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Wow, you are doing an incredible job! And moving very quickly too. Why does your dyno sheet say almost 450hp and you are saying about 312?
Beob
There are two lines plotted; HP and Torque. The HP axis is on the left and torque on the right. I guess I could have swapped the two but didnt notice it until now.
Hope to have the body back on the frame by January then it is a matter of getting all the small pieces installed along with the interior. I would be happy with a March completion time frame.
Started bolting on the brackets for the ps, alt and compressor but need to dig around for the bolts. I wish I was better organized sometimes. Lesson learned for next time.
Today the body shop finally picked up the body shell, hood, trunk lid and doors to get started on the paint work. It didn't go as planned...
I had used their body cart to get the car ready for pick up. It was properly strapped down using a series of rachet straps. Well as things go, the trailer arrived early today and we began to roll the shell down the driveway to get it loaded. Just as we go the cart to the edge of the driveway, one of the caster welds broke and suddenly the rear drivers side dropped to the ground. Luckily there was no damage whatsoever but, I was pretty pissed as you could imagine. We rigged up a makeshift caster using a movers dolly and some blocks. After further investigation, the carts caster was simply spot welded in two spots. Talk about **** poor welding.
[sigh] So now the car will be media blasted, neutralized and sealed. The plan is to wrap the chassis with Saran Wrap before sending it to the body shop to be mated to the body before gapping and painting. I don't have much left on the chassis as I installed the driveshaft and all of the engine components including the radiator and hoses.
Today I placed an order for all new harnesses from American Auto Wire
- Dash Harness
- Engine Harness with Rally Pack Gauges (planning on swapping in the Rally Pack Gauges evenutually)
- AC Harness
- Front Light Harness
- Rear Intermediate Light Harness
- Rear Panel Light Harness
- Console Harness
It wasnt cheap but, with the amount of time I put into this car already, I didnt want to spend hours fixing old wires in hopes that they hold up for another 20years. A good investment in my mind.
I also got a quote for interior items from PUI that included front and rear seat covers, assembled door panels, assembled rear panels, headliner with sail panels, new foams and install kit. The prices compared to the Legendary stuff was much more reasonable and frankly are nearly the same quality.
I am still looking to the Rally Pack gauges in case someone has a set for sale please PM me.
I am close to having the chassis ready to be wrapped in plastic so it can be mated with the body in a couple of months.
I wanted to start moving along with the dash assembly and I started by rough sanding the dash bezel then painting with SEM Landau Black. I then painted the perimeter of the bezel using a metallic silver paint pen which matched pretty close to the stock look. Then I attached the bezel to the dash pad I bought from a CO member since mine was cracked.
I am converting over to Rally Pack and purchased original tach and gauges via ebay and CL. I will have to take them apart and restored them but I was weary of the Chinese gauges The Parts Place sells.
The speedo was a little rough with a rusty retainer ring, scratched lens and dusty insides. I decided to take it apart and give it a thorough cleaning. I also painted the retainer ring and reflector rings black. After looking at the scratches on the lens I thought that I could buff them out using a headlight polishing kit I bought at Autozone. I was impressed with the results and would recommend to anyone looking to restore their stock lens.
I also wanted to hit my air cleaner with a couple coats of gloss lacquer which made a huge difference.
I will tackle the tach and gauges once they arrive.
Looking great Sean, those rallye gauges will look really good in there. Sorry if I missed it but did your dash come like that without the wood grain inserts or did you change it?
Looking great Sean, those rallye gauges will look really good in there. Sorry if I missed it but did your dash come like that without the wood grain inserts or did you change it?
Scott
Scott
The dash had the woodgrain originally and i will be adding new wood soon. Not sure how to cut out the defogger switch but will have a look.
The dash had the woodgrain originally and i will be adding new wood soon. Not sure how to cut out the defogger switch but will have a look.
Sean
Well it looks really good without the wood grain. (never been a big fan) How did you get the old wood grain off? Did it just pull off, or did you have to use something to dissolve the glue?
Well it looks really good without the wood grain. (never been a big fan) How did you get the old wood grain off? Did it just pull off, or did you have to use something to dissolve the glue?
Thanks,
Scott
The glue was completely disintegrated and the wood just peeled right off. I did take a little acetone to the surface to take the rest of the glue off. I agree, the all black looks good but the wood grain I think will be better.
Over the past month I have spent the time mostly working on restoring the dash which included rebuilding an original Rally Pack setup (installing a new analog clock module), repainting the plastic dash bezel black then using a paint pen I painted the perimeter edge silver as was originally done. I also purchased a rebuilt AC control from a fellow CO member. I then installed the new wire harness and applied the wood grain from H&H. The dash is pretty much done now just waiting on a working lighter as mine is rusted beyond use.
Today I finished stripping the bucket and rear seats down to frames and springs and it was a mess. Not a job I enjoyed by any means. I will now get everything blasted and powder coated black before installing new spring bases and backs and then onto the covers. At this pace I will have the interior covered and ready for the car.
As for the update on the body shop. What a surprise they haven't started on it yet. Based on others experience with body shops I now think my goal of having the car done by Feb is not going to happen. I will keep you posted on the developments.
Also stopped by the Houston Autorama this weekend and saw a lot of great cars including a couple from the CO community. Glad to see a good representation on Oldsmobiles and I hope I will participate next year.
