Looking great Graeme!

Can anyone tell me how these L/R rear axle stop brackets are supposed to be finished? I pulled both of these off and they had a bunch of spray paint on both sides so I dumped them into some cleaner degreaser and it softened the paint which then wiped right off and I think it may have taken these a step too far.

I'm assuming they were originally black from the factory and I'll be painting these again. Just want to make sure they weren't bare from the factory? I mean I like how they were cleaning up but doubt they were left unfinished from the General.

https://i.ibb.co/wpCWr5Z/IMG-8908.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Hh3SXx7/IMG-8909.jpg

Nice to see such a solid underside. I recall crawling under mine and finding '12437' stamped in the floor near the axle pinion snubber, assumed that denoted coupe floorpan, and that a 'vert would have '12467'..... pretty sure I can just make out a similar stamping in your pictures.

Cool...never even saw that one. Thanks

Looks like I can see the ending 437 followed by 141 which I'm assuming is the date code of the floor. I'll get clean shots of the stamps next time I'm out in the shop.

https://i.ibb.co/HYRCztK/437-141.jpg

That looks like T41, stamped week 41. A while back I tried to determine (http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=12764) all the stamping plants by their designation letter, but not much info out there. Every sheetmetal stamp I've found so far on my Camaro has been 'T' or 'H'.

Found an old fisher body plant video that DW Cook had posted on CRG several years ago. From the 19:00 minute mark, it shows the floor structure as its welded to the body panels of a 70 Chevelle tub. It then shows it going through the painting process. I thought it surprising that one of the guys painting the side panel (21:40) of one particular Chevelle wasn't wearing a respirator, even back then? I'm sure it was just a spot repair but still. Nowadays that would be scrutinized by every safety officer on the planet. It does show bodies going through the primer stage, and paint stage on hooks, but nothing to show them elevated on the front. Wonder how those drip lines were directional unless it was the gun pressure that blew it out like it is on this car of mine. Neat stuff to look back at.

My grandfather retired from Fisher Body in Hamilton Ohio, not far from the Norwood plant. His job was doors. They stamped their stuff with "H" from what I remember and I always wondered if that coincided with the fact that the plant was in Hamilton. For what it's worth everything on my 69Z is stamped with "H", and it's a Norwood car.

Those brackets appear to be dip painted & then the rubber installed. I looked at mine this morning. They were never off the car till a few months back....Joe

Agree, lacquer dipped by the vender that supplied them. Even large stuff like radiator supports were dipped.

Mike

Do you know if originals were flat, semi gloss, or gloss black?

They're on the glossy side but not full gloss...Joe

Sanded and repainted some engine parts while the weather has been decent of late. This included the original fan, original pulleys and a few odds and ends that needed refinishing. In particular, the engine peripherals to match the original engine which was rebuilt and repainted. Back on the car this weekend and working inside the engine bay now.

I also wanted to give props to Lloyd Costley who was kind enough to share a lower rear leaf to replace the broken one that was found in this car. He reached out last week and quickly shipped me the much-needed part which is going to work out great for this car.

Thanks again, Lloyd. I really appreciate you hooking me up with this leaf. :youguysrock:

https://i.ibb.co/1dKFyBd/001-fan.jpg
Repainted the fan to match it's surrounding in the engine bay.

https://i.ibb.co/f9f94fF/002-Pulleys.jpg
Pulleys were all in different finishes so these were all repainted.

https://i.ibb.co/vHQ74PL/003-Pulleys.jpg
Also painted some small parts that each had some paint loss.

https://i.ibb.co/r4jGL2g/004-Rad.jpg
Radiator is recored and paint. Need to spray the core some more.

https://i.ibb.co/pJLW6PZ/005-Leaf.jpg
Broken leaf is now matched up with an original given to me by Lloyd.

At this rate, that subframe will be off in no time:)

The subframe is not coming off!

