Luv2Wrench

Agreed, great work! Can't wait to see color!

You can do just as well or better, it just takes time. My advice is to do a couple of panels that either will not be seen or that are small and you can redo them later. I'm going to be re-clearing the tub because while I loved it when I first did it, I now can do much better. The real trick to a great finish is to do everything perfectly... lol, joke.. the wet sanding and buffing can take a near failure and make it look great. It only works as long as you don't sand through the clear. Sand through the clear and you have to sand back, shoot color and then clear again. My tips to keeps that from happening 1) 6 coats of clear 2) Tape off edges so that you can't sand through in those areas. 3) Same thing for corners, beads, etc. 4) While still in the bodywork/filler process, spray a guide coat and "wet sand" that. You'll quickly find a few area that you sand through because it is a small bump. Keep working that step until you can spray a guide coat and knock that down without sanding through it. 5) Vary the grit you start with to match the texture/issues you have in the clear. The normal instructions are to start with 1000 or 1500 but if you've got texture or other issues it'll take you forever and you'll have to bare down and that further increases risk of sand through. It seems counterintuitive but going over it lightly with 800 on a block frequently dipping in water will get you down to flat quickly. Then 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000 is quick and easy after that. I heard you can stop at 1500 or 2000 and use the wool pad and cutting compound but I found that if you looked carefully you could still see scratches. Some people even go past 3000 and I don't think that would be wasted time because you can do it quickly. I will certainly explore this on next paint job. 6) For curved surfaces you need to find a stiff but flexible pad that will conform to the curves in the car yet hold that curve. Imagine you're planing off the high spots like using a hand plane. If you just have the paper, the push spots with be your fingers and that will wear little grooves into the surface. 7) Shoot a scrap panel and do this multiple times until you get the hang of it. You can rescue just about paint job as long as you can get a reasonable base laid down. 8 ) Use a base coat that you can sand before clear. Not all bases do this. But if you use a base that you can sand, then you can rescue anything. 9) I mentioned this before, but get the panels flat and smooth. It makes the wet sanding SO SO SO much easier. That's the one thing I would have changed. I did a good job on the panels but getting them perfect before base/clear is the way to do it.

I forgot to put a note here that I switched projects because I had reached the point that I could do less and less on the Metz without more tools, experience and, as always, money. My brother helped me buy a 1952 MG TD and has paid for the parts to do the restoration. That thread is linked below. As for the Metz, the scheduled time to restart is January 2022... nearly 11 years after I first started the project. In hindsight, getting a project car like the Metz while having kids that are 10, 12 and 14 years of age wasn't the best idea. It was going to be a father/daughter project which was great but the daughter lost interest really fast as there was almost nothing we could really do together. The next project was also a father/daughter project and we did get a little further on that but then she had to go and graduate from college and head to Arizona for graduate school. I will say that I'm absolutely happy that I did venture way, way out of my comfort zone and take on a project that I didn't have the skills, time, tools and/or money to do. While it has take over a decade... I now have more of all of that and I'm itching to get back to the Metz. In addition to the lathe, I now have the complete Hendey family: metal shaper, metal planer and universal milling machine. Of course they're all 100+ years old and will need to be restored before I can learn to use them but that's where the fun is.

Thanks! As per Pebble... let's just say the camera hides a lot. I'm certainly proud of it and I've exceeded my expectations. There is some evil ironic twist in that the better you get, the more you see that could be better. I look forward to getting this car finished and getting to work on the Metz. I'm curious to see how the paint goes on that car given the horrid state of the panels that came with the car. I've done a good job with good panels on the MG... hoping I can do the same job or better with the "scrap" panels that came with the Metz.

Still crawling along. So much work around the house to be done, I feel lucky to get much at all done this time of year. I must say though, the weather has been outstanding! One of the coolest summers I can remember. I hate it that the heat is so terrible out west, wish we could all have good weather! I have now wet sanded and buffed all the body panels. There are 4 rejects that will need some touch-up and re-clear. I'm pretty happy with that. Next step will be to shoot those and try to wet sand and buff without any issues. After that I'll get the tub back out in the sunlight and decide if I want to re-clear the tub. I was happy with it when I did it but I feel like I can do a better job now and will probably go ahead and do so. Passenger's door. Driver's side top hood panel.

So... one of my girls is headed your way... well close. My middle daughter graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology this spring with a BS in Earth and Atmospheric Science and a minor in Physics. She has been accepted to the doctoral program in the Schools of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU in Phoenix. It looks like that's a good bit north of you but at least the same state! If I end up driving with her to get there we'd probably drive right by you. I'm thinking that we're probably not going to drive and rather I'm just going to lease her a car in Phoenix. If we do drive, I'll let you know!

So hold on here... you took flat sheet metal, punched a hole, turned them all to same diameter and then pressed them into a die to get that edge? That last step doesn't seem possible. I thought that was 100s of tons of pressure, with lubricants, heat, etc etc. Obviously the pictures here show a different story, and one that I'm thrilled to see. That is just the kind of part I didn't think I could make... that changed with your post!

