Ugly Dino Restoration

This summer has been a little crazy and have not been concentrating on the Dino as much. I did finish prepping the front and rear clips. I sandblasted lightly then used an orbital sander to finish them up. I then primed them in DP-40. The radiator fan mounts were completely destroyed, the only things that were usable were the fan bases. After fabricating the new frame I primed them in DP-40. The next thing to do was to start fitting the clips. I decided to do the rear clip first and have started to trim the body work on the car. I'll then match up the the clip and weld it in place.
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With the good weather in full swing I had shifted my work to a flying project that I've been working on for quite awhile. It's not Dino-related but it is sharing restoration time with it so I thought I'd share a couple of photos. It's a 1939 Cessna Airmaster that I've been rebuilding over the last couple of years. This summer I've gotten a lot completed on the wing which had to be completely rebuilt with new wing ribs, wing tips and plywood skinning. Once the wing is installed on the airframe and the weather starts cooling down, I'll switch back to the Dino. When done it will look like this white Airmaster accept the colors. The colors will be Pee-Wee green (yes I know it sounds horrible but is a cool looking green) with a yellow stripe.
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With the weather turning cold I've been back on the Dino the last couple of weeks. I started by finishing the trunk hinges. It took me a couple of tries to get the rivets driven to look like the originals, after heating the rivets cherry red and driving them with a drift pin that has the correct head I finally succeeded! I also has to make a new engine lid hinge. I turned down bar stock for the the arm and made a new backing plate, I had the old bushing. After welding I installed the hinge and tuned it with heat to get the correct adjustment.
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The next step was to install the rear clip. After judicious trimming and trial fitting and measuring I spot welded into place. I cut 2 small tabs on the left quarter panel to help align the joint and then tack welded. The left quarter panel was short by about 3/8" and needed to get filled. I made a 90 degree sheet metal angle and then used a stretcher to create the proper curve to match the gutter profile. After all was tack welded I then finished all the welds and ground and planished them.
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Along with pinning in the left and right side quarter panels Into place, I found that the right quarter panel was not quit right. I had measured the total length of each panel from the door jam back to the tail but the trunk opening was long by 3/8". DANG hand built cars!! I had to cut along the top of the right sail panel and shorten the trunk opening on that side to get the trunk lid to all match. With this accomplished I went back to finishing the right door jam. I cut a new flange for the jam and then tack welded it into place. When all was aligned I finish welded, ground and finished the door edge. When all of the seams are complete, I'll lead all the seams in one big lead fest!
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With the trunk lid in place I started to fine tune the gaps. This is when I found the first problem with the trunk lid! The hinges have no adjustments to them and I needed to raise the trunk lid at the hinge end. I drilled out the spot welds that hold the nut plates for the hinges and made new ones to spot weld in place. The next problem I found was the side gaps. These were way too wide and just didn't fit fit right. After checking the frame I realized that the frame sides were bowed inward...double DANG! I remembered that I had gotten the trunk lid from a burn-out and the frame had apparently been warped from the heat. I had installed a new trunk skin many years ago and this was not apparent to me at the time. After contemplating my options for a day or so I finally realized I had to take the trunk lid apart!
I peeled the skin off and decided that all the inner sheet metal needed to be replace. I checked the frame for rust by passing a oxy/ac torch over the tube structure. Any thin spots in the tube will burn through and you can repair these spots. I also capped the ends so no more moisture can get into the frame. With the frame straightened, I made new sheet metal for all the sides and rear. The rear flange was made from a single strip of steel that I then used the shrinker to get the proper shape. The frame is now ready for the skin to be installed.
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I think I'll be painting it the original color. The car was originally a dark blue metallic...I believe is was Bleu Sera Metalic.

 

Thanks for your complements!
I enjoy building all sorts of things and have accumulated a bunch of different skills and tools over the years.
I do see the value in cars that are original with original miles...but for me I love having a car or an airplane that looks original but is brand new. There's just something about a shinny new car! When ever I restore something I usually stay true to how it looked originally but go the extra mile to fix shortcomings such as rust prevention, mechanical flaws or to make a car more drive-able.

As for which is tougher, planes or car. They both have different challenges. The plane requires wood working and sheet metal fabrication skills. Cars and especially the Dino require a little more artistic skills with a healthy dose of different types of welding!