WHICH WAY TO I-5?

Marathon day. Dog waited patiently until 8 pm for her morning walk. Too tired to write but will post pix.

If you would like a lesson on how to get the parking light wires back into the loom, let me know.

Tomorrow, weatherstripping, windows, finishing touches on other doors.

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I'm impressed, Jim. This is the grown-up stuff. I'm just polishing and gluing.

Son John (who rebuilt my engine and who owns Santana Crane and knows this stuff, and will be caretaker of the car in the future) will find this very helpful. Thanks for documenting what you're doing. I think I understand most of it.

Joe

Funny, Fred. Thanks. Unfortunately there was no previous owner who could of done that on my car (except a high school kid named Joe who didn't understand how things work and is still learning).

Actually I'd forgotten about the tabs, but I remembered that there was something interlocking. When I was trying to figure out why the lamp wouldn't seat I noticed there was some black stuff at the bottom of the chrome clamp ring and that the glass was too short to seat on the bottom, so yesterday I bought some rubber washers and installed them. My pic just didn't have things in the order I was installing items.

So mainly the reason was overzealous glazing which I sanded down. Now the laps seat properly, but are nice and tight. I had a marathon day on the car and will post later. Dog has been waiting all day for a walk.

I see them and I remember them. I'll ask son John if he can attach something there. Thanks much. I can't figure out how that would push the lamp back any further so the ring is flush, so I'm going to try again to put it together.

I may be paint. I had to go around by headlights with sandpaper and then a dremel wire brush to take of the excess glazing and paint so the rim would go back on.

I'm struggling trying to get the Duchess' parking lights to seat properly.

I have a vague recollection that the chrome clamp ring and the lamp socket retainer intertwine some way. But both surfaces are flat and I don't want to be twisting or breaking anything to test it out.

The retainer seats firmly in the body held by 2 small screws. The glass seats firmly on the rubber washer at the bottom of the clamp ring.

But the chrome clamp ring with the glass in it sticks out almost an 1/8th inch farther than it should. Also I'm worried with the vibration of the car, these will work their way off.

Would appreciate help. Trying not to spend the entire holiday on parking lights.

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I know.
1. The new paint and clear coating on the retaining piece the trim fits on.
2. The twist.
After it was on, it was really on. I used a piece of wood, a curved handle of of a little brass brush, to hold against theinstalled trim. It's taking out the twist. Very forgiving. I'lll take pix tonight.

Because no more was said, I assumed you were holding off until someone responded to your request for experience re-installing.

So "nevermind."

West,
I haven't seen further comment on the headlight trim. I started putting together my headlights tonight. 25 years ago when I removed the trim I put a little twist in it prying it off. Now the headlights are painted and replacing the trim was one of the least pleasant things I've done, short of popping valves., esp the first time.

It wouldn't go on no matter how much pressure I put on it. I taped both sides of the center retaining strip and scraped off the excess paint with a tiny flat file end. It looked like I was scratching the paint, put it was excess falling from the edge of the painted strip. Then I tried again to press it on. When that didn't work I lined it up on the curved end and tapped the front end with a rubber mallet. Tapping moved towards whacking and thud, suddenly the front end felt solid. The stainless strip would fit itself to one edge, so I gripped it and pulled it against me tapping it, fairly healthy hits, from the far side until it popped in. I moved along about a half inch at a time. Once it grabs, it's down and stays down. But I didn't try to do the opposite curved end, just kept working my way there. Just getting in place took out most of the twist. Where it wasn't straight I tapped it more and improved the look.

There's a metal guy here I may take it to because I believe it could be perfectly straight if tapped wi the right tools by someone who knows what they are doing.
I thought for sure I would put a big scratch in the paint, but didn't. And the thing is on there, maybe better because of the paint.

Just don't hit too hard and blame it one me.

I'll take pix when I do the other side.

West,
Packard Motors has them for $400. Fluted.

http://www.packardmotorcar.com/index.php/trim-strip/

My replacements (one original fell off and the restorer replaced both of them to match) are solid aluminum. I thought I'd check with a shop about putting the groove in them. Otherwise I would get the ones from Packard Motor Car. They are better than original.

