72 TA : New Project - Page 75

**njsteve** · #**741** 07-02-2009, 04:32 AM

Got the rest of the interior in at last. Now that the console is installed, even the AM/FM/8-track works!

I finally got to sit behind the wheel in the actual driver's seat. Haven't done that since November 2004.

Tomorrow it's time for the door frame and window weatherstripping...

Jeff H · #**742** 07-02-2009, 06:04 AM

Looking good Steve. The shop should be jumping back on my JL8 car next week. I can't wait to see my car painted Hugger Orange once again. I'll be looking for some missing parts soon as well.

**njsteve** · #**743** 07-02-2009, 10:38 PM

Look what the UPS man brought today! Awesome help by DDMRK who provided the lower steering column and center duct for the A/C system. I can't thank you enough. That's what makes posting all this insane saga worthwhile - meeting fellow enthusiasts who will go out of their way to help a fellow crazy person in need.

And here it is installed. I compared the ducts to the ones on my Grandma's 75 Firebird that she bought new and we still have. The only difference I could see was that there were two mounting screws holding the column duct to the center duct on the ducts from DDMRK and one mounting screw on Grandma's '75. I also noticed that the 75's ducts had some nice sloppily applied black duct tape at the joints, so I sloppily applied it on my car, too - a family tradition, I guess!

Oh, and before I forget, a couple people have asked for a shot of the 1972 shaker hood switch and bracket. You can see it here, attached to the gas pedal. Both the four-speed and automatic cars used the Turbo 400 kickdown switch to activate the shaker. On the automatic cars, the switch operates both the trans kickdown and the shaker; on the stick cars it only activates the shaker solenoids. The pink wire goes to the fuse box and the orange wire extends through a hole in the firewall and has a female receptacle that mates with the male end (OK, we're getting a bit R-rated here) in the bottom of the shaker unit, thus completing the circuit when you stomp the gas pedal. This eliminated the bracketry, wiring and plunger switch mounted on the carb in '70 and '71.

**njsteve** · #**744** 07-03-2009, 02:32 AM

It's been a good day! One of the site members at the Performance Years website where I have been dual-posting this thread just personally delivered the door handle link I needed, while driving around in his 73 SD455. He said he was looking for an excuse to take his car out. Now that's a special delivery!

**mockingbird812** · #**745** 07-03-2009, 02:51 AM

Nice! Car is looking gr8 Mac!!

**Xplantdad** · #**746** 07-03-2009, 04:44 AM

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

**kwhizz** · #**747** 07-03-2009, 05:25 AM

Steve...........Great Job and Attention to "Detail"

....Someone is having Fun Now....LOL

Ken

**njsteve** · #**748** 07-03-2009, 05:54 AM

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** · #**749** 07-03-2009, 05:59 AM

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** · #**750** 07-05-2009, 04:34 AM

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.

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