Projects Final Assembly - any tips or tricks?

Using AN washers under bolts in painted areas keeps the bolt from tearing up the paint and generally looks cool too. Get a tiewrap gun if you're going to do harnesses with tiewraps, and use a cloth measuring tape to get the spacing right. Clear shelf liner can be used in areas like masking tape. Don't put wrenches or parts in your shirt pocket.

 

Two things I was taught by a couple old timers:1) When the paint seems brittle and wants to crack while tightening stuff, heat it a little bit with a hairdryer or heat gun. Gives it a little "give". 2) To touch up those impossible to reach areas, chew the end of a wood skewer to fray it a little. Then use it like a long reach brush to dab paint where needed. ....And yes, lots of blue tape and clean rags.

 

Assembly with stainless trim....



Fitting the front fender and stainless. Wax paper inserted under the stainless, one strip from below, one from on top. After all the tweaking is done with the panel fitment, the stainless is aligned one end to the other, remove the wax paper while holding the position, and snug in place. Helps to keep from scuffing up the new finish while fine tuning the stainless placement.















Fine tune the gaps and tighten down the panels, then align the stainless down the sides.

 

Damn what a great thread!!!!! I just started final assembly so this is perfect timing... I used that rubberized fix a tool in a can and dipped the end of a set of ratchets and screwdriver handles just to be safe.

 

After building many projects, I'm amazed at how well some people are at assembly. In my world, the rolls of 2" tape are my friends. It would be nice to have help but if they haven't done this before, they could be a real problem.

 

I got a kick out of that - nobody but the hundred thousand on the HAMB will ever know

"You can go ahead and get married, and this will be our secret fling;
I promise I won't tell a soul, except the people in the nightclub where I sing."

-- Rhett Miller, Old 97s, "Designs On You"

 

Since I don't like the rubber on my rachet handles all the time; I use rubber hose over the handles of rachets to keep from having accidents.
I also use blankets to protect the body, but I use those moving blankets, as they provide more protection. I tape everything with blue 3M tape, like Don mentioned.
I use a lot of SS button head allens, as I like the look if they are visable.

 

Having worked in an auto assembly plant and my specialty was paint touch-up and repair, take a good look at what you wear when you're working on your car. Belt buckles, rings, watches, blue jeans with snaps and rivets, buttons on shirts........all can cause scratches and nicks that will have you wondering what caused that. I've seen rags with unknown liquids laid on surfaces that screwed up the finish.

This is a great thread with lots of great tips.

 

unfortunately this one probably won't work. Modern catalysed paints cure and set in the manner that concrete does. The older laquer paints were more like asphalt for example, where heat will soften the surface. In like manner, laquer used to be damaged easily by brake fluid...not so for modern paints.

 

this thread is soo over due. it needs some stars

 

This thread is getting better and better cool!

 

In the dark ages at the auto plant some of our door molding screws had plastic washers made on them. Using the plastic pry tools that are around now helps also. We used some in the glass area to smooth out windshield sealer. Became known as puckey sticks.

 

I learned this tip on my current build and its a great one. I took it one step further and drill and tap these "alignment holes".
Do all the hinges, doors, trunk, and under hood.
Which reminds me, I forgot to do the hood ones, better go now;-)

jeff

 

Keep cardboard taped over radiator fins. Nothing worse than bent fins on a car that hasn't even moved.

 

I see pictures that professional shops post, and they always leave the protective plastic on things like chrome hairpins and other parts until the car is done. That is a mistake most of us home builders make (me included) we like to see what the car is going to look like so we pull off all that protective stuff and consequently the parts are vulnerable to scratches and damage. Same with that blue stuff that comes on white wall tires, I scrub it right off, when I should leave it on until the car is done.

I guess the pros do it so often that they aren't tempted to remove it and then sit back in a chair and stare it it, like we do.

Don

 

There is some GREAT info in here. Thank you! The "two sheets of wax paper under the side trim" trick is absolute genius. I would never have thought of that.

How about ways to protect painted surfaces from a jack?

Any inventive ways for lowering a painted full-size car body down onto a frame? A lift seems too obvious.

