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 My DeSoto's progress in photos:Jump to page : 1 2 3 4 5 Now viewing page 3 [50 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
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FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788     Location: USA - KY |  Well, whaddyaknow? Hell FINALLY froze over and I received my car's door panels from SMS.  They look very nice. And...I couldn't resist...I obtained a Benrus steering wheel clock from our good FL friend roadkillontheweb. It's SO Purdy! It looks brand new and it happily tick-tocks away, sitting here on the dining room side table. It sure doesn't seem to take much motion to keep it ticking. Our other good FL friend, Raffie has graciously offered to fabricate the mounting retainer for me. Some folks might fuss that a 'Sweep couldn't have a steering wheel clock back in the day. But I figured that if a Firesweep could be ordered with the "deluxe" steering wheel (which it could), and the Benrus could be bought as an after-market item (which it could), then anyone whose Firesweep had a "deluxe" steering wheel could also order a Benrus clock to fit into that steering wheel...although I really doubt that many folks would have bothered back in 1957. But that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. (Any excuse for more bling, huh?) The "small jobs" continue - could the end of the resto be in sight?  | ||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Check out the nifty FL Flookerang gas cap and Desoto dealership key cover thingy that I also got from our good FL friend roadkillontheweb.  . Edited by FIN ME 2015-02-01 11:35 AM (flcap.jpg) Attachments ----------------  flcap.jpg (184KB - 314 downloads) | ||
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| firedome |
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Expert Posts: 3155  Location: NY & VT | |||
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| 57desoto |
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Expert Posts: 1488 Location: New Castle PA | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Finally got some photos of my new door panels that arrived from SMS; they look really good. The new headliner is in (perforated white vinyl), and the repairs that I made on the bows stood up to the reinstallation...whew! The dash is almost all done; we have all of the parts ready to go. There is now Dynamat in the ceiling, doors, floor, and trunk. So now no one can hear me screaming "yahoooo" when I'm driving.  The "new" day-night mirror was pieced together from several donor mirrors. (The glass in the mirror is really good, it is just reflecting the scratches that are on the counter top.) So we plod on...but it's a lot of fun! . Edited by FIN ME 2015-02-14 10:00 AM (A502AAAA.jpg) (A502AAA.jpg) (A502AA.jpg) (A5021.jpg) (A5022.jpg) (A5023.jpg) (A5024.jpg) (A5025.jpg) (A5026.jpg) (A5027.jpg) (A5028.jpg) (A5029.jpg) (A50210.jpg) (A50211.jpg) Attachments ---------------- A502AAAA.jpg (159KB - 277 downloads) A502AAA.jpg (181KB - 269 downloads) A502AA.jpg (149KB - 293 downloads) A5021.jpg (96KB - 269 downloads) A5022.jpg (141KB - 270 downloads) A5023.jpg (189KB - 279 downloads) A5024.jpg (304KB - 292 downloads) A5025.jpg (175KB - 281 downloads) A5026.jpg (158KB - 268 downloads) A5027.jpg (156KB - 275 downloads) A5028.jpg (187KB - 277 downloads) A5029.jpg (222KB - 277 downloads) A50210.jpg (130KB - 263 downloads) A50211.jpg (158KB - 273 downloads) | ||
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| wizard |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+ Posts: 13050  Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Thank you, wizard! | ||
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| Mike McCandless |
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Expert Posts: 1886 | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Thank you, Mike! | ||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Looking to have this resto done by early May...as in MAYbe... Wish me luck! I've got a great team, so I'm optimistic. | ||
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| firedome |
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Expert Posts: 3155 Location: NY & VT | |||
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| tnlowrider |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 500 Location: Upper East Tennessee | |||
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| sidesho_bob1961 |
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Expert Posts: 1728 Location: Fleetwood, Pa | Love the color combo on this car and it's great to see that you're doing a top-notch resto also....I hope you decide not to put those skirts on after it's done though...  Edited by sidesho_bob1961 2015-03-30 10:25 AM | ||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | My DeSoto and I thank you for all of the praise, guys! Hehehe...those skirts sure do generate a lot of discussion. Not to worry, though; they can be popped off and on at a moment's notice to please everyone! A couple of days ago I received an order I had placed with Gary Goers back in February. Yay! Gary came through with a bucket load of those fiddly little rubber bits and pieces that I just couldn't do without. The resto is now down to the fine, detaily, O.C.D. kind of work that we all love so much (groan), and then the "Big D" shall surface yet again, hopefully better off for all of this resto madness of mine. I tell ya, we F.L. folks are just not right in the head! But I'm still having the time of my life! | ||
