Took ownership of my father's '65 Cutlass Conv.
April 16th, 2018, 07:17 AM
#1
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
Took ownership of my father's '65 Cutlass Conv.
The year was 1991, I was an 11 yr old boy who loved anything with wheels. Trains, bikes, scooters, you name it, I was obsessed with it. My father was a social worker and my mother a substitute teacher. My brother was 14 and for all intents and purposes, he doesn't matter much to this story 
. It was around the end of June and my mother and father called us into the living for a "family meeting", which to this day I only remember happening twice, this event and when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. The topic was "Your mother's going to get her driver's license". Yes, my mother who was 43 at the time never had her license. She never drove, had no real desire to drive I thought, and this was normal. Well she decided to go to work full time and hence needed transportation. What this really all meant though was it was car shopping time!
With the family income being low and my father's commute was a lovely 3 miles round trip he could pretty much pick up any beater and make it work. He was / is a pretty handy guy when it comes to cars, used to tinker with an old Mustang in his 20's, rebuilt the heads on his brother's C3 Corvette, etc. Certainly no stranger to points and carbs, in fact he still prefers that to this day. He wanted a classic. Originally he was shooting for another Mustang (my mother's father killed his while borrowing it one day) but similar to today, the good ones were over priced and the more budget oriented ones were rust buckets. Then one day he came home and said he found it, a 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible for $1500. "Wait, that's not a Mustang!". There's a little more to the backstory here.
In the summer of 1965 my father and his immediate family were vacationing down the shore. My grandfather was going to meet them Friday afternoon, the rest of the family spent the week there. He pulls up in a gift for my grandmother, a brand new 1965 Cutlass Convertible. Dark blue with a white top, an ultra-high compression 330 V8 with 315 hp, and a 2 speed automatic. They only owned the car for a couple years but from the stories I keep hearing from my grandmother, she LOVED that car. Every time she sees the Cutlass she tells me about how great the heater was and as long as the sun was out that top was down. Her poor sons would freeze in the back seat in the middle of winter just so my grandmother could get some sunshine. Here's an old picture we found while going through my grandfather's stash:
Just for a second, give that scenario a thought. In 1965 the Cutlass wasn't exactly the top choice for cars. It wasn't the 442, it wasn't a pony car, it wasn't something completely luxurious, it was a Cutlass. Similar to what a 2 door Honda Accord would be in today's age. No one specifically cared for them. They were really nothing more than "regular cars". Anyway, back to 1991.
On a hot sunny Saturday afternoon my father took my brother, our neighbor's son and me to go take a look at this heap. One of the doors was from a '64 and was in primer (trim holes on the top body line, not on the bottom of the door), rusty rear quarters, paint flaking off the hood, it had lambs wool seat covers and a hard time starting. Nonetheless we all piled into the car, put the top down and went for a test drive. This was the first time I road in a convertible, and probably the first time in a v8. Compared to our '85 K car this thing moved! The 3 of us in the back seat were smiles from ear to ear. We were sold. My father worked out a deal, the '65 convertible plus a '65 2 door hardtop parts car for the price of $1200. If I remember correctly he paid for it in change that he was saving up for years. A few days later and the car came home (along with the parts car that my father absolutely hated!). Here's a picture of me sitting behind the wheel after it's first wash:
What isn't pictured was the parts car it came with. My father handed me a box of tools and just said "take it apart". If I had to pick a single moment that started my car obsession, it was that. For 2 weeks we wrenched on that thing removing fenders, trim, doors, seats, when the dragged it away it was a frame, an engine block and a bare shell.
The stories I have with this car are enough to publish a book out of. I won't bore you all here with them but one might pop up from time to time.
After my mother passed away in 1999 my father decided to do something nice for himself (he truly deserved it!) and bought a 1964 Corvette Convertible. It was all original, 77k miles, beautiful car. He never drove it. He was always worried about, any damage to the body and it would lose value. I kept telling him to sell it and buy something he could enjoy. Fast forward to around this time last year, he finally saw the light. I sold the Corvette for him and he picked up his dream car, a 1963 Buick Riviera in black over white interior. (It is such a beautiful design and if you don't know much about it, look it up. The car design itself has an interesting story behind it.) He decided he no longer had time for the Oldsmobile and wanted to pass it on to me and watch me enjoy it while he could.
The car has been with my father for the last 27 years. It has had the interior redone, top replaced, engine rebuilt, suspension redone, painted...and all with change. Every major system has been refreshed except electrical. But as old cars do, it has deteriorated over time. Rust is starting to show again in the usual places, it could use a new top, transmission could use some work, etc.
It is now my time to continue on with this car. I've started this thread to start documenting the preservation of it. This will not be a restomod (not yet at least), it will not win any shows, and I don't plan on taking it to Barrett Jackson. All I'm looking to do is have it around for my daughter to take to the prom (if she wants) and for my family to just cruise in.
Here's how she was delivered to me this past weekend. First priority is wheels and tires (on order) and a good cleaning. I'll have to plan for some body work in the near future and there's some rust on the frame that I need to solve (might end up with a frame off at some point).
I am honestly overwhelmed with emotion. I'm just hoping I can keep this thing on the road for the next 50 years.
. It was around the end of June and my mother and father called us into the living for a "family meeting", which to this day I only remember happening twice, this event and when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. The topic was "Your mother's going to get her driver's license". Yes, my mother who was 43 at the time never had her license. She never drove, had no real desire to drive I thought, and this was normal. Well she decided to go to work full time and hence needed transportation. What this really all meant though was it was car shopping time!With the family income being low and my father's commute was a lovely 3 miles round trip he could pretty much pick up any beater and make it work. He was / is a pretty handy guy when it comes to cars, used to tinker with an old Mustang in his 20's, rebuilt the heads on his brother's C3 Corvette, etc. Certainly no stranger to points and carbs, in fact he still prefers that to this day. He wanted a classic. Originally he was shooting for another Mustang (my mother's father killed his while borrowing it one day) but similar to today, the good ones were over priced and the more budget oriented ones were rust buckets. Then one day he came home and said he found it, a 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible for $1500. "Wait, that's not a Mustang!". There's a little more to the backstory here.
In the summer of 1965 my father and his immediate family were vacationing down the shore. My grandfather was going to meet them Friday afternoon, the rest of the family spent the week there. He pulls up in a gift for my grandmother, a brand new 1965 Cutlass Convertible. Dark blue with a white top, an ultra-high compression 330 V8 with 315 hp, and a 2 speed automatic. They only owned the car for a couple years but from the stories I keep hearing from my grandmother, she LOVED that car. Every time she sees the Cutlass she tells me about how great the heater was and as long as the sun was out that top was down. Her poor sons would freeze in the back seat in the middle of winter just so my grandmother could get some sunshine. Here's an old picture we found while going through my grandfather's stash:
Just for a second, give that scenario a thought. In 1965 the Cutlass wasn't exactly the top choice for cars. It wasn't the 442, it wasn't a pony car, it wasn't something completely luxurious, it was a Cutlass. Similar to what a 2 door Honda Accord would be in today's age. No one specifically cared for them. They were really nothing more than "regular cars". Anyway, back to 1991.
