68 Camaro bodywork

[enjenjo]

What are you sanding the welds with? I have been using 2" flap discs, they are rigid enough to just cut the weld, and stay off the panel.

[idrivejunk]

Boy O Boy .....  
I remember looking at some late '50s / early '60s Ford wagons that had rust in the roof by the rain gutters & thinking "Gee..It can't be that hard to fix"...WRONG... :!:
 After seeing this , I sure am happy that I passed ...
It's amazing the damage that moisture can do to when it gets into enclosed places ...
Do the little triangles indicate an approximate "line up spot" to other panels  :?:
One of the photos in the spot weld removal lesson show a triangle stamped in the rear window flange right at the upper quarter seam .. ( Yes , I look CLOSE at your photos...It's a GREAT way to learn   ) ..

Thanks for the explanation on the rear quarter question.. I now understand why that repair will be done at the proper time  ...

On with the adventure     :!:  :!:

Bob...

Bob, if the rail rust was much worse, we would have bigger issues for sure! Its one of those areas that remind us just how long these cars were built to last, ain't it?

My pics are always geared toward mystery removal for guys like myself. As I said before, this roof skin on an oldie is new ground for me. I've installed probably a dozen roofs on late model stuff with the big easy seams on top under a molding, and this really isn't so different from those.

[idrivejunk]

Grrrrrrrrr
It upsets me that for some reason all of your photos are blocked on my work computer.
I need to catch up on this build at home..

Instead of selling my '70 Camaro I should have sent it to you for metalwork. Too late now, lucky you..

Yeah my phone has trouble with the pic-heavy pages too. The ad blockers and such for PC browsers are just so much better and thats why I don't post much during the day. Thanks for the comment. I had a 73 Camaro for a short time, never took it out on the street. By the way yes you should have brought us yours. We have a cherry original 73 Firebird floor from toe boards to tail pan all in one piece needing a home.

[idrivejunk]

I might have missed it somewhere but do you do anything to "kill" the rust or convert it in all those pockets and seams? Here in Michigan rust has a habit of coming back in short order if it isn't dealt with.

I'm really enjoying and learning a lot from your detailed posts & pics. Thanks.

Thanks for stopping in! Glad you enjoy the walk-along, I enjoy doing them. Its a good way to share and chat with purpose. Yes you'll see the beginnings of my corrosion protection efforts in the next pic post. I put stuff on it before I left today so keep yer eyes peeled. Rust is nowhere near as vicious here in Arkansas.

[idrivejunk]

What are you sanding the welds with? I have been using 2" flap discs, they are rigid enough to just cut the weld, and stay off the panel.

Does whatever is handy qualify as an answer? Ha. Depends on whats in the blue cabinet on a given day. The cupboard is pretty bare right now. All I own to spin discs with are a die grinder, cutoff tool, 5" grinder, 6" DA. All very tired... but-

The abrasive selection varies.

My preferred method:

Knock the tops off with thick cutoff wheel

Roloc 24-50 grit

Barely skim it with 5" 50 grit grinder

Clean-n-Strip disc, I like purple.

40 on a DA. Then 80.

Then sometimes a red scuff pad



Questions, anyone? I can specify and probably have pics. As I said, I try to use whatever we have the most  of. But like sanding runs and buffing, I like to sneak up on the final leveling and stay off the surrounding steel as much as possible with good aim, then blend it in with the DA.

I've never tried a flapper disc or a shrinking disc  :oops:

[idrivejunk]

Nobody has touched upon the mystery of the pyramids. :?:  Keep trying. Does the interweb hold the answer?


I had one of those "Boy it sure is nice out but I have to take a nap" afternoons today, we knock off at 1 Fridays.  

After that an old friend came by and we chewed the fat while I washed up my best two Pontiacs in the driveway. We went up the street in the loud one just for a li'l rip-snort and that always makes my friends and me feel good.

Thats relevant because I'm getting a late start today. I made some progress but was fairly run-down from the week so it took awhile to get moving this morning. Now I find myself needing supper. I'll spit out a post after that.  

[UGLY OLDS]

Nobody has touched upon the mystery of the pyramids. :?:  Keep trying. Does the interweb hold the answer?

I had one of those "Boy it sure is nice out but I have to take a nap" afternoons today, we knock off at 1 Fridays.  

After that an old friend came by and we chewed the fat while I washed up my best two Pontiacs in the driveway. We went up the street in the loud one just for a li'l rip-snort and that always makes my friends and me feel good.

Thats relevant because I'm getting a late start today. I made some progress but was fairly run-down from the week so it took awhile to get moving this morning. Now I find myself needing supper. I'll spit out a post after that.  

I ventured a guess in my last post but called them "triangles" I think....

Do I win  :?:  :?:  

Bob...

[idrivejunk]

You may have noticed in the previous pics, that the roof was kinda poofed up where it meets the right quarter. Like there was extra steel there or something. I had a suspicion that the real problem was in the bends...

I lifted that corner up and stuck a heavy slapping spoon under it up next to the rear window opening. Then on the side near where the black screw is, I bumped it inward with a plastic 3 lb shot filled soft dead blow hammer. So as not to leave a mark. Well, it worked, mostly.

The new flange sucked in toward the quarter quite a bit when I re-clamped it. But not enough. So I just used my hands instead, and bent it a little. That was enough. Now it fits closely and only needs a little mashing down to go flat with the quarter. Fits pretty nice actually.

