It's been a while since we've gotten back to Bob at The Works. Carolyn's Amazon is coming along nicely. When we left off previously, Bob had sprayed the body with several coats of primer and was sanding each coat to make sure that the shape and structure were perfect before the car was painted. A mid-70s "Stork Blue" from the 240 series was chosen by Carolyn for the body color, a test panel was sprayed and approved, but when the whole body was painted, she decided that the car was "too blue."

She and Bob looked at earlier stock colors and chose the mid-60s "Slate Blue." The body was re-sanded and the new color applied. It looks just great! The body panels were hung, aligned and painted, and the entire car was clear-coated. While the paint was curing, Bob took the engine apart and ordered the parts necessary to rebuild it, including new pistons, bearings, camshaft, oil pump and timing gears. Meanwhile the chrome has just returned from the platers and looks just like new.

Here are the front and back views of the finished car body. Notice "The Rotisserie," a device that Bob designed and built for jobs like this one; the body can be turned and held at any angle that is needed.
	Bob will use sound insulating material to line the interior; when a heat lamp is used, the sheets will soften and conform to the different curves of the body.
The bottom of the car, wheel wells, and the lower and rearmost of the engine compartment has been re-undercoated with a special plastic coating; it doesn't shrink or crack and will protect the car from the famous Oregon signature rust patterns.	Before & after:
	The engine block was decked and rebored .040" over, flashing was removed to resist stress cracks forming at the foundry parting line usually found where the strengthening rib is, near the main bearings. The oil passages have been modified for better flow.
The top panels for the inside of the doors and various other parts have been sanded to bare metal and are awaiting a new paint job.

Finishing a body and making it whole again is always a benchmark in the restoration process, like constructing the foundation for a building. Now other finished parts can be installed and the process of assembly can begin. In the next installment, we'll see the assembly of the mechanicals.

Photos by Bob Moreno
The Works
4065 W. 11th #12
Eugene, OR
(541) 341-1316