Gon #317 Rebuild

Dateline: June 2007

While in Dundee, Florida this spring, I purchased a used gondola. It was in pretty rough shape but it seemed to roll good and had potential so I splurged on it. I’ve included some photos of the work-in-progress and the final product. Enjoy!.

Tear-down (Dated: 03/24/2007)

The first thing I did was tear it all apart and closely inspect what I had. While the trucks had appeared to be working while in Dundee, I soon discovered that there were a couple of rough bearings to be replaced and the mating surfaces between the body bolster and truck bolster would have to be re-machined and altered to work correctly. A little sand-blasting on the body revealed quite a few rust holes in the top edge and in the gon floor. Copious amounts of J-B Weld fixed all the rust holes right quick. I replaced all the truck bearings while I was at it and completely refinished the trucks as well as the body.

Final Lettering (Dated: 06/18/2007)

The lettering and heralds are finally applied!! It doesn’t look too bad for a 35-year old car!!