On a hot sunny Saturday afternoon my father took my brother, our neighbor's son and me to go take a look at this heap. One of the doors was from a '64 and was in primer (trim holes on the top body line, not on the bottom of the door), rusty rear quarters, paint flaking off the hood, it had lambs wool seat covers and a hard time starting. Nonetheless we all piled into the car, put the top down and went for a test drive. This was the first time I road in a convertible, and probably the first time in a v8. Compared to our '85 K car this thing moved! The 3 of us in the back seat were smiles from ear to ear. We were sold. My father worked out a deal, the '65 convertible plus a '65 2 door hardtop parts car for the price of $1200. If I remember correctly he paid for it in change that he was saving up for years. A few days later and the car came home (along with the parts car that my father absolutely hated!). Here's a picture of me sitting behind the wheel after it's first wash:
What isn't pictured was the parts car it came with. My father handed me a box of tools and just said "take it apart". If I had to pick a single moment that started my car obsession, it was that. For 2 weeks we wrenched on that thing removing fenders, trim, doors, seats, when the dragged it away it was a frame, an engine block and a bare shell.
The stories I have with this car are enough to publish a book out of. I won't bore you all here with them but one might pop up from time to time.
After my mother passed away in 1999 my father decided to do something nice for himself (he truly deserved it!) and bought a 1964 Corvette Convertible. It was all original, 77k miles, beautiful car. He never drove it. He was always worried about, any damage to the body and it would lose value. I kept telling him to sell it and buy something he could enjoy. Fast forward to around this time last year, he finally saw the light. I sold the Corvette for him and he picked up his dream car, a 1963 Buick Riviera in black over white interior. (It is such a beautiful design and if you don't know much about it, look it up. The car design itself has an interesting story behind it.) He decided he no longer had time for the Oldsmobile and wanted to pass it on to me and watch me enjoy it while he could.
The car has been with my father for the last 27 years. It has had the interior redone, top replaced, engine rebuilt, suspension redone, painted...and all with change. Every major system has been refreshed except electrical. But as old cars do, it has deteriorated over time. Rust is starting to show again in the usual places, it could use a new top, transmission could use some work, etc.
It is now my time to continue on with this car. I've started this thread to start documenting the preservation of it. This will not be a restomod (not yet at least), it will not win any shows, and I don't plan on taking it to Barrett Jackson. All I'm looking to do is have it around for my daughter to take to the prom (if she wants) and for my family to just cruise in.
Here's how she was delivered to me this past weekend. First priority is wheels and tires (on order) and a good cleaning. I'll have to plan for some body work in the near future and there's some rust on the frame that I need to solve (might end up with a frame off at some point).
I am honestly overwhelmed with emotion. I'm just hoping I can keep this thing on the road for the next 50 years.
April 16th, 2018, 09:43 AM
#7
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Location: Medford, Oregon
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What a cool story, and history on your car! I've got several 1964's as do others here so as things progress let us know if any hiccups appear. If you have time it would be fun to document your work in the major build thread. Even if you don't go the full frame off, we would all enjoy watching the work you do to it.
John
John
April 16th, 2018, 10:17 AM
#8
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
Thanks for all the kind words. I am in the final stages of upgrading my track car (supercharged Miata) but once it's done I'll get to work.
No AC, had some problems overheating. I'm thinking about upgrading to an aluminum radiator and e-fan instead of the puller mounted to the water pump.
No AC, had some problems overheating. I'm thinking about upgrading to an aluminum radiator and e-fan instead of the puller mounted to the water pump.
April 16th, 2018, 03:40 PM
#10
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Rowlett, TX
Posts: 9,934
That really is a great story and a very special car for you. Keep us posted as you progress. As you have already witnessed, there are lost of people here with lots of knowledge that are glad to help. I did notice the house turned around in the first two photos.
February 13th, 2019, 12:53 PM
#13
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Join Date: Oct 2012
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I've been posting updates on another forum, figured I'd share them here,
It's been a long couple months. I ordered new wheels and tires for the Olds way back in February from Coker Tire. I was going to go with Oldsmobile SSI's, they were an option on the '66, no real good looking wheels for the '65 model year. Coker said they were back ordered and should be in by April. No big deal, it's cold. Right? Well April turned to June quickly and the sales rep even said "Good luck, I wouldn't really expect them until the end of the year.". Ok then...
Next stop was Wheel Vintiques, turns out they make the wheels for Coker. Coker buys in bulk. They only make an order when there's demand with a few extra sets built in. I was quoted 4-6 weeks from WV, not bad. They should be here mid-May. I call them up after 5 weeks to ask for a status update and was reminded of the 4-6 week build time. My response, "Great. They'll be ready in a couple days then". To which I got this response, "Oh, no sir. We don't work on the weekends. We still have 3 more weeks left to deliver your wheels.". Tell me how that makes any sense. The guy was basically telling me it takes them 28-42 working days, not 4-6 weeks of elapsed time. Why don't they just then say 6-8 weeks build time?
So I headed over to Summit, ordered a set of American Racing Torque Thrust Vintage wheels with grey centers in 15x7 and 15x8. Still a good vintage look, "ok" backspacing though I would have liked it to be a little different, and a bonus of an aluminum wheel vs. the steel chrome wheels i originally planned. These should be lower maintenance, a bit lighter, and I don't run the risk of rusty or pitted chrome.
I got the car registered yesterday, mounted the new wheels, and took it for a spin around the block. God did I miss the sound of a cammed V8. I can't wait to start driving this thing. The wheels made a huge difference in looks. I absolutely love it!
As it turns out this car has been in at least since the early 80's. In the mid-90's one of the local towns started a cruise night once a month. We met a guy who owned the car in '83-'84 as a college student. He explained all the little dents he added to it and even showed us some sticker outlines on the bumpers. He still lives in town and has reconnected with me. I'm hoping to get some pictures from him. He's now a certified Oldsmobile nut.
It's been a long couple months. I ordered new wheels and tires for the Olds way back in February from Coker Tire. I was going to go with Oldsmobile SSI's, they were an option on the '66, no real good looking wheels for the '65 model year. Coker said they were back ordered and should be in by April. No big deal, it's cold. Right? Well April turned to June quickly and the sales rep even said "Good luck, I wouldn't really expect them until the end of the year.". Ok then...
