Restoration Log ~ 2002

2002	Work Done
Tuesday, January 8	Visited Carl Kishbaugh to see how the Stanley painting was coming along. Right side is now in primer and the left side is being prepared for primer. All of the black "brick-a-brack" has been painted (spare tire brackets and shoes, windshield frames and brackets, etc.). Took three tires, five tubes, and five liners with me for eventual mounting on the wire wheels. After investigating platers in the area that might be able to plate the nickel parts the nearest I found was near Lansdowne. With the quantity of small parts needing plating and considering the excellent results that Joe Van Schiver obtained on the dash light he plated using a Caswell Plating kit, I decided to try my hand at it and plate my parts myself. They are in relatively good condition and should not be that difficult to do.
Sunday, January 27	Collected up all the nickel plated parts from the car and cleaned the grease and oil off them in Bruce's parts cleaner. Then ran everything except the wheel nuts through two hour-long cycles in the ultrasonic cleaner with dishwasher detergent to remove a lot of the grime. Then everything went through a cycle in the dishwasher as a final cleaning.
Sunday, February 3	Took all the nickel parts except the wheel nuts and glass beaded them to remove any remaining grit and to either remove or at least roughen up the existing nickel coating. Started sanding the burrs and other imperfections off the various parts so they are smooth and ready for a final cleaning and then plating. Contacted Gene Keebaugh who makes up copper Stanley engine covers (49 Horst Avenue, Chambersburg, PA. Need to contact him regarding the length of the differential cover (21-3/4") and it's circumference (41-1/2").
Wednesday, February 6	Took the wire wheel nuts to M&P Custom and had Jim mount three of the badly scarred ones in the lathe and shave them slightly to remove the gouges and scratches. Glass beaded all the nuts to remove any loose nickel plating. Continued sanding the burrs and other imperfections off the various parts so they are smooth and ready for a final cleaning and then plating. Using a washer, opened up the ID and rounded the OD edge of the washer to match the three that form the swivel mechanism for the front windshields.
Saturday, February 9	Completed sanding the burrs and other imperfections off the various parts so they are smooth and ready for a final cleaning and then plating.
Tuesday, February 12	Visited Carl Kishbaugh to see how the painting activities were coming along. The hood has had the leading edge ground to fit the condenser shell so that the gap is even around it. The car is in full primer and Carl is finishing up the irons and such that hold the top. His next step will be to pull the car back into square and to align the doors. The wire wheel rims had been well painted and were ready for the mounting of the tires. Carl, Donnie Hastings and I mounted all five tires, tubes, and liners. Having the tubes flat (they were shipped with all the air removed) made them very easy to slide into the tires. The liner was then easily slid in over the tube. Having everything match made the installation very easy and the tire with the tube and liner slid over the painted rims very easily. The retaining rings were then put on but the tire was left deflated so that there was space between the tire and the rim so that Carl can tape the wheel before painting. Carl gave me some parts to find replacements for including the rubber stops for the doors, the leather strip for the hood, and the rivets that hold th leather strip in place. I also need to make a collar for the center hood hinge shaft to keep it from walking forward when the hood is opened and closed.
Tuesday, February 19	Visited Carl Kishbaugh to take him the brass hood spacer I had made along with wood screws for the doors and top irons; brass screws for the door stop brackets. Took Carl an assortment of 3"x3" aluminum plates of varying thickness to use as shims for the car body mounting to the frame. Brought back the brass condenser shell to take to Gene Keebaugh during the upcoming trip to Wheaton, IL. Brought back the lower windshield frame to get T-rubber stripping for the edges and window glass mounting felts from Restoration Specialties. Carl is in the process of hanging the doors and getting them back square on the body.
Friday, March 1	On the way to Chicago to work on Paul Van Der Molen's home theatre pipe organ stopped by Gene Keebaugh's Sheet Metal in Chambersburg, PA to drop off the brass condenser cover for soldering of the seams that had opened up. Also stopped at Restoration Specialties in Windber, PA to pick up rubber moldings and assorted twist latches for the top.
Thursday, March 14	On the way home from Chicago stopped by Gene Keebaugh's Sheet Metal in Chambersburg, PA to pick up the brass condenser cover.
Tuesday, March 19	Cut trapezoidal rubber pieces for the door stops out of 40A durometer neoprene rubber. Took the cut rubber and and flat head machine screws to Carl Kishbaugh. Also took the jump seats to have the metal parts painted black Imron. Brought back the windscreen supports and upper windscreen frame for installation of the glass and rubber.
Saturday, March 23	Worked on cleaning up the brass condenser shell. Started out with Loc-disks in the air motor to remove all the real heavy tarnish and discoloration. Then hand sanded the brass with 2000-grit and then 10-micron grit sandpaper. Finally started polishing the metal with white automotive buffing compound. A final buffing with buffing compound still needs to be done.
Friday, March 29	After two weeks of gathering materials, mixing chemicals, setting things up, calculating plating areas, trial runs with water, the plating process was started. One of the glass battery jars serves as the plating vessel. The aquarium heater is set to maintain 115 to 117 degrees Fahrenheit. A chemical stirrer runs at a moderate speed to keep the plating solution in motion to prevent the formation of bubbles. Parts to be plated are hung by a copper wire in the solution. One of my regulated lab supplies provides the power for plating. The part to be plated when placed in the tank generates 0.2 to 0.4 volts depending on the size of the part. Based on plating areas and recommended currents it appears that the proper plating rate occurs when there is a 1.2 volt potential applied to the tank. When the current level is correct for the area being plated(0.05 to 0.06 amperes for square inch of plating area) the voltage on the power supply generally reads 1.2 VDC. The varying sizes of objects being plated determines the current required but the voltage generally reads 1.1 to 1.2 VDC. The voltage is somewhat higher (1.5 to 1.6 VDC) during the first 10 minutes of plating but falls back and remains at the 1.2 VDC level for the remainder of the plating time. My plating time is 45 minutes. The setup has the two 3" x 4" nickel anodes placed at opposite sides of the tank. This amount of time along with the current level generally deposits between 10/1000ths and 15/1000ths of nickel plating. The finished piece is somewhat dull and needs to be polished to bring up the reflective shine. Minute scratches and imperfections in the base material show through the nickel plating and for some of my pieces it will be necessary to polish them and then apply a final plating. Plated the four engine mounting nuts, two windscreen post nuts, four windscreen thumbscrews, two blanket strap clips, four windscreen glass retainer clips, two spare tire bracket nuts, one wheel nut, kerosene tank gauge nut.
Saturday, March 30	Finished buffing the brass condenser shell. Gave all surfaces a final hand sanding with 10-micron grip wet/dry paper. DuPont white buffing compound was applied next using the power buffer. Finally the metal was polished with 3M MicroCompounding Polish. Attempted to polish several of the nickel plated items. Found that the four engine nuts must have been coated with chrome as the nickel plating did not adhere in all places and started peeling when I attempted to polish them. Items which were base metal plated fine such as the wheel nut and the kerosene tank gauge nut (both brass). The nickel plating started to come up to a shine but it is going to take a while to accomplish and may require a second plating. Retrieved some battery acid (sulfuric acid) from one of the old discarded batteries to use in etching plated nickel surfaces in preparation for replating.
Monday, April 1	Took the brass condenser shell to Carl Kishbaugh. Carl says he can get it even it shinier with one of his compounds. Also took him the two brackets for supporting the front door posts. Carl had removed the elevator bolts that hold on the rear mudguards so that I can find replacements. I also brought back samples of the dash board screws as samples for brass replacements that I can nickel coat. I also brought back the boiler water level indicator cap for plating as well as the plate that surrounds the winker. I need to fabricate the plate and retainer that will mount to the brass condenser shell and hold the hood in place. The existing one is not is the best of condition and does not register the hood in the center as it should be. I also have a sample of the brass button that protrudes through the hood so that when it is open it can rest on the buttons and not on the paint. We removed a drilled rivet from the hood handle and latch catch so that I can find replacements. Carl wanted to remove the hood handles and latch catches so that he can clean behind them and prime behind them so rust won't appear in the future. Carl has got the doors all aligned and the body bolted back to the frame. Current work is on the hood and rear mudguards.
