A long way has come since the last (first) update.

As a recap, Lady was in great cosmetic shape when I got her, inside & out. However, there were lots of hidden flaws, rust, and small mechanical issues. Her cowl was repainted, along with under the hood and the deteriorated areas under the battery and evap canister. The dash was cleaned up a bit and the stereo & power antenna were repaired and hooked up correctly with a custom wiring harness. At that time I added the repro Rally Pac, switched 12V outlet in the glove box, alarm feeds, and a G-body warning chime for key-in, lights on, etc (the old buzzer can still be hooked up instead for show). Other little bits and pieces were added and changed as well. The trunk was completed almost to factory standards, as well as the glove box.

The more recent work was dedicated to the doors and rear quarters. The left door and quarter were first, then the right door and quarter. All were disassembled (except from the window regulators) and washed out thoroughly – the amount of crap removed from them was amazing. The inner doors and quarters all got two coats of POR15 and then reassembled. A couple of rust holes were patched. The following were replaced: both door handle mechanisms, all window felts (except the door inners that were okay), all rubber weatherstrip, gaskets, bumpers, and seals, lock **** grommets, and watershields. All mechanisms were well lubricated. Glass was adjusted where needed.
Since the inner trim panels were still in pretty good shape, I opted to keep them and their small flaws in order to keep more originality in the car. A good cleaning was all they really needed.
In the reassembly process I added power door locks with all used parts from that era that I reconditioned and modified to fit. I almost had power windows put in also, but when I got the kit from OPG, I could not figure out how to mount the door units. OPG did not know either, so they paid the return shipping. I later found out what holes were to be used but it was too late – the doors were done! A simple picture with the kit would have been all I needed. (Perhaps a bit more time to figure it out on my own would have worked, too…)
A Clifford Matrix 12.5 alarm system with radar sensor was installed to help give some theft deterrent. I installed it invisibly almost, and had it control the horn, not the goofy 6-tone siren. The keyless entry is a nice addition. In Dallas, every bit of security helps.
Lastly, the front fenders were pulled loose at the bottoms and lots of debris was emptied. Rust was treated with POR15 until the fenders can be replaced.

Cooling system replacement is next. Since the carpet and seats look so bad in comparison with the door and quarter panels, I think they will be done this summer. A/C restoration and suspension restoration will be next year.

See the whole photo story at www.flickr.com/photos/robsalbum/sets and click “restoration of Lady”. I included only a fraction of the pictures and writeup of the long procedure. I hope to publish the whole story after I am done…

This has been a long tedious project, but the results are very satisfying. It feels great when I can massage life back into the dying and be rewarded by it also. Biggest complaint?? I still wish I had made the garage bigger back when I had the house built. I envy you guys who have a big shop and even a lift to boot! And now if repro parts would actually fit and work just like the originals… Wait - I do not even want to get on that topic……

Enjoy!

 

Very nice! You have done a lot of work my friend. I watched the whole slideshow and think it would make a great presentation with captions and all, as you plan to do. I thought of so many smart alek remarks while watching the show and reading your post like "What no bullet proof, auto shading glass?" or "I can find a better use for those liquor bottles than weighing down a panel".

 

Thanks Dan...

Yea, I try to find humor in all this also, even when she clawed my arms all up with that sharp metal. People at work asked what happened to me... I told them I was learning to cook and had trouble with the cheese grater; I walked off leaving them in deep thought.
So far I have 15 page journal of Lady's progress far and I have some funny stuff in that one. I need to find a place to post it.

I did not get the bullet proof glass comment, but I do know for a FACT that it was hard to find enough liquor bottles that were full enough to provide any weight - most were empty or close to empty...
That was when I resorted to the batteries...

 

Well, I meant that you had done everything else to restore those doors that would be about all that would be left was to replace the glass with something outlandish like that.

 

Hmmm... I like that! I will save that idea for next time, when the power wind'ers DO get installed!!

 

Rob,

Are you hooked up with the North Texas Oldsmobile Club? Good folks up there!

C.J.

 

I am not yet with the NTOC, but it IS on my list of things to do!
Hopefully it will be very soon. I have been swamped lately...

-Rob