Also sandblasted the wheels and then sanded them down. I have a small angle die grinder that I use the small round abrasive discs on and that makes sanding much quicker. Still do them by hand at the end. Now they just need to be epoxy primered and then surface primered. Maybe I'll get that done this weekend. These wheels had been painted several times and they were a real treat to blast.

 

At long last the hood went back on. A repop insulating blanket was also installed. Since my previous photo of the hood stripes was poor, here is a better one. It takes quite a few hours to lay out the stripes since they were painted on.

 

Last was the hood tooth and the new repop hood edge moldings. It's now starting to look like a real car again.

 

Looks great! and I am partial to 70-72 442s. I was wondering how you duplicated the firewall stampings? Did you have stamps made?

 

I need to come down there and take lessons. Sorry, I was drooling when I looked at those last few pics. Aw, who am I kidding. I drooled over ALL of them.

Here's a question I've debated for a long time now. re: aftermarket hood blankets. I always remembered them as being more of a grey/charcoal color - even the one in my car is OEM replaced in 1986. The plastic retainers are round. BUT, all the repops seem to make a lighter color blanket and have square plastic retainers. Have you noticed this too?

Just noticed your hood hinges/springs are grey. I thought they all came black? Sorry to be so curious.

 

Scrappie in line tube sells various stamp kits if your looking

 

Scrappie, that's what I did. Practice a few times on a scrap piece of metal as it takes a few tries to get it correct.

 

Thanks Allan.....stop down any time.

The insulation blanket in the car looks darker in person. It's made by REM which is a good company but it may not be 100% correct too. Unfortunately, most of the originals I have ever come across have been so crudded up, or missing, from years of use it would be difficult to tell what they looked like originally. I'm fairly certain the sqauare retainers are correct for the 69's as I had another 69 and it also had the square retainers (originals) when I bought it.

The hinges were originally gray phosphated coated and I had these replated the same way. I see a lot of hinges that get painted black but I don't think any of the 68-72's left the factory that way. I'm no authority on this so I may not be correct. Just going by memory from all the years of working on these cars and removing parts from them in junk yards.

Brian

 

Didn't get a lot of time on the car this weekend due to family committments. But I was able to spray a coat of epoxy primer on the wheels and a coat of surface build primer. Spent the remainder of the available time fine tuning the fit on the front end and then tightening all of the bolts.

 

Finished painting the wheels over the weekend. I sprayed the back and centers with a single stage urethane with a flattening agent mixed in to dull them slightly. Probably could have gone just a little more on the dull side but it's fairly close. Used the SSII wheel paint sold by Fusick.

 

I wanted to polish the stainless bezels for the wheels so I made a small fixture to hold them so I could polish them with my buffer. It was crude but it worked very well. The bolted end would allow the arm to open and close and I just used a clamp to hold the other end closed while buffing. To polish the inner section, I took an old drill bit, cut it down and then used my 3" cut-off wheel to cut a slot vertically in the bit. Used a piece of fabric that I hot melt glued to the bit and wrapped it around itself several times. I placed it in my angle die grinder and turned the air pressure down. Worked perfectly. I was able to polish all 25 bezels in about an hour.

 

Wow , I'm going to start all over on this thread again . This is good stuff!

 

That's a tough area to repair. There are plastic welders out there but they are expensive to buy. And not worth it unless you were doing repairs on plastic all the time. That area is somewhat hidden so I'm wondering if you could install a small piece of flat steel with a hole in it in the area where the clip goes and maybe use thinner metal on both sides that overlap into the plastic. The metal overlapping into the plastic could be screwed in place and the grind the ends of the screw off that sticks out the other end. But this would involve tack welding the flat bar piece to the thinner steel. Or maybe just the thinner steel and try building it up with JB Weld so it is the thickness of the wheelhouse. Just use a new lip and bolt on there so there is little effort installing the bolt into the clip when you put it back together. (another reason not to take this apart but once) Is just this wheelhouse damaged? I might have a used pass side that has good tabs and would be happy to offer it to you. But I think shipping it could get expensive due to the size of the required box. I may also have another wheelhouse that is damaged down low and it may have good tabs elsewhere. I can cut off the good outer section and send it to you and you could use it to get replacement tab sections for those that are damaged and try to bond it into your wheelhouse somehow...maybe JB Weld too with a some reinforcement.
Brian

 

Pretty slick, What kind of fabric on the bit? Did you use buffing compound on the fabric to polish?

 

The fabric was just a piece from a old shirt...60% cotton, 40% polyester. I used Perfect It II rubbing compound and applied it to the bezel and used either the buffer or angle grinder depending on what section I was polishing. The piece of shirt was starting to give up at the end but held in there just long enough.

 

Brian the jig and the bezels look amazing I love the way the rims came out as well :-) I never knew the back of the rims were suppose to be black I like it :-)

 

Oh NO!! I'm afraid to look at the back of my rims now.

