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1958 TownWagon
1958 Dodge TownWagon restoration project. One of a kind TW with many factory options.
January 15, 2014157 Images9953 visitsAlbum by Ron ReichhartPhotos by Ron Reichhart
Enlarge photo 1 1958 Town Wagon as it was when I hauled it back from the UP of Michigan the winter of 2012.
Enlarge photo 2 Drivers side. Front fender is rusted loose at the rear edge, Door is rotted as is the wheel arch which is typical. What looks like a dryer vent is a fresh air intake for a small gas engine generator??? All the windows are tinted which is a RARE option for a TW
Enlarge photo 3 Much the same as the other side. Stainless trim and chrome grab handles, more options.
Enlarge photo 4 This is rusted away from the inner fender which is all to common on these trucks.
Enlarge photo 5 Door bottom and running board are gone due to rust. Both will be replaced.
Enlarge photo 6 Right front fender is mashed.
Enlarge photo 7 The entire roof has surface rust and rust through along the seam in places
Enlarge photo 8 Rear doors need attention as does the lower valance and sill. Nasty hitch will be removed and extra hole welded shut on valance after straightening
Enlarge photo 9 Sagging doors that won't close. This will change once we get into it
Enlarge photo 10 Roof has surface rust and holes from a factory roof mounted radio antenna and a CB antenna. The CB antenna was rusted through and will need a large patch welded in to repair it. The areas of the antennas was dented in as well.
Enlarge photo 11 Looking down on the hood and dolphin fin another option. The hood is caved in and cracked so a replacement will take it's place.
Enlarge photo 12 This is a high end truck with chromed grill bars and aluminum headlight trim. Also pictured is a rare dolphin fin hood ornament and the winch. The grill bars will be straightened and rechromed.
Enlarge photo 13 Side view of the winch and bumper. The bumper has been pulled forward which is unusual since most are found folded back from hitting something. I would imagine this was from being towed or pulling something. These are heavy bumpers but it doesn't take much to bend one. I may straighten it or replace it with a better one I have in stock. It will be saved either way.
Enlarge photo 14 Drivers door and front fender are both hanging out here due to rust. The door jamb post is cracked just above the handle making the entire side flop in the breeze so to speak.
Enlarge photo 15 My son is using my dustless Blaster to remove all rust and paint. The Dustless Blaster uses compressed air, ground glass in water and an additive to prevent flash rusting. This is a very effective way to remove anything from the surface of metal and not damage the metal during the process. It leaves a 120 grit surface ready for primer. This was a major investment but has proved to be worth it in prepping the metal and time savings
Enlarge photo 16 Here is the roof after the blasting nice and clean. I can do any body work and filler or prime as it is.
Enlarge photo 17 Passenger side of replacement body side from California. The tail light was punched in and it had damage at the edge behind the door. We have the drivers side as well which was in better shape. This truck would have been very hard to save had the owner not found these donor panels.
Enlarge photo 18 Damaged area that will be straightened once it's prepped for the body
Enlarge photo 19 Lower front corner was hit and "repaired" poorly. Old school slide hammer and plenty of bondo was the down and dirty way to fix this area.
Enlarge photo 20 Surface rust
Enlarge photo 21 More damage
Enlarge photo 22 This was punched pretty good but it will come out
Enlarge photo 23 Driver side floor board that is rusted through, The large round hole is for the brake master cylinder access.
Enlarge photo 24 Drivers side after cutting out the floor that was rusted. I used a donor floor from another cab to replace the bad section. This also has a power brake booster under the floor.
Enlarge photo 25 The new floor pan all welded in place. This will be blasted to clean metal once the body comes off the frame.
Enlarge photo 26 Right rear door jamb and a sill rotted away causing body to sag. This will be replaced with new metal
Enlarge photo 27 Right rear door sill looking from above
Enlarge photo 28 Left rear door sill with similar rust damage
Enlarge photo 29 New extension I fabricated to replace the missing sheet metal. The small step was formed on my bead roller after a little trial and error
Enlarge photo 30 Looking at the rear of the door sill after removing the valance panel. This was completely rusted away and had to have new metal welded to close this hole
Enlarge photo 31 Rear sill patched
Enlarge photo 32 This is where the cab mount bolt passes through the sill. The bottom and top were rusted or missing due to rust
Enlarge photo 33 The top side of the left cab mount hole repaired with a large washer welded inplace
Enlarge photo 34 The new sill extension in place before welding
Enlarge photo 35 This is the passenger side with the body panel removed. Numerous spot welds had to be drilled out to get to this point
Enlarge photo 36 The drivers side was removed first after careful measuring before the first cut was made. This is not for the faint at heart
Enlarge photo 37 The new replacement panel from a another TW. This was blasted clean by my Dustless Blaster before any work was done. The fit was excellent
Enlarge photo 38 Looking at the rear. Very little filler will be needed since we cut it at the windows openings. It took  3 of us 8 hours to get this far.
Enlarge photo 39 The door to body gap is excellent which does not happen often with these trucks even from the factory.
Enlarge photo 40 Another shot of the right side. The front door jamb had been hit at some point in it's life so it to was replaced with a donor panel. The door gap is as good as the other side