Thread: 69 F(ed) body hack

Well, slight change of plan today. Going to switch to the '68 on Thursday instead. Fine by me, I kept moving on the '69.

Made these. Took almost all day to make and install them.



They go here-



Don't be fooled by the next pic. I used a brake, shrinker / stretcher, drill press, and plenty of screws to form and fit the parts to the car. The anvil was handy for final shaping though. Sprayed some rattle etch on the backside and the car, then cleaned up weld spots with a drill bit once they were screwed down tight.



Plug plug plug. Grind grind grind.







So theres that, done-

It has been polyester primed and 2K seam sealed-







...and now its in the block sanding and glaze putty stage, in preparation for urethane primer.

Heres that wheelhouse all welded up, smoothed on both sides, and fogged with black. I didn't have enough battery for flash inside the wheelwell, but I assure you there are no pinholes and nothing to grab a sidewall there. Feels smooth. Have not yet re-tried the quarter on. The wheelhouse lip may require additional light bending to fit closely.





Did some more sanding then rust converter application in the area shown-



This area is next up. Theres a rip in the metal where that clamp is.



There are a couple patches required down low in the B-pillar area-

matt all i can say is your workmanship is perfect man. When i get a car that needs work like this i know who to turn to

Originally Posted by ericspecullaas

matt all i can say is your workmanship is perfect man. When i get a car that needs work like this i know who to turn to

Bring it on. Hey... check the junk work thread in a few.

Test fitted the quarter with the modified outer wheelhouse and some beating was required but nothing major. So I marked weld holes, planned a bit, and decided to spend some time at the drill press, brake, shinky stretchy, and blast cabinet.

Made this-



...which doesn't look like much until its attached-



Then welded, lightly smoothed, and fogged with etch-



Got the next section made but thats it. I'll get the hang of it.



Then it was five-

Tired of looking at ugly stuff? Your day is finally here.

Spent the morning warring on rust. If I didn't win... well I left a scar on it. Did what I could for it and called this the stopping point. It will last a long time.









One or two good soggy coats of DP90LF-






Heres the last glance at anything very ugly-




Screwed it on, and here we are. A good Thursday should have that welded on and smoothed out. Maybe I can get the roof on Friday if I hurry. Have not started prep on that part yet. I was supposed to work on the 68 today but that changed. I'm glad because I'd like to take this one past third base on the metal work, before I stop running. Did at least pick up junk around the car before leaving today!

Almost all sanded out now. The grey seam sealer is a soft urethane, also 3M. The light grey primer is polyester, the darker is urethane. The whole car gets a coat or two of the urethane mixed as a sealer, right before the green goes down.

so its a all new now? i can only guess the whole clip will be new metal as well. looks like a brand new car now. stuffs level looking lol

Since the rest of that can be easily reached from inside the car, I once again went for visual external progress...

Not much to show nor tell today but the right quarter is on it for keeps. That part is in place with screws, ready to begin my welding process.

Here is a sampling of the activities-

Backside of where I cut for fit right next to the tail lamp (quarter is laying on a stand in pic) was actually not too bad. Welded one little hole and lightly grinded-



There was a little crack here by the top outside corner, at the tail panel. Lo and behold, thats brazing rod on a brand new quarter. On a crack! Nifty.



Welded that after cleaning out the brazed material.

Yesterday I made this outie corner of the qtr an innie because it was hitting the door. Got gap now.



There was drilling and fussing over this and that-



Then on it went, for good.



I may just get the other side to this point before I plug weld. The sheetmetal shop's (Miller 220) welder with .030 wire has a trigger issue so right now I'm using the mechanic shop's one with .035. I'd rather get back to .030 for this.

matt you need this many beers



sooo how many more times will you test fit everything

I decided to weld the quarter on. It was too tempting sitting there all prepped. I nearly finished.

The bag full of new tools I brought in sure made this easier.

Here is a sampling of fresh plug welds-






After grinding-








I relocated this corner bumper brace to where the quarter wants it to be-



Remembered I needed to slice this front trunk corner for gap, but saw gold soon as I touched it. More brazing on a new part, and its hurting the fit! I'll dig it out later.

amazing.

i will tell you what tomorrow will bring!!


2 super models fighting over a wet sponge while trying to wash that dam car. then you get a $27 raise to what ever your getting paid now. because your not paid enough to do this anymore. and a few beers just to make the day go by faster

Originally Posted by ericspecullaas

i will tell you what tomorrow will bring!!


2 super models fighting over a wet sponge while trying to wash that dam car. then you get a $27 raise to what ever your getting paid now. because your not paid enough to do this anymore. and a few beers just to make the day go by faster

FWIW- and I thank ya... this is for you- a friend's garage sale find. He paid the cover price for a 60 year old skin mag. It has a Jane Mansfield page!

Wow... today is the day that on 3 seperate forums, people have brought up the new bodies. Thats not a decision I would have any part in at my job. Anyone who has seen one in person, raise your hand and show gap pics. I want to see one or three, untouched and not display queens. There are many facts to consider when comparing apples to oranges. I could lay them out but thats just a completely seperate topic with politics attached. People bring us cars, we fix them. Somebody wants to use a crate body, bring it on. Want to buy each piece seperate then have me assemble it? No problem. Want me to seperate every piece of a rustbucket, fix them, and reassemble? Can do. Whatever idea you like best, my advice is free but the decision is yours.

If you ask an engine rebuilder if they can rebuild your 3800, they say yes. Same thing. I say if we run out of American cars, THEN lets build tin-can re-pops made in Taiwan. I probably won't, but everybody else is welcome to. You wanna know how to fix and fit sheetmetal, you're in the right place. Shopping choices good or bad don't concern me.

Interesting the two different ways you've fixed the same issue. Makes a guy wonder what the true problem is here.

Thats hard to watch, lol. What is the metal thickness on a GM quarter and on a Dynacorn?

my new favorite car you worked on.

I don't know. I do know dies are a wear item and the press in Taiwan isn't as heavy as the ones GM used, so DC stuff is 1 mil. 1st and 2nd gens were skinned in 18 gauge. A comparison of the steel's composition would be interesting. So would a side by side crash test.