I like the jig idea too. One of these days you should start marketing those jigs and give up your day job. You have a very creative mind and ability to transform ideas into functionality.

 

Thanks Eddie. I just assumed they were black based on what I found so I hope that was correct. There was black on the back of the rims when I blasted them so hopefully this is how they looked originally.

 

Allan, don't you know how dangerous this is for you to be looking at these photos when your car has the entire rear suspension removed? You'll just keep going with the MAW's and you'll never get done!

The bezels needed to be polished and I started to see what I could do manually. Yeah, right....I don't think so. I'd still be out there doing them. Had a little flat stock laying around so I thought I would see if the bezel would clip onto it. Heck, the top did fit the 3/16" bar. Hmm..what about the bottom? Found I could fit the 1/8" flat bar along there if I straightened the tabs out. Got out the cut-off wheel, drill and welder and that's what I came up with in about 15 minutes. Maybe I'll give these jigs some thought for my future retirement years. Thanks for the vote of confidence and for that, I'll offer you 10% off.

 

About as dangerous as going shopping with my Mrs. and looking at a pretty girl???

What a guy! Hey, 10% is 10% - I'll take it!

 

I was reading another thread where someone was inquiring about the correct paint color for 1968 SSII wheels. In that thread, there was a link to ROP that discussed this as well as the fact that the wheels did indeed start off black and then the charcoal color was applied at the factory. Looks like I was correct in my thinking and how I painted the wheels. Whew!!!

 

Thanks brian:-) this is great info, I just feel terrible about poor poor Allan as this will drive him nuts and will add to his ever increasing maw list and what better time to work on the wheels then when his diff is being worked on

Seriously Brian great info sir

 

HA! I went and looked. When I redid the car back in 84 I bought new SS wheels from Stedelbauer Chev Olds. I just looked and the back of them is black, dirty right now, but black. No MAW's for me on that one bud.

 

But is it the correct amount of gloss I think you should redo them just in case lol j/k

Sorry to step on your thread brian

 

I finally started to work on the interior. The door panels are new from Legendary and I also used their pre-sewn vinyl for the lower rear panels. The carpet is from ACC and is installed over a rubber sound deadener kit I bought from Fusick. The seats had new covers installed by the previous shop and I believe they came from PUI. They aren't bad but I would have liked a little better. However what they lack would not justify removing the covers, buying new from Legendary and installing them. The rear seat looks fairly nice. The front seats are lacking in that they should have had new buns installed. All the plastic parts on the front seats are crap and will be replaced before they go back in the car. I sent the rear lower panels out to an upholstery shop to have the new vinyl installed. There is padding that goes under the arm rest areas and I just didn't want to mess around with them.

Putting this together took me a little longer than it should have but I didn't take it apart. Most of what was there was just loose when the car came to me and fitting the parts and buying the correct fasteners took a little extra time. The back looks good and now I just need to keep working my way forward.

The Legendary rear panels were very nice and fit well.

Brian

 

A few more....

 

This picture will show the convertible top frame assembly a little better than past pictures. It was completely disassembled, bead blasted, repainted to match the OEM finish, new bushings installed and reassembled.

 

Brian, looks very clean and neat. The seat belt connectors. I have the same kind in my car and wondered where you sent them to get refinished. I'm aware I can get the Fisher inserts but some parts of the brushed metal are showing wear. Any suggestions?

BTW, does it smell like a new car inside?

I can't get used to the idea of the convertible frame being exposed like that. But then I've never owned one. It's changed a lot over the years. Do the old tops present any hazards with pinch points?

 

Alan, they are made to be down!

 

Interior is looking very nice, so you need to save the original metal etc from my current interior ( I am talking about the pieces that make up the rear arm rests) ? Not that I am anywhere near that stage lol just thinking ahead :-) looking forward to interior tips and tricks:-)

 

Make sure you save the rear inside panels. If you use Legendary they re-use The upper metal. They do not reproduce this piece.

 

Will do and thanks

 

Thanks Allan. I sent the seat belts to a company called Python Restorations in TX and they did a fairly nice job. Fortunately, the brushed covers on the buckles were already in nice shape as they can't do anything to restore them. Those brushed covers are reproduced but don't waste your money as they don't fit correctly. The center of the cover is at the wrong depth and it leaves a gap between the inner button and outer cover. I also used Ssnake Oyl Products on a previous 69 442 HT restoration and I would give the nod to Ssnake Oyl for the better job.

It does have the new vinyl smell and hopefully it hangs around for a little longer. And yes, the top could present a safety issue for someone if they put their hands in the rear section of the top mechanism when the top was being opened. But I never heard of anything like that happening, although it doesn't mean it didn't.
Brian

 

Thanks Eddie. As Allyolds68 mentioned, the upper metal sections of the upper rear panels are not reproduced so don't loose them. I sent mine to Legendary and received the finished panels back in about 3 weeks. If your lower metal pieces are junk, they are reproduced or just find a nice used set that can be recovered.

