57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'

[Advanced Design]

Nice work!

[Vic1947]

Thanks, guys! Gotta say I was sweating bullets right up to the big test.

The liftgate came back from the chemical dipper today. Good thing I built the box out of 1/4" oak wood. The gorillas at UPS had a good time kicking it around. However, the contents arrived safely and the part was nicely de-rusted. While I was waiting on the brown truck, I cleaned the latch parts I'll be needing to transfer to the opposite side when the time comes.

I plan to first weld/patch the parts of the liftgate that will show when it's open. The hidden panels and the non load bearing areas will probably get kitty hair or metal mender. The compound curves on some of the rotted places require tools I don't possess in my little basement shop. Thus I'll take the easy way out.

Used a thin cutoff wheel to remove a section on the passenger side of the liftgate, then made a pattern out of poster board and transferred it to sheetmetal. I have it all fit up and ready to tack in place. Will Tig it with silicon bronze rod so I can use very low heat. There are still a lot of places thinned out by the rust that tend to grow holes when the arc gets close to them. Hopefully, patience and copper backup will get it done.

[swamp rat]

Don't ya just love UPS..... Not! Another ++ on the work!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Don't ya just love UPS..... Not! Another ++ on the work!

Ain't it the truth, Mike. The thing that kills me is how the inconsequential stuff arrives in pristine condition, but somehow they sniff out the irreplaceable parts and work them over. I feel for the drivers that have to deliver the torn up packages. It's unlikely the damage is their fault, but they have to face the public. I've learned to use overkilll packing the parts that matter to give them a fighting chance.

The roads are bad here today. Freezing rain/drizzle coating everything. Kathy and I were going out for lunch, but that got canceled about 10' out of the garage. So I did some work on the liftgate. Been piecing the inner and outer panels on the passenger side. Outside is pretty much done, little more welding to do on the inside. Of course, with the roads bad today and probably all day tomorrow, I'm running low on argon. I've been trying to use the MIG as much as I can, but even dialed way down, it still makes a mess.

[Vic1947]

I'm out of argon until Thursday, so I've been tinkering around with other stuff. Made the cover for the bottom of the liftgate where it was all rotted out. Then moved on to the latch on the passenger side.

Cut out the section on the left rear door where the door handle attaches and moved it to the front of the right rear door. Then cut and trimmed the metal from the back of the left rear door where the latch mounts.

I'll need to do some serious patching, but this is the side you'll see when you open the door, so I want it to look nice.

[mongocanfly]

very nice.....doing some good fab work

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

very nice.....doing some good fab work

Thanks, Mongo. It's been a pleasant surprise to see how things have gone. I keep waiting for the crap to hit the rotating air mover.

Good buddy Vern came by today and we went down to the welding supply and loaded up on argon. So I had no excuse for not working this afternoon. I grafted the latch mount to some 18 gauge sheetmetal. I still had a gap too big to bridge on one side so I had to scab a thin piece of material onto it, but it's good to go now. Once I get it welded into place, I'll continue covering the bottom hinge recess which will give me a nice smooth jamb when the door opens.

[cornerstone]

I hate to be Mr. Redundant again, but o-well, here goes.... your work is inspiring Vic! It’s quarter to 2 in the morning and I want to slip out to the garage and weld something! Don’t worry, I’m sure it will pass once I get out of bed.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

I hate to be Mr. Redundant again, but o-well, here goes.... your work is inspiring Vic! It’s quarter to 2 in the morning and I want to slip out to the garage and weld something! Don’t worry, I’m sure it will pass once I get out of bed.

Thanks, Brian. At my age, the only thing I do at 2am is stagger to the bathroom.

As expected, things were going entirely too well. I was nearly ready to tack some panels in when it occurred to me that I hadn't checked how the window channels fit after all the changes. With the everything positioned, I used a straightedge to approximate the location of the front channel and it looked like there would be problems. So I dug the vertical rigid channels out of the spare parts box and installed them in the stock locations, Sure enough, the latch was up against the front channel.

The latch needs to move out about 1/8" further than where it's currently mocked up. Of course, that small amount is just enough to keep it from closing into the upper hinge pocket as I'd planned. None of this is a deal breaker, just have to add some material and move some stuff around. The problem is more cosmetic than anything. Now, instead of a nice flat, smooth surface, the jamb will have a small hump to it. I can transition the step to camouflage it somewhat, but it will look a little less like an OEM fit.

[bevis1]

Back seat people don't need to open no stinkin' windows!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by bevis1

Back seat people don't need to open no stinkin' windows!

Ya know, it never occurred to me to just duct tape some cardboard into the opening. I see that around here every once in awhile. Or for a repair with sound effects... a tattered garbage bag flapping in the wind.

I went ahead and added 1/8" material around the perimeter of the latch mounting plate and now have the clearance I need to install the rigid channel without hosing up the window glass travel. It's tacked in place for now while I turn my attention to the striker plate. More on that later.

[Vic1947]

Had to put off working on the wagon this morning. Five inches of snow forced me to break out the snowblower for the first time this season. Here in KC they have an ordinance requiring you to at least clear the sidewalks. Up to now, my sweet wife, Kathy, has shoveled most of the snow. But she gladly gave that up today. Of course, despite having test fired the blower a couple of months ago, it balked at starting this time. Could tell it was flooded, so I pulled the plug and dried it out good with compressed air. It finally gave in and cranked. With the snow removal out of the way, I was free to get back on my project.

