Once again, a half-car pseudo-teardrop
- Thread starter groys02
- Start date
Between Wednesday and today, I got the new panels made to fill between the new frame and the old floor-line. All welded in now... lots of grinding to do, and seam-sealing later after the new metal gets primed & painted, but at least all the large holes in the floor area are closed up now, so I don't have to worry about a stray cat or groundhog [they're prevalent here] getting inside... as it's going to need to sit outside [tarped] for a few days while I work with my son on a used pickup he recently bought.
The pics below show the patch panels fitted on one side... then the rear-most panel of plywood floor slid into place... and then a pic through the trunk opening, looking forward. [the EMT tubing brace I added to stiffen the inner fender wells up... then I removed the original X-braces that were behind the rear seat of the car]
The pics below show the patch panels fitted on one side... then the rear-most panel of plywood floor slid into place... and then a pic through the trunk opening, looking forward. [the EMT tubing brace I added to stiffen the inner fender wells up... then I removed the original X-braces that were behind the rear seat of the car]
Another several days, some more quirky progress.
The stock Prefect tank was all rotted out in the bottom... before throwing it out, I cut off the top several inches of the filler neck. 'Made vertical cuts every 1/2" in the bottom of that... bent them out horizontal... inserted through quarter-panel from below, and SS-pop-riveted them to the body skin... then filled between body skin & side of neck with 2-part gas-tank-leak epoxy putty. Cut a small disk/donut of fiberglass with inside diam to accept a 110V plug, and outer diam small enough to slide it into the filler neck, resting on the ledge where its diameter tapers... cemented in place with more of same putty. 'Same with the plug itself... which was further smoothed on topside with 5-min clear epoxy. Added weep/drain hole on low side of filler neck, should it rain when camping, with no cover over plug-in.
['with pics, hopefully all that makes sense]
Also got the stock trunk latch freed-up... a bonus!
All for now..........
The stock Prefect tank was all rotted out in the bottom... before throwing it out, I cut off the top several inches of the filler neck. 'Made vertical cuts every 1/2" in the bottom of that... bent them out horizontal... inserted through quarter-panel from below, and SS-pop-riveted them to the body skin... then filled between body skin & side of neck with 2-part gas-tank-leak epoxy putty. Cut a small disk/donut of fiberglass with inside diam to accept a 110V plug, and outer diam small enough to slide it into the filler neck, resting on the ledge where its diameter tapers... cemented in place with more of same putty. 'Same with the plug itself... which was further smoothed on topside with 5-min clear epoxy. Added weep/drain hole on low side of filler neck, should it rain when camping, with no cover over plug-in.
['with pics, hopefully all that makes sense]
Also got the stock trunk latch freed-up... a bonus!
All for now..........
Almost another week's gone by. Initial work on lower front corners done now...
I hooked the tongue of the trailer to my old chain hoist and lifted it way up, so I could work on it without stooping over nearly so much. Worked pretty well, too. These patched-in bits are a little rough, but it'll be down really low, and it's hardly a show vehicle, so with a little filler & smoothing, it should serve well.
I used an old exhaust pipe elbow, cut in half, to make the rounded corner of this work... then just a small patch on the front on each side, and somewhat bigger patches to mimic the outer rocker's shape, going rearward. Those latter bits are welded at front & bottom edges, but only a little at the top... I need to fit the modified half-doors a little better, and bring them in at the bottom edge, before setting the junction between what's pieced together just in front of them.
When I got the back side pieces in recently, I figured that would keep stray cats from getting in... this latest round should keep out the ground-squirrels! Progress..........
I hooked the tongue of the trailer to my old chain hoist and lifted it way up, so I could work on it without stooping over nearly so much. Worked pretty well, too. These patched-in bits are a little rough, but it'll be down really low, and it's hardly a show vehicle, so with a little filler & smoothing, it should serve well.
I used an old exhaust pipe elbow, cut in half, to make the rounded corner of this work... then just a small patch on the front on each side, and somewhat bigger patches to mimic the outer rocker's shape, going rearward. Those latter bits are welded at front & bottom edges, but only a little at the top... I need to fit the modified half-doors a little better, and bring them in at the bottom edge, before setting the junction between what's pieced together just in front of them.
When I got the back side pieces in recently, I figured that would keep stray cats from getting in... this latest round should keep out the ground-squirrels! Progress..........
Well... a week-plus spent finishing up welding of seams. Then, trying to get all that raw and/or new steel ready to be primed, as I'm going to need to move the teardrop out of that main workspace for a bit, to help work on my son's car, and don't want the raw steel to get rusty.......
