I had to sell my gasser to keep a roof over my head, I didn't want to but sometimes you have to act like a grown up. I really wanted a metal working project to work on, I have 2 4x8's of 20ga so I can work without spending money for a while. So some extra parts and some trading later and I'm the proud(?) owner of a '40 Ford coupe that was in a garage that burned to the ground. DSC03406 by 1/2done posted Oct 22, 2017 at 9:49 AM DSC03407 by 1/2done posted Oct 22, 2017 at 9:49 AM DSC03408 by 1/2done posted Oct 22, 2017 at 9:49 AM DSC03409 by 1/2done posted Oct 22, 2017 at 9:49 AM DSC03410 by 1/2done posted Oct 22, 2017 at 9:49 AM DSC03411 by 1/2done posted Oct 22, 2017 at 9:49 AM DSC03412 by 1/2done posted Oct 22, 2017 at 9:49 AM I've never used a shrinking disc before, but I think this may be a good time to learn. The rest of the body parts are from a different car so they only need rust repair. Plans are to get all the metal work done and then decide a direction, I'm leaning toward a Lake style coupe.
Nothing wrong with doing what you have to do. Sad to hear you had to sell your gasser, but in the end this may be for the better. You'll get to learn more metalwork, and also get the thrill of the next build. Good luck, doesn't look like too bad of a start.
Not to hijack the thread, but what kind of luck do you generally have working metal that has been burned? I saw a pretty nice old chevy coupe body once years ago that I asked the guy about buying and he said it had been through a fire and even tho it looked pretty good it was ruined and he wouldn't sell it to anybody. He said he had tried to do some work on it and it was hard and brittle and the metal wouldn't work anymore.
Years ago a friend bought a 39 Chevy coupe which had been in a garage fire some 30 years before that. The guy repainted the car several times and the paint just sloughed off every time after a few weeks or months. We parted it out.
I don't care what sort of metal it is- it will take paint if you have it sandblasted clean and then spray it with epoxy or self-etching primer. I'd straighten up the overall body shell enough to have consistent gaps for doors, deck lid, etc. I'd even test fit some glass just out of curiosity to see exactly how bad it is. Will be interesting.
Good luck, if it was burned, that is one thing, if the fire dept hosed it down that is another. Getting it to stop rusting will be another problem. Not trying to kill your ambition, just passing along things to think about.
I'm going to hose the inside down with rust converter, the outside I'm thinking about scrubbing it with muriatic acid and a scotch brite.
Aww hell being a grown up was the first step. This will be easy, and fun for ya. And prolly ease the pain of selling your gasser...John I know how right your choice was.
I've see guys start with lots worse and end up with some pretty incredible cars. It'll take time and bunch of work, but it's savable. Good luck. Mart3406
Don't let anything or anyone talk you into a funk. I suppose some would just buy a fiberglass whatever body. You can save it. In my many decades of rodding life I have found that 80% of doing it is having the stones to start. Much worse has been pulled back from the dead. Please, keep us updated.
Just curious, seriously, how does burning off paint/bondo & then exposing the metal to water any different than stripping the paint (in any fashion) & having it flash rust. I stripped stuff with vinegar, for example, & almost immediately had to fight a light coat of oxidation. How does this compare to any sort of surface rust situation? Is there a different sort of problem with this particular car (if it was indeed hosed down)?
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