Projects My Shoebox Dash Metalflaking + Hidden Radio Laid Off $0 build

Shaved the passenger side door hand and lock also the side trim holes. I used the metal left over from the door I cut up for the patch on the driver side.

Threw some primer on it because I picked up some side work for the next few days. Oddly enough doing doors just the wood kind.



Threw some primer on her**** too. I am really starting to dig it without the bumper. I was thinking of lowering the bumper and mold in the exhaust with some round stock I have left over from a project before the lay off.

Yes I have a garage but this car has been 100% built in the driveway like in the old days. I have the sunburn to prove it.



I really dig the Bubble Lee tail lights.

no not a lincoln symbol but yes I am running Lincoln hub caps.

 

Its looking great! Good luck with everything!

 

Anyone ever french fender skirts in a shoebox? If so have any pictures?

 

Shaved the license plate indent today. Used my HF english wheel to give it curve. Over all the piece turned out great for my first time using it other than to make bowls and a bunch of junk that looks like hub caps. I have seen alot of them done with a flat piece and it always bugs me that it doesn't flow with the shape of the deck lid. I threw some primer on it to hold off the rust till Monday. I was lucky with the roll pan and tail lights because I primered them and it rained the last two day. I know rain in July in Los Angeles crazy! I'll save the deck lid emblem on Monday maybe I go back and forth about it.

 

MAN your getting down! So She'll be painted before Labor day??

 

I'm hoping to be painted in less than 3 weeks. Or atleast the metal flake on the roof done. It all depends on how much work I can pick up.

 

Very nice, I like low buck!! Its a nice way of saying CHEAP! Thats me in a nutshell...CHEAP!

 

great fLake!!!!

 

I have been working a lot just not on the Ford. It was nice to get back to working on cars instead of being a carpenter. Okay so I took the paint off the*****py fender I bought off a fellow hamber a few years ago and found this lovely goodness! So a few days ago a friend was kind enough to come by the house and give me a set of fenders that needed a lot of work. So I took the fenders that had the bottoms looking real rough and the 1/2 inch of lead and melted it to find this pretty bad patch. So I figured I would try to fix it.

So from this

To this. I still need to fix the side a bit but overall I'm way happier and the fender fitment is way better than it was I could never keep the alinement good for very long.

Look what Santa Fed Ex brought me today. The Volvo 140 steering box everyone is always looking for! I can't buy the stock rebuild kit for what I paid thanks abc auto parts Inc in CO!

 

Ok, don't understand the reasoning for wanting to clear BEFORE intercoat clear!? Intercoat clear is to protect one layer from the other; to seal the base from other artwork or such. If you were just clearing over your paint, no intercoat clear is necessary, in fact, never want intercoat clear as your final clear; it has no uv protection!

 

Glad to see you're back on it!

 

If you clear before inter clear and you either mess up on your art work or flake or what ever you can not have to go back down to primer and have to paint base again. And yes clear over the flake or artwork. If you don't then you would have flat flake. Steps are prime color clear interclear with flake and clear.

 

Can't say I was happy to find a 1/2" of bondo in the lower part of the door

This is how I make my rounded corners so if you don't buy TRC for Brad Masterson showing you so this way here is mine. I do mine in two pieces out of 18g. I bend the very top to match the bend right before the rain gutter.



I do marks to line up the inner piece when I'm fitting them.

Here's with the corner cut off. It's pretty easy to do I matched the top rear radius of the window of the door. One of the easiest Kustoms tricks to do.

On a side note I do finally have the doors both fitting really nice. I am getting alot happier with the gaps. I refit the passenger side and drivers side fenders and they look nice. Hood is getting there. I have to decide if I am doing stock 50 Ford grille? I do have a 51 hood that I was given that the person was trying to make a 49 or 50 hood and cut the piece off but luckily they saved that piece so I am going to weld it back on. I have the ultra rare Kaiser Allstate grille sitting in the 53 Henry J. I have one full grille plus a half of one I could do a 3 bar grille? And also a 51 HJ early 52 Vagabond grille.
I am thinking of selling the Meteor grille I bought a few years ago.

 

Welded in the pieces from yesterday. I think it looks factory with rounded corners.

No filler added yet a few touch up places but over all I am happy with this side too.

Coat of primer slapped on no filler yet I am doing to finish the rest of the door first before I fill anything.

It feels weird to not poke my finger into the hole to open the doors. I also shaved the door handle and lock hole today on this side. I have to fix this door it fits like a square peg in a round hole. The boottom was scraped on something and has 2 creases down the length of it and got pretty deep close to the edge. It's getting closer every day.

