Quote:
Originally posted by Bib_Overalls
In addition to the $5,000 premium for a steel body you are going to spend more on body work. The Brookville bodies are not even close to paint ready when you get them. An experience body man will put more time, at least 100 hours more, into preping one (a steel body) than a glass one. If you are planing to build it yourself the glass body will be much easier to prep.
Bib's right on the money here.
My 32 roadster is a 1985 Wescott glass body and all it took was a little bit of blocking with a long board and the gloss black paint looks pretty good.
Pretty good, because the body proper never was completely color sanded due to bad weather came in about the time that the last coats of Acrylic Lacquer were going on the body and I quit due to a fear of paint blush.
Regardless, the way I use the car - running around town during the week and the occasional car show and Saturday night rod run - killer paint is not needed nor desired.
In any event, it looks ok and holds it's own with most hot rods.
It's been running since 93 and has 42,000 miles on the odo.
(With a real torquey 462" Buick engine built for torque fwiw.)
My 31 A roadster on 32 rails project is taking a while, but that's ok cuz it's a hobby . . . right?
The body is a 30-31 Brookville purchased winter of 2000 I believe.
Brookville shoots a coat of lacquer primer on to help protect the body during transit and storage. It's easily rinsed off when painting time comes.
From what I see so far - the car is a fairly complete roller requiring engine/trans build-up, plumbing, wiring, exhaust system and paint - the body doesn't look like it'll require too much in the way of prep for black paint.
Not sure what type this time around, but not Acrylic Lacquer for sure and more than likely not a clear-coat.
The 31 was originally based in Central California's San Joaquin Valley which is fairly dry except for the killer winter fogs that are so bad you can't see across the street - in the daytime....
Since last summer it's been stored in Arizona's usually dry climate, but this year, between the end of summer Monsoon's and the above average rainfall this winter it's still doing ok.
Even a couple of areas that have been bare metal for the last three years show no rust.
The only real problems with the Brookville 31 that I can see as far as bodywork goes are to repair two dents. One in the drivers door and one in the left quarter panel. Both dents fairly small so no big deal there.
It doesn't look like too much blocking will be required and door & trunk fit is fairly good. Good enough to leave as-is for the most part. I don't get paranoid about panel fit.
I do as good as I can - which ain't too bad most times - paint the car and drive heck out of it.
The factory didn't fit em together all that good anyway.
I am looking forward to running a steel car and comparing it to the glass one.
The 31 also has a 462" Buick which will put out about 60 HP more than the 32.
