Chassis 85517 Number 17 356 Convertible D

[roy mawbey]

Nice job Justin. Have never removed my tank but but 30 years ago my blue original gas cap seal started to leak petrol a bit down the front of it removing some of the paint . So I sprayed in situ but only the front and top of the tank. The Cap I sprayed Silver. I then inspected the seal and turned it over !!! Its never leaked since so one good bodge !! I noticed too when I removed the paint on the top and front the tank must have had a special primer applied when new like anodizing?? It was grey and I manged to keep nearly all of it. Still all looks good today.

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy! The tanks where coated inside and out with lead. They really where prepped and painted just like an old radiator back in the day.

[JTR70]

Tank finished and back to the last bit of bodywork.
Tank in its final coat of satin and ready to install.
Straps where painted in slightly glossier version with a reduced amount of flattening agent in it. I was instructed that the straps should never matched the tank so here it is for an original effect.
My final body work task is gap and fine shaping with the decklid and body.
Spent this session opening and fine detailing of the gaps especially at the corners. Next round of sealer applied.
test coat applied. I have a few more flaws yet to address but they are getting smaller and few as its progressing.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

Ah Lead on the petrol tank outer surface! Thanks Justin. Nice gaps to the rear lid! Mine are perfect too, I just wish every other area was as good!

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy!

[JTR70]

Next round of fine finishing:
After block sanding with the remaining imperfections highlighted for the next round of skim coating.
Next round skimming and blocking gone as far as it can. Sealer and test coat next.
Next round applied. Still finding things I don't like but they are getting smaller and fewer as it goes.
Gaps and edges still need some fine tuning but the general surface is about there. What I need are reflection shapes to stay intact as they cross over the gap like this light reflection.

Aside from the reflections I'm also now good with how the overall contour of the lid in its latched position carries the body line. No need for any further adjustments there. Waiting on this cure and repeat the process over again; one more time should do it.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[Scott B]

Justin- you are fine tuning this very nicely. Like watching a Master class

[JTR70]

Thank you for saying so Scott, I just keep sanding until that little voice in my head says I can stop. LOL
Thanks again! Justin

[JTR70]

Last round of body blocking for the lid and surrounding area:
Last round of overall blocking across the gaps. A couple of high spots on the lower lip eliminated and with that...the general surface is at a level I can live with.
Once last round of gap and corner edge shaping especially around the turns. Putty spreader made for a stiff yet flexible enough tool to support the paper so I could reach down in there to shape the edges.
Grill was dry fitted to check for uniformity. No issues once the seal is added in.
Lid will be removed one last time to prep the under side and perimeter trough on the body side. Edging closer....

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

Super dooper indeed !
Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy!

[Scott B]

Killer job. Crazy how great this looks - I know how much time effort this took to get to this point. Congratulations Justin.

[JTR70]

Thank you Scott, glad you can appreciate all the effort, time and patience invested to get here. Justin

[JTR70]

Finishing up the lid:
Finishing out the welds from the needed skin height adjustments and skim coating to smooth out the big blemishes. Not shooting for perfection just a clean general presentation.
Tackling the last of the remaining nicks and irregularities along the trough and its leading edge. Lots of sanding slurry to clean up on that lower tray in there eventually.
Sealer and work coat. Not chasing it much further than this....just wanted the big stuff smoothed out better.
Trough and leading edge/lip finalized. Last test coat.
Last of the final finishing detail was to the lids leading edge. smoothing any remaining nicks and or high spots while bevel shaping it for a consistent shoulder profile all the way around. One more dust coat and once dried the lid will be remounted to the car completely one last time to make doubly damn sure its what I'm going to be happy with before I commit to final paint.

[JTR70]

Final decklid confirmation test fit:
Fully hinged and latched with rubber buffers installed. I've have to go as far as preloading the hinges upward then snug up the pivot bolts as I've got it dialed in to where the slop in the bolt holes messes with the front height elevation with the edge of the body. Set to my liking here.
Gap and edge detail shapes all at a level that I can live with..

Down the sides, around the corners
And along the bottom. The lid and surrounding area work is finally at an end. The lid is latched but its sitting a touch proud this time around. Very frustrating as it changes ever so slightly every time its taken apart. I'll address all of this once its painted and I've remounted it for the final time.
Blowing this apart one last time for a thorough scuffing and then onto final paint. Only a very light sand and scuff taking care not to change any of these lines or shapes.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Another successful paint match.
Took a sample of the leather being used down to my local paint supplier for a camera scan. The final match turned out as close as I could hope for.

I only have to shoot two small defroster vent strips to match this leather so I asked what the minimum amount of paint I could order was. It was this 8oz pictured above. I'll still have plenty left over but at least I didn't have to buy a full pint.
Paint directly applied to sample. Again, the best match I could hope for.
Vents painted and fully cured and laid over the leather here.
Done! Now I'm fully teed up to install the leather and the windshield frame assembly without delay once the car painted.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Finishing out rear bumper and final body prep:
Next to last work coat with only a few minor blemishes left to chase.
Last of the nicks and flaws chased out on the closing panels.
A few more short comings than I thought but another round of swatching should about finish the surface.

All the closing panels both top and bottom are all teed up and ready for final paint.
The body itself is also finally ready for its final finish. Just have to finish masking it and scuffing any remaining shiny spots. Will be getting it over to the body shop and into the booth on Saturday evening to hopefully get in final paint on Sunday.

[JTR70]

rear bumper body work finished:
Another work coat with only a few nicks remaining that are few and far between. A block sand will chase most of these out.
One more work coat just to be sure. Its finished, just a scuff and shoot to finish this up.
Same procedure as with the front bumper a few months earlier. The back side is going into final paint first then it will be back masked to paint the outer surface separate. Shooting all the nooks and crannies first to ensure thorough coverage.
Then it was onto painting the rest of it.
Back side finished. Masking this off next and will finish out the surface tomorrow. My to do list is getting shorter and shorter.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

Justin, I say again this car is going to look fabulous when its finally painted. Superb effort.

Roy

[JTR70]

Thank you Sir, will see what happens...

[merbesfield]

Holly crap, Justin you must have an amazing amount of patience. I am only on page 6 and have already learned so much. I am also a bit intimidated at the next chapter on my 57 build. I don’t think I have the patience or physical power to do this. I am soooo thankful that my car is so original and am hoping my gaps are “good enough “, which I think they are. Thx Justin for the education along the way. Mark

[JTR70]

Thanks a lot Mark, I don't think you'll have to worry, your car is in pretty nice condition.