My Antarctic Blue Super Sports Wagon with the C.B. and optional rally fun pack

[BlueJeep]

Thanks guys! I'm building it to drive, and to drive a LOT. I'm making build decisions that will hopefully allow for that, and I'd like future maintenance to be easy and quick. Even though my plan is to leave the exterior paint as-is, I still want the interior to be sealed up and nice. The guy I bought it from thought I should fix it up, and then try to wear it out again (so put a lot of miles on it) and I do plan to.

I have a 4' Tennsmith brake, though I haven't used it yet on this project. The inner rockers are 6' long, so I had to enlist in some help from a friend with a bigger brake for those. Many of the other bends have not been straight so I've been using the tipping wheel on the bead roller to start the bend, and then using hammer and dolly to get it where I want it. For shearing, I have a cheap one of those 3 finger shears that cuts 1/4" strip out for rough cutting. Then I have a Beverly shear that I absolutely love and cut everything I can on it. I also use hand snips, cutoff wheels, and an air saw as needed for the job.

[Advanced Design]

Chris, awesome work and great update! You have been busy this winter. Hope you can make Metalmeet in Oblong this October. Maybe drive the wagon?

[TR65]

WOW Chris,

I have a Wysong hydraulic shear and a Di-Acro hand brake. My problem is I don't have your hands and brain to use them correctly.

We look forward to seeing you on the tour this summer.

TR

[BlueJeep]

Tim, we will for sure have fun this summer on the tour!

Doug, I'm planning on MetalMeet but will not have the wagon done by then. Maybe some year in the future, haha!

Side 2 is largely the same as side 1, but with some bigger rust holes. You guys like pictures, so I'll try not to disappoint there. Here's some before of the damage.

[BlueJeep]

Now onto the fixing, this required a fair amount of shaping and I decided to do it in 2 pieces. I used the english wheel to make a reverse in the new panel and that worked pretty good!

[BlueJeep]

I also needed to do some fixing in the door jamb, looking much better now!

[99 to Life]

looks great.

[mongocanfly]

Nicely done!!!.....

[oldman3]

Nice update, and really nice work on the patch panels...Jim

[Advanced Design]

Nice work Chris! At the speed you are going you could have the wagon done by MM.

[joedoh]

outstanding work!

I would have gotten the wheel question on page one right because my brother is building a S/C Rambler.



if you know anyone with a gas tank, his is beyond salvation.

and I couldnt help but notice how the pry bar lined up with your finger in the pictures. extraneous, I know.



anyway, the wagon should be pretty comfortable on the power tour! we went cross country in my moms aries wagon when I was a teen and it was nice with the room in the back to catch a gnap.


oh and I didnt see anyone tell you, but to embed a video just delete the "s" in the url https, and delete the "&" and anything after it.

IMG950746 - YouTube

[BlueJeep]

Originally Posted by joedoh

outstanding work!

I would have gotten the wheel question on page one right because my brother is building a S/C Rambler.

if you know anyone with a gas tank, his is beyond salvation.

and I couldnt help but notice how the pry bar lined up with your finger in the pictures. extraneous, I know.


oh and I didnt see anyone tell you, but to embed a video just delete the "s" in the url https, and delete the "&" and anything after it.

IMG950746 - YouTube

Thanks guys!

Joedoh, not having a useable gas tank is kinda what started the whole trunk remodel on this one. We decided to make a mustang tank work, and then he decided he'd better have the 22 gallon one. In order to not have that hang too far down the trunk floor would have to be raised 2". Might as well straighten out those rear frame rails so wider tires will fit, and then there is the issue of having wheel tubs to deal with....and....and....you see where that went! Tell your brother to treat his rear window like gold, you can't get those either!

[mongocanfly]

saw this....https://www.foxnews.com/auto/wagon-q...or-six-figures made me think of you

[joedoh]

his is rotted from sitting, we have been trying with no luck to find one anywhere.

until today! I drove 200 miles and found the only guy with a spare tank stored inside the last 40 years.




that crud on it is undercoating. he didnt have any back windows, I asked for you. the rambler its leaning on is a rusty 770 convertible.

[BlueJeep]

Summer is busy so not a lot of updates, but some.

Body is back on the frame, I wanted to fit the boy mounts I had removed while it was sitting on the frame, that way if something was significantly off I could make adjustments to it while it's still easy to do. I did have to do some amount of fitting but not too bad. I bought a bunch of 1/4" thick washers to simulate the rubber mounts, that way I had a clear view of any gap issues. Now the mounts are screwed into place and can be welded solid when the body is back off the frame for the last time.

[BlueJeep]

I also decided on brakes. I really like to have OEM components wherever possible, that way I'm more likely to be able to find new ones in short notice when on a road trip. That influenced my brake decision. I went with Corvette Z51 brakes from Kore3, nice stuff and very knowledgeable to work with! The 13.5" rotors are nearly as big as the wheels on my truck! I also decided to use the hydroboost off the van that supplied the 4L80 and the driveshaft.

[BlueJeep]

Next up was the gas tank. I'd been literally tripping over this thing for months, so that was as good of a reason as any to get it mounted up under the car. With some imagination, and some work, I made mounts appear that would bridge the open space between the frame and the tank. It's a 2002 S10 Blazer 2 door tank, straps, and pump. I like how this turned out!

[BlueJeep]

The front body mounts were something that I never liked on this car. They hung down below the frame, had a K-member that didn't play nicely with the girth of the 4L80E, and they were a U-shape that was designed to catch and hold dirt! I could definitely improve upon that. What I designed was something more like a newer vehicle would have.

I did entertain the thought of making these a lot more complicated, but then someone very close to me asked if these were the last thing on my list to work on....they were not. She then asked if anyone besides me would see them.....they likely would not. OK, so my time could be better spent working on the next priority item, point taken!!!

[mongocanfly]

some good looking work you got going on ...!!!!

[oldman3]

Super update, and looks great...Jim

[401ton]

Looks good! Won't be long now... Who's will be driving first?

[youngrodder]

Looks great....You have some serious fabrication skills. I dig looking at projects where someone has improved a factory design with a simplified solution. Those body mounts now look the way they should have all along.

What are you thinking as far as when you will have it on the road?

Marc

[LT7A]

Excellent workmanship and very interesting to see the thought process behind it. It would not make sense to leave your rust repairs exposed, but there is a definite beauty to the fabricated panels and the sandblasted original material along with the patch panels and the bluing from the welding.

[Old_Gold]

I've had a few ideas for a mid 50s to early 60s wagon rattling around in the brain for a while. Now seeing this, really makes me want one! Great work, anxious to see where it goes.

Jim