|
|
Smoothing Driprails And Door CornersOne Thing Leads To Another From the February, 2009 issue of Rod & Custom By Terry McGean Photography by Ed Zinke
|
|
 This 40 Chevy two-door...  This 40 Chevy two-door sedan was relieved of most of its trim and extensively smoothed during its transformation into a rod about a decade ago. Now its time for an update, and those driprails really have to go. The first thing to do before getting started is to tape off the windows to protect them from flying debris and sparks.  2 No high-tech trick tools...  2 No high-tech trick tools here, just a good ol Sawzall. With a skilled operator, the reciprocating saw works very well for closely shaving the rails, leaving a relatively smooth edge behind.  By using the body as a blade...  By using the body as a blade guide, the rails are shaved cleanly, coming off in one piece.  Although remaining scars are...  Although remaining scars are fairly minor, significant bodywork will still be required to eliminate all traces of their existence.  Some welding is required to...  Some welding is required to close up the gap left at the pinch weld that partially formed the driprails. As usual, the welds are laid down in short stretches to minimize heat buildup and the consequent metal distortion.  After the seam has been sufficiently...  After the seam has been sufficiently welded up, grind it with a 60-grit stone (or something similar) to smooth out the weld beads. Most of this job can be accomplished using basic body welding skills to work the original steel and the metal added during welding. Only minor smoothing will be done with plastic body filler.  A closer look after the grinding...  A closer look after the grinding is complete verifies that only minor filler work will be needed to finish the job of making the driprail mounting seam invisible.  First, spread a thin layer...  First, spread a thin layer of Marglas or similar fiberglass-reinforced material over the work area.  Then, sand the glass...  Then, sand the glass smooth, and follow up with a coat of filler, sanding to achieve the final contour.  After applying a guidecoat...  After applying a guidecoat and doing some final sanding, this is what were left witha sleek-sided sedan. However, that door corner seems to be sticking out like a sore thumb. Apparently, the line of the driprail concealed the fact that the door corner is a sharp 90-degree angle, which now contrasts sharply against the corresponding curve of the side glass.  The decision was quickly made...  The decision was quickly made to round off the door corner to match the window. A curve is marked on the door that gradually goes from the width of the upright portion of the doorframe to the thinner top rail. Experimenting with masking tape can help determine the desired line.  Using an air-powered, hand-held...  Using an air-powered, hand-held jigsaw, carefully slice off the offending corner plus the width of the body seam, leaving a little extra material above the line scribed on the doorframe.  With a small grinder, dress...  With a small grinder, dress the cut line on the door. Later, the seam will be welded and then ground to the desired curve, but before the door is finished, the corresponding curve in the doorframe must be formed.  One of the tricks employed...  One of the tricks employed at Starbucks in forming the new doorframe corner involves cutting a strip of steel from a piece of sheet and bending it over the newly formed curve in the window frame, starting at one end and working toward the other.  This will serve as the new...  This will serve as the new corner of the doorframe.  The strip is tacked in place...  The strip is tacked in place on one end...  ...and the fit is checked...  ...and the fit is checked with the door. The welds are placed on the inside of the strip to avoid having to grind in a tight area.  After the fit between the...  After the fit between the door corner and the strip has been verified, the strip is fully welded on both ends. A filler panel must now be made to continue the door pillar to the edge of the new doorframe corner.  A template is made by taping...  A template is made by taping over the area to be filled and then outlining it with a magic marker. The tape is then transferred to a piece of sheetmetal.  The sheetmetal is trimmed...  The sheetmetal is trimmed around the template using a metal shear for the straight portions and tin snips for the curve. Even though a template is being used, trial-fitting and minor trimming will still be necessary.  To get the desired curvature,...  To get the desired curvature, take the freshly trimmed filler panel and press it against the roof just behind the work area.  The panel is then placed into...  The panel is then placed into position on the doorframe and tack-welded in place.  Once the placement of the...  Once the placement of the filler panel is verified, the panel is completely welded, still using small tack-welds to keep heat down.  This is what the filler panel...  This is what the filler panel looks like before the last welds are done. The gap between the panel and the door is consistent, and minimal filler should be needed to finish the surface.  After grinding the welds smooth,...  After grinding the welds smooth, apply a coat of fiberglass filler to seal the area. After the glass cures, it is filed smooth, and then a coat of plastic filler is applied.  After it has fully cured,...  After it has fully cured, the plastic filler is worked to produce the final surface before paint. Finesse is required to get the curve of the roof right and to match it to the surface of the window frame.  Once the bodywork is complete,...  Once the bodywork is complete, a coat of primer is sprayed, followed by a guidecoat for final block-sanding, and the rounded door corner and corresponding door frame are complete. Although our compadres over at Hot Rod tend to focus primarily on vehicles produced in the 60s or later, there are some staffers over there who understand the whole street rodding thing. One of them is Associate Publisher Ed Zinke. Eds been into hot rods for most of his life and currently runs a 40 Chevy sedan that he built almost entirely on his own while simultaneously raising a family. The car represented a strong effort and has provided many reliable miles of enjoyment for the Zinkes, but its style was decidedly 80s-based, probably because thats when the project began. However, now that Ed gets to surround himself with all things automotive for a living, including attending company events like Americruise and Power Tour, hes decided the ol 40 is in dire need of some updating. Most of the details of this renovation will be covered in Hot Rod , but those guys seemed mainly interested in the mechanical stuffso we latched onto the mild body modifications being carried out at Starbucks Customs in Riverside, California, in anticipation of the new paint scheme. Once Ed decided he was going to have the car painted, he immediately knew the driprails had to go. Theyd been jutting out from the roofline since the car left the factory and annoying Ed with their awkward positioning since he finished building it the first time. Removing the driprails seemed to be a daunting proposition, but in reality, it wasnt a big deal. However, once they were off, it became obvious that the lines of the upper door corner didnt jive with those of the rear side glass very well. To restore harmony to the 40s flanks, it was suggested that the door corner be rounded off for a softer appearance. Justin Jones and the crew at Starbucks tackled both jobs and allowed us to follow along. Take a look at the procedure as outlined in these photos and captions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exhaust Headers
You say you have more talent and time than you have money. You want your headers to be different...
more
|
|