1930 REO

 

1930 REO

(photo record for work performed in, Invoice #21)

Invoice 21, Batch 1: Photo 1 - 3) After spot-welding the new lip to the right upper hood panel and fitting the panel, I proceeded to separate the panels and metal work the upper panel by first filling in the holes that were left from when I drilled out the old spot welds to remove the old lip. Because the old lip had been placed far into the mold, some of the old spot weld holes were exposed, as shown in photo #2. I did not install the new lip as far into the mold, which allows for changing the angle of the lip if necessary (the angle being critical to the hinge's fit).

Invoice 21, Batch 1: Photo 4) Welding always distorts metal, and therefore, as I welded, I metalworked the panel to keep it straight (lots of metalwork). Also, note that the piece of angle iron clamped onto the panel is there to absorb heat which lessens the distortion caused by the welds.

Invoice 21, Batch 1: Photos 5 & 6) I am not certain that the sequence of these two photos is correct, but I know that after the initial weld-filling and metal-working, I drilled the remaining holes for the hinge mount. Each hole had to be located exactly for the proper fit and function of the hinge.

Invoice 21, Batch 2: Photo 1 & 2) The first photo shows the right hood panel mounted to the car. Note the gap between the two panels, it appears to be a silver line, but it is actually the edge of the piano hinge. Also note that the molding is still in a fairly rough stage and needs more metalwork (see later photos). This is because, as I stated before, separating the old lip from the hood panel was messy business, which was why I initially tried to avoid doing so. Once I realized it had to be separated, I did my best to preserve the integrity of the panel. The second photo shows the left side hood partially opened to reveal the hood hinge and the edge of the hinge mentioned in the first photo. The right hinge looks dark in the photo, but in real life, it is brightly polished stainless steel (looks like chrome).

Invoice 21, Batch 3: Photos 1 - 3) The first photo shows how, with the hood sections and hinge bolted together and mounted to the car, I can best see what and where metalwork needs to be done. The second photo shows where I welded old spot welds, either because they were visible when the hood was bolted together or because they were not visible but were still numerous enough that I feared the hinge’s mounting surface would be weakened by them, so I weld-filled them. In this way, I made several welding passes, metalworking as I went, fitting the hood to the car, then removing it and welding some more, around 25 welds in total. As I welded, I metalworked to keep the hood straight and bring the shape of the molding to where it needed to be. It took hours of metalwork, many hours, but it came out great! I had considered getting a new/used hood, but I still would have needed to cut the stock hinge off and weld the lip in at the proper angle. The only advantage would be having a straight molding to begin with, providing I could find a hood, and it was in good condition. I looked online but did not find anything. The third photo shows my work area.

Invoice 21, Batch 3: Photos 4 & 5) Photo shows me checking for straightness while metalworking the hood. Note, the right-side hood panel has a minor crown, which is very slight, and is identical to the left-side hood panel.

Invoice 21, Batch 4: Photo 1 & 2) The first photo shows the 1/8th  inch gap between the body and splash apron on the left side of the car, and that is okay. The second photo shows a 3/16 to 1/4 inch gap between the body and splash apron on the right side, which is not acceptable. Therefore, it needs to be corrected, and once it is corrected, it will alter the fit of the hood. Therefore, I stopped my work on the hood to correct the gap between the body and the splash apron before proceeding again with the hood. Please see the next series of photos.

Invoice 21, Batch 4: Photo 3 - 11)  To correct the gap mentioned above, I needed to tighten the bolt that held the body to the frame. However, that was not feasible due to a junction block in the frame that houses electrical wiring, heater, and A/C-related wiring, hoses, and valves (see the fourth photo down from the top of this series). The junction block is complex and should only be removed once for frame painting and then reinstalled. So to get around this, I tapped threads into the frame from above. The original frame hole was approximately 9/16 inch in diameter, allowing a half-inch bolt to pass through with a nut on the bottom side. A bolt was loosely in place, like a peg, with no nut on its bottom side. Therefore, to get around the problem, I used a tap to cut threads into the frame hole. I tapped it to the next size up, which was 5/8th inch. To do this, I used both a die grinder and a drill bit, which I turned by hand with a vice grip. I turned the bit by hand because a power drill might have caught hold and pulled the bit down into the junction box, potentially damaging the wiring and valves inside. The 5/8th bolt is temporary. When the junction box is removed for frame painting, a half-inch cage nut can be welded to the frame. The final three photos in this series show the corrected gap, and also show that the alignment of the moldings between the door and body were not negatively affected by the work.

