68 Camaro bodywork

[enjenjo]

We'll let you skip the CAD this time, it looks pretty good.

[idrivejunk]

Much obliged  

[lofat46]

Can you wine out of water too?

[idrivejunk]

If I can get the water from squeezing grapes, there might be a sporting chance of that! Gonna need me one of them snake sticks too, probably.

[idrivejunk]

Today part 1-

I R&I'ed the new support and stuck the tank back in to be sure there was sufficient clearance for everything. A teardrop head 3/8 ratchet or a 1/4" air ratchet can get in there with no big trouble.





So I put the latch and lid on-









I started in, to do what I could with adjustment and bumping edges. This lid is all dented up and bent. I was alarmed when I went to twist it a little. Amazingly, it is so floppy that a man can easily flex it up or down a few inches with it open and grasping the corners. Shocking, I have never seen anything like it. Of course this lid (has "TK" stamp) is not tacked around the edges of the skin. Everybody wants to try welding it but I ask, "OK, but where do I hold it during that?". I want another lid.

Found a crusty OE lid out back, tried it on. Pssht! No better fit, but it is absolutely rigid and can't be flexed by average hands. OK, boss wants to show the customer. I'll put the rubber lid back on and tack the edges to appease everyone. For now, I moved on to something else for some visual progress. Stay tuned.

[idrivejunk]

Tuesday feels like Thursday part 2-

Last time I talked to the customer he mashed the want button on this mod, so since the gas don't go there no more I hooked that up. Did not quite finish today though. Got close. That tail panel is tore up from the floor up so this ain't the last you'll see.

Its an easy post to follow without much commentary but can you find the brand irony? Hint- I smelled paper. Enjoy!





Sole Aided Design? Had to stomp 'er a little to get it "perfect".

[UGLY OLDS]

Matt .. That brand of deck lid has the "Easy Adjust" option..  

Just stretch to fit & tack weld the edges ...  :?

You then use double oversize weatherstrip & you're golden ...

 It looks like the deck lid gaps sorta match from side to side also... On final assembly just use the "adjustable gap setter " fixture ....

Putting that Ford part in there will prolly make the car run 2 or 3 tenth's faster ..  

It's amazing how you can make something beautiful after starting with a clump of   :?:  :?:  :?:  :?:

 A TRUE craftsman ..... );b(

Oh....I'm gonna steal that rattle can patch panel pattern maker thingie you snuck in there ....    NEAT....

Bob....

[idrivejunk]

Matt .. That brand of deck lid has the "Easy Adjust" option..  

Just stretch to fit & tack weld the edges ...  :?

You then use double oversize weatherstrip & you're golden ...

 It looks like the deck lid gaps sorta match from side to side also... On final assembly just use the "adjustable gap setter " fixture ....

Putting that Ford part in there will prolly make the car run 2 or 3 tenth's faster ..  

It's amazing how you can make something beautiful after starting with a clump of   :?:  :?:  :?:  :?:

 A TRUE craftsman ..... );b(

Oh....I'm gonna steal that rattle can patch panel pattern maker thingie you snuck in there ....    NEAT....

Bob....

That decklid reminds me of sans a belt slacks or something. Plastic Man from the comics maybe. Maybe its like window tint and you shape it with a hairdryer first then use hairspray or Dippity-Doo or Brylcreem or whatever... damifino :!:  :?:  :?:  :?:  :oops:

Speaking of Ford parts... watch for the swimming pool engine. You'll know it when you see it. Glad you noticed the BAD (bomb-aided-design).  

I don't know what will happen up top, so today I went lower down again. Hilarity abounds there as well. First, I took the time to do some cleanup and oh boy here comes a good Scrabble word... planished... my welds after a little more grinding. Took the latch support and tank out for access inside-





Fogged with rattle etch-









I'm thinking thats good to go. Moving on. Look at this mess at the bottom of the tail panel-







It was loose in a few spots even before I straightened it-



And yeah, those were bondo spots you saw also. Stand clear of the dust zone while I clear the mud off those.



Lets see whut we got-











So tomorrow will be a go-round with the "The Maxi".  :?  

[idrivejunk]

...and away we go! I worked left to right. Well, almost. Found another one hiding on the left side. This post is just the left side.



You can kinda make out the pattern. A circle within the outer area of the dent, then working in towards the middle in a spiral of sorts. Well thats how its supposed to work anyway. First in (when the dent happened) is last out (when pulling). Got it?

Heres the stuff on the floor to start. Stare at it long enough and you'll see how this works. Theres a little button on the blue handle and the zap time is regulated by the dial on the box. The stud tip goes through that double-bar lever and the foot goes to the nearest hard spot to pry against. Only takes about three hands, lol. Metal builds up on the tip and must be ground off periodically. The stud tip pictured needs more taper, its supposed to look more like a crayon with about a 1/8" flat tip. As long as the tip is that size and flat, all is well. Until you flinch and blow a hole.



