Pinchecharlie

New here and just read your whole thread and I must say your doing a fine job indeed! Impressed and I've been hammer forming and gas welding old rusty crap for a long time. Sometimes I wonder why we pull dead cars out of fields full of rust " for fun". I have a car that iam doing and it was even worse (still is) and iam not near as far,as you and it can be daunting to say the least. But my friend you are motivating me to hit my hand with a hammer and re fill the tanks and finish the thing. I've got a bunch of clekos in a box somewhere that never get used but not long ago a kid gave me these little clamps with a bar that just work great for but weld on sheet metal. There cheap and easy and work great when hammer welding . I think that's next for you is getting your dolly more involved with your welds and may be some files and a spoon? Your particular about it so next thing you know it will all have to be perfect ! That's a compliment not a criticism! Good job and thanks for detailing it so much for us.

I can appreciate what your doing! Well done!

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad I can help motivate someone. Motivation and sharing knowledge is what this is all about.
Nice car, looks like a lot has already been done. That should be a lot of fun.

Regretfully my body tools and skills are fairly limited but at least the tools are mostly by Martin, so I have quality on my side. I'm actually trying to decide what to buy next on the body tool front. I don't do a lot of body work and when I do spend a lot of time experimenting and improvising to get things how I want them.

I need to hang quarters on this car and I have some of the clamps you described but they leave a gap in the sheet metal. I've noticed the cheaper ones are thicker while the nicer ones I bought are thinner. This would be fine for MIG but I was considering TIG welding the quarters for the softer workable weld. My concern is a gap doesn't go well when TIG welding on sheet metal for me. I'll probably buy some scrap and play with some different techniques, but the end result I want is no visible seam inside or out.

I'm no good at gas welding, but I don't have the proper rig for it either. It's awesome seeing someone good do it. years ago I used to see an old guy make fenders or other items and such from flat steel and hammer weld them. The guy was an artist.

I believe the clamps you are referring to look like the ones pictured below. I have several of the regular ones and they work well, but can be difficult to position. Leave it to Strong Hands Tools to build one like you need incorporating magnets and a spring in the design so the thing stays put and doesn't require three hands to install. I guess I'll be buying some of these babies in the near future to replace the current set.

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

Not much shop time tonight. Being short on time I was not in the mood to try and fit in the wheel wells to do plug welds so I filled in a factory hole I’m not going to use in the final replacement floor section.

The hole I don’t need and the plug I made…








Plug installed and metal finished. I must be slightly OCD. This spot is actually completely hidden from view unless you know exactly where to look or have been kidnapped and placed in the trunk. If the latter is the case you probably don’t care about the metalwork unless you’re really OCD and you know these cars well – at least I wouldn’t. Hahaha.






Hopefully I can get in the shop again Friday.

socal57chevy

iTrader: (1)

It's Friday! Hehehe
Jonesin for more fancy metal work. I might be up at the Twin Drive in for rusty metals swap meet on Saturday morning if it's not raining. I might drive my old rust bucket up there since it will blend in.
http://rustymetalproductions.com/upcoming-events.html

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

Thankfully! My job has been nuts lately and corporate has 100 (so it seems) consecutive projects going in my area that all interact, but aren't mapped out at all. To place what I do in car terms: Imagine building an engine and the original spec shows light duty parts for a simple daily driver. It comes back from machining as such and you start assembly but a set of high compression overbore pistons show up. You ask about the high compression pistons and they tell you it's going to be a big inch high output engine. The block isn't bored for that and before the piston issue is resolved a giant supercharger arrives. Eventually you have enough parts to build two engines, but none of them match so you can't move forward with the build and corporate is asking why no progress has been made. They don't understand the delay because according to their check list you have all the parts.


Having said that, let's see if I can make it through the work day without any excessive drama from corporate...


I've been working a lot on the car, but I haven't had time to sort through or resize and crop the pictures. I want to go to a cruise with some friends in Parkville so I'm trying to button things up before that.


I'm not sure about the swap meet thing. I went last year and outside of the two vendors I knew mostly saw junk. The two vendors I know personally had nothing I needed (they call me first when they find something they think may be of interest to me or my friends) so we chatted briefly in the cold and I went home empty handed.

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

Sorry for the lack of updates, but the work schedule and some personal deadlines have me scrambling a lot. I did take pictures, I just haven’t had time to organize and share them.

This post marks the beginning of the final trunk floor replacement panel installation. This panel is made for a 1962 Impala and is close as you can get for a 1961 Impala. In the first image I laid a part of 1961 Impala sheet metal on top of the 1962 replacement panel. You can clearly see the difference with the 1961 Impala having more of a stylized drop compared to the 1962’s straight edge.





Close up of the same.







Close up of 1962 replacement panel drop off.





Close up of 1962 replacement panel and some 1961 panels I cut from another car 20 years ago.





Slightly crunched, but savable passenger side panel.




Now I have some thinking to do. If I use the trunk pan as is, I need to fabricate 1962 style trunk drop off panels (where the trunk floor meets the quarter) and a 1962 style cover. If I modify the trunk pan to fit the style of the 1961 Impala floor I’ll spend a lot of time trimming and welding metal in the trunk itself. However I won’t have to make the drops, plus I think the 1961 Impala trunk looks better. Additionally with the 1961 version, the drops are easier to clean as the covers are screwed in vs. welded for 1962.

