I know Right! Brand new roll! The plastic spool broke! Hey I just checked the calendar, it only took me 3 weeks to do all that work!thank you coronavirus! Would’ve taken me three months or more if I had to go back to work!
I know y’all are probably gonna think I’m crazy! But I’m gonna fix the rocker yes I’m too cheap to buy new ones! It’s not really that. I hate drilling spot welds! Plus the passenger side is good! I can see through those oval holes on the backside, there’s no filler on the passenger side. i’m just gonna use a squirt bottle with some of that rust converter in it, it turns it black, just squirt it in the holes! Since you have to by them in pairs I won’t need the other one. Besides, I only got about an 18 inch section I need to fix I’m gonna go for it! It’s not like this thing is ever going to see wet weather again! Actually the top and bottom of the rockers are in great shape it’s just that outside edge.
Well what I did in about three hours, would’ve probably took 3 weeks to get the parts, another week of drilling out spot welds, lining up the doors, yada yada! Bam!
Dr. Frankenstein does it again! I see bad metal, cut out, UGG! Put new flesh in UGG! Stitch stitch stitch, soon it will be ALIVE!
I would have fixed it the same way. Remember, it's taken 87 years to get in it's current condition. Just repair it, and continue on.
Yeah Man! Its not like its gonna be a StreetRodder Magazine “Center Fold”.....Oh..Wait a Minute.... There is NO MORE StreetRodder!!!!
When we make repairs ourselves, and the patch isn't metal finished, I use hard mud (fiberglass impregnated bondo) some times called Tiger Hair. It is a little harder so sand, but it has inherent strength. I sand it with a random orbital, and top coat it with normal bondo. It works well in deeper areas, that we arn't particularly proud of.
Thanks! I know I need “some” filler over most of the patches and was wondering what to use. (I am not done welding the rocker patch in case you’re wondering) I was tired, and letting it cool down for less warpage. I used 19g its so thin. I tried to get a radius curve on it to match the rocker panels but it wasn’t quite enough so I have to put filler on it. I’m just glad all the holes, are gone and the holes aren’t filled full of Bondo and mesh like before!
Duraglass is good stuff. I think it's important to remove all rust by sandblasting rather than trust some snake oil converter to keep it from creeping back. Even if you plan to never get the car wet, it's gonna happen.
Doll, while you have all those panels open, it wouldn't hurt to coat the area behind them with weld thru primer.
The oxide converter I have is industrial, we use at the sewer plant in submerged shit water. It works! Trust me. As far as sandblasting, it cost money, and have to get a trailer, it won’t be at home, cant work on it. plus the wiring my Pop did is still in the car, attached to the dash, and gauges, fuse board etc. I hate all that sand every where! I would do that, if I was building a fresh ground up build, but I want drive it in this decade. This car is just gonna be a beater/driver. Not a rat rod, but not a shiny car. Just for fun. If that makes sense? Thanks Like this:
This build is about the things I remember. Its not the car so much. However its a thin line... between just fixing, and being a perfectionist...and dragging it out for years, missing the now. Thats what my Dad has done, and still hasn’t “finished” a car. Not me!
.....Continuing to why I am building the 33’ Doll the way I’m building it. I’ve had this conversation several times with my Pop. I try to tell him us younger guys, admire you older guys that grew up in the 50s and 60s and we wanna try to recapture that in our own weird way. My dad just doesn’t really get it, The whole patina, rattle cans, just fixing and patch welding etc. He said “We just built stuff that way back then, because we were poor, and we were just kids, Learning on our own!” And I said, “was it fun growing up back then”? My Pop gets a twinkle in his eye, like he’s remembering, he goes “Yeah I wouldn’t trade those days for the world, now that I think about it. But we worked our asses off!” I don’t know if I speak for the other guys, that are my age 40s 50s even 30s and 20s, that this modern age and all its great advantages, makes me just look at old photos, and want and yours for a simpler life, even though I physically might have been harder if that makes sense. Yeah I could strip the car completely down to the frame, have it blasted, have the body blasted, slowly build it from the ground up with a lot of aftermarket parts, spend years spending thousands and thousands of dollars, and then take out a second mortgage to pay for the body and paint work, so I can just sit in the easy chair at the local hot Rod show and watch a bunch of young guys admire my car If it’s perfect paint, and my little light duster, don’t touch it with your belt buckle don’t get near it etc..... Are you guys starting to feel me a little bit now?
