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Classic Car Project Nomad #42

The end of next week finally came, at least in part. I was starting to lose it with the chromer so we ended up prioritising what I needed in order to get the car to lock up. The pieces turned up between Christmas and New Year and after checking them out I was feeling very flat.

I don’t have all the pieces I sent off to get chromed back, and at this point there is still twenty something interior bits that I have to pick up. The quality of the job would rate an average at best and given the metalwork has been with the chromer for over four months I expected better than I received. Filing marks are visible on some pieces, one piece for some reason had a section welded in it and you can see the area through the chrome, the pot metal still shows pits......

The one piece I was sweating over was the liftgate, a notorious weak link on any tri five Nomad. Most Nomads leak water through the liftgate as the torsion bars used to support them twist them out of shape. From day one, my liftgate was horrendous. Joscar had done an outstanding job in aligning it and getting it back in shape but it always had a crack in it that required welding.

Like the rest of the chroming, the job on the liftgate was very average and I am erring on the side of kindness in saying that. The welding job was good but for some reason rather than weld it on the outside and grind it down it was welded on the inside that crossed over the hinge on one side. You know the story, it didn’t fit any more. Joscar overcame that hurdle. The chrome job on the liftgate is the worst piece, mainly because it is made out of pot metal (alloy). Once pitted only a top shelf chromer can get them perfect. Mine came back with blisters, bubbles and the pit marks starting to show through in places. I’d call it a five footer, it looks good from that distance.

When Joe and Brian came back from their break in early January they got stuck into the Nomad as they, like me, were keen to see it leave. Most of the exterior trim, chrome, badges, mirrors and the like are now in their final resting place. The inside of the doors, panels and tailgate have had a rust preventative applied and all the glass, except the windscreen is installed.

The build is agonisingly close to completion with a few items requiring attention prior to wiring and the interior. In the next couple of days it is on to the next chapter in the build as it rolls out of Joscar.

Words by Mark, proprietor of Classic Car Gurus