Father son 1941 Chevy project

[tkruger]

Will start posting the progress book we have been keeping for our 1941 Chevrolet Master Deluxe father son project. There is a lot to post so it may take a bit to catch up to today. Will try and do a post for each section of our book. Will attach the pics so it does not take so long to load.

June 2018

1941 Chevrolet Master Deluxe delivered. Goal of this is to be a father son project. I have done basic mechanic work and minor paint work prior to this but nothing to this extent or scale. This is not planned to be a restoration to a show car or to ‘of the assembly line’ condition. It is designed to go to local drive ins and get ice cream. It is going to be a for fun car. Many of the choices will be left to my sons, they may not be period correct. This is a combined experience.

One of the first things done after a good car wash, was buying reprints of all the literature and service manuals for the car. Also lots of You Tube videos have been and continue to be watched as needed. Also joined the VCCA as a great source of information. Before purchasing this car I was already a member on gbodyforum.com. That is a great source of information that I have used for my Monte Carlo. This site also has several members willing to help on any topic they can.

The car came with lots of parts and was mostly complete. Good condition for the age. Last known registration based on the sticker on the window was 1969 in Missouri. Did not run when purchased. New battery, changed fluids cleaned points and it started.

 

[tkruger]

Drove it about 2 miles to verify all the gears and clutch worked. Ran well considering it was sitting for at least the last seven years, if not more. Brakes worked well too. Was not safe to drive to far since the dry rot in the tires was extensive. One tire the inner tube can be seen through the sidewall. The brands on the tires are manufactures that have not been around since the sixties. The test drive was made to help assess what we were going to need to do.

 

[tkruger]

June 2019:

After a year the parts that came with the car were sorted through, fenders, trim and most exterior parts where stripped from the car. My sons and I had started the long process of sanding old paint, pulling dents, hammering out dents etc. Got the truck and doors to open and close and line up.

Since the fenders where off the car topped off the shocks with fluid. The car now rebounded smoothly instead of constantly bouncing.

Found that the car has been hit in the rear corner. Allot of hammering and pulling eventually put stuff back where it should have been. Small amounts of filler were still needed but nothing major, definitely nothing deep. Would rather have a minor impression than a thick amount of filler. Various colors are a mix of filler and skim coat. Sanded smooth.

Shot some prime on it to keep it from rusting. We decided to work panel by panel and then tackle the car body. Logic was we were learning and it was easier to redo a panel than the complete car. Also constantly sanding was getting real old fast. Getting some primer in place was a nice break and made it feel like there was progress.

Down to bare metal on the rear corners. With the exception of below the right rear taillight it was pretty good. We used a combination of chemical stripper and orbital sanders. The kids never used the chemicals. We used mask the whole time. Ventilators with the chemical stripper.

 

[tkruger]

July 2019

Working on the rear driver’s side now.

Also continued removing, bagging and tagging parts as we went. The parts were starting to consume all available storage space on any shelf we had. Several boxes of parts everywhere.

 

[tkruger]

September 2019

Roof and doors in primer. Trunk was shot with primer from a can. Since there was no filler in the rear corners hit that with etching primer also from a can. Was still searching for a compressor so the gun was not usable. NAPA carries the paint we were going to use in both a spray can and for a spray gun. Then we found a 33 gallon Craftsman compressor on Craigslist. With a Harbor Freight gun put the initial coat on the roof and doors. We were still learning and the thought was if we damaged the HF gun then it was basically disposable. It actually turned out to be a good primer gun. Shot an even coat on the car. Then we sanded again.

Son’s first time using the spray gun, primed the doors.

 

[tkruger]

January 2020

Removed the hood and all of the inner fenders. No plastic parts here. Everything is bolted together. The firewall is the original paint. Car was originally black. Unfortunately as first time painters we were not skilled enough to attempt a painting black. At this point since it was winter we hung a tarp to divide part of the garage into a paint booth. Primed and painted the inner panels at the end of work sessions so the fumes could clear before we did any more work. The garage heater we installed the prior year was proving to be a good investment.

 

[tkruger]

August 2020

Over the winter did allot of body work on the front fenders also allot of sanding on the car to get it ready for the next coat. Primed the fenders and other parts during the spring using the spay gun.

Prepping the car for an even coat of primer Next week was supposed to be favorable weather. I had to paint outside do the height of my ceiling in the garage.

Next day
Everything primed. More sanding followed

Sons and I agreed to make the car blue. Set everything up in the driveway and painted every panel. The weather turned out to be perfect. Started at sun up and had enough time to get the job completed. Gun held enough paint to do a coat on the car or on all the panels. Had enough time to shoot the panels fill the gun, paint the car and refill before it was time to start on the panels again. Was a nice pace and there was no downtime waiting for the next coat. We used thin coats as recommended. I forget the time between coats but was surprised that it was not that long.

 

[tkruger]

End of August, beginning of September 2020

We decided that since the front clip was off now was a good time to run the engine and see what might be needed. Once again changed all of the fluids. This time changed the plugs and wires and the belt. It fired right up and to our surprise we found no leaks and everything seemed to go smoothly. Plans where to change the hoses when they came in. Let it cool and started it again. See if the heating and cooling would cause anything to leak, nothing. Next morning I had a green garage floor. Water pump gasket went. To my surprise NAPA carries this water pump still. Though at that age replace it too. GM used the same one up till they discontinued the 235 inline 6. Few bolts removed the radiator to get at it easier and changed it out. Hooked everything back up. Son starts up the car and everything seems ok. Then the heater core goes in the car. We unhooked that it was running fine.

 

[tkruger]

September 2020
Rear fenders on.
Wind shield and inner fenders on. First of the front fenders mounted.
Fount clip on, later we would learn the grill should have gone in before any fender bolts where tightened. One of many lessons on the job.

 

[tkruger]

October 2020

Prepped to install rear glass. Pic is the before. All the glass in the car with the exception of the windshield is the original to the best of our knowledge. If it is not original it is period per the marks on it. Windshield was cracked and could not be reused.