Tuesday, April 2	Plated two more wheel nuts, the drip valve nut, and the drip valve handle. Using acid straight from one of Bruce's old batteries I constructed an electro-stripper to remove the old chrome and nickel from several of the parts I need to nickel plate including the engine nuts. The process works fine but does generate some fumes. The power supply positive is connected to a stainless steel anode electrode in the sulfuric acid solution while the power supply negative is connected to the piece to be deplated. I attempted to hang the parts in the solution like is done with the plating solution but the copper wires end up dissolving and depositing on the stainless steel plate. Using an alligator clip to hold the part in the acid works best. I used my Heathkit 3-ampere power supply at maximum current which worked fine for some smaller pieces. For larger pieces higher current is required and I connected the 12-volt lead-acid battery pack to the part to quicken deplating. The efficiency of the deplating does diminish as the acid "ages" from use. I deplated the engine mounting washers, the kerosene tank cap, four windscreen bolts, four windscreen washers.
Wednesday, April 3	Started polishing some of the nickel plated pieces. Using a 4" cloth wheel on Mom's old sewing machine motor with the foot treadle for speed control worked but I was loading down the motor too much and afraid it would burn up. I went to using the Bodine gearmotor that I used to wrap piano wire on the boiler with. It has a maximum speed of 83 RPM making it perhaps a little slower than it should be but there's more than enough power and the speed doesn't catch the small pieces and fling them and polishing compound all around the lab. Polishing today was with a pumice based rubbing compound to cut the loose nickel from the various pieces. Since the parts are coming up only partly bright another run through the plating bath will be necessary.
Friday, April 5	Prepared parts for initial plating. The four engine mounting nuts had been electro-stripped and needed sanding up and made ready for plating a second time. The deep dig in the one nut was filled with solder. The four box-brackets for the door curtains were in bad shape and needed to be belt sanded to clean them up, then glass beaded, and finally hand sanded. Worked on polishing the two new wheel nuts only to find out that the plating didn't adhere. It will need to be electro-stripped off and then replaced.
Sunday, April 7	Drilled a hole in the heads of the elevator bolts so that a nail can be used to hold them in place. Machined a brass blind cap for the front end of the hood to fasten it to the brass condenser shell. Drilled 8-32 holes in a 4" brass plate which will become the base for the front hood mount. Took four brass bolts that were in a toilet bowl kit and machined off the slot in the head to make them into the four brass buttons that will be mounted on the hood such that when one side is opened fully the hood panels rest on the brass buttons instead of the paint.
Monday, April 8	Visited Carl Kishbaugh to check on progress. Worked with Carl to determine how to complete the front hood mount and the positioning of the blind cap on the brass bar. It now needs to be welded by M&P. The predrilled rivets that were purchased to refasten the hood clips and handles to the hood side panel are too small. A larger solid rivet will need to be purchased and I'll have to drill the holes in each. The holes in the hood for the brass buttons will need to be opened slightly for them to fit. Carl bolted up the rear mudflaps to check their fit to the car. Progress continues with the car with final fit and alignments.
Wednesday, April 10	Spent the day plating and deplating. Deplated the boiler water level gauge bezel, the winker plate, and two wheel nuts that have never been plated and a wheel nut that I plated where the plating didn't adhere. Plated the four engine mounting nuts, engine mounting washers, turn signal handle, windscreen pivot bolts, and kerosene tank filler cap for the first time. Applied a second plating coat to the windscreen support nuts, drip valve handle, and spare tire bracket nuts. Installed the "T" rubber in the windscreen supports and upper and lower windscreen glass frames.
Thursday, April 11	Sanded with 120, 320, and 600 grit sandpaper in preparation for plating the boiler water level gauge bezel and the winker plate. Started sanding an engine nut with 320 and 600 grit sandpaper to prepare them for plating and insure the plating was adhered well. Also sanded the kerosene tank filler cap and turn signal lever to check the plating adhesion on these parts as well. Checked the windscreen support nuts and spare tire bracket nuts and found that the second layer of plating did not adhere at all and was easily removed with sandpaper and peeling by finger. Glass beaded the windscreen support nuts and spare tire bracket nuts in preparation for another plating as soon as I can find out what the problem is. Contacted Caswell Plating by email with a description of the problem requesting assistance.
Sunday, April 14	Made up four new windscreen window mounting washers as the originals turned out to be zinc based and can't be plated with the process I'm using. Made the replacements out of 1/2" Lawson washers. Drilled two dozen 3/16" diameter x 1/2" long steel rivets with #29 bit for holding on the hood handle and latch brackets. Completely deplated the engine mounting nuts. There was still some chrome on them in low spots and as nothing plates to chrome it was necessary to remove most of the copper in order to get the chrome off. Also deplated the remaining wheel nut that had been plated but was peeling. Replated the four side curtain support brackets, the four new windscreen window mounting washers, boiler water level indicator bezel, and winker dash ring. Attempted to plate a handful of brass screws but they did not plate evenly -- some plated but most did not.
Monday, April 15	Visited Carl Kishbaugh to deliver the drilled rivets and front mounting bracket for the hood. Took photos of the progress thus far. In aligning the doors the aluminum at the top of the body next to the hinges for all doors wanted to crack and move as the door moved. Carl had drilled out the wood underneath that was rotten and backfilled the space with body epoxy. Then a light coat of body filler was applied and sanded. The hood panels have been totally glass beaded and are now in builder-primer.
Monday, May 6	Visited Carl Kishbaugh to check on progress. He had the new running board skirt panels and was fitting them up. The front wheel mud flaps are not the same in that the driver side one currently sits about an inch higher and is about an inch wider than the passenger side. The rear mud flaps fit well and are ready for final prime. Carl will have a lot more to do on the front set before they are ready.
Monday, May 13	Visited Carl Kishbaugh with location information for the turn-clasps that need to be mounted in the body for the top. Took the side curtains with me to spot where the original turn-clasps had been located so that we wouldn't go to those locations because of the condition of the wood from the old clasps that were removed. Selected new locations and drilled the body for the turn-clasps. In putting two #6 screw size turn-clasps in to check installation the screw broke in the hole. Will need to drill out the screw and we decided to use the bigger screw version that I had. Carl had both running board skirts attached to the car and was working on blending them in with the fenders. Measured the running boards so that I can obtain replacement running boards.
Tuesday, May 14	Drilled out the two broken off turn-clasp screws and drilled all holes out bigger for the #10 screw-size turn-clasp. Pre-threaded each hole using a wood screw. Took the driver's seat with me so that I could sit in the car and select the location where the drip valve handle should be located. The location in the new panel will be about 6" forward of the original spot on the car. The old panel had a screwed-on plate with a rubber filler where the valve rod passed through the running board skirt. This will be replaced with a standard rubber grommet this time so as to look neater and smaller. The grommet can also be replaced easier when it wears from use. Took the cypress running boards to Carl which will replace the plywood ones that had been on the car. The plywood running boards were 3/4" thick but I've decided that the replacements will be 1" thick for more strength. We will use a router to groove the bottom surface where the board attaches to the support bracket thus allowing the board to be custom fit to the car and running board skirt. Also took Carl a length of the old linoleum metal strip so that he can see what it looks like.
Tuesday, May 21	Work continues with the body work. Carl Kishbaugh has the running board skirt sheets fitted up and is working on the front two mud flaps and their fitting to the car. This will be these are probably the worst parts on the car due to their condition. Through the period I've continued the nickel plating operation. As I've been doing the work on a "as I have the time" basis no formal entries will be placed in this log. I've learned that the initial 45-minute plating time is much too long and that 10 to 15 minutes is more successful. The parts also need to sit in battery acid (sulfuric) for a minute or so and then the degreaser/neutralizer before plating. The sanding process has been streamlined to 150-grit, 320 or 400-grit, and finally 600-grit. Due to the condition of the parts, they are going in the plating bath for about 10 minutes, getting sanded, and then doing the acid and degreaser/neutralizer bath, then back to plating to start the process over again.