 

I love do it yourself builds. Keep it up guys.

 

loven the tech on the rounded door corners..it will help out alot on mine when i get to that part..

 

So here's my idea I bought some bumpers from a fellow hamber a few years ago and they were junk. The front had a dent in it and the rear wasn't too much better so I figured I have nothing to lose so what the heck I'm cutting them up. So here is what I have come up with. I bid on a 52-54 Ford front bumper a few years ago to put on the rear of the Henry J but since I am doing the Ford first I figured I will try it on here first and can always get another one for the HJ.

50 Ford left bumper end Center is 52-54 Ford front bumper and right is still stock 52-54 Ford



The inside of the 50 bumper would need to be trimmed a little more to not touch the body of the car.

At the very top I would have to bend it to blend it a tad bit. but the front fit together really nicely.

You can see that it needs to be brought by pie cutting but over all I think it looks cool

Soo What do you guys think is it worth the effort? I'm digging the no rear splash gaurd idea and how well it fits the body. THOUGHTS?

 

So I if anyone was to stop by my house today they would have laughed as 3 DONKs were parked in front of my house. One was a 80's Camaro with 28"s it made me laugh. The guys stopped to see if I would intrested into doing so metal work on their cars. I'm not sure if I can work on cars I think are stupid. They even sent a friend by in his Lexus SC400 on 24"s to be put on the waiting list. How random is that! I guess I might be the new king of donks in LA if I start doing work on them. I am just not into their cars in any shape of form. One did have a 427 that was just a bad**** motor. Opened the hood I about*****.
Anyways here is what I did today I grafted the front fender peak into the rear of the lower seam.

I'm digging it forgot to take during pictures but will with the other side.

My neighbor came over when the DONKS left and said he was shock with how factory that i made it looked. That if he didn't know he would have thought it came that way.

 

I'm liking the "peak" - great attention to detail !

 

I'm not crazy about the bumper, but the fender peak looks great!

 

So while it was rainning in LA. I know what the hell rain in LA. Anyways I was in the garage messing with the Kustom bumper I am thinking of using. This is it on the car between rain drops. Shoebox guys give me your thoughts since you know what the stock one looks like with the splash guard installed.

 

Thats not a bad idea.I havent seen anyone done that kind of "wrap-around" bumper to shoebox.Its refreshing to see something new for a change.

 

I'm on the fence with the flush bumper . I like the wrap-around style that contours to the body , but it almost seems like it needs a little separation and a small splash panel . Either way , kudos for style & execution .

 

I think I figured out what I dont like, I think its too close to the car. Just 3/4" would make all the difference in the world.

Of course, this is only my opinion. I just think it being SO close its missing some personality.

 

It has about a 1/4-3/8" gap now. I was thinking of opening it maybe a little bit more. Here is the other side tacked in place still needs to be bent into shape and the bottom pie cut to match them together. I am thinking of removing the top middle part to be straight across. which would open the gap in the rear a bit too. It looks better in person than in pictures because of the rust on the bumper.



What about lowering it an inch? I would have to cut the bracket and radius the bottom some for the exhaust.

 

I wouldn't lower it any, it'll make the back of the car look way too tall.

 

Took a break from working on it this afternoon because my neighbor complained about the noise. It ended up for the best as I went over to my other neighbor's house to help him weld the stands for his airplane wing. It's a good thing I went.

 

Here's how it looks from above. This is the peak. Also I forgot I traded the front bumper away and this is the rear. I am debating on cutting the little extra piee off the indent for the license plate or I am thinking of having the plate come up from below and slide back in at shows.

This is it space out a bit more I think i might go this way I am liking it more way.

 

That's a trunkload of***** , LOL !!!

It looks better sitting away from the car a bit , but being so much closer to the body than stock , the gap has to be PERFECT all the way across to pull it off . Keep tweaking it & you'll be good to go .

 

Hey Buddy that's the clean version! HA HA. I have a bad habit of taking tools to the trunk and leaving them in there then instead of looking for it go get another one till there is half the garage full of stuff. I cleaned it yesterday when my neighbor was complaining about the noise of me grinding on the bumper! So I did non noise stuff till my other neighbor asked me to school him on welding for his wing stands for the plane he's building. I told him if anyone made fun of his welds tell them I did his side and he did mine.

I still need to shape the right side but it's pretty close to being done. cleaned it up a bit and shaved the rest of the bolt holes.