The next thing bothering me was that the window openings seemed to be too far rearward in relation to the rails. Hmm. So I lifted the whole skin then just put the front edge even with the old then clamped it there first. Lowered it, drilled a hole through both front flanges so I could use a punch to draw the skin forward, and screwed it down.

Then I plopped the rest of it down into place and the front stayed put while the rest still fit. The match-up on the rear flange is less good but OK, with enough room for good plug welds. The skin hangs over the old flange just a smidge.

The left rear corner needed a stamping line moved over a little as you'll see. Nothing major, just had to have it screwed down tight so I could hammer that right.

The rail areas actually fit OK too, but the driver's side will require more clamps when bonded for optimal fit. See pics. Oh yeah, pics...













This will be another 2-part episode, sans the brief messages but with a pause. Theres time to go out to the lobby for another treat.

[idrivejunk]

I ventured a guess in my last post but called them "triangles" I think....

Do I win  :?:  :?:  

Bob...

I saw your guess, swing and a miss though! They are only found only on window beds and only on original equipment...

[idrivejunk]

For them that just want to see underneath the dang thang, to look at how I'll handle this rust... here ya go!

First I used a crud thug with wire wheel.

Then I used a small wire wheel on a die grinder.

Then I used 40 grit on a DA.

Then I used a red scuff pad.

Then I blew it off and cleaned it. Foamy glass cleaner then wax and grease remover.

Didn't get too carried away with any of that, but the scuff stage was thorough.

Then I welded the quarters to the inner quarters directly, at the tops in the sail panel areas. You'll see small tabs I made toward the rear in that area, where I needed to span a small gap.

Note that these tabs are not yet welded to the quarter, only the inner. I will adjust the depth on them (bend out if needed) with the roof skin screwed down so that they hold the panel at the right depth. Ahead of that where I welded it directly is where you can screw all 3 panels together and the depth (the in-n-out) is right.

That front piece sure is pitted and even has a few small holes in it, but its still solid enough to work with. I think. Used worse.

The products shown are to be used here. What you see is the converter applied with a brush and half dried. It will sit over the weekend then I'll sand it again and apply the encapsulator. It will be better than it ever was because I found lots of bare areas. This treatment works pretty well for us.

[idrivejunk]

Heres a hint about the triangle mystery, in Jeopardy format sort of:

What are the green tape tabs on the headliner's tack strip for?

[idrivejunk]

OK then. The little arrows on panel flanges around windshields and rear windows mean "Put molding stud here.". Everywhere theres an arrow, theres a stud welded on for trim clips to snap onto. Just my observation.

Today our hero stopped by again at the right time and saw good visual progress. Heres how it went-

Sand sand, clean clean...












If nothing else, the rust converter layer grips the rust and helps pull it off when sanded. The beams across the middle had just the right rust amount for the converter to work well, so less sanding was necessary there.

The painter and I conferred and agreed that rust encapsulator was the right thing to use on the pitted front piece. But that the rest of it was OK for epoxy. So I put two coats of encapsulator on with a brush then sprayed DP90LF with DP402, two medium coats. And thats how I handled that!

The ditch in the rail where I plan to bond was masked off and will be scratched and cleaned again before that.














I barely got started on the next thing, but I did. Hang loose.

[idrivejunk]

Heres the next project, those quarter-to-tail panel gap issues. I had already banged them around some by the time I took these. Cutting up the quarters here seems to me to be the path of least resistance so I cut a couple patches and stopped since it was quittin time.

Tomorrow I gotta switch off for a few, and inspect /write-up the master issue list for that '69 on the lift. I'm probably not going to fix that one from the sound of it... but the boss likes my comprehensive lists. Then back to this I suppose-







Again, thanks for reading. As a reward, here is something shiny I found out back-

[UGLY OLDS]

WOW ...A distributor in the front engine ..  :!:  

I guess they are still around ...

Was the Camaro owner pleased enough to please the bo$$  :?:

Was the hole at the top of the roll bar welded shut  :?:  

 Now would be the time....

Looking good .... If you dont get the other Camaro, are you back to collision work  :?:  

Bob...

[idrivejunk]

WOW ...A distributor in the front engine ..  :!:  

I guess they are still around ...

Was the Camaro owner pleased enough to please the bo$$  :?:

Was the hole at the top of the roll bar welded shut  :?:  

 Now would be the time....

Looking good .... If you dont get the other Camaro, are you back to collision work  :?:  

Bob...

It was strange- for awhile there we had 3 390s in da haus. This and two T-birds. Ford country, woo!    Apparently since aluminum heads became available they are mild hot rod fodder now. That color makes me smell chlorine though lol. Swimmin' pool blue!

I don't know how the billing went (never do) but both parties seem satisfied with whats going on. Experience says more information can be had by looking for sign than asking directly on that.   I did ask the customer today, after he had already looked the car over, what he thought. He said it looks like I'm making progress, and sounded at ease.

Did weld up the top of the rollbar but it was sloppy so no close up  :oops:

There may not be any more crash jobs cued up and I'll probably take the '68 to painter stage, judging by the pattern that has emerged over the years. Boss likes it if I can take them all the way to final primer before the handoff. I've been a painter before and know what he needs.

The next rod waiting for probably me to do is the '34 Ford (coupe I think) that needs rust repair and previous fixes fixed. I'm kinda excited about that one.    

This thing is going yellow. Shouldn't need a 100% immersion in mud, maybe only 95% ha ha. So it may not be too awful long and I'd rather work a precious gennie 34 than another bellybutton pony car.  

Don't want to speak too soon, I have not tried that hood on yet. :!:  :?:  :?:  :!: