The Snowball Saga - '68 Standard Revitalization Project by Blitz

4 minute(s) of a 767 minute read

Well I might as well update the situation. As I mentioned earlier, the car is now getting the bodywork re-done (argh!) by a real shop. Finn's Auto Restoration in Woodburn, OR. Check 'em out (and if you need any classic car restored / worked on, I can vouch that they do nice work. Tell them I sent you).
So far what's been done is basically just trying to get everything to fit properly. This turned into more labor than I expected, but just about everything needed work, especially the extensions. The fenders and doors and hood and valences and all that needed fiddling too. When I went to check on the car, it was immediately obvious that the body lines were crisper and better aligned. This attention to detail costs some dough, which is not something I have a lot of, but in the end it makes a big difference.















The rear window channel area was a concern, because when it was patched before, back in 2011 with two separate pieces, it wasn't quite done right. Because of this, the panel didn't have the upward "crown" contour to match the trunk lid, and there was a big 'ol gap no matter how I adjusted it. The pic below doesn't really do it justice, but here's a "before" shot.



So, I bit the bullet and bought the new Dynacorn patch panel for this area, and the shop removed the old repair and began fitting the new piece.



The glass had to be removed, and the vinyl top had to be peeled up a bit. Fingers crossed that the vinyl will glue back down without a hitch.





Another area of concern is the RH quarter panel. In front of the rear wheel, the lower body line dives in, rather that staying relatively straight like it should. Some kind of previous bodywork here I suppose. The pic below illustrates what's going on, red line added for reference.



I haven't decided yet whether to address this or not. They'd probably have to separate part of the quarter skin, tweak it out and re-weld it. Might also require some work to the wheel house. I guess it depends on how much time it will take. They are pretty skilled metal workers.

So that's where things are at right now. There was a pause in activity while I caught up to what $ I owed them, but we're square as of now, and I've started doing some work for them for their new website, so that will help get the ball rolling again. I'm lucky that the timing worked out, and I have some skills to trade for their work. Still, the big expense of paint is looming ahead. I'd love to have the car together and on the road for the WCCC open house in August, but that's looking less likely all the time. We'll see!