Customs Family 1st! Time to change the easter egg for Detroit Auto-Rama!

Well, I had hoped to get a little more done this weekend, but mother nature kind of got in the way a little bit...Kids didn't have school friday with -11 temps...Today was spent watching and coaching my daughters' baskeball games. But here is where I am tonight. My friend Ken hooked me up with a guy that does alot of custom work and he sold me a pair of '53 buick headlight rings. So the plan was to french them. So I started out by making a template of the headlight opening. The headlight bucket is not totally round, and only goes in fender one way. Then I made a templete of the headlight trim. I combined the two and cut every thing out, then tried them on the headlight assembly. Guessing where the headlight bucket went did not work as you can see in the third photo. So I made another outside templete and taped it to straight up and down. Then I cut the excess off of the first templete.

 

Next, I decided to mount the headlight trim and bucket to a piece of 16guage and weld that to the fender. So using the template, I cut out the 16 guage. Because the top of the trim on the buick headlights were higher than the olds, I had to lower the buckets in the fenders aproximatly an inch. I cut that out with the cut off wheel so not to possibly warp the fender. Then I located center, and tacked on the headlight plate.

 

The fender is higher by the grill opening, so I had to make a 1/2 inch filler to go around the top of the headlight plate. I tacked that in place. As stated earlier, the plan was to french the headlights, but I started having doubts, so I altered my design to leave open the possiblilty of leaving the buick trim shiney. After tacking in the back side of the headlight plate, I installed the headlight buckets and test fit the trim.

 

There was a 3/4 gap I didn't think about so I then mounted the headlight buckets on the back side of the plate and that helps, but the buick trim has a ring on the back side that holds the headlight seal. So I made a angle flange to go around the headlight plate. I really had a good time makeing these with my new shrinker/stretcher set up. I then tacked them in place also.

 

The last thing I did was cut the contour of the inside edge of the bumper. I used a compass to trace along the outer edge of the bumper on masking tape. Then I used a cut off wheel to mark the chrome and took off the tape. Then cut the bumper with the plasma. My next update I will get a pic of the front end together. The guys in the club are coming over tomorrow night, anybody have any suggestions for taking tweed material off of window garnish moulding!

 

its shaping up nicely, another thing you may want to try is rounding the hood corners. i think it would look pretty neat

 

Our club meets every monday night. We used to sit around and bs alot. For the last 6 months or so, we have been meeting at each others houses and working on cars, garage etc...Last night it was my turn and this is what the guys got done. Last monday we plut floors in Dan's Studebaker truck gasser. The week before we were striping Steve's 56 Chevy Gasser and putting in the firewall and tunnel. Drilling holes and grinding welds. On my car Steve, Mark, Brian, and Jim put metal around headlights and the nose of the hood. Stan made a braket to support the leading edge of the grill opening. Dan had the difficult task of taking off the tweed on the garnish moldings and stripping off the glue. Jim stripped off the paint on the stainless window trim...Me, I ran for parts, tools, and provided the Chili Nacho Cheese Dogs! Time flew and before we new it, it was midnight! Thanks guys!

 

Don, If you have any desire to sell a couple of the Caddy tails, I'd be interested in them to increase the build fund.

 

Cool, Don! Maybe I can come over an play during my lay off next month! I've GOT to get at Court's truck first, though.

 

Looking good

Rusty

 

Didn't get a whole lot done today...Had to clean up from last night! I made a small braket to go from the one Stan made last night to the back center of the grill bar. I was concerned that it would eventually crack with no support. THen I looked at the hood. One thing (other that colors) that I really disliked about this car was the gap between the hood and the grill....Last night we extended the hood, but I was still not satisfied...I know I should pie cut the hood and round the edges, but really don't have the time. I needed to put a small angle below to round out the flange on the grill opening, so I just made it for the top also. I took two 2 and a half inch strips of sheet metal, put a 360 1/4 inch bend on one side and a 1/2 90 on the other side....This gave me a flange for the grill opening and a edge for the bottem of the hood to line up with. It also hides the radiator-hood latch sheet metal. I punched some holes in the strips and spot welded them on therefore I can tweek them as needed. Then I did a very small round in the corners of the hood. Just thought it looked better and didn't take too much time....

 

The pictures don't really show the work done here. My fingers still hurt from peeling carpet and stripping glue. One more meeting and we'll be ready for paint, right? Looking for an update here Don.

Dan

 

It has been a couple days since an update....didn't get as far as planned but that happens....I coach basketball for 2 of my kids, and the third is in an older league, so lots of time spent with practice and games, etc...Now one of my younger kids made the travel team.....Ok, next I want to add on the the lower end of the fenders in the front. I made a template out of posterboard. As you can see in the picture, it is a compound curve. I first made an angle edge with the shrinker. THen tacked that in place. Really like the new tools....because of the differend angles, just like the poster board, the sheetmetal would not sit right. So I used the shrinker on the top end, worked great and now the panel fit just right.

 

Next I extended the splash shield around the fenders. I welded them right to the fenders as the factory part is intergal to the core support and my grill surround was already welded to it. They look kind of like wings but with the bumper in place not very noticible.

