you did amazing on this old rusty granny club still can’t believe you let it go. I totally understand.

 

65droptop you are making great progress! Keep it up

 

You've got quite the setup there, looks good.

 

Thanks guys. Todays progress was: Seam sealer is applied. Gonna let it dry over night and start painting the bottom and firewall tomorrow. I am going to paint the inside with KBS paint as well. All under the inner dash and inside of the firewall, follow, rear seat pan, inner quarters and all. All of the rust has been found(I-hope) this extra step should assure a long time of rust free operation.

 

I've got the same compressor, 20 years now, compressor took a dump, butterfly plate screws broke on one cylinder and beat up top of piston and wouldn't compress anymore. Finally got two new gaskets so should by back in business. My '65 442 convertible is next in line for a frame off rotisserie restoration.

 

Thanks to todays temperatures, I was able to paint the bottom and firewall.

 

i pulled the car off the rotisserie today and put it back on blocks, that way it will be supported better for when i cut out the trunk floor. i am not doing anything to the quarters until i have the trunk floor and inner wheel wells all back in place, that way i can maintain correct positioning. i spoke to a lady on the phone last week that says she has 5 sherman trunk pans that were on US soil, but hadn't been pulled from the shipping container and distributed to their warehouse yet. she said one of them has my name on it because i already made the purchase for a goodmark pan, but that pan was not due to hit the mainland until mid july, so trunk pan is promising to have in the next couple of weeks, hopefully. in the meantime, i am going to start pulling the frame apart and getting it ready to be sandblasted and powder coated. i have 80% of the parts to put the rolling chassis back together and have it ready for the engine. the goal is trying to get the body married back to the frame before our july 4th party. that way i can roll the car onto a trailer and take to a friends for the weekend. we will have about 40-50 people running around our yard for the party and with the fireworks within 100' of my house, i want this car gone and out of site. lol. whole neighborhood chips in and puts on a really big display, there will be a couple hundred people with all the houses involved watching the show by nights end. frame pics coming soon.

 

Frame is in, I will get it blocked up and start stripping it tomorrow. It is Supposed to rain around here all day Friday so will have to wait until Saturday to set up my blasting booth again. I’m going to do the frame and the core support this time and get them both powder coated.

 

The frame looks pretty good...was it restored before?
What's it finished with? Just paint?

 

the previous owner started a restoration 30 years ago and it is just paint. It is peeling in places, there are rust spots in places. Kinda like the floor and trunk, there’s so much little stuff that needs done, there is some junk in the rails, seems like something was living in the frame rail, there is insulation and chunks of garbage and there are rust flakes as well. I’m just going to strip the whole thing and start fresh. There is a small hole under the drivers side cowl area that needs cut out and repaired.

 

i spent last week getting the frame and other parts sand blasted and ready for powder coat. i had my frame, cross member, core support, front control arms, rear end all done at the same time so they match. i found a place that did all these parts for 450. working on getting a posi unit for the rear and start putting things back together. i already have 75% of the parts i need to put the rolling chassis back together. i have to say, it is so nice to actually see finish paint on a project. i just have to remind myself that it's done now, can't bang it around like before. lol

 

Looking good man! That a great looking core support.
very hard to find!

 

thanks. i was surprised myself to see it as solid as it was. the hole for the bushing on the drivers side was a little wore out and where the 3 plates come together was a little rusted between each piece, but no holes yet. i was able to sandblast the area really well and it actually separated once the rust was removed. i put in a new plate with the correct size hole for the bushing, clamped and welded the 3 plates back together. my focus now is to have the chassis 100% done by the july 4th weekend, and have the body sitting back on the frame. we have a big neighborhood party for the 4th and i need my garage space for the party. momma is on me about that..lol the trunk pan is holding me up on the body aspect though. it is in indiana, in a shipping container, but they don't have the man power to unload the container. i've barked up the ladder to a supervisor but not really getting anywhere. it's paid for and i'm still not a priority.

 

i can't wait until my car looks like this again.

 

Disc brakes added to the front, suspension is back on, added power steering box. The new posi unit has been added and set up on the rear. Went to slide the new rotor over the rear axle flange and they didn’t fit. After hearing of the issues trying to get a pedal with rear disc brakes, I decided to return them to summit and just go with drum brakes on the rear. Got good news that my trunk pan was being delivered later today, that should allow me to get the chassis finished, and have the trunk pan installed, body back on the frame by end of July. The engine should be done this week or next from the machine shop. It’s been ready to assemble for about a month but the machinist was letting me get the frame done before he put it together, he knows I’m limited on space in my two car garage.

 

Lookin good!!!!
See, you’re movin and groovin again and making excellent progress!
so 2 questions…
1. what front disc set up did you go with?
2. what rear springs are those?

 

Thanks.

1. Right stuff brake kit from summit, designed to use 14” wheels.

2. stock springs

 

Finally have me a roller again. Brakes and suspension are done. Rear trunk pan came this week, got most of it cut out today. Trunk drop off panels are in great shape. Lower wheel wells are 80% good, I already have those so I won’t be waiting. Hopefully I’ll have this buttoned up in the next week and be ready to remount to the frame soon. Engine is due to be finished soon, transmission is being worked on this weekend. Should be on schedule to remount the body in the next month or so.

