dog dish trim ring!

[RICH MUISE]

It worked! this is what I was talking about trying in the "weirdest thing" topic last week. A stainless steel trim ring to fit a '63 galaxie tail light lens into a '57, from a s.s. dog dish! fits like a OJ glove...an hour or so of sanding and buffing on the wheel and it'll be done...'course I guess I'll have to make one for the other side...I hate doing things twice. It's fun the first time..second time it's a chore. And yes, there is a pissed off dog. (Shinka)
At the top of the first pic is the modified '63 tailight bucket this all fits into.

[Zapato]

Looks good but the pup doesn't look impressed.

[Ford Blue blood]

Very nice Rich!  Would you mind sharing the location the dog dish came from?  Wally World, K-Mart, hardware store.......

[RICH MUISE]

 Thanks Bill...I was pleasantly surprised when my wife told me where she had gotten them because I knew they'd be cheap...Dollar General. The lable says Peerless Pet products...the small print says distributed by Big Lots so you'll probably find them there too if you have them in your area. They were $4. ea.   Are you thinking the Galaxie lenses for yours, or do you have another project in mind?...(or maybe you just have a dog)   Rich

[cool57]

How did you mold the pot metal taillight housing to the quarter panel?

[RICH MUISE]

First, let me tell you what didn't work..and ask if anyone else has been sucessful.I tried a low heat brazing type rod designed to melt with a propane torch but the pot wetal was melting before I could get the  areas hot enough to melt the rod. So went to plan B...first, both the housing and the fender were cleaned to bare metal and the mating surfaces were roughed up as coarse as I could get them (wire brush @ slow speed, 36 grit 2" disc) I made sure the holes the studs go thru were large enough to give me the movement I needed for alignment. I then used a 2 part epoxy putty with a fairly long working time (45 min. or so)made by por-15, and kneaded a 1/4" rope which I applied to the housing all around the perimeter. using the 4 studs, I pulled the tailight housing in tight to the fender, squishing the putty out all the way around. I removed the excess putty at the outside seam before it set up being careful not to get it too smooth. I then applied some more putty from inside wherever I could reach with my finger to the joint line and finished the inside with as much por-15 as I could flood the "inside areas with. The por 15 adds some structural strength as well as rust protection. I then applied a coat of evercoat kitty hair (filler with fiberglass strands) around the outside seam lines, and finished it off with evercoat rage gold.

[RICH MUISE]

The por-15 putty can be smoothed like glass before it dries if the particular project calls for it (I use it to repair damaged antique ornate picture frames), but in this case if you let it harden without overworking, it has a nice gritty texture which will provide good adhesion for the filler material. It also has a really high tensile strenth. I moulded in my headlight brows also, but had to approach it differently. The brows are not strong enough to squish the putty like I did with the tailight housing, So I first did some hammer and dolly work on the brows to conform to the fender closer, and used a 2 part epoxy resin with a 60 minute work time using clamps and tape to hold it in position till it set up. I then forced epoxy putty into the gaps as much as I could to seal off any gaps, and used a hypodermic needle suringe (without the needle) to inject por 15 in thru the 4 stud holes. After everything was set up, I added the washers and nuts to the studs, and finished them off as I did the tailights. In addition to the mechanical attachment, I basically tried to get as much of the right adhesive stuff in as I could...I've been accused of overkill before, but in this case I hope it was adequate. a few weeks ago I saw a ranchero I had seen at shows a few years ago after he first bought it and it was beautiful...this time I saw that his moulded in brows were all cracked around the seams...worries me.   Rich

[RICH MUISE]

Thanks Bill...I was pleasantly surprised when my wife told me where she had gotten them because I knew they'd be cheap...Dollar General. The lable says Peerless Pet products...the small print says distributed by Big Lots so you'll probably find them there too if you have them in your area. They were $4. ea.   Are you thinking the Galaxie lenses for yours, or do you have another project in mind?...(or maybe you just have a dog)   Rich

Sorry... I gave you some wrong info..they did in fact come from Big Lots. Also I realized tonight that the rubber ring that comes on the bowl fits perfectly onto the modified '63 tailight bucket almost all but solving the sealing it off from water problem.

[RICH MUISE]

I finally got some time to finish them up and get them buffed out. Pic of the backside shows the rubber ring from the dog dish in place. All I have to do now is seal up the relief cuts I made in the housing so they don't leak. Note the long screws that hold the lens on are long enough to go thru the 4 holes I drilled in the '57 die-cast housing.