Past Projects in 1:1 scale

[restoman]

Cleaning up my hard drive and came across these...

I've been retired from the autobody & paint biz for a tick over three years now, but there was a time not so long ago that I was feet-deep in the resto end of things. 32 years in the trade, 20 some-odd spent solely on restos and a few hot rods. I loved pretty much every minute of the work itself. The business end of things could get you down in a heartbeat. I did it all: from the initial estimates, to the parts finding, to the repair, prep, paint and re-assembly, to final delivery.

I've met some truly great people, and some not-so-great people, and got to work at my heart's desire. I even got paid sometimes to do it!

Most of these were from when I had my own shop, and one or two are from after. I'll be adding more as I come across them.

Comments are always welcome!

 

[stitchdup]

Thanks for sharing, the new beetle looks good 2 toned

[Shambles]

Cool. Love the wagon and the purple Lincoln. I did a few hobby cars on weekends with some friends. This was one my last projects, a 1957 Chevy Sedan Delivery. It was a rust bucket basket case. New floors, rockers ... well pretty much everything. Found and rebuilt a small block 400 and auto trans. 6 years and god knows how much money, but it was fun.

 

Edited September 19, 2019 by Shambles

[restoman]

Thanks. The Yellow Cabriolet was a total re-do. It sat under a tarp in Toronto for 20 some years. F.I. cars don't like to sit... neither do steel cars. When it was finally sorted out, it turned out to be a very nice driver.

The giant creamsicle VW was actually my wife's car. Originally red, it was pretty plain.

The Avanti is one of my bucket list cars! I loved just about everything about this car. A US car from the west, I believe, it was in really nice shape just needing a few 'glass repairs and a new coat of paint. R1 engine with an auto, I got to drive it for the weekend when I finished it.

The '70 Mach One is a local ride, owned by the same guy since the late '70s, He bought it from his brother. It was rough... rear rails, floors, front aprons, wheel wells, quarters, etc. A 2bbl Cleveland automatic car, it now sports a healthy 4bbl mill, and a more-civilized 3.50 rear (had a 4.57 when he brought it to me) and the original colour. He wanted some Ice Pearl in with the clear.  That's my '74 Super Beetle next to it, in front of my shop.

The '56 Olds Holiday Coupe is another local ride. 2nd owner since 1972, this car has never seen snow or ice even though it comes from Montreal originally. Original paint when brought to me. Power steering, heater, radio and a Hydramatic are about the only options in the silver, black and white interior car. Solid as a rock, it still needed a total refurbish.

The 1956 Lincoln Premiere convertible is nice! Originally done in Wisteria, it was just about rust free but was one of the waviest cars I've ever worked on. I used polyester primer on most jobs for blocking out straight, but this one I think I went through 4 or 5 gallons of the stuff. Then I did the same with high-build urethane. My arms and shoulders hurt! It's a big car!

That gorgeous Merc woody is owned by the Lincoln owner. I think I had close to 600 hours in the body & paint, not including the floor replacement. It looked good when he brought it in, but once the old, chalky white and blue paint came off... Oh Boy! Lots of rust, old collision repairs and generally shoddy work was hidden underneath. Those fiberglass trim pieces around the woodgrain needed massive amounts of work. I sprayed the body but the owner had a German fellow do all the woodgraining. Awesome job he did, too! Like all of this fellow's cars, he assembled it himself.

The Mercedes is a fiberglass replica. A very thick, old and wavy replica... It was sold to Switzerland soon after this pic was taken.

[Gramps46]

Hard to believe that Mercedes is a replica because is sure looks good.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

  On 9/19/2019 at 12:13 AM, restoman said:

 

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While several of these really appealed to me, These two REALLY stand out. Great work!

[Lunajammer]

Some real jewels there. Beautiful work. Wish I could take a couple home.

[Ace-Garageguy]

  On 9/20/2019 at 6:55 PM, Lunajammer said:

Some real jewels there. Beautiful work. Wish I could take a couple home.

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Me too.

  On 9/19/2019 at 12:13 AM, restoman said:

...I've met some truly great people, and some not-so-great people, and...I even got paid sometimes to do it!

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Ain't that the truth. 

[Richard Bartrop]

That Avanti is pretty sweet, and so is the Lincoln.  That 540K replica actually does a pretty decent job of capturing the style of the original.

[restoman]

Found some more...

The race car I didn't have much to do with, other than priming, basing and then clearing when my bud finished the flames. I did, however, watch as the driver lost control at speed and take out most of the 'glass body. Driver was unhurt, but I think he needed to change his underoos after...

The Citroen DS is a beauty. A local guy used to be a well-known Citroen guru, and this was his ride. Finished in Ford E9 Laser Red tint, I was shocked when he sold it. Shocked even more when he told me he got well over $100k for it...

Citroen TA, brought through the DS owner. A neat car, but unfortunately, this was owned by one of those not-so-great people.

The '32 Chrysler is an interesting car. The story goes - according to the current owner - that it was actually a '31 model taken back by the factory and sold as a '32, to (this is kinda steep) someone in Al Capone's organization to use as a bribe back when. Some literature acquired with the car shows it as sold in the Chicago area to a Limited company, but who knows for sure how and why? Good story, though. It was pretty rough and neglected when he brought it to me. 

