation. Drywall/painter due in early this week to close things up..
At least, now you know who you won't hire to do work for you in the future. I know, not much consolation, but you have to roll with the punches and do the best you can under the circumstances. On to the good stuff.....amazing work being done on the 55 by you guys, keep up the excellent work.
The Jalopy Journal
