Dick Koch's convertible

[rogerh]

From your last remark, I have to believe that your talented hands have brought back to factory specs-a valance abused by 50 years of parking blocks and tow cables. Do you have a "Before" photo?

[jason]

Youve got good hands Dick!!

[Dick Koch]

Thanks Jason.

Roger - You would think that as many pictues as I take, I would have a before picture of the Valance. Needless to say it was bad, the front curved edge was smashed to a knife edge about 8 to 10 incles long plus many other dents and dings. I'm not faulting John F., I'm sure I got the 2nd. best one in the yard, right John, (Johns rebuilding a SF Convertible himself and I wouldn't have sent the best one either). Anyway I have a small 12 ton press a friend gave me so I started with a piece of 2x4 then various size deep sockets expanding that area until the knife edge was gone. I didn't believe it myself, but it worked. I still had to use some body filler to make it nice (no bondo for me) Actually I lie, that's all I use, 3M Bondo. It's been around since I can remember and I can get it at any parts store of hardware store.
Dick.

[big m]

You are doing an excellent job!! Hard to believe that was the same valance, you removed all those years of abuse from it.

Hopefully your pesky neighbor finds someone else to bother, things like that can be a real headache.

---John

[Mark Merritt]

Lookin good Dick,Mark M

[Dick Koch]

John - The operative word is Migrain, let me show you. But first how do you know your wife really loves you, I mean, reallyreallyreally, reallyreallyreally loves you. See the first 7 pictures, I'm not dead so she must reallyreallyreally love me. The rest of the pictures depict where you store stuff when you have a weasel for a neighbor that caused you to lose one of your storage garages that would have benn trashed once the restoration was complete anyway. You all are getting these pictures because it's been raining (torents of Florida liquid sunshine) for the last four days and I'm bored sick.
Dick.

[big m]

Thank goodness for a good woman, right Dick? LOL! Hopefully that nosy neighbor moves on soon.

---John

[rogerh]

I love seeing your collection of restored parts...no junk to be seen! And your shop spaces look "comfortable" too. Yvonne definitely loves you, since you've taken over the house (only temporarily of course).

[Dick Koch]

IT'S WHITE - Yesterday I finished blocking the body and applied another coat of Epoxy Primer. Sanded out runs and blemishes and then today I applied 2 coats of Urethane 2K primer then 3 coats of Pure White single stage urethane paint. All Eastwood Products. I used a cheap $35.00 HVLP spray gun I bought a while back because the $159.00 spray gun didn't serve me well when I painted the Desota and Charleen. Both were wet sanding nightmares. The 2K primer and the paint called for a 1.4 needle and cap and fortunately that's what was in the spray gun. The 2K primer laid oud so well I didn't have to sand it al all. I decided to use the same gun for the paint and what a dream, the paint laid out really well on the first two coats without reducer, Eastwood says reducer is not required with thier paint, BUT I decided to use reducer in the third coat and am I glad. I will hardly have to do any wet sanding at all. Here are a few pictures.
Dick.

[rogerh]

I see your fans watching you work (lol)
Dick, I am continually HUGELY impressed with your efforts and progress. You've made no secret of your age and your limited set-up...a single car garage and one temporary tent, as far as I can tell. True, you have a car lift somewhere, but most of your work is among alligators and rain squalls and what-have-you. John Fowlie, a car man all his life, deals with bats and bees, but it seems evident he has more elbow room at least, and no complaining neighbors. You are a retired salesman/business owner?...Your accomplishments and sheer drive are an inspiration to the rest of us with our projects.

[jason]

She looks fantastic in white! I must agree with Roger. Very tight working environment!

[Dick Koch]

Thanks Roger and Jason - Keeps me living in the 50's.
Dick.

[big m]

Looking good, Dick!!!

[Denver 59 Fin Convert]

As expected Dick, a super job on the convert!


John Q.

[Dick Koch]

OK, second try, had 16 of 22 pictures loaded when my modem crashed and I lost everything. U-verse tech fixed with a new one and all is well. Solved all the problem I've been having for a long time.

Life sure does get in the way of a restoration. I tried to wrap up a lot of loose ends before Yvonne and I leave for NUAWLINS tomorrow morning for her nieces wedding, did pretty good too. Got the engine (318 A block) stripped down. That sucker had been rode hard and hung up worn out. I could poke my fingers thru the freeze plugs, the lower distributor shaft was bent, and a pushrod was bent, you can see the wear marks on the side of the pushrod and there was at least 3/4" of sludge in the bottom of the oil pan. The engine rebuilder has it and it looks like it will be bored with new pistons, the cranckshaft will be turned and the heads will be rebuilt. The transmission is getting rebuilt by the same guy that rebuilt the one I put in Charleen. I tore down the carburetor and distributor and rebuilt and painted them. I found a replacement distributor in my parts and I haven't the faintest idea where it came from but it's pretty clean and there is no wobble in the shaft. Ditto with the power steering pump, somehow I've accumulated a bunch of them, I chose the cleanest looking one, cleaned it out and installed a new canister O ring. Cleaned and sandblasted the Timing cover, intake manifold, valve covers, pan, pulleys, brackets etc. and painted all of that. The underside of the intake manifold has a plate rivited in place, there was a ton of dried carbon on the underside of that plate that took a lot of digging and scraping to get it out. Sandblasted the fan, sport deck, and hood support and painted them also. I had the body outside so took some pictures, the paint looks dull in that light but it really does have a shine.
Dick.