Tuesday, May 28	Work continues on the body with Carl Kishbaugh and Donnie Hastings. Took Carl square-head bolts and nuts to bolt the mud flaps and running board skirt sheets together. Once the front mud flaps get done the car will be ready for painting in color. Plating of the small parts continues during the period as I have time. The four engine mounting nuts and the two spare tire saddle nuts refuse to want to hold plating. Everything has been stripped off to start the process over for the third time. This time the base plate held well but somewhere along the line one of the upper coats had a problem which effectively ruined the finished job. Lets hope this is the last time for these. Finally got the wheel nuts all plated one time where the plating is holding and not peeling off as it did on all the first time (probably due to excessive current). It seems that instead of setting the current to the level required based on the square inches of area to be plated that it is better to set the supply to 1.2 volts and let the current fall where it wants to for the piece being plated. Several parts are plated sufficiently that they can now be polished but the majority still need one or two more plating cycles before they are ready for polishing.
Wednesday, May 29	Researched for a source of linoleum for the running boards and floor boards. Forbo Corporation's Marmoleum WALTON® 123 is a solid black linoleum. Ordered a 6' long length (it comes 6.5' wide) along with the L910 adhesive for applying it from Floor Concepts on Kirkwood Highway. Researched aluminum nosing and edging for the running boards and floor boards. Found two potential candidates from Youngstown Aluminum Products of Youngstown, Ohio. Talked to Joe and requested a sample of their #26 nosing and #944 edge molding.
Tuesday, June 11	Checked on progress with Carl Kishbaugh and Donnie Hastings. Carl is working the left front mud flap to get it properly mating with the body and running board. Drained the main water tank. The water pump inlet screen was well blocked with oil and sediment which appeared to be lime and calcium build-up.
Friday, June 14	Plating work continues. The plating tank liquid was filtered through a coffee filter to remove the accumulated sediment. It was then passed through activated carbon three times. This process greatly cleaned up the solution and five packets of saccharin was added to the mixture to serve as a brightener. The big learning experience is that the surfaces of the piece to be plated must be oxide-free. The part to be plated has to have the oxide layer removed by sanding. If there is any oxide on the part, the plated layer will not adhere properly. Once the part has been well sanded with 600-grit paper then a quick soak in battery acid followed by the detergent cleaner is all that is needed. The power supply set at 1.4 to 1.6 volts provides more optimum plating than the 1.2 volt setting used prior. Running the supply on current limit is not recommended. In fact by using the 1.4 to 1.6 volt setting the plating current runs 180% of the value indicated in the Caswell Plating Manual. I found that not letting the plating current above 2x the Caswell Plating Manual recommended value also works best. A plating time of 15 minutes also applies a nice even coat that covers the 600-grit sanding scratches. Finished up the plating of the four engine mounting nuts, the two castings that mate the top to the windscreen supports, and two windscreen support nuts
Sunday, June 16	Plated most of the remaining parts. Insuring there's no oxide on the part before plating by doing a through 600-grit sanding seems to be the secret that I've missed all along. All the parts plated today held their plating coats. The power supply operated at 1.4 to 1.6 volts and each part stayed in the plating bath for 15 minutes. The windscreen thumbscrews, wheel nuts, top clamp screws remain to be finished.
Tuesday, June 18	Checked on progress with Carl Kishbaugh and Donnie Hastings. Carl is sandblasting the front two mud flaps in preparation for body filler and priming. I changed the "slant" of the mounting hinges by using a chisel to remove some wood where the hinge plates fasten to the wood for the left rear door. This allows the door to close into it's opening without effort to hold it in place. Also ground the hinges slightly to relieve some binding in the mechanism so that the door swings freely on its hinges. Need to slightly grind the hinges for the remaining three doors to relieve binding in them as well.
Friday, June 21	Polished the collection of parts that have completed the plating process. Used the 3M Microfine Polishing Compound to bring up a shine on all the parts. A slight haze remains which will be removed with the finishing glaze. The parts have a nice shine but the distressed features in each part (casting imperfections, deep scratches, etc.) also remain to some extent providing proof that they are old. As the parts were originally they were rusty, pitted, scratched, gouged, painted in places, and very dull. The plating operation has returned a nice shine to the parts but if one looks closely they see the underlying pitting and other imperfections of the part that either came from the factory or occurred over the 80+ years the car has been around. The look of these parts matches those already on the car (steering wheel, throttle, dash gauges, etc.) that are in great shape and did not need to be replated but rather cleaned up nicely with polishing.
Sunday, June 23	Continued plating parts. All the small parts are now plated.
Thursday, June 27	Polished all the parts plated to date.
Saturday, June 29	Plated the stop light housing and two small parts that had the plating come off during the polishing operation.
Sunday, June 30	Plated five wheel nuts. If no parts have the plating come loose during the polishing operation then the plating operation is complete with the exception of small screws and hardware.
Monday, July 1	Polished all the parts that were plated since the last polishing session. As none of the parts being polished had the plating come off, the plating work is basically complete. It has taken three months to plate and polish the many various parts of the car.
Monday, September 9	While there have been no entries since July 1 in this log, I have made trips to check on refinishing progress. Today's trip was for the purpose of fitting the cypress running boards to the car. Carl Kishbaugh and Donnie Hastings have completed all of the basic body work with the exception of the trap door to access the burner. I could now fit the running boards to their supports and to the front and rear mud flaps. Carl and I worked to route the underside of the each running board so that it would properly fit on the car. I've brought the running boards back and will fit the aluminum trim to them, paint the underside of them, install stainless steel elevator bolts to hold the running boards to their supports and the mud flaps, and cut and glue the linoleum to them. The car is starting to look impressive with all the parts now back on it and the body work done with parts in primer.
Friday, September 13	Cleaned up the top surface groove that the aluminum trim sets in for both running boards. Drilled the countersunk holes for the elevator bolts. Painted all surfaces of both boards with satin black enamel for protection.
Saturday, September 14	Set up my new Craftsman chop saw with a metal cutting blade. Purchased the saw for cutting the aluminum edgings for the running and floor boards and to make accurate cuts of the seat panels when they are reconstructed. Started cutting the aluminum trim that goes on the running boards Got the four pieces cut for the right running board. Have to do the left next then drill and countersink holes in the strips so they can be screwed onto the cypress running boards. After that the linoleum gets cut and fit. I have all the elevator bolts drilled to hold them in place with screws once inserted. If the aluminum edging is still OK then I'll apply the adhesive and place the linoleum.
Monday, September 23	Made a trip to see Carl Kishbaugh and Donnie Hastings to deliver thick washers and check the status of the car. In checking the fit of the wood fill pieces that go between the frame and the lower edge of the hood panels discovered some additional bodywork that will need to be completed. Every time I think we're getting closer to putting color on the car we discover more that has to be addressed.
Wednesday, September 25	Cut and fit the trim pieces for the left running board. Countersunk all trim attachment mounting holes for both running boards. Using construction adhesive installed the stainless steel elevator bolts in each of the countersunk mounting holes and pulled the bolts into the cypress wood so that the square was impressed in the wood. Installed a locking screw through a hole I drilled in each elevator bolt head to keep the bolt from turning in the future (this was a failure mode for the original running boards allowing the carriage bolts to rotate once the threads got full of crap). Mounted each of the trim pieces to it's respective running board using construction adhesive and 3/4" x 6 square drive flat head wood screws.
Saturday, September 28	Ground down the aluminum trim at the ends of the running boards to match the undercut we did to even them up to the body with respect to the frame. Cut the linoleum for both running boards.
