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Can't stress this enough either. Too many people just hang onto the old title and don't transfer it into their name for a long time. Do it before you spend another nickel on restoration. I know you said the seller is a friend, but if someone got ahold of the vin when it was displayed and had a fake title made, they could be a big problem. Damn cool to find that car, so many of us have longed for a find like that for many years. '66 is one of my 2 favorites, '70 being the other. Look forward to a new thread on this when it's time. |
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Hope things have been OK with you. I HAVE to see the pics of this car done. Super nice restoration. The build date on the frame is exactly the same as my '66 SS, but mine was built in Atlanta and had the black out tail panel. May still have been painted at the dealer, but it was over the base color when I sanded it all down. |
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I will be sure to post pics of her when she reaches my garage. I like 70's as well, highest HP year! |
Congrats Tom
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Hey Thankyou. In the past few weeks I cut and buffed the car. I have just the hood left. Im kinda into another project 67 Malibu driver car so i have been balancing my after work time between this car and the 67. I will probably spend this summer finishing the interior, putting on the vinyl top and sending the trim off to be re-anodized. Should have finished pictures next winter. |
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Tail Lamps
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Finally back working on the car. Tail Lamps were recently assembled because I finally got my aluminum trim I stripped and polished back from anodizing. Most of the parts looked good but I finally spent time over break working a few grills and the ever hard to find eyebrow moldings. Will be sending those off in the new year. In the mean time here is the tail lamps. Alot of time taken to put it all together, put in the correct seals, hardware, and spacers. They fit the car very nice with even gapping all around.
One other thing I think many miss, there is a very small but useful edge gasket that goes around the outside of the bezel to keep a seal between the tail lamp extension and the quarter. Soft seal has a pretty nice reproduction piece to match the original. |
Head Lamp Trim Paint
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Much like the other aluminum trim I also redid all the front end pieces. Here is some paint work. I never fully understand how others spend countless hours on there restorations yet forget how to correctly paint the headlight bezels wings. It takes more time to tape off all the ribs only to make them correct for a malibu. I suppose the thought goes along with the number of cars I see gas tank gaskets put under the straps and not up against the body
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Bumper Prep
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I still cant understand why the Flint assembly plant sequenced and marked the bumpers. I found it amusing that the 28 mark on the rear bumper could be seen post rechrome. Pretty easy to trace. I will probably be the only person in the cars ownership to know its there.
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Thanks for the great pics, especially the correct headlight bezel painting. Glad you got back to this car. Guess you have another 4 months before decent driving weather to keep working on it.
Where did you find the correct tail light bezel gasket at the body ? All I ever see is the solid ones, with no cut out relief for the bend and they buckle. I cut mine and it isn't very noticeable, but it's still there and bugs me. |
Hi Mitch, You have to cut them to mimic what the originals did to allow the gasket to form and flow around the corners. You just have to be careful and use a razor blade or xacto knife. Based on what I can see of the originals, they already had the relief cuts in them for a production setting.
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OK, that is what I did and they look OK, I think I needed to cut just a little deeper as they still wanted to buckle. I have to take them off again sometime, so I'll make a slight "adjustment". Yours lay very flat and look original. |
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Engine Bay Complete
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Alot of final assembly work lately. Steering column, Brakes, Wire Harnessing, wiper/washer lines and jar, Radiator, Battery Tray, Heater hose, and Front Valence. Its interesting learn each year and see how they changed the designs from 66 up thru 72. My thoughts on 66 are they used alot of small pieces for the headlights and valence area. ALOT of screws hold everything together. Its also interesting to note that in 66 and maybe earlier the inner fenders ride below the core support and not above as with the 67 and up. I learned this the hard way before going back to my pictures and seeing I was putting things together wrong. I hope it shows in the pictures I spend alot of time trying to protect painted surfaces from scraps, scuffs and scratches to look perfect or as close to it as I can get.
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Looking good my friend. Get the Details Right and they Will Come
Come a circling around it and asking questions…. They always ask questions:) |
That's a pretty sob. Well done thus far!
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Wow! Looks GREAAT!:cool2:
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Headliner
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Installed the headliner. I go the traditional route of gluing the seams as I go. Ive done a couple now and the early chevelles are the easiest as they dont have holes in the material like the later years. Pretty simple just start at the front, work down each side and the go to the rear middle and work your way out to the sides one at a time.
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Package Tray and Speaker
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Package tray isnt too hard. I like to spend some time putting in extra foam on the sides so it fill outs nicely where the seat meets the metal. I also never feel the reproduction panel cardboard is truly wide enough. The factory option extra speaker is installed too. I had original screws that cleaned up nicely, along with the factory grille. Found the reproduction box is pretty nice too. I did divert some here. I grabbed a new speaker which wasn't built like the originals in the magnet area. I had to do some bracket fabrication and speaker modifications to make it all look factory once installed.