Invoice 21, Batch 5: Photo 1 - 5)  After correcting the gap mentioned above, I returned to work on the hood. I trimmed the back edge of the lower right panel, then trimmed its bottom edge as well. I cut, fitted, and spot-welded its bottom strengthener, adding a bead-rolled edge.

Invoice 21, Batch 6: Photo 1 & 2) To improve the fit between the left lower hood panel and cowl, I made a few spacers from washers and used them under the rear hood mount. Later, the spacers can be replaced by a plate. Note that the guide directly in front of the mount will also need a plate of equal thickness.

Invoice 21, Batch 7: Photo 1 & 2) In the first photo, regarding the narrow strip below the hood molding, the idea of the previous restorer was to use door bonding agent to attach the strip to the lower panel and sand it smooth so that it appeared as part of the lower panel. I do not recommend doing so, as the bonding agent is subject to cracking. Rather, I would either remove the stip completely or replace it with a better method, which I will explain in a following report. In either case, the work would involve the lower panel, not the upper panel that I have just completed. The work on the upper panel needed to be done regardless. In the second photo, I was able to pass a feeler gauge between the ruler and the upper hood panel, just above the molding; in one small spot, 7 thousandths of an inch, and in another small spot, 14 thousandths of an inch. This is acceptable and can be finished with a very thin layer of spot putty or high-build primer.

Note: I do not have photos of the work, but I prepped the right upper and lower hood panels for primer in the areas where I had exposed the metal during the work. I then spray-coated the areas with catalyzed epoxy to protect the metal from oxidizing.  The epoxy coating is visible in the four videos below. (Originally, the video below was one video, but it exceeded the allowable size limit, so I divided it into four sections.)

Summary Video 1

Summary Video 2

Summary Video 3

Summary Video 4

Note: I am currently working on assembling the REO, both the exterior and interior. The hours for this work will be included in the next invoice, along with a progress report. The assembly work is primarily to assist the next shop in understanding how the car is assembled, rather than securing parts to the car in a final manner. Secondarily, this work will ensure the car fits into its trailer.

 THANK YOU, JERRY!

1930 REO

1930 REO

(photo record for work performed in, Invoice #20)

Batch 1, Above Photos 1-7: Photo 1 is your car in my shop at the start of this photo series. Photos 2 & 3 are of small custom-made pieces that I previously made (in Jim's shop). At the start of this work (here in my shop), I couldn't find one of the custom-made pieces, despite searching high and low. I knew we took the hood off to transport the car to my shop, and I feared it had been lost in transport or left behind. I was sweating bullets, but then I looked in the black storage box where I used to keep parts for your car, and there it was, just as shown in the photo. I was greatly relieved. Of course, there is no charge to you for this. One positive outcome was that I refamiliarized myself with the REO parts while looking through the trailer and parts boxes in my shop. Photo 4 shows hail damage to your REO trailer. This is the only damage I saw, and I repaired it. The repair is only temporary, but it is strong. There was no water damage inside the trailer, and there is no charge to you for the temporary repair. Photo 5 shows the interior of your trailer. Photos 6 & 7 show why there are no mice in your trailer and no damage from mice. Three semi-feral cats live just outside your trailer, and nothing gets past them. As mentioned, there is no charge for this work, nor is this work included in the hours I deducted from your statement. 

 

Batch 2, Above Photos 1-8: Photos 1, 2, & 3 show clean up, installation, and adjustment of custom-made hood parts. Photos 4 & 5 show modifications to the cowl bolts on both right and left sides (the bolts were replaced with new bolts, and the countersinks were increased to prevent interference with the hood lace). Photos 6 & 7 show temporary installation of hood lace for fitting of the hood. Photo 8 shows the hood fitted in place. I completed the center hinge and left hinge at Jim's, and I am currently working on the right hinge. Photo 8 also shows installation of radiator, frame covers, and front valance panel. 

Batch 3, Above Photos 1-5: Photos 1 & 2 show trimming the right lower hood panel. This is not the final trimming, but just enough to fit the panel. The final trimming will be completed once work on the right-side hinge is finished. Photo 3 shows a measurement and angle that are critical to the hinge (more about this later). Photos 4 & 5 show initial fitting work of right hood panels.

