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53 Belair conv rust repair

1M views 6K replies 111 participants last post by  Eduramac 
#1 ·
I just brought home a 1953 Chevy convertible Monday that is 100% there. 100% there except for the bottom 6 inches that is. I have always built rusty cars no one else wanted but have tried to do a quality job of repairing them on a budget.

The key wordhere is budget. I admit to being frugal but friends all say I am cheap. Whatever, for me to be able to enjoy this hobby I must be able to build the car and have my money invested, not just spent

The cost of replacement floor pans, floor braces, inner rockers, outer rockers, lower quarter panels, tow boards, trunk pan, rear pan extension, tail pan, and rear splash apron is well over 3000 dollars. That is money that will buy front suspension, rear axle, and good buildable engine. Maybe even a complete parts car.

I have basic sheet metal tools but nothing exotic. Small 3' brake, Shrinker/stretcher jaws, home made slip roll, and a home made english wheel and 110v mig welder.

My purpose here is to show the new hot rodder who is apprehensive about what he can do what is possible with a little time and patience and not much money.

Below is the patient. She has stage four cancer but we are going to try to save her. If we don't who will? :mwink:








So far I have stripped the inside, removed the front fenders and adjusted the doors. If the body shifts or moves during the build process I want to know it before everything gets welded together. Frequently checking door gaps will let me make sure it has not moved.




Tomorrow I plan to cut the toe boards loose from the front floor brace and expose the brace. The first job will be to remove the brace and reproduce it.

I hope you guys follow along and feel free to comment share thoughts, opinions, etc.

 
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#3,339 ·
No I picked this one up in Atlanta. Salvage title, I just replaced the windshield and hood and got it inspected and retitled. somebody did a LOT of work to it. all restored with brand new stuff and 14,000 miles on it. even has a GM possi.
I wanted a dark red solid color that was red NOT maroon
 

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#3,345 ·
Barb has doctors appointments Monday and Tuesday so I'm not sure how much I will get to work on the car next week.

I am working my way back on the floors. They are doing well but it is going to be a little slow finishing up and detailing around the wheel wells. This is one place the rotisserie is a real blessing with all the grinding and a little patching left.

John









I ordered some seam sealer today and already have a gallon of red SPI epoxy. I sure am anxious to see some color on these floors........ I know, all in good time.:D
 
#3,346 ·
Hey John since you're back to the body here, I'll toss a couple pennies in about protecting it before you make it turn red...

We spoke elsewhere about seam sealer selection and the whys, and touched on application for a professional look. You had mentioned wheelwells and I had suggested that a firm setting 2K sealer might be best there. The fact is a softer single component sealer would work as well there if no thick spots are needed.

If there are some corners where it might need to be thick, I'd suggest doing the "weatherstrips-out" approach on the topside of the car (plus firewall) with the 2K stuff and using up the remainder of the cartridge in the wheelwell areas starting out front. Then using urethane inside and out on the floor and the rest, probably one cartridge of that product would also do.

What I wanted to say is- rocker shutz over your epoxy before color IMO really lends a pro look to the undercarriage, and to the parts you see around the tires. Even if theres no masking done, it just looks like its supposed to be there and helps the freshness last longer (as in chips). The car will look more expensive this way as opposed to undercoating over paint, in my opinion. You can take that effect even further by flattening the finish for the underside a little.

I didn't know if you had considered that stuff but do figure you know about it and that its frugal-friendly. It can't hurt the solid quiet ride effect either.

Just tossing out ideas for this fun-to-think-about stage of the job and trying to pick your brain and see what your thoughts are so far. Didn't know if you already have a schutz gun or anything. Nice looking chip resistant coatings around wheels and cavity wax where nothing else can reach won't add much more than a hundred bucks to the job but anybody who looks at it will know this is no ordinary garage build if they see these things. Food for thought, thats all!
 
#3,347 ·
Rocker Shutz is a new one to me. I will have to research that a bit. Feel free to elaborate more if you care to.

I do agree and have considered flattening the body color on the bottom some. With this big massive frame and X-member no one is probably going to see it after the car is finished but it will be photographed and put in a "build book" that the world will see.

I do appreciate the input.

