1957 Oval Ragtop - the sympathy purchase

[nmshaikh]

The body was attached to the chassis and tightened. Now is the time to go over the edges to correct any small dings or sections that may be out of line as a result of being tossed around the workshop. Arshad propped the car high up so he could work on the edges of the rear fenders and the apron without having to lie under the car or crouch. A hydraulic lift would have been so much more convenient but as long as this gets the job done....who am I to disagree....

[nmshaikh]

Arshad and I have been going over every inch of the Oval's body shell to check if we may have missed a spot. We did find a small dent in the passengers side of the dash board which was quickly sorted. The hinges of the glove box rubbed against the sides so those too were fixed with a few well aimed blows..nay..taps with a hammer. The edges on the inside of the engine bay were a little crooked and were sorted out. Everything has been test fitted and removed at least two times. This includes all window seals, door seals, trim, fender beading, headlights, tail lights, bumpers, handles, semaphores and seats. As an added measure i have decided to test fit the engine to see if there is enuff space or there is the correct space to fit the engine and the surrounding tin. The last thing i want is to shoe-horn anything in after the car returns from the paint shop.

[nmshaikh]

the sides...note the gap between the decklid and the body as well as the doors. Everything has been adjusted and re-adjusted till we arrived at this stage. The only thing you may find off by a whisker is the rear end of the running board on the drivers side. The running board mats have already been test fitted and removed.

[nmshaikh]

The decklid was bought in California and is a rust free and dent free specimen. The seller told me that it was removed from a car that was converted to a baja and remained hanging from the rafters in his garage. I don't see any reason to dispute his claim. The hinges are solid and never welded. The line between the hinge frame and the outer skin is straight as can be. The only tiny little dent that was a direct result of transportation was easily fixed.

[nmshaikh]

The OG 4 tab hood which again was bought in California and replaces the one that was with the car. The only flaw was the cracked lip where the hood support is attached..a common occurance if the hood support is not unlocked before trying to close the hood.

[msabbasi]

Nasir Sb.,

Huge progress!! I suppose now that the body has been re-united with the chassis, work should go along at a merry pace. Hope to see your motoring about in this project soon.

Cheers

[nmshaikh]

There is still a ton of things to do but they are all listed. Irfan -the painter, would be visiting on Sunday to inspect the car and it would only leave the body shop when he Okays it. It should take another 6-8 weeks for the car to be painted. Meanwhile the seats are going to be re-covered, the engine is going to be rebuilt and the wiring loom readied. I already have the correct velour headliner by TMI and also the canvas ragtop with all new bushings and rollers. If all goes per plan, I would like to have everything done by the last week of March.

[nmshaikh]

Isn't that sexy?

[nmshaikh]

the rag-top opening which did not need any repair at all...

[ansarghani]

Shaping up perfectly masha Allah!
Hope to see it completed soon!

[msabbasi]

Isn't that sexy?

ja sehr sexy

[nmshaikh]

Update.
The bodywork was finally approved by Irfan (painter) and the oval was loaded on a flatbed and moved to Islamabad. The body work, it would seem, took almost one and a half year. however the truth is that while her stay at the body shop was 18 months the work was stopped several times to allow other cars to be worked on..some my own , some belonging to fellow enthusiasts. I am happy with the quality of work and this fact is endorsed by Irfan. Arshad has poured his heart out and gone over every inch of the body to straighten every edge even if is never going to be visible to an onlooker. The fact that a 6 figure sum has been paid for the work done so far has nothing to do with the quality of Arshad's work. This car can rightly be called his masterpiece.

ready to roll...

[nmshaikh]

loading on the flatbed.

[Banoori555]

Hope more pics will pour in soon , best efforts have been made in all fields, wish you best of luck, regards

[nmshaikh]

The oval is at the painters and work has commenced. It was delayed by a week due to rains. meanwhile the seat frames were sanded clean and repainted before sending them off to Zaheer ustad who is an authority in upholstery work.

[nmshaikh]

As a first step the body was meticulously wet sanded by hand to remove all traces of rust and traces of oil that was applied to the surface to prevent rusting. The worker adds a packet of detergent (Surf) to the bucket of water that he uses to wet the sandpaper so it works on two counts.

[nmshaikh]

the next step is the application of body filler and letting it dry out before the block sanding begins.

[nmshaikh]

meanwhile the painted seat frames are with Zaheer Ustad who has begun the fitting of padding.

[AsadIshaque]

Great progress!

Question: Does Zaheer Ustaad source the coconut fibre padding from somewhere or repairs/reuses the original ones?

[nmshaikh]

[QUOTE=AsadIshaque;4254937]Great progress!

Question: Does Zaheer Ustaad source the coconut fibre padding from somewhere or repairs/reuses the original ones?[/QUOTE]

Thank you. In this case the original padding that came with the seats was fairly intact and has been re-used. If it is not the case then he would fashion the seats using cotton padding (namda) and foam