J5, first look up close.
The J5 is here, and I got my first look, up close, at the car.
Call me an idiot for buying a project car sight unseen, but the sellers were stand-up people, so I took the chance.
I knew the car was a mess, and when it arrived I was not disappointed. But, it's not as bad as I thought it would be.
The issues with the car were pretty much as I had expected.Woody says, "I don't know about this one..."
You really only need two lug-nuts. The flares were, to put it mildly, awful looking. But-
The original wheel opening edges are still there, underneath, and unmolested. This shot also illustrates why you should use -EPOXY- instead of polyester resin on cured fiberglass. The side of the car, properly sanded for tooth, and the metal, at one point were completely covered in resin. I fatigue/snapped off two of the metal tabs, and the resin cracked off both the metal and body cleanly. I'm pretty sure all this nasty stuff will chip off cleanly, leaving just some drilled rivet holes to fill.
The doors and openings are hashed, as expected. The original jamb is about 8-10 inches forward of the current jamb. This will be a fun fix. I have a line on two new doors though.
The T-top mess will be eliminated. I noticed the glass layup on the roof is a little thicker on this body than the others I have seen (or have). The body glass is still thin.
The hood, once a lightweight piece of fiberglass, has been turned into a 50lb chunk of fiberglass, wood, bondo, half a gallon of resin, and more bondo. This is the underside. Chopped and hacked for engine clearance. Yuk (but I can fix it).
Soon-to-be scrap Isuzu 4-pot mill and tranny. The frame under the car is going away as well. It fits the car's layout like socks on a rooster.
This is why the frame is going away. The car's floor was modified to fit the frame, yet it looks as though no thought was given to somebody actually -sitting- in the car. The door sill is about 14 inches wide. The space for somebody's butt is only about 12 inches wide!
Lots of work ahead.
