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kbs2244

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A well deserved award.
I always liked the full fender look.
The color is nice too.

And glad to see something other than a fiberglass Ford.
 
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M

MP&C

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Thanks for all the comments!

I really like the subtle reverse cowl vent!


A cleaner look and yet still functional..



A well deserved award.
I always liked the full fender look.
The color is nice too.

And glad to see something other than a fiberglass Ford.


Fiberglass anything. I never could get that stuff to weld.. :lol:



Beautiful. Such gorgeously subtle work.


Earlier this year Cody had a stock 35 Chevy in his shop for some repairs and parked it next to this one. It was then that the differences really stand out..
 
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MP&C

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If I keep the SE trim and want to add the top spear trim, are you aware of a way to spot weld new posts onto an existing fender or door? is there another method of attaching that type of trim?

Got the shipment yesterday of your trim clips, now waiting for SnapOn to come this week with the studs & welder tip.....
 

Mr onetwo

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Got the shipment yesterday of your trim clips, now waiting for SnapOn to come this week with the studs & welder tip.....

Good...hopefully this little exercise will be useful to others.I found a complete set of spears for $250, but I just am not sure about attempting this.So torn as to what I want to do with the RC ultimately.:confused::dunno: I just love the green on that '35!
 
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MP&C

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Some more progress on the Biederman fenders, here's where we left off last time...


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On the passenger fender, we removed the cleco's holding the filler panel and John (the owner) media blasted the flanges where the panels overlapped..


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Cleco holes were enlarged on the filler panel flange to accommodate plug welds and the two parts welded together...


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After grinding the welds, John brushed some SPI epoxy in the lapped panels to seal them up..


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Back on the driver's fender, time to trim off the rusted and bent front edge....


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The door skin removal tool is used to unwrap the wired edge...


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Once the wrap is broken free, the top is scored with a cutoff wheel and then peeled around. No cuts on the wire as this may weaken it..


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Trimmed and clamped in place for a test fit..


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MP&C

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This evening we took the passenger fender over to John's so we could mock it up on the truck and locate/cleco it to the lower hood side..


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The wing nut cleco's used in about four spots to hold things good and snug....


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Back at the shop, we'll get this plug welded on Saturday..


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shortykorte

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MP&C Shop Projects

I was going to ask about the joint between fender and filler but seeing the seam sealer answered it. Thanks for teaching by showing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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MP&C

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That's not seam sealer, the entire seam area was media blasted on all sides and after welding together had SPI epoxy applied until it seeped through the other side to insure good coverage between the panels.
 
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MP&C

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Saturday Mike worked on the 55, with the seat belt retractor anchor plates now epoxied and cured for a week, they're ready to weld inside the quarters. He clamped them in place, scribed all the holes, removed them and cleaned paint off the hole locations....


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clamped in, ready to plug weld.....


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then he dressed the plug welds on the anchor plates as well as a few remaining ones on the drivers bucket seat pan. next on the list is to fabricate some arm rests for the rear seat area that will also serve to enclose the seat belt retractors.


Meanwhile I tried to make some headway on the Biederman. John is taking it to the truck show in Macungie PA so we're trying to get the fenders complete so he can bolt them on and answer questions all day about their bare finish..


With the lower hood side cleco'ed to the passenger fender using wing nut clecos to pull things up nice and tight, lets get some plug welds done to join all three parts together...


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Passenger fender lapped seams then had SPI epoxy brushed in from both sides to seal in case he runs into rain. We he returns they'll be ready for media blasting and paint..


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Next onto the Driver fender, the remainder of the flange from the old filler panel is removed, a cut off wheel is used for releasing the OEM spot welds..


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Next, we had a rub issue where the fender was a bit close to the cab....note the flat area, as well as a rust through. So we'll just trim this out and replace..


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OP
M

MP&C

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Today I finished up the TIG welding on the rust repair...


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This area has a recess so it doesn't rub the side of the cab...


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Next to clamp the front repair section, the vise grips tend to rotate after clamped and allow the weld joint to open. So to fix the gravity issue, we broke out the painters tape..


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16 gauge sheet metal wiring, gotta love it!


