RosharonRooster
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Good to know. Thanks. One good thing that we learned is. From the door jams back, it looks like original paint. Paint, primer then bare metal. So taking it all the way down when the time comes should go pretty quick.
1960 IMPALA CONVERTIBLE BIG PROJECT
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RosharonRooster
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Another update. Big big day yesterday for the 60. We had 6 pairs of hands on deck. 4 guys and 2 teenagers. I had set the goal to get 1 patch fitted and welded in. But we end up getting that patch in and welded along with the other 2 patches fitted and tacked in. End up not using the entire patch panels. Just cutting out the bad and replacing them with good. It's starting to look like a car again. One piece at a time, like Johnny Cash
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I'm still stock piling parts for it I bought a front disc brake kit, cpp 500 gear box and the steering linkage kit for it. And I bought a custom made ford 9 inch, posi rear end narrowed to run the skirts, and a rear wishbone setup which will eliminate the factory pan hard and banana bar setup. I also had the hardtop frame sand blasted in preparation for the mold job that is in store for it. Plugging away. I'm done spending big money on it for a while. Got hundreds of hours of work ahead know the frame and body work on the car. Slow process. Got the "new" frame on another rotisserie that I had parked behind the shop for a few years.
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I would like to speak on the quality of the spi epoxy. This stuff is world class. I prepped the patch panels months ago. 80 grit and water borne, then 2 full strength coats ...and not even the welding of the panel caused it to bubble or lift or anything. It took some effort to remove it from the panels to get to clean metal to weld. Good stuff.
RosharonRooster
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Mentioned this to my buddy's. On the passenger side we cut it out rounded around the door jam this time
1A Rock
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Way back in the early 60's one of my uncles had a white 60 convertable, red leather,348 three dueces, fender skirts, and a continental kit. I would just stand and stare at it, the most amazing car of my early years. on a hot summer Sunday afternoon sitting in the back yard with the top down, the back of the front seat caught on fire, possibly from the sun reflecting off the speaker? in the rear seat. All the adults formed a bucket brigade from the hand pumped cistern trying in vain to put it out. They failed and everyone gave up and just stood there and watched it burn to the ground. I must have been about 4 years old and can remember it like it was just last weekend. I can't wait to see how this one turns out. I saw my uncle a few weeks ago, he is 92, and talked to him for a while. The subject of the white car came up and he still gets quiet remembering it.
RosharonRooster
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I love stories like this. Not the part of it burning to the ground though. I love 58-64 impalas. Coupe and convertible. That's my niche. I've had 2 60 convertible, a 61 bubble top, a 62 ht and a 62 cv. A 63 ht, and 5 64s, 2 were convertible. The 60 is special to me, I named it the rematch. Because around 2010ish I had a 60 convertible, but my family outgrew the house we were in. So I sold it to a guy in st Louis, for about 40 thousand. Which was a buttload of money for me at the time. It still is a buttload of money. But it was the most money I'd ever had. And I put it down on the current house. It helped fund my shop, tools etc. And since we moved I've learned to do almost everything myself because I live so far from the city and I don't like waiting on people to do work for me. I really missed the old 60 , kids are grown, one out the house. So I told me wife I want to get another 60 and do it exactly the way I wish I could have done the old one. She's totally on board so that helps. So I call it the rematch because every time I'm working on it, it kicks my butt, but it always has to fight me the next day!. Here is a picture of the old 60 convertible I had. Back when I had that car, I didn't know the first thing about the paint process.
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Still plugging away. We got all the patch panels in. I sent off the side rails to ciadella to get started in the interior kit. They are 6 to 8 month backlogged, so that's great since u only pay half up front. Might as well get ball rolling on that. ...this quarter fin job was something else. Holy crap this thing has so many contours. This piece did not just fall in place like I planned. It gave me anxiety. I would have thrown in the towel but my buddy's kept pushing. I cut the fin off and the whole corner of the car just turned into a wet noodle. Took alot of fitting and trimming to get things lined up. The biggest issue was the top molding area. It looked like a broken arrow. But we got it pretty good. It's going to need its money's worth on body work but that corner fin was pretty trashed. Lots of big dents in the concave area under neath. Lots of oil canning up top and a cb antenna hole cut out. A metal expert could probably have fixed it but the replacement fin cost me 125 off a parts car. Here are some pictures. I got a guy that already wants to pay me for the car but it's not for sale.
