I finally got serious about repairing the hood.
It had been dipped in citrus stripper along with the car body, but sitting without rust treatment for a few years, it acquired a moderate coat of surface rust. The dip treatment also revealed numerous pin holes that needed backing material welded in.
Naturally, the worst damage was hidden by structural bracing that is not accessible with any kind of tool, so I had to rely on pouring rust treatment between layers and then flushing the excess away.
I welded small strips of metal backing in areas I could reach, and then sprayed a coat of Rustoleum Rust Reformer over everything, but I’ll have to trust body putty to fill the remaining pin hole areas I couldn’t reach to weld.
I had considered using the hood from the Fury parts car, but suspected it would also have pin holes hiding under the three layers of paint that would need to be dip-stripped to reach the inaccessible areas. As least a hood is a bolt-on part, so it could be replaced in the future if the Bondo patch doesn’t do the job on this one.
I set the reworked hood aside and started fabricating a pair of brackets to tie the inner fender to the outer fender. Like so many small things, the original brackets disappeared somewhere, but replacements are easy to make.
I also did some final tweaking and tightening on the doors and fenders and got them to fit a little better. I’m still not totally satisfied with the driver’s side door, but to make it better would require cutting and rewelding sheet metal to create more clearance, so I’ll live with what I have. I keep telling myself it’s intended to be a driver, not a restoration,.
Since the weather turned cold again, I’ve decided to stay in the house this week before Christmas and work on completing the wiring diagrams. I will also need to create continuity checklists so I can verify circuit redesigns and workmanship. It will be a welcome change to do something different again.
I comes to me mind my Lord that body putty / Bondo will not stop rust or hold well, me thinks that the chopped fiberglass body filler is much stronger and more of a rust repair, the downside is that it has to somewhat thick and is as hard as an ants butt.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Ray, but the only way to reach those areas is by cutting out the reinforcing structure on the back edge of the hood. My previous experience with flooding rust reformer in areas like that has been mostly positive, though certainly not the best solution.
ReplyDeleteIf I looked for a totally rust-free hood, I think my search would be futile, and fabricating new sheet metal pieces that precise is way beyond my skills even if I had the tools.
I was being sort of flippant with the Bondo comment, as that's always been the joke when discussing poor body work. My Fury parts car has the fender eyebrows packed with Bondo and most of the metal is long rusted away.
In the meantime, I'll keep my eyes open for a nice replacement hood. Maybe I'll get lucky, but from what's available when it comes to '55-'56 sheet metal, I won't hold my breath!
I do use the reinforced body filler where possible, but as you say, rust never rests...it can only be slowed down.