1930 REO
(photo record for work performed in, Invoice #1)
Photo 1) I elevated the body off the frame ¼ inch to remove
splash apron. Before lifting the body, I sized all mounting holes to take ½
inch bolts except the front two at the cowl where I installed 7/16 bolts. I did
this because work done previously used a
hodgepodge of fasteners. I used longer than normal bolts so that when I lifted
the body, the bolts would all remain in their holes and everything would stay in
alignment. When I reinstalled the splash apron, I lowered the body back onto
the frame.
Photo 2, 3, 4, 5) Photos show the sheet metal pull I used to pull the
rear fender into alignment so that it squared with the body and running board
and splash apron. I anchored the pull where the front axle attaches to the
frame, and I slipped a tube over the front running board gusset to strengthen
it and create an attachment point for the wenches. The last photo (5) shows the fender nearly
square with the rear running board gusset. If the fender is not square with the
gusset, the running board and fender will not mate. I thought I had it close
enough but when I test fitted the running board to fender, I saw had to take it
just a little bit further (see photo 6 below).
Photo 6) I used a different method to complete the rear fender
squaring work because I knew the bottom flange of the fender, although strong,
was not strong enough for the final pull. So I supported the outside edge of
the fender with a wood 2x2 and pushed it square with a hydraulic jack.
Photo 6a, 7) The rear fender’s bottom face had a slight outward
bow which also prevented it from matting up square with the running board. To
fix this, I put a giant dolly (made from a 10 inch section of railroad track)
behind the fender and used a body hammer to square the fender face. Ruler on
fender shows the face after I squared it. (Note: I worked on this fender’s
bottom months ago but only its outside edge to shape and fabricate its edge
bead to match the trim piece that runs along the bottom edge of running board.
I did that work with the fender clamped to the running board, to hold them in
square. Now, after the current repair work, clamps are no longer needed to hold
the fender and running board square).
Photo 8) Initial sheet metal pull on front fender to bring it
into square with body. I anchored this pull at point where the rear axle
attaches to the frame on the opposite side of the car. Note the large piece of
angle iron placed behind the splash apron to keep the fender from crushing the
apron while making the pull. Also, I had to unbolt and lower the front running
board gusset to make this pull. The pull did bend the splash apron slightly, I
watched it carefully, and I accepted it in the knowledge that I had already cut
the strengthener off of its bottom and therefore I knew it would be easy to
bend it back straight.
Photo 9, 9a) Sheet metal pull to square front fender with body,
running board, and splash apron. I anchored this pull where the rear axle
attaches to the frame on the same side of the body. While I pulled on the fender, I used a 4X4
block and large hammer to strike the fender in location shown in photo, to
change its shape and square it with the car’s body and frame. I had to be
careful doing this. I did not want to distort the fender in the wrong way. It
worked out good!
Photo 10) Front fender now square with running board gusset. (Note:
I wish I had taken a photo before I started this work to show how far the
fender was out of square with the gusset and running board and body. It was
terrible.)
Photo 11) Work area photo.
Photo 12, 13) Initial correcting of the splash apron’s shape and
fit. Photo shows a steel tube clamped to the splash apron and frame, to hold it
in position at that point. The wood 2x2 laying on the splash apron will be
placed under the apron to serve as a load spreader while pushing up on the
apron with hydraulic ram.
Photo 14, 15) Correcting the front to rear break of the splash
apron, to bring it back to a 90 degree angle which it had probably lost over
the decades. As a result of the loss of
angle, it had a pooched out face. As I pulled it back to 90 degrees, that cause
its face to warp. I also corrected that as shown in photos. The splash apron
worked out real good!
Photo 16) These holes are where the bolts go through to secure
the splash apron to the running board. They are messed up because a new kid
drilled them wrong the first time. The plan was to cover them with washers so
they would not be seen. This disgusted me. People may not see them, but the
painters will see them, and anyone that sees this will think the car was done
by amateurs. Fortunately, the new strengthener will take care of this problem.
These holes will serve as spot weld holes for the strengthener, and will be
shaved smooth. No more amateur holes.
Photo 17)
This is the strengthener that will be welded to the bottom of the splash apron.
It is in keeping with the original strengthener but of a slightly heavier gauge
metal. I cut it from a light gage metal tube (14 ga). I will install it in the
next work set (it is not currently done). Also in the next work set, I will
make stainless mounting plates to replace the originals under the running
boards. Also, the rear running board gusset is bent down
slightly which will be easy to repair. I will do that in the next work set.
Photo 18, 19, 20) First photo shows what looks like a sheet metal body
seam, but it is not. It’s door glue used like body filler to fill a gap between
the rear fender and body. I ground the glue/filler off the car as shown in
second photo. Third photo shows the gap after I removed the filler. The gap is
too wide to be hidden with fender welt.
Photo 21, 22, 23) First photo shows how the gap closes up at the bottom
corner of quarter panel. Second panel show how I modified the bottom corner of
quarter panel. This modification allowed me to move fender slightly and help
close the overall gap. I also metal worked the fender considerably to close the
gap. By modifying the quarter panel lower corner, and metal working the fender,
I was able to close the gap (see next photos).
Photo 24, 25) First
photo shows repaired rear fender gap compared to second photo which shows
fender gap on opposite side of car.
Photo 26, 27, 28, 29) Photos show repair of bow in end of running board
both at front and back. The bow would not allow the running board to mate up
square with the fenders. To remove the bow, I had to accept that the top of the
running board at its far ends would have a very slight rise. It is very slight
and should be okay but if not I can correct it by use of smalls screws and a
narrow trim piece. I hope to avoid that because I like to show that the panels
fit together perfectly without the use of trim used to hide misalignment.
However, if we do need to use a piece of trim, we can do it in a way where the
trim sits on the running board only and therefore does not hide the
perfect alignment of panels (I can explain this better in person).
Photo 30, 31, 32) Finished work! The panels fit together so well, they sit
as shown in photo with bolts in loose, or with no bolts at all! All the holes
line up just right. Bolts and nuts go in easy with fingers. Previously,
installing the panels required a ridiculous combination of clamps and even a
hydraulic jack which put them in one hell of bind, and that was just asking for
paint to pop off somewhere down the line. I was not one-hundred percent
positive that this problem could be corrected completely. But it is 100%
corrected now, and it is a great weight off my chest!
Photo 33) Photo shows the right front fender (shown on left in
photo) may not have the correct shape. Not sure about this yet. I haven’t had
time to give it a close look. To check this, I need to mount the spoke wheels
and tires and the front bumper. A
lay-person might not notice a difference in the two fenders without the wheels
and bumper as reference points, but once the wheels and bumper are on, if the
fenders are not the same, the difference it will stick out like a sore thumb.
Photo 34) These are the storage bins I use to keep small parts
in. They are also visible in the background of photo #1. There is no charge to you for the work of
organizing the parts or in transporting the car.
_________________________________________________________________________
Jerry, I was
greatly relieved to get the left side of the car to where all the panels go
together as they should, with no force needed whatsoever. The left side panels
now fit together 100% right with holes lined up and all bolts and nuts starting
easy with fingers. It was a lot of work, but it did not take as long as I
thought it would, and it is a big load off my chest to have it work out right!
I am very sorry that it had to be done, and I am very grateful to be able to do
it.
THANK YOU JERRY!
