2012-09-18 56X Buick

56X BUICK SESSION SEP 18 2012

Volunteers - Jim Baker, Al Batts, Bob Boorsma, Jerry Bush, Del Carpenter, Dick Chambers, Connie DeJong, Ron Elzinga, Don Feutz, Don Mayton, Chuck Snow,

Jim Baker continues to work on perfecting the two front power rotating seats.

We have added up all the holes that must be located and drilled to accommodate all the trim pieces and that are over 90 holes. So lots of us have been working on individual trim pieces. Jerry has been assisting several of us in this process. Dick in the photograph is in the process of fitting the deck lid trim that separates the dark and lighter blue.

Don Feutz is working preparing the center 1956X grill emblem for chrome plating. This piece is a machined piece that fits on the custom cast "wings" center grill piece.

The photos show both Ron and with Connie doing the brazing filling and filing the custom bumper bomb. This is a lot of work and the production parts had a lot of imperfections that had to be repaired. Just some history on these bumper bombs with the driving lights.The original 56X bumper bombs were so rotted out we had to start the modifications for the driving lights with the best set of production bumper bombs we could find. Now the work is preparing the bumper bombs for the chrome plater.

A new discovery. We have been trying to find a place where we could locate the original two tone blue colors. We have been told that VP Bill Mitchell never used production colors on his creations. The lower part of the 56X's bumpers was painted a dark blue. Behind the lower bumper guards on the rear bumper we discovered two distinct blue colors. Connie buffed these out and I took them to the local paint store who has a master paint man that detected the paint has a very light metalic. We plan to two tone the deck lid as the car left the GM Styling studio with the same colors as Bill Mitchell painted them. Any suggestions as to what to name these two distinct colors?

Chuck has taken the one intact light fixture that illuninates the ground as the driver and passenger exits the car at night and reversed engineered it and cut all the parts out of sheet brass. Like the original Chuck has formed each piece on the brake, vice, and hand hammering. Today Chuck started clamping all these individual pieces together and Connie did the soldering. Their work is coming out as a master piece.

Don M. and Jerry worked installing fasteners onto the brass trim pieces. Then Connie came along and soldered the individual studs into the brass trim. These pieces are being prepared for the chrome plater.

Dick Chambers is working on fitting the small trim on the deck lid. Here a lot of fasteners have been broken and new studs will have to be installed. Also there is some damage to these pieces.

Don Mayton