Re: It's white, finally
 

I just love this thread. Great information !

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif

Re: It's white, finally
 

Sanding was finished the other day and the last coats of white were sprayed. Now she sits another few days until she's ready for color sanding and polishing.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...15268b/267.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...15268b/266.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...15268b/265.jpg

Re: It's white, finally
 

looks great, keep it going!

Home at last...
 

Picked up the body today. Now comes the cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. Then the first major component is the headliner, so I can then get the front and rear glass installed. Then door guts, windows, interior....

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003469.jpg

Does anyone have one of these second gen F-body door handle links? It think they are the same for left and right sides from 70 to 81. I need one since it is now missing from my parts pile.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003464.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

I have 7 doors, not all of them are complete, I only need 4 so I will look this week when I get home and see if I have a extra.

Re: Home at last...
 

That would be great! Thanks.

Re: Home at last...
 

Steve, have fun digging in your parts pile! I know I have been on the correct fastener hunt for the parts going back on the car for months now! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/smile.gif

Re: Home at last...
 

Looking good Steve....Now you get to do all the "Fun" stuff..... https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif

Ken https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/flag.gif

Re: Home at last...
 

Real nice..and it matches your 8tk Demo tape.

Re: Home at last...
 

Spent about 10 hours on the car today. Perfect day for installing a headliner - about 85 and humid.

I bought the new headliner about a year ago and of course they come in a box all folded up. After pinning it to the wall and letting it hang for about a month so the folds would come out, I then used the wife's steam iron and got the rest of the major fold marks out of it. After it was nice and flat, I rolled it around a 5" diameter, five foot long piece of PVC pipe and wrapped the whole thing in a couple blankets and stored it inside. It worked great - a year later and no wrinkles when I unrolled it.

Here's the finished product in the car:

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003478.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

While waiting for the headliner to stretch I pulled out the dash and vacuumed out the body shop dust out of everything. There was a ton of dust and crud in the lower footwells and inside the dash ductwork. Glad I got all the garbage out now instead of the first time I turned on the A/C.

The second gen Firebirds use a giant one piece dash. It's not a dash pad, per se, it's an entire housing for everything. That is why these things are so hard to find and so damn expensive when you locate one. They don't age well and most of them have the radio mounting area gouged out. Mine has been "trimmed" by a previous owner but the factory AM/FM face plate holds the front of the radio in fine. Other than that, the pad is mint.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003470.jpg

Here's the pad during the hose down:

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003474.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003475.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

Here's the pad after cleaning and spraying with a light coat of SEM Landau Black. That stuff works great. I also misted the plastic interior panels and kick panels. Can't say enough about that SEM stuff, it works great covers quick and dries instantly. And it looks exactly like the original black vinyl.

Sure glad I've kept that 17 year old Viper all these years...makes the best workbench ever!


http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003487.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

Taking a few days off to work on the car...
Got the dash back in and all the gauges, ventilation and stuff installed. Everything actually works including that damn annoying key in the ignition buzzer!

Of course now there's more stuff I'm missing - the two ducts that go under the steering column and behind the console. These connect the main heater/ac box to the driver's side of the dash. I actually forgot that I needed to hunt those parts down after all these years. I guess its ebay time. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...s/rolleyes.gif

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003491.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003492.jpg

I'm keeping the crappy steering wheel in there until the car is finally back home for good. Don't want to risk damaging it when it goes back to the body shop.

Re: Home at last...
 

Got more of the interior done and the back seats installed. The console and front seats go in next.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003499.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003500.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

Here's the 2 ducts I need to find now, just in case anyone has these in a pile in their garage. (I have a duct pile but I seem to have extras for everything but these two).

1) The center-to-steering column duct:

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...Pu2BKRB-KU.jpg

2) and the steering column-to-drivers vent tube duct:

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...n-051909-1.jpg
http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...n-051909-4.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

awesome!

Re: Home at last...
 

Steve, the car is looking great and your attention to detail is amazing.
When it's done what are your plans? Drive it, trailer it, flog it?

Re: Home at last...
 