John
 
#3,349 ·
Careful what you wish for...;):D:eek:

The 280Z has the black rubberized stuff, and with color over it in places. Ick. I'll trust you can figure the rest of these out but please ask if I can clarify anything. A couple coats of no cleanup type is the norm and I like it with another coat or two and better with sealer (or epoxy) over it then color and flat clear. Its water based but stinky and sorta slow but not too bad as far as time until painting over it.

So theres some fodder to get the wheels turning. I realize any of this slows the get red process but does not add sanding. I was just typing while you were awhile ago and the areas you just posted pics of would look SO nice with some textured padding and the gloss knocked off. If you just haven't messed with the stuff much, well theres you a show car tip that may actually help you like your results even better without a big bling hit.

83 280ZX, 55 Apache, 62 F100, 65 GTO, 70 Mach1 :thumbup:
 

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#3,350 ·
Man, I really appreciate all the effort to post the pictures!

For me.... I don't think I want the texture. It is not that I don't think it looks good. But, I think after 3 years of work I want to paint it body color and just maybe knock down the gloss a bit. Let it be what it is but let the final product show.

That process would be perfect for the wheel wells though.

I know a lot of guys are painting their floors with bed liner and seem to like that also. I just don't think it is for me.

John
 
#3,351 ·
The pics are totally no sweat I just gathered files. Now we know thats not for you. I thought that might be the case, it ain't for everybody's taste but there are many options. Doing just smooth paint always looks good, too. Particularly when you have zero to hide, as it is here. I know from your filler experiment that you like to explore new popular options so there ya go. Carry on, don't rush it now :thumbup:
 
#3,355 ·
Great thread! Read a great portion of it and like your metalwork.
Seems like one man's rust is another man's treasure. Well after a lot of hard work and time at least.

Just wondering, how do you go about your welds? Do you like to grind in between the "welding sessions" or do you first fill all the holes before you grind them down?
I tend to fill all the gaps and holes before I start grinding since I don't like thinning the metal too much while grinding. After that I spread a narrow coat of fiberglass putty across the weld area. Not sure what is the best way. Some of my panels working on cars I have butt welded, some lap welded. People say lap welding panels is bad practice but I think in some weaker panels it helps keeping the panel rigidity. It is my prefered method for welding in rocker panels on modern car repairs etc. and have not had problems.

What is your technique?
 
#3,356 · (Edited)
Thanks once more for the kind words guys and yes Mitch, the rotisserie is fantastic.

Jeb, personally I always butt weld my patch panels. In order to get a good smooth, distortion free result, I do a few tacks and grind them down leaving them just slightly proud. Then I planish the weld, working out any shrinkage that has occurred. Then I repeat this process over and over until it is fully welded.

After it is fully welded I finish grinding the welds flush. This method allows me to control the shrinkage as I am welding it in and also prevent metal thinning by grinding every tack completely flush.

One other thing I Like to do is get it tacked every inch or so and the connect my tacks to each other until I get it welded solid.

This link will take you to where I welded in the door skin. It should give you an idea of how and why I like to do it this way.

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/53-belair-conv-rust-repair-233635-189.html

Good luck and thanks for looking.

John
 
#3,359 ·
Yes, It has been a life saver for this old guy.:D

Thanks for responding!
I will try out your method of grinding down in steps next time. I suppose everybody gets used to their own ways but one can always try something different, I am 21 years of age and have probably evolved my way ever since I started out at 15-16. Habits die hard, both good and bad ;)

Butt welding panels is my preferred method for body panels as well, mostly because of the 100% correct placement of the panel. Lap welding is however something I like to do with rockers like I said, floors etc. I have also noticed that some of the more experienced car restorers like to use Clecos to hold panels, which constitutes an overlapping weld (with a downstep of course). So can't be too bad? Just philosophing.

Jealous of your patience and talent, looking forward to seeing more of your project! :)
It is good to see younger guys getting into this hobby Jeb and you are right there is always something else ro learn.

One of the things that I learned here on the forum was how great drill screws are. I have not used a cleco since DeadBodyMan turned me on to the drill screws. There is nothing better for holding your panels in place.:thumbup:

John
 
#3,361 ·
One side of the floor pans is done and I have flipped the car and started back toward the front working on the other side.

The front part of the wheel well has not been finished so that became the main objective today.



I decided it would be easier to make the flang in one piece and then a patch to fill the remaining hole.

The shrinker jaws made short work out of shaping a scrap piece of 18 gauge.