Monday, September 30	Cleaned up the cut edges of the linoleum with a block plane. Insured that the linoleum fit tight within the aluminum edging and it is actually oversized by a slight amount in all dimensions. Glued the linoleum in place using the Forbo adhesive. While the linoleum was initially slightly longer and wider than the inside dimension of the trim, after the adhesive started to set the linoleum began to shrink. As the width dimension is only about 9-1/2", the shrinkage was not enough to make a difference and the linoleum is against the aluminum molding. The real problem that occurred is that once the adhesive had dried the long dimension of the linoleum sheet shrunk 1/16" to 1/8" short of the aluminum edging leaving a noticeable gap. I had really worked hard and wanted the running boards to look good and they actually do except for the linoleum gaps at either end. The proper way to correct the problem is to start over by making new running boards which is something I'm not about to do. I'd need to order another sheet of linoleum and all new edging along with redrilling and fitting cypress boards. When it came time to cut the linoleum I'd have to cut it long and hope that it shrunk properly. There is no guarantee that I'd get the length right on a second attempt. Now I know why there were gaps in the original linoleum at the edging. The alternative which I'm going to do is to get a short flat decorative molding and place that at the ends of the running boards. It will appear that it is the metal clip that holds the running board to the fenders. It will also serve as a "stop" to keep shoes and things from hitting the painted mud flaps. At least for the interior floor mats the lineolum will be fit to a "U" edging and thus any shrinkage will not be able to be seen. Those pieces are also all much smaller than the six foot length of the running boards.
Monday, October 7	Checked on progress with the car. Carl is in the final stages of sanding and finishing. The schedule calls for final painting in early November at Frank W Diver's in Wilmington. Carl Kishbaugh wants to paint the car there so that he's assured of a clean environment and proper heat and lighting to do the painting. On Wednesday night I need to take the running boards for a formal fitting now that they've been completed so that the metal running board skirts can be drilled and fastened to the sides of the running boards. Also looked at the paint colors I've chosen. With Marvin Klair's 1903 Cadillac now available and considering the shades of red that are on it are what I'm looking for I'm going to take the color chip books and check exactly what shade of red he has and how it compares to what I have selected.
Wednesday, October 9	Visited Marvin Klair's 1904 Cadillac to determine the two colors of red it was painted. It turns out that it is painted the exact two shades of red that have been chosen for the Stanley. What are the odds of that happening? The lighter red is a 910 or 914 while the darker red will be 562 or 563. The difference in the shade selection deals with the best match depending on how light strikes the surface. Took the completed running boards to the car and checked their fit to the car. Drilled holes in the running board skirts to attach the skirts to the running boards when the final assembly occurs. Picked up some DuPont Metalok 2305 to clear coat brass nameplate on radiator. Part to be coated is polished bright and ready to coat and then cleaned with acetone. To remove any final grease the part is alcohol wiped and not touched after being wiped. The Metalok is misted on (no to a dripping or running state but also kept continuously wet) or may be dipped for 5 to 7 minutes. It is removed and dipped or rinsed in deionized water and air dried. The clear coat may now be applied. A lacquer will dry fast but won't be as durable as enamel which dries more slowly. Fitted the wheels on the car. It's the first time the assembled wheels (36" x 5" now vs. 35" x 4-1/2" factory vs. 34" x 4" when I bought it) have been put on the car with the mud flaps (fenders) straightened out. The left front side should be fine however there will probably be a rubbing problem with the right front side. Until the rear tanks and seats are in place and full we won't be able to tell about the rear wheel clearances but they appear to be fine. As alternate tires are not available and changing the mud flaps is not an option the only solution will be with re-arching the springs and adding bump stops to the body. It's a Stanley; there's always a new twist.
Saturday, October 12	Disassembled, cleaned, and glass beaded the lock for the tool box to remove rust and dirt. Greased it and reassembled it. Need to rummage through Mom & Dad's can of old keys and see if I can locate something that I might be able to get to work. It would be nice to have a compartment that can be locked on the car. Mounted the Stanley logo plates on the original wire wheel hub nuts using nickel plated split rivets. Installed the wire springs on the locking fingers of the wheel hub nuts. Waxed the wheel hub nuts so they are ready for installation on the car. Degreased and then glass beaded the locking rings that mount inside the wheel hubs to engage the wheel hub nut locking finger. Straightened several of the metal blocks on the locking rings but since several are missing they will need to go to M&P Custom Design for repair. I'm also going to have each of the existing blocks tack welded to insure they don't move in the future.
Monday, October 14	Assembled both rear turn signal lamps. Assembled brake & tail light lamp. All three are ready for installation on the car after it's painted. Started gluing 3/8" thick pine panels together for new boards under the front and rear seats. The panels will be planed to 5/16" using John Beard's planer and then cut to size to fit the existing openings in the car.
Wednesday, October 30	Took the front and rear wooden seat panels to the car to see how they fit and where the support ribs can be located. They can be glued into larger panels and have supports glued and screwed to the underside for strengthening. Took the front floor boards to the car to see how well they fit. Based on the fitting I've decided that they too should be replaced. I'll need to get oak and prepare it for making replacement panels. Found the floor board under the rear seat to be in poor condition and brought it back for replacement. The battery enclosure is part of this floor board and will be integrated into the new floor board. Carl Kishbaugh has the mud flaps and running boards and skirts off the car. The running board skirts are at DuPont Marshall Labs being painted. The mud flaps are ready to go for painting. After they are done the wheels will be painted. Over the past two weeks I've made up some check straps for the doors. I purchased Model T check strap brackets from Bratten's Antique Auto Parts and heavy leather and binding screws from McMaster-Carr. The check straps were made 4" long and Dad applied black leather dye to them when they were done. I test fit one of them to a door to check that they will be acceptable.
Wednesday, November 6	Work has been continuing daily on the seat panels. Generally since the daily activity is gluing individual planks together to make a panel, I've not entered those activities in this log. This entry serves to detail the activities of today in particular where panels were prepared for final fitting. The seat cushions sit on top of these panels. The seat panels were of an open design with 2" wide wood strips spaced at 2" mounted to 1" stringers. This design allows heat from the pump box and fumes from the burner to enter the car when driving. In an effort to limit this exposure the replacement panels are being built as solid wood panels similar to those used on earlier Stanley cars. The panels are being made from Aspen like the originals which is surfaced on four sides (S4S). Since sizing the front and rear wooden seat panels they have been glued into larger panels such that there are just two panels for the front seats and two panels for the rear seats. They have had stiffener braces glued to the underside and the had 3/4" x #8 flat head wood screws used to secure the braces to the panels. A finger hole has been drilled for removing the panels and they've been given a rough sanding on Bruce's large shop belt sander. One more fitting of the panels in the car to insure they fit properly and they will get a finish sanding and then painted. Started gluing up the new floor panel that sits under the back seat. The panel was in poor condition and includes panels that surround the battery. This panel forms the bottom of a storage area at the back of the car and under the rear seat.
Monday, November 25	Took the rear seat floor panels, and front and rear seat panels to the car for fitting before they are painted. The front and rear seat panels fit fine. However the rear seat floor panel needs to have the battery box trimmed on the underside of the panel in order to clear the steel body frame. Once this is done the panels can be painted. As the car will be on an open rollback truck when it goes to Frank Diver's paint booth in Wilmington and it's now gotten cold out I drained all the water from the boiler. This will also allow the car not to have to be in a heated garage while at Donnie Hastings's over the winter as it gets reassembled. Once the water was drained all valves were opened and the lines blown clear with air. Water lines to the water automatic and feed water heat exchanger were removed so these items could be blown clear with air. The pump check valve caps and balls were removed and the lines and pumps blown clear with water. The steam automatic and dash pressure gauges were disconnected and removed. All removed lines and parts were brought back for storage until they can be reinstalled in the Spring.
Friday, November 29	Trimmed the rear seat floor panel so that the battery box clears the steel body frame. Lightly sanded all the panels and applied a coat of Satin Black paint to all the panels.
Monday, December 2	Lightly sanded all the panels and applied a coat of Satin Black paint to all the panels.
Monday, December 9	Visited the car to check on painting progress. The running board skirts, and top hood panels had been painted the darker red while the two pieces that fill in between the fenders and the side hood panels had been painted the lighter red. The wheels were in the process of being painted. The two shades of red are exactly the shades I want and the level of gloss is also as I want it. Finally after all these months and years the car is finally getting color. I believe it's going to look great when it's done.

