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05-27-2020, 06:03 PM | #1 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Still no word from HRE about the paint schedule. Today would have been okay weather-wise to transport everything to their shop, but just crickets. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy again, but then we're supposed to dry out for all next week. Fingers crossed we get the ball rolling.
Meanwhile, I've been tinkering around with console mods. Applied matte black vinyl wrap material over the unwanted lettering and made an insert to hold the new parking brake button in place of the OEM switch. I would have liked to retain the stock PB switch, but the pin arrangement is more complex than the one that came with the E-Stopp. Too many pin combinations to map the crossover without a wiring diagram. This will work fine. I do think I can make the hazard switch work in place of the column switch, though.
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05-28-2020, 07:43 AM | #2 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
That's too bad about HRE. The console is going to look good though.
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06-02-2020, 02:57 PM | #3 | |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
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Since I had the weekend to do other stuff, I decided to finish out the exhaust. I setup some cans as a dummy marker for the corner of the gas tank and then routed the exhaust around them. I just have to add some hangers, but will be able to do that when I get everything back.
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06-02-2020, 03:42 PM | #4 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Great news Vic..!!
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06-02-2020, 05:10 PM | #5 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Good news Vic, I hope it goes smoothly. The exhaust looks good.
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06-03-2020, 02:52 PM | #6 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Wow!!! I need to get on here more often. I see you've worked through a lot, overcome several obstacles, and have some color on a few pieces now. That's good news about the paint process. Have other things to do while the frame and body are gone?
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06-05-2020, 05:44 PM | #7 | ||
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
I hope it is, Greg. I have a feeling they have a lot on their plate and are still catching up.
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But truthfully, I'm likely going to run out of things to do before I get the car back. From what I've seen, they skip around from one project to another. And if they're like most places, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. They were closed for almost two months and that had to have shredded their schedule. I can only imagine the pressure they're under from customers whose cars have sat that entire time. They posted a picture on their FB page of a Road Runner they had at World of Wheels back in February. They're just now putting on the vinyl roof and it was at that stage back then. So I'm under no illusion that my stuff will be in and out. I'm guessing it will be shuffled around like all the rest as resources permit. .
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06-05-2020, 07:41 PM | #8 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
I just tipped a cocktail to the paint prison god "here's to a quick release". I know the paint prison god loves some Jack Daniels......
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06-15-2020, 06:41 PM | #9 | |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
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So here's what's been going on lately. HRE showed up about 2 weeks ago and hauled the chassis to their shop. About a week and a half later, they came back for the body. They also took all the front clip parts, so the first thing they plan to do is set the body on the chassis and assemble all the parts. Not sure when all that will happen as they still have a lot going on right now but at least it's in their hands. Feels weird with nothing in the shop. While I was waiting for them to pick up the body, I made a little progress on the console. The parts I'd ordered to complete the console didn't show up until the day after the body was gone, so I'm sorta hung out to dry on that project for the near term. If need be, I can do some test fitting at HRE's shop, but we'll see what else I can accomplish without shuttling back and forth. I scored a good deal on an Alpine stereo and speakers from a friend of a friend who's in the audio business. However, I did get roped into hanging new fenders on a trailer that belongs to a KC Chiefs player's dad. It's done, but I'm waiting on them to bring new tires for it. Fathers Day present apparently.
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06-15-2020, 09:33 PM | #10 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
I wish I was closer so you could hang new fenders on my trailer....lol
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06-16-2020, 04:34 PM | #11 | |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
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HRE has the body on the chassis. I talked to them today and the firewall is very close to the coil cover on the passenger side. I'm headed there in the morning to discuss what needs to be done to get past the issue. But at least there's some progress.
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06-16-2020, 05:46 PM | #12 | |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
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06-21-2020, 03:38 PM | #13 | |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
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Meanwhile, here at the house, I've been working on the console again. I trimmed most of the "flying buttresses" off the upper side panels with the bandsaw. I then got the final shape using the belt sander and an 80 grit sanding block. I first tried to make a little cap for the opening, but it looked like crap, so I taped off the opening, flipped the piece over and squirted in a layer of 3M self leveling seam sealer. Once it set up, I applied a thin coat of bondo to the top side. After working it smooth, I primed the area and knocked down the high spots with 320 grit paper. I had some 3M vinyl scraps left over from the FITech intake project, so I patched together a couple of pieces and trimmed around the edges. I had a couple of small wrinkles but overall, I like the look. I've got some more material on the way so I can do both sides without having to seam them like I did for the mock up. I considered doing a "carbon fiber" vinyl, but decided I liked the "matrix" effect better ...plus carbon fiber has been around for a long time so this has a fresher look.
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07-03-2020, 04:18 PM | #14 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July. We're gonna kick back in the patio chairs and watch the fireworks all this weekend at Worlds of Fun (2 miles as the crow flies) as well as around the neighborhood. Being the cheap buzzard that I am, it tickles me to watch all those hundred dollar bills going up in smoke.