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

I did a bit of planning and measuring before whittling away additional rust on the car while preparing for my initial fit of the final replacement trunk panel. Some of the final bits of rust to be trimmed out can be seen in these images. This is a perfect example of why I bought an entire floor with braces instead of the individual patch panels. You can also see one of the temporary braces I used to keep things aligned.

















The deck lid on this car fits pretty well in some dimensions and others it could be much better. I made several notes and took lots of photos to ensure everything lined up where I wanted it to be when I’m finished. I’m not getting crazy with the final fitment at this time. My effort was only for the floor work unless I saw something drastically askew. Thankfully everything is pretty square except one spot that is just shy of 1/8” off. I left the deck lid in place as a measuring tool while I worked to simplify measurements.

















Remains of the passenger side rear body bolt and associated captive nut.





The floor brace is actually rusted through in this image.







As anticipated the first fit of the 1962 replacement panel didn’t go very well. I enlisted the help of several different metal cutting tools to get the panel and car to agree on common ground.











Second fitting was much better but the panel still needs a bit of love with the hammer and dolly to flatten the area under the tail light.











Until next time….

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

I didn’t have much shop time this round. I flattened both sides below the tail lights with the hammer and dolly then cleaned the 1961 trunk floor quarter extensions in preparation for installing them on the 1962 trunk floor panel.









I still haven’t found a good way to remove undercoat that doesn’t involve sheer brute force, a bit of patience and lots of time. I hate undercoat. Did I mention that I hate undercoat?

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

What a labor of love this is turning out to be. I am not cut out for this ****...My next car will be a mostly intact, rust free, original paint, "survivor!"

Andrew

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

I feel you, but for some demented reason this is fun to me. Besides, this car and I have a long history... the very short bit is I've owned it for the last 25 years.

KiwiStarChief

You are very brave taking on a task of that magnitude, I certainly don't have the skill or patience.

The easiest method I have found to remove underseal (which I am assuming you mean when you say undercoat) is to use one of those "Renovator" oscillating tools. Makes the job so much less effort.

socal57chevy

iTrader: (1)

Wife watches TV.
I watch this epic drama. Friggin AWESOME!!

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

Thanks a lot. I have done most of this before, just not on one vehicle.

At this point I have actually replaced the entire floor from firewall to bumper. Fortunately for me I'm almost out of undercoat on this project leaving only the inner wheel wells to attack. The rears will be done when the body is on the rotisserie. That doesn't mean I won't run across some on another project which will give me a good excuse to try your method - and buy another tool. Thanks for the tip.



Epic drama or epic insanity? Haha

Pinchecharlie

Trunk floors are a bitch and you knocked it no problem! Great job keep up the great work won't be long now.

Jimbo1367

I'm glad you are saving this car. Lord knows I couldn't do it. Keep up the great work !!!

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

Thanks guys.
This car means a lot to me for several reasons. How I found it, how long I've owned it and the memories I've had with / in it. I simply can't give up now as the hardest bits are behind us.

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

Well the decision has been made… I’m doing 1961 trunk fillers for the 1961 car. Yes it’s a lot more work, but I like the stylized look of the 1961 parts more than I do the straight 1962 trunk fillers.

Step one, find some that aren’t rusted beyond recognition like the ones from my car and my parts car. Luckily I got some as part of a package when I bought quarters from a wrecked 1961 Impala around 20 years ago. One of the filler bits is decent and needs simple cleaning while its mate is pretty mangled, but it can be fixed. Having these parts went a long ways toward putting my mind in the proper direction. The other option would have been fabricate what I needed from raw steel to get the look I desired.


The next few images are of the inside trunk extensions and the work I’m doing to straighten, repair and mock them up for fitment to the replacement 1962 trunk floor panel.

The area on the left is supposed to be raised but was smashed nearly flat. I’ll hammer and dolly this plus possibly apply a bit of heat to coax things along without cracking.







What needs to be cut from the replacement panel just for quick mock up to validate my idea.







In place with the bolt in filler to get a visual to ensure we’re going the right direction. The donor panel has been screwed into place temporarily to ensure everything lines up properly or marking and trimming.





The donor has now been trimmed and screwed down a second time. This is to mark and trim the replacement panel. Before I trim the replacement panel I’ll install the other side and temporarily install the entire floor pan again to ensure everything fits as desired.

ls1nova71

iTrader: (4)

You are a mad man!!!!! It's a trunk FFS!!! But hey, what ever makes you happy! Looking good though.

And just an FYI, before you go to grinding that factory undercoating, GM called that stuff an 'asphalt/asbestos coating' so be cautious and use a respirator.

socal57chevy

iTrader: (1)

Jimmy Hoffa would be proud to be found in a trunk like that! Heck Yeah!!

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

You already know I'm not quite right...
Yeah, I typically chisel it off and sweep it up. If I do grind it I try to wear some sort of mask and do it outside. If you don't your nose will be plugged with more brown crap than you would think is possible. Made that mistake only once!



Thanks man! Hahaha.