33 Ford coupe bodywork and paint

[idrivejunk]

I have a few months worth of modifications already done to this car on other threads but with most of that out of the way, this thread can just show the rest of the story. Here is the starting place-



That is the first spot primer job. Body mods I did include steel roof patch, bear claw latches, hidden hinges, shaved handles, and wheel tub tuck. Fabricated inner rocker patches. Rocker replacement (modified) and short quarter patches on both sides, as well. Another man replaced the floor and I did much of that welding.

If that gets us to the current page, now I can resume regular progress reports here.

I have been and continue to be blending new work into old and finalizing panel fit. This is where I am at. Passenger side still looks like that first pic and I'll square that away next week. These show what I worked on last. Spot-primed that door again, with polyester primer after the pic, but not the body.

[enjenjo]

You mentioned a "mixture" of Rage and glaze. Are you actually mixing it for a new texture, or are you using different ones in different places?

[idrivejunk]

Mixing the two together. Evercoat says it's OK to do.

[chimp koose]

What do you accomplish by mixing the two together ? Just trying to learn , my bondo looks like an aero bar when I am done .

[idrivejunk]

Good Q. I realized that I kinda left out the why. Your answer follows. Just try it for yourself sometime and see. I will comment that while this is an OK method (mixing these particular products)... use mixed stuff quickly. The two products seem to "kick" at slightly different times so near the end of the work time, a "mealy" thing can start to occur (glaze kicks off first?). Best to be done wiping by then. What I am doing on this job is laying filler on the mixing board first, then glaze, then hardener then mix it all up. On larger areas in the past, I have pre-mixed the putties and that may work best. The nicest balance of results I find is at 60% filler, 40% glaze, approx. You can wipe a whole hood with that and if you use poly primer... its probably good to blow off and just go with after shaping. I realize glaze use adds cost, but as with discarding barely dull sandpaper, its labor reduction for the win. Because we all know its about time more than anything. I have heard that one of the newer versions of Rage is better about pinholes, but I just use what we buy.

On a job with this many spots, I knew I had to work fast all the way through. Nothing sucks worse (for me) than shaping an area just right, then needing glaze over the whole thing. I have found that a shot of glaze coat in the filler goes a long way toward pinhole reduction when I really need something to fly after the first wipe and sand. Since I am using polyester primer, the tiny tiny holes are not much issue because poly fills them.

When working over and around the existing finish, often the glaze (used there because glaze is technically OK over paint and filler is not) needs more filling capability. So I add a dab of mud and it helps me get that, plus I feel more technically correct bending rules than ignoring them, y'know?

It may not be the solution for everyone, and its not normal for me but I have found it to be a small boost in the pinhole department and often thats the difference between primering today or next week. Glazing is normally a seperate and painstaking operation and uses the glaze in a proper "scraped-on" context. This way, with my experience, I have found that I can eliminate or greatly reduce that step using this technique. Helps me be able to say yes to primer when folks see it sanded and think I'm done  

The other side is going much better but I will be applying some fill to level things out around the edges. And of course I can't really work that rocker shape until the body is off. Forgot to bust out the camera today but did use the phone. My fellow bodyman is having a second broke leg surgery tomorrow and he asked for some shop pics because he misses the place. Work is stacking up, man. Oh well, at least I got a change of scenery by switching sides of the car. And I certainly appreciate being able to stay on my 33 job and sprint for home plate, although I am weary from this project journey.




Oh hey while I have the phone out (dadgum otter box case makes it look like this. Phone is 6 years old lol), how about one more? Our newish mech tech is having a heckuva time putting this 260 in. Yes, 260    A 289 or 302 would be on the road by now. Its a 6 with stick car and apparently headers are about all thats shared on the 260, with the 289 / 302 and as can be expected, everyone has quit having parts handy for it. So our guy is reinventing the wheel mainly for V8 sound.

[UGLY OLDS]

Nice work Matt...   The coupe is lookin' good .....      
Hey ... Tell the mech tech guy not to overthink that 260... IIRC the 260 & early 289 are almost identical in the 64/early 67 era except for the bell housing bolt patterns ..( 5 or 6 bolt) ...Mid year '67 saw some valve train changes...
It's kinda fuzzy, but I remember blowing up more than one of each ,(including a 221 :!: ) , in my '65 Falcon during that time frame. :oops:  
I never had the $$ to build a really GOOD one , so's I had to keep running what I could afford...   Do you know that a well worn 289 will turn an honest 7200 RPM  :?:      (Once anyway... :oops:   )...

Bob...

[idrivejunk]

Thanks, Bob  

Its possible our guy is an overthinker    beats underthinking    sometimes  :?:  

He did mention needing a different bellhousing, and somehow that led to a different trans, then clutch and on and on and luckily a nice looking parts-bringing gal appeared and I used the distraction as my cue to bolt back to my stall.    Her rearview was glorious but that is also a beautiful automobile. I hear that 260 was popular also in Fairlanes and Falcons and I'll quote Braveheart when I say:

"Its not the size of the rock, its how hard you're willing to throw it." Thats my understanding of small displacement engines. I like the ones that loaf, not yell.

