Bodywork Progress Rant

[55 Fargo]

Hi all, you guys are probably sick of hearing about my body prep progress, but this happens to be where I am at these days.

I have worked every panel on the car but the roof, and it needs a lot of work, and unfortunately will need a lot of filler to level it out, which means a lot of work.

I have done both front fenders, stripped, base primer, fillers, more primer, both doors, same thing, trunk lid, rear fenders, hood too.

All these panels need more blocking, and glazing/filling, my plan is to work on them to get them as straight as possible, then in April I will lay on the 2 k urethane high build primer, followed by more blocking to see what I have. I may need to shoot on some super build poly primer, it is like shooting body filler, it has an extremely high buiild, and does not easily shrink.

The roof I am doing last, as it needs a significant amount of filler, at least 1/3 of it will have a filler cover, not thick, but a lot of skim coat, so lots of sanding and dust.

I am getting sick from and of the dust, this I mean literally, I clean out the garage all the time, and after every spot I work, but I have the place closed up, as it,s only about 10 above outside these days, and did go down to -10 last night, so I have to keep things closed up and heated.

Once this job is done, I will not be rushing to do another, thats for sure.

I am also not going to be able to get my bodywork as good as a shop, or near as good as a professional bodyman, but thats the reality of it.

So when painted it will have flaws, it will have waves, but what else can I do, it will still be a 150 thousand times better than what I started with, and I have to keep this in perspective, I started out with a real dog, so what else can I expect....................Fred

[JerseyHarold]

When the car is done you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you resurrected a car that has been a part your family and life for many years.

Don't worry about the bodywork. Most restorers are their own worst critic. The people who see your car will appreciate it for being still on the road after all these years. They are not all concours judges!

And in some weird, 'automotive karma' way, the car appreciates what you're doing for it.

[Rodney Bullock]

Fred, You are not beating a dead horse. you are trying to get yourself motivated. I am suppying some motivation for you. I know that working on a car in the cold and sometimes by yourself is hard. My first antique was my hardest. All my good friends wanted to me to go cruzing with them in my Chevy. I had just finished it and they had their cars all ready for the season. I found my first Stude and did not have to pay anything for it. i wanted to fix it by myself. All my friend came down and tried to talk me out of working on the car.

I finally had to ask them to leave. They were hurting my motivation. I worked on my car all summer into the winter as you can see from the pic's the weather changed and by next spring my car was ready. my friend now will tell you that although they did not believe then they believe now. I am usually the one they call when they go to look at a car and depend on my suggestion if the car is worth doing or not.

Keep pegging away at it, one panel at a time getting it closer and closer to perfection. You got to meet your goal. use long blocks of wood with sand paper on them to get it as flat as possible. You can get it right. The only difference between a pro and us is the building the work is done in:D

[MYOLDCARS]

Hi Rockwood,i've just finished doing the same thing,and it seems never ending,but once you've done it, it is all worth it.if you pm me your email i will send you some pics if you want of how mine was (bad),keep going,its always a labour of love on any old classic

[Joe Flanagan]

Fred,

You may already know this, but they sell long sanding blocks that help get the waves out of large surfaces. I recommend going to www.autobodystore.com and looking at their forum. Register so that you can post questions. There's a lot of good knowledge there. That's how I'm doing my body and rust repair, painting, etc. They sell products, too and will tell you about what they do. I've been dealing with them for years and have nothing but good to say about them.

[Bingster]

Rodney, now that is motivational!!! Great job. And you're right, one task at a time. I'm still on the underbody of my '47 Desoto but I have mini-moments of great satisfaction when a task is completed. I can't wait to actually drive the damn car.

And Fred, I don't know your situation, but maybe an auto body shop with a sympathetic guy will do the final smoothing of the panels for you. You have probably done most of the labor already. I also know around here, for example, if you go to an auto dealership body shop, the guys moonlight by painting and working on cars like ours. In these times, it may not be difficult at all to get your car cherried out for a minimum amount of cash.

[55 Fargo]

Thanx for all the really good advice guys.

Rodney absolutely stunning job on the Stude, you have gifted hands, I am not in your league I am sorry to say, I am doing not too badly. I hope to have it ready for paint May or June.

Joe, I have a Longboards, short boards, in-between boards, flex boards, sponge blocks, which I use quite a bit, piecs of plastic pipe etc.

My problem is I get impatient, and don't take my time enough, so I make mistakes, plus Iam on a shoe string budget.

I am going to do all the work myself, maybe paint her too, but most likely will get her painted by someone I know.

The shops around here just think about collision work, and thats all, and if they do old cars, they want nothing but big money for the job, as we all know the time it takes to get these bodies right again.

Joe I am a member of Autobdy 101, have read all the info, it has been a great help, so thanx for the reminder.

Eventually I will get it right, it will take some more time, but will come together.

All the rot work was done a while back, thank god thats overwith too...........Fred

[Joe Flanagan]

Sometimes the best thing you can do is step away for awhile and come back at a day or two later. A lot of this stuff happens between your ears.

[gnoub1948]

Rockwood:

If it's any consolation, I wish I was at the sanding point. Right now my car looks like this. And the picture looks way better than reality!

Gary

[grey beard]

I agree with Joe F. A journeyman body man once told me that it sometimes seems to him that he is spending his lifetime fixing up other people's messes. "They almost finished it!" is his usual lament.