Nice work Steve https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif. Its gotta be a real joy to be throwing this beauty back together. Not that I need to tell you this, but....keep us posted! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/grin.gif

Re: Home at last...
 

keep us posted!

hey, that`s my line! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/wink.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ins/tongue.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif

Dan.

Re: Home at last...
 

[ QUOTE ]
Steve, the car is looking great and your attention to detail is amazing.
When it's done what are your plans? Drive it, trailer it, flog it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Gonna drive it. (Since my trailer is 18 years old now and needs a restoration...and my diesel Suburban just passed 100,000 while picking up the T/A. I even got a photo of the odometer rolling over - cheap thrill!)

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003457.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003458.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

Got the rest of the interior in at last. Now that the console is installed, even the AM/FM/8-track works!

I finally got to sit behind the wheel in the actual driver's seat. Haven't done that since November 2004.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003509.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003505.jpg

Tomorrow it's time for the door frame and window weatherstripping...

Re: Home at last...
 

Looking good Steve. The shop should be jumping back on my JL8 car next week. I can't wait to see my car painted Hugger Orange once again. I'll be looking for some missing parts soon as well.

Re: Home at last...
 

Look what the UPS man brought today! Awesome help by DDMRK who provided the lower steering column and center duct for the A/C system. I can't thank you enough. That's what makes posting all this insane saga worthwhile - meeting fellow enthusiasts who will go out of their way to help a fellow crazy person in need.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003513.jpg

And here it is installed. I compared the ducts to the ones on my Grandma's 75 Firebird that she bought new and we still have. The only difference I could see was that there were two mounting screws holding the column duct to the center duct on the ducts from DDMRK and one mounting screw on Grandma's '75. I also noticed that the 75's ducts had some nice sloppily applied black duct tape at the joints, so I sloppily applied it on my car, too - a family tradition, I guess!

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003516.jpg

Oh, and before I forget, a couple people have asked for a shot of the 1972 shaker hood switch and bracket. You can see it here, attached to the gas pedal. Both the four-speed and automatic cars used the Turbo 400 kickdown switch to activate the shaker. On the automatic cars, the switch operates both the trans kickdown and the shaker; on the stick cars it only activates the shaker solenoids. The pink wire goes to the fuse box and the orange wire extends through a hole in the firewall and has a female receptacle that mates with the male end (OK, we're getting a bit R-rated here) in the bottom of the shaker unit, thus completing the circuit when you stomp the gas pedal. This eliminated the bracketry, wiring and plunger switch mounted on the carb in '70 and '71.

Re: Home at last...
 

It's been a good day! One of the site members at the Performance Years website where I have been dual-posting this thread just personally delivered the door handle link I needed, while driving around in his 73 SD455. He said he was looking for an excuse to take his car out. Now that's a special delivery!
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

Re: Home at last...
 

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif Nice! Car is looking gr8 Mac!! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ins/3gears.gif

Re: Home at last...
 

That's too cool...drives his SD455 over to drop off a part! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...s/headbang.gif

Re: Home at last...
 

Steve...........Great Job and Attention to "Detail" https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif....Someone is having Fun Now....LOL https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

Ken https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/flag.gif

Re: Home at last...
 

Started on the doors this afternoon. Got the drip rails and the body side door weatherstrip installed. There's nothing like the really expensive factory weatherstripping. Goes right in place without a problem. The key is to start at the molded ends and get them in place with the little plastic push pins. Then put the outer edge into the drip rail channel first. I then used a plastic scraper with a dull edge to push the interior side of the weatherstrip edge into the other side of the channel. Worked like a charm with no damage to the rubber.

The problem with starting in the middle, if you choose to do that, is that once you get the straight portion in, you will find that the molded ends are either to short or too far from the mounting holes because you either stretched the rubber seal too long or compressed it too short.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003525.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

Some more of the body parts getting painted today - I need the trunk and the thin panel that goes between the trunk and the rear window installed before I can get the rear glass installed. Also, the fiberglass tailight panel must go on first before the taillights and the rear bumper can be bolted up.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...15268b/278.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...15268b/276.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

Spent two full days just on the door guts/window install. The first thing was the outer stainless trim that goes at the top of the door line. That was nerve-wracking! There are these tiny little plastic clips that go on the screw-in studs. I covered the top of the door in blue masking tape and then used a rubber mallet to tap them into place. It's something of an IQ test as you have to have certain ones engaged before you can try the others or the ones on the curves at either end won't get close to engaging their clips. That was worth about 3 hours!

