The Green Machine Gets A Nose Job
November 2022 - September 2024
“and manual labor has its reward”
Last time on the Green Machine Diaries
Sometimes you have to go back, I’m mean WAY BACK! This Green Machine Diaries update starts when, after doing all I could to salvage the beat up front end of the Econo, I decided to do what I have never done — find a donor van, cut off the front end, haul the pieces to Arkansas, ditto cut on the Green Machine and then weld it all back together. If you haven’t been following along, you can read about the search for The Donor Car. That was November 2022.
We rang in the New Year (2023) by stripping all the paint off the Green Machine, patching holes the size of pancakes, and laying down some epoxy primer before heading back to PA. See Prime Time (and Patches) for more on that story. Meanwhile, our garage in PA was still temporary storage for the donor van parts, so Shannan and I trailered the parts to our Arkansas shop in March where they would sit for a few more months while I tackled some of the finer body work over Spring Break (2023) and pictured below.
There was still work to do on the panels, but with time running out on this little break, we put away the tools, closed the shop and made for the Keystone State. Spring Break 2023 was over.
Next up . . . Nose Job
Pinocchio, Jimmy Durante, Barbara Streisand, and my van . . . all have one thing in common, a distinctive nose. When I bought the Green Machine (2018), I knew it was rough; big spots of rust and an interior that was torn and tired, but the front end looked pretty good! The Econo had a good nose, or so I thought.
When I pulled the bumper off and started stripping the paint, I found enough bondo to fill a swimming pool. And maybe worse than that, that big white bumper hid a whole lot of ugly in the lower valance. You can read all about my efforts to fix that mess in the post, Almost Ready For “Prime” Time. I invested HOURS and did my best to make the front end presentable, but when I stepped back and looked at my progress, I had to admit this front end was not winning any beauty contests. I would still need A LOT of makeup (more body filler) to cover all the imperfections.
Look at drivers side front end and you can see all the imperfections. A front-on view would reveal even more. Needs a nose job!
Time for a big decision
It was time to go where I had never gone before! I decided to cut off the entire nose of the van and replace it with a donor front end. The four pictures below outline my progression: Pre-Op; Operation; Post-Op Recovery. So here’s the story with a little video here and there. Oh, but first a few words about the people who supplied the inspiration and perspiration to pull off this surgery.
I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
I have three people to thank for making this nose job possible. First, Shannan! She believes I can even when “I can” is a long way off and a little sketch. Second, Ian Rousell. Ian is the host of Full Custom Ian on YouTube. Like Todo in search of a new adventure, Ian is uninhibited when it comes to automotive fabrication. He tackles the demanding and the ridiculous, finding a way to transform four-wheeled junk into rolling art. Johnny Cash sang, One Piece At A Time, Ian lives it, stitching together an amalgamation of old Detroit metal and whatever he has lying around his shop. When I thought of chopping off the front of the van and welding on another to give me a better look, it was watching Ian that made me say, “Why not?!” And then there is Louis Herndon III of Louie’s Hot Rod Garage. I met Louis six years ago when I rolled into Heber Springs, Arkansas looking for some sheet metal for my shop. He’s worked on a few of our cars and has always been generous with his time and expertise. When I told him what I was doing, he told me to call him and he would show me how to do it right. I did and he did . . .
Pre-Op: Getting ready for surgery
Here’s the sequence in six pictures, but the time to do the work stretched from November 2022 - September 2024.
Making the cut - July 27, 2023
The cut was relatively easy. Getting ready to make the cut took hours. The video below helps capture the craziness of removing the front of the Green Machine and some of the work that went into the “out with the old.” Click the image below the video will start.
With the front end removed I had my blank canvas. Now it was time to get the new nose ready and welded in place. Simple in theory, but preparing the donor nose was its own piece of work.
Prepare the donor - July 29, 2023
Fitting the nose of the 1963 Econoline Travelwagon (first picture below) to my ‘66 Econo meant first cleaning and removing all the backing metal which had been plug welded to it’s frame. Talk about time consuming! Each plug weld had to be drilled out and then the metal carefully pried up to break the pieces loose. Remember, that metal had been welded some 60 years earlier, and with the added challenge of rust (see pictures below) it took a lot of patience to break the pieces loose without bending the metal beyond recognition.
Once the 1963 donor nose was prepped I had to fit it to the 1966 body. The vehicles were the same “generation” so not too much trouble to fit them together. To test fit, I more-or-less snapped it into place and held it all together with duct tape, vice grips, and welding clamps.
Operation: Nose replacement surgery - October 2023
Rule #1 in automotive fabrication (my rule anyway): Don’t be in a hurry! With life in PA in full swing, we did not return to the Natural State until mid-October. It was a short stay with hopes for a lot of work. I called Louis, who came over and coached me through the process. What follows is a little glimpse of what it took to actually weld the “new” nose and valance onto the Green Machine.