Nothing happening at Hot Rod Express. They've taken in several cars since transporting mine down there and the wagon is just collecting dust. I'm going to give them a call this coming week and suggest that I bring it back home until they're truly ready to work on it. I have a ton of stuff I can be doing if it was here in my shop. I need to get the console finalized, fit up the stereo speakers and install the SPW power windows, etc. My BIL, Rick, was here from Seattle this week and we bench tested the Alpine X009U head unit and speakers. The head unit came out of a show car and was never really made operable from what we could tell. It looks brand new (at about 40% of the retail price) and all the functions worked perfectly. Should make for a nice system going down the road. Has built in NAV, BT, HD radio, SiriusXM, DVD player, multiple camera inputs and outputs, preamp out and all the modern bells and whistles. Probably never use most of that stuff, but what the heck. Had a good paint day, so I squirted the steering column and some assorted brake hardware. Turned out nice so now all I have to do is not drop kick it before it gets installed. I rejuvenated the trim panels for the front seats and installed them along with the three point seat belts. Had to machine some guides for the outboard belts as those are never included with the seats when you get them from the salvage yard. The pieces come with the belt assemblies and unless you buy OEM parts, you gotta make your own. I did some for my last build so I already knew the drill. Also finished applying the 3M vinyl to the upper panels for the console. All that remains to be done is fitting it in the car and trimming the forward edges to match the box I'm building that will house the stereo, front speakers and A/C controls.
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07-03-2020, 11:47 PM | #15 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Have a good 4th Vic! Give Russ a call, he’d be more than happy to tow it back for you. Try and talk him out of the GTO while your at it, I’d love to see that car done by you.
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07-04-2020, 11:43 AM | #16 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Have a great 4th in your lawn chair. I have the same plan.....
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07-05-2020, 07:35 PM | #17 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
I know what you mean, i haven't spent a penny on fireworks since i was in my 20’s, besides the rest of the neighborhood spends money on them for me 😏
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07-07-2020, 04:53 PM | #18 | |||
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
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So, a couple of developments... First, as I was getting ready to call HRE about the (lack of) progress on the wagon, their FB page had an update. They'd lifted the body back off the chassis, moved the notch in the firewall over 2" and welded in a patch. Looked great, but I was worried whether I still had room to hang the a/c evaporator. So I made a quick trip down there with my parts to take some measurements. Much to my relief, it looked like I still have plenty of clearance (1/2" - 1") for the bracket. There's now plenty of room for the passenger side coil cover and even better access for the trans dipstick. The body is back down on the chassis and they're shimming all the body mounts before tightening them. Once that's done, they'll hang the front clip and turn it over to the body man. There were at least four cars gone from the shop, so for the time being at least, they have some working space. Don't know how long that will last, but I'm hopeful they'll continue to forge ahead on mine. The other thing that happened is, that after four months, I finally received the grille bar from the outfit that does the spray chrome. To be honest, I was underwhelmed. I know that once it gets on the car, the part that people see when they walk by will look okay from 5 or 10 feet. However, up close, it's not what I was hoping for. The upper surface above the horizontal body line had a lot of orange peel and dust nibs. There was also some light scuffs that probably came from shipping. But the real horror show was below the body line. Much of that surface has a distinct "frosted" appearance. That area doesn't really show unless you squat down and look at it head on, right in front of the car, but it's still pretty rude looking. I called him today after emailing a photo of the problem. He told me right away it was caused by high humidity and the various remedies each have drawbacks. He offered to have me send it back and he would redo it, but that it would be best to wait until the fall when the humidity was much lower. So now I have to decide what to do. I'll probably install it when the time comes and see how it looks and go from there. I was able to polish out the scuff marks so it looks a little better. When I showed it to Kathy, she said, "You have that sign in your shop that says Good, Fast, Cheap - Pick Two, but you didn't even get one for this deal."
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07-11-2020, 12:43 PM | #19 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
[QUOTE=Vic1947;8770383]Thanks, Scott. If I drag home another project, I may have to move in with you and Katina.
Haha! That’d be fine with us 😀
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07-16-2020, 04:37 PM | #20 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Needed to make a trip down to HRE to take some measurements for the console stereo box and was pleasantly surprised to see the wagon in one of the bays with a tech hard at work on it. The front clip is coming together nicely with only a couple of minor issues. They had done some body work on the firewall and primed the area modified for the coil cover clearance - which all looked good. They'd also done some re-work over the driver side rear wheel opening that I'd requested. I knew there was something wrong with it, so they're fixing my less than satisfactory work.
While I was there, I mocked up the three sided box the stereo components and a/c controls fit into. Then took it home and tack welded the sides on. Will go back down tomorrow (or next week sometime) and tweak it if needed.
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07-07-2020, 06:32 PM | #21 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Good news on the car....but that sucks about the the chrome spray...
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07-08-2020, 07:35 AM | #22 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Wow, I thought the chrome spray was supposed to be great stuff.
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07-10-2020, 05:36 PM | #23 | ||
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
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The wood deck outside our kitchen has deteriorated to the point it needs some TLC. Kathy's sister recommended a handyman and we got a bid to repair it but it was more than I wanted to spend. I have this problem where I compare the cost of almost everything to car parts. I can't help thinking that if I do something (plumbing, electrical, carpentry, painting, etc.) myself I can buy this that or the next thing for my current project with the money I save. So, I went to the lumber yard and bought the materials I need and worked on it until about 11 this morning when it started to get really hot. At this rate it will take several days, but that's okay. This afternoon, I did a bit more on the box that will sit in front of the console. It houses the stereo head unit and a pair of speakers as well as the a/c controls. I need to take the front and sides to HRE and test fit them to determine the angle the sides need for welding. When the box is done, I'll have the upholstery guy cover it with the same material as the console lid.
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07-16-2020, 05:16 PM | #24 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
Looking good Vic...great that they're getting with it...
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07-17-2020, 05:39 PM | #25 |
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Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
The box is looking great. I'm glad they're working on it. Hopefully it paint prison sentence is a short one.
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