'57 Thunderbird, owned by the same gent who owns the Lincoln and the Merc woody. He's always buying and selling, this is just one he wanted freshened up for re-sale, A nice solid car. The underside and engine compartment was immaculate!

Studebaker... Supposedly bought from Lawrence Welk's nephew, it was near mint and original when my customer bought it. I guess the nephew was some upset when he found out what the truck turned into... I was the lucky guy who got to finish the work done by seemingly countless shops before me. It was a bloody nightmare! Ever try explaining to someone that even though they spent tens of thousands of dollars on something, that it was mostly trash and had to be re-done if he wanted the truck to look like something? Wasn't fun, let me tell ya! A carb'd 502 big block crate engine, built on a '88 Chevy truck chassis, I bet this truck has been over most of North America in the years since I finished it. He finally spent his money in the right place, I guess.

More to come...

Comments always welcome.

[The Junkman]

  On 9/19/2019 at 12:13 AM, restoman said:

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Excaliber?  I saw Rod Steward driving one in West Hollywood in 1979 with a smashing blonde in the passenger seat.  I wanted one then.  The blonde, not the car.  Seeing how many few are on the road now, I'd say it was an.....inferior auto.

Edited September 21, 2019 by The Junkman

[restoman]

  On 9/21/2019 at 12:09 AM, The Junkman said:

Excaliber?  I saw Rod Steward driving one in West Hollywood in 1979 with a smashing blonde in the passenger seat.  I wanted one then.  The blonde, not the car.  Seeing how many few are on the road now, I'd say it was an.....inferior auto.

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  On 9/21/2019 at 12:09 AM, The Junkman said:

Excaliber?  I saw Rod Steward driving one in West Hollywood in 1979 with a smashing blonde in the passenger seat.  I wanted one then.  The blonde, not the car.  Seeing how many few are on the road now, I'd say it was an.....inferior auto.

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This one looked to be built on a custom frame, with Ford power & drive train and suspension.

[Richard Bartrop]

That Imperial is beautiful.

[restoman]

A couple more... 

The red Nova SS is a western Canada car, 350 4 speed. Very solid. The fella who owned this car was one of those customers every shop owner dreams about: A genuinely nice guy who was thoroughly appreciative of the work his car needed, and the effort involved to get it to look this good. He didn't even moan and whine about the cost, just left a bottle of rye on my desk and two very straight black marks out of the parking lot.

The huge '71 New Porker... owned by a friend. It's not really worth anything but he loves it. Passes everything but a gas station, as he says.

1969 Beaumont. Or, rather, a collection of '68 & '69 parts that someone put together. This car had all the typical GM A body convertible problems and a few that weren't typical, and has to be near the top of my list of cars that turned my shop white. There was soooooo much filler removed from this baby. 

The '69 GTO still looks very much the same today as it did when I finished my portion of the work on it in 2006. A father-and-son project that stalled when Jr. went off the university. The Ram Air engine built to IV specs is bolted to the Muncie and waiting for someone to pay some attention to it.  A wavy, wavy, wavy car, and fitting that Enduro bumper was a nightmare, like most of them are. I think I spent most of a day pulling the twist out of it and getting it to line up without distorting everything around it.

Gotta love Verdoro Green!

Parts of my dream car live on in the '74 Swinger.  A local car, originally a 318 slug. I sold him the nicely built 360, 727, and 3.23 SG geared rear I had planned to put in my '69 Dart. New quarters, a set of rally wheels I had kicking around and a set of oooooollllllld 'glass fenders to go with the rims ended up here. It's a pretty peppy little bomb. I've always had a thing for Mopar A bodies...

Comments always welcome.

[restoman]

Last ones...

The '34 Ford shell... it was pretty much scrap when he brought it in. Way back somewhere in it's life, it had been rolled and left for dead. I think it came from the US high plains area. Rough doesn't begin to describe what I started with... Straightened it up, converted the deck lid, put a floor in it, as well as most of the firewall, lower front panels, and lower quarters. I can't for the life of me remember what the colour name was, but it's done in single layer urethane, matched to a small bit that was still glossy in the cowl vent opening. The owner put it together - I re-did the fenders, boards, hood, etc. - and it looks gorgeous the odd time it's out in the sun. 

Jaguar. I spent two days aligning the sheet metal after another *shop* did some *work* on it. I had to wait till the owner left before I could begin to manipulate things to fit. He was pretty adamant that he did not want to have to paint anything. A lot of gentle bending, some not-so-gentle bending and a good bit of brute force got it all back to acceptable standards. He let me drive it around the block a few times. Nice! Unlike anything I've ever driven before.

'71 Westy...locally owned, brought from Wisconsin for his daughter. Wisconsin should tell you all you need to know about the shape it was in. IIRC, the bodyshop bill was around $20k, in 2005 dollars. The mechanical bill was close to half of that. A new Scat crate engine, dual Kadrons, header/extractor, all new brakes with rear discs, etc... She still owns it and it still looks great. It was originally orange and white. Hell Blau and white now.