The same guy told me the biggest problem people in your current mode experience is "letting your mind get in the way of progress." What he meant by that is that you need to consider one panel at a time, and not let the magnitude of the entire project bog you down. Center on getting all the waves out of one door skin. Stay with it till it is as good as you are able to get it, then move on to the next panel.

Other than this, the best adivce I can give you is to use a long board with 36 or 80 grit, and then believe what it tells you. When you are dressing down body filler with the board, watch for bare spots showing through. They are high spots, and the only way to handle them is to either tap them down with a pick hammer gently or increase the body filler in the surrounding area to come up level with that high spot. Never keep sanding over a high bare spot, for you are really wasting your time.

The long board is the only way to get panels straight. Filling pits and small imperfections with fast-fill or acrylic putty is secondary, and should be entertaiand only after you are satisfied all your panels are straight.

Believe it or not, the day will come when you apply your last batch of body filler, and you can blow out the shop for the last time. Been there and done that. Keep the faith . . .

[55 Fargo]

Gary, judging by the way you have your car braced, and looks like a nice clean organized shop, no doubt your car will be very nice when your finished.

My car was not all that much better condition than yours when I got her.........Fred

[RobertKB]

Fred, you are doing great and your car will be your car, done by you for you. I think you are working wonders.

[gnoub1948]

Fred:

I think I spend as much time sweeping as I do working on the car. Everytime I bump into it a bunch of crude falls out. Rust, mud and mouse droppings....it's never ending. Sometimes I feel like it's being eaten as it sits. Well, I guess rust doesn't sleep!

I did a lot of bracing since I'm not sure what's holding this car together!

Gary

[48Dodger]

So when painted it will have flaws, it will have waves, but what else can I do, it will still be a 150 thousand times better than what I started with, and I have to keep this in perspective, I started out with a real dog, so what else can I expect....................Fred

That's right, 150,000 times better. Something you can be proud of cuz you did it yourself. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder, and it sounds like deep down, you're having a blast.

48D

[dezeldoc]

Here is a little motivation for ya!!!http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=313465&highlight=chopped+50

[55 Fargo]

Here is a little motivation for ya!!!http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=313465&highlight=chopped+50

Now thats more motivation and talent then I will ever achieve in this lifeteime.This Dude is right here in Manitoba too, sorry don't know him, Manitoba is about 1.2 million people, can't know them all, hope to see this car some day cruising in and around Winnipeg.........Fred

[gnoub1948]

Yep, that makes me feel rather INADEQUATE to say the least!

Gary

[dezeldoc]

Yep, that makes me feel rather INADEQUATE to say the least!

Gary

:D

[55 Fargo]

Well got the rear quarters done today, they were previously worked, just need finishing/tweaking.

Sunday I will go over the 1/4s, then tape up and primer them, this leaves the hood, which is a couple of tiny spots of filler that I need to play with a little more, then will shot primer on them.

At this point all panels have beeen stripped primered, re-fillered, sanded glazed etc, they are now ready to be primered with my 2 k urethane super high build primer, then all can be blocked, all nicks, pinholes etc can be glazed, and if need be any more filler work, where I have missed the boat, once this surfacer has been blocked, I will shoot on more of the same then will block and wetsand to perfection.

But I still have the roof, and it is very beat-up, it looks like the biggest dimpled derriere of some magnitude. It has dents, highs lows, hail dents, this roof is rough, I did not notice before how bad she was.It is gonna be 3/4 covered with filler to get her smooth,not sure what else to do.

I suppose a master of metal could shrink all the stretches, and perfect the form again, I do not havce this skill, it will have to be filled, it won't be that deep, just extensive coverage.

I am happy about the progress inspite of the roof..........Fred

[RobertKB]

Well there you go. Old cars are there to make us happy. It sounds like you are making major progress on the old girl and that is good. You sure enjoy your car and it sounds like it is a relaxing pasttime for you away from work and even family. Everyone needs a little time for themselves and I think this is important. I just think about warm weather coming and driving the old girls again.

[Rodney Bullock]

Fred, I am about to tell you something that I did with my roof. I have one of those hand held propane torches I also have a spoon. I heated my roof in sections and with the spoon I tapped the edges of my dents after doing this for a while I got all the dents out of my roof.

This was a very weird thing. I did not have a headliner in my car at the time. I took a basket ball and banged it on the inside of the roof. I got every moon like dent out of my roof. It could have been dumb luck I don't know:rolleyes: The basketball did not leave any sharp emprints It rounded the dents out. It's worth a try:D

[steveplym]

Sounds like you got a good plan Fred. Enjoying following your progress.

[55 Fargo]

Sounds like you got a good plan Fred. Enjoying following your progress.

Well Steve it's a plan, and things should come off pretty decent, not pro or show quality, but hopefully real nice.

Not to try and sound like I am not wanting the best I can attain, just from what I started with, it will be a million times better...........Fred

[steveplym]

Well if you keep your expectations low you will be guaranteed to be impressed.

If you do the prep work you said you are going to do it should turn out really nice. Can't wait to see the finished product.

[Rodney Bullock]

Fred, I recently found these pic's of the cars that I have restored. I was cleaning out my old photo's and found some of my first attemps. I can't believe these still exits. I show them for motivation. These are early projects:) It's a wonder I finished anything.