Now that we're hogging Jim's garage with Betty right smack-dab in the middle, we've figured we should work our little buns off as fast as we can to get the body work done so she can be primed and wheeled outside again. So, day 1 marks the "weld nails into holes" day, which is just as it sounds. Removing the trim pieces left big ol holes to fill, so Tim welded those shut and I ground them smooth. That was fun, but left my hands numb and ears foggy. I know, I know... ear plugs. -SB
The 16 penny nails were the perfect size to fit backwards into the trim holes, tacked into place, and then welded around. Sara then ground each one flat. Towards the bottom of the above picture, you can see part of the area were the old-school body repair was done. Once we blasted all the body filler away, it left the small holes that were drilled to pull the panel straight. The back quarter panel here is a disaster as well, slathered in body filler where there should have been metal. -TH
Everything was going really well... until one of the welds on the door panel caught the door on fire. Disaster was quickly adverted with me yelling "Uh, Tim.. we've got a fire!" and Jim bolting to the rescue with the fire extinguisher and water. Just keeping you on your toes, Jim! We're nothing if not entertaining! -SB
Turns out 58-year-old door insulation does not like hot hot heat.
We pretty much knocked day 1 out of the park, which gives me hope that the rest of this rebuild won't take too long. -SB
So at this point, we're not too much into the money. Around 200.00 for the sandblasting and gas to get the car there. Next up, fabbing up some rocker panel replacements, lower front quarter panels, and replacing the huge gaping hole in the trunk. -TH
