RPU, bodywork underway.

[kenny c]

Looking good.[P[P

 

[Old Iron]

Yea, I'm not a body man at all. I install patch panels then let someone else do the body work.

 

[23crate]

nice work credit to you both

 

[donsrods]

Thanks, guys, much appreciated. I have promised Dan that as soon as he is done with the door welding and fab work that I can free him up because I will be able to do the body filling and priming on the doors. I feel bad because this keeps him from working on his own VW project, but he has been very gracious about helping me.

Today I ordered a kit that uses the stock door handles to open the bear claw latches, via a cable. It is this kit here:

https://www.rockyhinge.com/exterior-handle-mounting-kit.html

It will make it more convenient to open the doors, and I will not have to reach inside and trip the bear claw latch with my fingers. We are going to take a couple of day's break from working on this thing, but will probably get in a few evenings, when Dan gets home from work. I have all day now, since I am not working because of the Corona virus, so I can at least have all the steel cut and prepped to make it easier for him when he does get there.

 

[donsrods]

We keep plodding along, getting a little more work done on the doors. Yesterday, I stripped all of the paint off and DA'd the entire outside down to bare metal. Then, Dan and I got the Suicide Doors safety latch installed on the driver's door.

I should get my outside door handle kit either tomorrow or Tuesday, and then we can drill the appropriate holes in the door skin to install it. Until those holes are drilled I can't start priming and body filling the doors to get them straight.

But at least we are moving ahead !

 

[soltz]

Nice work getting done there [cl
!![P!!

 

[Old Iron]

I'll be watching the installation of the handles. I've got a 31 roadster to do that to.

 

[Torchie]

Looks Great, Don.[cl
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[donsrods]

Thanks, guys. Old Iron, today the kit from Rocky Hinge came in, and it is REALLY high quality. My handles fit perfectly, and the machining on the unit is first rate.

Now, we just have to measure and drill the installation holes , then I can tape those holes up from the backside and start body filling the dents in the doors.

I wanted these handles to be operational because the ones on my son's rpu are welded solid and he opens the doors from the inside. But at shows some people still reach for his handles and try to give them a twist to open the doors ! Dan is going to retrofit this same kit to his car to avoid that.

I'll post some pictures as we go.

 

[05snopro440]

Thanks, guys. Old Iron, today the kit from Rocky Hinge came in, and it is REALLY high quality. My handles fit perfectly, and the machining on the unit is first rate.

Now, we just have to measure and drill the installation holes , then I can tape those holes up from the backside and start body filling the dents in the doors.

I wanted these handles to be operational because the ones on my son's rpu are welded solid and he opens the doors from the inside. But at shows some people still reach for his handles and try to give them a twist to open the doors ! Dan is going to retrofit this same kit to his car to avoid that.

I'll post some pictures as we go.

I'd just electrify the handles to teach anyone touching someone else's vehicle a lesson [ddd

I like that my 28 doesn't have outside door handles, and it's going to stay that way

 

[BillM]

You took the words right out of my mouth Snopro - the gall that some people have at car shows is inexcusable.

Looking good Don, thanks for keeping us so well updated!

 

[donsrods]

Glad to finally be making some progress !

I've told this story before. Years ago I drove my 27 to work quite a bit and it sat in the parking lot all day long. One day I came out after work and there was a German couple sitting in my car and another person was taking their picture. I asked them what the **** they thought they were doing, and they smiled and said they thought it was there so tourists could take pictures of themselves !

That I kinda understand, but how car people, at a show, can just assume they can touch anyone's car without asking is what I find hard to understand. People you gotta love em because you can't kill em !

 

[donsrods]

This week we made really good progress. Dan finished up the welding and fabrication work on the driver's door, and I started priming, body filling, and more priming and block sanding on it.

It actually came out pretty straight for the first priming, so I will let these coats shrink up and cure for a while and then apply some more primer and block sand it some more before final paint.

Today Dan got the passenger's side door done, so this week I will start body work on it. We put in a couple of really late nights, but this is major progress.

Here are a couple of pictures from tonight.

 

[bob w]

Looking good Don. I know how you and your son operate. It's gonna be good.

 

[kenny c]

Glad to finally be making some progress !

I've told this story before. Years ago I drove my 27 to work quite a bit and it sat in the parking lot all day long. One day I came out after work and there was a German couple sitting in my car and another person was taking their picture. I asked them what the **** they thought they were doing, and they smiled and said they thought it was there so tourists could take pictures of themselves !

That I kinda understand, but how car people, at a show, can just assume they can touch anyone's car without asking is what I find hard to understand. People you gotta love em because you can't kill em !

I don't get some people. Years ago I came out of the bar to find some Bozo sitting on my new motor cycle. I had to explain to him that it wasn't ok to try my bike on for size. He wouldn't like me doing it with his car or his wife. He kind of understood what I meant. A couple of years ago just after buying my new truck I came out of Dunkin Doughnuts and there was a guy with his back on my front fender and a foot on the bumper . He came close to being spoken to by hand after denying it and telling me it was no big deal.

 

[Torchie]

I don't get some people. Years ago I came out of the bar to find some Bozo sitting on my new motor cycle. I had to explain to him that it wasn't ok to try my bike on for size. He wouldn't like me doing it with his car or his wife. He kind of understood what I meant. A couple of years ago just after buying my new truck I came out of Dunkin Doughnuts and there was a guy with his back on my front fender and a foot on the bumper . He came close to being spoken to by hand after denying it and telling me it was no big deal.

"Social Distancing" has been around a lot longer then we thought.[ddd
Back then we just called it "Good manners."
Good progress on the RPU, Don.[cl [cl [cl
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[donsrods]

Thanks, guys.

Over the past couple of weekends, Dan has been working on the second door and also on the windshield posts. He added some width to the post bases to make them line up better with the dash, and he built the entire inner structure for that second door.

Now I can free him up and will take over and do the priming, filling, and block sanding to get this second door ready for paint. This is just about the last major work needing welding and fabrication, the rest is just bodywork.

 

[Torchie]

[cl
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

.

 

[donsrods]

That tank is mighty pretty !