Shop Update - June 2010

Hi folks......we'll, for some reason blogger doesn't let you cut and paste text into the blog posts...gotta type it all from scratch. This normally wouldn't be a problem but I've already got the whole post written in a word processor and cutting and pasting would be so convenient. Oh, well.

Anyway, it's been a while since we blogged on our Restoration Times site. Things have been extremely busy over the past few months. We've been wrapping up some details on the '46 Chevy Hot Rod Panel truck and expect to debut it in July. We've also been tending to a couple of last minute items on the '71 Mercedes-Benz 280SE Coupe. This car is for sale and a cool video of it in action can be found on our web site at www.hahnandwoodward.com

In May we began a major push on the 1938 HRG Coupe. The hand made window side curtains have presented us with a few challenges as the multiple compound curves have required a lot of work to get perfect. Within the next week of so, we'll be pulling to body off the chassis and will send it into the paint booth for its paint job. The fenders, running boards and boonet have all been painted and the interior wood trim has been cut and is awaiting final finish work. Also in May we were invited to take the '72 Morgan 4/4 to the Import and Kit Car Nationals at Carlisle, PA. The car was very well received and the folks we met there were excellent.

In June we hosted an open house for members of the Antique Auto Club of America (AACA). It was a great opportunity to make some new car enthusiast friends. We had a great time.

Were are currently taking a break fro working on the '55 Mercedes Gullwing and have shifted focus to the '57 Mercedes 300SL Roadster and the '62 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso. Both cars are showing excellent progress. Finally, we've started working on a little Mercedes 230SL Roadster that is owned by one of our Gullwing customers. He has owned this car since it was new and considers it his "baby". We'll soon be posting some pictures and updates of this car on our web site. Stay tuned.

Coming up in July will be the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. We plan to be there....more on this in our next blog post. Until then....Happy Cruise Season! If you have any questions/comments, please drop us a line at info@hahnandwoodward.com

Shop Update 03/04/10

No doubt about it....February was a struggle for us here in Western Pennsylvania...and the entire Northeast for that matter. The 40+ inches of snow we received certainly had us all singing choruses of “I Hate Winter”. It also wreaked havoc with our plans to display the '72 Morgan at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show and made our retrieval of the '46 Chevy Panel Truck from the trim shop an interesting adventure.

None the less, we had plenty of activity going on at the shop to keep us busy.

Steady progress was made on the '57 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster. The hood alignment has been complete and shaping of the passenger side of the car is well underway. As usual, special attention was paid to the fender “eyebrows” as well as the points on the fenders where they attach. Lot's of shaping and sanding of the wheel-houses is taking place as well. This is tedious, time consuming work but it will form the foundation for the paint job and it has to be absolutely correct.

We've also begun some similar work on the '55 300SL Gullwing. This one has a lot further to go but we've made steady progress on the engine bay and front wheel-houses. We're now moving to the roof area and door supports. Lots of nooks and crannies here so the going can be slow.

The '38 HRG Coupe has seen quite a bit of activity as well. The interior wood is being fabricated and fitted aling with the side window curtains. These are being hand fabricated from brass. The final alignment of thebonnet and cowl has been competed and we're nearly ready to begin disassembly in preparation for paint. We have a punch list of items to address while the body and fenders are off the frame.

We drove through a snowstorm to pick up the '46 Chevy Panel truck. The trip was a bit of a challenge but we made it just fine. The interior work done by Portage Trim is superb. We have a few minor details we're wrapping up and we'll soon post some pictures of how nice this has turned out.

We also wrapped up the next stage of work on the '71 Mercedes 280 SE Coupe. It is current;y out of the shop having a few mechanical issues looked at. When it returns, we'll complete the remainder of the interior installations and this car will be ready to go.

Finally....look for our 300SL Gullwing/Roadster articles on www.mercedesheritage.com and check out our profile on www.myspeedtv.com

If you have any questions please give us a shout at info@hahnandwoodward.com or visit our web site www.hahnandwoodward.com

Mother Nature throws us a curve

Well, we held out until the last minute hoping the snow would subside and the roads would clear so we could take the '72 Morgan 4/4 down to the David L. Lawrence Converntion Center in Pittsburgh so it could be part of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix display at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show......but it was not to be. The trailer was effectively snowed in....the road conditions were bad and eventually trailers and similar vehicles were banned from the interstates as the snow removal crews tried their best to keep up with the latest storm. Eventually, we had to cancel. We are very disappointed but at the end of the day, it was the right call. We have submitted an application to have the car invited to the Import/Kit-Car Show at Carlisle in May.....and no doubt, we'll have it at British Car Day at the Pittsburgh Vontage Gran Prix in July as well as a few appearances at the Starlite Car Cruise in Wexford, PA. The little car will definitely have a busy summer. For now, here's a picture taken at last months World of Wheels Show where the Morgan took first place in its class. As always, be sure to check out our web page at http://www.hahnandwoodward.com/

