Are you this proud of your work ???

[mmagic]

Opened the care package from CE tonight and had to share this on the inside of the fender patch.



Can't say as I've always been proud enough of my work to sign it.

Kudos to Lamont and CE for his sheet metal and glass specialty products that make restoration of Studebaker problem spots a so easy.

[Chris_Dresbach]

That's neat, and if a worker put a lot of time into making a piece perfect, more power to them. As I've gone through NOS parts in the SI inventory I've found a handful of parts that old employees left their mark on. Can't say that I haven't added one or two myself.

[rockne10]

[brngarage]

Friend of mine just received some parts (front fender patches and hood stiffeners) from CE. Guess what? The same guy signed the parts (and they look really good!). He does great work.

[mmagic]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27415[/ATTACH]

Here's CE fender patches on my Champ. I found them quite straight forward. The one thing I will do different is to attach a couple of temporary lateral pieces to keep the surface flat while I'm getting it welded. I've projected 10 to 12 hours to do both of them.

http://www.viddler.com/v/a34e1d79

[dean pearson]

That's neat, and if a worker put a lot of time into making a piece perfect, more power to them. As I've gone through NOS parts in the SI inventory I've found a handful of parts that old employees left their mark on. Can't say that I haven't added one or two myself.

That is very cool,... Chris what did you fabricate or produce that you were proud enough to put your name on? Got pictures?

The only thing I can say that about is a gazebo that I fabbed fit and welded then installed in Balboa park pepper grove playground in San Diego, It is supposed to last 100 years.
I can't think of anything else especially car related. I love the made in U.S.A pride and am currently stoked to work for a world wide manufacturer of cryogenic gas processing equipment who's home office is in Murrieta Ca. U.S.A.

Dean.

Dean.

[rockne10]

...attach a couple of temporary lateral pieces to keep the surface flat while I'm getting it welded.

A wise move.
Once I had mine all trimmed and fitted, I took a couple of square steel tubes from back edge to wheel opening and clamped them hard. This kept everything straight while I applied a lot of tack welds. Once everything was stable the tubes were removed to thoroughly stitch the seams. Unfortunately, those fenders are in a compound curve, not a straight line. But, once the tack welds were stable, I was able to do some adjusting with a rubber mallet to achieve some additional curve. Never got it like factory but, only Gregg Lentini can tell.

[mmagic]

Friend of mine just received some parts (front fender patches and hood stiffeners) from CE. Guess what? The same guy signed the parts (and they look really good!). He does great work.

The products are very good. My speedster has CE Rockers, trunk seal track and today's UPS package fender patches and hood stiffeners. My method on the Champ fender is not sacred but your friend may get some ideas from it. The Champ fenders seemed like they took a week to do but I hope to do both Speedster fenders tomorrow now that I have my process/steps down. The most difficult part as I remember was getting the L channel into the fold on the patch panel. The Chanel must be opened up so that the L can be seated very deep. If the L isn't seated deep or if you fail to provide the rubber spacer between the L and the A pillar you risk fender/door contention. SI has preformed rubber spacers or get 1/4" rubber strips from Granger.

http://www.viddler.com/v/a34e1d79

[Chris_Dresbach]

That is very cool,... Chris what did you fabricate or produce that you were proud enough to put your name on? Got pictures?

The only thing I can say that about is a gazebo that I fabbed fit and welded then installed in Balboa park pepper grove playground in San Diego, It is supposed to last 100 years.
I can't think of anything else especially car related. I love the made in U.S.A pride and am currently stoked to work for a world wide manufacturer of cryogenic gas processing equipment who's home office is in Murrieta Ca. U.S.A.

Dean.

Dean.

Unfortunately I didn't take pics, but when you order a rear shelf from SI we make those in house. I spent a week away from South Bend in Greenfield and the guy who usually makes them turned me loose in the shop. Somewhere out there, there is an off white rear shelf in a hawk that I signed on the back. It turned out beautiful. The material that those shelves come in is black, so unless you were looking for my signature I doubt you would see it right off the bat. There was also a wheel cover that I found; it was a crusty, tarnished piece of junk. I spent a long time polishing that thing until it looked like new and when I could see myself in it I signed the back just under the part that clips onto the wheel. Not sure whatever happened to it.
One of the coolest things in the Chippewa Plant is the drafting table in the blueprint room. The draftsmen that used it at Studebaker signed it and dated it 1936 and 1937. I make it a point to show that every time I lead a tour.
In the SNM there is a green 1916 that they restored a few years back. In an undisclosed location I know where it says "painted by Tom Molnar". He was rather proud of that paint job and he should be, Tom is one of the best painters I know.

[dean pearson]

Very cool Chris I didn't know they actually made the rear shelves. Is that for any model or just certain ones?

Dean.

[StudeRich]

It makes sense to me that since you have the material, you are going to make them for all of the models listed in the S.I. Catalog.

[Chris_Dresbach]

It makes sense to me that since you have the material, you are going to make them for all of the models listed in the S.I. Catalog.

I really don't know that there are any models that we don't offer the real shelves for. In Greenfield there is a whole rack of rear shelf templates. Each and every reproduction rear shelf that a customer buys from us is hand cut, punched, painted, and inspected.