'57 Ford Custom 300 Tudor Sedan

[Vic1947]

Jay called this morning to see if I was still sucking air. Said he figured I was more bowed up than a Halloween cat. True that.

I've just about got the body work whipped. John called from Precision to let me know the trucking company had delivered my windshield, so when I went to pick it up, I quizzed him about his schedule. Naturally, the shop was as full as I've ever seen it, but he said he thought they could start on it Monday. We agreed that I'd drop off the front clip to start with and the rest of the body in a few days.

They'll need to squirt a couple of coats of 2K primer on the parts and do the final blocking with 500 grit. Between now and then, I have to apply Slick Sand to the fenders and the areas on the trunk lid that I had to revisit (my original lines weren't up to snuff). I'll block everything before delivering to Precision and that way I'll know if there's anything I missed.

It's been a real treat getting all the original lines straight. Back in the day, people didn't think anything of jumping up and sitting on a fender or the hood. The cars were sturdy... but not that sturdy. The cumulative abuse from over a half century just kept on popping out. But it's pretty much in the rearview. Except for the shop cleanup. You may notice I've covered some of my stuff in a futile attempt to keep the dust at bay.

Got lots of stuff to do while the car is out for paint. I'll be painting the interior sheet metal and I have to replace all the side glass. I'm dreading that as I used urethane to install some of it and that crap doesn't even want to turn loose. Research says heat is about the only effective way to deal with it. I know from recent experience that a hot knife doesn't begin to cut it so I guess I'll break out the MAPP gas.

After getting the car back from the upholstery shop, I finished installing the trans cooler and made the piece to hide the back of the rear seat. Steve was here yesterday and he took it back to Sedalia so our buddy, Keith, could roll a 1/8" step into it. Then it goes to Jonathon at Sure Coat for powder.

I also had to remake yet another brake line. Thought I had the leak fixed, but noooo... there was a droplet on the floor after a few days and sure enough it was coming from a different connection. I'd already tightened it more than it should have been, so the only recourse was a new line. I haven't seen a fresh leak yet, but it's a sneaky bast@#d. Time will tell.