goalieThreeOne
Well-Known Member
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- #1
I saw this on eBay and I couldn’t resist getting it.
1. First step was get it up on a lift and see what the previous owner had done to it. The foam was completely deteriorated. Oil stains, never a good sign when you buy used. This thing is 36 years old and looked every bit of it.
2. Next step was to knock off the decades of neglect. I cut out the front panel mesh and pulled out the foam. This required a lot of tedious brushing and scraping and vacuuming. My wife was not happy with the condition of the dining room table.
3. After that I needed to address the body work. I ran a hot bath in the sink with laundry detergent. I detailed every inch twice to make sure I got the oil stains out. Let it dry overnight with some weight on the bill to keep it straight. All the stains came out and luckily the mid-eighties off-white front panel was in perfect condition.
4. I went down to the parts department at Joanne Fabrics and got some bolts of Pellon FF78F1 Flex Foam and some Heat Bond Light iron transfer adhesive for the rebuild.
5. I found a fabric pattern for a trucker hat online and printed it out. I cut it to size to have it match up to my panels. This was very tedious.
6. I transferred the pattern to a piece of foam and fiddled with it for a half hour until I was happy. Any body shop will tell you it’s all about the panel gaps.
7. I ironed the adhesive onto the foam, and cut off the excess. I once again tucked it into place before using a steam gun to set the adhesive and shape the body. I didn’t get it exactly right but this is also my first time doing this.
And this is how it turned out. It’s a little crooked but good enough for a first time. It’s beautiful to see something this old come back to life. I’ll be wearing this down to the dealership when I go to pick up my new ride hopefully sometime soon.
Thanks for reading!
...I'm surprised your plastic adjustment pcs in the back didn't crack and break! I have a few hundred caps and that's the weakness of old hats. I'm wondering if there's a way to restore one that broke as I have a few old faves that broke?
