1964 RHD Impala Wagon - Australian Delivered

Amazing build thread! One of the best I've seen. You are truly an artist when it comes to metal work.

 

Incredible work! That wagon is going to be a real tribute to your skill and dedication! I'm so glad you are documenting it all, too, because once finished, nobody will be able to see what you've done. Of course, that is the highest praise there is!

 

Thanks for the comments guys.

It's funny what you say Mike about "not noticing" as none of my friends are car guys. In their eyes I have basically been "doing something in the garage" for the past 8 months. When they do come to visit and you explain that you've just spent the past 3 hours filing a door, they don't get it.

 

"car guys" would be in awe and drooling...like us.

 

I am loving your restoration, "love to the car" thread, but I keep seeing something that makes me queazy after an incident working on my buddy's Chevy truck.

Please take your wedding ring off while welding, with or without gloves.

I almost lost a finger due to a bit of slag getting onto the ring, and obviously one cannot pull a super heated ring off that has melted deep into the flesh. Gotta let it cool down some. I always wear gloves when welding or cutting, had pulled off the glove to check for sheet metal warpage, did one more quick (1/2" long) weld, and my day was over.

The ring also took the skin off of the adjacent fingers as well. Was friggin' HOT!

My wife was really upset and me for getting hurt, the nurse for damaging my wedding ring (!), and everyone at work thought it funny, but they don't weld with rings on anymore, either.

I am really looking forward to more updates, happy that someone a hemisphere away loves an old Chevy as much as we love them here in their birthplace.

Best regards,
Tom

 

obviously you are a skilled metal worker ....do it once do it right do it yourself!

 

Thank you again for the nice words...and Tom, the wedding ring is off and in the bedside drawers. I have a few more photos in which you'll see it but rest assured, you wont see it in any photos from today onwards.

On to the tailgate. I mentioned earlier in the failed restoration of 2007 that I painted the insides in the ""almost right" gold base and clear. Although it was in perfect condition the colour difference to the factory colour was too great....so off it came with paint stripper and wire brush



I also mentioned that the bottom third of the tailgate was remade and patched in 23 years ago and is still perfectly clean and rust free so gave it a shine up, some deox and the whole thing got some black etch.






After the etch I skimmed the tailgate with filler - aside from the full width patch there were a few ripples in the top that i just couldn't get to.

I needed to work a peak back into the bottom of the tailgate so I worked to a tape line with the big blocks and used the teardrop block for the rolled sections.




This has since been re-etched and is waiting for some grey hi-fill primer.

The top of the bonnet is nice and straight so a light block of the etch with 320 on the 700mm board just to show the highs and lows.

A tip for young players is to support the bonnet on the edges when blocking otherwise you get false highs from the bonnet frame being pushed up from underneath (in other words, not like it is supported in the picture!). I worked this out after my "highs" began to develop a strange symmetrical pattern!



On to the right rear quarter tomorrow.

 

Ok, I am finally up to date. All of the work below has been done in the last week so the daily posts will most likely revert to monthly.

After the left rear quarter, the right was childs play. First up was a small rust repair around the taillight. I actually just bogged over this back in 2007 so it was on borrowed time. Dug out the bog, chopped out the rust, a little bit of POR15 in behind it and a simple patch.

Before:



During:



After:



There was also a small hole in the lower part of the quarter - another very easy patch.

Before:



During:







After:



Then it was onto the dents:



Fortunately I could get in behind the first one so dolly, slapper, body file, shrink disc. Was left with a few slight ripples which will get skimmed.







The other dent I couldn't get to so pulled it out with the slide hammer and some tabs.



To celebrate Fathers Day and the fact that all the metal work is done, I bought myself some presents!



Bring on the shine!









Then it was out into the sunshine to reverse it into the climate controlled cross flow solar spray booth!

 

3 hours worth of de-oxing with steel wool, wet rags, dry rags etc, etc. (I forgot how big these roofs are!)



........and then it was black! Bit of a milestone seeing it all sealed up again after being naked for 7 years.





I'm now going over it doing some spot body filling before re-etching, hitting it with some hi-fill primer and then it's first dry block sand.

Into the home stretch!

 

All the work you are doing is fantastic....now what kind of finish are you going for ?

OE or super smooth and shiny modern?

Any modern upgrades for the interior like leather?

 

GN - The paint will be PPG Cobra base coat in Saddle Tan Metallic/Ermine White, and then Autothane clear over the top - in other words, the correct colour but a lot more gloss than original.

The interior will be an exact reproduction of the original (fawn beige) in factory correct grain leather, with star headliner, and vinyl welded door panels. (it's currently being made in Arizona, to be shipped shortly)

 

Great work!

 

Your doing a fantastic job Oz64

 

Awesome work, just read through the hole thread. I'll be watching this unfold for sure