2002

Work Done

Tuesday,
January 8

Visited Carl Kishbaugh to see how the Stanley painting was coming along. Right side is now in primer and the left side is being prepared for primer. All of the black "brick-a-brack" has been painted (spare tire brackets and shoes, windshield frames and brackets, etc.). Took three tires, five tubes, and five liners with me for eventual mounting on the wire wheels.

After investigating platers in the area that might be able to plate the nickel parts the nearest I found was near Lansdowne. With the quantity of small parts needing plating and considering the excellent results that Joe Van Schiver obtained on the dash light he plated using a Caswell Plating kit, I decided to try my hand at it and plate my parts myself. They are in relatively good condition and should not be that difficult to do.

Sunday,
January 27

Collected up all the nickel plated parts from the car and cleaned the grease and oil off them in Bruce's parts cleaner. Then ran everything except the wheel nuts through two hour-long cycles in the ultrasonic cleaner with dishwasher detergent to remove a lot of the grime. Then everything went through a cycle in the dishwasher as a final cleaning.

Sunday,
February 3

Took all the nickel parts except the wheel nuts and glass beaded them to remove any remaining grit and to either remove or at least roughen up the existing nickel coating. Started sanding the burrs and other imperfections off the various parts so they are smooth and ready for a final cleaning and then plating.

Contacted Gene Keebaugh who makes up copper Stanley engine covers (49 Horst Avenue, Chambersburg, PA. Need to contact him regarding the length of the differential cover (21-3/4") and it's circumference (41-1/2").

Wednesday,
February 6

Took the wire wheel nuts to M&P Custom and had Jim mount three of the badly scarred ones in the lathe and shave them slightly to remove the gouges and scratches. Glass beaded all the nuts to remove any loose nickel plating.

Continued sanding the burrs and other imperfections off the various parts so they are smooth and ready for a final cleaning and then plating.

Using a washer, opened up the ID and rounded the OD edge of the washer to match the three that form the swivel mechanism for the front windshields.

Saturday,
February 9

Completed sanding the burrs and other imperfections off the various parts so they are smooth and ready for a final cleaning and then plating.

Tuesday,
February 12

Visited Carl Kishbaugh to see how the painting activities were coming along. The hood has had the leading edge ground to fit the condenser shell so that the gap is even around it. The car is in full primer and Carl is finishing up the irons and such that hold the top. His next step will be to pull the car back into square and to align the doors.

The wire wheel rims had been well painted and were ready for the mounting of the tires. Carl, Donnie Hastings and I mounted all five tires, tubes, and liners. Having the tubes flat (they were shipped with all the air removed) made them very easy to slide into the tires. The liner was then easily slid in over the tube. Having everything match made the installation very easy and the tire with the tube and liner slid over the painted rims very easily. The retaining rings were then put on but the tire was left deflated so that there was space between the tire and the rim so that Carl can tape the wheel before painting.

Carl gave me some parts to find replacements for including the rubber stops for the doors, the leather strip for the hood, and the rivets that hold th leather strip in place. I also need to make a collar for the center hood hinge shaft to keep it from walking forward when the hood is opened and closed.

Tuesday,
February 19

Visited Carl Kishbaugh to take him the brass hood spacer I had made along with wood screws for the doors and top irons; brass screws for the door stop brackets. Took Carl an assortment of 3"x3" aluminum plates of varying thickness to use as shims for the car body mounting to the frame. Brought back the brass condenser shell to take to Gene Keebaugh during the upcoming trip to Wheaton,
IL. Brought back the lower windshield frame to get T-rubber stripping for the edges and window glass mounting felts from Restoration Specialties. Carl is in the process of hanging the doors and getting them back square on the body.

Friday,
March 1

On the way to Chicago to work on Paul Van Der Molen's home theatre pipe organ stopped by Gene Keebaugh's Sheet Metal in Chambersburg, PA to drop off the brass condenser cover for soldering of the seams that had opened up.

Also stopped at Restoration Specialties in Windber, PA to pick up rubber moldings and assorted twist latches for the top.

Thursday,
March 14

On the way home from Chicago stopped by Gene Keebaugh's Sheet Metal in Chambersburg, PA to pick up the brass condenser cover.

Tuesday,
March 19

Cut trapezoidal rubber pieces for the door stops out of 40A durometer neoprene rubber. Took the cut rubber and and flat head machine screws to Carl Kishbaugh. Also took the jump seats to have the metal parts painted black Imron. Brought back the windscreen supports and upper windscreen frame for installation of the glass and rubber.

Saturday,
March 23

Worked on cleaning up the brass condenser shell. Started out with Loc-disks in the air motor to remove all the real heavy tarnish and discoloration. Then hand sanded the brass with 2000-grit and then 10-micron grit sandpaper. Finally started polishing the metal with white automotive buffing compound. A final buffing with buffing compound still needs to be done.

Friday,
March 29

After two weeks of gathering materials, mixing chemicals, setting things up, calculating plating areas, trial runs with water, the plating process was started. One of the glass battery jars serves as the plating vessel. The aquarium heater is set to maintain 115 to 117 degrees Fahrenheit. A chemical stirrer runs at a moderate speed to keep the plating solution in motion to prevent the formation of bubbles. Parts to be plated are hung by a copper wire in the solution. One of my regulated lab supplies provides the power for plating. The part to be plated when placed in the tank generates 0.2 to 0.4 volts depending on the size of the part. Based on plating areas and recommended currents it appears that the proper plating rate occurs when there is a 1.2 volt potential applied to the tank. When the current level is correct for the area being plated(0.05 to 0.06 amperes for square inch of plating area) the voltage on the power supply generally reads 1.2 VDC. The varying sizes of objects being plated determines the current required but the voltage generally reads 1.1 to 1.2 VDC. The voltage is somewhat higher (1.5 to 1.6 VDC) during the first 10 minutes of plating but falls back and remains at the 1.2 VDC level for the remainder of the plating time. My plating time is 45 minutes. The setup has the two 3" x 4" nickel anodes placed at opposite sides of the tank. This amount of time along with the current level generally deposits between 10/1000ths and 15/1000ths of nickel plating. The finished piece is somewhat dull and needs to be polished to bring up the reflective shine. Minute scratches and imperfections in the base material show through the nickel plating and for some of my pieces it will be necessary to polish them and then apply a final plating. Plated the four engine mounting nuts, two windscreen post nuts, four windscreen thumbscrews, two blanket strap clips, four windscreen glass retainer clips, two spare tire bracket nuts, one wheel nut, kerosene tank gauge nut.

Saturday,
March 30

Finished buffing the brass condenser shell. Gave all surfaces a final hand sanding with 10-micron grip wet/dry paper. DuPont white buffing compound was applied next using the power buffer. Finally the metal was polished with 3M MicroCompounding Polish.

Attempted to polish several of the nickel plated items. Found that the four engine nuts must have been coated with chrome as the nickel plating did not adhere in all places and started peeling when I attempted to polish them. Items which were base metal plated fine such as the wheel nut and the kerosene tank gauge nut (both brass). The nickel plating started to come up to a shine but it is going to take a while to accomplish and may require a second plating.

Retrieved some battery acid (sulfuric acid) from one of the old discarded batteries to use in etching plated nickel surfaces in preparation for replating.

Monday,
April 1

Took the brass condenser shell to Carl Kishbaugh. Carl says he can get it even it shinier with one of his compounds. Also took him the two brackets for supporting the front door posts.

Carl had removed the elevator bolts that hold on the rear mudguards so that I can find replacements. I also brought back samples of the dash board screws as samples for brass replacements that I can nickel coat. I also brought back the boiler water level indicator cap for plating as well as the plate that surrounds the winker.

I need to fabricate the plate and retainer that will mount to the brass condenser shell and hold the hood in place. The existing one is not is the best of condition and does not register the hood in the center as it should be. I also have a sample of the brass button that protrudes through the hood so that when it is open it can rest on the buttons and not on the paint. We removed a drilled rivet from the hood handle and latch catch so that I can find replacements. Carl wanted to remove the hood handles and latch catches so that he can clean behind them and prime behind them so rust won't appear in the future.

Carl has got the doors all aligned and the body bolted back to the frame. Current work is on the hood and rear mudguards.

Tuesday,
April 2

Plated two more wheel nuts, the drip valve nut, and the drip valve handle.