 

I love the work your doing on the '69 It's good to see it saved and not parted out and lost to time. I also have a '69 and would like to do a frame up on it. I noticed in one of your pic's of the engine there is an alternator that uses an external regulator, 442's used internal regulators.Just wondering why??

 

Great question and you are definitely paying attention. When I received this car and boxes of parts, it came with 3 alternators. One was new so in my haste I grabbed that one, did a little detailing on it and then put it on the engine. I guess I was drawn to it for looks rather than function. Later, I realized I had the wrong alternator. Fortunately, the correct alternator was there but had been polished by someone. It was also well used and showed evidence that it may not have been assembled with all the right parts. But it did have the correct style open face front half. The 3rd alternator was also an external regulated one. I decided to buy a new correct alternator and I swapped out the front face to give it the correct open face front. But I first put that polished front half in the bead blaster to roughen it up again. The part number and date code are still there but not as pronounced as they were originally. A little detailing and it looks great.

Thanks for the question.

 

Brian,

I was thinking about the chassis and bushing replacement. After you replaced all bushings, did you get the driveline and body back on before you tightened the bolts on all the upper and lower control arm both front and rear? From what I understand, the weight of the car has to be on the suspension before tightening to avoid any uneven stance? How did you do it? Thanks, its looking real nice

 

I did wait until the body with doors was installed back on the chassis with the full drivetrain before I tightened any of the suspension. Everything previously had been installed so the nuts on the bolts were just starting to apply pressure. I had the car sitting on pieces of 6X6 under the tires and that gave me plenty of room to lay under the car to tighten the front lower arms and all of the rear suspension. The front uppers were tightened from above. The gas tank was not installed at that point because I wanted to have plenty to working space.

Aside from the potential of the car not sitting correctly, tightening the suspension bolts before the suspension is carrying weight can put excess stress on the bushings since they could be forced to rotate more than normal.

Brian

 

Bryan,
How do I put this delicately? You washed them with WATER??? That my friend is not the way to go. Let me give you my take on this. First, I'm glad to see that you're trying hard to stop the cancer. Second, I know you said this is a venture into a 'gray' area (no pun intended btw about your car). Third, this site is great for advice and suggestions, but I'd venture that it would have been better to ask about cleaning before doing it instead of after? And last, I know how pride works too.

After you blast or sand the metal, it should be fairly clean. However, it's a good idea to blow it with compressed air and use a tack cloth with mineral spirits (paint thinner) to clean off anything that may be still on the surface. I use a paint thinner because it's readily available, and the composition doesn't promote rust. Just make sure you're not handling the parts with your bare hands because of the oils from your skin.

Then spray with either an epoxy or etching primer. Both of them adhere well to rough surfaces so if you were using 80-100 sandpaper or had just blasted the metal it will adhere to that kind of surface really well. Once you prime, I would follow up with a good sealer before any moisture could get through and damage all your hard work.

IMO, the WORST thing you can do is wash with water and then dry to blow dry it. That will allow moisture back into the metal pores and create something called 'flash' rust. Some of it can be so tiny you wouldn't see it.

Since I'm not an expert on the art of metal prep, I will defer to whatever Brian or others who have the metal and prep skills say. But truth be told, I would never wash metal I'd just sanded with water. Hope this comes across the right way because I'm not trying to beat on ya for trying!

 

Bryan,
I had to read this twice and then ask myself if you were just having a little fun with me. But if this is what you did, I hope you didn't put it into the shower and I hope you used Dove soap, since the commercials say it won't leave any soap residue when rinsed. And if you used your wife's hair dryer....yikes!!

Ok, now that I think you were serious, put away the household cleaners. Once the metal is blasted and sanded, do pretty much as Allan suggested. Lacquer thinner is also another option. I use automotive paint wax and grease removal products but they are a little pricey at about $45/gallon. I would lean more toward lacquer thinner if you had a choice. Once you wash it with thinner, you can use a tack rag again on it and don't touch it with your hands for the reasons Allan mentioned. Most automotive painters will wear nitrile gloves just so they don't contaminate the area(s) when they are doing the final prep work. Painting, even primer, all comes down to prep. If the first coat of primer doesn't adhere well due to contamination, everything else applied over that will also have an issue.
As I mentioned to you before, I admire your determination and willingness to jump in there and tackle these repairs. But you might want to slow down a little, ask a lot of questions first and then decide on an plan of action. As the saying goes...there's never enough money to do it right the first time, but always enough to do it over. No sense doing anything over. Been there, done that and learned from it. Your fender rust wasn't all that serious, so I would have suggested waiting until some more money was available and then you could have done it right and completed it. And while you were waiting, just spray a little oil on that rust to hold it off until you got there.
We're here to help, just let us do it before you get yourself in trouble.
Brian