As a matter of fact, I finally got onto the front end today and got the passenger side inner fender cleaned up. It actually dialed back rather nicely and has left a cool patina with a few wear marks being left behind from the heater hoses having had rubbed through the original paint close to the mid fender clamp. I'll continue on tomorrow with the inner front subframe rails and will then work my way across the K members and up onto the other side. Once complete I will then go after the outer control arms and the suspension from the wheel well side of things. Happy with the progress thus far and in no rush.


https://i.ibb.co/BZNZGc0/Engine-Bay-Before-1.jpg
Before hitting the inner fender with Lloyd's graffiti remover.

https://i.ibb.co/qRDtRB1/Engine-Bay-After-1.jpg
After a scuff and a few wipe downs, it's looking a bit aged. I like it!

Sometimes a little trial and error with cleaning can lead to a bonehead move. Case in point was to clean the original smog trees which in all fairness were fairly decent, to begin with. Further to that, I would have said they previously fit the bill of survivor condition. Until I screwed that up. I thought the evapo-rust being as mild as it is would simply clean them up a touch, but dunking them in there even for a short period was a big mistake. In a matter of about 20 minutes it leveled the original coating and they came out looking bare without any original coating. Like the copperish colored base or what was left of it simply wiped right off of them. This was just before MCACN and I was pretty choked at myself for not leaving those alone.

Since then I have tried finding someone who could reapply the phosphate coating and really never found anyone who could replace the factory-like finish. I read some posts about dunking them in a phosphate solution, and that others had painted them black with some phosphate spray paint but decided to try something else and see what brown colors I could find. Enter Stove Bright high temp primer and paint. I found this reddish metallic primer rated for 1200 degrees and then paired that with a can of Bark Brown which looked close to the original copper-like tone. Ordered them from Amazon in late December and they finally showed up about 5 weeks later. Needless to say, I prepped the tubes and today I put a couple of coats of the red primer on them before hitting them with the bark brown. It isn't exactly copper colored but I sure like the low luster satin finish they now have after a couple of coats of this high temp paint.

With the engine already having been rebuilt and painted by others, I'm planning to tumble the exhaust manifolds next week and get them looking more factory-like. With that now in the works, the smog trees should look right at home when the engine bay is all back together in a few short weeks. Once I put some heat through them I'll see how they blend in I suppose?

Note to self, evapo-rust and original smog trees do not mix. That original finish is quite delicate and does not play well with chemicals. Now, if you ever want to repaint a set of smog trees...here's what I ended up finding through Amazon. IMHO, the results are not too bad, in spite of my previous lack of judgment. (lol) Here's the stuff...

https://i.ibb.co/RNfb0nf/IMG-9002.jpg
The high temp primer and the brown paint I used to refinish the trees.

https://i.ibb.co/GMhGdhr/IMG-8193.jpg
Here's how they looked after dunking them in Evapo-Rust (big no-no)

https://i.ibb.co/SX9Z2xJ/IMG-9001.jpg
And here they are after being refinished. Hoping these fade a touch after some heat cycling. The paint was fresh here and they have darkened up some more since drying.

Great work G.

You definitely have to be careful of Evaporust. I put some brake hardware in and all nice the paint marks came off. I just use high concentrate vinegar now. It's a lot cheaper too.

Yeah Evaporust will destroy or remove any original plating... zinc, cad, phosphate etc. I too had to learn that by experience :(

Making good progress on the floors and subframe the past couple of days. My US deliveries also arrived today with a few nice original parts that will complement the differential going back into the car. I have my helper coming tomorrow so the fuel line will go back in followed by the differential. That will allow me to get the front end in the air next week and start cleaning the front suspension with the wheels off the car. Boogying right along here now.

https://i.ibb.co/SVpYPsj/IMG-9054.jpg

Floors are all cleaned up behind the firewall and things are starting to go back together now. I mounted the original tank but knowing that the car's getting a concourse exhaust system with resonators and chrome tailpipes, the dented old tank is really made for a bit of an opposite detraction so I've opted to set it aside and store it for future consideration. Also decided to blow in some black paint on the diff as I was struggling with the look when I finished cleaning it up. There were a number of bare spots exposed and I needed to cover those up. I shot both tubes with a single coat of black and it is what it is.

