michael broyhill
Member
hello, can someone tell me if my door post should be a bit wavy or did my plater mess them up I noticed some of the chrome has a few ways such as the bumpers but don't know about post thanks, Mike:confused
Question: 1960 door post
- Thread starter michael broyhill
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Chevyman for life
Well-known member
The posts I had plated by Virginia Vettes have a few waves. I would guess most of the originals didn't have much. Take into consideration that pot metal is very difficult to plate. The metal outgasses over time and when they go to plate it, there may be open areas (pits) as a result. They can try to grind and smooth everything out but then new open spots may materialize. As a result, most pot metal platers I have used don't guarantee anything as they can't predict the results and they don't like to take any more metal off than they have to.
I like Virginia Vettes for the door and windshield posts as he has a large number in stock and just exchanges yours for them. There were a few flaws but acceptable for all but concourse. He adds the tabs that break on the windshield posts and helicoils the holes. On the door posts, screw and rivet holes are all correct and probably retapped. For concourse the platers fill any voids with a pot metal solder but that is usually very pricey.
Gerry
I like Virginia Vettes for the door and windshield posts as he has a large number in stock and just exchanges yours for them. There were a few flaws but acceptable for all but concourse. He adds the tabs that break on the windshield posts and helicoils the holes. On the door posts, screw and rivet holes are all correct and probably retapped. For concourse the platers fill any voids with a pot metal solder but that is usually very pricey.
Gerry
- Thread starter
- #3
michael broyhill
Member
Thanks for your reply have you put them back on car yet I need a picture of a car with post installed since I am having trouble with gap at bottom windshied/top of post, Michael
Chevyman for life
Well-known member
Michael,
How these cars were ever moved along an assembly line at any reasonable speed is beyond my comprehension. If you look at C1 Corvette windshield/door post lineup you will see all types of misalignment. It is true that some of this can be adjusted out but some can't.
The '59 I'm almost done restoring is a prime example. I had to modify body shapes to get reasonable fit. The post on the passenger side was a prime example although I'm sure there was some body damage in that area, I had to find a door which fit better and modify it so it all lined up. The gap left is acceptable but not perfect. The driver side came out very good. Now I'm putting side glass in and the moment of truth will come when I attempt to line the windows up to the hardtop. Hoping that will go well.
I don't have any special tips I can give you on the posts. The windshield is a fixed location and if it's got glass in it and it's mounted I assume it's correct. Play with the post with shims to angle it how you want it or even enlarge some of the mounting holes if you need to move it more. I spent a lot of hours doing these.
Attached are a before picture, another showing buildup of the fender with glass cloth. I don't have a shot of the post right now but here's a picture of the almost finished car (you can see a slight gap at the bottom but the top and weatherstrip fits very well - been in the owners garage 34 years and I've put 4 years into the restoration. This shot is the owner taking it for a spin to get it registered.
By the way, the posts were so difficult to get aligned, I painted the door tops where they go, then mounted them before painting the car.
Gerry
How these cars were ever moved along an assembly line at any reasonable speed is beyond my comprehension. If you look at C1 Corvette windshield/door post lineup you will see all types of misalignment. It is true that some of this can be adjusted out but some can't.
The '59 I'm almost done restoring is a prime example. I had to modify body shapes to get reasonable fit. The post on the passenger side was a prime example although I'm sure there was some body damage in that area, I had to find a door which fit better and modify it so it all lined up. The gap left is acceptable but not perfect. The driver side came out very good. Now I'm putting side glass in and the moment of truth will come when I attempt to line the windows up to the hardtop. Hoping that will go well.
I don't have any special tips I can give you on the posts. The windshield is a fixed location and if it's got glass in it and it's mounted I assume it's correct. Play with the post with shims to angle it how you want it or even enlarge some of the mounting holes if you need to move it more. I spent a lot of hours doing these.
Attached are a before picture, another showing buildup of the fender with glass cloth. I don't have a shot of the post right now but here's a picture of the almost finished car (you can see a slight gap at the bottom but the top and weatherstrip fits very well - been in the owners garage 34 years and I've put 4 years into the restoration. This shot is the owner taking it for a spin to get it registered.
By the way, the posts were so difficult to get aligned, I painted the door tops where they go, then mounted them before painting the car.
Gerry
Chevyman for life
Well-known member
Michael,
I am assuming you already have the 1960 assembly instruction manual and the ST-12 service manual. Nobody who is doing a restoration should be without them. ST-12 has fairly good instructions although it covers 53 through 62 cars so some details may not be correct for your year.
The '59 I've been working on was almost totally taken apart before I started it and without the AIS I might never have figured how some parts went together.
I probably should have bought the Noland Adams "The Complete Corvette Restoration and Technical Guide - Vol 1" for $70 but didn't. Anyone familiar with that and how helpful it is?
I've got to admit that the post and window installation/adjustment can be very frustating and time consuming. I'm still trying to get the windows just right.
Gerry
I am assuming you already have the 1960 assembly instruction manual and the ST-12 service manual. Nobody who is doing a restoration should be without them. ST-12 has fairly good instructions although it covers 53 through 62 cars so some details may not be correct for your year.
The '59 I've been working on was almost totally taken apart before I started it and without the AIS I might never have figured how some parts went together.
I probably should have bought the Noland Adams "The Complete Corvette Restoration and Technical Guide - Vol 1" for $70 but didn't. Anyone familiar with that and how helpful it is?
I've got to admit that the post and window installation/adjustment can be very frustating and time consuming. I'm still trying to get the windows just right.
Gerry
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