Color Sanding Complete!

With the perfect weather, I've been able to do some yard work and sneak in a couple of hours on the car. I finished color sanding and gave it a quick polish. While sanding, I found three small thin spots that I'll have to repaint, but it looks quite nice in most places. There is some orange peel, but then many new cars also have some, so I can live with what I have.

Now I can concentrate on getting everything ready for the windshield install. The neoprene arrived, so I cut out gaskets for the windshield wiper bezels. I neglected to install the defroster vents before I bolted down the upper dash, so it will have to come out again, and that's okay since then I'll have easier access to hook up the wiper linkage. Then I can install the windshield.

I also did some work on the trunk lid. As you can see, it looks like someone tried to open the trunk with a pry bar. There were dents all along the lower edge that had to be popped out and filled. I'll paint the underside at the same time I touch up the thin spots. The outside will wait until I've finished repairing the fenders and hood so can paint them all at the same time.

After the dent repairs, I treated the inside with rust reformer and etch-primed the outside, so now it can go back into storage for a few days.

Sanding Progress

I'm about seventy five percent done with color sanding, but I've been neglecting household chores lately and need to spend a few days catching up. The weather is finally cooling off, so yard work will be a priority while the temps hold. If the digging, weeding and mulching doesn't wear me out too much, I might be able to sneak away for a few minutes in the evenings to do some sanding. With color on the body, it's somewhat easier to generate enthusiasm for the mundane tasks, even when exhausted.

I ordered two thicknesses of neoprene material over the weekend. I have several gaskets that will have to be hand made since they are no longer available. I know...I know...what did I expect?

Going for the Gold!

When your tired old arms are aching from color sanding, what's the logical thing to do? Well, I’ve been impatient to see what the gold material looked like against the paint, so I put down the sanding pad and brought out the gold. I didn't trim it to size and shape yet, but you can get the idea.

Since there is no matching-pattern aluminum for the side trim available anywhere, instead of settling for painting the gold spear I elected to buy some of the Mylar material  James Rawa used for his ’57-’58 Plymouth spears. The material size was such that the spear will be slightly smaller than stock, but that was my intent anyway, so everything worked out fine. He had never done one for a ’56, but I measured what I needed, and he laid it out.  He was great to deal with and despite the different pattern, I’m very pleased with the look.

The photo does not show the ’57 color accurately, but in person I much prefer the deviation from the stock white, and in the company of a real ‘56 there will be no mistaking it for a butchered stock Fury. Not everyone will like my modifications, but the other option was to use the Belvedere for a parts car, so I will definitely have one of a kind, but it won't be a clone.

Windshield Trim Difference

I've been looking at and enjoying the beautiful Exner lines for fifty years, but I must be blind to detail, because I just discovered that there is a rather distinct styling difference between '56 Plymouths of the same year.

I ordered a windshield ($$$!) yesterday and decided to polish the trim so it will be ready to install. To my surprise the upper and side mouldings are much different between my Belvedere and the Fury parts car! FWIW, I much prefer the wide version, and since there are holes in the roof for the fasteners, it's the one I'm going to install.

After finding this, I searched for more photos on the Internet and found nothing to indicate that either style is consistent on 2-door hardtops. The wider style appears to be the only one used on convertibles, but hardtops can have either, no matter if they were Belvederes, Savoys or Furys.

I'd be curious to know if it was date or factory restricted.

Meanwhile, color sanding continues.

Color Sanding

Yesterday I started color sanding, but before I did, I asked for professional opinions on a popular auto body repair forum. Just as there are varying ideas about everything else in the world, no two people can agree on the best method to finish a paint job.

I've never had the desire for an immaculate paint finish on any of my cars. I want to drive them without fear of acquiring a blemish on perfection. I want to enjoy them and to let others do the same. I never post a "Look but don't Touch" sign on my cars at a car show. It's fun letting kids sit behind the wheel  of a car they'll likely never have the joy of driving, or letting an old couple sit together and reminisce about the car..."just like it"...that he owned when they were dating. Pleasure shared with others is much more rewarding than when it is not.

