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catching up on Fast and Loud. they kept the patina on a couple of cars recently, but all they did was lightly sand it and put on a matte clear. hopefully with the linseed i'm going the step further and preventing any issues with rust in the future. also they didn't take the body off the frame of either car and only sprayed the outside. it sure did look cool though. i'm planning on a high gloss personally.

roughed up the underside of the hood last night to get all the scally stuff off. still wonder what that number is, anyone else have this number in that location? thats about it for now.

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Hank, I just checked the hood on my 55 400 and I have a number in the same place, very faint compared to yours but looks like 2015 or 2815 wonder if it was a production sequence or paint colour reference... Who knows, another Packard mystery...

even more interesting...it appears to have been put on after the paint was applied.

so if it was the 325th hood produced then they already knew what color it was going to be. or it was a number after paint that meant something completely different.

got the underside of the hood herculined. went on perfectly fine over the linseed again.

i like it...wont come off, insulates, and sound deadens. perfect.

i love how it makes the metal parts at the top and bottom of the hood just POP right out with the patina.

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top side of the hood is sprayed. think I may have figured out the settings on the gun even more. turned it down to 40psi, even though it requires 90 and I mixed about 1/4 mineral spirits in with 3/4 linseed.

seems to set really well in this combo. no runs at all on initial spraying which is a first.

not too humid today and I got the fan blowing on it, so lets see what it looks like here in a bit.

Hank

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ignore the super shitty welding and focus more on the fact that the rot is fixed. lol

its on the inside of the rocker and at the very bottom of the car, so idgas what it looks like. the holes are plugged and that's that.

linseed sprayed on and inside the back were I didn't cut.

i'll cut the new rocker to fit the one I cut out and weld that in another day.

enjoy my shitty welds ;0)

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i see you guys liked those welds lol! j/k i have no formal training and it was good practice...so oh well..its hidden now.

cut the rocker to fit what i cut out already. i recommend not begin a cheap ass and cough up the money for some power cutters. that hand cutter liked to killed me, but hey i saved a whole 25 bucks. afterwards....i would have gladly paid the 25.

one thing about the hand cutters though, they were thinner so i could cut closer to bends, unlike a power one.

i remembered Kev taking his pieces up in multiple places, so i did that and then tried to make my weld better then in the inside ones.

started grinding on the front and lost energy.

i think its actually decent looking so far. i'm guessing the gap where the fender will meet up will be not so good, but oh well, it'll match the rest of the cars rugged good looks.

saved tons of money and gained some experience. worth it even if it isn't perfect.

the only thing i would have changed....move the can of brake cleaner while welding.....idiot move there.

Hank

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Looks like you are using flux core for welding. I started with that as well and my welds did not look good, but were functional. MIG is a whole other world and if you plan on doing other cars in the future, I recommend investing in one.

Rockers are looking good and welds look better too!

Are you guys using the shielding gas or just the flux cored wire and no gas with your mig welders? Don't think my welds look as good as either of yours. To get them better it was suggested I go ahead and hook up the gas setup. Debating on that one since it means buying another bottle.

mine is an el cheapo flux core 90 amp wire welder from Harbor Freight. doesn't have a gas option on it. 79 bucks with the neverending slew of coupons. http://www.harborfreight.com/90-amp-flux-wire-welder-68887-8494.html

after i grind down the welds...it looks fine on most things i do.

not sure if i'll do any other cars, but a 37 coupe in patina would be fun as well.

i've never played with any other kind of welder. i can make them look really pretty decent if i just take my time and go very very slow. basically like a string of tack welds in a row, otherwise my welder will blow holes right in this thin metal on the car.

put my welder to thick angle iron....does a superb job.