Finally....an update

First of all.....many apologies for taking so long to get a new post up. It's not as though nothing's been happening. Quite the contrary....we've been very busy the last month and a half. In that time we have reached a significant milestone with the HRG Coupe...the engine is running and we are hard at work on the interior woodwork. We've also created a pair of graphic renderings that represent the completed car. It will look magnificent when it's done....we can't wait. The '46 Panel Truck is due to return from Portage Trim....we've seen pictures of the completed interior. They've done a beautiful job. The '72 Morgan made its debut at the Pittsburgh World of Wheels Show two weeks ago taking first place in its class. The car is scheduled to again appear at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center this weekend as part of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Display at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show (weather permitting). While all of this has been going on, we've begun a major push on the '57 Mercedes 300SL Roadster as well as the '62 Ferarri Lusso and '55 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing.......no doubt we are busy. That's it for now...more to come. Check out the cars at www.hahnandwoodward.com

Finishing up the Morgan

It's always a happy time when a long term project finally comes to a close. Now that we've completed a successful shakedown run of the '72 Morgan 4/4, we'll focus on making some minor tweaks, some tuning and then the final buff and detailing before delivering the car to the customer.
We're very pleased with the way the car turned out. It has a nice, tight feel to it. The steering response is quick and precise and the ride is firm but not overly harsh (it is a sports car after all!). The metallic brown and gold paint job along with the beautiful tan leather interior give the car a very elegant look.
We've nominated the car for the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d' Elegance and expect to soon hear if it has been accepted. We're currently discussing several additional show opportunities with the car's owner. As we firm up our 2010 show schedule, well post it on our blog and web site.
For additional pictures of the car, please check out our web site at: www.hahnandwoodward.com
You can see a short video of the Morgan's first shakedown run on our SpeedTV page at:
http://my.speedtv.com/hahnandwoodward/blog/media/video/index.one?a=view_video&vid_id=1044769
Check back soon for additional shop updates.
….at your Service
Hahn and Woodward Auto Restoration

Shop Update 11/5/09

Hi Everyone - It's been a busy month in the shop with significant progress being made on several of the projects. The 1972 Morgan 4/4 is undergoing final assembly which means we are tending to many small details that make a proper restoration complete. At times, it is painstaking work since we want the fit and finish to be perfect. The work is nearly done and we are looking forward to delivering this beautiful car to its owner during the next couple of weeks.
The HRG Coupe is also progressing nicely. The trafficators have been installed and we've fabricated some unique seat mounts that keep the seats low in the car (to maximize headroom) yet still allow for a lot of adjustments. We've started on the wiring and are working to connect the linkage that controls the distributor advance/retard as well as the headlight and running light functions. This linkage is controlled by a rod that runs through the center of the steering column. Next, we expect to complete the plumbing of the fuel lines. This will again require some fabrication to complete the T fittings and tubing that will connect to the carburetors.
We've completed the fabrication of new door skins for the '62 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso. In addition, we've done quite a bit of sandblasting and metalizing to the nose, door frames and decklid area. All of the areas have been primed to prevent rust while we do additional bodywork.
We've also begun working in earnest on the Mercedes-Benz 300Sl Roadster. The body is currently having a thin layer of plastic filler applied to help smooth out any minor low spots. The amount of filler required has been significantly reduced by the metalizing process that we performed on the car earlier.
Finally, we're working to wrap up the restoration of the red '71 Mecedes-Benz 280 SE. We hope to have the interior installed and the car ready to test drive before the end of November.
The wood work on the '46 Chevy Hot Rod Panel Truck is nearly complete. Next stop for the '46 is a trip to Portage Trim to have the interior completed.
Check back for more updates as we near completion of several of these cars.
While we're thinking about it, we are currently accepting major restoration projects to begin in 2011. If you are considering such a project, please shoot us an email at info@hahnandwoodward.com or give us a call at 724-865-9684 between 9 – 5 Eastern time Monday through Friday. We'd be happy to discuss your project with you.

Interior Views - '72 Morgan 4/4

On the return trip from taking the '46 Chevy Panel Truck to the woodworking shop, we stopped by our friends at Portage Trim in Ravenna, OH. to pick up the '72 Morgan 4/4. Even in darkness (it was *:30 PM when we arrived), the rich beauty of the tan leather interior was evident.......the seats, doors and dash all really popped. Portage also created a beautiful Tonneau cover and convertible top to provide the finishing touch.
Now that the car is back at our shop, we'll focus on the installation of the audio components and final assembly. The first step has been to thoroughly mask off the interior components to avoid dirt/damage as we work. This includes removing the seats and carpeting and taping off the doors, windscreen and other interior areas. Our goal is to have the car completed by the end of October so we can take it on some test drives and final tweaks.
We've nominated the Morgan for inclusion in the 2010 Amelia Island Concours 'd Elegance and a waiting to hear if it has been accepted. As the Morgan project nears completion we'll begin to focus our attention on the HRG Coupe and Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster.
Check out more interior pics as well as photos from the entire project on our web site: www.hahnandwoodward.com