With that done, I made a patch to finish off the job.





With this little project completed, I can continue to work my way forward, getting the bottom ready for some paint.

John

 
#3,362 ·
I pretty much finished welding and grinding the floorpans today. I still have the flanges to make which mount the front fenders and close in the front of the rocker boxes but the drudgery of the grinding is finally done.






I went ahead and mixed 7 oz of SPI epoxy tonight and will let it infuse overnight. Tomorrow I am going to brush about 3 coats of epoxy giving it several hours of flash time between coats. I will just brush it along the weld seams as well as trying to work some under the flanges and lips of the floor supports and rocker seams.

John

 
#3,364 ·
Hmmmmm, That is an interesting question. I probably like them both really well. Making the panels is exciting as is the paint work but the welding and grinding is getting old. Mostly the grinding. I think I like to do anything that I can stand back, look at, and feel good about but it is hard to beat the day you open up that can of paint and load the gun to shoot the color.

To be honest, I also love the color sanding and buffing. There is nothing more satisfying than to see a panel come to life after being buffed.

I set out to do this, (making the panels from scratch), but it certainly has been a long haul. With that said, I don't regret doing it but I probably would not do it again. They now make the entire floorpan assembly for about 1,100 dollars. Hopefully though, I have shown some folks what can be done when the panels are not available.

John
 
#3,370 · (Edited)
Oh wow, I had not thought much about it. I have 2 sheets of 18 ga, a $63 dollar roll of EZ Grind, and probably 65-75 dollars in grinding materials. Also, at least 100 dollars in MIG gas. I bought $300 worth of front floor pans, $220 for outer rockers and around $320 for quarter panel patches. Also one trunk drop down for 149. Don't forget the gang here at Hotrodders.com donated the trunk pan assembly to my cause. That was an 881 dollar windfall for me and really appreciated.

There are bound to be other things I have not thought about but that roughly puts me at 1500 dollars for materials to get where I am. About a third of that or $500 would apply toward just the floor pans.

Soooo, How much is my three years of intertainment worth? :D:D:D

Speaking of intertainment. I started brushing the seams and welds this morning I won't make the welds go away but it will "soften" them considerably after they are sanded.

John

 
#3,371 ·
I probably already know the answer to this one. But, have you tried to keep track of even the rough amount of hours you have in the project so far?
I know when doing a personal project it really isn't important, but when you get tired of the finished project and decide to sell it and move on to something else,, it can make a big difference in whether you keep the project or take the money.
Also a lot of guys that start their first project have no idea how much time it takes to do something like you have done here, and it could help them decide whether or not to take on the project or spend the money to let someone else do part of it for them.
I enjoy doing most of my own work myself, but there has been a few times, if I could afford it I would have "farmed" a lot of the work out just so I could get it finished a little sooner.
 
#3,376 ·
It blows my mind that this forum donated a chunk. Never heard of that! I reckon it's due compensation for all the clicks this thread has earned. Creating picture stories such as this one consumes a great deal of effort and time.
 
#3,377 ·
That was before you were hanging around Matt but let me be clear. The forum did not donate anything. My friends at the forum did.

It was an unbelievable surprize. One of the nicest things that has ever happened to me. I think of the kindness from the guys every time I look at that piece.

Thanks again to everyone involved.

John
 
#3,380 ·
I am indeed blessed but it was my mistake not yours. I did not make it clear who I was referring to.

Quesrion.....

Is there an economical way to use 2 part urethane seam sealer. There is no way I can or will pay 200 dollars for an application gun.

Are there any other solutions you guys have come up with?

John
 
#3,381 ·
Not that it isn't still steep at $60, but...

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tes-08571/overview/

Knock offs are probably also available, search Automix and / or Duramix gun.

We have the expensive gun and its a hassle too. But I haven't used the item linked above.

I should have known about the trunk floor but I can only digest about six or ten pages of this thread at a time and digress not having ever made it all the way through. I have tried more than once! :embarrass
 
#3,383 ·
I may be able to get you one John. I will call my Winzer rep, he gave me one for my home. We have about 6 pneumatic ones at work and a few manuals all given by the rep, of course we are buying stuff but let me ask him, he is a super nice guy.

There are a little different ones, but I think the one I got is pretty universal though all I use is Winzer products.

Brian
 
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