Chugging along! Cut one of the curved quarter windows, successfully! So, I got another brand new windshield out at Carlisle, and with my confidence restored, gave it a shot. It's now cut, installed and sealed up, in the car!!!!!
Another task I was dreading, finished! The Olds has a pot metal vent window housing that had to be cut down. My old 55 was done by the best welder I knew back in '83. Long gone now, so the task was up to me! Got it cut down, the top reshaped for the Nomad roof, and the vent window frame also cut, in 2 places, for height, and again for pivot location. Also cut and welded up the stainless vertical trim on the windshield. Had to make a small 'filler' piece for the gap when leaning the gl*** down.
More good news, the vent window housings are back from Super Chrome in Asbury Park, NJ (local guys to me). They did a fantastic job plating over the welded pot metal!
A long time without update. I hope all is well. Can't remember if you had a Nomad tailgate? https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/nomad-tailgate.1337943/
Sorry, guys, no real update in awhile. I did find a guy who did the door gl*** and slider in tempered gl*** for me, and got one curved quarter window cut, but not the other. So busy with other guys cars...painted a 55 Chevy hardtop in small silver flake, and Candy Red roof, now restoring a 80 Z-28 for original owner, and body/paint on a hot rodded 67 GTO. I also picked my vinyl ( already had a cloth picked out) for the upholstery and delivered the front seat to get done.
Got all the curved gl*** cut ( had to replace one broken quarter window, due to cracking while fitting it up), Seat is still in upholstery jail. Found new quarter window rubber. Started guide coat and block on the car. Been sitting and staring at the upper tailgate. took it apart, and am trying to figure out if I can make one from scratch, in aluminum, even gave it to a machinist to see if he could make the upper and lower pieces on a mill. He tried some stuff, but no go, curves in 2 directions. So, I may have to cut and weld it (potmetal). No worries about welding, just that the parts are not very hefty, and the welds can't hold, it would mean breaking a part that cost around 1500 to chrome plate, after I weld it. I had a real pro weld some thin pot metal ( quarter window frames on my chopped 55) and they broke pretty quickly. Got a couple other options for the upper gate, but I'll have to experiment a bit, with shaping aluminum, or stainless.
The upper tailgate is awful heavy to begin with. All pot metal. And it's pretty pitted, like most are. My plater quoted me minimum 1500 to plate it. So I'm hesitant to cut and weld it, since the weld areas will be small. Thinking about building one out of aluminum. Just have to figure out how to do it in the least time consuming and painful way! Should be no problem making the upper and lower areas, where they meet with the quarter window trim. Got lots of sheet metal forming tools. But the rest of the frame is pretty complicated. Problem is: doing it timely, and in between "customer work"!
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