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Projects 1959 Chevy Nomad wagon build

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 1959Nomad, Sep 22, 2011.

  1. chevy59409
    Joined: May 7, 2011
    Posts: 77

    chevy59409
    Member

    Looking good .takes alot of work but well worth it in the end if there is ever a end
     
  2. Great work to save it. Does anyone know of anyone reproducing the vertical stainless steel strips for the Nomad taillights or anyone have a R&L set for sale? Gonna look good when finished.
     
  3. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    Thanks Davey
    i think the Impala set may work, 40 bucks for a set from Eckler's seems to be the best price, here is the link. they should be able to confirm if you just use 6 of the 8 pieces for the Nomad trim
    http://www.lategreatchevy.com/chevy-taillight-lens-trim-set-impala-1959.html

    good question/comment on "is there a end?". I'm trying to figure where the the end "for now" will be. time will tell.
    thanks for the encouragement chevy59409
     
  4. Have a set for the Impala, wont work. Impala lens are much thicker, stick out further than the wagon lens, have more depth to them, wagon lens are pretty flat. Thanx anyway, will keep looking. Keep up the good work on the wagon.
     
  5. 59bones
    Joined: Dec 13, 2010
    Posts: 355

    59bones
    Member
    from Illinois

    I have a set of the stainless trim for wagon/elco tail-lights. Not for sale but maybe I should look into making some reproductions...:rolleyes:
     
  6. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    Sorry on that one. I guess that is why they looked a little funny. mine have been in a box for ~15 months. thanks for the tip Davey, mine are now officially back on the "good enough" list. hopefully you did not find out by buying some.
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2012
  7. Grumpy
    Joined: Jan 28, 2003
    Posts: 2,570

    Grumpy
    Member
    from NE Ohio

    Congrats on the build. Always loved 59-60 chevy wagons. Ive been lucky enough to have owned both a 59 and 60 Nomad.
    The 59 is the only car, out of countless cars Ive owned, that my wife literally cried when it left our house.
    Still reminded often....:eek:

    Great job you're doing with yours.
     

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  8. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    Thanks, I remember seeing pictures of your 59 here awhile ago. i did check out your store and (when i get to that point) it looks like you carry some goodies to add for better look.
     
  9. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    Thanks 59Bones for the hot lead on the clips, Jim did have some to sell and i got a full set today. he purchased a bunch of them long ago and is willing to sell. Compared to the alternatives they are well worth the cost, IMO.
     
  10. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    After reading lots of suggestions on stripping paint I decided to tackle the hood. it is solid but had heavy surface rust with some areas with no paint left. tried the razor blade, 80 grit sand paper, wire brush,, a disk with lots of little paper and finally a 3m purple stripper. the 3M disk worked best for me and i got the top of the hood fairly clean.
    I can see where in a couple of days you could do a car with it. the sand paper did okay if you changed it really often, went through ~7 or 8 with out getting to far. I will probably do the roof the same way, as its condition is similar. The sides may not get taken down to bare metal, as they have fairly solid original paint.
    My next step will be to decide how to stop the remaining oxidation from coming back, again lots of posts and recommendations. there are lits of light traces of rust still showing. may now try some 120 grit, but it looks like it will be hard to remove it 100%.
    It needs a little more work but here are the after pictures. I have been waring a mask and it is a must with the dust in the air. I finally had to turn off the flash because it fogged up the picture, as seen in the last one. The mask was a very dirty too.
     

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  11. b-mauger
    Joined: Dec 26, 2011
    Posts: 13

    b-mauger
    Member

    i use 3m prepsol this is acid that will eat the rust.if it is not to bad i just scrub it with a scotch pad till it perfectly clean then you must nuteralize it. this will clean the rust but it will rust again quickly if you dont seal it with epoxy primer. if you have major rust pits i have soaked rags then layed them on the rusty areas used spredersto get air bubbles out then cover with some plastic so it dont dry out let sit overnight this will eat rust away reel good but dont leave on too long and it will eat metal away till theres none left. do not blast hood or roof this will warp forsure and you will need plenty of bondo to fix. good luck
     
  12. b-mauger
    Joined: Dec 26, 2011
    Posts: 13

    b-mauger
    Member

    watch the stripper disks will make alot of heat and possibly warp the hood. i dont know how bad your roof is but i had a kingswood that had holes everywhere on the roof i think it had something laying on it for years outside any way i re skinned that one with a nice roff from a 60 and it really was not bad to do just alot of drilling spot welds and takeing out all glass and window trim.
     
  13. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    Thanks for the tips. basically it is not that the rust is so bad, it is that the paint is almost gone and i do not think i can paint over it. there is just some light rust remaining, but like the old saying goes, "the rust never rests".
     
  14. b-mauger
    Joined: Dec 26, 2011
    Posts: 13

    b-mauger
    Member

    if you have enough air a mud hog will strip paint super quick. this is a 8 inch oribtal sander. NOT A DA it is more like a grinder. works great for stripping paint bondo ect. also is the best way to cut plastic quick if you have a large flat area to make flat.
     
