1953 Le Mans Concept A Recreation in Tribute to Harley Earl

[Roger Zimmermann]

Roger, Please show us a couple of pics of your car today ... it will show the naysayers what CAN be done when you set your mind to it !

Sorry Yann, not today, it's time for dinner now! Tomorrow I'll do it.

[Jack Frank]

Im done cutting the body down, now its just clean the under coating of the parts and floor pans for sand blasting.............

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Now, THAT is getting down to basics.

Bruce.

[Jack Frank]

Here's an Update on the 1953 LeMans, Just body is now cut into 35 parts, some is at sandblasting and some still waiting to be blasted, getting all the under coating off the car is the hardest undesirable thing to do, I'm down to the last part to be cleaned of under coating the front floor pan, I got the front of the frame section striped, cut and blasted here is what it looks like, I'm anxious to start putting the car together but I want to wait till everything is clean so you can see the whole cars body parts allayed out at once, then I will start the prep and assembly of the frame and body......... Jack

[Jack Frank]

The Chassis is tacked back together, I set the front floor pan with cowll on the chassis, now I can see the hight of where the doors will be, I getting excited to get the rest of the body together, still waiting for the rest of the pan and parts to come back from sand blasting. 

[Roger Zimmermann]

It seems that you did not remove the hinges before sandblasting. There will be rapid wear at the axle shafts...

[Jack Frank]

It seems that you did not remove the hinges before sandblasting. There will be rapid wear at the axle shafts...

When the car was together as a coup the doors where hung perfict, the gaps where dead on no sag, so now when I put the sectioned doors and cowl on its one less thing to line up, when the whole body is finaly back together then doors will come off again and so will the hinges so that I can use the small blaster inside the pockets where the big one didn't get and the hinges can be redone and painted for final assembly....... Jack

[Frank Starr]

Nuts.  I thought this was going to be a thread about the two Cadillacs that Briggs Cunningham raced at LeMans.  The real LeMans Cadillacs.

Frank Starr
Seattle

[Jack Frank]

Update of the car, I have most everyting blasted, the Chassis is shortend, the floor pans are bolted in place, the cowl is tacked allso both doors are tacked together, waiting for the front fenders to come back and start lining up and putting the rear quarters together, it going good........... Jack

[Roger Zimmermann]

Amazing! It was not an easy task to restore my car but here, with modified panels, it's a completely different and more complicated matter. I cannot wait to see the body completed.

[Jack Frank]

Hello just an update on the "LeMans" I have the front fenders and nose on, I got the rear quarter lined up and now working on the trunk, I have the mold built for the chrome strips on the back, and now Im working on the windshield frame, sorry no photos some one told me not to post any till it is in primer and the body is compleat, so I hope to be back on here in three months with a pic of the body done and in prime by August, Thanks Jack

[35-709]

Thank you for the update, I was wondering earlier this evening how the project was coming.  Hope you will post pictures frequently, primer not needed to feed us some pictures!

[Quentin]

G'day Jack,
                   I agree with Geoff, please put as many photos of the build on as you like. I am a sheetmetal guy and really enjoy seeing "build shots". Those of us who have done our own resto work appreciate the "dirty work" just as much as "shiney paint" .
                    Loved that last pic you posted, I could see the sectioned cowl and door (Did you have to section the front guards and hood ?) and the the rolled rear wheelarch   I was looking in the David Temple Motorama book last night and saw a pic of the LeMans and wondered how you were progressing.
                   One of my favourite photos is on page 27.  Good shots of the LeMans on pages 104 and 105.
                   All the tradesmen working on the XP 300. I just need a team of guys like that at my place for the next three years.
                   Just as we all really enjoyed Roger's masterwork, do us a favour and please post more pics.
                   Hope you have a nice white overcoat like Harley's men when you are busy working.
                   Regards. Quentin. 

[Roger Zimmermann]

Jack, I would appreciate pictures too.
A note to Quentin: I don't know if Jack is workin with a white overcoat; when doing my own work I had either almost nothing on the bones during summer time or, during wintertime  2 or 3 pullovers and an dirty blue overall with tiny holes due to sparks while welding!

[Jack Frank]

Hay Roger........ No white overcoat here, same for me some times its tricky welding in sandles, same in the winter lots of layers of clothes my overalls are tan carhart insulated with the holes and off to the laundry mat to clean them each week........ I do invey Harley Earl getting to work in a nice shop and all the tools and man power he wanted.
I finished the mold for the rear roll pan chrome trim's and it's at casting now, I working on the hood orniments, I built a jig around the car to keep the body panels streight wile Im tacking things in place.

Quentin: when Im done with the LeMans I will come there and work for you, all I need is a small loft and a little food and directions to the beach  : ) I will post somthing next week........ Jack

[Quentin]

G'day Jack,
              Yeah no problem come on over, I can pay you in sheckles and I cook a mean gruel (mean is the word). Beach is just over there a bit. When can you start? We'll start on the 53 Eldo and then the 59 Eldo and then the 57 Eldo. . . .
               I have struggled all week to shake the mental image of Roger working away in his undies during the hot summer. (Lord, Make it stop)                
               When I was doing my old 59 Eldo I wore a shower cap to keep the welding and grinding sparks out of my luxurious mane . Yes it looked ridiculous but it worked. Nevertheless, whenever my wife and I argue she always retorts "When I first met you you were wearing a shower cap on your head" snigger snigger. . . . like it's the be all and end all of putdowns.
               Oh well, she was stupid enough to marry a guy who wore a shower cap, I remind her.
               So if anyone else out there wants to chip in to get both Roger and Jack a pair of nice white overalls , then I am in too. . . . Oh yeah and a shower cap !
               
                Q

               
                       

[Roger Zimmermann]

Hi Quentin!

Thank you for that great idea: a white overall! However, I'm afraid that it will be not so white after only 1 hour...
The idea to wear a shower cap is a good one! I still have all me hair (white now, but not in relation with the costs of my cars) and I wore a cap only for underbody paint...
I still have some marks on the body when small balls of incandescent metal entered the overall or went in the shoes! On the other side, when temperature was real high, these small balls don't stay on the skin if welding without a shirt!

Roger

[Jack Frank]

Ok guy's my hair is vary thin on top I'm only 46 years old, and when a spark goes bouncing through I think "O me just lost another 10 hairs out of a hundred"    so here is a pic of me working in the cold, and me in the spring see the hair..... no ha ha........ Jack

What is a "sheckles" is it enough to buy Gas?
Any women there Im single...

[35-709]

Correctly it should be Shekel or Shekels ----- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shekel

Shame about that hair, Jack!

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Ok guy's my hair is vary thin on top I'm only 46 years old, and when a spark goes bouncing through I think "O me just lost another 10 hairs out of a hundred"    so here is a pic of me working in the cold, and me in the spring see the hair..... no ha ha........ Jack

Nice to see that you are wearing Safety Glasses whilst grinding.

Bruce.