HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Greetings and Happy Thanksgiving!

Because it was Thanksgiving today, I didn't spend as much time in the shop as I would have otherwise. I think this is one of the more significant holidays we celebrate, perhaps because I have so much for which to be thankful. We invited our family to our house for this year's celebration and my help was needed off and on. My wife Tammy set a nice table for our guests and the meal was excellent. She didn't know that I took this picture and doesn't know that I included it in my blog post. Note: if you never see another post from me on this, or any other blog, you'll know that she disapproved.

After we finished eating I took father-in-law Chris out to the shop to show him what I'd been doing on Gary's coupe. He has agreed to replace the vent windows in front of the door glass as part payment for the parts he received that came from the '51. The vent window has laminated glass which has begun to separate. You can see the bubbles in between the layers. 

I showed Gary when he was visiting and he indicated that he'd like to have the rusted vent window frames re-chromed. I checked with several of the online vendors and only found one that sold new vent frames, but they were expensive. I'm sure plating will also be expensive and take more time. I'll have to get an estimate from the plater before deciding which way to go.

Here's a shot of the door latch mechanism. I finished cleaning and lubricating it along with the receiver in the driver's door this week and adjusted everything carefully. Now it works just like it should. I made a short video of the door operation but it's really choppy. I'll leave it out until I learn how to make it work well.

I'm going to replace both of the door handles so the old ones are not going back on yet. One of the hardest to find components is the door regulator. The regulator is the mechanism that transmits the movement of the inside door handle to a rod that activates the latch in the door jamb. The original one has a broken spring so the handle doesn't return.

I often spend quite a bit of time looking for parts on the internet and in the catalogs I have in the shop. For my customers I use the information to make estimates and for my vendors I use the information to put together a Purchase Order. I don't charge my customers for this time, but if I make the effort to be organized, it makes things more clear for everybody and keeps me from making costly mistakes. I spent about 2 hours on the computer going from one site to another looking for someone who made an aftermarket relay. Apparently, nobody does. Entrepreneurs; here's an overlooked opportunity for you. They make them for '55-'57 Chevys but not for the '51. I have an idea to make it work: I've got a spare regulator for my '54 Chevy pickup truck, and I think I can make it fit in where the coupe regulator goes. I'll report later.

The real difficult part to find will be a duplicate of the battery tray I found in the '51. I'm not sure just who the craftsman was who put this device together but it's an interesting one. Let me know if you've seen one like it.

Thanks for your time. Have a nice Black Friday!
Doug