Just recently Jay Abitz sent me a bunch of photos of the restoration work done on the Mohs Opera Sedan from start to finish. This is the first post of many on the restoration process. Along the way we’ll find out more about the history of the car and it’s special features.
The Mohs Rebirth by Jay Abitz
The Mohs Ostentatienne Opera Sedan was brought to Jay Abitz and his auto body class at Freedom High School in January of 2009. The goal of the restoration was to return the Opera Sedan to its original condition. The Opera Sedan came directly from Bruce Mohs personal collection. The Sedan was in rough condition with significant rust damage and poor paint condition. Students began their work by removing the chrome bumpers, body trim, and other extra parts like headlight and tail light bezels. The old lacquer paint was stripped by sanding, grinding, and scraping it off. Once the paint was removed the rust was cut out and replaced with new metal. There were more than 12 rust holes cut out of the car and replaced, along with the fabrication new full rocker panels on each side of the vehicle. When the cutting, welding, and fabrication was over, it was time to shape the body.
The body was originally made out of four foot sections of sheet metal brazed together and its contour was shaped with metal reinforced filler. Many of the needed materials during the body repair process were donated by 3M. To repair this substrate, students’ straightened metal, replaced old filler, and reshaped the car from front to back and side to side.
Once the body was repaired epoxy primer/surfacer was applied to the vehicle. All of the primer, sealer, and paint materials were donaed by PPG. The Opera Sedan received multiple coats in two stages of primer and was wet sanded between applications to assure a smooth finish. The Opera Sedan was prepped for paint, then the sealer, basecoat, and clear coat was applied. After the paint had cured, students color sanded, buffed, and detailed the Opera Sedan. The custom 20” wheels were also repaired and repainted. The FHS students along with Instructor Jay Abitz and assistant Bob Abitz put in over 400 hours during the repair process.
The Mohs reborn made its debut at the Freedom High School annual car show hosted by the Freedom Auto Club. The restoration project was an effort of FHS students and these four men:
Jay Abitz: FHS automotive instructor and restoration coordinator.
Bob Abitz: Former FHS auto instructor and restoration assistant.
Fred Beyer: Former Shawno HS auto instructor and project coordinator.
Bruce Mohs: Designer and inventor of the Mohs Ostentatienne Opera Sedan.
The Opera Sedan was next featured at the 2009 Iola Car Show in the “teamed to learn” section. Fred Beyer and Bruce Mohs presented to various groups information about the car, its origin, and restoration. Freedom High School and the Freedom Auto Club were represented by instructor Jay Abitz and Bob Abitz. The FHS restoration was also featured in the August 09 issue of Hot Rod Magazine. The Mohs Ostentatienne Opera Sedan now resides in the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford, WI.
Below are photos of the car being loaded on a trailer for delivery….. the restoration is about to begin.
All photos courtesy of Jay Abitz
