'59 Plymouth Forum

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Now I'm looking for a pair of rust free fender skirts for my 59 Plodge. (Same as "59 Plymouth) I need them to act as a template to reconstruct my rusted out wheel opening. Got the dog leg done. Hoping to avoid the "Hate skirts, love skirts" discussion. As close to Regina Saskatchewan as possible, as shipping would probably be pricy.

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Had a chance to start on the quarterpanel from hell on the '59 Plodge Mayfair. All the rusted metal is cut out and 2 patches are in place. The area behind the wheel was much worse than it looked and the complete bottom of the quarter will have to be replaced. 1 patch above the wheel is in from behind, but not attached at the wheel well until the skirts arrive to get the opening right. Last, will be replacing the rusted metal I cut out of the inner wheel well, but that shouldn't be too hard. So glad the other side is done!

More '59 Plodge progress. Rt. rear quarter almost done and the trunk drop repaired. I had to replace the bottom 3 inches of metal front and back. Previous repair stuffed 5 pounds of bondo in the bottom of the quarter and called it fixed! Found a ton of road dirt packed in a cross support above the rear frame. (between the taillights) No wonder these cars disintegrated so quickly! So many places to collect dirt and debris that stays wet and rots out the car.

Painted both passenger door surrounds and painted and installed the rt. rear door. Car finally has 4 doors again.

Back to the Plodge Quarterpanel from hell. Got all the steel welded in place and closed up the inner fender from behind and welded in a patch for the back of the dog leg. Less than a third of a quart of bondo. 60 % there, still needs check coat and lots of touch ups, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Major progress on the Prairie Plodge! Got most of the rocker done in primer and both rt. doors in paint. Area above rear wheel only roughed in place pending the arrival of the fender skirts. Still needs wet sand and clay bar etc. Rt. Fr. fender and hood to go and no rust repair needed there, only sand and prime.. I'm hoping another week if my body hangs together.

Finished the right side. only the hood to go and the body is done. (except for the rt. rear wheel well.)

Seats are still 2-3 weeks away! Hood is up next and fender skirts due this week!

I was working on the replacement for the withered cardboard package shelf and when I test fitted it (waiting for the acoustic cloth covering) I realized if I painted it car color (It's a very light maple finished wood), it would "float" the rear window. I think it could look cool.

Decided to paint the package shelf. Put 2 sheets of paper to hide the speakers until the covers come. 20 mins with cloth and a stapler if it doesn't work out. There is a bit of tint in the window, but it's the same color. I like it like this!

While checking the car for water leaks before doing the carpet, I found several. The quarter window, drivers side had a significant leak. It had been removed in the past and stuffed with silicone. 2 solid hours of cleaning out every groove in the seal, sanding and painting the opening, I'm ready to go back once the paint dries.

There was some black stuff all around the glass where it fits in the rubber groove. A real bugger to remove not to mention the silicone! The rubber is in great shape for it's age and very pliable.

Drains were plugged in two of the doors causing them to overflow water into the car. Removed all four panels, stripped the chrome and clips and carefully peeled off the padded vinyl. The vinyl is discolored and has damage at the bottom, but I'm sure I can rehab it. once I washed the crud out of the doors, I was surprised how intact they were!

Washed out the doors and rustproofed them, lubricated the window winders and lock/door handle mechanisms and installed vapor barriers. My good buddy Leif, (using the old ones as templates), replicated the 4 door cards in 1/8 ply right down to every clip slot and chrome trim mounting! Waiting for the marine paint to dry and then the vinyl covers will be reinstalled and repairs to the thrashed areas can commence. The small leaking quarter glass is back in and at least that leak is fixed.

Plodge Mayfair Door panels refurb almost done. Have done leather restos on old Benz's, but never tackled vinyl. Vibed the clips in my wife's jewelry cleaner and repainted the clips. Treated the vinyl like bodywork ,but used JB Quik instead of bondo. Found good matching paints and dulled it back down with a matt clear final coat. Because the panels were home made, all in under $150. So far, still under my budget. Pass front to do once I find more clips. 10 at the bottom of the panels were rusted away. Seats expected to be done in 1 1/2 weeks!!

Finished insulating the floor and installed carpeting. Repaired the corroded rocker covers and installed hidden speakers up high on the kick panels. Seat belts tomorrow and seats hopefully in the next week! Tired of sitting on a Sealtest case... Have not driven the car once all year.