Next stop was Wheel Vintiques, turns out they make the wheels for Coker. Coker buys in bulk. They only make an order when there's demand with a few extra sets built in. I was quoted 4-6 weeks from WV, not bad. They should be here mid-May. I call them up after 5 weeks to ask for a status update and was reminded of the 4-6 week build time. My response, "Great. They'll be ready in a couple days then". To which I got this response, "Oh, no sir. We don't work on the weekends. We still have 3 more weeks left to deliver your wheels.". Tell me how that makes any sense. The guy was basically telling me it takes them 28-42 working days, not 4-6 weeks of elapsed time. Why don't they just then say 6-8 weeks build time?
So I headed over to Summit, ordered a set of American Racing Torque Thrust Vintage wheels with grey centers in 15x7 and 15x8. Still a good vintage look, "ok" backspacing though I would have liked it to be a little different, and a bonus of an aluminum wheel vs. the steel chrome wheels i originally planned. These should be lower maintenance, a bit lighter, and I don't run the risk of rusty or pitted chrome.
I got the car registered yesterday, mounted the new wheels, and took it for a spin around the block. God did I miss the sound of a cammed V8. I can't wait to start driving this thing. The wheels made a huge difference in looks. I absolutely love it!
As it turns out this car has been in at least since the early 80's. In the mid-90's one of the local towns started a cruise night once a month. We met a guy who owned the car in '83-'84 as a college student. He explained all the little dents he added to it and even showed us some sticker outlines on the bumpers. He still lives in town and has reconnected with me. I'm hoping to get some pictures from him. He's now a certified Oldsmobile nut.
February 13th, 2019, 12:54 PM
#14
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
This post was from 6/18/18
Work on the car has been slow, had an incident with someone entering my Jeep in the middle of the day, thinking he was looking for the key fob to steal the car. Ended up injuring my knee while trying to be a hero which slowed down work on the Miata which is now occupying the garage. I digress....
The Torq Thrust wheels didn't quite work out. There's an issue on the passenger side where the spring isn't seated correctly which effects the ride height. It's enough of an issue that the passenger tire was rubbing on any left hand turns. The SSI wheels I originally ordered and cancelled (or so I thought) made their way to my house a few weeks ago, I decided to give them a shot. Wheel Vintiques did a nice job, the chrome looks good, paint was done well and the welds on the wheels look good. The quality of these I think are great.
I got home from work early on Friday so I ended up cleaning the top, washing the car and giving it a layer of wax. It desperately needs to be buffed but I'll wait for the garage to be free before I do that.
I also gave my 3 year old daughter her first ride in a convertible. I don't think she was impressed. It felt good driving her to my father's for the big father's day bbq.
Next up is to try and clean up the engine bay a bit, new valve covers (the aftermarket chrome ones tend to leak) and rewire the aftermarket gauges (water temp, oil pressure) so that they turn off when the car is off.
Some pics from the weekend...god I love this car.
Friday morning started out like this:
Then the afternoon brought this:
And then Saturday shaped up to be gorgeous:
Work on the car has been slow, had an incident with someone entering my Jeep in the middle of the day, thinking he was looking for the key fob to steal the car. Ended up injuring my knee while trying to be a hero which slowed down work on the Miata which is now occupying the garage. I digress....
The Torq Thrust wheels didn't quite work out. There's an issue on the passenger side where the spring isn't seated correctly which effects the ride height. It's enough of an issue that the passenger tire was rubbing on any left hand turns. The SSI wheels I originally ordered and cancelled (or so I thought) made their way to my house a few weeks ago, I decided to give them a shot. Wheel Vintiques did a nice job, the chrome looks good, paint was done well and the welds on the wheels look good. The quality of these I think are great.
I got home from work early on Friday so I ended up cleaning the top, washing the car and giving it a layer of wax. It desperately needs to be buffed but I'll wait for the garage to be free before I do that.
I also gave my 3 year old daughter her first ride in a convertible. I don't think she was impressed. It felt good driving her to my father's for the big father's day bbq.
Next up is to try and clean up the engine bay a bit, new valve covers (the aftermarket chrome ones tend to leak) and rewire the aftermarket gauges (water temp, oil pressure) so that they turn off when the car is off.
Some pics from the weekend...god I love this car.
Friday morning started out like this:
Then the afternoon brought this:
And then Saturday shaped up to be gorgeous:
February 13th, 2019, 12:55 PM
#15
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
Then another on 8/20:
Haven't made a ton of progress on the old girl, other competing projects in the way. It also doesn't help it barely fits in the garage, no room to walk around the front or back to wrench on it.
The biggest update I have is I found a donor frame! As I mentioned earlier there are some frame rot issues. In the 60's the hardtop A-body frames were mostly C channel but in order to stiffen up the chassis for the convertibles they boxed in the frame. between the front and rear wheel the frame basically looks like this [> with the bottom being flat. Over time it fills up with dirt which then traps moisture and then creates rust. There's probably a spot a foot long in front of the trans crossmember and another foot in front of the rear wheel that is rusted through at the inner point where all that collects. After looking at it over the weekend it's worse than I thought. I knew eventually it would need a replacement frame, just didn't know when.
I was cruising Facebook one afternoon and there was a guy trying to sell a '64 Cutlass convertible project car. It was his father's, he passed away and the son was selling the project. The car had a lot of good parts on it including a nicely built motor, good suspension, brakes, rear end, etc. but I really wasn't interested in any of it. I told him if he decided to part I'd take the frame if it was in good shape. A week or so went buy and he calls to tell me he'd sell me the frame. He tells me the story of the car and mentions at one point the frame was sand blasted and powder coated. I was sold, I had no idea what I was going to do with it but hey, it's very rare to find the right frame less than 2 hours away from my house so I snatched it up.
The car guys here in my office tend to gravitate towards each other, one of them does restorations on the side and he's now retiring from his day job. I mentioned the project to him and we somehow decided he'd do the work for me starting in January. I'm unsure yet what my involvement will be. If I had it my way I'd have them separate the body from the chassis, do a full restore on the body including new floors, body work and paint. I'd take the chassis home, swap the parts over to the new frame, and return it to the shop to remount the body. Now that all means I have time to do this and the weather cooperates. I'll update this thread as it goes.
Here's a picture of her in the parking deck today. She photographs so well it's comical.
And here's the Riviera that stole my dad's heart and has consumed him ever since.
Haven't made a ton of progress on the old girl, other competing projects in the way. It also doesn't help it barely fits in the garage, no room to walk around the front or back to wrench on it.
