57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'

[Vic1947]

Still no word from HRE about the paint schedule. Today would have been okay weather-wise to transport everything to their shop, but just crickets. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy again, but then we're supposed to dry out for all next week. Fingers crossed we get the ball rolling.

Meanwhile, I've been tinkering around with console mods. Applied matte black vinyl wrap material over the unwanted lettering and made an insert to hold the new parking brake button in place of the OEM switch. I would have liked to retain the stock PB switch, but the pin arrangement is more complex than the one that came with the E-Stopp. Too many pin combinations to map the crossover without a wiring diagram. This will work fine. I do think I can make the hazard switch work in place of the column switch, though.

[Ol Blue K20]

That's too bad about HRE. The console is going to look good though.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

That's too bad about HRE. The console is going to look good though.

Good news, Dale, the guys from HRE showed up yesterday to transport the chassis to their shop. They'll have to make another trip for the body and the rest of the parts. It looks like the paint process is finally going to move forward. At least that's my hope. A lot depends on how much other work they're trying to manage while my project is at their place. They need to hang the front clip and block all the 2K primer before they can squirt it, so there's a lot of room for setbacks.

Since I had the weekend to do other stuff, I decided to finish out the exhaust. I setup some cans as a dummy marker for the corner of the gas tank and then routed the exhaust around them. I just have to add some hangers, but will be able to do that when I get everything back.

[mongocanfly]

Great news Vic..!!

[Ol Blue K20]

Good news Vic, I hope it goes smoothly. The exhaust looks good.

[knomadd]

Wow!!! I need to get on here more often. I see you've worked through a lot, overcome several obstacles, and have some color on a few pieces now. That's good news about the paint process. Have other things to do while the frame and body are gone?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Great news Vic..!!

I hope it is, Greg. I have a feeling they have a lot on their plate and are still catching up.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Good news Vic, I hope it goes smoothly. The exhaust looks good.

Thanks, Dale.

Originally Posted by knomadd

Wow!!! I need to get on here more often. I see you've worked through a lot, overcome several obstacles, and have some color on a few pieces now. That's good news about the paint process. Have other things to do while the frame and body are gone?

Hey Duane, I've got several things to work on. Putting together sub-assemblies like the bumpers, etc. I also need to tape off the steering column and paint it as well as a few other trim pieces. I bought some plastic trim restorer off of eBay and need to freshen up the pieces that go on the seats then assemble them along with the new seat belts.

But truthfully, I'm likely going to run out of things to do before I get the car back. From what I've seen, they skip around from one project to another. And if they're like most places, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. They were closed for almost two months and that had to have shredded their schedule. I can only imagine the pressure they're under from customers whose cars have sat that entire time. They posted a picture on their FB page of a Road Runner they had at World of Wheels back in February. They're just now putting on the vinyl roof and it was at that stage back then. So I'm under no illusion that my stuff will be in and out. I'm guessing it will be shuffled around like all the rest as resources permit.

.

[Ol Blue K20]

I just tipped a cocktail to the paint prison god "here's to a quick release". I know the paint prison god loves some Jack Daniels......

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I just tipped a cocktail to the paint prison god "here's to a quick release". I know the paint prison god loves some Jack Daniels......

Thanks, Dale. Wish I was closer and could help with that cocktail.

So here's what's been going on lately. HRE showed up about 2 weeks ago and hauled the chassis to their shop. About a week and a half later, they came back for the body. They also took all the front clip parts, so the first thing they plan to do is set the body on the chassis and assemble all the parts. Not sure when all that will happen as they still have a lot going on right now but at least it's in their hands. Feels weird with nothing in the shop.

While I was waiting for them to pick up the body, I made a little progress on the console. The parts I'd ordered to complete the console didn't show up until the day after the body was gone, so I'm sorta hung out to dry on that project for the near term. If need be, I can do some test fitting at HRE's shop, but we'll see what else I can accomplish without shuttling back and forth.

I scored a good deal on an Alpine stereo and speakers from a friend of a friend who's in the audio business. However, I did get roped into hanging new fenders on a trailer that belongs to a KC Chiefs player's dad. It's done, but I'm waiting on them to bring new tires for it. Fathers Day present apparently.

[Ol Blue K20]

I wish I was closer so you could hang new fenders on my trailer....lol

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I wish I was closer so you could hang new fenders on my trailer....lol

Man, that deal turned into a three day marathon. The left fender had been ripped off completely and the side rail of the trailer (made out of 1/4" wall angle) was buckled right where the front of the fender attaches. To add to the misery, the new fenders were about 4" longer than the remaining original. They only bought one inner panel, so I had to salvage the old one and scab material onto it to get it to fit. Way more work than I anticipated. Long story, but it broke me of sucking eggs as Mom used to say. So maybe it's a good thing you don't live close, Dale.

HRE has the body on the chassis. I talked to them today and the firewall is very close to the coil cover on the passenger side. I'm headed there in the morning to discuss what needs to be done to get past the issue. But at least there's some progress.

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Man, that deal turned into a three day marathon. The left fender had been ripped off completely and the side rail of the trailer (made out of 1/4" wall angle) was buckled right where the front of the fender attaches. To add to the misery, the new fenders were about 4" longer than the remaining original. They only bought one inner panel, so I had to salvage the old one and scab material onto it to get it to fit. Way more work than I anticipated. Long story, but it broke me of sucking eggs as Mom used to say. So maybe it's a good thing you don't live close, Dale.

HRE has the body on the chassis. I talked to them today and the firewall is very close to the coil cover on the passenger side. I'm headed there in the morning to discuss what needs to be done to get past the issue. But at least there's some progress.

Ok.....I'll hang my own fenders....lol. Looks like they jumped right on it.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Ok.....I'll hang my own fenders....lol. Looks like they jumped right on it.

I wish that were really the case, Dale. I took my other body cart to them the other day to use on the wagon and had a look at the firewall situation. It looks to me like if they pull the body back off, there's enough filler in the area where the coil cover is encroaching on the firewall that they can re-contour that edge and achieve the necessary clearance. We'll see how it goes. From what I can see on their FB page, they're still working hot and heavy on other projects. It may sit for a while yet before they get serious with it.

Meanwhile, here at the house, I've been working on the console again. I trimmed most of the "flying buttresses" off the upper side panels with the bandsaw. I then got the final shape using the belt sander and an 80 grit sanding block. I first tried to make a little cap for the opening, but it looked like crap, so I taped off the opening, flipped the piece over and squirted in a layer of 3M self leveling seam sealer. Once it set up, I applied a thin coat of bondo to the top side. After working it smooth, I primed the area and knocked down the high spots with 320 grit paper.

I had some 3M vinyl scraps left over from the FITech intake project, so I patched together a couple of pieces and trimmed around the edges. I had a couple of small wrinkles but overall, I like the look. I've got some more material on the way so I can do both sides without having to seam them like I did for the mock up. I considered doing a "carbon fiber" vinyl, but decided I liked the "matrix" effect better ...plus carbon fiber has been around for a long time so this has a fresher look.

[Vic1947]

Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July. We're gonna kick back in the patio chairs and watch the fireworks all this weekend at Worlds of Fun (2 miles as the crow flies) as well as around the neighborhood. Being the cheap buzzard that I am, it tickles me to watch all those hundred dollar bills going up in smoke.

Nothing happening at Hot Rod Express. They've taken in several cars since transporting mine down there and the wagon is just collecting dust. I'm going to give them a call this coming week and suggest that I bring it back home until they're truly ready to work on it. I have a ton of stuff I can be doing if it was here in my shop. I need to get the console finalized, fit up the stereo speakers and install the SPW power windows, etc.

My BIL, Rick, was here from Seattle this week and we bench tested the Alpine X009U head unit and speakers. The head unit came out of a show car and was never really made operable from what we could tell. It looks brand new (at about 40% of the retail price) and all the functions worked perfectly. Should make for a nice system going down the road. Has built in NAV, BT, HD radio, SiriusXM, DVD player, multiple camera inputs and outputs, preamp out and all the modern bells and whistles. Probably never use most of that stuff, but what the heck.

Had a good paint day, so I squirted the steering column and some assorted brake hardware. Turned out nice so now all I have to do is not drop kick it before it gets installed.

I rejuvenated the trim panels for the front seats and installed them along with the three point seat belts. Had to machine some guides for the outboard belts as those are never included with the seats when you get them from the salvage yard. The pieces come with the belt assemblies and unless you buy OEM parts, you gotta make your own. I did some for my last build so I already knew the drill. Also finished applying the 3M vinyl to the upper panels for the console. All that remains to be done is fitting it in the car and trimming the forward edges to match the box I'm building that will house the stereo, front speakers and A/C controls.

[sduckworth13]

Have a good 4th Vic! Give Russ a call, he’d be more than happy to tow it back for you. Try and talk him out of the GTO while your at it, I’d love to see that car done by you.

[Ol Blue K20]

Have a great 4th in your lawn chair. I have the same plan.....

[swamp rat]

I know what you mean, i haven't spent a penny on fireworks since i was in my 20’s, besides the rest of the neighborhood spends money on them for me 😏

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Have a good 4th Vic! Give Russ a call, he’d be more than happy to tow it back for you. Try and talk him out of the GTO while your at it, I’d love to see that car done by you.

Thanks, Scott. If I drag home another project, I may have to move in with you and Katina.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Have a great 4th in your lawn chair. I have the same plan.....

Thanks, Dale. We watched from the deck until the skeeters ran us back inside.

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I know what you mean, i haven't spent a penny on fireworks since i was in my 20’s, besides the rest of the neighborhood spends money on them for me 😏

Hey Mike, hope all is well with you. We enjoyed watching the show but knew the front yard would be full of cardboard detritus the next morning. However, much to my surprise, one of our neighbors was out early with a leaf blower cleaning the yards and driveways near his house. I was impressed by his display of responsibility. The news showed some area parks where people just walked away and left huge amounts of trash. But at least we didn't suffer the same fate.

So, a couple of developments... First, as I was getting ready to call HRE about the (lack of) progress on the wagon, their FB page had an update. They'd lifted the body back off the chassis, moved the notch in the firewall over 2" and welded in a patch. Looked great, but I was worried whether I still had room to hang the a/c evaporator. So I made a quick trip down there with my parts to take some measurements. Much to my relief, it looked like I still have plenty of clearance (1/2" - 1") for the bracket. There's now plenty of room for the passenger side coil cover and even better access for the trans dipstick. The body is back down on the chassis and they're shimming all the body mounts before tightening them. Once that's done, they'll hang the front clip and turn it over to the body man. There were at least four cars gone from the shop, so for the time being at least, they have some working space. Don't know how long that will last, but I'm hopeful they'll continue to forge ahead on mine.

The other thing that happened is, that after four months, I finally received the grille bar from the outfit that does the spray chrome. To be honest, I was underwhelmed. I know that once it gets on the car, the part that people see when they walk by will look okay from 5 or 10 feet. However, up close, it's not what I was hoping for. The upper surface above the horizontal body line had a lot of orange peel and dust nibs. There was also some light scuffs that probably came from shipping. But the real horror show was below the body line. Much of that surface has a distinct "frosted" appearance. That area doesn't really show unless you squat down and look at it head on, right in front of the car, but it's still pretty rude looking. I called him today after emailing a photo of the problem. He told me right away it was caused by high humidity and the various remedies each have drawbacks. He offered to have me send it back and he would redo it, but that it would be best to wait until the fall when the humidity was much lower.

So now I have to decide what to do. I'll probably install it when the time comes and see how it looks and go from there. I was able to polish out the scuff marks so it looks a little better. When I showed it to Kathy, she said, "You have that sign in your shop that says Good, Fast, Cheap - Pick Two, but you didn't even get one for this deal."

[sduckworth13]

[QUOTE=Vic1947;8770383]Thanks, Scott. If I drag home another project, I may have to move in with you and Katina.

Haha! That’d be fine with us 😀

[Vic1947]

Needed to make a trip down to HRE to take some measurements for the console stereo box and was pleasantly surprised to see the wagon in one of the bays with a tech hard at work on it. The front clip is coming together nicely with only a couple of minor issues. They had done some body work on the firewall and primed the area modified for the coil cover clearance - which all looked good. They'd also done some re-work over the driver side rear wheel opening that I'd requested. I knew there was something wrong with it, so they're fixing my less than satisfactory work.

While I was there, I mocked up the three sided box the stereo components and a/c controls fit into. Then took it home and tack welded the sides on. Will go back down tomorrow (or next week sometime) and tweak it if needed.

[mongocanfly]

Good news on the car....but that sucks about the the chrome spray...

[Ol Blue K20]

Wow, I thought the chrome spray was supposed to be great stuff.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Good news on the car....but that sucks about the the chrome spray...

Amen to both, Greg. We'll see if I can fine tune the grille bar.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Wow, I thought the chrome spray was supposed to be great stuff.

I think under the right circumstances it can be, Dale, but it would appear poor choices and bad timing led to a substandard result. I'll know better if I ever go that route again.

The wood deck outside our kitchen has deteriorated to the point it needs some TLC. Kathy's sister recommended a handyman and we got a bid to repair it but it was more than I wanted to spend. I have this problem where I compare the cost of almost everything to car parts. I can't help thinking that if I do something (plumbing, electrical, carpentry, painting, etc.) myself I can buy this that or the next thing for my current project with the money I save. So, I went to the lumber yard and bought the materials I need and worked on it until about 11 this morning when it started to get really hot. At this rate it will take several days, but that's okay.

This afternoon, I did a bit more on the box that will sit in front of the console. It houses the stereo head unit and a pair of speakers as well as the a/c controls. I need to take the front and sides to HRE and test fit them to determine the angle the sides need for welding. When the box is done, I'll have the upholstery guy cover it with the same material as the console lid.

[mongocanfly]

Looking good Vic...great that they're getting with it...

[Ol Blue K20]

The box is looking great. I'm glad they're working on it. Hopefully it paint prison sentence is a short one.