NEXT QUESTION! So last night when i came down to visit my grandmother and take my 53 for a drive, she suprised me and for my xmas present, had the grill,front bumper, front trim and headlight rings, and chromed! She took them to sherms chrome shop about 6 weeks ago and they said they are going to be done this thursday. Best Grandmother EVER!!! Since those are off, i wanted to repaint that front piece there behind the bumper since it doesnt look too hot with old primer. I see on most other 52-56s that it is like a grey color. Does anyone know the paint code or where I could find it? I did a google search but could only get body paint codes. Thanks Guys Luke
I don't know where to get the paint code but your grandmother is by far the coolest grandmother on the planet!
I noticed in your album that your drivers side seat back leans way back. If that's from a damaged or missing seat stop, you can get them from Mac's. If it's just worn out like mine was I guess this won't help.(I just replaced the front seat) http://macsautoparts.com/campaign_product.asp?camid=F50&pn=JS0R3CHL1085169
The front pan is "argent", a dull silver. You'll not need a paint code. Every paint shop on the planet knows argent. Have them mix it in a single-stage semi-gloss acrylic enamel. You'll find lots of other uses for it as well. It's kind of a universal non-color.
thanks missysdad!! yeah stig, actually i have a huge rip under my backrest and i thought that is what was making it lean bacl like that. Usually when i drive it i just lean forward. Where do those parts go exactly?? thanks for the info on it! haha and yeah guys the car would def not look like it does now it it were not for her.
Your Grandma is awesome! Makes me wonder what mine would be like, I only met one of them once when I was 3 before she p***ed and the other one p***ed before I was born. Glad you got a cool family that supports your habit !
That piece screws into the seat bottom or the bottom of the seat back (I don't have the stock seat in the car now and don't remember exactly where it went). My seat was bad and that didn't fix it so when I drove I just put a squeegee handle under the seat back to hold it up straight.
Ok so i got the paint...turns out argent is just another word for silver! haha thanks eric. lol well i sprayed it tonight, and since the grill/bumper is off, i thought it would be cool to paint the horns that same silver and get them pin striped. going to get them pin striped next week when i get a few other things striped. before after horns
Cool! Gonna look great with the new chrome. Are you going to polish the stainless as well? It's easy to do at home. I think Ron had a how-to thread a while ago. Might as well spiff it up while it's off and handy...
Thanks! yeah i started to polish them up some but id like to polish them a little more. I need to take a few of my side pieces somewhere to get a few dings and dents taken out
After I got estimates I decided to polish the stianless on my '56 myself. It's not difficult, just takes time and patience - something I've always been short on. I could've taken more time and got it better than it is but it's not a show car, it looks great from a few feet away, and the owner is satisfied with the results. It had some nicks, dents & dings too, but the stainless is pretty tough - although thin, as I found out the hard way (wore 2 holes in it while working out a couple deep nicks). I was able to clean up most of it using a small hammer & wood blocks, files, sandpaper & a cheap bench grinder/polisher. Polishing compound is available nearly anyplace; I found some of the best at Graingers. You might save yourself a few $$$ and try it yourself first. If you have a piece of s**** or a second piece of stainless, I highly recommend practicing on it first. I ended up having to buy a second molding for mine after I screwed one up. As they say, patience is a virtue - I gained some on my project. BTW, your stone shield looks good! Yes argent is usually a darkish silver. Ford used to sell it in rattlecans years ago but I don't recollect the part number - I don't think it had a paint code. John did mine maybe a bit darker than yours looks in the pic. Good luck! ron
thanks ron! yeah i will look into all that. So you have like a polishing thing on a bench grinder? Where could i get something like that? I have a bench grinder, just no polishing wheel. Ill take a picture of one of my side/rear stainless pieces, it has a pretty big dent in it and i have no idea how to bring that one out.
Eastwood has all the polishing supplies you'd ever need, along with a good ***ortment of tools like hammers, wedges (no, Ron, not wedgies) and leather sand bags. Take a look at their website. http://www.eastwood.com/?srccode=ga200220&gclid=CLP-gLHB_qUCFc9J2godNSHpXA It has been my experience that a combination of small pliars, small hammers, fine files and various wooden blocks will accomplish most stainless steel repairs...combined, of course, with a working knowledge of automotive sheet metal repair techniques. If you are uncertain of your skills, best to seek out experienced help rather than ruin rare and expensive parts...in my humble opinion.
Yes, what Eric says about Eastwood - good quality. I picked up most of my stuff locally but whatever works for you. And yes on the bench grinder - I got a couple of buffing wheels for mine at Harbor Fright - they're cheap but when doing "trial and error" to determine which type to use, I found it best way to go with least $$$ outlay. As it turned out most I got there were okay but got some good ones at Grainger. I found that the dents aren't nearly as hard to work out as the nicks and gouges are. As Eric said, get some wedges - soft ones (actually, I bought a small bundle soft wood shim stock at Lowes for a couple bucks - they work pretty good) - and work the back side of the damaged area out slowly till you get it close. Then file - lightly, sand, buff. . .repeat as necessary. Oh and yes Eric about the experience! Nothing like it for sure. I learned the hard way, ruined 2 pieces in the process, fortunately I had extras from the parts car.
thanks guys, yeah i will probably need to get some help from some experienced guys before i try and take out the big dents. The polishing though seems like something i could do. Ill look into some polishing wheels.
I bought a book a few years ago, " How to restore metal trim " by Jeff Lilly, and found it very helpful.
I have posted this before,but just to refresh for those that are new. www.jefflilly.com has a great website with a lot of restoration tips and how-to pics.
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