Re: 72 T/A progess
 

And here is the final result after 48 hours of soaking and some scrubbing with a bristle brush and 000 steel wool. Now its time to soak the other side grill...

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4190002.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4190004.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3.../P4190002a.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

You do nice work Steve. I like your MacGyver-like approach to tuff problems. Lookin' good! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

[ QUOTE ]
You do nice work Steve. I like your MacGyver-like approach to tuff problems. Lookin' good! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

You should see the size of my Swiss Army knife. It comes with its own golf cart. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Steve , Excellent info and pictures ! As Mockingbird said , you do nice work !!

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Steve, Very interesting info, much appreciated. If you repaint or touch up the "Argent Siver" will you show or list the specific paint brand and COLOR NAME you thought best!!!!!!!

Thanks,

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I will be using the extra can of OEM Paints Pontiac Honeycomb Wheel paint that I used for refinishing the wheels earlier in this saga. I compared the grills to the wheels before I stripped and it is pretty darn close, right down to the sparkle and grain texture. Stay tuned for further episodes...

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I had to repair a missing 1/2" wide section of the honeycomb in the grill. I have an extra set of grills but was not about to chop out a piece to repair this grill (That would be sacreligious, I think). Here is the broken section before:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3.../P4190002b.jpg

And after I filed the mating areas flat in anticipation of glueing in the repair section:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3.../P4190001a.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I hunted around the house and finally found an old broken plastic wiring harness retainer from, of all things, my old 1971 Hemicuda Convertible! (So at least there's now some Mopar in this Pontiac...) It was made of the same type of heavy plastic as the grill.

I cut a small section off and filed it to the correct width but left it with an extra amount of material 3/8" long so I could handle more easily while fitting it into the grill space. I also pre-scored a line before the 3/8" tab so I could break it off once it was glued in and set.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3.../P4190004a.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I used a two-part epoxy called "Plastic Weld" and mixed it as directed. (It sets very quickly and dries hard so you gotta move fast!) I set the piece in place and smoothed over the repair. You only have about 45 seconds to do this as it is hardening. It goes from clear to white as it sets. Once it dries in about 15 minutes, you can sand it and reapply it if you need to refill a spot.

Front view:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4190005.jpg

Rear view:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4190009.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Once it is set and hardened. I snapped off the 3/8" tab and sanded the repair. For sanding the inside areas of the honeycomb I used a plastic knife from Wendy's (they're much better than the cheap McDonalds plastic kinives) and wrapped it in sandpaper. It fit perfectly and was able to flex to fit the interior areas. Here is the finished repair:

Front view:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4190012.jpg

Rear view:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4190014.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Nice job "Mac" https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif !

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../macgyver5.gif


BTW, Richard Dean Anderson makes the mullet look good! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/shocked.gif

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Thanks for the support.

You should see my wedding photos from Florida: I proudly displayed my full early 1990's over-the-shoulder, southern mullet with the optional Sun-In Tinted, Farrah Faucet side hair flairs, left and right of course.

-NJMacGyver: The right mechanic when restorations go wrong...

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Great thread; wish I could pull up the pics, but think my security settings are too high. Can't wait to get home from this place so I can get started on my GTX...or maybe the red Judge...or the SS...

Scott

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Scott, your work is lot more important to us all than most people will ever realize. Keep it up.

I know what you mean about work computers. Sometimes they block the stupidest things. I have a companion post on the Performance Years website that has been following along. You should be able to open those photos individually.

http://forums.performanceyears.com/f...d.php?t=433662

Tell me if it works.

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I was able to pull up the pics on PY. Have been a member there for a year or two, but usually hang out in the Judge forum. Anyway, I made it through a few pages, but it's bedtime in Iraq. Will check out more tomorrow.

Thanks,

Scott

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Here is the finished product. I ended up masking off the outside and painting the front and back of the blacked out grill section first. It took a lot of masking tape and newspaper. I sprayed it with flat black, let it dry and then masked off the black area and sprayed the inner part of the grill face with the OEM Paints Pontiac Honeycomb Wheel paint. As long as you follow directions, it sprays out nice and dry and leaves a nice consistant sparkly, argent finish. Once that dried I reattached the outer molding and retaining clips and I was (half) done. The other grill is still soaking at the moment and I will be finishing that one in the next couple days.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4220001.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4220002.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4220003.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4220005.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4220006.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Very nice!