While I'm on a conversational tangent anyway, I'll use the opportunity to give the thread a Pontiac injection...      

This car showed up about when the Chevelle did, so its now "on deck". No extra charge for squirrel carcass removal!






The other day, a red '59 Catalina showed up. Now that is cool. And it makes two X-frames at the shop (I think) because the 60 Biscayne is also there. They both need lots of bodywork. I want to do all of them including the Smog Am. 2017 looks busy.

Oh but we are gathered here to peek at the 33, right. Here we are. Another day's worth. Starting to see the light at the end of the bondo tunnel!



This thing I'm doing... it isn't restoration per se. I can't call it that. The constant mass hurry metal and mud works we do just isn't anything like collision repair, nor is it anything like hobby rodding. Many of the principles and skills are the same but not enough so that I would expect many folks to "get" why I do some things the way I do. As always, I'm just here to share car projects and offer insight via plenty of examples. Thanks fer lookin'.

[kb426]

Matt, I was doing good until you showed the rust bucket. That firebird isn't near as bad as some you've shown. The 5 bolt bellhousing was used until August of 1964. The early design uses a smaller flywheel and clutch. The bolt pattern on the early trans such as a t 10 was narrower than the later T&C toploader that replaced it. I only remember 1 trans pattern on 5 bolt bellhousings but there were different ones for the newer 6 bolt. I remember "parts girls". Been almost 44 years since I worked in a body shop.

[idrivejunk]

Matt, I was doing good until you showed the rust bucket. I remember "parts girls". Been almost 44 years since I worked in a body shop.

Woops I forgot barf bags.  :oops:  I'll need to be dead to say that about bodyshops.    They started stripping the Biz today by the way, big lead area right quarter.  

Hey KB and the gang, I got one for ya... what gets easier to pick up as it becomes heavier  :?:

The daily mud fling pic is below. Re-priming it Friday. Hood brackets showed up, so I'll try that thing on. Hood has bendy-warpy  issues on top but the louvered panels look alright.



I'm flying blind on the SBF banter, my specific knowledge base when it comes to V8s is limited to 67-up Pontiac, a little SBC, a sprinkle of Olds, and well OK maybe a grain of Buick. Ford and Dodge might as well be foreign because they are to me. Of course I read those articles too but meh. Never had the dough to even rebuild my first engine. I can "make motors crank" but thats about it.

[idrivejunk]

What gets easier to pick up as it gets heavier?


Parts chicks.  

[idrivejunk]

Well I got the hood on. Piece of cake  







Yeah thats gonna need work...  

Heres a closer look at the gaps. Still tricky to see the real edges. I reckon thats what primer is for.  :?:        









I did what I could for 'em. Its my first 30s car mock-up and I am an ex crash fixer who don't wanna learn nothin.  All the fuss the last couple weeks has been about getting the panel faces to flow from one to the next, rather than have valleys at every gap because the existing filler is piled so high. It will probably be OK.

Also shaved the lid handle. I can't help imagining better ways of attaching the hood that might simplify the fitment. Something to sleep on. Primer again, tomorrow in the booth.

[idrivejunk]

Wet spot on the roof is an extra coat where I missed pinholes. Door gap doesn't look much better in primer but at least there is a gap all around. Less at the rocker. I just kinda held it shut with a finger for pics. I think I'll bolt the driver's door back on first thing tomorrow. Customer and boss want "zero gap" between the body and rear fenders but they have giant waves when bolts are tight. My only idea thus far has been to double the number of bolts, or run a row of closely spaced screws in addition to the bolts. Ideas?

[kb426]

Same color???

[idrivejunk]

I believe so. 90s Caddy color.

[idrivejunk]

A couple more views of that door, with the latch in it and sample scraps of weatherstrip in place. Still closes and fits OK ( notice I didn't say excellent    ) but I wanted to get a view for you to see that it does have a rocker gap. Bear in mind that the bottom edge of the rocker still needs some shaping. And I can see in this pic that the body line needs work on the bottom side up by the cowl. I have the feeling once the hood is fitted, I'll need more fill around the body line there. Thats why I didn't sweat that area much.




Driver's side. You can see pieces of weatherstrip peeking out here and there, and I can see that a little filler on the cowl could help the front gap even out. I'm happy with it thus far.










So today I worked on the decklid gap a little. It had a tight corner which was mainly thick coatings interfering. Then I went on to the inconsistent rear fender-to-body gaps. Left side, to start. I decided to just add a bolt between each existing pair of bolts. Worked OK, mostly took the wavy out of the fender. Theres one tight spot where that pesky spot in the quarter is but I got that worked out mostly by sanding. Again here, a small amount of filler on the quarter where it meets along the edge will be no biggie and should make it look just right. With all the bolts tight, I tapped around on the fender and started blocking. Also bent out a wave in the wheel opening lip and cracked the filler there  for job security  

The Pontiac went to the tear hell out of it guy (chevelle fixer) and he did his thing so I snapped a few-