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| firedome |
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Expert Posts: 3155 Location: NY & VT | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | "502 Auto Club" - they're Da Bomb! A collection of super talented guys. The owners gathered some of the best guys in town to work at the shop when they first opened their doors several years ago. They've been great at doing the work according to my overly-detailed research. I think that my car has been the only Chrysler product that they've ever done this much work on, yet they've done a great job. There are a lot less Chryslers in this part of the country than there are Fords and Chevys, so they were honest about needing to depend on my research. They never looked down their noses at me because I was female either, which was one of the main reasons that I chose their shop to do the work. I knew that it would be a long haul; too long for me to put up with any of that "now, now, little lady" nonsense. They have some super high end cars at their shop, but they still treat my Mopar with the same kind of care as they take with their fancy cars. They also never pushed me to do work on my car that I didn't think needed to be done. I was told that my car would be the last average restoration that they will be doing. They will be focusing more on reproducing really fancy iconic cars for folks with deep pockets. The cars that they are now producing are amazing - see second link below. They recently took some of these cars to Amelia Island. One of their Spyder reproductions in the photo. http://www.502autoclub.com/ http://www.502motorworks.com/ Edited by FIN ME 2015-04-04 5:56 PM (502spyder.png) Attachments ---------------- 502spyder.png (497KB - 269 downloads) | ||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | My car and an awesome Austin Healey like the one in the photo below, have been undergoing their restorations together. When I visited the shop a long while back, each car had its chrome and stainless all lined up on the floor for sorting in the same positions that the chrome and stainless had come off of the cars...kind of like chrome and stainless "skeletons". The Austin Healey had such a cute, little pile of tiny chrome and stainless bits and pieces. Awww. The Desoto had a HUGE, not so cute, heap of giant chrome and stainless lumps and spears that were longer than the entire Austin all together. Ewww. I sure do envy that Austin Healey owner's plating and polishing bills! . Edited by FIN ME 2015-04-04 5:50 PM (67ah.jpg) Attachments ---------------- 67ah.jpg (72KB - 259 downloads) | ||
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| earleebob |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 1120 Location: Brisbane, Australia | |||
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| JT Vincent |
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Expert Posts: 1493 Location: Jamaica Plain, MA | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Thanks, guys! There are soooo many events from which to choose this summer, but I'd sure like to finally make it to Carlisle this year seeing how the show will be featuring F.L. cars! We shall see; it might depend on how much time I can get off from work. Hope all y'all will be there! | ||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Nothing that exciting to report today - just had new shocks installed the other day. But what was very COOL, was that my car's former owner and his wife passed through town on their way home from wintering in Florida, and they had time to drop by and see their old DeSoto (now my DeSoto) in the final stages of its restoration. They were both really happy with the changes, which made me feel good. They still own a '56 DeSoto which is a very nice car. Here is a photo of the FORMER OWNERS checking out their old car - and a pic of their '56: Edited by FIN ME 2015-04-21 10:23 AM (FORMER..OWNERS.jpg) (FORMER..OWNERS..56.jpg) Attachments ---------------- FORMER..OWNERS.jpg (57KB - 257 downloads) FORMER..OWNERS..56.jpg (79KB - 255 downloads) | ||
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| d500neil |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil! Posts: 19146 Location: bishop, ca | |||
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| 60 Imp |
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Location: North Australia | |||
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| firedome |
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Expert Posts: 3155 Location: NY & VT | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | OK, OK, guys, I know that I keep on saying this, but there's not much left to do on my car before I'll consider the resto finally done....no, really! Still left to do: align the wheels, buff the paint, finish hooking up the sound system, finish a few small, interior details, and polish the front windshield ( ). Some other good news is that the new glove box liner that I made fits. It was rather difficult to know if I was getting the shape correct because the original glove box liner was so crumbly that it pretty much fell apart when I attempted to use it as a template for constructing the new liner. But all is well. And I found some very nice wheel covers on Ebay to replace a couple of my less-than-charming wheel covers. The "plexi-glass" sun visors turned out well. I got them for a super good price. They polished up really well. The "plexi-glass" itself was too wavy from melting in the sun for decades on end, and it was also too scratched up to be reused, so a piece of clear plexi-glass was placed into each visor frame, and then each side of the new plexi-glass was covered with modern window tinting flim in a shade the hopefully looks very close to the colour of the original sun visors. And best of all, the engine started on the first crank after sitting idle for sooooo long. And there have been no subsequent under-car leaks onto the shop's rather pristine flooring. I am a very patient sort when it comes to getting those final, little details right, but I have to admit that I can't WAIT to take my old car back out on the road again. I'll post some pic's once I get back on the road again! Thanks again, for all y'all's help! Edited by FIN ME 2015-06-07 10:31 AM | ||
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| big m |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 7807 Location: Williams California | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | More progress photos that I took today. The resto of the tinted "plexi-glass" sun visors went well. The shop's fabricator made the attachments that connect them to the roof...he did a great job! The "Flookerang" seat belts are bolted in place. Half the carpet is back in; the carpet just needed a new and improved edging. The interior and exterior door handles and the window cranks were plated and they all turned out great, along with the new door panels. And the rear seat is in back in place. The MP3/Ipod player that is hidden in the glove box now has the controls hidden in the ashtray. Counting down to the finish line! . Edited by FIN ME 2015-06-16 6:51 PM (juneresto7.jpg) (juneresto2.jpg) (juneresto3.jpg) (juneresto.jpg) (juneresto4.jpg) (juneresto5.jpg) (juneresto8.jpg) (juneresto6.jpg) Attachments ---------------- juneresto7.jpg (259KB - 263 downloads) juneresto2.jpg (123KB - 261 downloads) juneresto3.jpg (165KB - 271 downloads) juneresto.jpg (128KB - 271 downloads) juneresto4.jpg (126KB - 265 downloads) juneresto5.jpg (193KB - 256 downloads) juneresto8.jpg (155KB - 263 downloads) juneresto6.jpg (137KB - 248 downloads) | ||
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| LD3 Greg |
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Expert Posts: 1906 Location: Ontario, Canada | |||
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| soiouz |
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Expert Posts: 3480 Location: Montreal, Canada | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Thank you for the compliments, my fellow countrymen! | ||
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| The Chrysler Kid |
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Expert Posts: 1384 Location: Ocala, Florida | |||
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| Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | Rosy - you must have very, very long legs (and long arms too)! It looks quite roomy for a two-seater! Edited by Lancer Mike 2015-06-17 1:27 PM (juneresto8.jpg) Attachments ---------------- juneresto8.jpg (155KB - 264 downloads) | ||
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| mogge65 |
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Expert Posts: 1295 Location: Nasco , SWEDEN | Totally Awesome, supernice car Whats the name of those colors? Mist green and jet black? | ||
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| d500neil |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil! Posts: 19146 Location: bishop, ca | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Carlisle is iffy at the moment, but we did reserve a room at a local hotel, just in case we do make it. I can barely reach the pedals even with the front seat pushed as close to the steering wheel as I can get it! Yep, "Mist Green" and black. The original interior code is #516. The side windows fit and operated well when I got the car in 2011, but the weather stripping was another story! The side window weather stripping and channels have been replaced with reproductions and that has greatly improved things. I couldn't find the weather stripping for the sidelights, so the original weather stripping (which had shrunk and hardened over the years) was reconditioned with "Eastwood's Rubber, Plastic & Vinyl Restore" several times over, and now it is in much better condition and there are currently no gaps between the side windows, sidelights, and the roof, pillars, and doors. I hope it stays that way! Edited by FIN ME 2015-06-18 9:29 AM | ||
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| d500neil |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil! Posts: 19146 Location: bishop, ca | |||
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| imopar380 |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 7207 Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | FIN ME - 2015-06-18 6:26 AM I can barely reach the pedals even with the front seat pushed as close to the steering wheel as I can get it! :cool: LOL, When I bought my Saratoga, I noticed that the brake and gas pedals had another set of pedals actually bolted over top of the original pedals - obviously a very short person owned / operated the car at one point. I removed the"overlay" pedals, and filled the holes in the originals ( which have minor wear, indicating the overlays weren't always on top) with black silicone cement. | ||
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| barrie5747 |
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Member Posts: 34 Location: nova scotia | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Thanks, guys! I sure hope that my plans to finally get my DeSoto back to the NDC Convention work out, Barrie. Keep yer fingers crossed! imopar380, that reminds me! - I had one of those old, wedge-shaped back bolsters that I found used in an obscure little store a LONG time ago. I used that thing for years while driving a string of old-style, used cars. Finally I was able to start buying new, modern cars in which I could reach the pedals without using my back bolster. Jeepers, I miss that thing, especially now that I'm back to driving a big, old car with a bench seat; the oldest car I've ever had. I wonder if they still make those old style, wedge-shaped bolsters for us wannabe Hobbits out there? I guess I can always start wearing platform shoes, a la Frankenstein.  | ||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Breaking news...naw, not really. I've decided to have the under-dash record player attach with a quick-disconnect mounting thingy. I think that there's enough leg room with the record player in place, but I can understand how a "normal" person might want/need more leg room on a long trip. The under-dash AC sits under the middle of the dash, so the record player will be attached under the passenger side of the dash. My shop's fabricator came up with the thought for the quick-disconnect...cool. Don't mind me...these days, ANY news that gets my car closer to completion seems to excite me greatly...I must remain calm. As you were... Edited by FIN ME 2015-06-20 9:55 AM | ||
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| ttotired |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 8443 Location: Perth Australia | |||
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| jimntempe |
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Expert Posts: 2312 Location: Arizona | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | That's cool about the 60DODGE plates, guys. But I bet you'll still get asked what year your car is. LOL I've had folks look right at my car's rear plate and ask what year my car is. I could NOT believe that "57 FINS" was still available for custom plates when I obtained them for my DeSoto. There are a TON of '57 Chevys in my area, and I thought that one of their owners would have snapped up those particular custom plates. It's nifty here in KY because you can have both custom plates AND antique plates for the same car, and change them out whenever you wish, ie: antique plates for the more fussy car shows out there. We also don't need front plates here, which is also a bonus. BTW...Did I mention that I miss my DeSoto? Here's me, being a big cry baby in my temporary, substitute ride... . (yikes 1.jpg) Attachments ---------------- yikes 1.jpg (97KB - 249 downloads) | ||
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| jimntempe |
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Expert Posts: 2312 Location: Arizona | |||
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| FIN ME |
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Expert Posts: 2788 Location: USA - KY | Some bad photos I took yesterday - the end of this resto is in sight; just a few more days to go...I hope...(have I said that before? ) The upholsterer is busy polishing the windshield as I type - so far, so good. The record player has been installed with a quick-release disconnect. There's a phone jack and an IPod/MP3 hidden in the glove box, and the controls are hidden in the ashtray. My upholsterer even found those tiny size 2 screws for the pushbutton gear plate. That took some doing. Front seats are in and now they are adjustable; not locked in place like they were prior to the resto. And the new seatbelts look good too, methinks. They are cheapy copies of the original Flookerang type from back in the day. Carpet is back in and it fits much better than it used to. Still need to finish installing the rear view mirror, charge the AC, buff the paint to high gloss, align the wheels, and finish up a few tiny little OCD-induced tasks, and it all shall be over...well...it's never really over when it comes to these old cars, is it? I'm soooo tired, working like mad to pay for it all, but it has sure been worth it, IMHO. Sorry for the poor photo quality. (Oops! A photo of a rather odd white car that was at the shop crept into this post; must've hit an extra "enter" while posting - ah well, I'll leave it there for giggles.) . Edited by FIN ME 2015-07-03 9:19 AM (julywindshield.jpg) (julywindshield2.jpg) (julywindshield3.jpg) Attachments ---------------- julywindshield.jpg (79KB - 245 downloads) julywindshield2.jpg (122KB - 250 downloads) julywindshield3.jpg (148KB - 256 downloads) | ||
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| tnlowrider |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 500 Location: Upper East Tennessee | |||
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| ttotired |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 8443 Location: Perth Australia | |||
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| horace |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 471 Location: MN | |||
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| JT Vincent |
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Expert Posts: 1493 Location: Jamaica Plain, MA | |||
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| d500neil |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil! Posts: 19146 Location: bishop, ca | |||
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