72 TA : New Project

**njsteve** · #1 05-29-2010, 11:14 PM

Picked up the beak today and installed it. The 70-72's are pretty easy. The 73's are the hard ones since they have a ton (literallly) or extra 5 mph impact bracing inside the nose.

I just attached the little bracket do-hickies to the inside of the nose and then hung it in place with the bolts. The beak lined right up. I guess all that playing and realigning of the fenders a few months back, worked out well.

The real trick is to have the car jacked up by two floor jacks under the rear of the subframe. You want the front wheels to be off the ground and hanging. This way the front of the car is warping down. You attach the urethane nose, line it up and bolt it down. Then when you let the car off the jacks, it pulls the urethane nose closer to the fenders. If you try to attach the urethane nose while the car is on the ground, it tends to leave a gap between the fender edges and the nose.

I then took her for a ride around town. Definitely have to get used to these low revving Pontiacs. They don't seem to rev up very fast but they do have a ton-o-power! It was fun to see the shaker working, too, when you stomp the gas pedal.

firstgenaddict · #2 05-29-2010, 11:57 PM

I love the EARLY 2nd Gen T/A's ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!

**KevinW** · #3 05-30-2010, 02:13 PM

Looking great Steve! When is the next car show you are going to attend? My orange car should be ready to cruise soon and I will be looking for places to drive it [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

**SS427** · #4 05-30-2010, 06:50 PM

Likely one of the best threads ever on this site and a joy to watch the progression. Great job Steve!

**njsteve** · #5 05-30-2010, 08:40 PM

Glad you're all enjoying it!

It's kind of like that old fable "Rock Soup" where an old starving beggar comes into town and tells people he is cooking a feast for them of rock soup. To partake in the feast, all each townsperson needs to do is bring one small item to put in the soup. All the townsfolk contribute...a large pot, a chicken, vegetables, broth, etc., and at the end, the starving beggar places a small rock in the pot as his contribution. They all then feast on the soup.

I feel like the old beggar, since most of the townsfolk here on this site have contributed a small part (literally and figuratively) throughout the years.
[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/youguysrock.gif[/img]

**njsteve** · #6 05-30-2010, 08:42 PM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KevinW</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Looking great Steve! When is the next car show you are going to attend? My orange car should be ready to cruise soon and I will be looking for places to drive it [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img] </div></div>

Maybe Musclepalooza on Labor Day, if they have at Englishtown again?

**Xplantdad** · #7 05-30-2010, 09:33 PM

Keep it rocking Steve! This type of stuff is fascinating to me...

You have to get to 100 pages anyways [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

CDNL-78 · #8 05-30-2010, 10:47 PM

My cousin down in Calgary has a 72 T/A. 455 HO with a 4 gear, no A/C, numbers matching. He is the 2nd owner, bought it in the mid 70's. I can remember riding in the back as a young kid, it had a rumble to it. He still has it, all together, but needs to restore it. As far back as I can remember it was in my great aunts garage until her passing, then was stored somewhere else, now it is in his nest. I bug him every chance I get that he needs to getter going, but he's always busy with work. I showed him this thread, so I believe he has been following along. Maybe he'll see my comments and get the ball rolling on it some time.

Njsteve, heck of a job you have done, and a excellent reference for my cousin or anybody else willing to take there 72 to this level. I hope you get a 100 pages outta this thread. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

**KevinW** · #9 06-01-2010, 01:00 PM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KevinW</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Looking great Steve! When is the next car show you are going to attend? My orange car should be ready to cruise soon and I will be looking for places to drive it [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img] </div></div>

Maybe Musclepalooza on Labor Day, if they have at Englishtown again? </div></div>

End of the summer, huh?

**njsteve** · #10 06-06-2010, 02:33 AM

Received the uber-detailed hood latch mechanism from Norwood (a member here and on the Performance Years website), who shamed me into getting one for the never-ending project. Installed it just in time for my hood to arrive.

Here is the installed hood latch looking all pretty and original.

Thanks Norwood! Youdaman!

You might notice the rubber vacuum line wrapped on the hood spring. It helps to prevent the huge gouges that the hood spring makes in the paint on the underside of the hood. Looks kind of cheesy but until someone comes up with a better idea, this seems to be the prevailing idea.

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