Projects Recreating the jesse lopez coupe

Looks great Jerry ...... you are doing a great job and im sure Jesse is proud.

 

Thanks everybody. OK, can I think my way through cutting and shaping that outer windshield divider bar so I don't have to weld it? I think I can.

 

Well, I'm trying to get to the electrician and get the car back for paint before the weather changes. It would then head to the trim shop. I think I better shoot it while I've got some warm temps.

 

Dash came out amazing


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Rik's pic is very informative, but if you need any other detail shots of the Zaro Merc, I go to Kurt McKormick's pretty often and I can snap any pics that you may need.

 

This is PPG K-36 primer. It's been blocked many times. The spots you see are tinted K-36 on bare metal/filler areas. Final sand is with 600 grit.

 

can't wait to see it painted ! great work Jer !

 

Using up some of the (surplus) eurethane on the underside of the deck lid. Rustoleum has a product that is a dead on match for Fords underside of hoods, aprons. I call it a "soft" shine.

 

Jer, did you use the gloss pictured (for the "soft shine"), or the semi-gloss next to it in the pic? I have always heard reference to the semi-gloss as a "chassis black" sort of semi-gloss finish - so just wanting to be sure..

Car is looking sensational and this near to colour stage is getting exciting!

Dave

 

You think you have checked and double checked every thing.
It's the white can Dave.

 

No kick the can on this job ! LOL ,,, great work Jer !

 

Awhile back when I was talking about how I get that peak in the hood (using tape) I said I should have shown how that was done. I can do that now. It's pretty self explanatory (a picture is worth a thousand words). This can be done with any body line, anywhere.

 

Ok, lets get all the dirt off this thing. The 600 grit finish on the primer really holds the water. Gives me a chance to look things over differently than before and identify some problem areas.

 

At this point you must be getting giddy. Looking REALLY good!

 

The last lacquer that I shot was in the mid 60s. It seemed like every time you got use to and mastered one type of paint the paint manufacturers would come out with a new more durable (and dangerous) paint that you HAD to start using. We started reading labels and were not too keen on the babies with two heads that could happen if you were continuously exposed to this new stuff. They would then start to phase out the paint that you had become accustomed to.

Because of the influence that the paint jobbers had you were sol regarding lacquer especially because of what it supposedly did to the invironment.. So I had no idea that lacquer was still available. I ended up contacting Hibernia Auto Restoration in Hibernia New Jersey. They are a high end resto shop that started doing Packard's. They since have branched out to most anything. They mix all there own paint from nitro lacquer all the way up to the current modern catylised coatings. I wanted to use nitro but they couldn't do this color because they don't have access to the lead required in the formula. I settled for acrylic lacquer. I sent them a spray out card that they matched dead on.

This going to be great fun. I'm going to have to get the feel again on the correct mix of thinner.

 

The fun begins !

 

Have fun Jer.
I love to paint lacquer as that is what I learned on at a Cadillac Dealership back in the early 70's.
The master that taught me used a metal paint stirrer(Looked like a wooden one but made of metal) when mixing the lacquer to thinner ratio. He taught to me to look at the way that it ran off the metal stirrer as a guide to getting the mix correct. Still do that to this day.
I can't explain it well to others but I know it's right when I see it.
Torchie.

 

Hey Jerry,

I sure hope you bought more than that one single from them Even thinned 150-175%, you're gonna have a tough time gettin 12 to fourteen coats from that single A red oxide or medium grey sealer would probably help as a base


" Spending a nation into generational debt is not an act of compassion "

 

I asked Jesse where the car was painted. He said that him and Sam painted it in the back stall on the end of the Compton shop. He also mentioned that it blushed so bad that they didn't know if they were going to be able to save it.

I started with the skirts using mid temp thinner. Big mistake. So we start like "the guys" started. Kinda' cool in a really crummy way.

 

The tradition continues...
Painted a hood on a 72 Eldorado once (Big as an aircraft carrier deck).
One side blushed and the other didn't even thought they were painted at the same time???????
Only thing that we could figure out was that one side got more light from the shop window than the other. Who knows.
Torchie.

 

Hey, do you guys think these two cars are runnin' the same tire's?

 

Looks like Jesse's car has taller tires to my eyes, with maybe 1/2" wider whitewall. The wheels look like they are larger diameter as well, but that may just be the perspective of the photo.

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This kind of stuff is always hard to tell with out a full straight on side shot Jer.

Having said that, I would think that there is a good chance that they are. Some things like the sombrero's, the tire size, the white wall width, the width of the tuck and roll, the Appleton's used, ect are going to be the same from car to car from the same area and era because that was what was considered cool at the time.
These guys were well aware of what their peer group was into. And lets face it. Isn't that why we build our cars. To be cool..........

My two cents.
Torchie.

 

This might help. Pics Rik Hoving

 

Hi!

I just scanned these negatives. I'll figured it would be nice to post them here in case you have not seen them before.



It's at a parking lot car show around late 1956/early 1957, parked with some fellow Barris brothers. I would guess the late summer/autumn of 1957 since the Blue Danube is painted, but not assembled. On the far left, you'll see Buddy Alcorn's Merc, Don Chapman's 1954 Studebaker, Lyle Lakes' 1952 Buick - The Blue Danube, (unfinished) Ronnie Dragoo's 1954 Mercury, Frank Monteleone's 1941 Ford, Louie Bettancourt's 1949 Mercury, Jesse's car and Chuck DeWitt's 1953 Ford.


And here's from a slightly different angle.

 

Those are amazing Photos Olav!

 

As for the tires size... I don't know... but I guess there are enough experts on here that will be able to tell you what they should be.

But you should first decided which version you want to duplicate. Some of the photos shown for tire size above are from when Danny Lares owned the car (with the longer hood side trim). Those should not be looked at I think.

Early one Jesse used Single bar flippers and not to tall white wall tires.




By 1950 (probably earlier, but this photo was taken in 1950) Jesse had switched to Sombrero hubcaps and taller size white walls.






This last version shows the car when it was already sold by Jesse to Danny.
And it looks like he changed tires again (not 100% sure though) But this last photo should not be used as reference though.
Although I have to admit I really like the tire size on this version.

 

I think the 1950 ones are 7.10-15" Good Year Super Cushion. Could be 6.70-15", as well. But I think these are the ones.

 

Olav, Are those some of the pics Brad rescued from Barris' dumpster when he cleaned the shop? They are cool!

 

Well, it takes a little trial and error to get this to spray out right. I had to get some slow thinner and add it to what I had. I hadn't thinned out all the paint so, that was good. Started on the hood and deck lid. A little dry, its been awhile since I shot this. By the time I used up the gallon that I had it was all coming back. The thinner to color ratio is the key. I ordered another gallon and some more slow thinner. If you need to stop, you just stop.

I forgot to thank everybody for they're input.