Loose ends

Ever had that dream where a friend says "Hey man you got a thread hangin' down!" then everything goes into slow motion. Your friend reaches over , grabs the thread and starts to pull. All the while you seem to be frozen in fear as you watch it all unravel.In the end your just standing there in your underwear and a shirt collar still around your neck......No? just me? huh!

Uhhhhgh!

In a project this big there are loose ends all over the place. Some are left untied because you have to wait to complete another step before it can be cleaned up and cleared off. Others just sort of drift off to the sidelines because " Oh that won't take but a minute, I can do that later!" mentality takes over.

 The last window from the drivers side was like that, until I busted the glass trying to not so gently 'tap' a seal into place. Now it's done, all tied up!

 The headlight bezels are a bit of scenario one and two. I had to get the bezels themselves re-chromed, which I might as well wait for all the bumpers etc before doing that.
 Recently it was time, I took them all apart and sent the bezels and assorted pieces to Alberta Plating for the magic to happen.

 What I didn't do is pay attention to the rest of the components. I simply thought....well "I'll have to replace all that!" forgetting this is Fillmore, a 1949 Flxible Clipper......"A what?"

The original bezel seal is a round rubber bead with a tail or flange....WITH a metal core!
I searched high and low and so far I have found nothing that resembles it.

I did however find some 5/16"full round at Norwesco .
The guys there were really great. It's not perfect but I will continue the search. The second part of the challenge is locating the headlamp gasket retention spring. The ones I have are in pretty good structural shape but it would be nice to get some new ones if possible.....

I looked and looked, went to the usual suspects, but nothing.So last night, after a glass of rejuvenation, I decided that structually these clips are in good enough shape to use, they just need to be cleaned up.
It was time to pull  the old "ultra-vibe"
(sounds risque)  back into service. It hasn't seen much action over the last few years.

Stay tuned...

Do these lines make my butt look fat?

A loaded question when coming from a loved one, but safe from Fillmore....
 I want to have more to report, I am eager...no I am hungry for more to tell...but alas there is no meat on these bones. A meagre bowl of rock soup today I am afraid.

On the positive side of the equation...less time working on Fillmore means more time having intellectual stimulating conversations with my kids!!

 Before

Here are some pics of some changes we made to the rear lines on Fillmore. The top edge comes in higher and accentuates the curves of the hind end.
Although you can't see it in these shots it also helps to balance the front and back in profile.
The autobody shop is big but also busy. There are vehicles everywhere so getting a good profile shot is tough.
As for the front (Robert) we are re configuring the transition from horizontal to vertical,using a curve with a bigger radius. More pics on Friday(hopefully)

 After

Change

Man, sometimes I think way too much. I have a thought and the next thing I know it's spinning out of control. The thought turns to a statement that turns into a rant and then a political/religious/humanitarian stand on the state of affairs in the world. Who do I think I am Ric Mercer?

My point is that things really change when we draw lines, and when people have the courage to not just talk about it but do it. I am sparing you the geo political rant, suffice to  say that for this blog...
Keep it lite, keep it bright

I was thrilled at how spectacular Fillmore looks with a plain white base coat, now with the graphic layout help of my dear sister in law, Adele, it was time to create change again and draw lines.

Dale for PET Auto body was super patient with me. For a self proclaimed articulate guy, I felt like I was a bumbling idiot when it came to expressing what I wanted. But with the help of the graphic layout from Adele, and my grunts and groans about where I wanted things to be, we made real progress.

Earlier this week they sent paint spray cards over to my office, and am I ever glad they did. What I thought was the color I wanted , when sprayed out on a larger surface was not what I have in my minds eye. So back the paint chips....

White Knight

Wow! That seems to sum up how I felt when I walked into the paint shop last Friday to check in on Fillmore. There has been a tonne of work done, hours upon hours of  welding,body work with hammer and dolly and then bondo. But the difference is dramatic!

It looks fantastic, everything is clean and sharp. A few touch ups to be done but happy with how it looks!

Glassy smooth finish!

Next step is to lay out the blue...

Happy New Year!

 I think it's safe to say there are some years you can't forget, the year I turned 16, the year I met my wife, the year(s) my kids were born...and then there are some years you would like to forget, you know you could just check off the box of been there done that and don't go back there again. 2014 was one of those years.
Thankfully we are on to bigger and better things now, two great ways to start the new year. First I went skiing! Yes you heard me. I was skiing in Golden with the family and it was great. The snow conditions were no hell but I was just happy to be out there and working the old muscles.Second bit of good news was word that Fillmore had the base paint applied!

Here he was rolling into the paint booth.

It's amazing how a little paint can change your whole perception.

I will go down to the paint shop this friday to finalize the blue and accent strip color.

Things are coming together!