Nope, this is not a wrap, nor is it chrome paint. This, my friends, is straight up steel as it left the factory in the late ’40s! Somewhere in Knoxville, Tennessee this wonderful bare metal restoration sits in the driveway, gleaming.
It all started with a rust free 1949 Plymouth Deluxe Business Coupe out of Wavo, Texas, combined with one very patient D Eric Blaylock who had initially planned simply to do a bare metal restoration to realise the true potential of this barn find.
“Originally this was going to be a simple bare metal car, but I started out with one of the fenders that I honestly would have been better off replacing. However I love the challenge of old school bodywork and put some old skills of mine back in business”, Blaylock says.
The restoration process from start to finish took just under a year, all from his back yard, in nothing but a carport, and some help from his wife!
“With a set of old dollies, body hammer and a slap file, and little heat I worked the dents out. Used a DA sander to find high and low spots. From there I just started sanding and sanding and more sanding. So I figured if this fender can look this nice, let’s polish the whole thing. Did I mention patience?”
“Anyway, I worked the body in grid work fashion and in a little under a year I’ve knocked it out. In a carport mind you! No AC, no heat. If it wasn’t raining or snowing I was polishing. If it was cold I dressed for it, If it was hot, I was sweating. And my loving and understanding wife helped as well.”
The finished result was so perfect, instead of painting the car, Blaylock simply applied a thin coat of Gibbs Oil to protect it from rusting. What an amazing project.
