wagon progress

[MP&C]

Laszlo, he's doing real well. I've been taking care of blocking out body parts and he's done all the welding here recently. The plan is to go with either a DIN or 2DIN radio chassis, neither of which belong in the dash of a 55. So the radio will be hidden, likely in the glove box..

[chevynut]

The plan is to go with either a DIN or 2DIN radio chassis, neither of which belong in the dash of a 55. So the radio will be hidden, likely in the glove box..

I'm going with a 2-DIN radio in the console, but I'm not filling the radio hole. I can put trim over it that doesn't have a hole in it. I may even use it for A/C vents....but I haven't figured that out yet. I guess I just don't see a good reason to fill the hole at this point.

[MP&C]

Kyle got some more welding done and we noticed the patch he made didn't quite have the same crown as the dash next to it. He had left the patch flat, so the difference was becoming more noticeable the more it was welded.



So the Watervliet planishing hammer was used to add some crown to the panel, and also to planish some of the weld while we were at it..

An 8" radius lower die worked nicely to duplicate the crown:



Planishing welds...

https://youtu.be/fAnfqtw-C6I

Two holes to go..



rear view... both sides still need sanding with the roloc, we'll get that once the radio knob holes are done and ready for sanding as well.



Tailgate is blocking out pretty nice, did have a few low spots to address that still need feathering out....

[MP&C]

Finishing up on the radio holes...







Shaving the other seam, here bumping the panels to get a consistent height across the front...



The upper section would prove to need a bit more persuasion...



Tool modification...



A chunk of 3/4 square stock laid in dash void to use as fulcrum...



Heat applied...





Results... before..



After...









This view from the back side of weld dot penetration shows Kyle has pretty good consistency in weld dot sizing.

[chevynut]

Robert, I've been wondering why in the world you'd put a crown in the dash. I think the trim panel that goes over it is flat so I don't see why a crown is needed. Then I went and checked my Nomad dash, and it has a crown too. Why would they do this?

[MP&C]

As with most any other panel, likely to add strength and help hold the shape.

[Custer55]

Great work as usual. One question, do you grind the welds, then planish? or Planish first and then grind them out?
Thanks, Brian

[MP&C]

Brian, welds will shrink as they cool, especially notable on the MIG welds. My preference is to planish the weld dot while its all by its lonesome, as you are now stretching in all directions, just as it shrank, pulling from all directions. Then grind FRONT AND BACK sides to remove the bulk out of the way for welding/planishing the next set. Plus, removing the bulk will help to limit the heat sink effect so you don't end up with cold welds. If you use another method and it works for you, by all means please continue to use it. If you'd care to try this method, there are quite many people using it with success.



Today was the Spring Fling car show in Leonardtown so we took the opportunity to do some "window shopping" for vents to fit in the dashboard. With all this nice real estate now:





.....our plans are for some rectangular AC vents in the radio's original place. I always thought the "up in your face" vents do a better job of keeping you cool than the under dash ones that freeze the knees. So in no particular order, here are some sample vents..


1940 Ford "ashtray replacements" by VA... Although small, thought these may work toward the outside in the same "band" area of the dash...











Grand National...








Lower dash vents for a 65 Impala...








I like these and the dual parallel deflector vanes over the 55 factory, which is a ball vent with a wide open hole.


These next ones are the ones I'm leaning toward for the dash center as they are an easier install than most of the GM ones of the era. The GM vents have a solid pivot shaft at either end that would require making a saddle and clamp deal to hold it in place. The Fomoco style shown here has the pivot pin on a tab that springs inward for installation/removal, so it requires two simple holes. A much easier fabrication of needed ducting.. if we need to fabricate..

















This had no AC vents, but was a super clean ride, and still sported the Straight 8 under the hood, so consider this complimentary eye candy!





More VA pieces, these are nice and compact








I like the rectangular for the center of the dash but worry these round style vents may "clash" with rectangular ones. So the 40's small rectangular may be a good option for the side vents. Thoughts, personal choices, ones we haven't shown (with pictures) are welcome. This build really isn't a billet type, so black and chrome are a preferred option. Thanks in advance for any advice/pointers..

[Custer55]

Thanks Robert, That makes sense to planish first to take the shrinkage out first.
On your AC vents you could check out some after market options. An oval would look nice in the center of the dash. I think I have seen these in billet. I know you said you didn't want billet aluminum but it could be chromed or powder coated.
Thanks, Brian

[Custer55]

I did a google search for billet aluminum ac vents & vintage style ac vents. Tons of choices including some nice looking rectangular vents. Just have to find what you like that fits your budget. Happy searching
Brian