Using acid straight from one of Bruce's old batteries I constructed an electro-stripper to remove the old chrome and nickel from several of the parts I need to nickel plate including the engine nuts. The process works fine but does generate some fumes. The power supply positive is connected to a stainless steel anode electrode in the sulfuric acid solution while the power supply negative is connected to the piece to be deplated. I attempted to hang the parts in the solution like is done with the plating solution but the copper wires end up dissolving and depositing on the stainless steel plate. Using an alligator clip to hold the part in the acid works best. I used my Heathkit 3-ampere power supply at maximum current which worked fine for some smaller pieces. For larger pieces higher current is required and I connected the 12-volt lead-acid battery pack to the part to quicken deplating. The efficiency of the deplating does diminish as the acid "ages" from use. I deplated the engine mounting washers, the kerosene tank cap, four windscreen bolts, four windscreen washers.

Wednesday,
April 3

Started polishing some of the nickel plated pieces. Using a 4" cloth wheel on Mom's old sewing machine motor with the foot treadle for speed control worked but I was loading down the motor too much and afraid it would burn up. I went to using the Bodine gearmotor that I used to wrap piano wire on the boiler with. It has a maximum speed of 83 RPM making it perhaps a little slower than it should be but there's more than enough power and the speed doesn't catch the small pieces and fling them and polishing compound all around the lab. Polishing today was with a pumice based rubbing compound to cut the loose nickel from the various pieces. Since the parts are coming up only partly bright another run through the plating bath will be necessary.

Friday,
April 5

Prepared parts for initial plating. The four engine mounting nuts had been electro-stripped and needed sanding up and made ready for plating a second time. The deep dig in the one nut was filled with solder. The four box-brackets for the door curtains were in bad shape and needed to be belt sanded to clean them up, then glass beaded, and finally hand sanded. Worked on polishing the two new wheel nuts only to find out that the plating didn't adhere. It will need to be electro-stripped off and then replaced.

Sunday,
April 7

Drilled a hole in the heads of the elevator bolts so that a nail can be used to hold them in place. Machined a brass blind cap for the front end of the hood to fasten it to the brass condenser shell. Drilled 8-32 holes in a 4" brass plate which will become the base for the front hood mount. Took four brass bolts that were in a toilet bowl kit and machined off the slot in the head to make them into the four brass buttons that will be mounted on the hood such that when one side is opened fully the hood panels rest on the brass buttons instead of the paint.

Monday,
April 8

Visited Carl Kishbaugh to check on progress. Worked with Carl to determine how to complete the front hood mount and the positioning of the blind cap on the brass bar. It now needs to be welded by M&P. The predrilled rivets that were purchased to refasten the hood clips and handles to the hood side panel are too small. A larger solid rivet will need to be purchased and I'll have to drill the holes in each. The holes in the hood for the brass buttons will need to be opened slightly for them to fit. Carl bolted up the rear mudflaps to check their fit to the car. Progress continues with the car with final fit and alignments.

Wednesday,
April 10

Spent the day plating and deplating. Deplated the boiler water level gauge bezel, the winker plate, and two wheel nuts that have never been plated and a wheel nut that I plated where the plating didn't adhere. Plated the four engine mounting nuts, engine mounting washers, turn signal handle, windscreen pivot bolts, and kerosene tank filler cap for the first time. Applied a second plating coat to the windscreen support nuts, drip valve handle, and spare tire bracket nuts.

Installed the "T" rubber in the windscreen supports and upper and lower windscreen glass frames.

Thursday,
April 11

Sanded with 120, 320, and 600 grit sandpaper in preparation for plating the boiler water level gauge bezel and the winker plate. Started sanding an engine nut with 320 and 600 grit sandpaper to prepare them for plating and insure the plating was adhered well. Also sanded the kerosene tank filler cap and turn signal lever to check the plating adhesion on these parts as well. Checked the windscreen support nuts and spare tire bracket nuts and found that the second layer of plating did not adhere at all and was easily removed with sandpaper and peeling by finger. Glass beaded the windscreen support nuts and spare tire bracket nuts in preparation for another plating as soon as I can find out what the problem is. Contacted Caswell Plating by email with a description of the problem requesting assistance.

Sunday,
April 14

Made up four new windscreen window mounting washers as the originals turned out to be zinc based and can't be plated with the process I'm using. Made the replacements out of 1/2" Lawson washers. Drilled two dozen 3/16" diameter x 1/2" long steel rivets with #29 bit for holding on the hood handle and latch brackets.

Completely deplated the engine mounting nuts. There was still some chrome on them in low spots and as nothing plates to chrome it was necessary to remove most of the copper in order to get the chrome off. Also deplated the remaining wheel nut that had been plated but was peeling.

Replated the four side curtain support brackets, the four new windscreen window mounting washers, boiler water level indicator bezel, and winker dash ring. Attempted to plate a handful of brass screws but they did not plate evenly -- some plated but most did not.

Monday,
April 15

Visited Carl Kishbaugh to deliver the drilled rivets and front mounting bracket for the hood. Took photos of the progress thus far. In aligning the doors the aluminum at the top of the body next to the hinges for all doors wanted to crack and move as the door moved. Carl had drilled out the wood underneath that was rotten and backfilled the space with body epoxy. Then a light coat of body filler was applied and sanded. The hood panels have been totally glass beaded and are now in builder-primer.

Monday,
May 6

Visited Carl Kishbaugh to check on progress. He had the new running board skirt panels and was fitting them up. The front wheel mud flaps are not the same in that the driver side one currently sits about an inch higher and is about an inch wider than the passenger side. The rear mud flaps fit well and are ready for final prime. Carl will have a lot more to do on the front set before they are ready.

Monday,
May 13

Visited Carl Kishbaugh with location information for the turn-clasps that need to be mounted in the body for the top. Took the side curtains with me to spot where the original turn-clasps had been located so that we wouldn't go to those locations because of the condition of the wood from the old clasps that were removed. Selected new locations and drilled the body for the turn-clasps. In putting two #6 screw size turn-clasps in to check installation the screw broke in the hole. Will need to drill out the screw and we decided to use the bigger screw version that I had.

Carl had both running board skirts attached to the car and was working on blending them in with the fenders. Measured the running boards so that I can obtain replacement running boards.

Tuesday,
May 14

Drilled out the two broken off turn-clasp screws and drilled all holes out bigger for the #10 screw-size turn-clasp. Pre-threaded each hole using a wood screw.

Took the driver's seat with me so that I could sit in the car and select the location where the drip valve handle should be located. The location in the new panel will be about 6" forward of the original spot on the car. The old panel had a screwed-on plate with a rubber filler where the valve rod passed through the running board skirt. This will be replaced with a standard rubber grommet this time so as to look neater and smaller. The grommet can also be replaced easier when it wears from use.

Took the cypress running boards to Carl which will replace the plywood ones that had been on the car. The plywood running boards were 3/4" thick but I've decided that the replacements will be 1" thick for more strength. We will use a router to groove the bottom surface where the board attaches to the support bracket thus allowing the board to be custom fit to the car and running board skirt. Also took Carl a length of the old linoleum metal strip so that he can see what it looks like.

Tuesday,
May 21

Work continues with the body work. Carl Kishbaugh has the running board skirt sheets fitted up and is working on the front two mud flaps and their fitting to the car. This will be these are probably the worst parts on the car due to their condition.

Through the period I've continued the nickel plating operation. As I've been doing the work on a "as I have the time" basis no formal entries will be placed in this log. I've learned that the initial 45-minute plating time is much too long and that 10 to 15 minutes is more successful. The parts also need to sit in battery acid (sulfuric) for a minute or so and then the degreaser/neutralizer before plating. The sanding process has been streamlined to 150-grit, 320 or 400-grit, and finally 600-grit. Due to the condition of the parts, they are going in the plating bath for about 10 minutes, getting sanded, and then doing the acid and degreaser/neutralizer bath, then back to plating to start the process over again.

Tuesday,
May 28

Work continues on the body with Carl Kishbaugh and Donnie Hastings. Took Carl square-head bolts and nuts to bolt the mud flaps and running board skirt sheets together. Once the front mud flaps get done the car will be ready for painting in color.