Batch 4, Above Photos 1-5: Photos 1 thru 5 show my work constructing a special metal break to change the angle of the right hinge's mounting lip on the right upper hood panel. I discovered the incorrect angle of the lip while initially fitting the right hood panel. I was previously unaware of it, as I had not yet reached that point when we stopped work at Jim's shop. Jim installed the lip, and he did a good job except that the angle was wrong. I have a metal break in my shop, but I knew it would not work on the lip (nor would any standard metal break). Therefore, and in reasonably short order, I used materials I had on hand in my shop to make a special metal break. The break needed to bend the lip without damaging the hood molding, and complicating the problem, the lip was double-layered (more on this later).  

Batch 4, Above Video 1 & 2: Videos 1 and 2 show how the custom metal break works. (Note: You may need to click on the video twice to get it to play.)

Batch 5, Above Photos 1 & 2: Photos 1 and 2 show the work I did to relieve the pressure on the double-walled lip. When metal is double-layered, it does not bend evenly, and because the lip went all the way to the molding, it created a big challenge. After slicing the lip to relieve the pressure, I again tried to bend the lip in the custom metal break. Note: I was careful not to cut into the original hood, but only to cut the lip that had been added to it. Jim added the lip when he cut the old hinge off the hood.

Batch 6, Above Photos 1-4: Photos 1 thru 4 show the work I did cutting the lip off the hood. This is what I was trying to avoid by making the special metal break, but the break could only get me about halfway to where I needed to be. I tried and tried with the break, but I finally had to give up. All along, I knew I might have to cut the lip off and make a new one, but I was really hoping not to. I knew it would be a mess, in part because the lip was loaded with spot welds, and drilling them out and separating it from the hood would be a mess. But don't worry, all ended well as shall be shown below. And I will deduct a large number of labor hours from your invoice. Also, I will not charge you for the materials I used to fabricate the special metal break and dollies. I already had all those materials on hand in my shop, and I still have them available to use again.

Batch 7, Above Photos 1-4: Photos 1 thru 4 show the special dollies I made to work the hood after I removed the lip. The second photo shows how the dollies fit the hood and molding just right. The third photo shows one of the dollies screwed to a board that is clamped to my work table, and the video posted below shows me using the dolly. The fourth photo shows the dolly that is the same length as the hood.

Batch 7, Above Video 1: Video shows me using one of the custom dollies to work the hood  after removing the lip.

Batch 8, Above Photos 1-13: Photos 1 and 2 show the hood and the old lip removed, and how the lip used to fit to the hood (the old lip fit well, but as mentioned above, its angle was wrong). Photo 3 shows me cutting 18-gauge metal for the fabrication of a new lip. Photo 4 shows my metal break, which is only a Harbor Freight; however, it has been seriously modified, and the fellow who had it modified paid more for the modification than he did for the break when it was new. As a result, it can break a full length of 18-gauge metal, which is unusual for a 4-foot break. Photo 5 shows me folding the metal over to double it (after using the metal break to put a 90-degree bend in it). Photo 5a shows that throughout the process I kept the new piece straight. Photos 6 and 7 show me trimming the fold. Photo 8 shows the new lip in progress with a section of the old lip included for photo reference. Photos 9 thru 12 show the fabrication of the new lip. I decided to divide the new lip into 4 nine-inch sections, and that proved to be a good decision. Photo 13 shows me checking for straightness, which I did throughout the work.

 

Batch 9, Above Photos 1-13: Photo 1 shows me checking to make certain I weld the lip in at the exact angle needed. Photos 2 and 3 show me running a test to get the proper heat setting for a double layer of 18-gauge metal. Photo 2 shows that my first test weld was too hot, but I got the spot welder set right after that.  Photos 4 thru 6 show me spot welding the new lip in. Photo 5 shows the only area that is not riddled with holes from drilling the old spot welds, and it shows a line of five new spot welds that I installed. After I installed those spot welds, I went back and added a line of welds to the seam as well. Photo 6 shows how I made the new lip so that it does not go all the way into the molding, which is good. This way, the lip's angle can be changed if necessary, although I was fortunate and nailed the angle on the first try, so no correction was needed. Photos 7 and 8 show me checking for straightness, which as previously mentioned, I did throughout the process, and made corrections as necessary. Photos 9 thru 11 show the end result: a hood and hinge that fit and function correctly, and I was happy! 

Note: In photos 9 thru 11, only one attaching screw is in the hinge. This is because the surface is currently pocked with old and new spot weld marks, and I will need to smooth it out before installing the mounting screws, which must be located precisely. I will do this next.

THANK YOU, JERRY!