Projects Recreating the jesse lopez coupe

The first thing I did when the car came home was spray the jams with the correct color so that everything would match. I tried as best I could to protect the exterior and I was ninety percent effective. I’ve been wondering about that ten percent for months.

The car has been exposed to all the other activity that’s been going on around it and that includes some rattle can black being sprayed out on the underside.

Yesterday I got a hot bucket of soapy car wash soap and brought the hose in and washed it. I can just barely feel the overspray on a few panels, and at the front lower area the black couldn’t be seen, but you could really feel it around the bumper.

With this being urethane I took some paper towels and lavquer thinner and removed the black paint, It really showed up on the towels but everything cleaned up nice.

I could never even think such thoughts with the old lacquer.

 

Clay bars work good for this also. Did you ever use a bar of LAVA soap to block out a run. The pumice is fine enough and cuts clean and flat, then hit it with a polishing wheel presto its gone. The soap lubricates it and doesn’t undercut the edges like sand paper tends to do.

 

Thank you for your service sir.


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OK 1 Shot, now you've got me interested. I crossed paths with clay bars in the 90's, but lava soap??? I think we're owed an explanation. Just where have you been, and how did you get there?

 

Well i've gone to my preop meeting on my upcoming operation on wednesday. The upshot of it is that i'm now quarantined regarding any exposer to anyone. So, it just gets more interesting.

I've had extensive conversation with Frank (one shot), and i'm continually amazed at what Texas has to offer. He's the kind of guy thats not to interested in over whelming you with fascinating info about the life he's led in a public forum, but in a private situation with the right circumstances he'll open up.

I remember that one of the reasons that prompted me to write my autobiography was sitting elbow to elbow with my new Texas friends and being struck by how different my life was than there's. They had no idea who they were sitting next to and where/what had happened to me that molded and shaped my life.

So i've got to do the things that I can before wednesday, and then the big adventure starts. Thanks for hangin with me.

 

A pre op for a Lobotomy ?

 

Very interesting question Frank, would that make things easier? I could bring it up with the hospital staff, we’ll see.

 

You won’t Remember a thing

 

Thanks Frank you're good.

 

Some time you will have to watch us teach students how to burn left. This is my High school Buddy deal. Google it when you have a chance. It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Frank

 

Very impressive.

 

Exploratory Labotomy

-Adam

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This pic popped up on one of my Facebook groups, today. According to Rick Hoving:
"Original Jesse Lopez photo from the David Zivot Collection."

I don't recall whether it was previously posted on this thread, but it's good enough to share again!

 

This is one of the pics that were very helpful to know where I was at as I struggled to see if I was accomplishing my goal of "authenticity". The shadows from what looks to be intense morning light shows the shapes that all those side panels that were modified to capture Jesse's iconic coupe looked like. It starts at the front extension from the gravel shield to the lower front fender. Especially the side from the door back. This let me know that the molded fenders were correct, including the lower portion were everything came together just in front of the skirts, and that extension from the lower rear portion of the fender that connected to the gravel shield was also correct.

You need to know that it was a thrill.

Oh, just for the record I'm getting a knee replacement on wednesday. Lobotimies et al must be dealt with at another time.

 

Let me know how the knee goes because I am looking at getting one done also. Frank

 

Here's to a smooth surgery and a speedy recovery.

 

Good luck with the knew Jerry! I have a friend that got a knee and then a while later ended up with rotator cuff surgery. He said the knee was a piece of cake compared to a shoulder. Praying yours goes just as smoothly.

 

Have a speedy recovery Jer and back on your feet soon... let us know how it goes...

 

Well, I really appreciate all these well wishes, however there's been wrench thrown into the mix (it missed my knee, fortunately).
I had a blockage near my heart last year and I got a stent put in in april of this year. Everything is good, there was nuthin to the "operation". If I could have just dropped my right arm off and returned to pick it up later, I wouldn't have had to be there.
So everybody has to sign off on this knee operation deal and my cardiologist is the last one to check in. He's dragging his feet and I finally make a hurried appointment to see him today. He looks everything over and say's "you know, it's customary to wait a year after a stent to have anymore operations, right?" Duh, what's he asking me for?
Turns out that the blood thinner that I'm taking needs to be in my system for a year to keep any clots from forming at this stent. So his input is "NO YOUR NOT."
So i'm free as a bird without this looming life altering operation coming at me on wednesday.
So.......where were we?

 

All amped up then let down hard.

 

Well that is a wrench indeed. You'd think someone along the way would have seen that red flag and held it off from the beginning. Guess it's back out to the garage with you....we need updates!

 

well that just sucks.. but better safe than sorry.. I have been dealing with a cardiologist now myself..
I was diagnosed with A-FIB.. ( my heart rhythm is all over the place) so I got pacemakers back in January)
technology these days.. they can monitor it remotely.. I can send them records from my home station. .. Its crazy how they can adjust it as needed when in the office for check ups.. Now I have to watch being around welders, security checks( hand wands and walker thru check points) fun !

 

WOW, amazing Rob.

 

I started putting the doors together, doing the r side first. I had to take them apart to remove that thin piece of trim around the opening so that it wasn’t masked when everything was repainted. Back in the day you would mask this instead of blowing everything apart, but not on this car/job

When I came to the l side, the mech sounded like it was dry when I rolled up the window, not good. So I tried to partially disassemble it to be able to get at the innards to white lube it and I’ve created at bit of a conundrum. It got all jammed up and with the car on the floor I couldn’t get the leverage to be able to use my long arms. This was one of the reasons that it had to be on the lift.

Now I’ve got the glass separated from the mech thinking that I can slip that glass up into the channels and then attach the mech with the glass up and out of the way. Not as easy as it should be. When things like this happen I go inside and take a break and think about it, and come back out and go after it again.

So far I’m still thinking about it. We talked about this earlier.

 

When your at this level you sometimes get interesting views. Finally I have the glass in place which lets me start the assembly process.

The thought came to me that I should inspect that door glass carefully for any damage with all this crashing around stuff. Sure enough, a very small chip on the upper inside edge at the vent window. Its off to the local glass shop and maybe I can get it back tomorrow.

 

I did get that glass today, and this is what I want to duplicate on the l door, unfortunately Murphy’s law has struck a blow. I am eleven percent Irish.

 

darn it !

 

There is progress, but no pics yst, maybe today.

 

So, what is that clip for?


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Jerry I've called my Iowa old parts guy looking for your clip with no luck. He things that 41 window regulators we're a 1 year only thing. And I don't know enough to know if that's true or not. But I'll keep looking.

-Adam

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