63 Pinner Hightop

[John ED Renstrom]

Finished up on the handle pocket today. Added a strap to where the handle bolts on to make it a little stronger. There, it was puckered when I removed the handle. After we got done, I bolted the handle back on to check out the contour. Looks good. We get the rest of the bottom, and we can sling some mud. I ran around the edges on the inside. If water gets in, now it will have no place to hide. This would not have happened if they hadn't boxed things in.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

That part of the operation is now complete. We have the back Door sealed up now. Mud slinging will commence tomorrow. Hopefully not to the extent of what we took off.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

Had a couple fun days here. The good news is we finally got some rain. My adopted Daughter drop off her car monday to have me put a drivers seat in it. I have not worked harder taking a seat out of a car before. It's put in with two bolts in the rear and hooks in front. The drive gear is broken so it won't move and the track is over the bolts. I had to take it apart from the top down one piece at a time still in the car. Just to get at the warm gear and twist it with the vice grip till the bolts were clear. Took all afternoon to get it out and help my neighbor weld up the tongue on the lion. Took 5 minutes to put the replacement one it. Had to take the car up to Rapid to day and get the front bearings changed. They were loose and activating the ABS system. Got home in time to finish cleaning up the back door and get the first layer of filler on it. Use the fibreglass stranded for the first layer for a stronger base. Hope the rest of the week is more productive.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

Well it had to happen. We finished up the trailer this morning just before the rain hit. It cooled down into the 50s and the heaters in the garage came on. Nice to finaly get some rain though. Suppose to be all week on and off. Time of the year to be glad for inside work. Got the bumper off the rear only 4 bolts had to use heat on 3 of them. Dumped the hardware into the rust dissolver let it soak there. We will need to sand blast the panel under it. Its still solid but pitted badly. Found a little more rust on the right quarter down under the rear surround trim. Knocked down that first layer we put on found a big low spot marked it with a piece of tape so i could find it inside and used the crow bar to bump it out little. The crow bar is the neatest thing to reach in and move a little metal with. Sharp corners and a chisel tip and enough weight to move things. Here is the low spot after we bumped it out some. Then one more layer on. Nice to be able to move that lion. It broke down on the 4th of July.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

Comes a time in every man's life when he just needs to spray a little primer. Got to do that today. This pot belly door is something else. It is a round ball that moves from side to side and top to bottom. Hard to round things out with a 16-inch flat board. The secret is not to stop moving.

 

[Richard Vyse]

Your work is similar to an embalmer making a body viewable again after being in a massive auto accident.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

Let's see if I can make the work tonight. Got the lower backside sandblasted off. Then, I blocked off the rear door. Used the short board to cut things down and round things out a little more. The gray spots in the second picture are, in truth, flat spots. The dark spots in the last layer were where we cut down to the fiberglass mix in the first layers.