In the last three issues we have been covering how the crew at C. Hopkins Rod & Custom in Commerce, Georgia, has been resurrecting a '67 Chevelle SS396, dubbed the AMD Chevelle. Like we have mentioned in the previous installments, the idea of this project is to show you how to take a rusted, worn-out muscle car, and transform it into an assembly-line-fresh piece. The work on this car is pretty extensive, so think of this as a worst-case-scenario build. It proves any car can be saved using quality parts. 1 We are going to follow Craig as he makes the AMD Chevelle arrow-straight. Craig has been working on other areas of the car, but we are going to pick up here at the B-pillar.1 We are going to follow Craig as he makes the AMD Chevelle arrow-straight. Craig has bee The first story showed how to properly strip the car down to a bare skeleton in preparation for all the new AMD sheetmetal. The second story handled the new floor, quarters, roof, and other panels being welded in place. The third installment covered the proper procedure to reskin a door with AMD's GM-licensed door skin. This installment will cover blocking out the newly installed AMD sheetmetal to get the car ready for some color. Handling the restoration of the Chevelle are Craig Hopkins and his team of Aaron Hopkins, Caesar Brecino, and Chris Dyer. Craig's shop is AMD's main installation and R&D center, so we have one of the premier crews doing the work. 2 Craig grabbed a metal file and ran it across the area where the B-pillar comes down to meet the quarter-panel. Dragging the metal file across the surface will be the first step of many to get the area straight. The file nibs off the high spots and leaves the low spots untouched, making it all very easy to see. While the metal file does remove minor amounts of sheetmetal, it is less traumatic on the metal than using a hammer and dolly to flatten out these minor high spots.2 Craig grabbed a metal file and ran it across the area where the B-pillar comes down to 3 Craig uses two different fillers, both from Evercoat. In the welded joints, or the lead wells, Criag uses Everglass, a short-strand, fiberglass-reinforced body filler that is waterproof, making it a perfect product for these areas. For the other areas of the car, Craig uses Rage Xtreme. This stuff has self-leveling properties for easy spreading, which reduces the sanding time needed to remove heavy texture. Speaking of sanding, the Everglass was shaped with Klingspor 40-grit paper, and the Xtreme was sanded with Klingspor 80-grit.3 Craig uses two different fillers, both from Evercoat. In the welded joints, or the lead 4 You can see that Craig needed to apply filler to a lot of places on the car even though all the sheetmetal is new. Even with the best sheetmetal on the market, you will still need to use a skim coat of filler to get it perfectly straight. Sanding panels straight would be a pain without a good block to stick the paper on, and Craig uses AFS Adjustable Flex Sander blocks. These blocks allow you to adjust the pressure-to-flex ratio, allowing you to tailor the block to the panel perfectly. For more info on the blocks, check out www.adjustablesander.com.4 You can see that Craig needed to apply filler to a lot of places on the car even though 5 Craig used a long AFS block with 80-grit paper to block out the areas. We are not going in-depth on the blocking procedure since we have done that before. You can find a comprehensive story on block sanding for the beginner on our website (superchevy.com). Just search for the title5 Craig used a long AFS block with 80-grit paper to block out the areas. We are not going 6 The doors and deck lid also received the same file, filler, and block procedure. As you can see, the bulk of the filler, which is pretty minimal, is focused around the perimeter of the door where the edge was folded over when the new door skin was installed.6 The doors and deck lid also received the same file, filler, and block procedure. As you 7 The deck lid just needed a small amount of attention. 8 Here, Craig installed the deck lid to finalize the fit. We know it looks like there is filler all over the car, but this stuff is super thin and is just straightening out minor imperfections for an arrow-straight finish.8 Here, Craig installed the deck lid to finalize the fit. We know it looks like there is 9 Once all the rough bodywork was complete, the car was masked off ... 10 ... and coated in DuPont ChromaPremier Pro 33430S primer filler. This primer is a three-component, high-build, easy-to-sand primer that has great fill properties. That's all we got for you this month on the AMD Chevelle. Make sure to check back next month for the next installment.10 ... and coated in DuPont ChromaPremier Pro 33430S primer filler. This primer is a thre SOURCES DuPont 1007 Market Street Wilmington DE 19898 800-441-7515 www.dupont.com C. Hopkins Rod & Custom 7314 Hwy 115 E. Cleveland GA 30528 706-348-6653 www.theinstallationcenter.com Auto Metal Direct 940 Sherwin Parkway Suite 180 Buford GA 30518 866-684-5942 www.autometaldirect.com By Calin Head Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
