SPL311-18278

[Steve_69]

I have been working on doors. One of them, I found it caved in and 3/4" of Bondo on it. Surprisingly, rust is not really an issue. I have tried a number of techniques to pop out the dents (heat shrinking, dolly, etc.) but to no avail. Access if extremely limited. I gave in and removed the door skin. I REALLY did not want to go that route, but I managed it without any damage. That took patience! Today, I removed all of the tar-like coating from the inside of the skin. I have some pictures, but I will save them until after I get the door skin reshaped and reinstalled on inner door frame. I am not sure if this is anything many of you enthusiasts would attempt, but I was left with little choice. The sheet metal work and welding was new to me when I started this project. I never imagined the learning curve I'd take! But, that was why I started this project. Life is like a tomato, you are either growing or rotting. You cannot stay eternally ripe!

[Gregs672000]

Heck, good for you Steve! There's only one way to find out what one can accomplish... try it! This is the difference between paying someone to do something vs doing it yourself. Both have their time and place, pros and cons, but the potential for personal satisfaction is higher when you do it yourself. I do not doubt that someone could have done many of the mods I've done over the years far better, more elegantly or "professional", but the SATISFACTION is all mine when it does what I want! Thumbs up!

[funkaholik]

Just found this thread and wow, I am very impressed with your sheet metal welding. Excellent work! It’s good to see others that are as OCD about every little detail as I am - helps me to convince myself that I’m sane.

[Gregs672000]

It’s good to see others that are as OCD about every little detail as I am - helps me to convince myself that I’m sane.

Mmmm, no... no it doesn't...

[funkaholik]

I didn't claim to be sane - I said "helps me to convince myself". Mwuahahahahahahahahaha!


Good point, though. Sanity went out the window when the body came off the frame.

[funkaholik]

Life is like a tomato, you are either growing or rotting. You cannot stay eternally ripe!

^^^^^^^^THIS!^^^^^^^

[Steve_69]

After taking the door skin off and resolving the caved in section with dolly and heat shrinking, I found that it still wanted to pop in with some pressure. I feared that once in the hot sun, it might cave in again, so I made a couple of shallow braces and welded them in. They should not interfere with the window mechanism because they are shallower than the cave in was. Door is back together and ready. Now to strip the other door.

[drieseck]

Nice, nice work. I'm an amateur welder but know it takes a very light touch and skilled hand to tack those braces, thanks for the photos.

[Steve_69]

It has been a long time coming (3-1/2 years), but it is finally off for finish and paint! Woot! Also, I ordered the trim and bumpers from Vietnam. I still have a ton of reassembly to do, but most components are ready to go.

[Gregs672000]

Congratulations Steve! I understand and appreciate those milestones and the heavy weight they can be... exciting times!

[Steve_69]

Not much to report. Still waiting on the car to come back from final bodywork and paint. The color will be the Jeep Renegade Bikini Blue Pearl. It is the closest I can find to the old Shocking Blue. They say it should be mid-December (it is fill-in work when they have slow collision repair work) . I have been taking care of some small things while waiting. I am chomping at the bit to get it back and start reassembly!

[Steve_69]

The car will be coming home from paint on Tuesday! I can finally begin final assembly. It is still pretty dusty in the pictures and the color is actually a little more green than my phone shows. Dang, it was a long time at the paint shop and they had a lot of finish work to do. They praised my metal work of the passenger side, then cursed my work on the driver side. Guess which side I did (and learned on) first. Anyway, here are a few pictures.

[Gregs672000]

Very exciting times eh? It's really fun when you see things finally coming together. It gets better every day as you add in the interior, trim, lights and then fire it up! Congratulations!

[vorpal]

Excellent color!

Here's my 69:

ezccss130082.jpg

[Steve_69]

Things have been very slow lately due to distractions. Also, it seems that it takes 3 hours of research to accomplish 1 hour's worth of work! That is the result of not remembering how things go together. I took many pictures, and yet I never seem to have the picture I need.

I have run into a challenge that will require me to remove the head. I inspected, cleaned up and made repairs to the wiring harness for the engine bay. While making some of the terminations, I found the temperature sensor screw just spun freely, preventing me from tightening it. So, I attempted to remove the sensor. It is up against the header making it difficult to get a socket on it. I tried multiple means for removing the sensor only to goober it up severely. I fear the only course of action now is to remove the head to ensure safe removal & replacement. That means taking the carbs and header back off. My back is complaining before I start!

I have gotten locks & trim, cowl drain installed and have redone the wing windows. I have run new brake lines and installed the master cylinder.

So, some progress, and some challenges. I hope to make more headway after I get students through finals next month. I will post fresh pictures when there is something picture worthy.
Steve