Builds A pig for Father's Day (66 Viewers)

[roadstr6]

If you aren't into the patina look but you are not ready to paint just yet, that red will buff out to a beautiful shine. Meguiars Heavy cut cleaner applied with a small foam Velcro-backed buffing pad on a DA sander will cut the oxidation. Follow that with Meguiars Swirl reducer on a different foam pad on the DA and finally a coat of wax. That paint will look new. I took that approach with my pig. Now it is shiny with lots of dents and rust...kind of a clean/rough combo. Using that formula I was able to take the original paint on my 55 from this:

To this:

It's not perfect. It's beat-up and shiny though.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Wow. @roadstr6 you did a great job on that one. Appreciate the input.

 

[roadstr6]

Wow. @roadstr6 you did a great job on that one. Appreciate the input.

Yessir. More details in my "Bucky" thread here on the 55 board. It took me most of a Saturday to polish that turd!

 

[RUSH55]

Pretty much everything involved in being a 55 owner is being a DIY oriented person. You’d be hard pressed to find a shop that would go through on the repair work and body work. Not enough money in it for them.
Take a look at my thread on where I’m at with tub work on a tub that’s from AZ and 90% cleaner than everyone else’s. I probably have 80 hrs of work in with at least that much more to go. Couldn’t even imagine paying a shop to do this work. They would try to bid it, and quickly find themselves overextended and try to renegotiate costs which would easily quadruple. The next thing you know you’re picking up pieces to try to store somewhere until you can find the next shop 3 cities away to start the process all over again.
Even with what I’m doing, there are places I’m just not gonna touch, and it will probably end up getting the Fluid Film treatment for the rest of its life. Sometimes you have to take it upon yourself to save your sanity.

 

[wngrog]

As for Will it rust again in Alabama.

Only if it is treated like they did all the Pigs when they were bought. Use em. Hose off.

The issue is once the tiny little drain holes fill up and the window felts dissolve all the mud that has gotten trapped in the rockers gets watered every time it rains.

If I had a “new” 55 I would seal up many of the areas that catch mud and make sure drains were open.

It’s all about knowing this

The guys in the 70’s had no idea so they just rode em. Put em up wet.

I think I would only worry if I had to drive one on salted roads.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Pretty much everything involved in being a 55 owner is being a DIY oriented person. You’d be hard pressed to find a shop that would go through on the repair work and body work. Not enough money in it for them.
Take a look at my thread on where I’m at with tub work on a tub that’s from AZ and 90% cleaner than everyone else’s. I probably have 80 hrs of work in with at least that much more to go. Couldn’t even imagine paying a shop to do this work. They would try to bid it, and quickly find themselves overextended and try to renegotiate costs which would easily quadruple. The next thing you know you’re picking up pieces to try to store somewhere until you can find the next shop 3 cities away to start the process all over again.
Even with what I’m doing, there are places I’m just not gonna touch, and it will probably end up getting the Fluid Film treatment for the rest of its life. Sometimes you have to take it upon yourself to save your sanity.

I understand and certainly appreciate the input from you and everyone else. Don't get me wrong, I am very DIY. However, I also know my current limitations and TIG or MIG welding in body panels is not currently in my repertoire. Not saying it can't be. I grew up on a farm stick welding with a Lincoln tombstone but the welds only had to hold; they didn't have to be pretty.

I crawled around and under the body some more yesterday. To be honest the photos look way worse than it appears to me in person. Maybe I need to take off my rose tinted sunglasses.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Went by a local upholstery shop yesterday that specializes in restoration work. He said he could come very close to matching the tweed (or whatever you would call it) fabric and vinyl interior. Not cheap but glad to know that won't be an issue.

I should have snapped a photo, he had a hugger orange, convertible 68 Camaro SS sitting in the shop. It was pretty much fully restored except for the interior and top which he was working on. Also had a mid 70s Bronco that was getting the seats redone. Looked like it just rolled off the showroom floor.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

So I got a box of parts yesterday......hard to believe that's almost $500 in parts that came in that small box and nothing appears to be made from gold or platinum. Also received a rear window motor from @J Mack. I owe him big time. Hopefully I can work up the courage to pull the regulator assembly this weekend and get it replaced.

 

[scrapdaddy]

.hard to believe that's almost $500 in parts that came in that small box and nothing appears to be made from gold or platinum.

Get use to that, everything on the pig is pricey. It adds up quick!