So, a whole bunch of time spent grinding down the excess welds on those seams...
Followed by an application of waterproof filler [Duraglass, in this case], so that atmospheric humidity can't get through the occasional pin-hole in the welded seams. Regular filler would hold that moisture--if bad enough, it could cause the metal surface to rust, and the filler to lift...
And, tonight, ground down the roof seams, and put that initial filler up there as well.
So, a whole bunch of time spent grinding down the excess welds on those seams...
Followed by an application of waterproof filler [Duraglass, in this case], so that atmospheric humidity can't get through the occasional pin-hole in the welded seams. Regular filler would hold that moisture--if bad enough, it could cause the metal surface to rust, and the filler to lift...
And, tonight, ground down the roof seams, and put that initial filler up there as well.
aggie79-HILO
Senior Member
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2007
- Posts
- 5,405
Son's car back together... so back on the teardrop project.
Between yesterday & today, got the right-hand half-door's seams welded up, inside & out.
Only real problem was at the lower front corner of the window opening, where there was about a 1/4" mismatch either side of the seam. Ahead of the vertical seam, I made a pie-cut from mid-radius down & forward... another cut in the body line a few inches below the window... and then rotated the steel between them downwards... and welded things back together. Not perfect solution, but workable.
That bodyline on the outside will now "kick up" somewhat at the front of the doors, but that line ends where it meets the drip rail anyway, so I don't think it'll look too awkward.
Now to do the other half-door & fit them back into the shell... and weld them in their closed position........
Between yesterday & today, got the right-hand half-door's seams welded up, inside & out.
Only real problem was at the lower front corner of the window opening, where there was about a 1/4" mismatch either side of the seam. Ahead of the vertical seam, I made a pie-cut from mid-radius down & forward... another cut in the body line a few inches below the window... and then rotated the steel between them downwards... and welded things back together. Not perfect solution, but workable.
That bodyline on the outside will now "kick up" somewhat at the front of the doors, but that line ends where it meets the drip rail anyway, so I don't think it'll look too awkward.
Now to do the other half-door & fit them back into the shell... and weld them in their closed position........
Back on its feet, after hoisting front end of trailer up high, to work on bottom edges of half-doors, and weld in one more filler panel in rocker-panel area.
Ground down welds... stainless rivets between half-door & panel ahead of it... waterproof filler on most of these seams.
Half-doors are now permanently installed--welded to door frame at 3 places along rocker panel, and 4 places around window opening.
[see album, if you'd like a more detailed, step-by-step view of this]
Ground down welds... stainless rivets between half-door & panel ahead of it... waterproof filler on most of these seams.
Half-doors are now permanently installed--welded to door frame at 3 places along rocker panel, and 4 places around window opening.
[see album, if you'd like a more detailed, step-by-step view of this]
And nowadays, the more conventional body-work or finish-work can begin.
Grinding & sanding the old paint off the topsides, esp wherever it was crackly & looked rust-stained, assuming that I needed bare metal in those areas before priming & painting can begin.
Focused on the roof first. Most of old paint off now, and some 'normal' body filler on that big seam across the top........
Grinding & sanding the old paint off the topsides, esp wherever it was crackly & looked rust-stained, assuming that I needed bare metal in those areas before priming & painting can begin.
Focused on the roof first. Most of old paint off now, and some 'normal' body filler on that big seam across the top........
Some more work done... inching up on getting the primer gun out.
[1] Added a much-smoother 'fillet' of regular filler over the earlier waterproof filler, where the upper half-doors meet underside of drip rail.
[2] Built up regular filler around the perimeter of the spare tire well... hopefully, I can sand this down into a fairly smooth radius now.
[3] Decided that if I was going to be spraying primer, it would be a good time to remove the outer handles on the back doors. Got screws removed, with a little fiddling around, but so far can't get handle shafts to slide out of latch assemblies, on either door. Took latches loose, so I had room to spray penetrant along the square shafts, and left them for now. May try torch heat on shafts tonight or tomorrow to help break rust bond.........
Hopefully by the weekend, I'll have gotten things sanded smooth, and primered much of top and front.
[1] Added a much-smoother 'fillet' of regular filler over the earlier waterproof filler, where the upper half-doors meet underside of drip rail.
[2] Built up regular filler around the perimeter of the spare tire well... hopefully, I can sand this down into a fairly smooth radius now.