Plating of the small parts continues during the period as I have time. The four engine mounting nuts and the two spare tire saddle nuts refuse to want to hold plating. Everything has been stripped off to start the process over for the third time. This time the base plate held well but somewhere along the line one of the upper coats had a problem which effectively ruined the finished job. Lets hope this is the last time for these. Finally got the wheel nuts all plated one time where the plating is holding and not peeling off as it did on all the first time (probably due to excessive current). It seems that instead of setting the current to the level required based on the square inches of area to be plated that it is better to set the supply to 1.2 volts and let the current fall where it wants to for the piece being plated. Several parts are plated sufficiently that they can now be polished but the majority still need one or two more plating cycles before they are ready for polishing.

Wednesday,
May 29

Researched for a source of linoleum for the running boards and floor boards. Forbo Corporation's Marmoleum WALTON® 123 is a solid black linoleum. Ordered a 6' long length (it comes 6.5' wide) along with the L910 adhesive for applying it from Floor Concepts on Kirkwood Highway.

Researched aluminum nosing and edging for the running boards and floor boards. Found two potential candidates from Youngstown Aluminum Products of Youngstown, Ohio. Talked to Joe and requested a sample of their #26 nosing and #944 edge molding.

Tuesday,
June 11

Checked on progress with Carl Kishbaugh and Donnie Hastings. Carl is working the left front mud flap to get it properly mating with the body and running board.

Drained the main water tank. The water pump inlet screen was well blocked with oil and sediment which appeared to be lime and calcium build-up.

Friday,
June 14

Plating work continues. The plating tank liquid was filtered through a coffee filter to remove the accumulated sediment. It was then passed through activated carbon three times. This process greatly cleaned up the solution and five packets of saccharin was added to the mixture to serve as a brightener.

The big learning experience is that the surfaces of the piece to be plated must be oxide-free. The part to be plated has to have the oxide layer removed by sanding. If there is any oxide on the part, the plated layer will not adhere properly. Once the part has been well sanded with 600-grit paper then a quick soak in battery acid followed by the detergent cleaner is all that is needed. The power supply set at 1.4 to 1.6 volts provides more optimum plating than the 1.2 volt setting used prior. Running the supply on current limit is not recommended. In fact by using the 1.4 to 1.6 volt setting the plating current runs 180% of the value indicated in the Caswell Plating Manual. I found that not letting the plating current above 2x the Caswell Plating Manual recommended value also works best. A plating time of 15 minutes also applies a nice even coat that covers the 600-grit sanding scratches.

Finished up the plating of the four engine mounting nuts, the two castings that mate the top to the windscreen supports, and two windscreen support nuts

Sunday,
June 16

Plated most of the remaining parts. Insuring there's no oxide on the part before plating by doing a through 600-grit sanding seems to be the secret that I've missed all along. All the parts plated today held their plating coats. The power supply operated at 1.4 to 1.6 volts and each part stayed in the plating bath for 15 minutes. The windscreen thumbscrews, wheel nuts, top clamp screws remain to be finished.

Tuesday,
June 18

Checked on progress with Carl Kishbaugh and Donnie Hastings. Carl is sandblasting the front two mud flaps in preparation for body filler and priming.

I changed the "slant" of the mounting hinges by using a chisel to remove some wood where the hinge plates fasten to the wood for the left rear door. This allows the door to close into it's opening without effort to hold it in place. Also ground the hinges slightly to relieve some binding in the mechanism so that the door swings freely on its hinges. Need to slightly grind the hinges for the remaining three doors to relieve binding in them as well.

Friday,
June 21

Polished the collection of parts that have completed the plating process. Used the 3M Microfine Polishing Compound to bring up a shine on all the parts. A slight haze remains which will be removed with the finishing glaze. The parts have a nice shine but the distressed features in each part (casting imperfections, deep scratches, etc.) also remain to some extent providing proof that they are old. As the parts were originally they were rusty, pitted, scratched, gouged, painted in places, and very dull. The plating operation has returned a nice shine to the parts but if one looks closely they see the underlying pitting and other imperfections of the part that either came from the factory or occurred over the 80+ years the car has been around. The look of these parts matches those already on the car (steering wheel, throttle, dash gauges, etc.) that are in great shape and did not need to be replated but rather cleaned up nicely with polishing.

Sunday,
June 23

Continued plating parts. All the small parts are now plated.

Thursday,
June 27

Polished all the parts plated to date.

Saturday,
June 29

Plated the stop light housing and two small parts that had the plating come off during the polishing operation.

Sunday,
June 30

Plated five wheel nuts. If no parts have the plating come loose during the polishing operation then the plating operation is complete with the exception of small screws and hardware.

Monday,
July 1

Polished all the parts that were plated since the last polishing session. As none of the parts being polished had the plating come off, the plating work is basically complete. It has taken three months to plate and polish the many various parts of the car.

Monday,
September 9

While there have been no entries since July 1 in this log, I have made trips to check on refinishing progress. Today's trip was for the purpose of fitting the cypress running boards to the car. Carl Kishbaugh and Donnie Hastings have completed all of the basic body work with the exception of the trap door to access the burner. I could now fit the running boards to their supports and to the front and rear mud flaps. Carl and I worked to route the underside of the each running board so that it would properly fit on the car. I've brought the running boards back and will fit the aluminum trim to them, paint the underside of them, install stainless steel elevator bolts to hold the running boards to their supports and the mud flaps, and cut and glue the linoleum to them. The car is starting to look impressive with all the parts now back on it and the body work done with parts in primer.

Friday,
September 13

Cleaned up the top surface groove that the aluminum trim sets in for both running boards. Drilled the countersunk holes for the elevator bolts. Painted all surfaces of both boards with satin black enamel for protection.

Saturday,
September 14

Set up my new Craftsman chop saw with a metal cutting blade. Purchased the saw for cutting the aluminum edgings for the running and floor boards and to make accurate cuts of the seat panels when they are reconstructed.

Started cutting the aluminum trim that goes on the running boards Got the four pieces cut for the right running board. Have to do the left next then drill and countersink holes in the strips so they can be screwed onto the cypress running boards. After that the linoleum gets cut and fit. I have all the elevator bolts drilled to hold them in place with screws once inserted. If the aluminum edging is still OK then I'll apply the adhesive and place the linoleum.

Monday,
September 23

Made a trip to see Carl Kishbaugh and Donnie Hastings to deliver thick washers and check the status of the car. In checking the fit of the wood fill pieces that go between the frame and the lower edge of the hood panels discovered some additional bodywork that will need to be completed. Every time I think we're getting closer to putting color on the car we discover more that has to be addressed.

Wednesday,
September 25

Cut and fit the trim pieces for the left running board. Countersunk all trim attachment mounting holes for both running boards. Using construction adhesive installed the stainless steel elevator bolts in each of the countersunk mounting holes and pulled the bolts into the cypress wood so that the square was impressed in the wood. Installed a locking screw through a hole I drilled in each elevator bolt head to keep the bolt from turning in the future (this was a failure mode for the original running boards allowing the carriage bolts to rotate once the threads got full of crap). Mounted each of the trim pieces to it's respective running board using construction adhesive and 3/4" x 6 square drive flat head wood screws.

Saturday,
September 28

Ground down the aluminum trim at the ends of the running boards to match the undercut we did to even them up to the body with respect to the frame. Cut the linoleum for both running boards.

Monday,
September 30

Cleaned up the cut edges of the linoleum with a block plane. Insured that the linoleum fit tight within the aluminum edging and it is actually oversized by a slight amount in all dimensions. Glued the linoleum in place using the Forbo adhesive.

While the linoleum was initially slightly longer and wider than the inside dimension of the trim, after the adhesive started to set the linoleum began to shrink. As the width dimension is only about 9-1/2", the shrinkage was not enough to make a difference and the linoleum is against the aluminum molding. The real problem that occurred is that once the adhesive had dried the long dimension of the linoleum sheet shrunk 1/16" to 1/8" short of the aluminum edging leaving a noticeable gap.