Another concern was stripping the black paint at the bottom of the firewall where the lower floor seam meets up. All along the bottom of the toe boards and the areas around the tunnel had to a lot of gray primer being exposed after cleaning. And I would say it's plenty more than what would be considered normal or acceptable. I'm thinking the shop that reinstalled the motor, washed it down with thinners before they shot the black in for the former owner's brother. In any case, I wasn't digging all the gray so I fogged in the areas where the straight primer was exposed and blended it in so it looks better. I'm happy with the results of those decisions and it's looking miles ahead of the mess that the previous owner created.

Here are a few shots of the floors and the rear end now that the diff and the new tank are under the body. Once I'm finished upfront and the motor and transmission are reinstalled, the Gardner exhaust will be hung and I'm sure it will balance the old and the new. Not quite as I had planned for with a total dial back to original, but a compromise that I am totally OK with. Still, a lot of work to be completed on the front half of the car so I will see how that unfolds as I start cleaning the front clip this weekend. Fingers crossed on any more surprises upfront, but ready to deal with those in any case.


https://i.ibb.co/PtfQJxb/IMG-9095.jpg
Floors are nicely cleaned up with all of the factory finish now exposed and intact.

https://i.ibb.co/zQ1GmSj/IMG-9090.jpg
Here's a view looking down the tunnel after all the black spray paint was removed.

https://i.ibb.co/mhbJBys/IMG-9093.jpg
Another shot of the back with the differential back under the car and the broken leaf repaired.

https://i.ibb.co/qpn03Nm/IMG-9084.jpg
And finally, a view from the back. Yeah, I know...new tank but it will match the new Gardner exhaust that's going around it soon.

Looking awesome Graeme! I really like what you're doing with this Z. I have a pair of original chrome tailpipes that were stored in an attic for 40 years - they would be perfect for an original car like yours. Let me know if you have interest.

Sent you a message. Thanks

Your doing a nice job Graeme!! Did you ever get back with N.C. DMV about info on your Z??

I tried getting through a couple of times with limited success. Not giving up on that I actually called again today and left another message for the gal in charge of this department to call me back. NC DMV has purged all info prior to 1990 with any older information now stored on microfilm. Apparently, this title department I was dealing with can request the microfilm department search for a given VIN, but I was told this would take some time to search. If a VIN has originally been titled in NC, they would have a record of it as well as a copy of its Certificate of Origin. Her department is the one that requests those film searches, but she was very clear this taking some time to produce. Once a VIN is found, they can then add it back into the database and produce copies of any original documents that are found.

I'm hoping that a couple of gentle reminders and follow up calls helps speed that process along, and hoping that the car was originally from North Carolina as was rumored. Shot in the dark and time will tell...

Super nice car!

I started working on all of the brake lines today and Pulled back the master cylinder and the steering to get everything on the left side of the engine bay accessible for cleaning and detailing. Hard lines are now soaking in evapo=rust to get them cleaned up. Also, here's the Gardner exhaust kit that will be installed once the engine goes back into the car.

https://www.gardnerexhaust.com/wp-co...bresonator.jpg

Nice!

Keep up the great work Graeme!
Buddy

Fantastic work to clean off all the extra paint underneath...

(Graeme Browne's) Lemans Blue 1969 Z/28
 

Graeme: Have you thought about using some kind of protectant underneath after you had stripped everything to Original Paint? I used kerosene (process related to me by an old heavy equipment operator) on a rag and wiped down the whole underneath of my '71 Monte Carlo. It dries to same sheen as original and can be recoated as necessary to keep the look fresh. It works well on firewall, radiator support and inner wheelwells also!
Don.

Great tip Don...

I was thinking of simply waxing the bottom end with some Meguiar's product and protecting what's there. Likely the same with the firewall. The car will never see water as long as I own it so not terribly concerned about any moisture. My shop is also a heated dry storage garage and our climate here is dry for the most part so it's in really good hands here as far as preservation goes.

