1930 REO

 

1930 REO

(photo record for work performed in, Invoice #16)

Photo 16-1a thru 1e) Photos show my work on right running board. I removed the stainless steel shell, then cut and squared the front end of steel running board, and removed front and rear cross members which will be reinstalled later. All welds are tack welds, and will be welded solid after all the fitting work is done.

 

Photo 16-2a thru 2n) Series of photos shows the progress of my work to square up the right rear fender. The top photo shows the fender at the beginning of my work. The fender is out of square because the body panel that the fender bolts to is not located properly. It is angled wrong. It’s improper location is why the door openings were a half inch too small. I cannot change the quarter panels position at this late stage so I have to change the shape of the rear fender. The second and third photos from the top show the first pull I made on the fender to bring to square with the body. The third photo shows it square to the body, however, the photo is misleading because when I unbolted the fender to relieve the pressure at its bolt/mounts, it regressed and was still considerably out of square. I then began a process of repeated pulling and relieving the fender, each time bringing it a little closer to square. This process involved pulling the fender by different means, then removing it, metal working it with hammer and dolly, then reinstalling it and pulling it again. I did this at least five times. The last few times I pulled the fender to such extremes, I was really grimacing but I finally got it square without damaging it. It was a time consuming process but it is good to have it come out as shown in final photo.  

Photos 16-3a thru 3b) Photos show additional work I did to the right splash apron to bring it along with the fenders and running boards as I progressed.

Photo 16-4a thru 4j) Photos show work I did on the frame gussets for right side running board. I removed the three gussets, rear, middle, and front, and modified each one to make the running board fit the body and panels correctly. This work involved a lot of installation and removal and fitting. The photo second from bottom shows the running boards rear cross member being re-installed and checked against the gusset both off and on the car. All welds are tack welds for now but after all panels are fit, they will be welded solid and smoothed out to look stock.

Photo 16-5a thru 5e) Photos show work I did on the front right fender. Like the back fender, I tried to pull the fender to get it square with the body, but when I relieved it at its mounts and then re-bolted it, it would regress and be out of square. I pulled it six-ways-to-Sunday and made some progress but, unlike the rear fender, I just could not get it square enough to fit. And I knew if I pulled any harder, I would cause some serious damage. So I did what I had hoped to avoid and sectioned it. It is the only way to make it fit the other panels. It has a heavy inner-structure at the back which I would like to remove to straighten and then reinstall but that might be difficult because of the way it is welded in. I will figure it out. It will take some careful metal work but when it is done, it will be right.

Photo 16-6a thru 6b) Photos show the current fit of panels at front and rear of right running board. The paint sticks are in there to make up for the stainless steel cover which currently is off of the running board. The panels are square and everything goes together like it should without the use of hydraulic jacks and clamps. Still a fair amount of work to do especially on the back of the front fender but it’s going well and getting there.

 

THANK YOU, JERRY!

1930 REO

 

1930 REO

(photo record for work performed in, Invoice #15)

Photo 15-1a) Photo shows additional adjustment to right splash apron. Note that I still need to install the strengthener to the apron but that will come after the fitting work is complete.

Photo 15-2a thru 15-2e) Series of photos shows the progress of work to square up the panels. The top photo is a before photo and shows the fender is way out of square. The second photo down shows the running board is also way out of square. Note that the fender and running board are each out of square in a way that compounds the problem. Also note that I will correct the running board after I complete the fitting work for the fenders and apron. The third photo down shows the fit of panels after I did a major sheet metal pull using my portable frame machine. The new panel fit is prefect in photo but when I moved the apron back a hair into its exact pre-pull location, I lost a little bit of the square fit but only a tiny bit so its all good. The fifth photo in this group shows the fit in another direction and it is perfect. The last photo shows the gap between the running board gusset and fender which is also perfect now when before it was way off. So while I don’t want to jinx myself because the work is not done yet, it is looking real good so far.

