57 Sheetmetal

maddog350gt · 2015-02-24 01:27

Hi all, especially those of you who responded to my initial post;

I wish I could thank everyone individually for the responses and info, but I don't have the time right now. I have been busy running down parts for the 57 convert thanks to you guys here on the forum, and now I need to move them to Idaho where the car is. I think I found everything I needed and got a lot of good information and advice as well. I have to take the parts from Washougal WA (close to Portland OR) to Boise ID, where the car is being painted (long story), so I'll be leaving tomorrow before dawn to get these to the car and check the fit.

As many of you have indicated the panels won't be a perfect fit, but the current deck lid is out from the body at least 3" on both sides at the bottom corners and there is a 3/4" gap at the hinge end where it meets the body. I am sure the car was hit in the rear and they just didn't get the deck lid fit properly when it was fixed. I'll let you know more when I get the new parts to the car and see how they line up. It might be the job they did on the body, or both the body and the deck lid.

I will be gone for two or three days. I will post an update when I get back on what I find on the fit issues. Maybe it will be a help to someone in the future.

Thanks again,
Bob M.

RICH MUISE · 2015-02-24 08:39

Good luck, I'm hoping it isn't actually as you described. If you said the deck lid was 3" short of reaching the tailpan, I'd say you obviously had a Custom deck lid, not a Fairlane. But you said the deck lid was out 3" from the body. Maybe you don't even have a '57 deck lid at all. I can't imagine the body itself being 3 " in from where it's suppose to be. That is waaaaay beyond not getting the decklid fitted properly. Post some pics if you can, this is getting interesting trying to figure out.

Lgcustom · 2015-02-24 16:31

Rich,

To answer your question on fender seals. The Mustang/Cougar, Maverick/Comet and Fairmont/ Zephyr that were built during my time at Ford did not have the fender rubber seals you asked about. I'm sure it was done on a heavy duty industrial stapler of some type. But I never saw it. Sorry. I've had to drill holes and use pliers and hammers to install these on my current '57 as I'm sure most of you have.

maddog350gt · 2015-02-26 16:09

Hi all,

Back from Boise (left yesterday afternoon trying to beat the storm coming in). The new deck lid fit much better, what we found was the old deck lid was not bowed enough from side to side leaving large gaps on both sides. the new one conforms to the body very well. It also looks like some rebuilding was done at the top end of the deck lid channel on the body and instead of having a 90 deg edge where the deck lid meets the body it is beveled! This makes the gap along the upper edge much wider that it should be. My painter said he could weld in a small piece of angle iron there and bring it back to 90 deg. I think most of the problems came from having the crown from side to side too shallow leaving the ends out from the body. I think this deck lid could be fixed but the double crown L to R and top to bottom makes it difficult and expensive.

We didn't get a chance to put the new hood on the car (my painter has another job he had to go to) but we think the crown from side to side on the hood may also be a little shallow, and from front to back might be a little too much crown, making the hood an eighth inch too short. I am still waiting for info there but the hood was never as big an issue as the deck lid.

I'll keep you posted as things go forward. I should have taken some pictures when I was there but didn't think of it. My painter may have some or I can ask him to take some and post them here.

Thanks,
Bob M.

djfordmanjack · 2015-02-26 17:55

From what I hear you saying about the crown on your hood and lid, I believe they have been in a sandstorm. at a careless sandblaster that is. when somebody takes the blaster to thin metal like this without taking care it will cause severe warpage. when the skin shrinks it will take out the crown ( metal gets hot from friction and will shrink while cooling off. about 300degreesF are more than enough to warp a panel. you might get that heat by touching the skin with a dull grinding disk for only a few seconds) I have seen many of these cases and have been working dozens and hundreds of hours of panel beating to undo this on several different projects. it might also have caused the lip to warp ! I would not weld anything there but try to push out the lip in the original position with hydraulics.

lalessi1 · 2015-02-26 18:07

Quote from: djfordmanjack on 2015-02-26 17:55
From what I hear you saying about the crown on your hood and lid, I believe they have been in a sandstorm. at a careless sandblaster that is. when somebody takes the blaster to thin metal like this without taking care it will cause severe warpage. when the skin shrinks it will take out the crown ( metal gets hot from friction and will shrink while cooling off. about 300degreesF are more than enough to warp a panel. you might get that heat by touching the skin with a dull grinding disk for only a few seconds) I have seen many of these cases and have been working dozens and hundreds of hours of panel beating to undo this on several different projects. it might also have caused the lip to warp ! I would not weld anything there but try to push out the lip in the original position with hydraulics.

Guenter, can I send my car to Austria for you to do... maybe get you a place in New Orleans so you can do it here? You are my metal working hero from what I have seen on the site....

djfordmanjack · 2015-02-26 18:27

Lynn, that is too kind of you... well sure, send it over

and I have never been to New Orleans before

...just joking, but I know that there are many craftsman from all over the world that have gone to the US to work on customers projects. English, Swedish, Japanese, Kiwis, Aussies probably many more. and Gene Winfield has been flying all over the world to paint customers cars

ems customer service · 2015-03-17 17:51

although the factory line had it share of mismatched components and trickery to make em fit, a piont to remember is that 60 years of hood and trunk lid slamming takes it toll on the fit of these parts, how many times do you see a trunk bouncing up and down on some oversize item bought at the store it takes it toll on these parts.

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57 Sheetmetal