The biggest update I have is I found a donor frame! As I mentioned earlier there are some frame rot issues. In the 60's the hardtop A-body frames were mostly C channel but in order to stiffen up the chassis for the convertibles they boxed in the frame. between the front and rear wheel the frame basically looks like this [> with the bottom being flat. Over time it fills up with dirt which then traps moisture and then creates rust. There's probably a spot a foot long in front of the trans crossmember and another foot in front of the rear wheel that is rusted through at the inner point where all that collects. After looking at it over the weekend it's worse than I thought. I knew eventually it would need a replacement frame, just didn't know when.
I was cruising Facebook one afternoon and there was a guy trying to sell a '64 Cutlass convertible project car. It was his father's, he passed away and the son was selling the project. The car had a lot of good parts on it including a nicely built motor, good suspension, brakes, rear end, etc. but I really wasn't interested in any of it. I told him if he decided to part I'd take the frame if it was in good shape. A week or so went buy and he calls to tell me he'd sell me the frame. He tells me the story of the car and mentions at one point the frame was sand blasted and powder coated. I was sold, I had no idea what I was going to do with it but hey, it's very rare to find the right frame less than 2 hours away from my house so I snatched it up.
The car guys here in my office tend to gravitate towards each other, one of them does restorations on the side and he's now retiring from his day job. I mentioned the project to him and we somehow decided he'd do the work for me starting in January. I'm unsure yet what my involvement will be. If I had it my way I'd have them separate the body from the chassis, do a full restore on the body including new floors, body work and paint. I'd take the chassis home, swap the parts over to the new frame, and return it to the shop to remount the body. Now that all means I have time to do this and the weather cooperates. I'll update this thread as it goes.
Here's a picture of her in the parking deck today. She photographs so well it's comical.
And here's the Riviera that stole my dad's heart and has consumed him ever since.
February 13th, 2019, 12:56 PM
#16
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
Day after Thanksgiving 2018:
The Thanksgiving break was extremely productive on the car front for me. Wednesday I was able to pull the motor from the Miata (see other thread) and Friday the guy who is supposed to work on the Olds came up to grab it plus other parts we had lying around.
I work for a medium sized biotech company within the IT department. As I'm sure you're all aware, us car people tend to find each other fairly quickly. There's a guy I've worked along side of for 5-6 years that tinkers with cars on the side. He and his buddies have a nice big building with a paint booth, rotisserie, etc. and generally buy, restore and sell classics. As of last Wednesday he is now "retired". A few months back I asked him if he would be willing to take on the task of doing the frame swap and fixing rust on the body, he told me yes but not I had to wait. He's got another project being completed right now, should be done by the end of the year. He'll then start tearing into the Olds and making it right.
On Friday he came up with his truck, we loaded the Olds onto his trailer and headed to my father's house to get the parts hoard he had stashed in the shed. Fenders, doors, hood, trunk, inner fenders, rear quarters, trim pieces, taillight lenses, axles, it's all accounted for and ready to be put to use.
I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for this next step. As I said previously, I really do love this car. It's got so many memories attached to it, and I still have so many more I want to create. I can also now say that my father shares the same feelings. As we were saying our goodbyes to the restoration guy I could see him staring at the car as you would look at a loved one before surgery. He climbed onto the trailer, took another look inside, patted the car as if to wish it good luck, and then just took a step back. I keep teasing him that when the car is done it's going to win best in show and put his Riviera in the shadows but, the truth is we both just want to ride into a show together and spend the day enjoying the cars and our family, just as it had started this way 27 years ago.
Enough with the mushy stuff. I've rambled on and on about how the frame is a pile of rust and is unsafe (but yet I drove it anyway!). I was able to easily snap some pictures while it was being loaded on the trailer, here's some proof. My father was shocked when I showed him these.
This is hard to make out but you can see the rust in the shadows and the missing frame piece:
Nice hole on the driver's side:
And another one on the passenger side:
The Thanksgiving break was extremely productive on the car front for me. Wednesday I was able to pull the motor from the Miata (see other thread) and Friday the guy who is supposed to work on the Olds came up to grab it plus other parts we had lying around.
I work for a medium sized biotech company within the IT department. As I'm sure you're all aware, us car people tend to find each other fairly quickly. There's a guy I've worked along side of for 5-6 years that tinkers with cars on the side. He and his buddies have a nice big building with a paint booth, rotisserie, etc. and generally buy, restore and sell classics. As of last Wednesday he is now "retired". A few months back I asked him if he would be willing to take on the task of doing the frame swap and fixing rust on the body, he told me yes but not I had to wait. He's got another project being completed right now, should be done by the end of the year. He'll then start tearing into the Olds and making it right.
On Friday he came up with his truck, we loaded the Olds onto his trailer and headed to my father's house to get the parts hoard he had stashed in the shed. Fenders, doors, hood, trunk, inner fenders, rear quarters, trim pieces, taillight lenses, axles, it's all accounted for and ready to be put to use.
I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for this next step. As I said previously, I really do love this car. It's got so many memories attached to it, and I still have so many more I want to create. I can also now say that my father shares the same feelings. As we were saying our goodbyes to the restoration guy I could see him staring at the car as you would look at a loved one before surgery. He climbed onto the trailer, took another look inside, patted the car as if to wish it good luck, and then just took a step back. I keep teasing him that when the car is done it's going to win best in show and put his Riviera in the shadows but, the truth is we both just want to ride into a show together and spend the day enjoying the cars and our family, just as it had started this way 27 years ago.
Enough with the mushy stuff. I've rambled on and on about how the frame is a pile of rust and is unsafe (but yet I drove it anyway!). I was able to easily snap some pictures while it was being loaded on the trailer, here's some proof. My father was shocked when I showed him these.
This is hard to make out but you can see the rust in the shadows and the missing frame piece:
Nice hole on the driver's side:
And another one on the passenger side:
February 13th, 2019, 12:57 PM
#17
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
And then this post from earlier today:
It's been a while since my last update, lots have happened, and lots haven't happened. :laugh:
The restoration guy was finishing up a black C3 to put up for sale when he spotted some fish eyes in the paint. The car had to be stripped down and repainted which occupied the shop for the majority of December and January. Once they had room however, the work began and happened quickly. I received a bunch of pictures from Mike over the past couple weeks, some have me scratching my head "What the hell part is that?" and some had me just in awe. You'll see below what I mean.
The state of the car is as follows:
- It needs a new floor, completely. Lots of old patches that were riveted on. At some point a partial floor was done, and done poorly.
- Trunk floor needs to be replaced primarily due to the body mounts totally disintegrating.
- Quarter panel repair can / will use the panels we've had sitting around for a while (big save on $$$)
- I will need new bumpers, these are not repairable
- The frame is TOAST!!! But we knew that.
The good news is it all seems very repairable. I can't wait to drive it again, with how the frame was it's going to feel so much stiffer.
On to the pics, I'll try and explain what you're looking at.
This is the rear body mount that connects the frame to the trunk floor, 54 years of NJ roads.