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Keep it up Steve...I enjoy reading about your tips and tricks... https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I love watching your progress; I love the second generation F-bodies. Your dedication and the results that you have gotten at home have been an ispiration to me and my '69 Corvette project.
I don't have the tools, skills or the room to tackle a job such as your T/A but it has inspired me to tackle the interior of my Corvette as well as a heater core replacement in the 'Vette.
I thought I was done with the heater core this afternoon when I noticed that I screwed up installing one of the foam gaskets. Under normal circumstances I would have said the hell with it and just left it as is but, I think I am going to order another seal kit and re-do it so it's done right.
I found myself asking myself "What would Steve or any of the other Yenko members do?" We all know that answer which is why I am ordering a new seal kit.

You guys all do great work and, although I doubt I will ever turn out the results that you do, I have been inspired to get my hands dirty and not accept half assed results. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

That's scary when someone wonders "What would NJSteve do?" https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif Maybe I should get my own sign now?

I would probably figure out some way to dissolve the foam gasket into something 1/100th its size and then inject it into the area using a single tube Dunkin Donuts coffee stirrer (never use Starbucks, you risk a bad chemical reaction). Once installed I would then inject it with the replenisher agent to enlarge it back to its original size. Barring that ...I would take it apart again and put that stupid foam o-ring back on (BTW I have done that a couple time myself on A/C-equipped cars).

Good Luck with your project. I am happy to have the chance to entertain and enlighten.
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

BTW Part II: You don't really need that foam o-ring thingy that much. You could buy some 3M strip caulk and just feed a bunch of it into the gap around the heater core tube until you have sufficient amount on both sides to fill the space. The purpose of the foam is to keep out engine smells and moisture, and to keep the tube from rubbing against the metal of the firewall. You may want to try this instead of yanking the heater box out again and risking damaging the new heater core (been there, done that, too).

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Where I made the mistake was not the foam insulation around the heater core tubes; I actually got that right. Where I messed up was, there's a foam gasket that is supposed to go around the opening in the firewall ,from the inside, before the heater box is installed. That's how I installed this foam seal, only to find out after everything was all nicely routed and buttoned up, that there were instructions on the flip side of the paper I had been looking at. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/dunno.gif
Like a dope, I never realized that there were instructions with my heater core seal kit and just reviewed the pictures. It looked like the foam seal went on the firewall (engine side) before the blower motor assembly was installed.
I don't know how much of a big deal that is, I just figured you guys would probably take it apart and do it the right way.

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

And here is the final pair all finished and awaiting the nose assembly to put it in.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4240001.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

ENOCH sent me a couple more photos today of the block sanding progress. He has both doors done, (including the NOS skin on the driver's door), the hood and the trunklid. These were a couple of the in-process shots. More to come...

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/DSCN1839.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/DSCN1838.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I was doing some more finagling around with the car today, cleaning up the headlight buckets. While I was waiting for them to dry off I unbolted the trunk latch. I took some photos for documentation purposes. As you can see the trunk latch was installed when the car went into the giant primer dunk tank back at the Norwood plant in December 1972. You can see the red primer covered with traces of the exterior white overspray as well as the black and turquoise trunk spatter paint over that. It's interesting to see that the undersides of the mounting bolts have the primer on them as well. That e-coating did its job: it got everywhere.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...runklatch2.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...runklatch1.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I went to Carlisle a week or so ago and picked up a new gas tank for the car. I have been holding off on ordering one since I didnt feel like paying $50+ in shipping for a $150 part. I bought the tank there and carted it home. My original tank has two large screw holes in the top where someone in the past had drilled through the trunk floor to mount something and went right through the tank. Ouch! Yeah, I could have repaired it and kept it but when it comes to safety items like brakes, brake hoses, fuel lines and gas tanks, I dont play around with my life. Replace them, save the originals for posterity and don't ever worry again.

My original tank still had the factory silkscreened stencil barely visible on the bottom with the 12-20-71 date code on it. I have been scratching my head on how to reproduce it when I stumbled across the website www.inlinetube.com and found that they reproduce the stencil! (go to their website and look under "gas tanks" and you will find it). I had to do some modifications to get my exact date code but in the end it reproduced it exactly.

