Re: 72 T/A progess
 

OK, something went schizo with my photo account, so here's the finished wheel photo, again. I had to reload it:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...honeycombb.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Here are the 2 of the 5 finished wheels. I indexed the tires so the letters are all in the same spot on all four road wheels. Since the 72 Honeycombs don't use a trim ring, which would cover the wheel weights, I decided to balance the wheels on the backside only. As much as I have harped on the price of the very expensive OEM line of spraypaints, I do have to admit they are the exact, correct finsh, they make the wheels look great, and each can goes a long way.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...honeycombd.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

SWEET!

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I took a ride over to ENOCH's place today to see the progress on the Trans Am's body parts. We have to replace one door skin (I found a correct NOS one on ebay pretty cheap - a miracle since it is impossible to find the 70 to 73 style with the correct longer door handle opening) Anyway, here are some shots of the door. He had already prepped the edges for the new skin by beadblasting the mounting areas (the shiny silver areas). I guess this settles the question of whether the doors were loaded (minus glass and sliders) when they went into the primer dip.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...5268/door1.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...5268/door2.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

And here's the door skin. Heavily infested with the dreaded "Bondo Worms." Gotta love 1970's dent repair. Drill a few hundred holes, use the dent puller and then smear the Bondo on til it squeezes through the holes.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...5268/door3.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...5268/door4.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Ok, since it's been raining cats and dogs outside for the past four days and it looks like I'm not loading up to go to Musclepalooza in a hurricane I thought I'd reupholster the front seats. I took over the dining room table, laid out some carpet on top and made myself a workbench. (It sure helps when the wife is visiting her relatives for the week and I have the house to myself). I ordered the PUI seat cover set last week and spent the past few days tugging and pulling and hog ringing til my hands were numb.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...5268/seat1.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I found the best way to get the covers on with the least amount of wrinkles was to asemble them onto the foam backing and hog ring them on. After that's done you can slide the metal frame into the seat cover (this works for the seat back far easier than for the seat bottoms) Here's a shot of the hinge assembly: those chrome push-on retainers are bear to get off. You have to pry them into oblivian before they release. Amazingly, Home Depot had the exact ones in their hardware aisle for 45 cents each. (Note to self: when you do the other side don't try to hold the cap in place while hitting it with the large wooden mallet pictured in the previous photo. OUCH! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...emlins/eek.gif)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...5268/seat4.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Here are the finished products. The seat on the right has the original upper material (this was originally the passenger seat back cover. I was able to pull the upper cover and foam off of the passenger side frame and switch it to the driver's side frame since the cover was nearly perfect. Both seat bottoms and the left seat back are the PUI pieces. They still need some heat gun time to smooth out the pull marks and wrinkles but they look pretty decent. Here's a close up of the material differences in the 1972 Tetra grain inserts used on the 1972 deluxe seats. You can see that the PUI cover on the left has slightly larger perforations than the pin-sized holes on the original material on the right.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...5268/seat5.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...5268/seat6.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

It's finally sunny out so I have the seats cooking in the mid-day sun on the driveway. Had some spare time (family still away) so I bolted up the nose brackets. I am definitely learning something about Pontiacs. -They must have had some Rube-Goldberg type engineer thinking this stuff up: if one bracket would work on on a Chevy, Pontiac had to use three or four. If you have ever seen how Pontiac designed the a/c compressor brackets you'll know what I mean. There are support brackets bracing other support brackets that hold other brackets in place...Well anyway the front bumper/grill brackets also brace the radiator support, each with its own adjustment, hence the masking tape to protect the paint for the time being. Oh, and the horns now work, too! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2.../radsuppt2.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2.../radsuppt3.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

This is without question my favorite thread from any site that I've visited in the years that I have been searching the web. I love to see the progress on a car that I admire and also to see the outstanding results that can be had by a car owner working out of his garage.
This restoration and all of its documentation via photographs should be made into a book.
I know I'd love to read about the methods used to create such great results.
Keep up the good work; I look forward to each and every update. I think I'll be a bit disappointed when it's finally complete; you'll have to find another car and start again (only kidding)