Floors didn't look too bad at first glance but, underneath it all needed some serious help:
some patches found, mostly riveted in:
And joys with body rust:
Front bow on the top, we knew there was rust here but didn't realize how bad it was:
This is the bottom of the radiator support. Can't find these any place, they're going to restore this one:
I then got these pictures yesterday. "3 out of 10 bolts came out easy, the rest broke or needed to be burned out."
Notice the nice big long "patch" on the frame? yea..... :sly:
And my favorite one of them all:
If you look at the above pictures you'll find various sized rust holes, scale, and what looks like paper thin metal. I can't believe this car has survived this long. I really don't know what was holding it together. The silver lining in all this is all the money I'm spending to get this done will be well worth it. I'm not replacing a mediocre part, this thing is shot. Probably has been this bad for at least the past decade. Makes me cringe to think I had my 3 year old in the car with me.
I'm now on the search for good, restoreable trim and original bumpers. If anyone knows of any junkyards or people that may have these pieces, let me know!
It's been a while since my last update, lots have happened, and lots haven't happened. :laugh:
The restoration guy was finishing up a black C3 to put up for sale when he spotted some fish eyes in the paint. The car had to be stripped down and repainted which occupied the shop for the majority of December and January. Once they had room however, the work began and happened quickly. I received a bunch of pictures from Mike over the past couple weeks, some have me scratching my head "What the hell part is that?" and some had me just in awe. You'll see below what I mean.
The state of the car is as follows:
- It needs a new floor, completely. Lots of old patches that were riveted on. At some point a partial floor was done, and done poorly.
- Trunk floor needs to be replaced primarily due to the body mounts totally disintegrating.
- Quarter panel repair can / will use the panels we've had sitting around for a while (big save on $$$)
- I will need new bumpers, these are not repairable
- The frame is TOAST!!! But we knew that.
The good news is it all seems very repairable. I can't wait to drive it again, with how the frame was it's going to feel so much stiffer.
On to the pics, I'll try and explain what you're looking at.
This is the rear body mount that connects the frame to the trunk floor, 54 years of NJ roads.
Floors didn't look too bad at first glance but, underneath it all needed some serious help:
some patches found, mostly riveted in:
And joys with body rust:
Front bow on the top, we knew there was rust here but didn't realize how bad it was:
This is the bottom of the radiator support. Can't find these any place, they're going to restore this one:
I then got these pictures yesterday. "3 out of 10 bolts came out easy, the rest broke or needed to be burned out."
Notice the nice big long "patch" on the frame? yea..... :sly:
And my favorite one of them all:
If you look at the above pictures you'll find various sized rust holes, scale, and what looks like paper thin metal. I can't believe this car has survived this long. I really don't know what was holding it together. The silver lining in all this is all the money I'm spending to get this done will be well worth it. I'm not replacing a mediocre part, this thing is shot. Probably has been this bad for at least the past decade. Makes me cringe to think I had my 3 year old in the car with me.
I'm now on the search for good, restoreable trim and original bumpers. If anyone knows of any junkyards or people that may have these pieces, let me know!
February 13th, 2019, 01:23 PM
#18
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
In recent years I've really enjoyed the format of Cars and Coffee (Cars and Croissants here). I was / am into European cars and that's generally what comes to our C&C. I always thought it would be nice to bring some classic American cars. I tried to get my father to take his Corvette a few times but he was fairly hesitant to drive it. As I mentioned earlier in this thread he LOVES his Buick and drives it frequently, sometimes for no reason at all. I figured that once I got the Olds we could run up to one together.
At some point mid-summer I talked my father into taking a drive with me. It was about a 45 minute drive, all backroads on a Sunday morning. Great cruising weather for 2 old floaty American cars to enjoy some scenery. We pulled into the C&C and people flocked to the Buick, the Olds got almost no love. To be fair the Olds in person leaves something to be desired but, we were both astounded by how many people stopped by the Buick. My father spent a good 15 minutes talking to people about it before I tore him away to walk around the lot. Upon return to the cars there was another hoard of people. It was a cool sight to see.
I really enjoyed that day. The drive was great, the show was great, but really seeing my father interact with my kind of car people, watching him get excited about his car, and really being able to share something I love with him was the best part. I keep telling him that after all the work done on the Olds it's going to challenge his prize for best-in-show. We both know that'll never happen
Here's a picture of us and our cars:
At some point mid-summer I talked my father into taking a drive with me. It was about a 45 minute drive, all backroads on a Sunday morning. Great cruising weather for 2 old floaty American cars to enjoy some scenery. We pulled into the C&C and people flocked to the Buick, the Olds got almost no love. To be fair the Olds in person leaves something to be desired but, we were both astounded by how many people stopped by the Buick. My father spent a good 15 minutes talking to people about it before I tore him away to walk around the lot. Upon return to the cars there was another hoard of people. It was a cool sight to see.
I really enjoyed that day. The drive was great, the show was great, but really seeing my father interact with my kind of car people, watching him get excited about his car, and really being able to share something I love with him was the best part. I keep telling him that after all the work done on the Olds it's going to challenge his prize for best-in-show. We both know that'll never happen
Here's a picture of us and our cars:
February 13th, 2019, 01:42 PM
#19
Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Medford, Oregon
Posts: 13,684
I just read through your recent posts, thank you for sharing the stories. I've got some 1965 Cutlass parts out in Oregon which would be spendy to ship large or heavy items. But I'm sure there's other members here who have parts too. I know I've got a rear bumper that's a good solid core, needs replated but has no rust issues. I may have a core support if you haven't had yours repaired yet. I'd encourage you to create a thread in the parts wanted section listing the items you need. You can probably find them in the SE where they don't salt the roads, but if not drop me a PM or email and I'll see what parts I can provide. Here in Oregon and also California there's still a lot of old iron that's in good shape. We don't salt the roads in the winter so unless its near the coast there's no salt damage. John
February 13th, 2019, 03:07 PM
#22
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
I remember her driving it once, she hated it. Said it was too big.
As a passenger she liked the idea of a convertible but I think a better term to describe how she felt about it was "tolerant". Probably the same can be said about my wife.
As a passenger she liked the idea of a convertible but I think a better term to describe how she felt about it was "tolerant". Probably the same can be said about my wife.
February 14th, 2019, 07:52 AM
#24
Jeff
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Grand Blanc, MI
Posts: 1,027
Until the later posts, my first thoughts were, "This car can't be THAT bad." She was a real 10 or 20 footer, but when you're done, it'll be a different story altogether. It's great that your dad held onto the parts from the parts car all those years, certainly makes the restore cheaper for you.
Keep us updated, I love reading thru these rebuild threads, especially when they have such a personal history to them. You (or one of the admins) might consider moving this thread from General Discussion to Major Builds and Projects.