As you'll see, there are shrink marks (lines) from using that feature on the machine. Increased pulse time vs "studs" and using the yellow metal electrode on top of the handle. It takes down lows nicely. Stand back, I'm about to fix some dents-




Cleanup sanding every so often helps a great deal, so multiple passes are no sin.




I"m calling this good. The low area is down real low and nicely dished for filler with no abrupt depth changes, and from the normally viewed angle, only the part that actually is flat shows.




Here, I'll do these other ones while you just watch. This thing beats a stud gun for speed because an easy quarter twist of the handle snaps the tip loose. It stays stuck until you twist. Of course the right setting is important and the ground has to be good, but... Oh yeah... dents-













Well, how 'bout that thing? I love it and have used them a lot. It IS possible to make things worse with it. Next up- dents on the opposite side, and a start on that left tail light area.

[idrivejunk]

Now on to the passenger side of the tag area- yes I flinched. My bad arm was giving me trouble by this time of day. Any time the stud pops loose its a tendon pain risk plus can rip a hole in the metal. If the tip is dirty or not flat, it can move when the zots are applied and throw sparks in yer face on top of blowing a hole. I forgive myself because its stamped thin here. Not my first hole, nor my last!












Just getting started on this nasty looking corner and the end-of-day lighting was working against me. Catch you on the flipside.

[348tripower]

I gotta ask whats up with the tail pipes

[idrivejunk]

I do not know what the thinking was there, it doesn't make sense to me either. The welds on the pipes are nice but maybe a plumber laid it out?

[UGLY OLDS]

To make sure that I am understanding today's lesson, The electric stud zapper/puller thingie is used where you cannot access the back side for normal hammer/dolly dent removal  :?:  
It sorta replaces the "punch hole/ slide hammer & screw" procedure  from days past  :?:
 I need to make sure that I get a passing grade on this course ..... :oops:

Thanks again for sharing your work with us .....

Bob...

[idrivejunk]

Yessir. The tail panel is boxed in below the trunk floor by the vertical panel that the bottom latch support bracket is welded to. Don't know the name of it... possibly inner tail light panel or rear trunk drop panel. But theres no holes to speak of back there for access. Just the stamped drains at the bottom.

Thats why I used the "Maxi" there. Here are some examples of other times Max pulled me out of the grease when previous such repairs were found. There were 60+ holes in this door!



Then there was this quarter-





It replaces pull rods, screw and slide hammer, and studs. But it has it's limits. Sometimes a welded tab is called for on heavy stuff like caved-in rockers.

Lighting is tricky in my corner, for this spot I'm working on-



I hate LEDS, but here, enjoy the blue glow lol.







I'll be adding welds to the flange inside the trunk there. These held it still while I improved the fit, flattened things out, and patched the place where obviously there were tail light fit issues from being smashed in the past. Assorted hammers, dollies, drifts, pliers, clamps, and chisels were used to restore the contour as best I could. I'm satisfied.

Friday= short day  So thats that.



Check out that tail pan... ah!

OK, out the door. Last look in case something is on fire. Yep, welder unplugged (see file 13) and gas is off. My DA can hold the floor down until Monday. If any of you have more questions, fire away.

[idrivejunk]

I hit the ground runin' today so lots of pics!

This is another two-part episode, and relatively dramatic so go freshen your beverage first. I'll wait... yes you have time to go to the bathroom too lol.

I thought about it during the blown Pontiac commute, and decided I might want sit-down labor later in the week. So I bit off a big one for Monday-

Take one last look at the great valleys. I flattened out the lid some more with both knees, a Durablock and a piece of wood. Needed the cinder block to climb up safely. Also checked the centering of the lid (its not quite centered, suprise!) and evened out the side to side gaps. Shuts fine.








Without further hesitation, CHOP!






What happened there was I plug welded the gutter to the quarter so it would all hold still first. Then I made the cut. Then I used a light slapping spoon and small hammer to roll the jamb inward to an acceptable gap. Then I fitted a new strip and tacked it on top only. It laid nicely on top of the jamb at the right level on this side. The plan is to weld the top then trim the edge back to meet the jamb and weld that seam for the finish.

While cooling that, the other side was the natural thing to get going next. It took a 3lb sledge to move, and some duck bill vise grips and dolly, block of wood, etc. Pretty darn stiff but I coaxed it roughly into place. There were close calls but no bad new dents.

As you can see, this side had significant height issues that I've leveled out best I could. More of that will come later, during welding of the inner seam. A tack or two may get cut loose and moved as I go.







Keeping the timeline intact lets skip back and forth for a few-









Stay tuned for the sparky conclusion!