NickPickToo Posted September 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2018 Progress is slow lately with school. Also, last weekend we took some time to go to Cedar point. None the less, some important parts starting to arrive. We went to the source to pick up new springs and we are lucky to be so close and avoid shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted September 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2018 (edited) Dad was also able to snag a gantry crane, an engine stand and a cherry picker off Craig's List. All from some guy who's wife said she was tired of seeing the stuff in the garage. It comes out of my budget until we can sell it later, but Dad seems to really like the crane. Received some front suspension parts we ordered from Kanter and sourced a front grill and some missing fender trim from a forum member (Thanks Ken!). Edited September 17, 2018 by NickPickToo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted September 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 Body still on frame this weekend but we made progress on other things. We were able to get the dash broken down and now have all the interior metal ready for blasting and a fresh coat. Found the original color of the dash. It was a fake wood like finish that was a greenish, brownish grey and a really nice clear glaze. Too bad it was painted over with the grey because it would have been sweet even with a little crackly patina here or there. Im going to redo in a rose gold, almost coper finish. I'll post after pics of when its done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted September 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 Seeking advice. How can I tell which of the interior dash trim pieces are stainless and just need polishing and which have been treated or painted with chrome. picture is example of the main piece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 stainless will not be magnetic.....or substantially less magnetic..(stainless is a generic term for metal having a minimum chromium content...higher the chromium the less magnetic it will be) what you have pictured is chromed...the metal across the dash is chrome plated on the P15 when was the last time anyone has seen one of the above items new in box.....been 20 minutes for me....lol Was gathering some clips and misc sundries for an upcoming maintenance event and it was stored in same locale as the hardware and door handles...my exterior handles are now stainless steel variety donated from another Mopar car....happy to be losing the pitted chromed pot metal.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPick'sCrew Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 Any of you magicians on the forum know any tricks to remove that grey and save the original wood grain (other than stripping a replying a similar treatment)? Sure seems a shame to loose the artistry of that original finish. No way Nicholas and I would even come close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 depends on the paint used....by the very prep and bomb of just the exposed..would guess rattle can...you can try naphtha…. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sser2 Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 No magic, but you can use an inconspicuous exposed area to try different solvents and paint strippers. Look for something that would not ruin the original paint, and then try it on overpainted spot. Along with Home Depot paint strippers, try mineral spirits, acetone, carbon tetrachloride. Quicklime or caustic soda work well on a variety of paints. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eneto-55 Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 (edited) The wood grain is said to be "patterned" after a type of African wood called Sapele. I got a few scrap pieces of it from an area wood shop, and it seems to me that the wood grain on these parts is most like a quartersawn piece of the real wood. There has been a lot of discussion regarding how it was done in the factory, but no one seems to know for sure. (Which is rather amazing, really, as it is not all that long ago that it was still done.) One view is that it was some type of transfer film, that was possibly placed on the surface of water, then the piece was either raised up out of the water from under it, or lowered into the water. Another idea is that it was applied to the metal before it was shaped, but that seems unlikely to me. Mine has also been painted over (some ghastly brown color), with a brush. Slopped all over the edges of the chrome pieces, and on the plastic nameplate on the dash. I tried to wet sand the other paint off with very fine sand paper, but there is actually very little of the wood grain left in the areas which would have been exposed to the sun. (My car spent its whole life in Oklahoma, so a LOT of hot sun.) I have tried to collect photos of cars which seem to still be original, but don't have enough to be able to determine if the grain patterns are identical from one vehicle to another. I don't even know if they all used this same color combination, and if there were variations, would it have been according to which factory it was built in, etc. Edited September 17, 2018 by Eneto-55 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted September 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Eneto-55 said: The wood grain is said to be "patterned" after a type of African wood called Sapele. I got a few scrap pieces of it from an area wood shop, and it seems to me that the wood grain on these parts is most like a quartersawn piece of the real wood. There has been a lot of discussion regarding how it was done in the factory, but no one seems to know for sure. (Which is rather amazing, really, as it is not all that long ago that it was still done.) One view is that it was some type of transfer film, that was possibly placed on the surface of water, then the piece was either raised up out of the water from under it, or lowered into the water. Another idea is that it was applied to the metal before it was shaped, but that seems unlikely to me. Mine has also been painted over (some ghastly brown color), with a brush. Slopped all over the edges of the chrome pieces, and on the plastic nameplate on the dash. I tried to wet sand the other paint off with very fine sand paper, but there is actually very little of the wood grain left in the areas which would have been exposed to the sun. (My car spent its whole life in Oklahoma, so a LOT of hot sun.) I have tried to collect photos of cars which seem to still be original, but don't have enough to be able to determine if the grain patterns are identical from one vehicle to another. I don't even know if they all used this same color combination, and if there were variations, would it have been according to which factory it was built in, etc. Wow. That makes me want to put the time into saving it now. I was just telling dad that there was no way I could find the time and still be ready when I am driving. If we can't save the whole dash, maybe we can save a portion of it as a tribute. Also no risk in trying to save it because I was going to strip it down and repaint anyway. Edited September 17, 2018 by NickPickToo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sser2 Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 Nick - if it cannot be saved, this is what restorers do to get the original look (or close): 1. There are shops that can paint wood grain on your panels. A good shop has patterns for different makes and years and does pretty close reproduction. These services are expensive (hundreds of dollars). 2. You can try woodgraining yourself using typographer's rubber ink. This technique allows as many trials and errors as you need to achieve acceptable result. 3. There are vinyl wood grain veneers with adhesive backing that can be applied over curved surfaces. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper50 Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 Nick I hydro dipped mine. First photo is original and second is the hydro dipped. They make 100's of wood grain patterns. You could find a close match to your's I'm sure. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted September 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 Body off this weekend ?. Now the real fun can begin!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper50 Posted September 30, 2018 Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 Almost at the put it back together stage. Doing great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted September 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 At the clean up, repair and replace stage right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted September 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 Took so long to get the body off because some of the mounting bolts where hid under sheetmetal someone who had the car before us had patched the floor with.. I had to cut into the floor to open these up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper50 Posted September 30, 2018 Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 When I took the body off of my frame I kept finding more bolts but mine weren't covered up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug&Deb Posted September 30, 2018 Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 Welcome! Great to have young people join the hobby. Remember this was someone’s daily driver when new so it can still be your daily driver. This forum is a great place for help. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted October 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2018 ended up we couldn't save the original interior paint treatment. I got over it when the pieces got back from the powder coating shop just up the rode from us. Sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted October 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2018 ook up the the this chain a little to see the before shots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted October 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2018 Again i say Sweet.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted October 29, 2018 Report Share Posted October 29, 2018 Nick.....the dash looks great.......a good tip is to paint the back of the dash a light colour or just leave in undercoat as it is much easier to see what you are doing if chasing wires etc........andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper50 Posted October 30, 2018 Report Share Posted October 30, 2018 Nick was the chrome parts done also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickPickToo Posted October 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2018 1 hour ago, casper50 said: Nick was the chrome parts done also? The chrome parts for the dash were powder coated rather than re chromed. real re chroming doesn't fit into the budget. The team at the powder coating shop advised me not to powder coat chrome color on any of the exterior parts (doesn't seem to hold up well in the weather) but that it may hold up better on the interior parts. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper50 Posted October 30, 2018 Report Share Posted October 30, 2018 Darn. No one rechromes in Alaska. I was hoping to use that color on some bumpers for the 55 Pontiac wagon. Sending that stuff to the lower 48 and then paying to get it rechromed and returned is out. What color is it by the way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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