72 TA : New Project

[Xplantdad]

That's too cool...drives his SD455 over to drop off a part!

[kwhizz]

Steve...........Great Job and Attention to "Detail" ....Someone is having Fun Now....LOL

Ken

[njsteve]

Started on the doors this afternoon. Got the drip rails and the body side door weatherstrip installed. There's nothing like the really expensive factory weatherstripping. Goes right in place without a problem. The key is to start at the molded ends and get them in place with the little plastic push pins. Then put the outer edge into the drip rail channel first. I then used a plastic scraper with a dull edge to push the interior side of the weatherstrip edge into the other side of the channel. Worked like a charm with no damage to the rubber.

The problem with starting in the middle, if you choose to do that, is that once you get the straight portion in, you will find that the molded ends are either to short or too far from the mounting holes because you either stretched the rubber seal too long or compressed it too short.

[njsteve]

Some more of the body parts getting painted today - I need the trunk and the thin panel that goes between the trunk and the rear window installed before I can get the rear glass installed. Also, the fiberglass tailight panel must go on first before the taillights and the rear bumper can be bolted up.

[njsteve]

Spent two full days just on the door guts/window install. The first thing was the outer stainless trim that goes at the top of the door line. That was nerve-wracking! There are these tiny little plastic clips that go on the screw-in studs. I covered the top of the door in blue masking tape and then used a rubber mallet to tap them into place. It's something of an IQ test as you have to have certain ones engaged before you can try the others or the ones on the curves at either end won't get close to engaging their clips. That was worth about 3 hours!



After the stainless came the inner door window fuzzies - also NOS GM parts. Funny thing is both the originals and the NOS ones were missing a mounting hole that needed to be drilled. Looks like the originals had the extra hole in the fuzzies drilled out on the assembly line.

[njsteve]

Since the wife and kids are visiting the in-laws this week, I spent all of the 4th of July installing the windows and associated hardware. It took 4 hours to do the passenger side including an hour and a half wasted after I learned that I had the window sash channel that bolts to the window, upside down. I couldn't figure out why the heck the window would only go up halfway before the rollers hit the end of the sash channel track. After repeated attempts at loosening, readjusting, resetting, manipulating, manhandling, I just couldn't get it up (the window, that is).

After perusing the assembly manual (which was no help) I grabbed the flashlight and peeked into the window channel of my Grandma's '75 Firebird to see that I had the sash channel in wrong. DUH!

Once I got the channel in the correct position, it took another hour of adjusting to get the window situated correctly. It now closes quite nicely with the NOS GM weatherstripping.





The driver's side only took an hour and a half with adjustment.



And here's the final result after another 8 hour day.

[StriperSS]

I guess it's handy to have another car around for comparison when you run into those obstacles. The car is really coming together nicely.
Just an observation, but it seems on almost all those cars, the passenger seat looked crooked.

[southernfriedcj]

Steve, you are making this look easy.
When is the wiring harness going in, or did I miss that post? What are you using for a harness (original, repop, scratch built)?
It's a testament to the cost of a restoration that you will be north of 100k on this car with all the work you've put into it.

[njsteve]

I used as repro engine and headlight harness since the original was melted beyond recognition. I'll have to search my filing cabinet of receipts to see what company I bought it from.