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Kev, just the thing to take along to all those car shows you and the family will be going to after the Clipper is finished. Pass the lemonade and sandwiches, please. Neat!

(o[]o)

sweet!

I was back in the garage last night as we are finally having a break from the heat with temps in the low 80s instead of the 100s. Got some filler work dont on the passenger side rocker where I pulled that dent out of, and also used a little bit of filler in the corners between the trunk lid and the rear window to level where some of the old lead that was removed during the body stripping process.

Lots of sanding on the agenda tonight, as temps are supposed to be back in the 100s by Sunday.

More work on the car this evening... finished filling of the old lead work near the c-pillar. Also leveled the filled on the fenders that was applied to fill the clusters of deep rust pits.

Finally I started to get the inside of the trunk ready for primer. First order of business removing the shelf that some previous owner installed to give them a flat area over the rear axle hump. Based on the old hardware used this must have been done either in the 50's or 60's.

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Finished all the work on smooth out the rockers, just have a little more work to do around the trunk, and then the car will be ready for another coat of primer, and lots more blocking.

Also I pulled my "beater" seats out of the car, they will not go back in the car. The plan is to leave the car a shell until after the paint is done, and then the original two-tone blue interior from the donor 54 Super Clipper will take it place (pic below). Only interior things missing are visors, headliner and carpet.

Except for masking the wheel wells/tires, engine compartment, exhaust pipe and steering column, the rest of the car be sprayed with no masking needed.

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Kev,

Those pleated seats are nice. Mine are the old broadcloth living-room couch style. Still, I'm not complaining as there are no rips and they appear to be in good shape.

I'm wondering about the "splash shields" behind your rear wheel wells. As I recall, there was some rust on your Clipper. I just noticed tonight that the rh one is missing on mine, and the lh one doesn't look long for this world, probably due to rust. They are quite thin.

Just thought I'd point this out as you are obviously a detail-oriented man. It doesn't look like anything is really "missing" when they're gone, but they did used to be there.

What's the differences between the "touriing sedan" and the plain ol' Deluxe in '54? Besides the seats, I mean.

I'm not sure what you mean by splash shields. Are you referring to the wheel skirts?

The Touring Sedan is just the body style (4 door sedan). The Deluxe is the trim level. So it went Special (Base Level), Deluxe (Mid), and Super (Premium).

Special had the 288 motor the least amount of chrome trim, and lesser appointed interior.

Deluxe has full side trim, the extra lower wrap around trim on the lower grill, and the 327 motor, and a better appointed interior in Striped Broad Cloth.

The Super was basically the same as the Deluxe, but had a much nicer interior materials (two tone solid colors in wool I believe) and the rear seat has a center armrest which the Special and Deluxe's do not.

I was never a fan of the striped broad cloth as it looks like a liner in jacket or something. Also replacement material is basically unavailable and my interior was destroyed from rodents. So my Deluxe will get a Super interior which I prefer.

Kev, I think he is referring to the splash shields behind the rear wheels. The ones you so carefully described to me at Salado. As I recall they create a problem providing a good hiding place for rust to start. Might be mistaken, but ...

(o[]o)

I guess I am having a mental block as I dont recall that at all. Hmmmm.


Here a pic of my area behind the rear wheel before it did the rust repair. There is a panel brace there that is a mud trap, but I dont see a proper splash guard or anything.

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If someone has a picture of the splash guard, I would love to see what I am missing.