72 TA : New Project - Page 21

**njsteve** · #**201** 05-27-2006, 01:10 AM

I put some gas in her today and she started right up. The Gardner exhaust sounds very nice. Kinda rumbly. Now I have to figure out why the temp gauge isnt working. It worked last Fall when I ran it. Everything on the engine and frame is grounded and the gauge moves to zero when the key is turned on but doesn't read when the engine heats up. Anyone know how to test these guages and/or the sender? The gauges use a printed circuit in the back.

**njsteve** · #**202** 05-27-2006, 08:29 PM

I fixed the gauge problem. An old-time mechanic buddy of mine gave me this secret: if you want to verify if the guage is working disconnect the temp sensor wire from the sensor at the engine and connect a test light between the sensor wire and engine ground. Turn on the ignition switch. The test light should glow dimly. If it glows, the gauge is working and is grounded properly and the sensor itself is bad. That was the case here. I went to the local NAPA store and they actually had the correct gauge sensor in stock with the correct slip-on style terminal end for early GM vehicles. This makes me happy as I did not want to pull the dash out for exploratory surgery.

**njsteve** · #**203** 08-01-2006, 04:43 AM

Just so you don't all think I've been slacking. Here's what she looks like at the moment. Everything starts up and runs as designed, even the shaker flapper (they use two of the same hood solenoids as the 69 Camaro). I am waiting for the body shop to get the front sheet metal done before I bring the rest of the car down. Don't mind the damaged shaker, That is the original one the previous owner drove over when he was putting the fire out. I have a mint replacment waiting for paint.

I just dropped off the original honeycomb wheels at the media blaster today to get the several layers of incorrect silver paint off of them. I'll update when they come back.

DarrenX33 · #**204** 08-01-2006, 04:52 AM

Looks great slacker.

**Xplantdad** · #**205** 08-01-2006, 05:15 AM

Yep...Darren's right. It looks great.

This is like having a continuing magazine article...I can't wait to see the finished product.

**MosportGreen66** · #**206** 08-01-2006, 05:25 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Looks great slacker.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wish I could restore as well as you slack...

**firstgenaddict** · #**207** 08-01-2006, 06:09 AM

Wow you are doing a heck of a job on that T/A... it looks very

Do you hire out?

**njsteve** · #**208** 08-04-2006, 05:16 AM

I sent out the original honeycomb wheels to be media blasted to get them ready for refinishing. The Honeycomb wheel was a rather innovative design for the time: they used a molded urethane face on a stamped steel wheel.

I ended up using the same media blasting facility as in this article. They were actually pretty close to me here in Jersey. http://www.goatsgarage.com/huny1.html

They had them done in three days. Awesome job. They stripped off about four or five layers of crappy silver paint and this was the result. Now I can refinish them with that $40 a can OEM honeycomb paint. Ouch!

Here they are sitting out in the 103 degree New Jersey heat. I washed them off and the water literally turned to steam as I watched. Gotta love that global warming.

**njsteve** · #**209** 08-05-2006, 03:15 AM

Here is a honeycomb wheel after priming with the OEM flexible primer. I sprayed the rest of the rim (sides and back) with a Rustoleum grey that was very close to the original. I searched various auto parts stores and eventually found the correct flexible bumper repair kit. I found this at a Napa store. They pulled it off of a back shelf and blew the dust off the box. It looks like 1980s vintage packaging but it worked fine. A couple of the rims had factory moding flaws and air pockets that needed to be filled. Also three of the rims had edges that were not fully molded to the rim from the factory. I ended up just gooping it on my finger and spreading it by hand on the edges, kinda like doing bathtub caulking.

**njsteve** · #**210** 08-06-2006, 05:22 AM

Here's the finished product. The OEM Honeycomb wheel paint actually goes a long way. I painted all five wheels with one can! I bought three. I ended up using a second can just to get a heavy coat on the wheels but the finish didnt change much with the extra paint. Good stuff, if you follow the directions and spray it from 8 to 10 inches away, it leaves a dry textured finish with lots of metallic sparkles. After painting them in the driveway I walked inside and the wife asks me "Where the heck have you been, the disco?" I was covered in the sparkly overspray, looking like I just came back from a hard night at Studio 54, circa 1977.

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