 

Next I made the grill...simple and cheap. I went Lake Erie metal and had my mig tank filled and purchased a small piece of I think it is called extruded metal, kind of looks like a grate. 9 bucks and I was in....got home and made a template. Cut the grate and welded a couple washers to the back side to bolt it to the grill bar. It naturally made a nice radius in the center. I wanted to mount an oldsmobile hood badge that I picked up on my last HAMB drags trip, floating it in the center of the grill under the grill bar. I am still on the fence if I want to add some bullets or door knobs....

 

Lookin good, Don! Nice work.

 

Yesterday, my buddy Martin stopped by and donated a set of chevy s-10 wheels. I took off the mags, always a process in the back because they were too big for the wheel opening. I have to raise the whole car and then jack up the opposite side of the rear end, then let the air out of the tires too fit them out! Luckily I never got in any roadside trouble! The s-10 rims fit good. THey have 205-75-15 tires on them now, I was thinking of going one size bigger to 215-75-15, what do you guys think? I put on the olds hubcaps, but on the fence with them also, maybe I will like them more when I get the wide whites. I have another pair of different olds caps, but they will require some mods to make them work. If time allows. I spend some time makeing the hood fit and putting in some adjustable hood stops. Then time to clean and re-group and start on the back of the car. First to go was the Megs tail pipes. Then I removed the 59 cadillac tail lights and put them aside for safekeeping for a future project. Then I cut out the tail light area to access the frame for the bumper mounts. I mocked up the bumper....This one needs much more removed from it compared to the front. I will start with 6 inches.

 

My thots...the Olds logo is too big for the grille...looks like it was forced into place...not sure I'd add anything more...however if you do, go with small bullets...

R-

 

Sweet!

I'll make sure to stop by and say "heya", with my daughter, at Autorama.

Good luck

 

How's your time line looking? Are you gonna make it? !

 

From the pics I have to agree the emblem is too large for the grill opening. Before it needed the hood corners rounded....now it screams they need radiused. It absolutely without a doubt needs skirts and a Peckat Visor. I love the rear bumper and can see it in my head.....it will work great once massaged into place. Single color and lotsa chrome/polished stainless. taildrag that beotch down the road. If you want we could throw a set of 80" lakes pipes down the side to see if you like but I don't think they go as well with this body style as the '49 and up. I just happen to have a box-o-spotlights floating around too. We could pop the visor off the '54 to see if you like the look. I had to narrow it for the '54. Skirts man skirts with the chrome ribs or......Pontiac Starchief stars or even better yet.....some sort of rocket emblem to stick with the Olds theme!!!!!

I'm getting a wee bit excited! Call me....I'm going to take a peek at that 10 bolt for Brian and can kill two birds with one stone

I'll be at the meeting tomorrow.

 

Don,

I've got a set of OLDSMOBILE letters that I found in a toolbox years ago. They might be better than the grill globe. The older caps are better suited for this car, I think, the smooth sombrero esque ones. I've got a set of those from Court's truck if you need. They could use a clean up.

If you're going to have any meetings after the 1st, I'd love to make the trip. I'm laid off and could bring what I've got to blow a day! Eli wants to know what you're doing with the other bars. He wants to try them in his 48 Chevy Sedan Delivery. Unless someone has a Chevy grill they want to sell him. He's 13 and starting his hot rod mission!

 

48 Sedan delivery......I can't help with any grill parts but if this is the truck style body I'll donate a pair of doors to his quest.....gotta make room in the shed and I live about 3 miles from Don's. Even if he can't use them then he can sell/barter/trade them for something else he can use....teach 'em early. I think Oldsmobile letters "floating" would be Killer. If you show up for a meeting bring a healthy appetite.

 

They have Eli's name on them....got a pic of the caps? I will let know on the meetings....thanks! Don

On the olds emblem, the bumper has a natural cut out in it from the cadi and the emblem curves fits right with it...The picture does make it look big tho...need to see it from more than 5 feet away. THanks

 

One way or another!

 

You could always just put it in black primer with red wheels and portawalls!

 

Don, not the greatest shots but there are others that have these caps and put bullets on the center.

First set of pictures on the first post:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137385

 

Well, this week has been up and down...With the thread about Coker tires taking a long time, I decided to go with Diamond Back. I have purchased their tires before and liked them. They told me 3 weeks! That makes it close...then they called back the next day and said the tires were on national back order, so I had to step up to the better grade tire. Hopefully they wont charge me more. heheh... I started on the back of the car. First I cut out the frenched 59 Cadillac tail lights. Then started on the bumper. I had to narrow the rear cadi bumper 6 inches. I used the original cadi outside bumper brakets, but one side of the bumper brakets were cut off with a torch, so my neighbor had some old chevy truck bumper brakets and I used those for the inside mounts. I had to make them longer and heat them with a torch and re-shape them. It took a while to get all the different angles working.

 

I kept fighting with the jackstands to get the bumper in the right place and my neighbor had a good idea to use some wood off of the bottem of the frame to hold it in place. After the bumper was mocked in place. The Studebaker taillights were mounted...

 

Next it needed a splash pan between the body and the bumper. I didn't have any steel long enough so I made it out of 3 pieces. I decieded to weld it to the body since the rest of the car is the same way. I put a small beed roll in the pan to help keep is strudy. I should have put it together one more time to lay out the line better, but 8 weeks is 8 weeks.