Reproduction Parts for 1916-1964 Chevrolet Passenger Cars & 1918-1987 Chevrolet & GMC Trucks


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#308551 05/20/14 04:04 PM
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Hawkeye Offline OP
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I am thinking about doing a major restoration to my 1950 Chevrolet. I am really on the fence about doing it. I plan on taking the body off the frame to do the job right. Can anyone share tips on staying organized throughout the process? Is there an order of disassebly that is best? Any bad roads I should avoid? What are the "must have" tools that would make the job a little easier besides normal hand tools? Thanks

Filling Station - Chevrolet & GMC Reproduction Parts


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Lots of ziplock bags and photos

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...and a storage place for all those ziplock bags that will always be safe from water, wind, rodents, curious children, rambunctious pets,"helpful" partners etc. etc.

Remember, it might be years before you get back to these baggies, so take lots of pictures before and during removal, and label them so that you'll be able to read it years from now, and know what the label means.

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Oh! I forgot to mention! If you don't already have a shop manual, rush out right now and get one. This is a "must have" item before worrying about tools and procedures.

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Hawkeye Offline OP
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I appreciate all the information. One suggestion was to buy a 1950 Assembly Manual. Is there such a thing available? I just checked the internet and the Shop Manual comes up only. I did find a 1949 Fisher Body Service and Construction Manual. I need to check with the seller to see what this book contains.

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As far as tools, one of my favorites is a media blast cabinet. Glass beads or sand can clean up most rusty parts. A bench grinder with a wire wheel is very helpful also to remove rust.

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Bench grinder with wire wheel is also a good way to throw stuff around the shop. Unfortunately most often the operator is in the path between the wire wheel and the wall. Might be a good shield for the freshly painted fender as long as it does not hit a vital part of the body (not the car!).


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One major pitfall to avoid is totally disassembling the entire car. It can get overwhelming when you look at the giant pile of parts which used to resemble your car. Work on one section at a time (e.g. chassis, body, motor , etc.. You can do a frame off but do your work in phases. That way you can see the progress you make. Often many folks lose interest after they have completely disassembled the vehicle--hence all the "projects" for sale in pieces. Good luck and read all you can.
Your local VCCA region is a great source of help and support.


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Originally Posted by kaygee
...and a storage place for all those ziplock bags that will always be safe from water, wind, rodents, curious children, rambunctious pets,"helpful" partners etc. etc.

Kaygee speaks from experience on this storing the parts safely point! I was the small child that decided that 30 or 40 ziploc baggies of nuts and bolts looked like a lot more fun than Lego! Mom found me sitting in the basement in the centre of a big pile of nuts, washers, screws, etc… with all of the neatly labeled bags off to the side!


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Does anyone have a 1949 "A" Style Fisher Body Service & Construction Manual? If you do, can you tell me what type of information is in it? Thanks.

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As stated in the manual foreword: " This manual explains in illustrated detail, the construction of the new "A" body styles for the year 1949 and covers the basic metal construction and formation of these bodies as well as body hardware parts, trim, removal and installation of hardware parts, wiring diagrams, service features, and a complete chapter devoted to the Hydro-Lectric system used for operating the top on convertible coupes.
Of particular interest to body men is the new curved windshield glass and its method of installation.. The construction and installation of door locks, striker plates, door ventilators, hinges, door handles, front seat "zig-zag" cushion springs as well as the formation of the metal construction at the rear quarter area of the body should be closely studied by all body men. These and many other new body changes pertinent to 1949 "A" style Fisher built bodies are illustrated and described in the pages of this manual". It is approximately 150 pages. Hope this helps.


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The only tip i can give is ,you to read what RICK styleline51 posted. One other is if married , is your wife 100% behind you. It take a lot of time and money .. but in the end it would be a very nice car to own.. BEST OF LUCK ...


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150 pages of good reading. These GM pages will tell you what others may not. dance



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Steve D and Bob G, Thanks for describing the Fisher Body book. It sounds like a must have book to me. I have purchased several books and manuals over the years and most do not live up to their titles. This one is probably the closest to an assembly manual out there. Thanks to all the others who passed on great information.

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Originally Posted by Chipper
Bench grinder with wire wheel is also a good way to throw stuff around the shop. Unfortunately most often the operator is in the path between the wire wheel and the wall. Might be a good shield for the freshly painted fender as long as it does not hit a vital part of the body (not the car!).
You got that right!!

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Dean, thanks for that link. I have been on that site many times but did not think to look for this manual there. I even have Old Online Chevy Manuals as one of my favorites on my homepage. Now that I have seen the contents, I think this manual is a good buy.

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Forsure take 10 times as many photos as you think you will need from every angle and every nut and bolt as you will refer to them often.

I then printed them on just plain paper in color and use a green sharpie and wrote notes on what, where, etc about everything and how it came apart right on the photo. I then made a sequential photo album and also in some cases put a photo in the zip lock with the item as well.

If you know a nurse that works in surgery area they get these round bowls that are 12 inches or so across and 5 or so inches deep. Plastic and everything they need for certain surgery s are in them. Anyway they just throw the out. I must have a 100 or so for things I took apart, refurbished, new parts, and then wrote on the sides with a big black marker and then stacked them up on shelves. Best thing I did!


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Thanks dads51 for the tip of using the surgical bowls. I have a cousin who is an emergency room nurse. I will have to give her a call. A well documented photo in a refence book as well as in the container the parts are stored in sound like a great idea. Thanks for the help.

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You can see some of the blue bowls in my picture on the shelf behind me.

Also what what you sand blast

Bolts screws, etc loose the natural blue or stainless look. I found the wire brush grinding wheel works better.


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Originally Posted by Hawkeye
Does anyone have a 1949 "A" Style Fisher Body Service & Construction Manual? If you do, can you tell me what type of information is in it? Thanks.
You might go to Chevy Talk.com and look for the on line manual format. There are all kinds of manuals on line there. The fact that they are there is due to the effort of one K. Hardy who took it on himself to produce that fine site. talk

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Originally Posted by glyn
Originally Posted by Hawkeye
Does anyone have a 1949 "A" Style Fisher Body Service & Construction Manual? If you do, can you tell me what type of information is in it? Thanks.
You might go to Chevy Talk.com and look for the on line manual format. There are all kinds of manuals on line there. The fact that they are there is due to the effort of one K. Hardy who took it on himself to produce that fine site. talk

Here is the site Glyn speaks of ..... many many sources of information.

As you scroll down, locate the black rectangular box with yellow type. You can scroll within that section .... all info in that black section is by model years.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/



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Thanks bobg1951. As I stated in my reply on 5/24/14, I do have Old Online Chevy Manuals on my homepage. This is the Keith Hardy website. I have used it many times for part numbers and applications. I just never looked for the 1949 Fisher Body book there before since I have a 1950. Yes, I know they are similar, just never looked. I have Chevy Talk on my homepage as well but I prefer the VCCA website. Thanks for the info.

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Now back to the tool part of my original question. If you had to choose only 3 of 4 "can't live without" tools, what would they be? I know a bench grinder with a wire wheel is very important. What about other tools that make the job easier or produce the best results?

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Start with the tools you have and proceed in the order you have decided upon. When you are at a point that you feel you don't have the proper tool then go get what you need. By the time you finish you will have a nice collection and will be ready for the next project. Simply put if you don't have the proper tool to do certain jobs it will cause you to become frustrated and lose interest. Some jobs are best to have done by a professional shop-such as sandblasting, electrical unit rebuilding , painting, welding, and anything else that requires a heavy investment in tools that you may not use again.


Steve D
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