Exterior Before Restoration
Pictures as of 01/01/2015
On First look the body wasn’t bad, however closer inspection shows some serious hours of work needed. The nose emblems are wrong for a 59, good indication of what is under the surface. Car is original snow crest white with silver coves and red interior. The hard top is also original. Trunk was modified and replaced, in the 1960's it had a large fuel cell and quick filler added. And hood suffered severe damage after a fuel leak and fire in the 1970s.
Time for the work to begin. Having removed the interior, doors, hood, trunk, hard top, fuel tank, chrome and electrical it was finally time for the body to be removed. This was made much easier with the use of a lift. While I have done this with a garage full of buddies before, the lift is really the way to go. Could use a taller garage though.
Pictures below from May 3
The 65 and 2002 look on as the car is rolled out of the garage.. the last time it will look like a car for what I am sure will be many months
With the body off the true extent of almost 60 years of use, and yes abuse, can be seen. While we knew of some previous body work... the work was done in a unique an unorthodox way. no worries i know a "guy". Looks like Chris Sherman at T.I.N. and I will be spending many hours in the driveway with the body. But for now i like looking at the garage... Kind of like rabbits and the cars are multiplying.
The body after stripping is in good shape. The front end was removed to allow it to be reworked and repaired properly but no serious new issues found. The car will need work in the trunk to fix the patch job done from the relocated fuel cell. and of course the seat brackets and rivets etc. But the body is relatively clean and in good shape. During stripping more grease pencil marks found detailing "job numbers" . so far marks on doors, hinge pillar, instrument cluster etc all match.
Trunck was cut up back in the 60s to move the fuel tank. Patch job is ... weak will make this look like new. In addition to the fuel cell indications are that somehting went under the back of the car breaking up the lower section of fiberrglass.
The remainder of the body is in very good condition, with the exception of the front end which has had a new nose (evident by the wrong emblems/lettering). There was also some fender work done very poorly. To make the repair job "easier" we decoded to remove the front end to allow for easier access and proper repair.
Here you can see the work ahead of us for the fender.. there is actually a 'welcome" matt being used as backer for a much earlier repair.
And to the left... well what can i say having some fun with the neighbors. It took less than 90 min to remove the front end
After almost 7 months to the day the front end is now back on the car. It took 3 of us, a lot of Glassen, more than just a few clamps and the skills of Chris Sherman to make it not only look perfect but more importantly to look like it was done at the factory (OE as he calls it). the "glue" that is squeezed out at each of the body seams looks exactly like Original. We even experimented with adding paint to the Gallsen to get the gray color.
Pictures added as of 12/31/2015
Hanging the front bend back on the car was ... well ... what can I say a nerve racking process for me. It was put on and off about 20 times trying to make sure alignment in all 3 axis was perfect. Rather than bore you with a tutorial, we will let the pictures say it all, lets just say not for the faint of heart. This is where measure twice, three times four times is the way to go.
Once front end was aligned correctly and the clamp positions marked and ready a layer of Glassen was placed on the dash/firewall mating surface. We had to move fast but with all three of us it went "smoothly" and on 12/31/2015 the front end is now back on the car.
You could not have enough clamps when doing this work. I think we had about 10 across each mating surface to bond it back together. ..... For my friends who have noticed the Green Bay Packer sign on the wall. no worries i have not defected, we are doing the body work at Chris's house. and teh car will be blessed with holly water to remove the curse of the Packers.
A shot of Chris looking very proud of his work, and he should be as the body is looking great. I must say that after 7 months I was wondering if it would ever look like a car again. I could see why so many people give up on the project but now rejuvenated by the site of the car with a trunk, front end, deck lid, etc all back on it is full speed ahead.
A few pictures of the colored factory bonding, glassen tinted with black paint; and the factory squeeze out look we were going for between the firewall and the upper surround and the fender and firewall. Once blacked out you will never know the front end was off the car. Many thanks to Mike and Chris from T.I.N. Restorations.
With the front end now hung and secure we can now move to hanging doors, the hood and fitting the rest of the body parts. Chris Sherman wasted no time in in getting to this task. It helps that football season is over and it is cold and miserable here in the Chicagoland area. The goal is to have it in primer by spring. And painted and back on a rolling chassis by end of summer, I better get to work on the chassis..
its been about 3 month sbut after along winter the body is rolled outside for the first time since November of 2015. And what a site all panles hung doors, trunk etc installed and body filler added as needed to make perfect. Still have some work to do on trunck etc but what a site to see outside. Even started to fit some trim and chrome to see how we did... not bad. I cant say enough for TIn and Chris Sherman. Taking the time to teach me body work and caring enough about Lolla to see her through.
