Caribou

[Geoff]

Working along on the Caribou, the vinyl top is now on and the doors, front fenders, fenderskirts, and other miscellaneous pieces are painted.  Only things left are the main body of the car and the hood --- tomorrow for that, I hope. 
Pics. below but hard to take a decent picture inside my building.  The bed is papered off to keep the spray glue for the top from the already primed bed area.

Pic. #1  The 1/8th inch padding is installed by late Saturday afternoon 12/18

Pic. #2  The top is installed by late Sunday afternoon 12/19.  It is done in the original Caribou style going almost all the way back to the taillights.

Pic. #3  The trim around the top is installed by Monday noontime.

Geoff

[blue68deville]

Man that's looking good.
I like how the top goes so far back, gives the car a nice long look.

[The Tassie Devil (Bruce Reynolds)]

Boy, you don't muck around.

Bruce.

[Geoff]

No painting today but all of the parts/pieces that ARE painted have been color sanded and buffed out, they're beautiful.  Both doors have now been permanently re-hung, not a job for sissies (those suckers are heavy!) but 2 men in their ‘60s and a floor jack handled it, and we adjusted them up pretty close.  Also temporarily put the left fender on just to see how it would look, the fender will come back off until I have done the engine and engine compartment work.  Bodyman is coming back either Thursday or Friday and at that time, weather permitting, he will paint the body and hood.
Geoff

[Geoff]

One more pic.

[mario]

hi geoff:
just a wonderful job. been interested in those for years. my buddy has the lincoln mark V version. his bed floor is steel and i was wondering if that one is also? or is it fiberglas...
ciao,
mario

[Geoff]

Hi Mario,
It is fiberglass.
Geoff

[Geoff]

     Moving along on the Caribou.  Lots of detail work that you don’t/can’t see, the door internals have been reassembled such as the power window assemblies and power door locks which all work very well.  The side window glass itself however has not yet been re-installed.  The new lower door rubbers have been installed, but not the upper window rubbers as yet.  The body side molding taken off the '73 parts car has been polished and was installed today.   Both outside rear view mirrors on the parts car had nicer chrome so they will be used but the right hand mirror has to have its glass replaced.  Soon I will get the heater core changed out and then remove the engine from the ’73 parts car that will be freshened up and go in the Caribou.

Pic. #1  Found a very nice dash pad that I “re-dyed” and it is ready to go in later, it now resides safely in my bedroom closet.  The parts car has a good dash pad also that I will keep for the time being but may sell one day.  Getting harder and harder to find parts cars with good dash pads that aren’t cracked and getting them redone is over $1000.
 
Pic. #2  Fender skirts are ready for their stainless trim, so -----
 
Pic. #3  I have been polishing fender skirt stainless and getting them assembled this week.  I have been picking the best stainless trim between the parts car and the Caribou to put back on the Caribou.  Polishing and getting the pieces back on just right is slow work.

Geoff
 

[Geoff]

Two more pics.  The body side molding was reinstalled today and the fender skirts are on, as well as the side marker lights. The hubcaps are ready and the medallions have been repainted but not on yet as you can see.  Beginning to look like a car again.  And so it goes.

Geoff

For those seeing these pics for the first time --- no, it is not a former flower car.

[EZ]

Geoff,
Does your body man always paint everything in pieces?  How does he get the pieces to match once you hang them on the car?  Doing this with solid colors
is one thing but this car and Big Red are both metallic paint.  Just wondering??

[Stampie]

Knowing Geoff there is some trick invoked that will have us whippersnappers saying "Why didn't I think about that?"

Stampie

[Geoff]

All the paint was in a 1 gallon can, the pieces were not necessarily painted at the same time but all the paint came out of that 1 gallon can.  It has not been a problem.
Geoff

[Gary]

I think EZ is thinking about the orientation of the metallic particles in the paint. Refraction, or some technical physics term.
In theory, if you lay the fender on its side when painted, it will look different when hung vertically on the car.
Don't ask me; I specialize in Rustoleum spray cans.

Gary

[Geoff]

I dunno, it looks fine to me.  I don't see any difference between the doors (that were painted off the car and laid flat) and the rear quarters (that were painted later as you can see from the previous pictures) now that it is all back together.  I chose not to paint it myself for a good reason, eh.  I like the mechanical work, never cared much for the body work end of it, but I too am hell with a rattle can.
Geoff

[EZ]

I think EZ is thinking about the orientation of the metallic particles in the paint. Refraction, or some technical physics term.
In theory, if you lay the fender on its side when painted, it will look different when hung vertically on the car.
Don't ask me; I specialize in Rustoleum spray cans.

Gary

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about.  Metallic paint will "lay" different depending on how the body panel is laid when the paint is sprayed.  If you get the metallic oriented wrong the panels can look much different even if all the paint came out of the same can.  At least that's what I've always read and heard.  I've never tried painting a metallic car piece at a time but I've noticed your painter seems to do this.  Maybe he has a space issue? (I know the feeling)