Getting near the end…
Things are really coming together fast now. Yesterday Ken got the driver's door windows installed, the wiring problems pretty much under control, the rumble deck lid weatherstripping installed and decklid attached, the final rumble interior panel made and installed, and the top fully mounted to the rear well.
These are the seat cushions that came with the car, a home made set that don't look bad, but don't fit very well and are nowhere near original. I'm on the trail of some original seat springs and hope to have new, original style vinyl covered cushions in place by spring.
Today we installed the glove box, the seat belts, windshield wipers, sun visors, rumbleseat cushions and reinstalled the heater. Also some firewall pad fasteners, and similar small parts.
Ken refitted the top side rails that I got off a wrecked '38 Pontiac. The main "rail" portion is the same as '36, but the mounts needed to be reworked. That kind of thing is right down Ken's alley and they will fit perfectly once he reengineers the weather stripping that mounts to the lower edge of it and where the top meets the door window. He also needs to make the metal piece that fits over the door window, then send it out for replating. Here's Ken at work on the siderails, and a shot of the installed vent & door windows.
I also need to make the frame mounted rubber pads that mount above the front leaf springs. The originals had metal cores, but are no longer available. I found some 3'8" think neoprene rubber, bought a 4 x 8" piece and drilled holes to match the original. Bolted in place, it looks like the original piece.
Here are a few shots of the car as it looks now.
There is still a fair amount to do – get the other door vent frame & windows, installed, door panels & armrests; paint the molding strip and pinstripe it; sandblast 3 more wheels and paint all five, including trim paint; and a lot of small detail work, but the end is definitely in sight. Financially, that's great news – I've spent way more on this project that I ever imagined – but it's also a little sad. It has been great fun and a wonderful learning experience, one that I will really miss. I guess it's the same feeling thru hikers on the Appalachain Trail have when they get in sight of Mt. Katahdin.
I really need those running boards! Those and new blackwall tires, painted wheels and the trim paint will really dress it up. It's not a showy car, but very true to the mid-1930s and I believe it will be quite handsome when it's completely finished.
I've tried the best I can to restore this car to as exactly like it was when new and believe it will be the most authentic such restoration of any of the few '36 Pontiac Cabriolets that still exist. Most of all, it should be a lot of fun to own and drive.
These are the seat cushions that came with the car, a home made set that don't look bad, but don't fit very well and are nowhere near original. I'm on the trail of some original seat springs and hope to have new, original style vinyl covered cushions in place by spring.
Today we installed the glove box, the seat belts, windshield wipers, sun visors, rumbleseat cushions and reinstalled the heater. Also some firewall pad fasteners, and similar small parts.
Ken refitted the top side rails that I got off a wrecked '38 Pontiac. The main "rail" portion is the same as '36, but the mounts needed to be reworked. That kind of thing is right down Ken's alley and they will fit perfectly once he reengineers the weather stripping that mounts to the lower edge of it and where the top meets the door window. He also needs to make the metal piece that fits over the door window, then send it out for replating. Here's Ken at work on the siderails, and a shot of the installed vent & door windows.
I also need to make the frame mounted rubber pads that mount above the front leaf springs. The originals had metal cores, but are no longer available. I found some 3'8" think neoprene rubber, bought a 4 x 8" piece and drilled holes to match the original. Bolted in place, it looks like the original piece.
Here are a few shots of the car as it looks now.
There is still a fair amount to do – get the other door vent frame & windows, installed, door panels & armrests; paint the molding strip and pinstripe it; sandblast 3 more wheels and paint all five, including trim paint; and a lot of small detail work, but the end is definitely in sight. Financially, that's great news – I've spent way more on this project that I ever imagined – but it's also a little sad. It has been great fun and a wonderful learning experience, one that I will really miss. I guess it's the same feeling thru hikers on the Appalachain Trail have when they get in sight of Mt. Katahdin.
I really need those running boards! Those and new blackwall tires, painted wheels and the trim paint will really dress it up. It's not a showy car, but very true to the mid-1930s and I believe it will be quite handsome when it's completely finished.
I've tried the best I can to restore this car to as exactly like it was when new and believe it will be the most authentic such restoration of any of the few '36 Pontiac Cabriolets that still exist. Most of all, it should be a lot of fun to own and drive.
posted by Bob Shafto at 7:40 PM
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