33 Ford coupe bodywork and paint

[chimp koose]

While you can understand the customer's thoughts about buying a barret Jackson car , I have to add some comments about his misconceptions , in your defence  . The stated price of a b/j car never seems to include the buyers fees or applicable taxes (your bill does ). The quality of the build is not exactly guaranteed(I am sure your workmanship  is ) , I saw a Vegas b/j auction in person and saw some things that were less than quality craftsmanship . If he factors in the financial bath he would have taken trying to sell his problem car after discovering the problems (his problems ,not yours , buyer beware ! ) into the total cost of the b/j jewel , the end cost might be very similar. Also he would possibly be taking the same risk he just gambled and lost at with the first car . What are the odds the b/j car would be EXACTLY what he wanted which is what he is getting now (he is even getting things he didn't know he wanted like the suicides that open wider ). Sometimes folks who do not have the skills , have to face the fact that this can be an expensive hobby if you don't possess the skills to do most of it yourself . That expense could be as little as investing in having someone in the business inspect a potential buy PRIOR to purchase . If you buy a car already built , make sure it is close enough to what you want that you can leave it 'as is' or expect to pay dearly for the custom work .Just think about what it would have cost to modify the hidden hinges to open wider on an already finished car ! I am sorry if I seem to have gone into a rant but it gets under my skin sometimes when a true craftsman is talked into feeling bad for the bill to a customer , who made a bad purchase and has to spend his way out of it . That part is his problem , he got there by himself . You on the other hand are using a finely honed set of skills to get him out of this problem , for that , he should be thankful . I am not trying to begrudge anyone for not having the skills to build a car , there are many important skill sets in this world . My dentist has a set of skills I appreciate when needed ! He also has no problem , nor should he , when he bills me for those services . Especially if it was me that didn't floss ! Rant over .

[enjenjo]

On this 46 truck I am doing I told him up front that he will never get out of it what he has invested. If all he wanted was a nice truck, he should buy one done and not look too close.  You can seldom pay shop rates and make money in the end.

[idrivejunk]

Hey CK I can surely appreciate those sentiments, sir. I'll even expand on that a little.

Keep in mind that the owner also has a bee-yootiful rodded black '34 coupe with few flaws. Sure, the chosen features are key in a buy vs build comparo. I'm a battle-picker nowadays though. Rather than debate such things, I told our hero today that I personally cannot imagine having the ability to make such purchases, and asked that he bear that in mind as I wade through the remainder. The wide eyes with checkbook in hand is a look I have seen before and it doesn't rattle my cage as it may once have. If its around 80% done, bodywork, it can be expected. Look alive!

I periodically pretend a suddenly livid customer is present, particularly if a catch myself struggling. I'll look back over my labor log plus pics I've taken and prepare for it by reviewing on-paper progress to assess my performance then mentally lining up the next steps and touching on those to show my best visible momentum. With this guy, I have done well in that and had nods, smiles, and handshakes all along. Not bad considering we all have our ups and downs.

One more thing and I hate to talk about it truly because my motives are valid but easy to doubt. I'll take a line from a counrty song and say "Them that don't know him don't like him, and them that do sometimes don't know how to take him. But his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right."... After being at this shop longer than most ever stay, something changed, perhaps gradually but I percieved it suddenly and its still sinking in.

People... customers, co-workers, boss, relatives, everyone decide that you are now an expert, an opinion to be trusted with craftsmanship to back it up and it took me from "Matt says this, so what do you think?" to "Matt said this, so we're going with...". I'll rarely or never claim to be a speedy tech, but I'm the one who can be diligent and careful, and cares about your car like I care about meals. In my collision repair days, I got the jobs that just could not be getting messed up. I suppose that manner would apply to anything I care to do and I came by it honest, same place I got my name. Finis Coronat Opus.! There are plenty of things I'm crappy at though. Most of them.

Rest assured that our customer did not make me the least bit uncomfortable today. I'll have another car buddy at shows, that I didn't before the '33. His confidence in me (or potential lack thereof) is based on his observations, and I hope our talk eased his mind a bit. I do offer multiple quality level options when possible, and can switch them around here and there to help job fit budget or time. This car has presented challenges in that respect, and as always by default I tackle the worst first in order to ease the tension later when the job reaches this point. I told him today that paint shop could start on it end of the week, and told boss that any decent prime and blocker can take it the rest of the way. I'll have to step on through the loose ends and make that happen. Its a job and thats my responsibility. I take it seriously. When someone suggests I'm not trying hard enough or that I've over-sold my abilities or experience, that grinds my gears. Those are things I strive hardest to not do. Theres been none of that and everyboddy is coolio. Thanx for the read, fellas.