 

X2, and as an ex-racer type who is just getting into the pretty boy hot rod stuff, I am learning a bunch here. Subscribed

 

So far I haven't seen anyone mention rolling the chassis onto a piece of carpet to protect things you will drop.Doesn't have to be wall to wall but a 4x4 or 6x6 section under the area you are working on is great insurance. Yellow tape with notes is a must, sometimes you can't tighten things until later, a yellow tape note is a great reminder. Bob

 

i dont tape the edges of panels very often...i prefer to be able to see the gaps to align them better. Having said that...with the hinges 'set' ,I hang the door(s) and fit the new rubbers then align them without putting the strikers on the pillars.When I'm happy the fit is real close...then i fit the striker post/plate andadjust it till the door opens and shuts nice.

 

An old 3M buffing pad fits on top of a standard floor jack lift pad really well and will protect painted suspension pieces from gettting scratched. If you don't have any, a thick layer of rags works. We also tape rags to the tops of jack stands to similarly protect the painted suspension parts.

As for guiding a body down onto the frame, we take some very long bolts (6-10 inches) that are the same thread size as the threaded holes in the top of the frame, and we cut the heads off of the bolts, and round the cut off stub on the grinder.

We thread these long studs into about 4 places on the top of the frame, and they act as guides when lowering the body down. We slowly lower the body down until it is just touching these studs, then we make sure they are passing through the holes in the body where the final body bolts will go. As the body continues down these long studs will keep the body in the exact position it needs to be until it is resting on the frame. Then we simply unscrew the long studs and insert the real body bolts in their place.

If you don't do it this way the body is very hard to bring down onto the frame in the exact spot where it needs to go, and you will have to keep shifting it around to line it up. With the guide studs there is no guesswork.

Don

 

this has got to be the all time best thread on this site. this is what it's all about.
HOTRODS

 

I used to fight making holes in carpet for shift boots, seatbelt bolts, seat mounting studs or bolts but a friend told me to use a soldering iron and melt through rather than cutting or drilling and snagging the carpet. Works like a charm, try it.

 

It's easier and neater if you cut through the back side.

 

All the talk about tape, masking off areas, blankets are dead on. When I do any major work or a new build. I go to the fabric store and buy 2 yards of soft flannel. When putting in a motor or working under the hood, I put the flannel on, then fender covers then a moving blanket. When bleeding the brakes on a new build, I put plastic between any joints or line connections and the frame/body. It has saved me on occasion. I also plastic all around the master, just in case

Parts are laid out and organized. Never rush. For some parts the bench is covered with foam or cardboard.

I won my class at the GNRS and The Fresno Autorama. Everything takes longer.

I am currently doing a rotisserie restomod on an off topic car. I am doing 95% of the car myself. I had 3 guys help when I put in the motot and trans, just because 3 are better then one.

But the main trick is............do as much as possible before it goes to paint. Figure out as much of your wire routing as possible. Weld in all your brackets, mounts and such. Pre assemble all possible. Thats the real ticket. Do not rush it to paint, plan, plan, plan then execute

 

One thing that I have'nt seen listed , is something that I picked up at Art and Mike chrismans shop , carpeting . They always put down a section of short loop carpet . It makes working a lot cleaner and comfortable . Here's a few pics of my roadster build .

 

Final assembly is rewarding but stressful for me. Lots of good tips already posted, thanks guys!
I like a well lit area, I slide a loose 4' fixture around on the floor underneath what I'm working on.
Try to get comfortable so you not rushing because something is getting tired, sore, or going numb.
I put water pipe insulation on my floor jack handle.
When you putting in that bolt and it just don't feel right, stop, back it out and look over the threads and hole alignment.
Sit back with a cool one and enjoy the eye candy often.

 

If you have problems with bolt head/washer tearing or just pushing out the paint just use 2 washers.Use a smaller diameter washer on the bottom or a teflon type one .The bottom one just needs to be thin.Thick custom paint jobs really benefit from this takes more effort but with a thick film build vassaline won't help all the time.

 

Dry build. Put 500 miles on a car before you blow it apart for paint and polish.

Testors gold paint for touching up any zinc plated parts that get marred from tightening.

Wrap the entire car with the 3M protective wrap and remove areas when you need access.

Have at least one buddy to help when doing ANY panel alignment or bolting them up.

Tape the edges of your side glass with at least 2 layers of tape. This keeps you from chipping the paint or chipping the edge of the glass


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X2 but the downside is you may miss how it looked later. Another thing I discovered was that by using a holepunch at the end of every slot in welting it became much more cooperative.

 

Great thread. And long overdue! Thanks for the input everyone.