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Next time we'll get the filler panel added to the Driver's fender..


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OP
M

MP&C

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Thanks guys!


This evening's progress, the bolting flanges were cut out of 12 gauge steel, and tacked in place using the TIG. Then welded and dressed..




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Next to trim the front of the fender, a laser is set up 13-3/4" above the table holding the fender. This is the differential we measured off the truck from the bumper filler panel down to the running board. all four corners on the table are checked to insure the laser is set correctly. Then the laser line is transposed to the fender and trimmed..




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The height was adjusted by sliding the blocks forward/backward in the fender.




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Front mounting flange TIG welded in place and welds dressed..




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Filler panel fitted to the fender and plug welded...




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Test fit onto the truck, aligned to the lower hood side and cleco'ed in place.




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We'll get the lower hood side welded on tomorrow evening, holes drilled, and fenders bolted up to the truck.
 

BUGTHUG

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Kansas
That is top shelf work. I wish you were closer, I have a couple of VW buses that need to be done with the up most technical care and precision. I enjoy seeing how these jobs are done.
 

stsmytherie

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VT
Robert, did you fix the alignment of the top hood already? I recall that being an issue, but maybe missed the actual work.
 
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OP
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MP&C

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No, that's for another time. We needed to get it together enough for him to take it to the Macungie PA truck show this coming weekend, and I'm sure he'll be at a couple other truck shows around the area. We got the seams flooded with SPI epoxy, so shouldn't be anything getting in there. Any of the rusty handprints from the shows will come off with a final media blast before priming. We'll get the hood replacement made so his painter can spray all the blue in one sitting. Although that is quite a few LARGE parts...
 
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MP&C

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Tonight we got the lower hood side plug welded to the driver's fender, then the lapped seams were brushed with SPI epoxy primer from both sides to seal out the elements. John will be taking this to a couple shows with the fenders in bare metal, so we needed to seal those areas.


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With the fenders all one piece again, we took them to John's shop for re-assembly. First order of business is to add some welting to the fender area adjacent to the cab's lower cowl area...


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..then bolted up the fenders and battery tray.. This should give John a head start on the finishing touches tomorrow before loading it up for the Macungie Truck show.


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MP&C

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Thanks for the comments guys, it was definitely a challenge working with the 16 gauge steel. Not something you'd want to do everyday. :willy_nil
 

22george

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Robert,
Where did you get the welting?
I'm going to need some for my 36 chevy.
Your ingenuity shows. Great work
 
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MP&C

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George, that was Johns welting so I can't say for sure. I know he's picked up items from Restoration Specialties in PA, so that may be where it came from.
 

Bopbop

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Savannah,Ga
Robert, I have read this thread several times and go to it everyday for any updates. Your work is second to none. I agree about Restoration Specialties, they have just about everything you can want for felt, etc. Their catalog is like a bible.
John
 

NASTYZEN

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Fine workmanship on those fenders Robert. That project turned out quite well. Having made some old style fenders like that before. I can appreciate the difficulty level to restore them. I like your use of the laser on these.
Thanks for posting all your great projects!
 
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MP&C

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Robert, I have read this thread several times and go to it everyday for any updates. Your work is second to none. I agree about Restoration Specialties, they have just about everything you can want for felt, etc. Their catalog is like a bible.
John


Thanks for the comments John, glad you enjoy the thread content. Yes, quite an extensive catalog.



Fine workmanship on those fenders Robert. That project turned out quite well. Having made some old style fenders like that before. I can appreciate the difficulty level to restore them. I like your use of the laser on these.
Thanks for posting all your great projects!


Thanks for the kind words Claude! I don't get to do much carpentry work, so may as well use those tools where I can! :lol:


Thanks Robert and John for the information


George, glad to help!
 
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MP&C

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John got the Biederman out into the sunshine Wednesday after a long hibernation, getting it ready to take to the truck show in Macungie PA.


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Loaded up and ready to go....


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Today's pictures from the show, the Biederman makes its debut. Still needs a bit more paint on the front end, but John said he's had a ton of interest in the truck and the bodywork :lol: Guess I should have sent him up with business cards.