[idrivejunk]

On this 46 truck I am doing I told him up front that he will never get out of it what he has invested. If all he wanted was a nice truck, he should buy one done and not look too close.  You can seldom pay shop rates and make money in the end.

You've hit the nail on the head again. Its about getting what you want and knowing what you have. If plenty of folks didn't understand that, I wouldn't be making these variety show posts. The way I see it, if a person cannot do or would rather pay to have done, work that kills the monetary investment... the work cannot be questioned much. I reckon its easy to get in over your head with all the hidden suprises on metal and with shops that sideline this type of work and normally use a book for how much to charge. This is not an advertisement: Our methods have evolved sufficiently as to buffer the shock and alarm by taking a professional approach to the big labor, plenty of customer involvement, and taking frequent, smaller bites at the bill while providing the "pause and stash for cash until later" option all the while. Your customer is getting a solid custom, Frank. Thats easier said than done in this world.

[idrivejunk]

Got the RF fender whooped but it took til 4. Even the front tip where the edge bead had been filled in and tapered out.Have a good start on the driver's side and the rear part was problem free but there are some dents possibly from a parts stand, up top. Out of time to make it nice, so the front end just has to fit as-is. Finish blocking fender, quickly sorta straighten hood, blow it all apart and I'm on to the next, that's my plan today.

[idrivejunk]

Well, it seems theres a little more time than I thought. Like normal, I had assumed the worst and figured today (end of pay period) to be the "end of the week". Boss plan now is to prime fenders and hood Friday with everything still bolted up. That's good. The driver's front fender had some issues up front that took a lot of blocking but still working on it so who knows what else I'll find. But that gives me a clear shot at a full day with the hood tomorrow. Pics tonight maybe.

The smog am got some floor blasting and epoxy yesterday and a man is sanding paint off it now. The Biscayne is getting some blast work today, and the pretty red 34 body is sitting on the frame. Oh and the Chevelle is about final sanded.

[idrivejunk]

The progress pics... left front fender had several many small issues. Didn't finish it today either,       Theres still the flat outside section at the rear. Will I be able to pull a show car straight hood from my .... :?:  in the time remaining?  Stay tuned for the next thrilling episode    









Doubled up on right wrist support today. Brace plus wrap. Yesterday the tendons started locking up at about 3:30 with just a wrap but I made it until 4 today before that bit me. Wish I could stop for awhile when that starts.

Thought I would toss these pics in... the '60 Chevy got some blasting done in problem areas-





Perhaps I have been watching too much Underdog... its one of those old TV shows where theres a main cartoon but also other sideline cartoons that are just as entertaining. Who remembers Sweet Polly Purebred and Simon Bar Sinister?  

[chimp koose]

Its a plane , its a frog , no , its underdog ! Remember his ring with the energy pill , and  Rif Raff . GREAT now I have the theme song stuck in my head !

[idrivejunk]

Oh, let me help you with that! Speed of lightning, roar of thunder. Fighting all who rob and plunder......

It sure will stick in the head, won't it? If Polly can just find my ring, this hood project could be a small thing.

OK, I'll stop

[idrivejunk]

You're not getting any work pics without another paragraph of foolishness.    Remember, posting is my self-therapy

Two Underdog-isms rang in my head as I continued...

"If at first you fail your deed, try again, 'til you succeed."

"The secret compartment of my ring I fill, with an idrivejunk-super-energy-pill"

Where, oh where has my ring pill gone? OK I did say I would stop



Here we go 'round the mulberry bush again... gotta finish the fenders before tackling the hood  

The spots I had left to sand on that left front fender were chock full of goodies :!:    :?        :cry:

A little but highly visible section of the rib at the edge was really built up tall, and squared off.




That area wasn't funny or entertaining at all! In reshaping it, of course I found the high spots pretty quick. Struck gold again. Would I be more correcter to say silicon bronze, or copper? Well, all you see is mud mix now. I dared not tap on it there. Used a small round file inside the radius and a flat one for the rest of what was sticking up. Not much. Checked again for soft spots and cracks, then I re-mudded the area.

