New member intro : '57 Desoto Firesweep

[saforwardlook]

Coming along! Sweet!!! Question of caution: Are you worried the doors, deck lid and hood will be different hues than the body being as they weren't all painted at the same time? I know gun pressures, application technique and ambient conditions can slightly change the hue of the color.

I would also add that trying to finally fit those pre-painted pieces can be a difficult process to accomplish without messing up some of the paint. At least my body & paint guy has the car pretty much assembled when he paints it complete and does the trunk, engine bay and other items last so that overspray doesn't get in those impossible to color sand/buff areas. But each does it his own way and it does seem your shop is doing a nice job.

 

[baker53]

Coming along! Sweet!!! Question of caution: Are you worried the doors, deck lid and hood will be different hues than the body being as they weren't all painted at the same time? I know gun pressures, application technique and ambient conditions can slightly change the hue of the color.

I have had numerous cars done by him and all have turned out great, so to answer your question/caution. I am not worried the slightest.

 

[baker53]

I would also add that trying to finally fit those pre-painted pieces can be a difficult process to accomplish without messing up some of the paint. At least my body & paint guy has the car pretty much assembled when he paints it complete and does the trunk, engine bay and other items last so that overspray doesn't get in those impossible to color sand/buff areas. But each does it his own way and it does seem your shop is doing a nice job.

Guess you and your painter do it one way and me another. I've never had a problems with the issues you have brought up. Thanks for your thoughts though.

 

[rexus31]

I have had numerous cars done by him and all have turned out great, so to answer your question/caution. I am not worried the slightest.

Sweet! I can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[bluefury361]

Guess you and your painter do it one way and me another. I've never had a problems with the issues you have brought up. Thanks for your thoughts though.

With todays materials and technics color match is not an issue. Painting the panels on an individual bases will result in a nicer finished product. (less chance for something to go wrong and easier to stop and repair if something does.

A good painter controls the atmosphere he paints in and careful masking will reduce overspray to a minumin.

We just did a paint "tune up" on Jazebelle. She had been shot with crimson red a year and a half ago and we "spotted" 14 different places. It's not even possible to tell where she was spotted.

 

[baker53]

I thought I would not need to replate the front end pot metal pieces, but after looking at them up against the newly plated and polished parts I had to bite the bullet. I took those parts plus the moldings that surrounds the interior of the windshield to the plating shop this morning. So the bleeding has not stopped. BTW, if anyone happens to have a great condition plastic insert for the front hood molding, please let me know. Mine is OK, but has some cracks in it.

 

[baker53]

It's been a while since the last update. The car is painted and most of the trim has been installed. I expect to bring it home from the paint shop on Wednesday. After some work by me, I'll get it to the upholstery shop.

 

[BIGBARNEYCARS]

YAH YAH YAH, Easy for you to say Pal but! What do you do when you spend a year and ah half perfecting ah two stage color. Document everything then wait 6 more months to shot the car so even the humidity level iz az close az you can possibly get it and you lay down an entirely different color? Try for 6 more months to get it back to no avail and finally just throw up your handz in frustration, AAARRRGGGHHHH!

 

[baker53]

Brought the '57 Desoto Firesweep home from the body and paint shop this morning. Lots of work to do before I take it to the upholstery shop. Hopefully, I will be able to get it over there in a week or two. I listed below a time-line on the car so far as well as some pictures.

Day # Date Activity
1 2-15-14 Car arrived from Iowa
13 2-28-14 Completed engine repairs
30 3-15-14 Completed brake repairs
41 3-26-14 Started floor repairs
56 4-13-14 Installed new exhaust system
75 4-29-14 Completed front suspension rebuild
75 4-29-14 Started body & paint work
103 5-27-14 Started chrome plating work
133 6-26-14 Completed chrome plating work


145 7-08-14 Completed body & paint work

 

[mcmlvii]

Beautiful car.

 

[baker53]

Good day here this Monday. I finally fixed the problem I was having with pulsing brakes. I was thinking that since my brake drums were not peened to the hubs and that I had them turned without the hubs that perhaps I was dealing with a not centered drum issue. Anyway to get around this I bought a pair of hub / drums from Big M and decided to give them a try. When I pulled the drum off the drivers side rear I found that the grease seal on the left rear axle was shot. The shoes and drums were smeared with axle grease. I cleaned everything up and put on the new hub / drum assemblies plus new grease seals and no more pulsing brakes. Happy days again. I don't know if the problem was non centered drums or the grease, but all is good now. I also replaced the fuel line from the tank to the pump and installed a metal cased fuel filter in the line. The temporary plastic fuel filter I had close to the carb inlet is now history.

 

[baker53]

I was going to try and polish out some wiper marks on my windshield with a felt pad and cerium oxide, but found a company in Houston that does it everyday and decided it was best to have the pros do it. The guy used 2000 grit pads and sanded out the wiper marks and then used a special polish on a foam wheel to bring the glass to perfection. Ended up costing $225 to polish out the various wiper marks and to fix a stone chip.

 

[1978 NYB]

I was going to try and polish out some wiper marks on my windshield with a felt pad and cerium oxide, but found a company in Houston that does it everyday and decided it was best to have the pros do it. The guy used 2000 grit pads and sanded out the wiper marks and then used a special polish on a foam wheel to bring the glass to perfection. Ended up costing $225 to polish out the various wiper marks and to fix a stone chip.

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That's outstanding! I have some serious scuffs on my NYB windshield. The "experts" Safelite and others told me polishing the glass will turn it in to "fishglass" and the view will be distorted if polished.

 

[1978 NYB]

What is the contact info for those guys? Maybe by chance (longshot) they can recommend someone in Maryland for me.

 

[baker53]

That's outstanding! I have some serious scuffs on my NYB windshield. The "experts" Safelite and others told me polishing the glass will turn it in to "fishglass" and the view will be distorted if polished.

The Superglass guys said the same thing, but after checking the car, they said that my wiper marks were not that bad and that there should not be any distortion.

 

[baker53]

What is the contact info for those guys? Maybe by chance (longshot) they can recommend someone in Maryland for me.

Here is a link to their web page http://www.superglasshouston.com/
Hopefully, that can recommend a shop in MD.

 

[baker53]

Finished up the last of the weather stripping and installed the two fender mirrors.

 

[baker53]

Received the new 23 gallon gas tank and straps yesterday. This tank holds about 3 gallons more than the stock one so I had to recalibrate the fuel sender which work out very well. In fact, the gas gauge is better calibrated now than it was with the old tank. I installed the new tank today and flushed all the new steel fuel lines from the tank to the carburetor and installed a new metal in line filter between the tank and the fuel pump.

 

[bluefury361]

WOW ........ Just WOW .....!

 

[kmccabe56]

Received the new 23 gallon gas tank and straps yesterday. This tank holds about 3 gallons more than the stock one so I had to recalibrate the fuel sender which work out very well. In fact, the gas gauge is better calibrated now than it was with the old tank. I installed the new tank today and flushed all the new steel fuel lines from the tank to the carburetor and installed a new metal in line filter between the tank and the fuel pump.

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Seems like a lot of the repro tanks are 10 or so % bigger than the originals. I found the same thing with my daily driver Aspen wagon when I put a new tank in it.