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OP
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MP&C

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Thanks Simon!


With the Biederman fenders out of the building, its time to work on the 55's rear seat bolsters. Time to assemble the parts for the passenger side..

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TIG welded together...

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....and cleaned up....

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Back to the drivers side, all the edges will be tipped forward to eliminate the possibility of sharp edges cutting through the upholstery..

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This is the edge adjacent to the center fold down seat, so we wanted it nice and straight..

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To better check that we were straight across the uneven surfaces, we used the laser again...


Seats mocked up again.....

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.....and laser used to get a straight edge on the outside..

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for more edge tipping....

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Hopefully we can finish this up in the morning and start cutting out the foam pad..
 
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MP&C

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Here's the panel with all the edges tipped forward, clamped in place..


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Some poster board templates were traced from the steel part, then trimmed out and transferred to the foam.


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Used the electric bread knife from the kitchen (if anyone asks you haven't seen it...) to trim out the foam, makes short work of it...


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roughed out...


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Test fit for marking the profile...


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trimmed /sculpted to size with the bread knife and 3" roloc. Use a worn disc on the sander, the fresh ones tend to grab..


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This fills out the seat pretty nicely and hides that wheel tub that protrudes into the back side of the seat.


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jimkinney

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"Used the electric bread knife from the kitchen (if anyone asks you haven't seen it...) to trim out the foam, makes short work of it..."

I haven't seen yours, but I used to use mom's for cutting foam to make camera case inserts back in the 70's. It worked great and I don't think she ever knew. I hope she doesn't see this now.

Great work as always.
 

gasgas17

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Nova Scotia, Canada
"Used the electric bread knife from the kitchen (if anyone asks you haven't seen it...) to trim out the foam, makes short work of it..."

I haven't seen yours, but I used to use mom's for cutting foam to make camera case inserts back in the 70's. It worked great and I don't think she ever knew. I hope she doesn't see this now.

Great work as always.

I used my wife's to trim my daughters motocross bike seats over the years. They work so good one would think it was their intended use...;)
 

WoodsTruck

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I love the way you figure out how to make things the way you need them.

I made a foam cutter out of a hot wire. The upright can be clamped at any angle if you need to rip bevels on a piece of foam. Crude, but it works well.
 

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Toothaker

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Robert, thank you for this thread. It's taken me several weeks to get through it all. I wanted to read it carefully, as this is masters-level training, and much of it is far more advanced than what I can readily grasp. Your work is amazing.

There is something else that I've started to learn while reading this thread. Patience. The first post on this thread was in January, 2013. The 55 was already apart, and you were working on the eyebrows. I've read sequentially, and all along I'd expected to see the car finished. I didn't want to read the end first - I wanted to be surprised. The surprise is how 'normal' you are - real life interferes with your projects just like everyone else's life does their's. I like how you don't get impatient, or frustrated, but you just keep on working the project. Your attitude is as inspiring as your work.
 
OP
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MP&C

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I love the way you figure out how to make things the way you need them.

I made a foam cutter out of a hot wire. The upright can be clamped at any angle if you need to rip bevels on a piece of foam. Crude, but it works well.

Need more details....got a build thread on that cutter? Nice job.

Robert, thank you for this thread. It's taken me several weeks to get through it all. I wanted to read it carefully, as this is masters-level training, and much of it is far more advanced than what I can readily grasp. Your work is amazing.

There is something else that I've started to learn while reading this thread. Patience. The first post on this thread was in January, 2013. The 55 was already apart, and you were working on the eyebrows. I've read sequentially, and all along I'd expected to see the car finished. I didn't want to read the end first - I wanted to be surprised. The surprise is how 'normal' you are - real life interferes with your projects just like everyone else's life does their's. I like how you don't get impatient, or frustrated, but you just keep on working the project. Your attitude is as inspiring as your work.

Thanks for the kind words, and yes, life gets in the way. But primarily having a day job that involves travel puts a severe damper on shop productivity. Despite the hurdles we strive to keep the level of quality at a high level. I think maintaining that focus also yields the patience you mention.
 
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