Posted by Paul (in NY) on Sunday, December 22, 2002 at 3:04PM :
This afternoon I finished the right side of the Carryall. Now the delicate work of fairing all the welds/seams, welding up tons of screw/bolt holes, and fabing a new steel roof, etc.
I have no formal training in welding or fabrication. I learned about welding and tin knocking in High School Shop class in the 50/60's, and have used that knowledge since. My High School shop classes did more to prepare me for the future than any other education I have ever taken. When I bought the Carryall 2 years ago, I wanted a project that would stress my abilities to the limit in welding and tin knocking. Also I wanted something, that if I failed, I would not loose a lot of bucks. With that, I bought the Carryall for $1500.00, and all the steel for the body for $248.00. I started to do the walk around, trying to figure where to start. It was overwhelming. Many of you remember, last fall I was looking for a better body, I felt I was in way over my head, and a finding a good body was the only way out. Oct 15, 2002 was the date I had drawn in the sand, find a good body or start on this one. Oct 15 came and I had not found a different body.
The body was the big problem. If I could win on that, the cab floor would be easy. Normal body work is no problem, and the rest of the mechanical work, including the engine and drive train swap is fun work. I believe my working on Antique Chris Craft boats for 32 years as a hobby helped me in laying out the side panels etc.
I have posted pictures of the progress because I am happy/proud of what I found I can do, and do correctly. Your supportive posts have given me a drive to get it finished quickly. Once Sugar Season starts, I am totally tied up for 6 to 8 weeks round the clock. To stay on schedule, it needs to be in prime by early spring and final paint by the end of June 2003.
But also, I have been posting the pictures to provide some support/incentative to some of you with a project truck needing a lot of work. This is just my hobby, using all the skills I know and I had to learn a few more. You can do it also. Set a plan, set a reasonable completion date that you can meet, ask questions, learn some new skills and have at it. I was really happy in what I pulled together, and you can feel that sense of success also. My special thanks to Gordon McMillan who knows these WC-53's inside out. Gordon shared a lot thoughts on the right course of action. I will post more pictures in the spring after the body prep work is done. Now, I am glad I did not find a good body last fall.
Now to clean the shop so we can have Christmas dinner between the Carryall and the
Bumblebee.......However there seems to be a lot of internal family resistance to that. Ha Ha Ha.
Merry Christmas to all my PW Friends
Paul
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