Thread: 55 Wagon Progress

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I'm familiar with Austin Healeys, a mate of mine owned one some years back, ridden in it lots and lots, and put 'essential supplies' (beer,) in the boot (trunk,) many times.
Until I saw that photograph I had never noticed that the boot hinges are standard Morris Minor 1000.

Never too old to learn huh?

And yeah, I too can only repeat Charlie and Uncle Bob's 'WOW!'

Originally Posted by cffisher

hard to say anything more than WOW

Exactly what Charlie said. Times 10! That's just killer!

I got out of school in '76 and moved to KC to work, and I would go through the KC Times Sunday paper classifieds looking for "deals". I remember looking at '67 Fastback Mustangs for $1800 and saying to myself "You can't pay $1800 for a car that's 10 years old and only cost $3000!"; and I always scrolled through the "Imported" section looking for an Austin Healey 3000! Like the Mustangs, I'd see one for $1200 or $1500 and scoff at it, thinking they were asking crazy money! Oh to have that "Way Back Machine" today......

You're doing some fantastic work on this Healey! Looking forward to seeing it complete!

Originally Posted by rspears

Oh to have that "Way Back Machine" today......

I'll second that!!

Thanks for the comments guys! Always fun to take a day for louvers!


Time to play catch up here..


Vince got two of the milk cans media blasted and worked on the third while I sprayed some SPI epoxy primer on the first two.








Also got some epoxy on the hood brace...





Ends are quite a bit better than before..








I received a state of the art drawing the other day, and was asked if we could duplicate the 1/16 offset shown...





Of course this meant we needed some new tooling..











Our first sample, with the proper 3/4 flange...











We had another panel that would require the offset on two adjacent edges, so one more sample...











video action:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxhk_O1FJTM


That'll do pig, that'll do.


Some of the upholstery parts have been trickling in... so let's add some bling factor....




















….and we made a hand punch for setting the trim tag rivets on the cowl...








video version:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUl3K5uN5h0


And finally, we also had some 3/8 stainless fuel line to straighten out of it's coil for a big block mopar… Video parts 1, 2, and 3:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7eDRdQ-hco


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np4Lae3FTC8


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NsOkSsVxZ8



.

More progress in the shop, another upholstered piece getting assembled... this one the driver's side rear kick panel. Our polished stainless seat belt escutcheons are installed, one in the front for the lap belt and up top for the shoulder belt.








Midrange and tweeter installed....





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5egWQaN1MY


And we got a new "radius" fixture for the Tommasini wheeling machine, allows you to use it to form radius on flat bar and other shapes..





action shot....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9e822YCYIE

very nice interior

Overdue for another update...

So with all three milk cans delivered, why not a dinner bell? Indeed. This one was missing the clapper, so that's the latest fabrication...





A used 2" hitch ball was reworked in the lathe, and looks like this will be a good start...





Hammer/bench head stand is used as a welding fixture.. Hey, whatever works..





root pass














Finished product in action:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F875Q5qoVqY


We had some dings in the F7 hood to remove that were located in the radius along the sides.. Didn't really have a hammer that fit the exact requirement, so I use a "KIT" that my buddy Will Cronkrite had given me, a piece cut out of a Model A leaf spring.


I had more than one BF603 in stock, and rarely use the pick end, so it became the likely candidate.











TIG welded in place using ER312 rod





Some crown added long ways and polished up...








Both of the Wagon's rear kick panels are now prepped, ready to go..








Vince has the core support and associated parts blocked and ready for some green...








….and speaking of paint, we got some "new" used light fixtures for the paint booth so we can see a bit better...





Old next to new...





Now that we can see a bit better, it's clear that the walls need a fresh coat of white...





….And some blocking tips on the F7 hood. We have a nice crease on the inside of the hood from front to back. These scratches show that we would be taking material off the adjacent side if no other steps were taken to stop our sanding block at the center of the crease...





By adding a strip of tape along the center, it gives us a positive stop for the sanding block..





Then switching for the other side....





Which leaves us a nice crease in the middle, and panels nice and flat to either side...

I'd say you're ready to tackle the crack in the Liberty Bell.

Some equipment changes in the shop.. The Baileigh MH19 was sold last week and Saturday morning was picked up for its journey to Pittsburgh...





After the Baileigh left, we had another louver job with Cody, this time on a C10 Chevy hood. With the Lennox sitting in the corner like this...





….. there has been a couple of occasions that large panels would run into interference with the shear. Saturday would be no exception. We had to cut the anchors with a Sawzall and slide it toward the paint booth to make room for the hood...








Since the Baileigh was picked up early that morning, the spot it used to be in seemed a better location to eliminate future issues with obstructions to the side.. So we used the 6000 lb capacity engine hoist to move the approx. 4000 lbs of Lennox..





Which left this spot open for the new Powell Hammer, the replacement for the Baileigh. The dies are located higher on the new machine, so any larger panels should clear over top...





Monday was moving day for the Powell hammer, Mario helped with the loading, unloading, and positioning exactly where it was supposed to go...




















All that's left to do is drill some holes into the concrete and add some "peg" bolts to keep things from moving around.

Nothing like having the right tools for the job.

That's one BIG hammer! I like the innovation with the forklift, too. Looks like Mario may need a step stool if he uses that beast!

What Charlie said; having the right tools gets the job done right.
I think you need a bigger shed.
I've got one over here I'll sell you.
(Although the commute to work each day might take a wee bit more time than you're used to.)

Oh yeah, wagon got some paint today! Richard and Brandon Glymph of Absolute Rod and Custom Paint in Annapolis got some of the Organic green Kandy basecoat and clear sprayed.


sealer:




Green:







SPI Universal Clear:







Video shows some of the pop you'll see in the sunlight..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfd_Dw9uyyA






.

That is AWESOME!!