Keep us updated, I love reading thru these rebuild threads, especially when they have such a personal history to them. You (or one of the admins) might consider moving this thread from General Discussion to Major Builds and Projects.
February 14th, 2019, 08:28 AM
#25
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Ranch Ca.
Posts: 7,714
I like your story and can relate a lot with your family closeness and diversity. I do cars and coffee a lot during the winter months( that's the only thing going on) and occasionally I will take the 55 and the Miata at the same time, what a diverse combination of conversations one gets into with those different cars. Fun for me but makes my classic and roadster sports car friends wonder about my sanity. Keep up the good work and the story..... Lost in the fifties ...Tedd
February 14th, 2019, 08:58 AM
#26
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Ft. Wayne, IN
Posts: 1,195
Boy howdy! That is a sharp car, even before it goes in for restoration. Its amazing how a pretty exterior can distract the eyes from the serious structural issues underneath. Good snag on the frame! I think the SSIs were a good choice. I have a co-working restoring a '65 Cutlass 'vert and he too had to get a parts car with a better frame. The engine, suspension and drivetrain is pretty much done, his body is being worked on now.
As long as your daughter continues to like the car as she grows up, you can keep it in the family for another generation. My wife doesn't like the wind when I drop the top on my T/A, but she still gets in for the ride.
As long as your daughter continues to like the car as she grows up, you can keep it in the family for another generation. My wife doesn't like the wind when I drop the top on my T/A, but she still gets in for the ride.
February 14th, 2019, 10:53 AM
#28
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
The chassis was pushed out from under the body last night and I got some more pictures from Mike. What a mess.
But it still looks so good on those wheels!
March 18th, 2019, 11:03 AM
#29
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
I went down to see the Olds this weekend, excited to see some reassembly happen but nervous to see what surgery has to be done on the body.
As we went through the brakes and suspension I decided it was time to do some upgrades. I opted for 1" lowering springs, a beefier roll bar up front, boxed rear trailing arms, tubular uppers and a thick rear bar. We got all new braking components, lines, springs, e-brake cables, etc. Most of it is installed on the new frame. There are a few bits missing which are on order, should be a rolling frame shortly. Engine detailing is next.
The body is a whole different story. The passenger side floor is first, it was cut out, inner rocker is being patched, outer rocker will be replaced. The driver's side is worse, it will need a full outer, inner, and floor. Nothing unheard of for a car this age but much more than I'm comfortable with. The body has been braced to make sure it stays put but it's still scary to me. Once the floors and rockers are done it'll be mounted back onto the frame for body work to start.
I asked when the car would be done and was given a big shrug.
As we went through the brakes and suspension I decided it was time to do some upgrades. I opted for 1" lowering springs, a beefier roll bar up front, boxed rear trailing arms, tubular uppers and a thick rear bar. We got all new braking components, lines, springs, e-brake cables, etc. Most of it is installed on the new frame. There are a few bits missing which are on order, should be a rolling frame shortly. Engine detailing is next.
The body is a whole different story. The passenger side floor is first, it was cut out, inner rocker is being patched, outer rocker will be replaced. The driver's side is worse, it will need a full outer, inner, and floor. Nothing unheard of for a car this age but much more than I'm comfortable with. The body has been braced to make sure it stays put but it's still scary to me. Once the floors and rockers are done it'll be mounted back onto the frame for body work to start.
I asked when the car would be done and was given a big shrug.
May 6th, 2019, 12:35 PM
#30
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
From the end of March
A few weeks ago I went back and forth with Mike about floor supports. They started mocking up the pan install on the passenger side, the did the test fit and held up the support for underneath to find out the support didn't fit. Mike kept telling me he needed the front support but that didn't make sense to me. There are 3 supports on the a-body from this year, front, center and rear. The rear I thought was under the back seat, center was under the front seats and front I thought was basically under your feet. Mike had a different view on the topic, he thought the front was under the front seats, center was under the rear seats and rear was back by the trunk.
After a lengthy debate and some pictures I agreed to to purchase a front and center support for the car. The thought being what he thought was the center support needed a new end as it was rotted out on the passenger side. I figured worst case they'd just chop the end off and graft it in. A week later Mike received the supports, held it up and said he had the same problem. He started poking around under the car and realized all along he was wrong. The part he was trying to replace was indeed the center support, not the front support. The front support on the car was missing. He never removed it, my father never removed it, so basically it's been gone for 28 years at the least. Now with the new parts in the right spots it all lines up and looks good. We still have no idea how this car survived for so long. New theory is it was held together with body filler.
Certainly not Barry level quality here but I'm pleased to see progress and it's good enough for what I'm using it for.
I also started looking for paint colors. The color on the car I always thought was too orange for my liking. When it was painted the body guy had an old book from the 60's with paint codes, they used what was in there for "Target Red" but, every paint sample I saw with that name seemed to have more maroon or burgundy in it. When i was down at the shop last weekend I noticed that the body under the fenders still had the original paint on it and it indeed looked darker than what was used. I started the quest to figure out a proper paint code for the car so I could have it matched.
First step was to decipher the cowl tag. A few interesting tidbits came out of it. First the car was build the second week of November in 1964 in Lansing, definitely an early product unit. Second it was delivered Target Red with Red interior, bucket seats and an automatic transmission. The trim tag only shows tinted windows as an option. So it appears to be a base level Cutlass, I think all convertibles came with the buckets and center console.
I started tracking down the paint code "R" and found it interesting that all GM brands use this paint color but named it different things. Buick called it Flame Red, Chevy called it Regal Red, Oldsmobile called it Target Red, and Pontiac called it Montero Red. I was able to find a spray paint bottle meant to match the GTO Montero Red so I can see if that color is what I'm looking for. I do realize base / clear will look different than how the car came, I'm ok with that. I'm really looking for something a little deeper than what's on the car at the moment. Below are some examples of the same color, it's hard to tell via pictures how bright it really is but, they all seem to be in line with how the car is painted.
Montero Red:
Regal Red:
What the Olds was painted like:
A few weeks ago I went back and forth with Mike about floor supports. They started mocking up the pan install on the passenger side, the did the test fit and held up the support for underneath to find out the support didn't fit. Mike kept telling me he needed the front support but that didn't make sense to me. There are 3 supports on the a-body from this year, front, center and rear. The rear I thought was under the back seat, center was under the front seats and front I thought was basically under your feet. Mike had a different view on the topic, he thought the front was under the front seats, center was under the rear seats and rear was back by the trunk.
