TAKerry Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 A nice old lady asked the neighbor kid if he wanted to make a few dollars by painting her porch. He obliged. When he finished he told the lady he was done and wanted payment. He then said 'by the way maam, its not a porch, its a Maserati' ! Sorry, back to Dave. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 (edited) Painting the porch reminds me of a pair of pictures I saved. "Gee, Elmer, I almost busted out when you told those American slickers you were selling the Buick for money to paint the porch. Look closely at the similarity of their faces. The paint can in the first picture inspired me to find the second one. Edited October 15, 2021 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 Looks like a prince albert can, to me. Neat pictures. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 Prince Albert 'n a can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 15, 2021 Author Share Posted October 15, 2021 Who says you can’t have fun doing body work? You guys are definitely off the deep end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 15, 2021 Author Share Posted October 15, 2021 (edited) It’s Friday Benny! 10/15/22 Went to the auto repair this morning and it was a bust! They won’t work or paint any antique auto’s since they had a custom complain about a paint job they did three times. I did go to the store that sells spray cans of matched paint to the body panel I brought with me. So as soon as I finish the prep work I’ll be painting! Another new thing to learn. Hopefully the old saying is true “ You can teach old dogs new tricks”. Wait a minute maybe that was “you can’t teach old dogs new tricks”. Now I could be in trouble! dave s Edited October 15, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 (edited) The old adage is "Practice makes Perfect" or at least better, still applies. Painted my first car witha Electolux vaccum cleaner, using house paint. Paint looked good but my body work was awful. 60 + years later I still know that if you use the right paint, with a hardener, You can buff out the runs and flaws the next day. I bet your second fender is better than the first. But you did it yourself. P..S. Harbor Freight has a great $17.00 HVLP jam gun, good for fenders. Much better than spray cans. Practice with the primer stage. You figured out how to straighten the fenders, you'll figure out the paint part too. Good Luck! Edited October 18, 2021 by Paul Dobbin raised the price of the HF s[ray gun (see edit history) 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 https://www.kijiji.ca/v-voiture-collection/laval-rive-nord/studebaker-1938-commander/1589688855 Found this for sale in Quebec 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 It has a SBC engine. looks like the body is ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 Too bad it’s not just the front clip for sale, my job would have been quick and easy. It’s a State Commander with those headlights which was the mid range model. Commander straight 6 no Art Deco headlights and lesser interior, State Commander 6 cyl on same frame with the Art Deco and same interior as President. President 8cyl longer frame Art Deco head lights and interior features. This is a good looking car for the $$. I wish he didn’t put the V8 emblem on the side below the “commander” otherwise you wouldn’t know it had a SBC in it. Oh well back to hammer/dolly work. dave s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Its a shame the shop wont take on your work. Just a curiosity, is there a limited supply of body shops in your area? I have a really good (expensive)shop within a mile of my house. Counting that one I have 3 body shops in my town, which is very small. Expanding out a bit into the county within a 40 min drive I can think of at least 15/20 body shops. Including 3 maccos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 My experience with Macco shops is that they hire anybody who says they are auto painters. Not the first time a job applican lied to get hired. Due to that hiring practice,there is no constant quality control at all. You may see a real nice job from some shops on some days and the next car out the door is awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 Thanks guys, No Macco shop and only 5 shops in the town I can find. All said no. I haa as d a friend use a Macco shop in Chicago. Painted a 70’s Ford canary yellow. Bumpers, grille, handles and windows all got painted. The painter said the owner was supposed to mask the car not them! I’ve got the matched paint and will get it done. When I do it I am going to take it slow and probably ask questions between each step. Hopefully the end of this week will see it ready for the first coats. dave s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 18, 2021 Author Share Posted October 18, 2021 (edited) Monday 10/18/21. Spent the weekend doing the hammer & dolly routine on the left fender. Striped the paint today. Tells me I need to do more on the right fender and still some on this fender. There is one line from the bottom of the small hole downward toward the side I would like to get out. There are a couple of small dents I think I can do better on also. But over all I think it looks pretty good. 2 pics below one of left fender and the other of the turn signal/parking lights I got to replace the round ones. I will weld up the big round holes as these mount on top the fender. These were standard on the President model and an option on the State Commander like mine. Difference was the President had a longer front clip and an 8 cylinder engine. Mine has the six cylinder. dave s Edited October 18, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 18, 2021 Author Share Posted October 18, 2021 This looks a little better. I’ll just keep working on it. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARY F Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 You are getting there. Looks better all the time. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 I’m impressed! 👍👍👍 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 I wish the damage to my 1937 Buick would have been on this order so I could have repaired it. I am still waiting on the salvage title from thr PA DMV (over 4 weeks now) so I can get the check from the Erie company. Then I will sell the car for parts. Your patience at your body work will pay off with an excelent result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 19, 2021 Author Share Posted October 19, 2021 Dibsrlaw, that’s a bummer. When you do start selling parts don’t forget the seals on the rear wing windows. On my Studebaker they are unobtainum, I’ve had at least four guys ask me where I got mine which must have been the last set around. Little things like that may help recover some of your loss. Good luck. dave s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 22, 2021 Author Share Posted October 22, 2021 It’s Friday Benny! 10/22/22 Doing clean up and spot welding a few small things. Nothing to really show as far as progress. I will start to put the fender, grille, headlights, and other parts back on tomorrow if I finish the welding. I’ll do the skim coat of bondo and start the sanding by Monday with any luck and my body holds up. I’ll post pictures then. dave s 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARY F Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 Can't wait to see with some primer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 24, 2021 Author Share Posted October 24, 2021 Sunday- I’ve sanded, primed and painted (matching paint in spray cans) all of the hidden areas of the fenders and grille. Might not have been necessary but while I was doing the rest I figured I might as well try to keep the rust from having a place to start. I put the left fender completely back on ( I had the front part loose for a while) and test fitted the grille. Thank you George R I think the minor fixes I had to do came out ok except for one rib that keeps popping out of the spacer. I will need to work on that one a little more. The bead on the edge of the fender near the grille has one area I will need to build up but it to is good for a driver quality repair. Here’s a pic of the left fender & grille. Right fender will be test fitted tomorrow. dave s 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 Dave, I will have to say again, you have done an incredible job. I am not trying to put down any body or restoration shop, but you have done in a few weeks, part time I would think what said pro shop would have charged many and many thousands of dollars. I am sure after all of the beating you have done you can say it would have been money well spent, LOL. What was the original estimate, close to 30K? I had a spare hood for my current restoration that has a couple of dents that I thought were not worth repairing. Even though they made hundreds of thousands of trans ams, a good used hood is hard to find (I had 8 nice ones at one time!). I finally figured on buying a repro, but have heard good and bad, plus I like to keep things as original as I can. After reading through this thread you have inspired me to fix what I have. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 24, 2021 Author Share Posted October 24, 2021 (edited) TAK, All I can say is I’ve enjoyed doing this and it’s been satisfying seeing the outcome. It’s not a professional job but I’ve spent less than $1200. The original estimate was over $30,000 if you took the $20,000+ parts car out of that estimate, I believe it was still over $10,000. I settled for $9,000 so I guess my super amateur body work has paid off. My $1200 includes the tools I bought and my travel expenses to get the grille. My time is cheap but the wear and tear on the body especially the shoulders from pounding and sanding has been the hardest part. But I’ve had multiple shoulder surgeries and injuries. I just do this a couple hours a day to keep from being too sore. I honestly think a young guy can do this better than I can and find it very rewarding IF he has patience to just do it slowly. It’s not hard hammer hits like pounding in nails it’s small slow consistent hits many multiple times. It’s looking at the whole fender and deciding which dent has to come out first. Go for it on the hood. If you don’t have a set of hammers and dollies Harbor Freight has an inexpensive set that should be good for a hood. I’ve got some from my uncle that may have been my grandfather’s. I added the HF set to get a couple different dollies. I’m glad this thread is ok as I wasn’t sure my work is really worth watching. I just didn’t want the car scrapped or have a salvage title. I want to drive it again soon! dave s ps if I don’t get it done soon and back on the road I think my buddy Gracie is going to start nipping at my ankles. Edited October 24, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 You are an inspiration for all! Old and young alike. Ask the questions, listen to the advice of those with experience. Then get in there and do it! Accidents happen. They can happen to anybody, no matter how good or careful they are. I told you near the beginning of this that there is a special satisfaction in undoing the damage yourself. