WillBilly53

okay a couple things here. first the hood. this seems heavier and thicker than the rest of the sheet metal (fenders) on the car. can i sandblast the hood or will it warp? also i was speaking with someone today and stating how i'm stripping the fenders with a drill and various 3M rust/paint stripper wheels. he said that i could probably use ground corn cob in my sandblaster on the sheet metal without it warping. is this true? okay another question. when i weld say a small patch (say 18" by 18") on a fender am i taking a chance on warping it? thanks!

any last minute pointers/tips before i dive in?

cool thanks 53and61! i think i'll try this approach for the dash. what do you think about even smaller holes on a fender section - more specifically the rear quarter panel front section?

can you use All Metal to fill holes? there's a few tiny holes on the underside of my dash. i sandblasted it yesterday. there are a couple of holes that are just about the size of a dime. can i use all metal for these areas?

what all goes into rebuilding one of these? i think i need to rebuild mine, and wondering if i can do it my self or if i need to send to somebody. it's power steering for a '53 Super

my question is this, what did they do with all the extra plates that were for people that had registered their car but were unable to get their car there for various reason (not ready in time, mechanical troubles) i know there were some people that had their car ready and then at the last minute something happened mechanically and they were unable to get it there.

Thanks for all the replies everybody. Many points taken. I've decided to use All-Metal. I'll let you know how it goes. OH and i've decided to put the roof on hold for now. it's pissing me off and frustrating. so i took some advice of a good friend and decided to put repairing this area on the back burner for now and do some other metal work. Like the trunk.

thanks for the replies and tips on finding a shop. taking it to a shop seems to be the consensus over at the Buick forum also. i guess i'll dig even deeper into my pockets...

i think my car <span style="font-style: italic">IS</span> a parts car! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> are we talking $500 repair? or more like $1000?

thought i might show some pictures. any suggestions?

i posted this on the BCA forum, i figured this was a broad enough subject i could post here... okay this is a bear. as i'm trying to repair the hole in the roof, near the front windshield, i discovered MANY holes and rust in the area and the rain channel. i first started removing the bondo that was there and found out that much of the rain channel in that area was basically ALL bondo. so i've cut out this area. all though when i was simply trying to get to bare metal with the 3M stripper wheel, i didn't have to do much cutting, it just came apart. there's also the area where the windows roll up into. that's all rusted pretty badly. my question is should i take my car to a body shop and pay for them to repair this? or could i repair this myself? i bought some of those steel strips from Lowes and had the "bright" idea of trying to fabricate these parts myself. but i'm just not satisfied. i worried it's gonna look like crap. and i want it done right, but the flipside (as always) is i don't want to spend a fortune to have this done especially if i can do it myself. if i should just take it to a shop does anybody have somekind of ballpark figure for this? i hope this post makes sense. any help, tips, options would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

okay this is a bear. as i'm trying to repair the hole in the roof, near the front windshield, i discovered MANY holes and rust in the area and the rain channel. i first started removing the bondo that was there and found out that much of the rain channel in that area was basically ALL bondo. so i've cut out this area. all though when i was simply trying to get to bare metal with the 3M stripper wheel, i didn't have to do much cutting, it just came apart. there's also the area where the windows roll up into. that's all rusted pretty badly. my question is should i take my car to a body shop and pay for them to repair this? or could i repair this myself? i bought some of those steel strips from Lowes and had the "bright" idea of trying to fabricate these parts myself. but i'm just not satisfied. i worried it's gonna look like crap. and i want it done right, but the flipside (as always) is i don't want to spend a fortune to have this done especially if i can do it myself. i hope this post makes sense. any help, tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! both for the clarification and tips. greatly appreciated!

Is there a place i can get the bezels (trim?) for the dash gauges? mine are all green and a little rusty. or is there a way i can clean them up? or should i just take them and have them rechromed? are they even chrome are they just stainless?

cool! that sounds great. i'll check the local shops. thanks again all!

Anybody know where i can get this "All-Metal" stuff? Advance didn't have it, AutoZone didn't have it, Napa didn't have it. is there a website?

will i save money if i sandblast them first before i get them powder coated?

isn't the powder coat system expensive?

thanks all, yeah, i was just wondering about the integrity and durability of the paint rather than the actual color. but thanks for the correct color. i have a set of '53 special dog dishes (buick in script) but i'm gonna sell them and get the V hubcaps. and i look in to the e-coating.

thanks for the tip BMD67, i'll check some stores around here and see if i can find "All Metal"

okay, so now i'm confused. what is the difference between epoxy sealer and 2 part epoxy primer? will the epoxy primer seal the bare metal? as i get closer and closer to having the car down to clean, bare metal, what should i first shoot? epoxy sealer, epoxy primer? then the base coat, then clear, right? thanks in advance!

I've got the satin black spray cans from Eastwood. Is this stuff good? I've sandblasted 2 of the wheels prepped, primed and painted with this paint. it looks fine, but i'm second guessing and wondering if the paint is gonna come right off? i guess i should have asked this BEFORE i painted them. at least it's 2 wheels and not 5. thanks!

thanks for the replies all. i did forget to mention that the front is completely dismantled. no fenders, wheel wells, etc. i've decided to wait until the engine is done, bolt the trans and then install both as a unit. Wayne Murray (Thanks!) suggested this would be an easier way. i'll let you all know how it goes when it's ready...

sweet! thanks for the reply!

i'm having to do some repair on the front corner sections of the roof. They've rusted through. what i plan to do is cut the rust out (which i've already done) CLEAN the metal and weld in a fabricated piece. then go back and use Eastwood's metal filler (lead soldering)to fill in and smooth out the area. my question is will this area look different than the rest when i've painted the car? and will this filler cause any unforseen problems? i'm worried about the primer not adhering correctly and or in the near future these areas rejecting the paint. or is there better option to repair this sections? much thanks in advance!