wagon progress

[MP&C]

Project updates for todays class:

Wiring top edge of the copper trash can..
















Roadster quarter, making dies for the upper bead detail....









Sharpening the crease





A bit of shrinking....



Test fit...





Marking for trimming the wheel opening...





Inside radius backstop





Scooter fender...



Trimming...







Prepping for Sport Coupe door skin removal







We took a short break for a Maryland treat...





of course, using only the correct utensils....





Blocking the top section of the roadster quarter.....

[MP&C]

Final update of the class, pictures from yesterday.
Wheeling door skin for a sport coupe:






Annealing copper wire to use as rivets:









Cover plate for military vehicle:



Paper pattern







Tuck shrinking on post dolly





Forming upper quarter reverse









Wheel opening bead detail added







Tipping flange with vise grips with jaws that have been smoothed...



Stretching



















Here's a video of Peter demonstrating lead loading aluminum:

https://youtu.be/MSfK9XhnLeM[/URL]

Loading stumps for the journey to their new home..








This class has been a blast, Peter is a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we are honored to have him share and pass this on to others. Anxiously looking forward to next year!

[chevynut]

Very cool stuff Robert. I'm amazed at how the English wheel can take a lumpy piece of steel and make it so smooth. It must have been a great learning experience for everyone.

I was wondering why you didn't make this a separate thread instead of adding it to your "wagon progress" thread. Seems like it belongs in the "metalworking" forum.

[MP&C]

Not much to show, still working on grinding welds and filling pin holes... A good testament to using Tig or O/A welding

Also welded up/shaved the upper firewall seam....





Lesson for this evening is to watch welding around stuff mounted JUST BEHIND the firewall!

[MP&C]

Well, more welding, grinding, and then we decided to give the roof insulation removal a try. Picked a spot and dumped on some lacquer thinner, which softened it up nicely and then made a sticky mess. So we put the putty knives aside and tried the paint scrapers..... without solvents. Dry removal was definitely better...









Also got another shipment of shirts in from Bonehead Graphics...



and promised the owner a modified set of spot welder tips to tackle his own wagon roof repairs...

[MP&C]

Kyle was off tonight so I missed getting some in-process pictures.. Still cleaning up welds to get the body ready for media blasting. The rear brackets for the gas tank straps were welded in...





I also worked on the passenger quarter this evening. One of the biggest problems with welding a horizontal seam down through the middle of the quarter on a car is the tendency for the seam to cave inwards.. I had some help this evening using the Watervliet hammer and a 24" radius die..



Still have some highs and lows to address, but the weld seam is back out close to where it should be, and the Atlantic Ocean has calmed quite a bit..



Next was to remove some creases in the cowl vent, seen here...





Looks like someone may have kneeled on it at some point in the last 60 years. I've found the easy way to "highlight" an area like this in need of repair is to use a piece of 80 grit on the back side:





Got the creases out using the body hammer with the chisel tip, and forgot to get the finished pictures. Next time...

[MP&C]

Here's the top side of the cowl vent.....











....using this hammer....











the marks on the back side show where the strikes were placed to remove the
creases...











Kyle has the inner roof insulation about gone...

[MP&C]

Our enclosed trailer has the white wagon wheels that always seem to turn rusty in a few years, so I have been trying different wheels to see what might work....


These are some late model Mustang wheels, the hub hole would need to be opened slightly, but the offset was, well off.





Perhaps on a fancy trailer with more stainless trim, but these just looked too much. Next, some plain Jane Ford Ranger wheels....





Much better, correct offset, and no wheel modification needed. Just need to change up the color and add some stainless trim rings. I do have some bright orange, some bright red, and a few other colors in the paint locker..





Some before and after media blasting..








Two down, two to go, and then we'll get some SPI epoxy on there for some rust preventative measure. Can't get it all done in one night. And more weld grinding and other prep work on the wagon continues. Since the big cleanup in preparation for the class in the shop earlier this month, we haven't been able to find our quarter panel profile template, so Kyle made a couple of them, one for in front of the rear wheel, one behind, and we've been working on the weld seams and doing some metal bumping to minimize our stock in filler products. Drivers side is looking much better than it did last week, still about another day to go and the quarters should be good for epoxy primer..

[DocHarley]

Awesome thread!

Your post/threads and personal help the past few years is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for sharing your talents with all of us.

[MP&C]

Thanks for the comments. Hope my posts have helped out.


Stopped by my brother in law's and took delivery of the rotisserie for the frame, he had been using it for his ElCamino...



And Kyle cut some adapter angles out of a piece of 4 x 6 tubing...



Well, we didn't get pictures of the funny part. Kyle and I loaded the frame in the trailer and headed off to the local car wash to remove the grease from the front cross member. We had quite a few stares and a couple horns honking as he pushed the frame around the car wash parking lot and I was sitting on the frame rail, maneuvering with the Jr. steering wheel. We found the tire presoak and a wire brush does wonders for the engine grease. The car wash attendant did not look too pleased, but never said a word.

Back at the shop, bolting the adapter plates onto the frame...





You can see in the above picture we used 1-1/2" long spacers to get a better access for media blasting the frame..

Disassembly starts....









After a few revolutions and a bit of air pressure, we had quite a pile of 60 year old dirt..



Override springs from the era. The handyman wagons were often used as work vehicles, and this option helped with the heavy loads...



All stripped....