Photos 15-3a thru 15-3c) Photos show the sheet metal pull I did with my portable frame machine (BTW, I made that machine 33 years ago). The first photo shows the machine hooked up and in process of pull. The first photo also shows the fender tied to the axle to keep it from moving in places I didn’t want it to move. The second photo shows the other end of the frame machine anchored so it cannot move. The third photo shows how I anchored the fender to the frame. Also in the third photo, very top left corner, the 4x4 block is visible coming up from a floor jack. Altogether these photos show how I kept the fender from moving where I did not want it to move while I put some serious force on it, to reshape it and bring it into square as shown in photos above.

Photo 14-4a thru 14-4c) Photos show miscellaneous work performed to achieve fit of right front fender. There’s a lot of work that was done not shown by photos. And so far I’m happy with the progress.  

 NOTE: Still a ways to go but definitely getting there.

 

THANK YOU, JERRY!

1930 REO

 

1930 REO

(photo record for work performed in, Invoice #14)

Photo 14-1a thru 14-1e) Photos show right side front fender work. I used my portable frame-machine to help me correct the shape of the fender. Last photo shows the fender brace which I removed prior to doing the work. I will reinstall the brace once the fender is correctly shaped.

Photo 14-2a thru 13-2b) More reshaping work on right front fender.

Photos 43-3a thru 14-3d) Photos show measuring as an aid to achieve correct fender shape. Note: The fender was visibly out of shape and the measurements helped me to understand what needed to be done. The measurements were way off at first but were either exact or within one sixteenth of an inch when I finished. Note: The first photo shows a measurement not for the fender but rather, between frame and front axle to make sure both sides are the same before taking other measurements. This measurement was exact from the start on both sides, and that is good  as it means the axle is true (the spring shackles currently have wooden substitutes in them but the substitutes are exactly equal in dimension so we are good on that).

Photo 14-4a thru 14-4e) Photos show use of a large straight edge as an aid to get the fender in the right shape. Note the white arrow in first photo. I put that arrow in the photo to show that the front edge of the fender from the center line to the inside seam indicated by the arrow is not stamped exactly the same as the left fender. It is more straight whereas the left fender is more curved. The left fender has the better form. It is tempting for me to correct this by slicing the fender and rewelding it. However, I am a perfectionist-nut and unless you tell me to change the right fender so that it is identical to the left one, I will leave it as is. The bubble level on the straight edge was helpful but the tape measure was the real deal. As said, the fender was way off but when finished the measurements were exact side to side. Getting this shape right not only makes the fender look much better when viewed, it also helps at the back of the fender where it must fit to the running board and the splash apron, although there is still a lot of work to do back there.

Photo 14-5a thru 14-5e)  Photos show headlight bar installed. The second photo is a good example of why all parts must be fit before paint work is done. If this gap is not corrected now, then it will crack the paint when the gap is drawn together. This is also an example of why I never do chrome work until after all the parts have been fitted to the car. The third photo is also an example of why I never chrome parts until after they have been fitted. This fit may need to be expanded, meaning the bar will need to be retracted some from its receptacle, and it might be scratched as a result. This is why whenever someone brought me an automobile to restore with the chrome work already done, I refused to take the job. The fitting work must come first. Otherwise its out of sequence and it causes a lot of unnecessary problems. Sorry to say this, but parts may need to be re-chromed. Hopefully not but no guarantees. I know the previous shop used lots of tape layers on the chrome parts but that is a waste of time. Hours spent taping parts, and usually for nothing. Anyway, as long as you’re on board with this, I will continue with the work.

Photo 14-6a thru 14-6b)  I took these two photos to show the importance of having proper fit. This is only a small gap, but I can guarantee that if not corrected before painting, then it would create a real chance of paint cracking a few years down the road because of the stress on the fender when bolts are used to draw it into place. This is only small example but it is a good one. This will be corrected so that when fender is held up to the frame for mounting, there is no gap, and bolt holes line up perfectly.

 

NOTE: If I can relate why I’m doing this work to get the panels exact from side to side, its because it makes a real difference to the eye. The observer might not notice it until they see what it could and should be, and then the difference becomes obvious to them (like a house that’s out of square may not be noticed until the observer sees an identical house that is square and they realize how much better it looks).

 

THANK YOU, JERRY!