Chapter 23: Finis Coronat Opus

12 June 2001 Much, much time has passed since my last chapter was posted. Not a lot happened during Spring, but very recent events definitely warrant a new page.

NEW TIRES-- a few months back, at the ever-famous Good Guys car show in Pleasanton, I was cruising the aisles of the swap meet looking for nothing in particular. What I found was flabbergastingly appropriate, serendipitously wonderful. A couple of guys were selling 16" wheels, which I was looking for with the hubcap clips on the inside ridge. But these were not only beautiful, powder-coated rims, they were attached to brand-new 215 85R 16 Charger tires, fully balanced and properly inflated. It was so perfect a find, it was actually kinda spooky. The dudes unloading these gems said they were indeed from a classic truck project, but the owner changed his mind and went with wide tires. I talked the owners not only into letting me have them for $10 less then they were asking, but they helped me roll them all the way over to the van. They were much better at it than I was-- I totally trashed my back.

The next Monday I had them mounted at a nearby shop while I had the valves tuned. So, how does it drive now? Much, much better. The new tires are narrower and taller than the old ones, which help the Beast's drivability two ways: The narrowness actually means there is less tire-to-road contact area, which makes steering much easier, particularly turning the wheel while standing. Steering resistance is right to original spec again. The other improvement is the speed increase due to the larger diameter of the tires. They measure 31.5"; the old 15" ones (which I still have, if anyone's interested in them) were just under 28". That gives it an approximate 15% speed boost. The result is the Beast goes 65 with absolute impunity. The larger size also means it rides about two inches higher than before, with the roof now an incredible 6'4" above the pavement. That actually ain't so good: I have to really pay attention to clearance signs at garages, and it definitely handles a little more top-heavy than usual. It's also a little more gutless than I remember on hills, but if so it's only only incrementally worse.

The left interior, after priming.	The right, same deal.

INTERIOR-- I finally bit the bullet and spent the better part of a weekend sanding the inside of the cargo area. I suppose I had a bit of spare time in the early spring for such an endeavor. It really needed to be done. I scraped off the last traces of the adhesive used to stick on squares of anti-rattle padding, sanded off the last of the surface rust from the pillars and inside walls, and hit everything with quality primer. An exceptional amount of time was spend filling the dents and cleaning up the wheel wells. When it was done, it looked darn fine. Just a few interior areas left to do (the dashboard, seats and the front flooring) and the whole inside is ready for final paint.

BODY WORK, Part 1: Because of a confluence of several factors, I was allowed by fate to get what I needed to finish off the Beast's restoration once and for all. From Chevy Duty, I purchased the side window glass, and from Brothers I got the window rubber kit. From a number of sources I was able to get hold of all the patch panels I would need to get the seriously rusted parts of the Beast cut off and replaced. Both rear front fender tips, the bottoms of both doors, the left door bottom hinge bracket, and the right door step plate were purchased as steel replacements. All I lack is the welding skill and tools to install these panels ( the windows I can do myself). to that end...

BODY WORK, Part 2: I mentioned a few chapters back that I was looking into getting the painting done in Mexico, over the border in Tijuana. It's still a fine idea, but not one conducive to the way I like to do things. Things that involve spending money, that is. I really prefer to get a range of quotes, weigh the options involved and agonize over it for a week or so until just thinking about making a decision gives me a dull headache. Then I decide, if only to kill the pain and move on with my life. One fine day in late March I toured South San Francisco and San Bruno looking for a decent body work price quote. There are a lot of auto body shops and restorers clumped into an industrial district bordering Highway 101. I went from shop to shop with the Beast, asking for price quotes for the basic work-- de-rust the exterior, weld on the patch panels, and primer. The range of responses was rather illuminating. Some of the reactions to my inquiries, in no particular order:

•"It won't fit into my paint booth/garage/yard."
•$25,000 and 12 months to do the job (the deeply customized deuce coupes in this shop should have tipped me off).
•$2,400 to paint it, but I have to get the body work done elsewhere.
•$14,000, but I have to get the welding done elsewhere.
•"We only do insurance and collision work." (This despite the picture of the '57 Bel Air on their sign)
•$6,000 and a month for the works (this is the best quote I got).
•$560 for just the painting, no body work (Earl Sheib, in the city. They have an oversized spray booth).
•Being totally ignored (at 3 different shops. They must be tired of making money).

Main Street Body & Paint's modest Façade.

Somewhat discouraged, I shelved the idea for a spell. A few weeks later, I was talking to a fellow about Stockton, the Central Valley city where I have a small piece of real estate I'm in the process of fixing up. This fellow said "Stockton? That's old car country. You should look over there to get your body work done." Since I spend practically every damn weekend there anyway, I took his advice.

BODY WORK, Part 3: From the place in Stockton, I started checking into getting the work done. My search began at the place closest to my property on the Eastern edge of town and worked down East Main Street. It didn't take long to get an offer I couldn't refuse.

Main Street Auto Body, a very modest shop right next to the Highway 4 underpass, had a number of likely-looking cars out front getting fixed up, like 60's-era Impalas and a couple Monte Carlos (The official vehicle of Stockton, California 1985-Present. Runner-up: the Camaro). Miguel, the affable owner of the shop, looked the whole beast over as I described what needed doing. He said, I'll do it for... $2500. Wow! That's like Mexico pricing.

In the shop.	Juan, one of Miguel's talented shop men, shaving bondo on the roof.

It took a few weeks of phone-tag to get the work started, but on that day about three weeks ago I drove it down Highway 4, through the San Joaquin Delta and over the historic three bridges to Stockton. My wife, who paced me in her car to give me a ride home afterwards, suggested I change the truck's nickname from The Beast to The Intimidator. Apparently other drivers, seeing that gaping rusted grill in the rear-view, tend to get the hell out of the way.

As I write this the beast is all but done. I have only to retrieve it.

June 19, 2001: Got home from work at 7:00 a.m. (for the dot-com bubble has indeed burst here in the Bay Area, forcing me to get a real job, and one with weird hours at that), hit the sack, then got up at noon and headed out to Stockton. When we got to Main Street Auto Body, I was goofy from lack of sleep and the 103° heat. Nonetheless, when we came up to the shop the Beast was sitting right outside, looking unrecognizable.

The 1956 Chevy Panel Delivery, after bodywork, sans bumpers.

All the rust, the funky paint, and the little dents are gone. No trace of eaten-through metal or that "jail-house" roof paint job remain. From the front grill to the back doors it's now uniform primer gray. The roof is smooth, the patch panels have been welded on, and the beltlines run straight and unbroken from front to back. In short, it looks like new. True, it still needs wet-sanding (they used thick filler primer on it), the inside still needs a little work, and of course it needs that final paint job, but the end is now in sight.

I took it, thanking Miguel and his tireless staff for their expert work (should I have tipped them?) and drove it around a bit. A lot of dust blew out of the vents. It still runs like a champ, and is fairly comfortable to drive in the Valley heat, although I can imagine if it was parked in the Stockton summer sun for a few hours it'll turn into a huge, suffocatingly hot Dutch oven. Still, when I had to decide to drive it back to San Francisco or leave it in Stockton for the time being I came up short. I'll get it this weekend.

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