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003530.jpg

After the stainless came the inner door window fuzzies - also NOS GM parts. Funny thing is both the originals and the NOS ones were missing a mounting hole that needed to be drilled. Looks like the originals had the extra hole in the fuzzies drilled out on the assembly line.

Re: Home at last...
 

Since the wife and kids are visiting the in-laws this week, I spent all of the 4th of July installing the windows and associated hardware. It took 4 hours to do the passenger side including an hour and a half wasted after I learned that I had the window sash channel that bolts to the window, upside down. I couldn't figure out why the heck the window would only go up halfway before the rollers hit the end of the sash channel track. After repeated attempts at loosening, readjusting, resetting, manipulating, manhandling, I just couldn't get it up (the window, that is). https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/blush.gif

After perusing the assembly manual (which was no help) I grabbed the flashlight and peeked into the window channel of my Grandma's '75 Firebird to see that I had the sash channel in wrong. DUH! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...s/rolleyes.gif

Once I got the channel in the correct position, it took another hour of adjusting to get the window situated correctly. It now closes quite nicely with the NOS GM weatherstripping.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003531.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003528.jpg

The driver's side only took an hour and a half with adjustment.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003529.jpg

And here's the final result after another 8 hour day.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003535.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

I guess it's handy to have another car around for comparison when you run into those obstacles. The car is really coming together nicely.
Just an observation, but it seems on almost all those cars, the passenger seat looked crooked.

Re: Home at last...
 

Steve, you are making this look easy.
When is the wiring harness going in, or did I miss that post? What are you using for a harness (original, repop, scratch built)?
It's a testament to the cost of a restoration that you will be north of 100k on this car with all the work you've put into it.

Re: Home at last...
 

I used as repro engine and headlight harness since the original was melted beyond recognition. I'll have to search my filing cabinet of receipts to see what company I bought it from.

Re: Home at last...
 

Today's project was cleaning the year and a half of dust from the engine and underneath the car. I spent most of the day on my back lieing on a creeper with a bucket of soapy water and rags cleaning off everything in sight. I guess the good thing about all that dust was that no overspray stuck to anything. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/grin.gif I also installed the NOS exhaust tips and the honeycomb wheels and Polyglas GTs that have been sitting under wraps for 3 years now.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003547.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003559.jpg

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003549.jpg

Took quite a while to clean up the engine compartment. My hands are pretty much shredded now from all the sharp edges and pointy bolts under there.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003548.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

Now we're talkin'; man that car just keeps looking better and better. I am going to be real disappointed when you put the last part on and can call it finished (I'm sure you'll feel just the opposite).

Re: Home at last...
 

Looks great Steve...Thanks for taking us along for the "ride"! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

Re: Home at last...
 

Running out of things to do at the moment so I decided to tackle the annoying unused and incorrect mounting hole in the top of the radiator shroud that comes standard when you buy the new/repro GM shroud.

Here's the before shot:

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...5268b/rad1.jpg


What I ended up doing was getting a 1/2" hole saw and boring out a 1/2" plug from the burned/melted original shroud that I've had hanging in the garage:

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003562.jpg

I then carefully filed the edges of the plug with a flat file and used a small rat tail file to file the hole in the new shroud. When I was satisfied with the fit of the plug, I placed a piece of tape on the underside of the hole and filled it with 5 minute sandable epoxy. I then pushed the plug into place. After it sat overnight I used my mini-mouse sander with some 240 grit and made the excess epoxy disapear. A few mist coats of SEM Laundau Black (my new favorite paint) and the repair is invisible.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/S7003561.jpg

Re: Home at last...
 

Looks great Steve. I am going to take your lead and use SEM Landau black to restore my original fan shroud for my Nova. Did you use SEM's plastic prep or other prep to ready the plastic for the SEM paint?

Re: Home at last...
 

I don't like the plastic prep. I have never had a problem cleaning the surface with lacquer thinner and applying the SEM product directly.

Jason