The pocket where the top hinge mounted is where the striker will now reside. To get an idea of the location, I attached the striker to the latch and closed the door as much as I could. Made some marks and used the cutoff wheel to remove the pocket. I got a little bit into the reinforcing rib on one side and the door divider on the other, but it's nothing I can't fix up. At least I'll know better when I do the other side. (Famous last words.) Next up will be grafting the striker mounting plate into the hinge pocket.

[swamp rat]

Omg, I’d be ready to give up already and unfortunately for you your in box would be full. lOL!

[rustytruck50]

Great fab skills, Vic!

[Lokin4AReason]

nice work ....

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Omg, I’d be ready to give up already and unfortunately for you your in box would be full. lOL!

I'm too far gone to give up, Mike. Gotta see it thru now.

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

Great fab skills, Vic!

Thanks, Doug!

Originally Posted by Lokin4AReason

nice work ....

Thanks very much!

Not exactly sure how I ended up back working on the suicide door... maybe the argon gas diverted me, but I've been making some progress with the latch and striker. After a couple of tries, I got the striker mounting plate tacked up pretty much where it needed to be. The striker plate is angled slightly in several directions. I used the front door striker as a reference and between the tape measure and the angle finder I managed to get it close enough to latch.

Nearly had heart failure the first time it actually latched, though. Couldn't get the door back open. Finally had to loosen the hinge bolts to get enough slack to get past where it was hanging up. I figured out it was "over latching" for lack of a better explanation. After the safety latch and the full latch, it would continue in about another half tooth and wedge itself tight. I hope adding rubber cushions in the correct locations will keep it from closing too far. Right now I'm just being careful.

Welded out the pocket where the striker fits as well as the panel on the door where the latch bolts. I'm not completely finished, but it's good enough to stop off and get back on the liftgate/tailgate.

Got word yesterday that the chassis is in production and will be finished next week. It was going to cost $1800 to crate and ship it to a terminal about 35 miles from the house so I told them I'd come and pick it up when it's done. Even with expenses and sales tax I'll save a bundle.

[swamp rat]

Sweet! I went Deja Vu moment when you said the door got stuck, I had that happen on my truck trying to align the door, just the same way, it went in too far, I ended up having to use a tire iron on the inside to lift the door a little and give the door a shoulder nudge, and I scratched some paint in the process, so just in case I went and bought a couple of the air wedge's that pump up with a little hand held bulb, they are thin enough to fit under the door, just in case because it was hell getting that door back open.

[mongocanfly]

that looks really good Vic.....

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I went Deja Vu moment when you said the door got stuck...

I remember that incident now that you mentioned it. And your relief when you finally got it open!

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

that looks really good Vic.....

Thanks, Greg!

I promised a video of the door operation when I got the latch hardware grafted in place and adjusted, so here it is...

Suicide door latch - YouTube

[mongocanfly]

That looks great Vic!!!...very impressive....nice video.....how far does the door open?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

That looks great vic!!!...very impressive....nice video.....how far does the door open?

According to the protractor, about 60 degrees. The manufacturer advertises them as 90 degree hinges, but I couldn't move them any further forward without creating big headaches. 60 degrees gives you plenty of room to get in and sit down, though.

[Advanced Design]

Nice work Vic. Good video too. Guessing the second door will go more quickly?

[rustytruck50]

Like it lots!!!

[Ol Blue K20]

Looks great Vic, very nice job.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Nice work Vic. Good video too. Guessing the second door will go more quickly?

I hope so! If nothing else, I have a better idea of where to make the cuts so it reduces the patchwork.

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

Like it lots!!!

Thanks, Doug.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Looks great Vic, very nice job.

Thanks, Dale.

It took me longer than I thought it would to revise the location for the door lock. I'd cut out the inner door panel where the bell crank originally sat. So I ended up tacking it back in along with some additional sheetmetal. This allowed me to move the bell crank down about 1.25" which lined it up better with the lock actuator on the latch. I sectioned and spliced the latch rod to get the length and orientation I needed. Works nicely there. I think rather than splice the threaded lock rod that the knob screws onto, I'll machine some extra long billet aluminum knobs. That will allow me to drill and tap the 6-40 thread it needs to mate to the rod. The ones you see for sale seem to have 10-24 threads... why I don't know since that's nowhere close.

I also trimmed and tacked the inner door handle mounting area back in. I overdid it when I cut it out, but it was simple to reattach the part I need. The assembly is backward for the latch operation. The handle arm moves forward, but the latch arm needs to move the other direction. I could swap the mechanism from the other side, but then to open the door, the passenger would have to push down on the handle to make it work which is opposite what you expect. So I'll machine a small pulley, attach it toward the rear of the arm and loop a wire cable around it going to the latch actuator. Should work.

The work on the liftgate is pretty much complete. I used a combination of welding, all metal filler and panel adhesive to repair it, so it's a bit of a Frankenstein. I reinstalled it and formed the 1/8 x 1/4 flat bar I'll use to weld the it to the tailgate. I'll confess I wasn't aware that the sedan deliveries came with a one piece tailgate. I did some research on them and it appears they're somewhat rare. There's a one piece tailgate, complete with hinges, that's very restorable on eBay but the seller has a starting bid of $1200 and only local pickup. So I'll be making my own version. When I get done, I'll have about $250 in it which is a lot easier on my wallet.