I had really worked hard and wanted the running boards to look good and they actually do except for the linoleum gaps at either end. The proper way to correct the problem is to start over by making new running boards which is something I'm not about to do. I'd need to order another sheet of linoleum and all new edging along with redrilling and fitting cypress boards. When it came time to cut the linoleum I'd have to cut it long and hope that it shrunk properly. There is no guarantee that I'd get the length right on a second attempt. Now I know why there were gaps in the original linoleum at the edging. The alternative which I'm going to do is to get a short flat decorative molding and place that at the ends of the running boards. It will appear that it is the metal clip that holds the running board to the fenders. It will also serve as a "stop" to keep shoes and things from hitting the painted mud flaps. At least for the interior floor mats the lineolum will be fit to a "U" edging and thus any shrinkage will not be able to be seen. Those pieces are also all much smaller than the six foot length of the running boards.

Monday,
October 7

Checked on progress with the car. Carl is in the final stages of sanding and finishing. The schedule calls for final painting in early November at Frank W Diver's in Wilmington. Carl Kishbaugh wants to paint the car there so that he's assured of a clean environment and proper heat and lighting to do the painting.

On Wednesday night I need to take the running boards for a formal fitting now that they've been completed so that the metal running board skirts can be drilled and fastened to the sides of the running boards.

Also looked at the paint colors I've chosen. With Marvin Klair's 1903 Cadillac now available and considering the shades of red that are on it are what I'm looking for I'm going to take the color chip books and check exactly what shade of red he has and how it compares to what I have selected.

Wednesday,
October 9

Visited Marvin Klair's 1904 Cadillac to determine the two colors of red it was painted. It turns out that it is painted the exact two shades of red that have been chosen for the Stanley. What are the odds of that happening? The lighter red is a 910 or 914 while the darker red will be 562 or 563. The difference in the shade selection deals with the best match depending on how light strikes the surface.

Took the completed running boards to the car and checked their fit to the car. Drilled holes in the running board skirts to attach the skirts to the running boards when the final assembly occurs.

Picked up some DuPont Metalok 2305 to clear coat brass nameplate on radiator. Part to be coated is polished bright and ready to coat and then cleaned with acetone. To remove any final grease the part is alcohol wiped and not touched after being wiped. The Metalok is misted on (no to a dripping or running state but also kept continuously wet) or may be dipped for 5 to 7 minutes. It is removed and dipped or rinsed in deionized water and air dried. The clear coat may now be applied. A lacquer will dry fast but won't be as durable as enamel which dries more slowly.

Fitted the wheels on the car. It's the first time the assembled wheels (36" x 5" now vs. 35" x 4-1/2" factory vs. 34" x 4" when I bought it) have been put on the car with the mud flaps (fenders) straightened out. The left front side should be fine however there will probably be a rubbing problem with the right front side. Until the rear tanks and seats are in place and full we won't be able to tell about the rear wheel clearances but they appear to be fine. As alternate tires are not available and changing the mud flaps is not an option the only solution will be with re-arching the springs and adding bump stops to the body. It's a Stanley; there's always a new twist.

Saturday,
October 12

Disassembled, cleaned, and glass beaded the lock for the tool box to remove rust and dirt. Greased it and reassembled it. Need to rummage through Mom & Dad's can of old keys and see if I can locate something that I might be able to get to work. It would be nice to have a compartment that can be locked on the car.

Mounted the Stanley logo plates on the original wire wheel hub nuts using nickel plated split rivets. Installed the wire springs on the locking fingers of the wheel hub nuts. Waxed the wheel hub nuts so they are ready for installation on the car.

Degreased and then glass beaded the locking rings that mount inside the wheel hubs to engage the wheel hub nut locking finger. Straightened several of the metal blocks on the locking rings but since several are missing they will need to go to M&P Custom Design for repair. I'm also going to have each of the existing blocks tack welded to insure they don't move in the future.

Monday,
October 14

Assembled both rear turn signal lamps. Assembled brake & tail light lamp. All three are ready for installation on the car after it's painted. Started gluing 3/8" thick pine panels together for new boards under the front and rear seats. The panels will be planed to 5/16" using John Beard's planer and then cut to size to fit the existing openings in the car.

Wednesday,
October 30

Took the front and rear wooden seat panels to the car to see how they fit and where the support ribs can be located. They can be glued into larger panels and have supports glued and screwed to the underside for strengthening.

Took the front floor boards to the car to see how well they fit. Based on the fitting I've decided that they too should be replaced. I'll need to get oak and prepare it for making replacement panels.

Found the floor board under the rear seat to be in poor condition and brought it back for replacement. The battery enclosure is part of this floor board and will be integrated into the new floor board.

Carl Kishbaugh has the mud flaps and running boards and skirts off the car. The running board skirts are at DuPont Marshall Labs being painted. The mud flaps are ready to go for painting. After they are done the wheels will be painted.

Over the past two weeks I've made up some check straps for the doors. I purchased Model T check strap brackets from Bratten's Antique Auto Parts and heavy leather and binding screws from McMaster-Carr. The check straps were made 4" long and Dad applied black leather dye to them when they were done. I test fit one of them to a door to check that they will be acceptable.

Wednesday,
November 6

Work has been continuing daily on the seat panels. Generally since the daily activity is gluing individual planks together to make a panel, I've not entered those activities in this log. This entry serves to detail the activities of today in particular where panels were prepared for final fitting. The seat cushions sit on top of these panels. The seat panels were of an open design with 2" wide wood strips spaced at 2" mounted to 1" stringers. This design allows heat from the pump box and fumes from the burner to enter the car when driving. In an effort to limit this exposure the replacement panels are being built as solid wood panels similar to those used on earlier Stanley cars. The panels are being made from Aspen like the originals which is surfaced on four sides (S4S).

Since sizing the front and rear wooden seat panels they have been glued into larger panels such that there are just two panels for the front seats and two panels for the rear seats. They have had stiffener braces glued to the underside and the had 3/4" x #8 flat head wood screws used to secure the braces to the panels. A finger hole has been drilled for removing the panels and they've been given a rough sanding on Bruce's large shop belt sander. One more fitting of the panels in the car to insure they fit properly and they will get a finish sanding and then painted.

Started gluing up the new floor panel that sits under the back seat. The panel was in poor condition and includes panels that surround the battery. This panel forms the bottom of a storage area at the back of the car and under the rear seat.

Monday,
November 25

Took the rear seat floor panels, and front and rear seat panels to the car for fitting before they are painted. The front and rear seat panels fit fine. However the rear seat floor panel needs to have the battery box trimmed on the underside of the panel in order to clear the steel body frame. Once this is done the panels can be painted.

As the car will be on an open rollback truck when it goes to Frank Diver's paint booth in Wilmington and it's now gotten cold out I drained all the water from the boiler. This will also allow the car not to have to be in a heated garage while at Donnie Hastings's over the winter as it gets reassembled. Once the water was drained all valves were opened and the lines blown clear with air. Water lines to the water automatic and feed water heat exchanger were removed so these items could be blown clear with air. The pump check valve caps and balls were removed and the lines and pumps blown clear with water. The steam automatic and dash pressure gauges were disconnected and removed. All removed lines and parts were brought back for storage until they can be reinstalled in the Spring.

Friday,
November 29

Trimmed the rear seat floor panel so that the battery box clears the steel body frame. Lightly sanded all the panels and applied a coat of Satin Black paint to all the panels.

Monday,
December 2

Lightly sanded all the panels and applied a coat of Satin Black paint to all the panels.

Monday,
December 9

Visited the car to check on painting progress. The running board skirts,
and top hood panels had been painted the darker red while the two pieces that fill in between the fenders and the side hood panels had been painted the lighter red. The wheels were in the process of being painted.

The two shades of red are exactly the shades I want and the level of gloss is also as I want it. Finally after all these months and years the car is finally getting color. I believe it's going to look great when it's done.

1998 ~ Mechanical Restoration Started
1999A ~ Mechanical Restoration Completed
1999B ~ Test Drives and Tours
2000 ~ Body Paint Stripping
2001 ~ Body Restoration
2002 ~ Body Restoration
2003 ~ Final Painting and Reassembly
2004 ~ Reassembly
2005 ~ Interior and Top Restoration
2006 ~ Finishing Up The Loose Ends

Questions or Comments? Please Email Me!

� 2003-2012 www.StanleyMotorCarriage.com