Projects Prefect / Willys /Kadett/Thames Gasser Build.

Micky p***ed today at 11:00 AM
As per his wishes we kept it quiet that he was on Ho****e . He had total renal failure on June 3rd. After 3 weeks he and his doctors came to the conclusion that it would never improve and his strength would never return. He didn't want the dialysis or the rehab with no chance of it ever being any better. He told them to make him comfortable and send him home. He made 14 days. Mick has always told me he lived a charmed life. Always on his terms, with the people he chose to be around him, and doing it his way. Mick p***ed peacefully. I am tired and running on fumes. I will fill in the rest and give the proper accounting/ respect to one of last of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen later this week. There are two of us left from the original group.
Thanks for the Prayers.
I am tired/ need rest.
No we are not done. ( as per Micks wishes and the fact that there are two left to finish and we will.)
Found one of the cards we had made back in the day. We used them for everything. Even a shim in a 235 Babbitt rod one time. Lol
Build All You Can While You Can.

 

Wow, so sorry for your loss, I am glad you had the time with him & all the memories.
Thanks for your contributions here, the stories & opening the door of your workshop for us to peek at.

 

R.I.P. Mick
Sounds like you taught a lot of lessons that will live on.
Condolences to the family and friends.

 

I’m sorry for the loss of mick but I have a good feeling he wouldn’t want us to be sad he would want us all to get busy and build something kool so that’s what I’m gonna be doin

 

And you would be correct.

 

Gonna graft a piece of square tubing or aluminum c channel from the underside /in the bottom of the channel. Bolt in to get rid of the bow. Then use body skin adhesive and epoxy to fill in and cover. Then remove the bolts and use filler etc to cover up.
or that’s the plan.

 

Built a rib brace and bolted to the bottom of the front cap. Pulled all of the bow out. It’s within an 1/8 full length. The dip was over an inch. It also didn’t affect my dutz fasteners. Or my front pivot mounts. I actually considered putting a small reverse bow in it to get it perfect. I suspect it will settle a little. Gonna use door skin adhesive /like last time. Completely cover it and let set. Then take bolts out and fill holes.
The first shot is how bad it was bowed down as compared to my long level. The rest are as I tightened the brace down.

 

Nice work, it may not give you a win but certainly looks a whole lot better!

 

Used the door skin sema adhesive to seal and make the brace permanenet. After it sits for a few days I am going to remove the nuts and back the bolts out. Then fill in the holes with the same stuff and then some filler/sealer. I hope lol .

 

Removed nuts and washers from top. Then cut the studs. I’ll need a touch of filler and go from there. It shouldn’t take much. It’s off about an 1/8. An inch and 1/4 better to be exact.

 

Filler added. Will sand /block and spot prime.

 

Sanded and blocked the rib. Found a few spots/ pits. Filled them with spot puddy/primer. Gonna let it sit and cure and cut /sand once more.

 

Trying to get that top ridge /rib smooth and slick. Blocked twice and found two more spots. This high build Clause primer /base has had 4 years to cure its sanding well enough but it’s taking 400 to do it. Would like that rib to be as nice as possible since it will be more visible but in the end is a race car. It will get scratched.

 

Looking better. Blocking as I go.
Getting ready to run the Prefect engine in on stand. Gotta decide whether I am doing a full radiator /using the water hose set up deal /or try to build an expansion tank like I see on all the dynos. Need to get up to temp but don’t won’t an over built deal that’s a pain to store. lol

 

Started blocking and sanding front doors. Found a few spots. However I think it’s going go pretty good. The plus is that this time I’ll literally be able to paint with all but the cowl and body on saw horses and horizontal if I chose. Or that’s the plan. Everything I painted on the Willy’s on saw horses turned out great. The other -well you just have to go back and look at the build thread.
It will be enamel (acrylic ) also. And maybe this time I won’t need to clear it.

 

More door work. Almost like to have never gotten the door handle screws lose. Anyone ever painted the balkalite inner door moldings. I need to know how to prep this stuff so it can be painted. If I ever figure out what color I am going to paint it.

 

Rear doors back off and rear fenders also. The Willy’s was never this small. Lol

 

Fenders blocked and sealed. I have come to the conclusion that they are far from straight but they are as good as they will be. I am starting to think light color might be the way to go.
But who can tell.

 

Actually got the windshield /cowl area sanded and blocked and that clausen high fill did indeed fill almost all of those metal pits. But then again it has had four years to cure.

 

Rear fenders sealed and ready for paint. They are as good as I think they will ever be.

 

Decided to test using the inner window moldings. scuff and shoot.
Hard to be acrylic enamel when it’s right. There will be a funeral for one mosquito that wouldn’t bug off. Two coats later kinda sealed the deal.

 

Started masking for painting of roll cage and the inner door jams and inner window panel edges.
I hope those damn solid rivets I used look good under the hood because I forgot when I put them in that it means my firewall won’t come out without drilling them back out. Genius move of mine. . So now in order to paint cage etc properly I have to spend a lot of time masking. the steering hub/wheel and the shifter obviously will unlock/bolt so that’s not a problem. Still haven’t made up my mind what color for the cage.

 

Last door blocked. It’s as straight as it’s gonna be. Been having flashbacks of metal flake

 

Interior gutted. Removed everything that I couldn’t mask off or easily scuff down for paint.
Cage first. Cure then wrap in aluminum foil. Then inner window edges and then roll the rapture coating on the floor and certain panels.
The inner doors and the back valence package tray will get aluminum bead roll panels out of what every aluminum I have left. I’ve got half a sheet of natural aluminum left. So we will see. I think I am going Black on cage. Red on door door jams and inner window edges. And then the silver/gray on the floor to match the firewall and trans tunnel.
I was shocked by the thickness of the dust layer -and remember it’s been indoors the whole time.
The original wooden bows were put back in to keep vibration down. Gotta figure out what color to paint them with.

 

As promised. By Kirker and dropped shipped from Pittsburg Paint and Body Supply.

 

Back half of the cage took pretty well. I’ll finish the front section in a day or so. word of caution when using ch***is/cage enamel. It must be clean of residue or it will blister in about 10 sec. I like the way it’s a smooth semi gloss but not a shiny shiny black. Still gotta figure out how I am painting the wood bows. As soon s the cage is completely painted and cured I’ll mask with tin foil. And then paint the rest with rapture liner tinted metallic aluminum. That will match the firewall and aluminum tunnel. Floor will also be done the same. I like a light color on floor so things don’t hide and you can find them when you drop them

 

Looks great Mitch, nice job. Cages' are a pain to paint, at least mine in the coupe was.

 

It’s a least laying down pretty well. I am cheating in the fact that I am doing the ch***is roll cage rattle can dance. If I had used any color than black it would have been a whole new deal. You still have to mask and prep. I sprayed the inner panels/roof and floor on the Willy’s. After I rolled the 57 floor and inner panels I’ll Probobly only spray what I can t reach or get to. I was super happy with how the 57 turned out.

 

Ok. Front section of cage painted. Luck ran out lol. For what ever reason the paint blistered on p***enger side diagonal. Let it cure and sand it down and fix that spot. Had some over spray there are a few places that I am glad they are not in the open.