As mentioned in the previous article, we’ve put the body
aside and have taken the car completely apart. To get the bare
frame ready for the next steps, it needs to be cleaned thoroughly.
PPG DX 330 Acryli-Clean is used for this.
At
this point, the frame is ready for any necessary “bodywork”.
Being a Deuce, this is an important step as the entire mid section
of the outer rail is seen (below the body and above the running
board). Also, because of this exposure, the frame on a full-fendered
car is usually painted body colour as ours will be. If you’re
using expensive material and colour (more on this later), this
certainly adds to the overall cost of the job.
The
amount of additional fussing at this point will be dependant upon
the condition of the frame you’re using (both stock rails
or repro) and what you’re trying to achieve. That is, if
you never expect anyone to look under your car, you can get away
with a lot less work. In our case, while we aren’t building
a “show car”, we do expect it to get some scrutiny
so we are planning a moderate amount of work during this step.
Thanks to the guys at Lowdown, the welds are excellent and require
no attention.
To
digress slightly, and as mentioned for the body, it’s amazing
how something bare can look great but when evenly coated with
a top coat can take on an entirely different topography if you
get my gist. And, as the mid section of the Deuce rail has both
a compound contour and a bottom ridge or bead, there will likely
be some work involved in getting it right.