 

[Ol Yeller]

Get use to that, everything on the pig is pricey. It adds up quick!

When I was young single & buying race car parts I thought in $500 increments, then we reno’d a house and I learned to think in $5000 increments...so now a couple grand on the pig seems pretty reasonable.

Are those front marker lens or rear?

 

[scrapdaddy]

.so now a couple grand on the pig seems pretty reasonable.

I agree, but those couple grand bills just keep coming.

 

[riderjgs]

I’m selfishly wishing I’d hung on to all those Pig parts I sold way to cheap over the last ten years. But grateful stuff is still available OEM, repro or used. Just unpacked some OEM early front turn signal lenses this week.

 

[scrapdaddy]

I almost get sick when I think of the stuff I unloaded the first time I decided to call it quits. That's how it rolls though, should of bought Walmart stock, too.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Are those front marker lens or rear?

Front. Mine are OK but I bought them while I still could.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

So I am officially an idiot......as if buying a pig wasn't confirmation enough.

I removed the rear window motor leads from the terminal strip and proceeded to pull the entire assembly. I had the window channel (and subsequently the window) propped up with a strategically cut 2x2 and thought that I could get the assembly to come out if I unhooked the little lock spring and the four bolts. As it turns out that worked out OK but as I was removing the assembly I realized that the motor was still attached. The leads that I had been "testing" last week and had just removed were in fact the leads for the rear window switch. Nice.

I inspected the gear and it looks like it just rolled out of the factory. Maybe someone recently serviced it? Anyway, grease looked good, gear looked good, etc. so I thought marvelous, @J Mack sent me a motor and my motor is probably just fine. I pulled a lead from the battery and sure enough it works just fine. As I said previously, I am an idiot.

I put it all back together and got the window back up. I ran leads long enough from the motor to use a hot wire to roll it up and down. No band aids necessary this time. Will work on sorting the wiring issue later. FWIW, the terminal strip is still available. I bought one and will install tomorrow when I try to sort the wiring issue.

On another good note, rear sill looks really good. I was a bit worried about that area having not seen any photos.

 

[RUSH55]

Welcome to the club

 

[WarDamnEagle]

So I learned something else yesterday. My alternator is too small. I was having an intermittent charging issue; sometimes everything was fine and sometimes the pig would not start. Sometimes the A/C worked perfectly and sometimes it wouldn't. Lights, A/C and windshield wipers simultaneously were a really bad idea; blinker wouldn't even work under those conditions at idle. I could make this a long story but turns out when the A/C was added the alternator was not upgraded and if you run the A/C the voltage drops below 12.

I have been doing some reading on upgrades and will likely post something in the 40/55 Tech section. Please chime in if any of you have gone with a Mean Green. Thanks.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Sounds like a winner to me and you got to learn first hand the workings of the window,

 

[RUSH55]

If you’re gonna start upgrading the alternator, you’ll be needing to upgrade a lot of the harness and electrical system. When I was considering keeping the 2F (or some hybridized version), was planning on upgrading the alternator to one of the popular higher amp GM alternators. I had several part numbers researched. Also found this great source of information here worth reading -

MadElectrical.com - Electrical Tech

 

[Eovdubs]

So I am officially an idiot......as if buying a pig wasn't confirmation enough.

I removed the rear window motor leads from the terminal strip and proceeded to pull the entire assembly. I had the window channel (and subsequently the window) propped up with a strategically cut 2x2 and thought that I could get the assembly to come out if I unhooked the little lock spring and the four bolts. As it turns out that worked out OK but as I was removing the assembly I realized that the motor was still attached. The leads that I had been "testing" last week and had just removed were in fact the leads for the rear window switch. Nice.

I inspected the gear and it looks like it just rolled out of the factory. Maybe someone recently serviced it? Anyway, grease looked good, gear looked good, etc. so I thought marvelous, @J Mack sent me a motor and my motor is probably just fine. I pulled a lead from the battery and sure enough it works just fine. As I said previously, I am an idiot.

I put it all back together and got the window back up. I ran leads long enough from the motor to use a hot wire to roll it up and down. No band aids necessary this time. Will work on sorting the wiring issue later. FWIW, the terminal strip is still available. I bought one and will install tomorrow when I try to sort the wiring issue.

On another good note, rear sill looks really good. I was a bit worried about that area having not seen any photos.

View attachment 2035090

If it's like my '68 it was the safety switch not closing the ground.