12-4-2008  How is that for a clean engine.  No wear at all on the valve cams.

I dropped the rear axle from the frame.  There is now nothing left on the frame.  I'm going to strip the axle and springs and repaint them.  I've already rebuilt all the brakes.

I spent the week cleaning, stripping and painting black parts.  The two parts below is part of the frame that bolts on the front or the frame and the rack and pinion steering.

Here are the starter, generator, engine crank, head light housings and a ton of brackets.  Yes there is an engine crank.  You insert it through a hole in the front bumper and it attaches to a piece on the front of the engine so you can start the car without using the electric starter.  That will be Lynns job.

These are the parts I need to have re-chromed.  This includes the front bumper, the grill and the windshield frame.  The rear bumper is new.  See the hole in the front bumper?  Lynn, that's where you insert the starter crank.

3-8-2009  I painted the frame yesterday, Saturday, outside on the driveway.  I used this special paint for frames that is supposed to be far more durable and take the abuse.  The exciting part started today. I started putting the car back together!!!!  Today I put the rear axle on and the rear brakes.  Yes I still have all the body work yet to complete in the basement.  But I need to get all the stuff in the garage back on the car so I have room for the Harleys.

Here are the major parts, frame, motor and transmission.

And here I am posing for Lynn sitting on the frame.

3-20-2009  Well I got laid off from work last Thursday.  So I have time to get this thing done.  Got the engine, transmission and front suspension in.

Also got the gas tank, fuel pump and rear suspension in.

Here it is back on rubber again.

I decided to replace the floorboards on the car.  Below is a picture of them.  Yes, the floorboards are made of plywood.  The seats bolt to nothing but half inch plywood.  There is nothing between you and the ground but plywood.  I painted them satin black after the picture was taken.  I'm just about finished getting everything on the frame that I can, before putting the body on.

Here are the floorboards painted and in place with the tunnel.  The roll on the floor is cork.  Cork goes between the plywood floorboards and metal frame.  Guess that is supposed to stop the rain from coming in.  I've got new screws on order to bolt the floorboards to the frame.

3-30-2009  I picked up the new chrome plated parts today.  I had them re-chromed at Pauls Chrome Plating in Evans City, PA.  They did a great job.  I didn't have the front bumper done.  It would have cost about $500 and a new aftermarket one was about $250.  I can tell them apart but not many others can.

4-21-2009  I decided to strip all the undercoating from inside the fenders.  The car was originally painted inside and out.  I made a jig that allows me to rotate the fenders while painting them so I can paint the outside and the inside at the same time.  I decided to try putting a finish coat on a fender myself.  Based on how it comes out, I may paint the whole car myself.  After the fenders, doors, hood and trunk are done, I need to make a jig so I can rotate the entire main body so I can paint it inside and out. 

4-30-2009 Here are the painted fenders, dashboard and doors.

Here is my paint room with a bunch of misc parts painted.  All I have left to do is the main body.

5-4-2009 Now I have to finish stripping then prime and paint the main body.  Like the fenders, I made a rotisserie so I can spin it while painting.  The top picture below shows the body upside down.

My gestimate on the CG of the body was pretty close.  It rotates pretty freely.  Now I have to make the paint booth bigger and move the body into it.  I've got to remove all the undercoating on the underside.  The entire body is painted body color, like the fenders.  I added a brace across where the doors usually are to prevent the body from folding in half from being supported only at the ends.

6-2-2009 The fenders, doors, hood and trunk are painted and just need to be polished.  I moved the main body to the paint booth.  I'm stripping all the paint then it will be painted.  There are just a few parts that still need to be painted but its almost there. 

6-4-2009 I primed the underside of the body today.  I used a different primer, a self etching primer.  It was a lot more potent.  I had to air out the house for a couple hours.  I even sprayed with the basement door open.  I sprayed 64 ounces of primer though.  But it came out great.  No orange peel or drips.  Now I just have it flip it over and prime the top.  There are a couple places that will need some minor bondo before painting. 

Well  I flipped the body over and primed the top.  Now I just have to do some minor body work, reprime it with the other primer then paint it.  Its hard to get into all the little nooks and cranies.