Author Archives: Tabitha

Overhaulit Part 56
Body in white

Overview

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Description

Three body shops later, guess what . . . we’re now looking for a fourth. “Body in white” is an industry term that refers to a vehicle’s bare shell. White also happens to be the color we’re painting our 1970 Plymouth
project car . . . if we can actually find the right someone to paint it, that is.

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Overhaulit Part 57
On the right patch

Overview

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Description

Talk about a patchwork quilt.
I expected some damage and then the corresponding bodywork to repair it, but our 1963 Corvette has had such extensive fiberglass reconstruction that had I known about it in the beginning, I wouldn’t have bought the car.
The motto here is simple: when you think you’re done sanding, sand some more.

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Overhaulit Part 58
The scoop

Overview

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Description

Trying to fix a hood-clearance problem – with a new hood – leads to a whole lot of other problems. Great, more fiberglass work to do. Say, what car is this again? When the topic is fiberglass, most people assume that I’m referring to our 1963 Corvette project car, which is made – and has been remade – almost entirely of fiberglass.
Surprise, surprise, because as it turns out, our 1965 Mustang needed a little fiberglass work, too.

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Overhaulit Part 59
Carbon disaster

Overview

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Description

We end up “hood”winked after a custom builder has more talk than talent. Now, what, exactly constitutes a big mistake? Accidentally cutting the roof off the car with a torch would be one. Painting the car pink instead of black would be another. And contracting an unknown outfit to make a carbon-fiber hood for our 1970 Plymouth project would also be right up there.
Talk about bad blood.

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Chevrolet Chaparral
AutoGraph Sept 1, 2014

AutoGraph

Use: Media professionals demanding top-quality automotive content for their print products and/or Web sites. Professional artwork, editing.

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Product specifications

Designed by Wheelbase Media’s editorial staff using Macromedia Freehand (for backward compatibility for most systems) as well as Adobe Photoshop.
Mac or PC use.
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Print size: 8 inches wide, 6 inches tall, scalable about 10 percent up or down.
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Overhaulit Part 60
The pleasure of sanding

Overview

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Description

The bodywork was so extensive that we had to actually check if the gas cap and rear emblem still fit. This is what several coats of sprayable body filler look like. Let the sanding begin. No, not really. We hate sanding, with a passion . . . but to get the smooth final result, you have to love it.

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Overhaulit Part 61
Digital tools

Overview

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Description

So, what would you like to do to your car? The way to know is to stay in the loop and here’s how.
As we get closer to the end of our Mustang project, you might have become a little lost along the way.
Like, what was the point of this project in the first place? Of the three cars in this series, the 1965 Mustang is likely the most representative of what someone might have in their garage and could eventually accomplish as time and finances allow.

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Overhaulit Part 62
High-performance hinges

Overview

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Description

Even if a part has nothing to do with going faster, cornering harder or stopping better, that doesn’t mean it’s not high performance. We have this saying around the office, that if it doesn’t make the car perform better, we don’t put it on. I guess that’s really more of a statement of purpose than a hard-and-fast rule because sometimes parts are just too pretty to pass up. Or stylish.

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Overhaulit Part 63
You want to paint under where?

Overview

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Description

Glossy, matte, black, gray or body color? A person could really lose sleep over this.
Everyone knows what color a silver car will be. Silver, I’m guessing. Our 1963 Corvette project will be Sebring Silver, in fact. But what about all those places you can’t see, like under the carpet, under the floor and even under the spare tire carrier? What color are they supposed to be?

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Overhaulit Part 64
When 1965 meets 2005

Overview

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Description

Hey, just because someone has good taste in classic cars doesn’t make them a designer, right? So, it’s a bit hit and miss, which is why if there’s a direction to err in, it’s probably on the side of subtlety, and that’s exactly where we’re at with our 1965 Mustang 2+2. Subtlety.
The theme (the big “A”) was more of a question: what if our 1965 Mustang actually arrived for 2005?