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 I don't recall seeing it mentioned here, but one thing I've learned is to have a thin rag or cloth glove between your hand and the workpiece when feeling for imperfections in the repaired surface. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 I couldn’t have done any better on the tin............and I have been at this fifty years. Well done......and the balls to take on a job that is new to you at the age of fifty plus! 😏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 24, 2021 Author Share Posted October 24, 2021 Hell Ed maybe it’s because it’s at 75 and I have lost my mind!😳 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 1 hour ago, Harold said: I don't recall seeing it mentioned here, but one thing I've learned is to have a thin rag or cloth glove between your hand and the workpiece when feeling for imperfections in the repaired surface. A piece of old T shirt is the best.............Bob 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 I would have to disagree on the rag thing. When I do body work my hands/fingers tell me as much as my eyes do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 21 hours ago, SC38DLS said: My $1200 includes the tools I bought Always my motivation. 60 years ago didn't take me long to figure out a lot of amateurs were trying to do professional work without tools. Outside of the tools the only difference I have seen between an amateur and a professional is the professional charges to do things a second time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, TAKerry said: I would have to disagree on the rag thing. When I do body work my hands/fingers tell me as much as my eyes do. Maybe the safe way for an amateur like me is do it both ways. I would rather be safe than sorry. Part of my reasoning for doing both is due to lost of feeling from nerve damage and arthritis in my hands. I’ve said it before my body’s a hundred and my mind is still trying to be 25. Sometimes the body wins, sometimes but not often the mind wins. By doing both the cloth and the hand it’s a win win. Please keep the suggestions coming, I need all the help I can get both in body and spirit. dave s Edited October 25, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 18 hours ago, Bhigdog said: A piece of old T shirt is the best.............Bob Try putting your hand in one of those zip lock sandwich bags and feeling the surface. I got the tip in a clay barring article. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 One thing I learned from an old master years ago was turn off any noise and vibration, close your eyes and let your fingers tell you the truth. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Skelly Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 keep at it slow and steady, and walk away for a few hours or days if you get frustrated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted October 26, 2021 Share Posted October 26, 2021 12 hours ago, TAKerry said: I would have to disagree on the rag thing. When I do body work my hands/fingers tell me as much as my eyes do. Have you tried it? The purpose is to remove the surface changes (paint to metal to filler, etc.) from affecting the feel. Good for long sweeping feels, like the whole hood area. Some people do not need it. And yes to closed eyes. But usually we always had music on in the shop....😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted October 26, 2021 Share Posted October 26, 2021 I will give that a shot next time around. Always willing to learn something. My great uncle was a plastering contractor, a lot of my ancestors were in the building trade. I kinda joke that this kind of stuff is in my dna. I am somewhat proficient with the trowell trades. We do a fair amount of drywall work and I liken it to body work. The only difference I say is that with drywall you want your finish to be perfectly flat with body work its always curved. When I do drywall I use my hands and feel out the finish before paint. I have carried that over to body work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted October 26, 2021 Share Posted October 26, 2021 2 hours ago, TAKerry said: I kinda joke that this kind of stuff is in my dna. That is very true and propensities for family skills date far into antiquity. It wasn't until the years 1000-1200 that the great universities of Europe were established and promoted the idea that anyone could be taught to do anything. Ponder the thought of where a thousand years of round pegs in square holes has gotten us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 26, 2021 Share Posted October 26, 2021 I was thinking to myself this morning, Dave will have his car finished 9 months sooner than most restoration shops or body shops would have gotten it done in...............and I suspect a much more caring and purposeful effort. Dave, I need to stop by for a ride soon......👍 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted October 26, 2021 Share Posted October 26, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, TAKerry said: When I do drywall I use my hands I can not do this, it causes my hands to bleed. The grit of the drywall compound grinds what little skin I have left (skin gets much thinner as we get older) and the blood flows. Then I have to worry if the paint will cover it. I guess I could then take up safecracking... old movie reference 😁. Plastic filler was much easier on bare skin.😉 Edited October 26, 2021 by Frank DuVal (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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