1966 Coronet 440 field find

[Ron 73]

The MP valve covers have eluded me for to long, im going to get me a set, I think there the best looking ones there is, M/T isint bad either though!

 

[gdrill]

Bumperman, I think you are referring to the first page when it is on the wheel dollies. I have lots of them, they are absolutely awesome. You can roll the car right into a corner if need be! As you can see they work for engines too!

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This shows the color better.

 

[tallhair]

A friend had some old Autopar turquoise paint, so I figured I would go with it. It's a bit more blue than it was, but it'll do.

View attachment 150297

Very nice work gdrill and cool idea for moving you engine around

 

[gdrill]

Thanx Tallhair. Here is how it looks now. The pics don't really show, but it is more blue than green. Very motivating. :icon_cheers:

 

[tallhair]

It looks very good esp with the intake and valve covers added. Pics and you naked eye view may be affected by lighting. Is is florescent? It looks great to me as I'm looking forward to when my engine is that clean.

 

[gdrill]

Yes it is florescent. You are right, the pics definitely are different than looking right at it. Now I just have to search and find some pics of the alt brackets and pulleys. I have brackets but the engine didn't come with any pulleys. The fellow I got it from kept them for his 440.

 

[Ron 73]

Sure looks mean sitting there! Good luck finding the hardware, Thats going to look sharp when your done with it and sitting in the car..

 

[gdrill]

Thanx Ron. I may even have to throw the headers on for a look see!

 

[gdrill]

So I decided I screwed up, as some of you more experienced body guys probably knew already. When I got my Sherman patch panels I figured I would use the whole thing. I went ahead and cut out the area to be replaced. But soon after I realized the patches have extremely soft lines and I had cut out the main body line along the side. Oops! After looking at the line and figuring it would be very hard to get as sharp as the original, I decided to repair the piece I cut out and weld it back in. I created a lot of extra work for myself, but it is definitely a lesson learned. Only replace what you need to. I realized this after looking through some other restorations and seeing they only used sections to do their repairs. Oh well, 4 or 500 spot welds and it will be back in! It is good practice to ensure I am getting full penetration.

 

[daredevil]

lookin good

 

[gdrill]

Thanx D.D. I sure wish I had not done this, but I am one of those who seems to learn the hard way!
I haven't gone to that graveyard yet, but I haven't forgot about the parts you asked about.

 

[Photon440]

Good decision on deciding to repair the original metal to keep the edge. Plus you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that more of the car is original.

 

[gdrill]

Well after lots of searching and reading, I am going to take several peoples advice and mix it together. I read about welding quarters and saw several opinions on which way to do it, some based on talent. I figure I am a "fair" welder so I am going to do butt welds on the vertical cuts and flange the horizontal runs to help prevent warping. My earlier work reinstalling my cut out gave me a good idea of my capabilities. I didn't warp my panel at all due to the body line being right there. The vertical sections turned out perfect only requiring a skim coat of putty. The long section along the top pulled in a little though and will require 1/16" to 1/8" to smooth out. I decided I like about a 1/16" gap to fill. Any less and I'm not sure I would get full penetration. Not bad for a first time panel install. I air cooled as I ground off the welds as well to reduce the heat. I think it helped.

 

[roadrunnerman]

DANG, that matched up perfect!!!!!!!!!1

 

[daredevil]

Dang dude you got skills.

 

[gdrill]

Well this is it. The "Almost point of no return"! I spotted it, screwed it on and tacked it in place. I'm fairly happy with the lines. Tomorrow it should be a permanent part of the car. Thanx for the compliments guys. It is nice to hear at least a couple or a few people think it looks alright too! I will have to use putty to sharpen the line over the arch. I didn't want to start hammering and take the straightness away from it. It wont take much.

 

[Basket case]

that's gonna be great!

 

[tallhair]

Nice work gdrill. Looking good ;)

 

[gdrill]

I figured before I welded the wheel arch completely I would fit the quarter extension. Again I will flange the top horizontal straight edge and butt weld the vertical. Just waiting for the paint on the back to dry then spot it and tack it in place.

 

[gdrill]

Well I got distracted by other stuff today, so I didn't get the panel welded up completely. Darn life getting in the way of hobbies! But I did final fit and tack weld the quarter extension on. That's it for the night, it's Friday, I'm gonna relax, suck back a couple beer and admire my accomplishments!