 

man you are moving wish I would have kept my momentum up on my sport coupe. Great job

 

thanks. i have to get as much done as i can this month. starting next month, i will have to put majority of my free time into my drive through christmas light show.

 

all the old trunk pan and associated rot is gone. i have the new wheel well panels cut and fitted, ready to be welded. thankfully i kept the seat pan section of the one piece floor, the rear lip that the trunk floor rests on was pretty well gone after drilling spot welds, so i cut the lip off of the new pan and have it fitted ready to weld. i have friend coming out tomorrow to help me get the trunk floor into place. i will attempt it on my own in the morning but it's kinda bulky, extra set of hands will make it that much easier. gonna try to get everything fitted and clamped into place before i start any welding. my plan is to weld the front edge, to the rear seat pan, set the body back on the frame to assure that this convertible isn't all twisted, before i weld the rear and sides of the trunk pan back in to place. i have bracing in place, but i i would rather spend the days work putting it back on the frame, to make sure all of the rear body bolts line up properly. i will then weld the floor to the trunk drop offs, and the rear brace, and button up the seam. then, back off the frame to finish up the under side and paint. if all goes well, i should be ready to bolt it back on the frame for good in a bout a week.

 

I’m getting de ja vu looking at all these picts!
so where did you cut the rear of the trunk?

 

Was this for me?
im not sure leaving a wheel well out will help.
It was the front to back length mixed with the narrower width of the drop downs that didn’t allow me to put it in as one piece.
I cut mine on the right side…about 8-10 inches from the edge.




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I cut it the same place you did. I sandblasted the brace and sprayed rust converter. I need to replace the cage nuts, one of them seized to my bolt from being on the rotisserie

 

I wonder if I leave both wheel wells out, support the rear end with my cherry picker so I can move my blocks, then maybe slide the pan in from the front, over the drop downs? Something I’ll have to look at tomorrow.

 

Detour, while under the car last night I looked up and it hit me, better prep and paint that underside of the top, before I put the trunk floor back in place.sure is nice to see some finish green on the car!! I have the quarters prepped and ready for primer, I still have exterior sheet metal work to complete, once that’s done, then I can paint the trunk all at once.

 

For the first time in 57 years, this ole girl is sitting on fresh body bushings, on a fresh frame. Albeit, just to make sure everything is square, and in the correct place before I go welding in the trunk, but it sure is nice to know it won’t be long. I have the trunk and wheel wells just about ready to weld. It’s Getting late so I can’t cut any more tonight, or be using an impact running self tapers , but she’s coming together. I should have it all welded on the top side tomorrow, then back of the frame to finish sealing and painting the underside. Machinist is just waiting for my signal to assemble the engine. The transmission is in the process of being Rebuilt right now. Won’t be long and I’ll have me something resembling a car again. In the words of Bart Scott, “can’t wait”!!

 

Looking great Duane!

 

looking good. At this rate it will be done before you know it.

 

to answer my own question, yes. if you are doing a one piece trunk, and you are repairing the lower wheel wells, you can put the trunk in, in one piece, then put the wheel well patches in place. i would recommend getting the wheel well patches fitted prior to installing the floor, but you can install them after the floor is in place. i agree with peter, no way this goes in one piece if you aren't repairing the wheel wells, or if you weld them in place first.

 

You are making great progress! the workmanship is amazing. I wish I would have had thought of the 1 piece trunk floor when, I was doing my sport coupe

 

You also cut out the trunk drop offs and the lower quarters...that really helps I'd bet.

 

no, I left the trunk drop offs in place to keep my position correct. The passenger quarter I cut out the bad spot on the outer skin, but left it all attached to the trunk drop off on the bottom, and the the wheel lip. Because it was only being held on by a small piece of metal at the lip, I was able to move the trunk drop off on the passenger side about an inch or two to get the pan in place.

 

thanks. The cost was considerably higher, but less work, the braces are all already attached, and it looks better.

 

Duane---looks good. Reminds me of all the work I just recently finished on my 71 442 restoration. I had to replace my trunk pans, rear under seat floor pan, rear quarters, and swap out the front fenders. I loved all the metal work. Great job!

 

trunk is all welded in place. i started repairing the holes in the quarter panel. turns out the quarters i drove to missouri to get were more rusted than the eye see, oh well, i guess i got solid wheel lips in the areas that i needed, i guess it was worth it..lol i am going to be pulling the car off the frame so i can finish up the trunk install, apply some seam sealer and apply one last paint job on the under side. i got word last week from the machine shop that the engine was complete and ready to come home, so the car will stay on the rotisserie and extra week so that i have room to install the engine and trans before i re-install the body for the last time. won't be long and i'll have a running car.

 

Engine is home.

 

This is an excellent build and continues to look good.
Don't slow down now Duane!

 

thanks Peter, once august hits, I have to shut down all extra curricular activities and focus on my drive through light show. I did spend a couple of hours last week putting seam sealer on the new trunk underneath, and got some more surface prepped and ready for paint. To top it off, one of my partners fell off a ladder and severely sprained both ankles yesterday, time to kick it into another gear for the next 8 weeks to make sure we are up and running by November 11th.

 

Awesome build, I like your style..it’ll go the distance!