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Sail Panels
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These can be a real PIA. I find the reproduction sail panels to be a good start. I take the old ones and trim the new to match the old. I do some steaming and pre bending of the cardboard to make sure they have the shape I want to fill the gap with the package tray. Ive never been fond of anything pre assembled. Its best to get the cardboards where you want them in shape and then glue the material on. I always reposition the strip in the back that holds the clips. If done right they are very smooth and fit tightly.
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WOW, looks great !!
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Side work 66 Mag Wheels
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This is a bit of side project and story. When i was gather parts for the car I recall getting ahold of a guy in Kansas that had some really nice 66 exhaust manifolds. While in conversation the guy tells me he has some mag wheel covers off a 66 he bought brand new in 65. At first I was like eh maybe as my car is gonna have painted rims and poverty caps. Then he tells me that the covers were taken off the car 1 week after it was brand new and put up in his barn. I decided not to be pushy and gave him what he wanted for them. When they arrived, to say the least i was shocked. The pictures shown here are me simply cleaning them up and repainting the black on the rear stainless piece. Even the backs of the covers are still black with almost no rust. I could almost call these NOS. My plan is to only keep them with the car as this is what it came with new according to the original owner. The last picture is showing top, cleaned up and bottom how I got them.
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Sir, your work and the end product is a thing of beauty! Thank you for sharing:biggthumpup:
Tim |
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Definitely can’t install these on your rims even to “JUST SEE” how it looks. Because as you probably know, they BITE into your RIMS and putting your Dog Dish caps on afterwards would require totally redoing your 14” rims.
Very nice wheel covers you snagged. $$$$$$ |
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wow, what a NICE 66, looks like it did sitting in the showroom in 1966, or better
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Wow! Those caps are pristine.
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Super Cool score!!!
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Those mag wheel caps will make any car pop. Always liked that look...
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Looks killer!:laugh:
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66 Door Panel Screws
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Im fortunate to have a dad that comes from a tool maker career. We both learned as we both started working on our 66 chevelles that the door panel screws are pretty unique. Its a very large washer that is used. Im assuming earlier years like 64 and 65 used them as well. I sent my originals off for chrome plating and thus to date they got lost. My dad set out to make a die and machine down SS screws to recreate the originals. Seen here is the outcome of his work efforts. They came REALLY nice. First picture is an original off my car when I took it apart.
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Seat Belt Restoration Belts
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This project I really went out on a limb and decided to purchase a Consew 206RB-5 sewing machine. There commonly found in upholstery shops. My first task for the new shop tool was to resew the 66 Deluxe seat belts. I had a few hours of trial and error with the correct box and straight stitch that GM used on there original belts. Seen here below is the process I finally worked out where you used sewing grade double stick tape to hold the fold over together before you lay down the stitching. Final picture is a finished Buckle assembly with box stitch.
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Wow, REALLY nice. Be ready for requests to make more...:wink:
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Buckle Restoration and Finished Set
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I found an original set of 66/67 deluxe seat belts and tore them down. I had the top plates and rear main housings sent of and the proper chrome finishes redone. I merely cleaned up the stagecoach features and repainted the back button press. All the other internals were sent off to be zinc plated. I found there was a mix of clear zinc and yellow zinc so i stuck with the clear. Once the pieces are assembled to the belts I cover the buckles and finish the sewing. These are original 3 panel belts that have been very lightly dyed. The finished set of belts is in the last picture. It was extremely hard to find 4 decent deluxe belt covers which are a 66 one year only thing. I wanted to ask other 66 chevelle experts I see a mix of straight and somewhat larger triangular belt covers on various 66 cars. Is it correct that Atlanta cars got the triangular style belt covers? I need to know for my dads 66 L78.
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WOW, your attention to detail is unbelievable. Great job, and thanks for sharing.
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Very nice attention to Detail.
Can you hem my 1970 bell bottoms too? |
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I have observed an ATL '66 L78 with the straight covers, don't recall the TT date.
Attached is my 10C ATL '66, far too early to be L78. Early '66's have several unique features. - Bill W |
Thanks Bill. I think dads car is a mid to late April build. So it sounds like the tear drop style vs the straight may have been more of an early vs late? BTW I love the picture of the seat bottom highlighting the seat colored pipping. I have to wonder sometimes if the knowledge has been lost that they are suppose to be color and not chrome.
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My Marina Blue 66 SS L-78 04C Atlanta with Deluxe Belts
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