Wagonaire 3...Trim on

[Dick Steinkamp]

Thank you Dick S. I appreciate your explaination of CASO and agree with you. If I wasnot a CASO I would never get to go to the IM's. It would also have meant that I would not have met you and shared a room at the 2007 SB meet. I am proud to be considered a CASO. In sharing a Room with somebody I get to know people from all over.

Per your example of sharing a room...not only do we get to save a few bucks as a CASO, but we get to have tons of fun by so doing.

(actually, I would have paid EXTRA for the fun we had together at South Bend...and on the road to South Bend from Minnesota )

[Milaca]

Wow! What a difference that side trim and wheel covers made. I like it a lot!

[Dick Steinkamp]

Wow! What a difference that side trim and wheel covers made.

I think without the trim, it looked more like a refrigerator than a car...

[kmac530]

Man Dick that wagonaire is looking SO nice. That trim looks really good.
If that quality of work is CASO....what am I? Just broke I guess.
Im kidding. I like that there are NON-CASOs that just put every detail and dollar into their restorations and builds, but me, I am all for a bargain. You sir are a shining example of what a CASO can do and still do it right!

[Roscomacaw]

Luvin' it!

[Bish]

Dick, That looks really good! How did you prep the aluminum for paint and how did you attach the Daytona emblems?
Bish

[pdrnec]

I think without the trim, it looked more like a refrigerator than a car...

I have to agree - OTOH, I think my Daytona looks better clean.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Dick, That looks really good! How did you prep the aluminum for paint and how did you attach the Daytona emblems?
Bish

I just cleaned the aluminum with 0000 steel wool then wiped it down with DX 330 wax and grease remover after removing the old Daytona emblems.

There are 3 studs on the Daytona emblems. They were held on by a spot of solder at each stud on the back side. I used a file to remove the solder down to the level of the aluminum, then the studs just pushed out (along with the emblem, of course).

I painted the trim then reattached the new emblems with a spot of epoxy on the back side of the studs rather than solder.

[Dick Steinkamp]

One thing I forgot to mention, is that I did put the tailgate hardware back together also. No big deal EXCEPT for the torsion rod at the bottom. The torsion rod acts as a spring to help raise the tailgate since it is rather heavy with the glass in place.

The manual isn't much help. It has you fasten the rod to the bottom of the tailgate and install the piece that holds the right side in place, then it just says to install the holder and the other end of the torsion rod on the left side of the tailgate jamb. That, of course, is impossible since the only time the torsion rod isn't under extreme tension is when the tail gate is closed and you can't install that end holder when the tailgate is closed.

After scratching my head for quite a while, I finally opened the tail gate fully, put the torsion rod under as much tension as I could by hand, and clamped a vice grips on the rod to hold it in that position. Then I raised the tailgate to about the half way position and was able to instal the holder over the left side of the rod and release the vice grips. This is one of about 50 operations that I'd love to know how it was actually done on the production line.

BTW, I do have another torsion rod and an extra rust free tailgate and tailgate glass if anyone is interested.

[JBOYLE]

Nice!
Good to see a car with all the trim...

[showbizkid]

a spot of solder

That must have been an interesting assembly operation! Soldering plated pot metal to anodized aluminum sheet... Not a process I'd like to try!

[Studebakercenteroforegon]

The assembly process was probably "orbital riveting" in which the die cast zinc posts were inserted through the aluminum trim and the material was displaced by the orbital riveting process. Die cast zinc is very ductile and works well for this high speed production process. It would leave a grayish small diameter which one might consider was solder. Please notice I refer to the emblem as die cast zinc since there is no such thing as "pot metal." (Sorry, I retired after 45 years in the die casting and injection molding industry.)

[Dick Steinkamp]

The assembly process was probably "orbital riveting" in which the die cast zinc posts were inserted through the aluminum trim and the material was displaced by the orbital riveting process. Die cast zinc is very ductile and works well for this high speed production process. It would leave a grayish small diameter which one might consider was solder. Please notice I refer to the emblem as die cast zinc since there is no such thing as "pot metal." (Sorry, I retired after 45 years in the die casting and injection molding industry.)

Thanks for the clarification. It looked like solder, but didn't act like solder. Harder. The same process was used to attach the little die cast "8" to the die cast body of the grill emblem. I tried melting that one off, and no go. I had to file it off also to remove the "8" prior to refinishing the base.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Nice!
Good to see a car with all the trim...

More to come, John.

The bumpers are still off, plus most of the roof rack. You can barely see the 5 stainless cross pieces on the roof. Missing are stanchions and the side and cross tubes. They are on the way to Jerry Forester to be rechromed. I think the roof rack will help take away more of the 'frig look. Also, there is a stainless strip in the front and rear of the slider that are not on as well as 2 die cast "finishers" for each of those strips that have to go on before the stainless. Those are also on the way to Jerry. Then there is the hood ornament, the LARK letters for the front fenders, the windshield stainless, and the antenna.

There is enough trim on it, however, that it encourages me to keep at it. Nothing like a little "jewelry" to motivate.

[candbstudebakers]

One thing I forgot to mention, is that I did put the tailgate hardware back together also. No big deal EXCEPT for the torsion rod at the bottom. The torsion rod acts as a spring to help raise the tailgate since it is rather heavy with the glass in place.

The manual isn't much help. It has you fasten the rod to the bottom of the tailgate and install the piece that holds the right side in place, then it just says to install the holder and the other end of the torsion rod on the left side of the tailgate jamb. That, of course, is impossible since the only time the torsion rod isn't under extreme tension is when the tail gate is closed and you can't install that end holder when the tailgate is closed.

After scratching my head for quite a while, I finally opened the tail gate fully, put the torsion rod under as much tension as I could by hand, and clamped a vice grips on the rod to hold it in that position. Then I raised the tailgate to about the half way position and was able to instal the holder over the left side of the rod and release the vice grips. This is one of about 50 operations that I'd love to know how it was actually done on the production line.

BTW, I do have another torsion rod and an extra rust free tailgate and tailgate glass if anyone is interested.

That stupid bar got my left hand a few years ago still hurts when I think about , hand has not been the same since.