The two '56 Mercurys belong to the fella who owns the Lincoln and the Merc woody. A nice set of bookends. Another shop had done the convertible for him, in yellow and white. When the colour literally fell off in sheets, he brought it to me. This is the only car he ever complained about the price with me. Understandable, since he'd already paid someone else to do it. The Sun Valley is stunning! These pics are taken in the owners yard, after he put them back together. 

 

[restoman]

'69 Charger. My last full-on body job. I started this in '07 and finished it to this stage in the summer of '13. Not as slow as it sounds, as it sat in storage for 4 of those years. Another from another "shop", I ended up replacing the left front frame rail, the torsion bar crossmember, both complete rockers, front fender aprons, both rear rail sections, taillight panel, lower rear panel, both quarters, right front fender and the hood. US Car Tool frame connectors were added. Oh yeah.. both doors were welded up and the decklid got a new right lip repair. The fiberglass, duct tape (yes - duct tape) and tar weren't good enough for the $14+ the owner paid the other guy. Surprisingly enough the floors and trunk floor installed by the other fella were usable. This pic is when it left my house for the long ride back to the St Catherines area. It's owned by the same guy who owns the '71 New Yorker. One of the best customers I've ever had. It's not finished beyond what the pics show yet. A 440, bucket and console automatic, with A/C, power windows and seats car, in the original F6 green. It'll have a white vinyl top some day.

And last, and sometimes, least: My '74 Super Beetle. We've owned it since 1995, been driving it since the late summer of '96. This is the first of maybe a dozen VWs I've done, and Boy!, was it a learning curve. I never should have bought this particular car, it was so rusted and cobbled. Covered in bondo and flat black paint, it fooled me completely. Wasn't till I started taking it apart that I started feeling embarrassed for having been snookered. Everything except the engine and transaxle has been re-done, and it's refinished in Honda Milano Red, and Chrysler Cool Vanilla base clear, with a white interior. I've owned a lot of cars, from big block B bodies, to Volvos, to Toyotas. but even though this is the slowest of the bunch (if you're in a hurry, take the bus!), it's the most fun to drive car I've ever owned. It's due for a freshening after 23 years - hidden hinges, roll back roof, different wheels, etc, but it's going to be the same old Bug we've come to love!

Comments always welcome! 

[Ace-Garageguy]

You have a bunch of fine looking work there, sir. 

[restoman]

  On 9/28/2019 at 8:46 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

You have a bunch of fine looking work there, sir. 

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Thank you. Nice to hear that from another car guy. 

I miss the work greatly, but it's beyond my abilities now. Every once in a while, I'll drop by my buddy's shop just to get the feel again. They're primarily a collision shop but the sounds and some of the smells are the same.

[dmthamade]

It's great being in the trade and being able to work on stuff you want to as well as stuff you have to. I see you had a great variety of cars as well, sometimes you do get to live the dream.

Don

[dmthamade]

Had to do a double take on that green GTO. Had one in last year? Owner died, son inherited car. Picked up car from northern Ontario, driving back to southern Ontario it threw a rod(s) through the side of the block. I pulled engine and was sent out for rebuild. Took about 4-5 months to find parts. Car is really clean.

[restoman]

  On 9/30/2019 at 12:34 AM, dmthamade said:

Had to do a double take on that green GTO. Had one in last year? Owner died, son inherited car. Picked up car from northern Ontario, driving back to southern Ontario it threw a rod(s) through the side of the block. I pulled engine and was sent out for rebuild. Took about 4-5 months to find parts. Car is really clean.

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Very nice!

I'm a sucker for Pontiacs of the 60s and early 70s, GTOs in particular.

[restoman]

Found a few more, if anyone is interested...

1958 Bonneville.

A really solid car, brought from the Los Angeles area if I recall. 

The owner picked the colours, they're not original. The darker green is a pearl coat that looks better than I would have thought. It was NOT that straight when I first got it!!!!

I got a lot of business out of this job. This guy went everywhere!

[restoman]

Citroen DS.

We did a bunch of these, we seemed to be the only shop on this end of the province willing to take on older imports needing more than just a simple re-spray.

Odd looking, for sure, but these cars ride and handle very well. 

[restoman]

Another '56 Lincoln Premiere, owned by the same fella that owns the Wisteria Premiere and the '56 Mercs.

This one looked very nice, until you got up close. There are actually four different shades of pink on the car. Matching it was a nightmare... and when I peeled the tape off in the booth, a lot of clear came with it. I ended up spraying both rear quarters with two different tints and blending them on the backlight panel. I ended up clearing most of the car., with spot repairs and blends everywhere.

The owner was quite irate when it took longer than estimated, and no amount of explaining helped. Giving him a bill that was only slightly more than quoted did help... along with the many pics of the beast when it was in the booth and the three cans of base that I mixed to match.

He brought it by after reassembly, and it's stunner to the casual look.

Making a drop top out of a coupe was a first for me. 

Edited December 18, 2019 by restoman

[restoman]

Delorean... yeah, we did some mechanical work to this ... umm. .. car.