Feeling mighty good!
Indeed, I was feeling mighty good. I have worked on many cars, but never tackled a project this big. To see the nose and lower valance spot-welded in place was great! This video reveals a little of my satisfaction and excitement.
Now, get it primed and get home!
Remember this was October 2023. We were in Arkansas for a quick trip. Time was running out. I wanted to cover up the body work and get the initial welding work on the nose in primer. I did a quick paper and tape coverup, and then a careful wipe down before laying down another layer of Tamco High Build Epoxy Primer. It was night, and time to get back on the road to PA, but the Green Machine had a new nose and I was able to get the “stitches” (spot welds) and other body work covered in a fresh coat of primer.
Before I called it a night, I took a quick walk around. The dream — while not complete — had become a working reality. Here’s what I saw.
Interlude: Life Happens
November 2023-August 2024
If you watched the last video, you heard my grand aspirations to be driving the Green Machine by the Summer of ‘24. Didn’t happen!
The Rental Property
Like the ant, about whom Frank Sinatra sings, I had “High apple pie in the sky hopes.” But life is full of trade offs. Shannan and I had the opportunity to purchase a property in Arkansas adjacent to ours and we went for it — all in.
We were thinking extra space for the kids and grands — and rental income down the road. The next nine months were a blur as we utilized every opportunity to make the trip from PA to AR in order to “get er done” on the rental property.
During those nine months, we were wholly devoted to the house project. I barely worked on the Green Machine.
You can see the progress on the house in the BEFORE and AFTER video — nine months work captured in five-minutes.
Post-Op Recovery: A Few Special Days
As mentioned, due to the remodel, I had limited time to devote to the Econoline. I squeezed in what I could when I could. Here’s a brief rundown:
December 25, 2023
(Yes, Christmas Day)
Oasis 274 (our rental house) was occupying all our time, but I managed to carve out the better part of Christmas day (Shannan’s gift of time to me) to get out into the shop. You can see some of the work that needed to be done. The video below the pictures captures the work.
Weld, Grind, Patch, and Prime!
July 10, August 28 - September 1, 2024
When it comes to maxims, a Kiedis favorite comes from the pen of Charles Hadden Spurgeon, By perseverance the snail reached the ark! Amen to that! I was able to leverage just a few days during the summer months of 2024 in my efforts to “finish for now” the Nose Job. My goal: Get that nose ready for prime, in prime, and finish more of the body work. The pictures and video below will declare that desire, “Done!”
So here it is, almost two years after I made the decision to source a donor van and perform an automotive nose job.
Unlike the original nose, there’s no bondo under that primer. Yes, there are seams to cover and blemishes to fill, but it is SO MUCH BETTER! By June I’ll be back in Arkansas and plan to have the body work finished, engine back in, and start fitting those doors before laying down color. Stay tuned! The Green Machine will one day — soonish — be once again green!
Lessons Learned (and Re-Learned):
Let’s go back to Solomon’s words in Proverbs 12:14, “Manual labor has its own rewards.” Yes it does! The better part of my days are spent engaging people, solving problems, multiple meetings . . . and much time spent indoors. However, when I step into my shop it’s a different world, the world of metal, sparks, dust, four-wheel dreams, tools, tools, and more tools; all of which necessitate manual labor. Here’s what I’ve discovered doing the manual labor to bring this 1966 bread box back to life:
This manual labor helps foster accomplishment: “In all hard work,” writes Solomon, “there is profit.” Proverbs 14:23 This project has been hard — and deeply satisfying — work. I have a better vehicle now, enhanced skills in my pocket, and the boldness to try more.
This manual labor brings restoration: There is a reason President John Adams (and so many others) took delight in getting outside, even for a long walk. Call it a metaphorical “whack on the side of the head.” A physical change does the body, mind, and spirit — good.
This manual labor brings satisfaction: If “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys” (Proverbs 18:9), it stands to reason that the one who is aggressive or active in his or her work is a brother or sister to one who creates, achieves, and enjoys.
This manual labor fuels creativity: Doing the fabrication necessary to this automotive nose job required a lot of learning and creativity. It meant sitting and thinking and learning and imagining and doing. In short, it helped build the creativity muscle.
This manual labor burns calories: Too much inactivity is not good for circulation, digestion, mental acuity, mental health, or the waistline. Manual labor keeps the body moving, generally bringing with it great rewards in health and well being.
I am grateful to my friend Chan Kilgore, who reminded me the reason I love bringing old cars back to life is because I am created in the image of God whose heart for humanity is to bring spiritually dead people (like me) back to life through the grace of Jesus (Ephesians 2:1-10).