Outstanding work as well as a pictorial how-to for those that might find themselves needing to do a similar task. As always, thanks for sharing!

While I certainly understand your point... I don't see any pre 1910 cars available, much less under $10K. I've been looking fairly regularly and I have missed one or two, but I haven't seen many come up. I don't think I would even be bold enough to build one from scratch and that's mostly because I pretty much understand some of the issues. If I did.... I'd fudge just a tad so that I could use modern pistons, rods and probably valves. Then get a crank made, 3D print the cast pieces and send them to the Amish and you'd be well on your way.

I love the (rare for me) feeling of taking something apart that is fused with rust and age without breaking it.

Great car, great story, thanks for sharing! Looking forward to seeing what you do with it. Do know that while your definition of "good enough" may change, never apologize for what it is and always err on the side of "good enough" so you can get it done and enjoy the car. 99% of the time you'll be the most critical judge of the car, everyone else just sees a great old car.

I'm making progress, just a bit slow. I got the windshield assembled and I've managed to get the wiper motor running again. Working on the horns next. Taking a break from wet sanding for a bit after an ill advised 1 hour tubing session behind a speedboat. My shoulders are very disappointed in me and are still being vocal about it. I'll be the first to admit that the tubing was a BLAST and probably worth the pain. I'll probably do it again as well.

So you made a guide for using an end mill in a drill... is that legal? I'm pretty sure you're supposed to destroy that part of the casting, then braze it back on while creating a big crack in the back of the casting that then needs to be stitched together. Machining a guide to hold the end mill in the proper place and remove the bolt while leaving the thread serviceable seems too easy. Congrats on extracting yourself from a very tight situation there. Very well done. I'll probably be stealing that idea in the future.

No fair using a plumb line down the middle... ya gotta do that by eye. Beautiful boat and even better craftsmanship, thanks for sharing!

isn't it just a blast to peer inside something and find Rusty Acres Subdivision populated with Strange Repairs using Questionable Materials.

Excellent, really glad to hear that!!

Wow... that was fast!! Looks really good as well, congrats!

Yesterday I blasted the top irons, side curtains and hinges. Today I managed to get epoxy primer on them and they're now ready for color (single stage). I did the next to last buff on the fender. It is "done" for now and I'll do any final buffing when it is on the car. The reflection is good enough to tell I need to wear nicer clothes for my next photo shoot.

Got clear done on the misc parts. Wet sanded and did cut buff pass on one of the front fenders. I was concerned about the front fenders and felt like I might need to re-clear them. After the wet sand and cut pass with the buffer I don't think I'll need to re-clear. I need to do a bit more cut in the sunlight tomorrow and then see how it looks after a final buff. I have a feeling it is going to be just fine.

T-storms interrupted base yesterday but I was able to get that done today. I barely had enough base to get everything done so I hope nothing else goes wrong and I hope I didn't miss a big piece. I probably will not have enough clear to get it done but I'm going to wait to order that until I absolutely run out and then I'll try to order by the quart instead of gallon. Took the car for a drive in the neighborhood and noticed that the speedometer wasn't working. I can't remember for sure if it did work on the last test trip but it certainly doesn't work now. Very frustrating. I'll take the cable loose and see if that's turning. I really hope it is because if it isn't that will mean puling the transmission... not the easiest task.

Last batch of items in the booth waiting for base (probably today) and then clear (hopefully tomorrow). I'll need to re-clear the front fenders and will probably chose to do the same for the tub. The top and side curtains will need to be painted after that. I'm making decent progress but it does fee like I'm standing still... the more work I do the more work I find that I need to do. The joys of car restoration

Amazing work!

I think car restoration is as much mental as it is physical. It can be so mentally overwhelming at times and just down right depressing. I've tried to shift work to things that are easier to do and give a mental boost when done. That does become an issue, however, when you get close to the end and there are no such project left that are quick and easy!! It is a grind and taking a bit of time off can help. An hour a day can help. Pictures of other finished cars can help. Looking back at all the work you've done can help (this helps me the most). You're doing great and it'll get done when it gets done.

I got another 2 coats on clear on before life jumped back out in front of me. Unfortunately each time there is a pause of more than a day it means that I have to sand the clear down to better accept the next coats. A scuff is all that is needed but since I'm going to the trouble of doing so I figured I might as well knock it down perfectly flat. In theory this should make the final cut and buff a little easier but it certainly takes a great deal of time. Here they are soaking up the sunshine before dry sanding with 600. Back inside and dry sanded with 600. Needing a break from the painting, I took some time to put the chrome trim on the dashboard. While it was pretty tedious to get everything bent just right and trimmed to fit and soldered in the corners, I think it looks great and I'm happy to get it out of the way. Of course it isn't quite done as, per usual, I forget to order hinges and the old ones look too ratty. I don't dare use the old ones and the try and replace them because with my luck the hole spacing will be different.

That prop shaft is a good starting point for rebuilding your uncle's Chriscraft. It isn't like you had that much more with the Mitchell.