Here's the original tank with the ghost image of the factory US Steel Stamp still visible (barely):

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...8a/oldtank.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

The stencil is more like a decal with cutouts in it. You clean the tank with lacquer thinner and carefully peel the front off of the decal and place it one the tank. Then use a squeegy and make sure it is firmly attached. You then carefully peel the backing off making sure all the centers of the letters stay on the tank.



http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...8a/stencil.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

The stencil was close but it did not have the cutout for the day, only the month and year. (They accidentally sent me the wrong year "72" instead of "71"). I ended up taking a photo of a ruler next to the decal and printing out the correct scale photo on my printer. I then used an exacto knife and cut out the "20" and the "71" from the photo. I then cut out a spot for the month in the center of the stencil and applied both sets of numbers.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...ankmeasure.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...ankstencil.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Next, I masked off the tank and sprayed the stencil lightly with several coats of flat black.

The final result duplicated the original tank stencil perfectly.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3.../tankpaint.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3.../tankfinal.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Looks great Steve. Dedication and attention to detail pays off. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif
Rick

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Here's another bit of useless trivia for everybody. The date on the original gas tank is 12-20-1971. According to the cowl tag, the car was scheduled to be built the first week of December 1971 (12A). It was completed and shipped on 12-21-1971 to Reliable Pontiac in Roseville, California. How's that for "just-in-time" parts delivery at the plant?

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I have been slowly refinishing the headlight assemblies over the past week. Nothing high tech: I just disassembled one of them, took a lot of photos of where the little clips and attachment points were installed and then used paint stripper to completely strip the bucket and the backing plate. I soaked the stripped pieces in the derusting liquid to get rid of the underlying specks of rust and then I repainted the pieces in gloss black. I then reassembled the left side and put all the little clips and springs back in place. Once that was finished I tackled the right side. The adjustment points have four possible positions, only one of which is correct for the particular side of the car. The headlight bezels also have four possible mounting positions. So if you dont watch what you are doing you have 16 possible combinations, only one of which is correct (according to my 5th grader who is definitely smarter than me) It's like doing drum brakes: always leave one side untouched so you have a roadmap of where everything goes.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3.../drlightb4.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...drlightb42.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3.../lightsbf4.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Here is the finished pair with the bezels installed:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...ghtsafter1.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...ghtsafter3.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...ghtsafter2.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

By the way, does anyone have a spare one of these screws? It is one of the three Phillips head mounting screws for the headlight bezels. I seem to be missing one and all of the nut/bolt/screw suppliers have absurd minimum purchase requirements. I dont feel like paying $30 for a $1 screw. (Wait a minute, did I just say what I think I just said??? https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/blush.gif)

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P4270005.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Steve I have some extras, they are out at my parents house and it may be a few weeks before I get out there, if you can wait.
James

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

[ QUOTE ]
Steve I have some extras, they are out at my parents house and it may be a few weeks before I get out there, if you can wait.
James

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess the car's completion date will have to be delayed until you can find me that last missing screw. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/grin.gif

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Reliable Pontiac is still in business I think.

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

[ QUOTE ]
I dont feel like paying $30 for a $1 screw. (Wait a minute, did I just say what I think I just said??? https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/blush.gif)

[/ QUOTE ]

I've paid much more for alot less... https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

[ QUOTE ]
Reliable Pontiac is still in business I think.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes they are. They actually have a big GM car show there each year. I called them and they sent me a pair of license plate frames. One of the guys on the Performance Years website lives near them and stopped by and got me a key fob too. Unfortunately they moved the dealer location several years ago and trashed all their old records during the move. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/frown.gif

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

Here's another interesting item I picked up from the www.inlinetube.com guys. They sell "rivet bolts" for the upper control arms. The tops look like the original factory installed rivets but they install with a nut and lock washer on the underside. They are a little tricky to get tightened since they tend to rotate a little and you have no way to hold the top part since it is round. Make sure you use a bunch of loctite on the bolts and tighten them to the 12 ft.lb. spec as listed in the directions.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P5010002.jpg

Re: 72 T/A progess
 

I broke down and bought a set of 5 F60x15 Goodyear Polyglas GTs for the honeycombs. Nothing looks better than the original equipment tires.

These cars came with either the Polyglas GT or the Firestone Wide Ovals. I like the Polyglas' better since the version of the Firestone Wide Oval that is currently reproduced is not accurate for the car.

Plus, there is a fellow enthusiast who hangs out over at the Performance Years website, who managed a package deal from Kelsey Tire, for a bunch of us. The end result was that the final price was reduced a good amount (about $10-$15 per tire). That savings adds up with 5 tires.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...a/P5100012.jpg