Got her in primer/sealer

[Tom Kochtanek]

Been working since last weekend to get the 1961 Belair ready for primer/sealer. Still need to do a bunch of metal bumping, but after getting her down to bare meteal I thought it best to seal that off before she flashes :).

Enjoy!

TomK

[Dick MacKenzie]

Looking Good Tom!
:clap

[jim_ss409]

It looks like you're off to a good start.:cheers

[oldskydog]

Tom,
I expect to see it in paint on my next drive through. Great progress, don't let that day job interfere with what's really important.:deal

[Brian Thompson]

Looking good Tom!!!!:cheers

[Tom Kochtanek]

Thanks guys! The original colors were Corona Cream exterior over Copper interior, but I like the black sealer so much, I might just do her in Black over Red :). It'd be hard to match the quality of Gerry's fine '61 Belair, though!

I'm taking a break for the next week to travel a bit, but when I get back I'll switch over to work on the pans and get that finished up. I don't start school until late August, so I should be able to put some time in the next 4-5 weeks :).

Cheers!
TomK

[bobs409]

Hey, who owned that car last, Fred Flintstone? :rofl

Looks good Tom. Love those 61's! In progress pics are the best. :deal


Bob

[Tom Kochtanek]

Yep, I've been carving out the old pans, getting down to the good structural parts. Inner frame rails are solid. That's why it looks so "open" :). Suprisingly, other than a few small spots the outer rockers and the quarters are solid. That's pretty rare for a MidWest vehicle!

The previous owner was the original owner, who raced the 348-powered car back in the 60s. He blew that engine up and simply parked the car back in the late 60s. Some time after that (maybe 10 years) some vandals broke out all the windows and he just parked it outside for 20 years without protection. Then I bought it after seeing a little ad in one of the local "Ad Sheet" papers.

So the pans went to dust (well, not quite!) and the seat covers disintegrated (frame and springs are salvageable). I purchased an entire '61 Bubbletop car for it's original T-10 and shifter (and the smooth column) and in addition got all the glass in frames and the X frame (solid).

Oddly enough I gave 5X as much for the "parts car" than I did for the original 348 car! But this is what 200 bucks will get you in Missouri, a crusty but restorable (with a lot of metal work) classic :). Someday I'll take it back to the fella I purchased her from, I'm sure he will be surprised! But, unlike 60convert4Dad, I will be keeping this one for my own use :). My first car when I was 15 and a half was one of these 1961s, albeit the "more door" version. This one is rarer and definitely cooler! Plus it once had a 348!

Now with the main body in primer/sealer, I move to restore the doors, front clip and rear trunk lid. I have some one piece bumpers (and their unique bracketry) in decent condition. After a few hundred hours I still have probably 800 hours to final assembly, something that will take me into 2010 if I keep up after it :).

This the THE VEHICLE that lead me to find Bob's Yahoo pages way back when, so I give the car that credit. I was new to the "W" and looking for some answers to questions, and look where that got me! This project was started some 5-6 years ago, then put on hold while I did a frame off on the '62SS. That took me two and half years... I finished that one about 2 years ago, and it took me this long to get on with the next project (well, there's that ongoing '61 Pontiac I goof around with from time to time).

Cheers!
TomK

[raymar58454]

Hey, who owned that car last, Fred Flintstone? :rofl

Looks good Tom. Love those 61's! In progress pics are the best. :deal


Bob

Hey Bob, Now I know why Tom is offering rides when in town. He needs a brakeman. yabba dabba doo :rofl :rofl :rofl

Ray