THIS was the parting shot, the last act of fender defiance during this stage... I got it sanded almost flat but you can see where the big low spot is / was. Hoping it will blend in with the next blocking. The time for more wiping was past. However as you have probably noticed, there are dug-out spots at the rear of the side of both fenders. We dug some filler out there to find out what was under it, prior to mockup. The customer decided not to do any metal work on fenders at all, so we will fill those back when the running board is not in harm's way, and the final urethane primer coat will go over that.



That was yesterday, my "clear shot at a full day with the hood". Worked through what had to be done to that fender just as fast as I could and looked up...

It was 3:15.    I hurt.  :oops:  When I stopped sanding, my body and mind must have thought we were done because they both checked out. I was shot. Looked at the Pontiac clock, mustered enough will to find an assistant and remove the hood. He says "Where do I set this?" after we took the halves apart...

[kb426]

Most every part had a surprise. I would guess most cars are like that. The more recent builds seem to me that people have tried harder to not have bad spots. That excludes the quicky jobs just meant for resale. Am I way off with that thought?

[idrivejunk]

...so I says to him just lay it gently on it's top, on the floor. I held on to my half and walked around looking for a place to set it down. No ideas. No energy. No care. I set my half down gently and thunk. Couldn't. I knew I was licked.

The car was heaped with dust, as was the stall. Rolled it out, blew it off, swept. Washed up a bit, drank some water and took a breather. Lost that half hour but the brain came back online and finally I knew how to set the hood down. In my younger days, I would have just kept pushing sans brain until quittin' time. I grabbed stuff and went at the hood for about an hour in a clean stall.  



Man, I didn't flatten half a square foot of it by 5. I'm fairly certain that at one point these upper hood halves were loading ramps from a rail car, used in many cattle drives. Its like they have folded over and been bent back, theres a lengthwise ditch down the middle of them both.    

So what else could I do? That was all of yesterday. Didn't want to get locked in so I went home and "forgot" about it. At least these days I know better than to wallow in these defeats. Figured some suspense might enhance the thread too, so here we are.    

[idrivejunk]

Most every part had a surprise. I would guess most cars are like that. The more recent builds seem to me that people have tried harder to not have bad spots. That excludes the quicky jobs just meant for resale. Am I way off with that thought?

Not at all. I'm almost at six years here and that trend is encouraging. This car truly is an unfortunate exception, at least the fender stuff is. Just every wallet has limits. I've been more pleased with the recent builds and several factors weigh in on that, I would think. Parts availability for sure, but I believe that much of it has to do with sales experience on behalf of Gary, along with having had the same core crew members for years. We techs gain experience, he gains confidence, customers walk through and see big metal work is a daily thing.... and that makes it MUCH less of a big deal for somebody to agree to a $70 patch panel and 7 hours or so to install it, rather than pucky over it and hope, for an estimated $700 at a crash shop for example.

[idrivejunk]

My arms look like this now-



Never fear, today pics are here and this week's spellbinding conclusion is at hand:

I have learned, having been in this perhaps overly optimistic type situation many times before, that the road to the least compromised quality can often be found by sticking to the plan as-is but subtracting a chosen part... Paul Harvey. Good Day.

You guys got that, right? Ugh I spend the day with millenials and evening with web rodders and communicate poorly with both sometimes.    


















Maybe we can jam the hood up into next week crossways, eh? Meh. The work plan is fluid. My next is ready for surgery but parts not in yet. We'll see. Somehow sense will be made of it all. Primer though.

I say primer, that is. Look at me when I'm talkin' to ya, son... you're doin' it all wrong, let me see that thing...  

Uh-oh now its Foghorn-ism. I was trying to not be Leghorn-esque this morning with my help guy    because he masked his side (driver's) faster than me. Anyhow thats a couple coats of polyester primer. Shot piddly spots on a couple other projects too. Onward ho    

[idrivejunk]

Well... jamming it up next week crossways was the answer  

Today I straightened the top of the driver's side of the hood until 11 AM and restored the main contour, skipping the finer hammer and dolly work that would make it nice. Even so, that was nowhere near fast enough so I had to drop quality. Buzz with DA, apply filler, repeat. No blocking. Other side I basically clapped some 2x4s together with the steel in between then bumped a little with a plastic dead blow then lather, rinse, repeat, just like the other side. I got primer on them.








Our newest man ran a block over the fenders with few break throughs but the decision to do a full second polyester application was made. Heres that happening-