New Member, New Polara

[Stev]

Quick disconnect quarter panel. Very forward thinking!

I think i've joined a club of a chosen few. I might be the only person ever to extract the inner quarter from a c body wagon. If anyone else has, I've never seen evidence for it.

Gonna start test fitting the wheelhouse now. There's a spot of rust under the tailgate I'm not sure how to cleanly repair where three panels converge. No way i'm getting them unbuttoned properly even if they weren't the only thing holding this car together.

Might have to be dirty with it, don't know.

 

[71Polara383]

This is exactly why I am doing a rebody. I commend your work to save this car.

 

[Stev]

This is exactly why I am doing a rebody. I commend your work to save this car.

I made grandpa a promise. Ain't backing down on that.

 

[3175375]

Great work! You’re going to get there!

 

[Stev]

Patched the bottom of the tub. Deleted the body plug. I suspect those only exist to drain the zinc during the galvanizing dip at the factory and I don't expect to need that anytime soon.

Still more work to do but that's a tomorrow problem.

 

[Stev]

Still going. Mostly patching patching patching. I kept finding more and more issues to fix in the tub.

Hopefully I'll get the tub in this week and I can start getting the floor in, summer's creeping up pretty quickly all of a sudden.

Though I'm starting a new job soon and dealing with that is eating up my time, it's good money which means i'll probably have enough to splurge on big power for it before august. Certainly proactively springing for the longtubes already.

Anybody ever try the reproduction Weiand dual plane? I like the 60's look but I don't know how it stacks up to a newer one. Can't be worse than the smallport iron unit it's got on there now i suppose.


Oh yeah bodyshop guy finally came by and said I was doing everything exactly correct, which is reassuring. We decided I'll get the car finished here and paint the underside and body in one go over at his shop, rather than paint the floor piecemeal before it goes in.

Ever onwards.

 

[Stev]

Fabbed up the other part. Took a template from the left side and boy howdy look how much thicker the factory fury panel is.

I guess no matter how bad my work is, it won't be worse than how it was. And I've been around this car 28 years and never noticed before now. She'll never win a concourse but it'll be good enough.

Ran out of wire halfway through, I'll finish it up tomorrow.

 

[Mr onetwo]

I just read thru this entire thread...wow!!!I am not sure if it's your dedication, stubbornness or talent that is more impressive? Good luck continuing this journey!

 

[Stev]

I just read thru this entire thread...wow!!!I am not sure if it's your dedication, stubbornness or talent that is more impressive? Good luck continuing this journey!

Hey it's only metal. It's just swearing and unspeakable violence between you and your goal, only a question of how much.

Splurged on a new helmet because the current one i have was craigslist garbage that kept flash blinding me.

Onwards

 

[Stev]

Got some pinholes to fill and some more grinding to do, but so far so good. At this point I've made the whole thing from the body line down from scratch, piecemeal.

Doing the right thing the wrong way as usual.

 

[Just Carbs]

View attachment 656253


Got some pinholes to fill and some more grinding to do, but so far so good. At this point I've made the whole thing from the body line down from scratch, piecemeal.

Doing the right thing the wrong way as usual.

No reason to use the right stuff when you got all the wrong stuff right there.

 

[3175375]

View attachment 656253


Got some pinholes to fill and some more grinding to do, but so far so good. At this point I've made the whole thing from the body line down from scratch, piecemeal.

Doing the right thing the wrong way as usual.

Doing it this way will make you more learned and the satisfaction may be greater!

 

[Stev]

I keep intending to get the tub in but more and more problems keep revealing themselves. This corner isn't too bad but almost every join needs repairing. Made it all up and welded it in but it took all day.


I suffer.

 

[Mr onetwo]

You are far braver than I

 

[Stev]

You are far braver than I

Well at this point I can't just put it all back. Only way out is forward.

 

[Stev]

So order of operations thing here, it looks like the best call is to put the tail light filler panel in before the tub as it ties into the inside of the tailgate sill.

However, the original panel is underneath two pieces of angle iron. The upper one is part of the floor and coming out, so ok. The outer one is the bottom of the tailgate sill, is probably the most vital structural element of the tail currently and both are currently holding up the car.

Not sure what to do here. Any suggestions?

 

[71Polara383]

View attachment 657173

View attachment 657174

So order of operations thing here, it looks like the best call is to put the tail light filler panel in before the tub as it ties into the inside of the tailgate sill.

However, the original panel is underneath two pieces of angle iron. The upper one is part of the floor and coming out, so ok. The outer one is the bottom of the tailgate sill, is probably the most vital structural element of the tail currently and both are currently holding up the car.

Not sure what to do here. Any suggestions?

Maybe someone will chime in, but you are certainly in uncharted territories here my friend. With the 69-73 wagons once rust gets up behind the tail lights into these difficult to access areas. It's usually game over.

You've come this far, I'm confident you'll find a way to get this handled too.

 

[Mr onetwo]

Maybe fab up some sort of cage structure so you can hang it from above...can't really picture what's going on.

 

[Stev]

Maybe fab up some sort of cage structure so you can hang it from above...can't really picture what's going on.

It is under a lift. I could ratchet strap the roof rack across the lift to take the weight while i remove the angle iron. The actual weight is borne by the rockers, the jacks are just there to keep everything square.

Terrible idea but all too plausible...

Also looking at the donor that angle iron is not factory but replacing a stamping doing the same thing. Based on the other repairs, one wonders what horrors lurk in there also.

 

[cuda hunter]

This ride just keeps on giving.
Rust that is. Never ending rust.
My suggestion was to tie it up to the rack but you already called that idea out.
If you strap it, make sure you double strap it with some extra's for safety.