After a lengthy debate and some pictures I agreed to to purchase a front and center support for the car. The thought being what he thought was the center support needed a new end as it was rotted out on the passenger side. I figured worst case they'd just chop the end off and graft it in. A week later Mike received the supports, held it up and said he had the same problem. He started poking around under the car and realized all along he was wrong. The part he was trying to replace was indeed the center support, not the front support. The front support on the car was missing. He never removed it, my father never removed it, so basically it's been gone for 28 years at the least. Now with the new parts in the right spots it all lines up and looks good. We still have no idea how this car survived for so long. New theory is it was held together with body filler.
Certainly not Barry level quality here but I'm pleased to see progress and it's good enough for what I'm using it for.
I also started looking for paint colors. The color on the car I always thought was too orange for my liking. When it was painted the body guy had an old book from the 60's with paint codes, they used what was in there for "Target Red" but, every paint sample I saw with that name seemed to have more maroon or burgundy in it. When i was down at the shop last weekend I noticed that the body under the fenders still had the original paint on it and it indeed looked darker than what was used. I started the quest to figure out a proper paint code for the car so I could have it matched.
First step was to decipher the cowl tag. A few interesting tidbits came out of it. First the car was build the second week of November in 1964 in Lansing, definitely an early product unit. Second it was delivered Target Red with Red interior, bucket seats and an automatic transmission. The trim tag only shows tinted windows as an option. So it appears to be a base level Cutlass, I think all convertibles came with the buckets and center console.
I started tracking down the paint code "R" and found it interesting that all GM brands use this paint color but named it different things. Buick called it Flame Red, Chevy called it Regal Red, Oldsmobile called it Target Red, and Pontiac called it Montero Red. I was able to find a spray paint bottle meant to match the GTO Montero Red so I can see if that color is what I'm looking for. I do realize base / clear will look different than how the car came, I'm ok with that. I'm really looking for something a little deeper than what's on the car at the moment. Below are some examples of the same color, it's hard to tell via pictures how bright it really is but, they all seem to be in line with how the car is painted.
Montero Red:
Regal Red:
What the Olds was painted like:
May 6th, 2019, 12:36 PM
#31
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
From mid-April
Some progress on the Crustlass, inner sills are repaired, floors are in, and the motor is painted. They're now working on the trunk floors and getting the chassis ready so they can mate the two back up before doing bodywork.
Some pics for kicks:
Look at that beautiful patch!
And the other side....
Oldsmobile GOLD!
[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/468913502
Some progress on the Crustlass, inner sills are repaired, floors are in, and the motor is painted. They're now working on the trunk floors and getting the chassis ready so they can mate the two back up before doing bodywork.
Some pics for kicks:
Look at that beautiful patch!
And the other side....
Oldsmobile GOLD!
[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/468913502
May 6th, 2019, 12:36 PM
#32
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
And finally this past weekend:
Went down to visit the old girl last this past Friday. I was hoping for some significant progress and was a little disappointed at what I saw. On the bright side though progress is progress and although the work being done isn't "OEM" it's certainly 100x better than when I brought it in.
The trans is all cleaned up and is awaiting a re-seal. This is a TH350 out of a mid-70's era car with a shift kit installed. It will chirp 2nd, but unfortunately not 3rd :laugh:
Oil pan was pulled off for a new gasket, had to peak in to see how things are fairing. The motor has 9,xxx miles on it since a rebuild. It's a early 70's Olds 350 with #7 heads (more desirable in the Olds world) and forged pistons and rods. By the looks of it's been an easy 9,xxx miles. No burnt oil, no sludge, cross-hatching still on the cylinder walls, still looks very clean.
Floors and inner sills are done. Floor pan braces are in and look good. I'm excited for how solid it all looks now.
Trunk is in progress. They had to rebuild the lower section of the inner wheel well where it meets the trunk floor. There were areas that were no longer attached along both sides. I didn't get as many pictures as I should have for this part.
They're working on a '70 Chevelle at the same time. It had most of it's metal replaced, they're now getting it into primer and it will be sent back to the owner at that point. Once the motor and trans are re-sealed they'll be mounted back on the frame. They need to fab up downpipes from the new manifolds to the new exhaust then the body will go back on and get stripped down to bare metal.
I wasn't very happy with the OEM color sample I got so now I'm looking at others. It's down to the below 4 reds:
1. BMW's Imola Red (as see on the e39 M5 or e46 M3)
2. Porsche's Carmine Red
3. Honda's San Marino red
4. Audi's Tango Red Metallic as seen on the new S5 Sportback (though I didn't realize it was metallic which I don't want)
Went down to visit the old girl last this past Friday. I was hoping for some significant progress and was a little disappointed at what I saw. On the bright side though progress is progress and although the work being done isn't "OEM" it's certainly 100x better than when I brought it in.
The trans is all cleaned up and is awaiting a re-seal. This is a TH350 out of a mid-70's era car with a shift kit installed. It will chirp 2nd, but unfortunately not 3rd :laugh:
Oil pan was pulled off for a new gasket, had to peak in to see how things are fairing. The motor has 9,xxx miles on it since a rebuild. It's a early 70's Olds 350 with #7 heads (more desirable in the Olds world) and forged pistons and rods. By the looks of it's been an easy 9,xxx miles. No burnt oil, no sludge, cross-hatching still on the cylinder walls, still looks very clean.
Floors and inner sills are done. Floor pan braces are in and look good. I'm excited for how solid it all looks now.
Trunk is in progress. They had to rebuild the lower section of the inner wheel well where it meets the trunk floor. There were areas that were no longer attached along both sides. I didn't get as many pictures as I should have for this part.
They're working on a '70 Chevelle at the same time. It had most of it's metal replaced, they're now getting it into primer and it will be sent back to the owner at that point. Once the motor and trans are re-sealed they'll be mounted back on the frame. They need to fab up downpipes from the new manifolds to the new exhaust then the body will go back on and get stripped down to bare metal.
I wasn't very happy with the OEM color sample I got so now I'm looking at others. It's down to the below 4 reds:
1. BMW's Imola Red (as see on the e39 M5 or e46 M3)
2. Porsche's Carmine Red
3. Honda's San Marino red
4. Audi's Tango Red Metallic as seen on the new S5 Sportback (though I didn't realize it was metallic which I don't want)
May 6th, 2019, 03:00 PM
#35
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Harrison, Michigan
Posts: 4,726
Just found your thread and read it thru. Wow that car was a lot worse than it looked! It will be good to go for many years when you are done. Nice work!! Boy you sure were lucky finding that frame!
June 26th, 2019, 03:01 PM
#39
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 105
Body work has begun!
Some updates from the past 2 weeks:
Many years ago my wife and I went to Pebble Beach for their concours. On the way out Porsche had a display with the Cayenne GTS in Carmine Red. I loved the way it looked, struck me as the perfect red. I was set on that being the color I wanted for the Olds. I went down to the dealer to see if they had a car or paint samples, they had both. I took the sample outside and it looked great, the car however was inside and there was no easy way to move it out. No worries though, I thought I was set. Fast forward a few days to the local CnC father's day meet, I bumped into a Carmine Red 911 GTS, absolutely hated the color. It looks way too purple for me. Same problem I had with the San Marino red from Honda. So back to the drawing board I go.
