A Clean Garage

Something rarely seen...

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New Wheels

Remember those Minators I bought, then sold?  Well, I found a set of JBW wheels for a great deal on eBay.  They look great.  I like the polished rim look.

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Another Break

I had to take another car break.  I had a PRK touchup on my left eye, the one I had done a year ago.  I had ended up with astigmatism, and the doc said he could fix it.  This time, I have other stuff to do besides sheet metal work, so my break only has to last a month or so.  Things turn out well and over time my vision improves much more quickly.

Here's a shout out to Dr. Craig Cassidy at Moretsky Cassidy Laser Vision Correction in Mesa and Glendale, AZ  He really knows his stuff.  The staff is great and highly skilled. I recommend them to anyone looking to have their vision corrected!

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Front Wing Fixes, Part 2

I did a little bit more work on the front fender to make the bonnet line up better.

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Rear Wings, Part Last

Here's the passenger's side, all done.

See those ear protectors?  I started wearing them after having a persistent ringing in my ears due to all the tool noise.  I went to the ear doc and he said everything was ok (my hearing is 'near perfect'... no matter what Julia thinks).  But ear protection is just as important as eye protection, and I learned my lesson on eye protection long ago.  So I always wear goggles and ear protection when I work, and my wonderful welding helmet is still going strong.

 

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Rear Wings, Part 2

I was able to save just about everything and fabricate patches for the rusted out pieces.  I reused the metal from the other fender I cut off to make the patches for the inner fender, since it was a) intact and b) the right thickness.  I think it turned out ok.

Before... and after.

 

Now with the closing panel in place too.

 

And finally, with the outer panel installed.  It's not perfect; it's got some waves in it even though I was really careful with heat.  But it's close enough to straighten out with a little filler.

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Rear Wings, Part 1

Down to the second-to-last big job, replacing the rear fenders.  As you can see, the years were not too kind to the inner structure, but it was better than I expected.  That little hanger-oner is a crude attempt to replace what rotted away.  I make it better.

 

 

It looks so much nicer with the replacement skin clamped into place.  I have lots to do before I can make that permanent.

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Solid As A Rock

If you haven't noticed by now, I like using song titles for post titles.

Here's the trunk floor, all welded in, and the inner fenders all finished up.  I messed up when I welded in the bumper stop on the passenger's side, so I had to remove it, patch the mess I made, then weld it back in.

 

 

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Closing Time

Here's the closing panels that fill in the gap between the trunk and the back of the rear fender (wing!).  These always rust away; no wonder, since they catch all the crud coming off the rear wheels (wheels!).

 

 

Here's the trunk floor, from the southern hemisphere.

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It Fits!

Folks, installing the trunk floor was not at all easy.

Never mind how bulky it is.  There's no way to wedge it in there in one piece without removing the braces that basically hold the bottom of the trunk to the car.  And I didn't want to do that; I'd never get it back together properly.  The best way would be to remove the entire rear body panel of the car first.  However, I had no confidence I would get things to line up again.  So I cheated.  It was hung up on one corner (driver's front), so I gritted my teeth and bent the panel up and out of the way enough to get it in place.  I was able to straighten the bend and you can't even tell, in my opinion.

Anyhow, it fits.

 

 

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