  15. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    in keeping with my goal to try as many types of repairs as possible on this build (assuming they are needed), i did some hammer and dolly on the hood and welded some pin holes. the dents were in the front of the hood and the back was covered with the reinforcement backing. i could have went with 1/4" of filler, but now it will be well under 1/16". I'm not to the "no Filler level" yet, but this will be a big improvement.
     

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    Last edited: Jan 31, 2012
  16. SledDriver
    Joined: Oct 30, 2001
    Posts: 99

    SledDriver
    Member
    from California

    It's great to see all of these 59's resurrected. After seeing what most of you are going through, I feel very fortunate to have started with an Impala that is in great shape. Here's an example of one of the fender extensions I just cleaned up and painted. Just about perfect. Lucky.

    Travis
     

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  17. hemifarris
    Joined: Sep 30, 2005
    Posts: 2,321

    hemifarris
    Member

    It's looking great. Take your time and don't cut any corners to get it done sooner. It's going to be too nice of a car to cut corners in quality just to get it done in a hurry........Nice job,Mike.
     
  18. sololobo
    Joined: Aug 23, 2006
    Posts: 8,383

    sololobo
    Member

    Looking good man, great project. thanx for the other wagon pix guys. The worlds coolest fins!! ~sololobo~
     
  19. 59bones
    Joined: Dec 13, 2010
    Posts: 355

    59bones
    Member
    from Illinois

    I'm with hemifarris, take your time. It took me about three and a half years to get my wagon to where I was happy. The nice thing about it is I have not had to do anything other than basic maintenance since.

    Oh and glad the clips are gonna work. I need to get some too.
     
  20. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    thanks Travis, i at times wonder if it can really be that simple, after having spent some time out west seeing all the rust free old cars around.
    looking at the picture i guess it is all that and and then some, it looks more like a new part.
    i have taken the "no more "rust buckets" pledge" many times, but somehow convince myself it will be different this time.
     
  21. b-mauger
    Joined: Dec 26, 2011
    Posts: 13

    b-mauger
    Member

    looking good man i said prepsol insteed of metal prep i figured i better correct my self before i get flAk for it
     
  22. gonmad
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 1,760

    gonmad
    Member

    I have always kicked myself in the butt for not buying that 59 when David priced it to me!! Awesome car!
     
  23. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    Well I decided to get something done so I primed the fender wells and painted with a rattle can semigloss paint.
    They look like a ~7? on 1 to 10 and much better that the way they started. If at some point they are the weak link, dragging the whole car down, i can pick up some re-pops
     

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    Last edited: Feb 3, 2012
  24. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    more fun with rust.... turned out to have some more Swiss-cheese on the rear door. i must need more practice.
     

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  25. Cody Walls
    Joined: Nov 14, 2008
    Posts: 1,573

    Cody Walls
    Member

    wow i never seen 59's doors rot out there , there usually always gone at the bottom , aneyways its comming along good, keep up the great work
     
  26. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    Thanks Cody, i was surprised too. At first it looked to be be from the outside going down but when i removed the paint there was one little pin hole. With a little probing it was clear it had to go. Too bad the wagon rear doors in good shape are so hard to find and so expensive if you ever do see a solid set
    I sometimes think the end goal is to find a low rust "carcass" from a salvage yard out west and let my car be a parts car, but that is a plan for years from now. In the meantime, I can just keep working on my patching skills.
     
  27. b-mauger
    Joined: Dec 26, 2011
    Posts: 13

    b-mauger
    Member

    you can use a 4 door door and change the post. its not to bad. i fixed another 59 with the same rust problems at the door handels. it also was getting rusty at the edges where the skin wraps around. after fixing all this i should of found better doors.good luck
     
  28. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    I looked at trying that, did you just drill out the spot welds and then plug weld them back on? I worked on the opposite side tonight and it is getting close.
     
  29. b-mauger
    Joined: Dec 26, 2011
    Posts: 13

    b-mauger
    Member

    just cut off the post and welded it on the car door like chopping a car door only changing the post insted. then changing the glass. just do this job with the door on the car and all your gaps correct so you can put the post perfectly where you want it . no guessing here good luck sounds like your almost done with them anyway. i fixed two really rough rusty 59s then i got tired of fixing every inch of every panel and got a 59 nomad from new mexico with alot of dents but no rust. i paid alot for a compleate project but it was well worth it.
     
  30. Bruce A Lyke
    Joined: Jun 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,527

    Bruce A Lyke
    Member

    Here the latest update of the painted underside of my hood.
    There is not a lot more to show since i have been mostly stripping paint and fixing a few more small rust holes.
    I am planning to pick up some DP60LF blue primer to start priming with to see how it works and if i like the looks of it. Long term I really may need some better sheet metal to really get the car 100%. Time will tell.
     

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