The shuddering s-box- 1980 Mazda 626

[Jonboy]

Done yet?

[Low Elco]

Welds finished, epo'd, skimmed, and in SS, as of last night. Trunk and pass side. Hoping to 150 block this weekend. Had a bit of craze, that'll be fun. Been too lazy to post pics! Bad Elco!
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[Jonboy]

You are a madman. Since you like to play with old stuff so much, why not fly down for a weekend? Just bring work clothes, I bet we can find something to do. Just trying to help you get your creativity out and all.

[Low Elco]

Ha, didn't mention the fence and gate and the pool heater I installed. Took the kids riding Sunday.

The quarter has 6 layers, and the middle 2 crazed BAD under the SS. Got the joy of grinding all that shat out and blocking the rest tonight, reshot with 2k to seal it up. First time I've shot 2k, kinda liked it! Seems to have worked, trunk came out pretty good, it was a lot lumpier than it looked. Hope I'm done with this side this week,garage party this weekend.

You gotta be careful flyin me down. The bar bill will make ya flinch. Have you taken the sawzall to the brown express yet?
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[jlsanborn]

I wanna go riding. Maybe this weekend to scout out some firewood (sigh) but at least I'll be able to re-license the Crummy and throw a clutch in! Pretty cool project you've got going and props on the metal work you've done. Sure you're not gonna paint it?

[Low Elco]

Thanks for the props! Too much mess and expense for me to paint it here. Should look good, I hope.
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[Jonboy]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Ha, didn't mention the fence and gate and the pool heater I installed. Took the kids riding Sunday.

The quarter has 6 layers, and the middle 2 crazed BAD under the SS. Got the joy of grinding all that shat out and blocking the rest tonight, reshot with 2k to seal it up. First time I've shot 2k, kinda liked it! Seems to have worked, trunk came out pretty good, it was a lot lumpier than it looked. Hope I'm done with this side this week,garage party this weekend.

You gotta be careful flyin me down. The bar bill will make ya flinch. Have you taken the sawzall to the brown express yet?
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We have been shooting Sherwin Williams' (I know, right) Ultra line here for the last few years. They have a wicked epoxy primer that is direct to metal and dries shiny, so it has it's own guide coat also. It also dries in 15 minutes with no heat. It is expensive as all hell, but is really cool. When they were demoing it, it really makes you do a double take as far as thinking it is still wet.

The offer is always open if you want to bring the fam down for a weekend away. Truck progress is kinda slow; Mama likes me bing home with the baby and all. I did make it up to OKC Sunday and picked up a truckload of parts from a buddy up there. Looks like my suspension and bed is handled, and then some. Gotta strip the new frame I drug home, and then it will be a good time to make sparks fly and swap suspension at the same time.

[Low Elco]

That primer sounds cool, the Nason's is great, but its about the thickness of basecoat. Two coats is about enough to 150 scratch and shoot the real stuff. That's why I miss being in the shops. All kinda cool stuff I'm missing, like the dry guide coat. Love that stuff.

I appreciate the offer. I'd get nothin' done with a baby around-I'm a huge sucker for babies, I love 'em. The Kid used to get his diapers changed in the back of my El Camino in the lot at Hooters at cruise night. He could have an entire shift of Hooters girls eating out of his hand. Boy got skillz!

Glad to see you got your parts! Is your workplace down with the freaky trucks, or all straight and just work stuff? That was the nice thing about Uncle Matt's work, there's someone there working on something every weekend. Have you got a shop on the house? That's the bad part about coming from the country into town, no barn or machine shed, big side garage, nothin. It kinda freaks you at first, then it's just a bummer.

[Jonboy]

Pretty much just work stuff. The Man hates toys, and mine usually stand out. Every so often he will turn a blind eye; my painter had a Camaro here so long it is on Google Maps. My toys will produce a chewing after a couple weeks, though. It's easier to sneak them in one piece at a time, like Johnny Cash.

[Low Elco]

Well, I've been working on the car a bit. Tonight I got the back of the car wire brushed, metal roughed out and epo'd, and final prime on the trunk, side, door and rocker. Neighbor Jay came over the other night and gave me a pair of hands, and we metalworked the crushed corner out on the new fender. Came out pretty good! Here's some pics-

Ouch!