A few colors now are in the running including the red from Subaru on their WRX and BR-Z, the red the Honda Civic wears, and possibly the 370z red. I have to look all these up to see really what the names are and do some more research.
Bodywork has officially begun. These photos were sent over last week. The good news is the removable parts were in pretty good shape. Some dings but generally no rust repair. The below are the quarter panels, we knew one was replaced and the other needed to be replaced. Looks like they have some patches too but nothing earth shattering.
Passenger's side: I knew there was some repair work on the lower portion of the quarter panel behind the rear wheels, looks like they found another patch. I vaguely remember there being a rust hole there before the body work in the 90's but only after seeing the photos.
Driver's side: It did have a new quarter hung last time the paint was done. It looks like they used a ton of filler, really expected nothing less from those guys. The good news is the quarter looks fairly good on that side of the car. Just a matter of re-smoothing it out and fixing a couple things.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Update from this past weekend:
The body guy banged out (pun intended) some good hours last week. Below is the progress on the rust and dent repair. The good news is there isn't any damage to the hood, trunk, or doors, and only a minor spot on the fender to fix. We're assuming most of that should go smoothly. Doors will be installed over the weekend to check for fitment, now that the car is sitting on a solid frame and the body structure is all intact we expect to see some of the previous issues cleared up. They're also pulling the windshield this weekend, there's certainly some rust in the channel so we'll be able to finally get a good look at that. It's coming along nicely!
Passenger side quarter:
This was the rust in the front of the rear wheel well:
This is what it looks like now:
And as it turns out the rear of it wasn't right. When the previous dudes did the lower quarter patch it looks like they used a Chevelle piece which has a different shaped wheel opening. The body guy ended up using the patch panel's full length rather than just the rusted piece to reconstruct the wheel opening. You can see where it extends here into the wheel well:
It now looks like this:
Some of you may not be happy with the panel alignment and welds. What was explained to me is he created a low spot for filler rather than doing a complete butt joint that would protrude. It's easier to fix a low spot than a high spot in these types of repairs. As I mentioned previously, I'm not looking for a perfect show car repair, I don't have the money for that. I need it to look good and last and I've seen this guy's work 15 years later. Assuming he hasn't changed his technique I'm comfortable with what he's done.
There was a massive dent on the back of the quarter that's now fixed:
A little rust here, a little rust there...
I'm hoping to head down mid-week next week to take a look in person. I want to check out the door fitment and some of the other repairs they've done to the inner wheel wells not really pictured above. Once I give the final "ok" they'll start throwing the mud on and get things into primer.
In other news we're (hopefully) closing on our house tomorrow. If all goes well I'll be working in a 4 post lift in my renovation budget. VERY excited to give this car a new lease on life and a new home to relax in. I hope someone treats me this nicely when I turn 55!
Many years ago my wife and I went to Pebble Beach for their concours. On the way out Porsche had a display with the Cayenne GTS in Carmine Red. I loved the way it looked, struck me as the perfect red. I was set on that being the color I wanted for the Olds. I went down to the dealer to see if they had a car or paint samples, they had both. I took the sample outside and it looked great, the car however was inside and there was no easy way to move it out. No worries though, I thought I was set. Fast forward a few days to the local CnC father's day meet, I bumped into a Carmine Red 911 GTS, absolutely hated the color. It looks way too purple for me. Same problem I had with the San Marino red from Honda. So back to the drawing board I go.
A few colors now are in the running including the red from Subaru on their WRX and BR-Z, the red the Honda Civic wears, and possibly the 370z red. I have to look all these up to see really what the names are and do some more research.
Bodywork has officially begun. These photos were sent over last week. The good news is the removable parts were in pretty good shape. Some dings but generally no rust repair. The below are the quarter panels, we knew one was replaced and the other needed to be replaced. Looks like they have some patches too but nothing earth shattering.
Passenger's side: I knew there was some repair work on the lower portion of the quarter panel behind the rear wheels, looks like they found another patch. I vaguely remember there being a rust hole there before the body work in the 90's but only after seeing the photos.
Driver's side: It did have a new quarter hung last time the paint was done. It looks like they used a ton of filler, really expected nothing less from those guys. The good news is the quarter looks fairly good on that side of the car. Just a matter of re-smoothing it out and fixing a couple things.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Update from this past weekend:
The body guy banged out (pun intended) some good hours last week. Below is the progress on the rust and dent repair. The good news is there isn't any damage to the hood, trunk, or doors, and only a minor spot on the fender to fix. We're assuming most of that should go smoothly. Doors will be installed over the weekend to check for fitment, now that the car is sitting on a solid frame and the body structure is all intact we expect to see some of the previous issues cleared up. They're also pulling the windshield this weekend, there's certainly some rust in the channel so we'll be able to finally get a good look at that. It's coming along nicely!
Passenger side quarter:
This was the rust in the front of the rear wheel well:
This is what it looks like now:
And as it turns out the rear of it wasn't right. When the previous dudes did the lower quarter patch it looks like they used a Chevelle piece which has a different shaped wheel opening. The body guy ended up using the patch panel's full length rather than just the rusted piece to reconstruct the wheel opening. You can see where it extends here into the wheel well:
It now looks like this:
Some of you may not be happy with the panel alignment and welds. What was explained to me is he created a low spot for filler rather than doing a complete butt joint that would protrude. It's easier to fix a low spot than a high spot in these types of repairs. As I mentioned previously, I'm not looking for a perfect show car repair, I don't have the money for that. I need it to look good and last and I've seen this guy's work 15 years later. Assuming he hasn't changed his technique I'm comfortable with what he's done.
There was a massive dent on the back of the quarter that's now fixed:
A little rust here, a little rust there...
I'm hoping to head down mid-week next week to take a look in person. I want to check out the door fitment and some of the other repairs they've done to the inner wheel wells not really pictured above. Once I give the final "ok" they'll start throwing the mud on and get things into primer.
In other news we're (hopefully) closing on our house tomorrow. If all goes well I'll be working in a 4 post lift in my renovation budget. VERY excited to give this car a new lease on life and a new home to relax in. I hope someone treats me this nicely when I turn 55!
June 27th, 2019, 05:07 AM
#40
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 371
Been enjoying watching the progress on your car. My take away is, if a car has "sentimental value" it's always worth trying to save. Both you and the body shop should be commended for the amount of time, energy, skill, and of course funds being put in this project. Many folks (99%) would have written your car off and think its fantastic watching it come back!
