Wheel Covers and So Much More…

Well, the big news is Greg has finally installed the wheel covers Very Happy

…and even threw a few parts into the engine bay like wipers and A/C housings

The dash is moving right along…the old firewall insulator was a mess so a new one came from Quite Ride Solutions (http://www.quietride.com/).  A good quality  firewall insulator is a necessity to prevent  engine heat and noise.

The nasty non-working power antenna was sent out to Klaus Wojak (828-898-9338) for a rebuild…

…and came back with a shiny new shaft and hopefully nicely working innards…

Also got some new chrome back…now that’s a horn ring…

The new date-coded EZ-Eye tinted windshield and all the bright moldings are installed. We used a “Steele” windshield gasket that Greg said fit just fine…

Now on to the door…chrome, stainless and hardware…

I asked Greg the steps to line up the doors, windows and front end and got the following reply…

“First thing is to rough the door adjustment. The next step is to install the vent window assemblies. Then install the door glass and the quarter window glass. Once those 6 pieces line up properly check and see where the cowl is. Hopefully the vent windows will have a nice gap to the back side of the windshield frame. Only then can the final adjustment on the door be made. It’s a long process when a car is totally blown apart, you have to do it in the correct sequence otherwise it’s one step forward, two steps back and it never fits anyway.

Next up is the top frame, Sometimes its hard to get two doors, six windows, and a top frame with a mind of it’s own to play together in a friendly manner. Big problem is that you can make perfect adjustments between the window frames and the top frames and temporarily install the top rubbers and get a perfect fit. BUT when you put on the top fabric and pull it tight it upsets those adjustments! See how much fun this is??? Smile But not to worry, I can make it happen, just takes time to sort it all out.

The fenders come last, adjusted to the doors. Ideally there should be a slight gap between the front of the rocker panel and the rear edge of the fender. That’s a good starting point. Then you shim the radiator support up or down to get a nice even gap up the front edge of the door. But don’t get ahead of yourself here! you still have to get that hood into the opening and have an even fit across the front edge. See, this is easy!

It’s not rocket science but it’s a matter of getting everybody working together. As the old story goes, for every action there is a reaction. Pretty much the same here. Move a panel to make a nice gap, something else changes. It’s just patience patience patience. I’ve seen some potentially beautiful cars that were just crap because of bad fits. Some things just can’t be helped, but windows, doors and front ends can usually be made to work with patience.”

Whew!
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~ Tom Sidoti
1959 Buick Electra 225 Convertible

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