Didn't get too much done the past week, but back onto some cleaning and detailing today. I started cleaning up the original brake lines to get rid of all the black paint that was sprayed on them. Chemicals did a good job of softening it up and the wire wheel did the rest. Nothing too sparkling, just enough to eliminate the spray paint that covered them prior. These will be going back on as seen. I also painted the water pump which was the last of the engine parts being corrected. This one is dated J-10-9 More coming soon...

https://i.ibb.co/889JV9F/IMG-9148.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/XCksvgC/IMG-9151.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/wWB7Yhs/IMG-9153.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/M5dtNbc/IMG-9155.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/VYHXz5G/IMG-9156.jpg

Spent the rest of the day detailing the engine bay and cleaning up the original booster. Used some cleaner and a brass brush to knock most of the surface rust off the front face. Next up will be the 309 master cylinder and the original lid. I also got this receipt emailed to me by George Kulp. He's the one that rebuilt the 302 back in 2015. I'd say he has a good memory as the parts are exactly as he described from memory when we spoke a couple of months ago. Nice of him to send me this copy of the receipt. I wish I could get a small block rebuilt for this kinda dough nowadays. (chuckling at that thought)

https://i.ibb.co/pW87VDT/IMG-9168.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/QJm3N88/FIT-Engines.jpg

Taking a break to watch the Daytona race here today but made some more progress cleaning up the engine bay prior to the race. The driver's side fender is now clean with a couple of small spots to hit one more time before I get to the cross member and control arms next. I'm really liking this car more and more every day, and love how it's cleaning up. Hopefully all y'all are not getting tired of all the pictures. (lol)

https://i.ibb.co/D8frm44/IMG-9173.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/ZKHgHXZ/IMG-9174.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/0V4f9yL/IMG-9175.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/6sdrzHc/IMG-9176.jpg

Keep 'em coming! I'm looking at every one of them.

Great car and love all the pics! Thanks.

Been a hectic week business-wise, but still finding some time to get out to the shop and work on the brake system here and there. All of the parts have cleaned up nicely and are now going back together. This includes all the hard lines, clips, bolts, check valve, distribution block, proportioning valve, and the master cylinder. Here's another group of pictures to share as the car starts going back together with parts starting to go back on from the rear forward. It's really great putting parts back on when they actually fit as they should. It's also been great knowing that many of these parts came off rather easily as well since this car was not rusty, to begin with.

https://i.ibb.co/Yf3JxsX/001-Paint.jpg
Original paint mark on the proportioning valve.

https://i.ibb.co/Wx6wdS5/002-Brake-Parts.jpg
Cleaning up all of the parts on the bench. Not replating anything here.

https://i.ibb.co/JHSKTH4/003-Master.jpg
The lid is cleaned on the master, but not being restored or replated.


https://i.ibb.co/xq37KTh/004-Clip.jpg
#3952757 Line Bracket. I never knew there were numbers on this part.


https://i.ibb.co/p2QBTR8/006-Rear-Lines.jpg
Started installing the hard lines working from the rear diff forward.


https://i.ibb.co/4MNrWZd/007-Brass-JB.jpg
Check Valve cleaned up nicely. I had to replace the flare nut on the right side.

https://i.ibb.co/DDVNLDR/008-Clips-Bolts.jpg
The original clips and bolts cleaned up nicely. Again, not replating anything.

https://i.ibb.co/1MdwjtD/009-floors-Bolts.jpg
A little patina left behind after cleaning the floors and lines back here. Love it!

https://i.ibb.co/JnnBJp4/010-Master.jpg
The master back in place with the front lines coming soon.

Weather has been really decent for the past month or so in western Canada. Plus temps for most of the last 4 weeks and not long before spring arrives here. I can't wait to get the rest of this cleaning done and get the car back to looking like this. It's only a few weeks away from being done and getting it out for a few rips on the mountain roads.

https://i.ibb.co/D4RwjMc/IMG-7927.jpg

Top notch Graeme. Lovin’ it!!!!!:headbang: