Body / Paint Prep - Continued.
The fenders and miscellaneous exterior trim parts are in the paint shop. Once they are finished I will pick them up at the same time I drop off the body for paint. While these parts are being painted I will continue to work on the body prep. For the most part the exterior of the main body is in ready condition but I do need to fix a few things.
The first and most pressing issue was the driver's side front hinge on the motor bonnet. This was badly rusted and the front part of the hinge was rusted through and not providing any support. This in turn was putting a lot of stress on the remaining hinge which wasn't in the best possible condition but still very functional.
I attacked this issue by forming an end tab from some scrap sheet metal. I first cut a flat piece to the size of the hinge width and formed the piece using different size round steel punches to form the piece into a hinge tab. I finally pressed the finished piece around a screwdriver about the same size as the hinge pin. See photos below.
I cut the tab to an appropriate size which will accommodate welding the piece to the hood. The main thing was to ensure enough of the tab's edges were above the thicker metal areas. Before I could weld the piece I used a Dremel tool to remove what was left of the old hinge. I cleaned up the hinge pin and tested the tab before welding. See below.
I think my Dad would be proud of this work. He worked with sheet metal most of his life making soda fountain equipment for all those malt shops and dinners. I guess it can't help but rub off. Thanks pop !!
I scrapped, sanded, and wire brushed the inside of the hood to get it as clean and free from debris as possible. At some point you have to stop working on some areas. I then cleaned it with acetone and primed any exposed metal.
With the inner side of the hood prepped I needed to grind off the welds and paint which were distorted by the welding process. The picture on the bottom left shows the original blue paint from the factory. It appears the blue body paint was also on the "Beads and Molding". According to info from Tod's website. The 29 four door came from the factory with Marquette Blue for both the body and the moldings with Extra Perm Vermillion pin stripping. The other configuration was Top Gallant Blue for the body, Marquette Blue for the moldings, and Swamp Holly Orange for the pin stripping.
I believe Gallant Blue was a lighter color than Marquette Blue. It would have to be in order to create the needed contrast between the blues of the moldings to the body.
I need to figure this out over the next couple of days and decide exactly how the painter will proceed. I am finding this very hard because the end result usually looks different then what was imagined while looking at paint chips. I like the idea of the Vermillion pin stripping against the darker blue color. Still haven't decided.
While I am waiting for the fenders to be finished I am addressing odds and ends on the body. I think it is difficult to decide when it's done because you can always find something more to do. When the fenders are done Ill have to make up my mind on the body color.
Almost finished with the paint part of the project ? Fingers crossed.