Yeah thats what he said. Same thing with lead too. It's not so much that the lead or brass is bad but more of an issue of the people doing the brass or lead work not knowing how to clean it properly afterward. Back to the car. Jer it looks great. I can't wait to see the car. Let me know when you want to get together about the car.
Say Jerry! The guy whose hand is on Snookys caved-in trunk, standing in the light chinos, is Nick Matranga post-Korea. Probably lecturing him on the proper etiquette of keeping an eye more on tailgators and less on the dolly giving shivers down the street, or one arm on the wheel averting tailgators and the other arm around his girlfriend.
As I explore Jesse's early run up to building his (one and only) dream car with him, I'm fascinated by all the dynamic car guys that came out of just a few Socal High Schools in '45-'46. Jesse, Richard Carter, Johnny Zaro, Al Andril, Nick Matranga, Carl Aabijian. I know there are others that Iv'e missed. How cool it would have been to walk the hallways and see and listen to these guys. I also would have had the water tested to see if I could figure out what was going on. Oh, and Michelley, I also stand where you stand. I'll try not to step on your feet with my 13's.
Hey, I'd suggest you avoid the use of round stock mudded over with ''Kitty Hair'' and standard polyester filler, ditto round stock brazed into place and leaded over I'd instead go with 18 or 19 gage sheet formed on a bead/swaging machine or e-wheel to the exact radius of the blend from fender to quarter. With this method you'd avoid many ,many hours of sanding filler that will only cause ya paint trouble up the road, and only have to lead where the fender & quarter makes contact with the fabricated radius panels " Spending a nation into generational debt is not an act of compassion "
Hey 235, not all that hard/long of a way when ya figger the hours guys spend glassin, muddin & blockin in those quarters with ''Kitty hair or round stock and mud only to be bitten in the ass when the body flexes and/or does hard time for a few show seasons in the summer heat If this build winds up bein top coated with lacquer (nitro or acrylic) i.e. traditional kustom finish, ain't no way I'd pull the ''kitty hair/mud'' lever '' Do not reach greedily for the Kool-Aid "
Good point, I totally agree. It really drives the point home when you put it the way you did. Anyone can fill a panel full of kitty hair and mud. Building the transition from metal may take longer and be harder for some but in the long run it is the easier way.
The proper skirts you are looking for were one-year only, and preferred when turning any '41-'48 Ford into a custom. I suppose that's the reason why they are so hard to come by. I think I found a correct set on ebay, but haven't been able to check them yet as they are stored with the car in so-cal.
There are fiberglass "long skirts", original and reproduction "shorty" types available. This is not an acceptable solution. The occasional genuine one's that become available are extremely rough or out of sight for money (or both).
Hey, Semi and low crowned panels, like the ones these skirts are comprised of, ain't as easy to build as the look at first sight They ain't like snowflakes in that both must be mirror images of each other, if not, with the medium to dark green colour of the original build, the'll stick out like Aunt Bea's butt These could be built on a wheel, air hammer or bag, blocking hammer and a panel head, but would require someone with some major skill to produce top drawer results. Used long skirts in semi to good shape would probably be money well spent. " Spending a nation into generational debt is not an an act of compassion "
This is an original that Palle Johansen (Jack Stewart Ford) had a picture of. The solution to the problem starts here.
The internet is an indispensable tool for building a car these days. I dont know how people do it without it. If I had to use swap meets I would be a foot shorter and still looking for parts for Jrs car. I ve found a company called Agape Auto Parts in Indiana. Some of the things that they make are old style fenders skirts out of 20 gauge steel. I don't have a pic of that skirt. I talked with Gordon Secrest about making a custom skirt that would conform to the measurements that I had. He said that he would be interested in seeing them, which prompted me to email Palles picture. He said that what I wanted looked very doable and the price would be $275.00. Well, at that price what did I have to lose? Theyre in the mail.
The Jalopy Journal
