Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024
Well, I lifted the 56 Plymouth for the first time with the QuickJack 5000 last week. The QuickJack system had been assembled for about a month, but I hadn’t lifted the car with it.
Fortunately, the QuickJack worked flawlessley — no hydraulic fluid leaks or need to re-bleed the lines. It was funny to listen to the Plymouth as I raised it to the second locking position. The car hadn’t been lifted like that in years, and it was the first time that the suspension had been allowed to extend to its full depth. The rear springs creaked and popped as the car was raised, much like my knees pop and creak when I crawl out of bed on a Sunday morning.
So far, I have the trim removed from both front fenders, which are single spears. The trim was attached with a variety of clips. Three clips on the drivers fender used 1/2 inch nuts, the other three attachment points were spring loaded clips.
Removing the trim revealed how the clips — which were rusty — had created surface rust at each attachment point. The rust wasn’t widespread, though it creeped out from under the trim in several spots. The rust had been “camoflagued” with some blue touch up paint so it wasn’t quite as visible. There are several other spots of surface rust at attachment points for the remaining trim on the doors and quarter panels.
I checked in the rear wheel wells expecting to find one or more trim attachment points, but found none — they apparently are accessible in the trunk area and from the side panels in the rear seat.
This means that I’m next going to thave to remove the door panels and rear seat and side panels in the car to access all the attachment points. I’m going to bag up the attachment hardware on the trim and mark it and keep it all together. My plan is to use new clips everywhere.
I don’t know that I’ll hit the car with a grinding disc or sandpaper until all the side trim is off the car. I also need to remove the bumpers, the grill and headlight doors.
My plan right now is to start on the driver’s side front quarter, which so far seems to be the largest area that needs rust repair. I’ll have to be sure to video the work as it progresses.
Tune in to my updates on the Shadetree Garage YouTube channel.