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Still plugging away. Yesterday we worked on the "trunk drop down" or trunk floor drop off. The section that connects the floor to the quarter panel. Again, me, we are no metal shaping magicians. These panels are discontinued and no longer reproduced. Why, I have no idea. If the rear quarter is shot, these prices will be shot as well. I was worried about this section when I got the car knowing the pieces aren't made. I ordered the sections for a 64 thinking it would get me in the general vicinity of where I needed to be. Here's some before and after. Next up flip it over and do the other side the same way. Once this is all done I will have a mobile sand blaster come out to blast the floors inside and out. Then epoxy, seam seal. Some filler if needed then tintable raptor line which is cover up most, if not all imperfections. Stay tuned!
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Haven't updated in a while , just been plugging away every weekend. The sheet metal work is "done". By done I mean all the panels are welded in but no bodywork has started. So far, with the floors, quarters and everything involved in that, im at about 360 man hours. Wheni. Have 2 friends helping I include their time in my spreadsheet. I decided to park the car in the corner for now and begin the chassis build. My goal is to have the complete rolling chassis put together , and set the body on it and do everything that needs done. Then take the whole thing apart and make it pretty. Really long process but im having alot of fun doing it. We started on the frame wrap yesterday. For those who may not know, I'm taking steel and welding it on all 4 sides to reinforce and mold it smooth. Another extensive process. The reinforcement is for it being a convertible and it will have hydraulic suspension. Undecided on powdercoat or paint on the frame. Cross thay bridge when I get there. Here's some pictures.
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The interior kit came in ,7 months early. Super great on their part. The only problem was I had to come up with the money 7 months early lol. I also scored some factory ac vents off a 4 door, and I bought some dual, rechromed spotlights. I also want to run rocker moldings and power windows. Just stacking up parts so I have them. Once the car is painted, assembly should go fast as I have most if not all of the stainless for it, already polished out. The ac vents are 59/60 only. A pretty penny for them, I took some #0000 steel wool to them and they cleaned up great, I see no reason to rechrome them. The spot lights are "nuvue" they are vintage 50's -60's spotlight mirrors, just an accessory is all. I plan to run vintage air but I didn't want plastic vents under the dash. Stay tuned for more updates!
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Still plugging away. I put some time in on the cruiser skirts this past week. These were "nos" 12x60 foxcraft cruiser skirts. Popular on 59 and 60 impalas and elco's. Very similar to the mercury turnpike 1957 cruiser skirts. I got them from my buddy in Louisville, he is actually the one who turned me onto spi products a couple years ago. Although they were "new", they still needed work. Some minor pitting, and some dingers from years of storage. Also some waves in the factory stamping process. I used lacquer thinner and a red pad to soften up the lacquer primer. Then 80 grit on the da. I used some ospho in some spots and some 36 grit. Then it was 3 or 4 coats of epoxy. A little filler and blocking with 180, and then 3 more coats epoxy. I was hoping the epoxy would build enuff to eliminate any waves but there's still a little there. So, 2k it is.
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Still plugging away on this build. I dont update much on here, but I work on it every weekend. We got all the frame plates tacked in place, that was a milestone. Started welding it all up yesterday. I think the whole thing will be welded within 3 weeks then start molding it out. Still undecided on powdercoat or body work and paint the frame to match the car....
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I also got these cruiser skirts ready for color. I put 4 coats of 2k high build and blocked them down then got them in another reduced coat of epoxy to cut down on material build up. They will just need a 600 wet and seal and ready for color. Probably in about a years time
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Big steps this weekend. Yesterday, me and the boy put in 7-8 hours with the grinders. 30 discs later we got the top half molded in. It's kind of roughed in. There's some voids I need to go back and weld. Amateur hour with the millermatic but hey, I did it myself. We plan to finish the bottom half today. Its extremely hot down here, and there's no shade. I should have bought a canopy. We will get it done. Once this process is done its on to making it a rolling chassis, sett the drive train on it, test fit the body, have to notch the transmission tunnel , take the chassis apart and make it pretty.
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Me and the boy put in a solid 4 hours in the 95 degree texas heat with no shade, and got the bottom half grinder. Needs a touch up here and there, to make it right. It will be right when I'm done, I'm determined. This job has taken 15 grinding rocks (I call them rocks, they are very abrasive), and about 35 80 grit flaps so far..
