more progress on my 54

Chris Smith

The last couple days I've made good progress. I made a reinforced rubber filler seal from the front frame rail and under the radiator core support. I also got up this morning and painted the top and continental cover a Jaguar color called Caviar pearl. I will color sand and buff them both in a couple of days. The rest of the coupe will be Black.

Chris Smith

Here is that rubber seal I mentioned.

Kdancy

Chris, lt's coming right along! Being a painter I'm always interested in what paint material others are
using, what brand and type of paint are you applying?
Also you mention that the rubber seal is reinforced, how did you do that?

Val

Coming along nicely. Keep up the great work.

Chris Smith

the rubber (I think) is old conveyor belt and has a weave of nylon or something on the back. I made the piece long enough to be held by the frame cross member as stock, but also used the four screws that hold the metal splash shield to secure it. The paint is Matrix, it is solvent cured and thats hard to find in California. I had enough worries about dust settling without trying water base paint in my garage.

bent metal

Is that rubber seal a factory type of thing in '54? If so, was it on other step-downs as well?

A while back I made up twenty or thirty metal splash aprons for Bill Albright, that were to be installed in that same area. So are you installing the rubber in place of the metal piece, or together with the metal piece?

Please excuse my ignorance, I'm not very familiar with the '54's.

bent metal

Oh! Nice work too! ...As I expected.

bent metal

Are you going to use any temp. insulation on the inside of the roof?

Ducor Kid

Chis, Looks great!!
Are you using Matrix single stage or base/clear ?
I'm considering Matrix b/c for my Pacemaker.
Larry

onerare39

Chris,

Nice, I really like the Caviar Pearl color. From the outline your 54 looks like a sedan, and you're adding a continental kit? I'm liking that even more!

John Forkner

Chris Smith

Ducor Kid, its base/clear and I sprayed four coats clear instead of two so I wont have any trouble color sanding. Bent Metal, If you look close, one of your spash shields is on my car and i attached the rubber under it. I think all step down models would have had the filler as a way to force air through the radiator. I will likely use Dynamat xtreme under the headliner and thinking about lizard skin inside the doors and under the carpet areas. I still need to get the quarter round floor pan fillers from you for the front. Onerare39 its a Coupe and had the continental kit I assume from the factory.

rambos_ride

Chris - looking good!

What I want to know..is how you kept the overspray off the floor? Good fan? Covered?

You must paint late at night or have great neighbors

OSHA, EPA are having heart attacks seeing those pictures through the PRISM program!

Be prepared for armed officers coming to confiscate your paint gun |)

Kdancy

Chris , I've been using Matrix for several years now. Almost every thing I do is BCCC. Have good success with their MS42 clear.

Chris Smith

Rambos-ride, I have hvlp guns and the clear is the only thing that fogs up the garage. I really did not notice any overspray on the floor. I made a bigger mess with the primer surfacer. I put up with the mariachi music and birthday parties, and the neighbors put up with my compressor running all day.

Chris Smith

Rambos-ride forgot to metion that I learned to paint and be done if possible before 10 am. After that the bugs come out and F things up. Bugs are even worse at night as they are attracted to the light.

bent metal

Chris, I found those little pieces that round the carpet on the '54's front floor pan. I only have the two for the front. Not the rears. Let me make sure I have patterns so I can duplicate them later, should some one need them.

brumac

Bent, I need a pair for the front of my 54 4 door sedan. Bruce