That said, I followed one expert's suggestions for sanding grit, method, and how and with what to polish. The easier process he recommended would never pass for a concourse restoration, but is certainly acceptable for my daily driver expectations. The problem is that any method is very tiring for an old body, and may take longer than expected.  I may have to add a few recovery days between work days. Today I'm going to recover by spending a few hours riding around on the lawn mower. It uses fewer muscles!

Surprise!

I checked the Weather  Channel last night and the updated forecast was for a perfect day to paint outside. It was a chilly morning, but calm, and the prediction was that it would remain much the same all day. By 9 am, I had everything ready to go, and by 10, the first coat was applied, and looked really nice. With only a light, intermittent breeze blowing, I went ahead and sprayed a second coat. The sun was higher and the temperature getting hot, so the second coat had some minor orange-peel and dry overspray, but overall I'm satisfied with the results. Best part was that the new sprayer worked perfectly and that I was able to apply two coats without a single run!

When I selected the paint, I chose a single stage polyurethane for three reasons. First, it looks period correct, unlike the extra high gloss B-C paints today. Another reason is that because I had to paint outside I expected minor issues that would require color sanding to fix, and this product allows for that. A final reason is that it's about half the price of the more popular paint products. Since the car will be babied and garaged, any lesser resistance to weathering shouldn't be a problem during my lifetime.

Besides the two minor problems already mentioned, a few gnats decided to commit suicide by leaping into wet paint, but no biggie to sand them out and touch-up if necessary. The tiny bugs are not nearly as troublesome as the huge yellow butterfly that landed on the freshly painted hood of my truck several years ago! That took a lot of work to repair.

Now I must wait a minimum of 72 hours for the paint to cure, but that's okay considering I didn't expect to be painting for at least ten days.

I'm really glad I chose to buy the DeVilbiss SRI pro-quality paint gun, as I'm certain I saved myself many hours of rework and repair. The only criticism is that it's small and considered a touch-up gun, so it took a little longer to paint the entire car, but it does such a good job, that I shouldn't even mention it. Unless you plan a steady diet of big projects, it's the perfect size for the hobbyist. Another great point is that it's made in Great Britain, where quality is still important!

Lost in the Sixties

Still on hold for painting and the forecast doesn't look encouraging for at least ten days.

Today is the biggest local show of the year in nearby Denton, and it's pouring rain that is expected to last most of the day. I had intended to pre-register my '64 Valiant to save a few bucks, but they sent the forms too late, so I guess I saved even more by not registering at all.

I've owned this V200 for about sixteen years and have gradually restored, upgraded or modified nearly every part. It has a lightly modified '79 Super Six, and all the drivetrain, brakes and suspension have been upgraded. It's fun to drive, but doesn't get much use in the mid-summer heat.

As you can see, I like sixties Mopars also. I worked at a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in '64 and had a couple of Valiant demos, and loved them. I had been looking for a Valiant convertible for years when I found this one.

 The music began to deteriorate about the time the war began, but it was still a good time to be alive.

Lost in the Fifties

I'm sure not many blog readers are my age, so this video won't mean much, but there was more to the era than tail fins. If the pictures don't look familiar, you can at least enjoy Ronnie Milsap's music.

Waiting

Windy weather, so I wait. The final primer coat has been sanded as good as I can get it, so I've been doing other things to pass time until I can roll the car outside to apply the color. I'm also waiting for a touch-up gun I ordered to arrive. I bit the bullet and ordered a high quality DeVilbiss. The paint I bought has a propensity to run, and there are many tight corners to get into, so I decided to get a smaller gun that is more appropriate for the job.

The fenders needed more work before mounting, so that's one job I've worked on this week. The passenger side is nearly done and the other will be finished in a day or two.

The parking light housings on the '56 models are made of rubber and mine have age-hardened to the point of crumbling. They are beyond salvaging and I'm sure it will be impossible to find OEM parts that are in decent shape, so I have two options. I'm told the '55 version is made of metal, so that would be the easier choice if I could find some for a reasonable price. The other option is to make new housings myself. Since I'm not worried about originality, and since they are tucked up under the grille bar they wouldn't be noticeable to the untrained eye. For now that's the way I'm going to go. If they don't turn out nice, I can look for the '55 parts.