Rule # 2 Chris at T.I.N. taught me never ever trust someone else’s body work including simple filler to align trunk gaps. Case in point under the filler we found the picture to the left. Notice the cracks that were covered. Thank goodness for Glassen and a dremel. Now stronger and better.
After more hours than I care to account, the majority of body work is done and we have moved on to fit and finish of trim and panels. The pictures below show the front and rear trim as well as the side trim fit in place and checked. The car is taking shape and now looks like a car... well looks like a body of a car at least. The body has been off the car about 12 months. We hope to be ready for primer by the end of June....
The time has finally come... and for those checking it was a little later than June, more like September but who is counting. after more than 1 year the car is moving to primer. I cant say it has been and easy road but it sure has been fun. Lolla has had more fight in her then we thought possible. The trunk the rear end the front end.... either way she is on the roll back and leaving for primer, and at the local shop for polyester primer.
So after about 1 month of guide coat and sanding she is ready for a long winter nap. I must thank Chris at TIN for "volunteering" to sand off his fingerprints. I have been out of country the past 4-5 weeks, so Chris stepped in and sanded Lolla. Now she is headed to storage to heat and cold cycle before more primer in the spring,
Pictures as of 12/01/2016
Pictures as of 07/22/2020
Well it has been a few years since last update. I was out of the country for a year, then moved and has to get settled.. BUT the push is on to get her done. Lolla had along nap with no work on her but her time has come to make a debut on the world stage. The first coat of Polyester primer has been sanded and the second coat of primer now on her and waiting for another guide coat and sanding. She is sitting on a left above the chassis, the closeest the 2 have been since 5/2015... yes almost 4 year. Car was primed in the spring and now we will let her cycle through some heat to make sure everything has shrunk with the goal of final sanding and off to paint before the end of the year
October 2021, After 2 years living out of country and 1 year lost to COVID, Lolla is again moving forward. We thought all body work was done but decided more trunk work needed (see TRUNK page). But done is done. the Car has was moved to the paint shop in Indy back in may of 2021, and hopefully before the end of summer she will be painted .............Well that was a fun 6 month s... car was at body shop, body work done, 2polyester primer done, final primer done, all body sanding done... and paint shop was unable to get to the car after 6 months. Fortunately Chris can head down and pick her up for me as i am out of the country again for 6 months. Not to bad mouth the shop but this was not acceptable, and not like they didn't know what was needed this shop has have painted the last 6 - 8 C1 cars... but new owner blew it. We delayed bringing it based on their schedule to meet their labor requirements.. and then it sat ... Car is now in NE Indiana and with any luck before end of the year she is home.... Sorry no clues on color until she is back in my garage an up on the lift.
Well after completing a polyester prime followed by blocking ... then a 2k prier coat followed by blocking with 400... and a second 2k primer coat followed by blocking 600. I thought we were ready for paint. And i was realistic as to what it would cost to lay down the base color, the side coves color, the trunk and interior color ..... well guess what........
the first shop spent 5-6 months with the car and failed to do any work (and this is when i waited for their schedule to bring them the car, and they had painted multiple 53.54 for us)..... the second shop (famous mid west "NCRS" received the and spent one month with it, cleaned up the door jams for less than 50 hours and wanted more than $5,200 .then provided me with an estimate of 25,000... yes that was right $25,000 us dollars to paint the car that needs NO body work, No priming and no body sanding. .... NEEDLESS to say the car is being brought home an i will find another shop .
If anyone else needs the name of these 2 shops drop me a message an i will direct message or email them to you.
Pictures as of 05/01/2022
After more than 11 months, and multiple paint shops the car is back home and paint is done. the reassembly can begin . Paint work done to closely represent the original, margins, finish etc have been reproduced to match factory "quality" Chassis is 100% done and motor run at shop and in chassis, see chassis section. Goal now is to have car assembled and ready for first judge show in October....
The mountain of boxes containing just some of the parts to install. I have spent the past 12 months assembling sub assemblies like pedals, heater box, seats, lights etc.