[3] Decided that if I was going to be spraying primer, it would be a good time to remove the outer handles on the back doors. Got screws removed, with a little fiddling around, but so far can't get handle shafts to slide out of latch assemblies, on either door. Took latches loose, so I had room to spray penetrant along the square shafts, and left them for now. May try torch heat on shafts tonight or tomorrow to help break rust bond.........
Hopefully by the weekend, I'll have gotten things sanded smooth, and primered much of top and front.
The joys of working on old rusty stuff, I know it well. The easy access on door hardware always makes it fun, that's what the young kids are for, their bones are still bendy lol. We used to put my buddies kids on this stuff with their tiny 7-10 yo hands.
Amen, Jasen!
Working on old cars is a love/hate relationship, regularly.
On my first car, I needed to change motor mounts to a different style, and a key nut was inside a frame rail, and my hand & wrist would Not go in there... recruited my son, at about age 7, to hold that one wrench in place to finish the job.
Working on old cars is a love/hate relationship, regularly.
On my first car, I needed to change motor mounts to a different style, and a key nut was inside a frame rail, and my hand & wrist would Not go in there... recruited my son, at about age 7, to hold that one wrench in place to finish the job.
Love/hate is right. I drove $100 betters most of my youth, spent many of my weekends wrenching on them so I could get to work on Monday lol.
No more betters, but still drive old rigs, my GMC is an 06. Duct tape and bailing wire no longer gets you home, now it's a $200 tow to the shop followed by a $2500 repair bill for something simple.
No more betters, but still drive old rigs, my GMC is an 06. Duct tape and bailing wire no longer gets you home, now it's a $200 tow to the shop followed by a $2500 repair bill for something simple.
Ah, yes, the "good old days".
Times where "I got by with a little help from my friends."
In this photo, in the process of moving my wife-to-be and daughter-to-be to my new place [me in foreground]... stopping en route to pick up my project-car and bring it along [from my parents' garage]. Had already stopped once to get the makeshift tow hitch re-welded on the '55... and before taking off again with 49 English Ford in tow, adjusted the valves on the '55, along with the wheel bearings.
I think my parents were glad to see me go...........
Times where "I got by with a little help from my friends."
In this photo, in the process of moving my wife-to-be and daughter-to-be to my new place [me in foreground]... stopping en route to pick up my project-car and bring it along [from my parents' garage]. Had already stopped once to get the makeshift tow hitch re-welded on the '55... and before taking off again with 49 English Ford in tow, adjusted the valves on the '55, along with the wheel bearings.
I think my parents were glad to see me go...........
Got the rear door handles off... lots of sanding yesterday & today... surfaces not nearly perfect, but smooth enough for now, as I need to get the 'raw' surfaces primered--so that I can give it a rest for a bit. A few other things I need to attend to, very much including wrapping up some of the wiring work on the Anglia.
Good Lord willing, I'll be shooting etch-primer on it first thing in the morning tomorrow, followed by 2-3 coats of regular catalyzed primer.
So this afternoon I masked off a few bits that I didn't want primered, draped the wheels & tires, got the car cover back over the Anglia in the next-door bay [where the exhaust fan is, to carry the overspray away], and topped off the compressor's oil & cleaned its intake filter.
'About as ready as I know how to be.......
Good Lord willing, I'll be shooting etch-primer on it first thing in the morning tomorrow, followed by 2-3 coats of regular catalyzed primer.
So this afternoon I masked off a few bits that I didn't want primered, draped the wheels & tires, got the car cover back over the Anglia in the next-door bay [where the exhaust fan is, to carry the overspray away], and topped off the compressor's oil & cleaned its intake filter.
'About as ready as I know how to be.......
Jasen--true enough, lots of little things are more obvious.
But at least the raw surfaces are mostly protected now. [I hate rust even more than electrical work.]
I'll be taking a break from this project for a while now... need to finish up the wiring on the Anglia that'll tow this little fella around some day, so that it's finished & functional enough to satisfy the insurance bean-counters, and I can buy insurance & start driving it more.
I will definitely return to the teardrop, but might be mid-to-late fall.........
But at least the raw surfaces are mostly protected now. [I hate rust even more than electrical work.]
I'll be taking a break from this project for a while now... need to finish up the wiring on the Anglia that'll tow this little fella around some day, so that it's finished & functional enough to satisfy the insurance bean-counters, and I can buy insurance & start driving it more.
I will definitely return to the teardrop, but might be mid-to-late fall.........
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