Yup! I’m in Lincoln! Grew up out at Folsom Lake! My Pop is a retired City of Sacramento Fire Captain, we were friends with Cole Cutler if you’re older? We used to go to Fremont Drags all the time in the 80’s Im 51 Pops is 76 Coles old coupe, owned by someone else now the 33 Doll at our place off Auburn-Folsom rd.
I...AM....DONE! With the driver side Metal work!!!!! YAAY! What a learning experience! Passenger side should be a lot easier, not quite as bad! Plus the rocker is good! Just one spot on the Cowl! Easy-Peasy! (Knock on wood!) Do you all have enjoyed thus far, and I haven’t rambled on too much! Just trying to share as much as possible what I learned, and maybe someone else can learn too! -Peace my H.A.M.B. brothers!
You're doing awesome work. Thanks for sharing. Just a suggestion, but before you make that patch for the passenger side lower cowl, on your patch for that rocker, instead of using just a flat piece of sheet metal, add a little crown in it by hammering it "on dolly" to stretch the metal to a slight convex reveal. Pretend you're a power hammer, and just hit it "on dolly" in a long line BEFORE you cut the patch to size. It wont take a whole lot of hammering to stretch the metal to get the curve in the metal that you need. If you don't have an anvil, you can just use the concrete floor. you don't even have it hit it hard, just hit it on center and it'll stretch. Even a slight curve in the metal patch will save you a 1/16" to 1/8" of filler needed. If you have the basic set of body hammer and dollies, you'll want to use the hammer with the more rounded head that has a pick on the other end, not the hammer with the flat face head. If you don't have a hammer and dolly set, you can use about any hammer, but the rounded head one will work better/easier. You could also use that blue hand truck (dolly) that you have for your Oxy Acetylene torch as a dolly to stretch the patch piece over. Looking at how well you did on the driver wheel well, I think that if you follow this suggestion, you'll probably want to cut that patch you put on the driver side rocker back out, just because you'll find out how easy it is to add a little crown to the sheet metal.
Thanks! I did put a crown in the rocker patch. Wasn’t as much as I wanted, but its real close, I think the cowl will be a lot easier, since its a much shorter piece.
Welp! Its Passenger Side Time! Couple of pluses on this side, the frame isn’t rotten through, and the rocker panel is fine, just one small patch on the cowl, and I think it’ll be a little easier since I already did the other side now that I have the practice! No worries mate!!!
I'm following this, as the repairs required on my 34 Victoria look to be the same. I will need a floor replacement, there just isn't enough good area on it. But, the outer areas look the same. There's hope yet! Working on my 47 for now, though.
Your doing amazingly well with the body work. When I'm doing small intricate tasks, my mind wanders. What's next, how will it look etc. Something to think about is your rear split wishbones. We used to do that years ago, and we always wondered why our doors popped open going up a driveway. It appears your front wishbone is un-split. Your rear really should move on the same axis point in the center of your frame. You could probably notch the bones, and move them in. That would reflect the design Henry had intended. Just my 2 cents.
That’s weird, I was just looking at that. The frame has some cracks right there where they are mounted. Probably from twisting going up driveways, and such. I suppose I could Fabricate a Pete and Jake style kind of bracket, and pie cut the bones, at the rearend , and bring it in.....it did work for 30 plus years though. ......Thats later, body for now!
The Jalopy Journal
