Classics Aren't Just Cars

With the return of 100+F temp, a seemingly endless list of household tasks, work has again slowed to a crawl. To top it off, I have to take another trip to East Texas to take care of some issues on the house we're selling.

I'm still experimenting with the headliner plug and learning the best process for the foam application. I have that about figured out, but will need to learn what product is best to paint over the foam to fill small holes and be flexible to allow moving the frame without cracking, and workable enough to create a relatively smooth mold surface.

I don't know how many of you appreciate Cajun music, but one of the best died recently. If a rapper died, we'd be reading and hearing about it for weeks on every news source in the world, but if I hadn't read about this on one of my favorite blogs, I wouldn't have known at all. I posted this video a couple of years ago, but it's worth seeing again. I love seeing three generations making music together!

A different classic gone.

Latest Excuses

Expecting more free time to play with my car was optimistic to say the least. My wife's granddaughter finally got her driver's license, so they decided it was time for me to find her a car. After looking at lots of toads, I finally found a super-clean, '16 Dart with a new car warranty and at a reasonable price, so Friday she headed back to Kansas as the proud owner. Next week it's dental appointments and yard work to eat up my time again!

Since school is still out for the summer, I advertised for a local kid to help with yard work a few hours a week, but they aren't interested, even when the pay is above the going rate. I guess they are just spoiled, because when I was that age I'd do almost anything to get a few hours work. The alternative is to hire illegals who will work for less, but I won't do that.

Between obligations, I've been working on the headliner buck. It's slow going as I'm constantly changing my mind and re-configuring. The spray-in foam is a little too gummy to work easily with a rasp, so it looks like most cutting will have to be done with an electric knife. I'm going to try a different brand of foam to see if it's any easier to work with.

I've been expecting another call from the company rebuilding my steering box. It's been about two weeks since they informed me that additional parts were needed. The final price about doubled, but the option was to pull the box out of the Fury and send it in for evaluation, and it is likely no better than the one I sent. That would only mean more delays and more high shipping costs, so I just choked a few times and told them to go ahead and order the parts.

Back at it for a While...Maybe!

Lots of chores to take care of recently, and the AC people replaced the coil in the geothermal unit yesterday, so nothing being done on the Plymouth. I should have two or three free hours today, so I might have pictures tomorrow.

Headliner Concept

I’m still not certain how I want to design the headliner, but so far I’m proceeding with the idea of a “buck” to establish the contours and serve as a form to make a fiberglass shell similar to newer cars.

Without knowing exactly how much space to leave for securing the sides to the metal, I’ll have to estimate the fiberglass thickness and flexibility.

Here’s a picture of the “bones” that will form the skeleton, rough-cut to check fit. Next step is to square and install bracing and forms for sun visors, rear view mirror and courtesy lights above the doors.

If this idea doesn’t work I’m thinking about sections made of hardboard, covered with fabric and secured by stainless steel headliner bows.

Trying to Make a Buck

No, not a dollar, though this project has proved brutal on my bank account. Cost-wise, I would have been far ahead buying a decently restored Fury and been satisfied with a total stock situation. However, then I wouldn't have had a challenge to learn and create, so I would have had to find something else that needed excessive money and time thrown at it.

This buck, or plug, would be used to make a fiberglass form for the headliner fabric to be glued to. The intent being that the basic contour will be created from cardboard, and then spray foamed and shaped in detail.

It's been too hot to work directly on the car so I set up this project in a small area of my workshop that is air conditioned.

Since this is a first for me, I'll have to take it a step at a time, and prepare to have an undetermined amount of rework if the contour comes out wrong. At least using cardboard and foam is far less expensive than plywood and clay as suggested on some of the videos.

No pictures until I get all the parts cut and have a chance to perform a fit check.

Petite Fleur+Massif Hemi =Thrilled Teen!

A thread on the Forward Look website is discussing music from that era. Lots of rock and roll, some jazz, some big band and even silly songs that made the charts.

For me the most memorable song relating to the finned cars was a little clarinet instrumental, but it always brings me back to a day behind the wheel of a nearly new '57 300C hardtop.

Here's a link to the song, and I'll add a picture I found posted on Hemmings of a twin to my uncle's car. I was sixteen years old and we were visiting him in Kennewick, WA. When he saw me drooling over the beautiful Chrysler he threw me the keys and told me to go out and beat up on some Corvettes and Thunderbirds. 

As I was cruising down the Columbia River highway in light traffic, I pulled out to pass a car and this recording accompanied the roar of unsilenced twin 4-bbls trying to feed the Hemi all the air it was demanding. It gives me chills thinking of that moment nearly sixty years ago, and I'll never forget the music.

American Independence Day

To me July 4^th is the most important American holiday to celebrate. Independence Day celebrates the wish of the people to be free from authoritarian control over their lives. It was so important that we rebelled with arms against our motherland to recognize the seriousness of our desires and from that conflict our beautifully conceived and timeless Constitution of the United States became the law of the land.

I won’t lecture our constitution, but will provide a link so that US readers can take a minute to refresh their memories of what we celebrate, and so interested citizens of other countries can see from where our laws are derived.

Happy Independence Day, and please consider our pets and combat vets when setting off fireworks.