I am taking one running board to American Metal Cleaning. They cook off the rubber and then run it through a de-ruster tank. Then resurfacing at the paint shop. Then adding the new rubber ones from Steele Rubber. We (Bryan Parker, who has done this before) are going to do one at a time so we have one to look at while the other is being put down with Formica contact cement.

Joe

Absolutely, Terry. I sometimes forget to look up there to see if anything is in the Inbox for a few days. (If it's a gripe about ME, forget it.) I hope I deleted a comment I made in a draft about Trailer Trash (cars that are not driven, like the collection coming to Portland's art museum in a couple weeks. I do have my prejudices, but then I drove the Duchess into the ground, and so I'm paying, in so many ways, for my sins... a few last minute parts and the rear window frame, for example, $700, but they are beautiful ...Moderation in all things. That's what we learned, if we were paying attention, from the Greeks.

Here's the info.
NORTHFIELD FORMING (from the invoice dated 5/3/11...in case they move around often) 468 Etheridge Blvd., Canal Fulton, OH 44614
(from the business card)
Tel. (330) 854-6003 url: Northfield-Forming.com
Owners: Dick and Holly Paskiet
Complete modern machine shop to reproduce many of your unavailable parts. Tire cover trim, trunk and trunk rack trim, running board trim, brass pin beading, top trim. All our products are made in the USA. (Very nice people, too. And the packing is phenomenal. FedEx must have grabbed the box containing my side mount trim with a hay hook, but everything inside was perfectly straight and protected.)

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HOOD: Came home after work to find that Elke, my housekeeper, had wrapped the hood in a quilt. I would have preferred to see a rolled roast, but the hood is definitely protected until it can go on the Duchess.

REAR DOORS: The belt moulding has to be cut to fit around the hinge. I struggled with installing the latch until I figured it out. Quite easy to get everything in there and working. I will take pix when I do the right-hand rear door.

PAINT: The trunk lid and right front fender are done. The front doors, the last pieces before the body, I delivered this morning. Again, can't take my eyes of the color and the workmanship. Stunning, esp with the chrome and trim.

TOP: The Sonnendecke tan on tan top has been ordered from EZ-ON for a 1940 160 convertible sedan. Beaverton Auto Upholstery to install.

My relatively new neighbors, Kevin and Lisa, came over last night to help me remove the front doors to I could take them to Canyon Auto Repair. Her father sold Studebakers back in the day. I forgot to tell her I was in a musical at the SFO opera house sponsored by Studebaker and produced by the Music Corporation of America to introduce the 1953 Studebaker at a national dealers meeting. (I was a young Studebacker brother making conestoga wagons, a news boy announcing the 1929 stock market crash, and a couple of other scenes where we sang "When You Give More Than You Promise, You Can't Fail." So much for wishful thinking. The new Studebaker was beautiful, gorgeous. Poppy red. Hardly any chrome (In my opinion all the later year Studebakers were goobered up with too much junk. Someone stole that plain scoop on the side for the first Mustangs before they added the fake vent. Did Dutch Darrin style the 53 Stude? Beautiful lines and so advanced. America just didn't get it. Not saying I'd restore one, but thought about it.

CHROME: Rear window frame, wiper mounts, seat adjustment collar, and horn ring ought to be ready today.

MINUTIA: It's obsession, I know, but I replaced the black shifter boot with the brown one when I remembered that the original was brown and replaced with black vinyl by the upholsterer in 1962 or so. I received fresh bowdrill. The old order had dried out. I should have applied it to the weatherstripping when I first received it from Steele Rubber. The stainless steel weatherstrip channel I lost...it fell off the car when the wood in the center posts got so bad it wouldn't hold a screw and the duct tape got wet, so off it went... for 1940 convertibles I located at Bob Drake Reproductions, Grants Pass, Oregon. $20 for a 3-foot strip. They should advertise through Steele Rubber by enclosing a flyer when Steele sells some of the weatherstrip. So I'll cut a foot off, drill some holes and the other center post will be finished.

David Moe, Seattle Packard Co, is finding some odds and ends for me. Talked to him the other day.

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