THE AUTO BUILDER

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For 1933, Dodge had a full line of automobiles, and the salesmen of the day no doubt touted that there was a Dodge model perfect for you. But of all the sedans, coupes, convertible sedans (of which only 13 four-door convertible sedan eight-cylinder models were built) and station wagons, the convertible coupe was no doubt the most stylish of the bunch. The ’33 Dodge convertible coupe was a rare car in 1933, with only 1,563 units being produced, and, of course, there were 56 more built with the eight-cylinder engine. So, while the convertible coupe was a strikingly good-looking automobile, it was not the best of times, and the practicality and affordability of coupes and sedans far outsold the convertibles of the time. Today, finding a ’33 Dodge convertible coupe is truly a challenge.

Oh-So-Fine MR2

As I was walking around the NOPI Nationals looking for cars to feature, this one stood out from the masses. What surprised me even more is that it stood out in a very impressive Toyo Tires booth. That is not an easy location to score. Toyo always has one of the hottest booths at NOPI and Hills MR2 literally stole the show.

WHEN “THE HEAT” GOES HOT RODDING

Hang out with your hot rod buddies and I guarantee talk will turn to days gone by. Some stories are more complex than others, but all are fun and most are true. Our latest Rear View Mirror takes a look at Jack Klingel’s tales of the open road. To say Jack liked cars is akin to saying Elvis liked music.

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Patchy Progress

Using Basic Metalworking Skills to Repair a Rusty Door

“Rust can put fear into the hearts of many hot rodders, but with enough work, nearly anything can be repaired.“

Author

Tommy Lee Byrd

Words & Photography

Common Rust Issues in Classic Cars

Patching a rusty hole in an old car is a common occurrence, especially on the East Coast, where the cars are more likely to rust out. The humid air is part of the problem, and then there is that whole thing of salting roads in the winter, but some rust is simply caused by car manufacturers using lower-grade metals and primers on their cheaper models. This example is a ’53 Henry J, and it has the usual rust issues on the doors, fenders, floor pans, and rocker panels. Most folks would pass on a car this rusty, but this one is considered decent by Henry J standards.

The History and Challenges of Henry Js

The cars were built on a budget and sold at a low price, but the bodies just didn’t last long. Proper care was not taken to make Henry Js hold up to moisture, and it wasn’t long before many of the cars were crushed or patched together to run on the dragstrip. While we are performing this rust repair on a product from Kaiser, the techniques can be transferred to nearly any car, as long as it’s metal.

Tools and Techniques for Rust Repair

For this project, we needed a MIG welder, a grinder, a cutoff tool, a new piece of sheet metal, and a body hammer. Other tools can be used to speed the process, but we made the patches without the use of any extravagant metalworking tools. If the rust had traveled any higher on the door, the process would have been much more difficult, but it was a simple project that only took a couple of hours.

Finishing Touches and Considerations

Of course, we’ll have to use body filler to give the door a perfectly straight surface, but with the right methods, we can use a modest amount to obtain the look we want. All welding should be complete when the bodywork starts, since the heat will soften the filler or primer and cause it to lift. This can create cracks or bubbles after the car is painted, and it’s never fun to find one of those on a recently finished hot rod.

Moving Forward with Repairs

Rust can put fear into the hearts of many hot rodders, but with enough work, nearly anything can be repaired. Most rodders can pick up the phone and order the patch panels they need, but in our case, there are no reproduction panels for a Henry J besides fiberglass race parts. Now that we have the passenger-side door finished, we can move on to repairing the rust in the other door, fenders, hood, and decklid—wow, this thing is rusty.

1) This is what we’re starting with: a rusty and rugged door on a ‘53 Henry J. While the rust damage is minor compared to the other body panels, this repair is essential to giving the car a smooth look. We might as well fire up the air compressor, because we’re going to need it.

2) The front of the door is considerably worse than the rear, so that’s where the process will begin. Although the holes do not look severe with paint on them, grinding will tell the tale and will give us an idea of how much metal will need to be replaced.

3) After grinding the door to bare metal in the area of concern, we can see that a long patch panel will need to be made. Even though the rusted area isn’t any particular shape, we’ll cut out a rectangular piece so the patch panel can be made with ease.

4) With a marker and straightedge, we can mark the area we’ll be removing and make sure we have a large enough piece of metal to repair the area in one section. We always try to leave 1/8 inch of metal on the edge so we can retain the door’s original shape and dimensions.

5) We used an air-powered cutoff wheel to remove the rusted metal, since it doesn’t create as much heat as other methods. After cutting the old metal, we used an angle grinder to remove any burrs or sharp edges, and then cleaned up the inside of the door before we progressed further.

6) Using a measuring tape and the piece we cut from the door, we marked the new piece of sheetmetal to fit the dimensions and made sure to cut it on the outside of our marked line. We’ll cut it out initially with the cutoff tool, and minor adjustments can be made with an angle grinder for a perfect fit.

7) After cutting the piece and smoothing the edges, we can test-fit it to the door and see how the initial fit looks. We’re sure that grinding the panel to fit will be necessary, but this will give us a guideline. The door has a slight roll from top to bottom, so we rolled the metal in the vise.

8) We made several test fits to ensure the proper fit and needed a helping hand to hold it in place while a few tack welds were made. After the patch was tacked, we could make any adjustments with the body hammer and then continue welding when the metal cooled.

9) Welding on a corner and moving to the opposite corner helped prevent warping, but the metal still needed time to cool periodically. After the welding was complete, we stepped back to look at our progress and began the dreadful grinding process.

10) Grinding can also cause the metal to warp, so we took great care to skip around and keep the steel reasonably cool. The first step was to use the cutoff wheel to knock the welds down, and then a small angle grinder to finish the panel.

11) We then sprayed the panel with gold spray paint and used a grinder to reveal the low spots, similar to a guidecoat on a fresh coat of primer. This step isn’t essential to the process, but it helps reduce the amount of filler used on the panel.

12) Now that the worst part of the door is repaired, we can patch the smaller portion and complete the passenger-side door. After grinding, we kept finding holes, so we cut out this section to remove any pinholes that might come back later. We can prep the inside of the door while it is accessible.