Body Shop - Prep and
Work
The prep work for the body shop was done
in the garage of my home. So, I didn't have access to a lot
of mechanics' tools. As with most shadetree mechanics though, necessity
becomes the mother of invention... |
Note the door has been removed
and there is some cancer just forward of the rear wheel. You can
also see some of the original surf green paint just forward of the door where
the front fender usually covers. |
After deciding to do a frame-off
restoration, I had to figure out a way to support the
body. I decided to use some lumber. This picture
shows the 4"x4"s sticking out from under the drivers side
door. As this was a one man job, I had to carefully
& slowly lift the body about 4" at a time.
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This picture shows the front of the
vehicle being lifted up off the frame. Note the beams under the body.
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| The picture on the left shows
the ladder frame structure I made to support the body. It may look
crude but it was quite solid and didn't buckle under the weight of the
body. You can see the frame being pulled out from under the body. The picture
on the right shows the frame completely free of the body...for the first
time in 40 years....and rolling out into the driveway! |
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I took the Chevy to Drezek Environmental
Stripping Service (DESS) in San Juan Capistrano for stripping and bodywork.
DESS is a well known SoCal Hot Rod shop. Baking soda was used to strip
the old sheet metal. The picture on the left shows the car after stripping
and initial primer. The door is still attached. |
The bodywork begins. Note the patch
panel in place on the left quarter panel. |
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Work progresses on the passenger side
and floorboards... |
Passenger side quarter panel takes
shape... |
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The following two pictures show all the
work that went into the trunk area. I've always wanted to tuck fat meats
under the stock fender panels. I had DESS extend the inner fenders
about 4". This will provide enough room for fat tires mounted onto
a narrowed rear end. You can see how much cutting and welding is involved
in this process. The bottom picture shows that the passenger side is
further along. |
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