After-


Side-


Rear-

[Jonboy]

Looking good, Chipster. When do you think it will get colored in?

[Low Elco]

Thanks, Hoping to have the body mostly done by the fourth. Hoping it goes to Maaco straight from here. They can do it for less than I can buy materials for, and I don't have the mess in the shop. I have to big metal the inner and outer Dr. 1/4, make a front fender lower, patch up the rockers, and straighten a big gonk in the door. We'll see. Tom's in the middle of rolling houses, he's in no hurry. I'm actually vacationing on my vaca time this year, (dirt bikes, waterslide, float trip, tourism) so we'll just see how it goes.

[Jonboy]

Vacation sounds nice. I've already used up my time this year, already looking forward to Cancun next year. I can taste the margaritas already.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Jonboy

Vacation sounds nice. I've already used up my time this year, already looking forward to Cancun next year. I can taste the margaritas already.

You'll have to clue us in on where to get good margaritas. The ones we had down there were warm and weak. Finally gave up and just went with the cerveza for the rest of the trip.

[Jonboy]

We are usually at the JW Marriott, or the Casa Magna next door. I don't think we really left the resort this year, except to go eat a couple of times. If you drink enough of the margaritas or mai-tais, they will do the trick eventually.

[Low Elco]

You gotta watch it, margaritas in Cancun'll get ya more babies! I have a old, dear friend in Wichita that keeps trying to get us to go. If I'm spending that kinda dough, I wanna go to Dunns River Falls, Jamaica, just outside of Ocho Rios.

Back to our regular programming:
Cut the Dr. inner trunk drop out and fabbed a new one, in one piece. Kinda surprised myself. It ain't perfect or beautiful, but It'll certainly get the job done. Got it welded in and painted. Got the lower quarter trimmed to fit and scrubbed in and holes welded up and inside painted. Hope to get the quarter done over the weekend. Pics-

It's in there!


Like I said, ain't pretty, but it'll work!


Main fit-up


End fit-up, note much better than last time. I know, runs in the epo, this is all gonna get skimmed, so it don't matter. That stuff is tricky, and thin!


Just a shot of the overall again.

[Vic1947]

Looking good! Your donor pieces are perfectamundo!

[Jonboy]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

You gotta watch it, margaritas in Cancun'll get ya more babies! I have a old, dear friend in Wichita that keeps trying to get us to go. If I'm spending that kinda dough, I wanna go to Dunns River Falls, Jamaica, just outside of Ocho Rios.

It was Canada that got me this time. You can only look at the waterfalls for so long, I guess.

Looks like you are making pretty good progress. A little more wham bam and you will make July 4th no problem.

[Low Elco]

Ha, it's cold there! Gotta stay warm somehow!

Thanks for the props guys, I'm tryin!
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[jlsanborn]

You're knocking this thing out Chip and it's looking sweet! Hear what you're saying on the Maaco cost but I'm bummed you're not going to give us another how-to on this one. I'd sure like to see your skim technique. My version of "skim" has been - smoosh WAY too much filler all over a panel then sand virtually all of it off only to be left with a bunch of low spots and pin holes still.

[Low Elco]

That's pretty much how I do it. I'm the king of one stroke too many on the mud. So, I go way wide and tall, and leave it just a tad high. Then hose it with SS, and let it all come out in the 150 block. Works good for me. SS fills the pinholes great. I blast the low spots and pinholes and mud spots heavily, then coat the Whole thing. Literally, I could 320 this with a DA and detail edges and shoot color, and it'd look just fine/pretty nice. It's blocked through 240. If I was being pissy, I'd wet block with 400, then shoot, but it's not needed here.

[Low Elco]

Well, got some work done, have a little bit of welding to finish and the caps to weld on , and the dr. qtr. is off the list. I ran outta light the other night. Here's pics-

Where we started- lower is welded on


Fitup- character line is tied in juuuust a tad different on this side. The other side has a fade. I had nothing to work with over here, and used the front fender, which had a longer fade.


Overall fitup-




The Big Joint.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Well, got some work done, have a little bit of welding to finish and the caps to weld on, and the dr. qtr. is off the list. I ran outta light the other night.

What's that saying? ...We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing.

[Low Elco]

Ha, I think this ones closer to chicken salad outta chicken shat! Thanks Vic!
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[Jonboy]

Did this one make it to paint?