Ah Sean, congratulations on joining the Paint & Body Black Hole Club. It is a mysterious phenomenon that only seems to suck in nice cars where the owners are paying a premium price for the work & the bills are paid on time for, yet econobox crash work for insurance hacks gets done in a matter of days.
The past couple of weeks have been devoted to the upholstery. I took the blasted and coated bucket frames and installed new springs from OPGI. I also put on new tracks although the originals were not too bad. I then started with a layer of felt-backed vinyl instead of burlap. This material is not only more robust, it also will lessen spring squeak in the future. New foam was put on as well and finally the new PUI covers. The covers were a real bear to get on so I used a heat gun to soften the vinyl and the end result is really nice. I also did the rear and currently I am waiting on bucket side springs to install on the bases before finishing the upholstery.
I also managed to find a set of Richmond 3:42's on ebay and a 0.200" spacer to enable install on the 2-series carrier I have. I figure I will tackle this next month.
The only other things I will be doing in the coming weeks is going over all nuts and bolts on the chassis to ensure they are all properly torqued. From there I will wrap the frame in plastic and cover the drivetrain. Then it is a matter of time to get the thumbs up from the body shop to mate the two again.
Sean:
Did you powder coat those seat frames? That looks really nice! Also, I've been told not to torque the suspension bolts to their final values until you have the full weight of the car on the suspension (body, engine, trans, everything). I don't remember the reasoning, but if you do a search you'll find a post about this.
Sean:
Did you powder coat those seat frames? That looks really nice! Also, I've been told not to torque the suspension bolts to their final values until you have the full weight of the car on the suspension (body, engine, trans, everything). I don't remember the reasoning, but if you do a search you'll find a post about this.
Yes the frames also got powdercoated in gloss black. They look brand new now and should last a long time. Thanks for the heads on the torqueing, it makes sense for sure. I mainly want to address all of the drivetrain and engine compartment stuff now while I have the convenience of space.
Unfortunately while I was attempting to finish the engine dressing and installation of the AC Compressor I notice that Classic Auto Air that restored the unit made some mistakes. First, they failed to return the rear bracket that connects the compressor to the cast iron bracket. Second, the coil connections were installed in the wrong orientation making installation impossible. I spoke with the guys there and they are making good on the deal and will fix the compressor and hopefully will also find the missing bracket. In hindsight I guess I should have done a better job inspecting the parts when they came in last year. Lesson learned.
Finally after months of delays with the body shop, the car has gotten blasted inside and out. I am glad that the body shop is now working towards a timeline (I hope).
I recently picked up a set of 3:42 gears and a rebuild and install kit which will be a nice upgrade from the pretty tame 2:78s that are in the rear presently. Just for those who ask, this rear came out of a VC so hence the low ratio. I dropped the rear and drained the 45 year old sludge that was trapped within. After close inspection, there does not seem to be any excessive wear and both axles look great. I hope to have the rear back in the car in a couple of weeks.
Sean, that interior looks better in person! All is looking great! We should get to that diff in a couple of weeks! Any thoughts on a differential cover?
So I went by the body shop today to see how the car came out after media blasting. For the most part the car is very solid however, a couple of things will need to be addressed.
1) Driver side fender patch (behind wheel) is needed
2) Passenger side rear quarter patch (behind wheel) is needed and possibly outer wheelhouse
3) Driver side outer rocker will need to be replaced
4) Rear window channel needs to be replaced (most likely fabricated)
5) Small patch on passenger side door upper channel will need to be replaced (fabricated)
The other thing we discovered is that the driver side quarter is not original to the car and the fitting and install was done poorly. They used rivets to join the panel to the rocker which will be replaced with good welds.
All in all not too bad considering how most of these cars require full panels to be replaced.
Anyone have recommendations on where to find the above needed patch panels? Which are of the best quality?
I will try and shoot some photos next time I am over there.
While I am waiting on the body shop, it is a matter of doing some of the smaller things and the past couple of days that has meant addressing the evaporator and heater boxes. I bought all new seals, heater core, blower motor, resistor and cleaned and painted the boxes with a couple coats of clear lacquer.
I am really happy with the outcome and the way things went together.
I also found an original quarter panel from a local scrap yard and plan to pick it up tomorrow to bring to the body shop. Hopefully I will have the body metal work done in a couple of weeks and they can start with the block and priming.
I also need to get working on the rebuild of the rear.
Since my last post I have pulled the rear end to upgrade the highway gears to a more suitable 3.42 set of Richmond gears. In order to use my existing carrier, I purchase a spacer ring on Ebay that will allow 3 series gears to be mounted onto a 2 series carrier. I stripped everything and rebuilt the carrier, installed the ring gear and pinion races then dropped it off at Pyle Brother in Baytown Texas. These guys are experts at rears and come highly recommended. Today I put the assembled rear back in the car and it is now finally back on all four wheels.
I also spent some time addressing some of the minor items like the battery cables, pressure and temp sensors and odds and ends.
I can now wrap the chassis and have it ready for the body shop.
Since my last post I have pulled the rear end to upgrade the highway gears to a more suitable 3.42 set of Richmond gears. In order to use my existing carrier, I purchase a spacer ring on Ebay that will allow 3 series gears to be mounted onto a 2 series carrier. I stripped everything and rebuilt the carrier, installed the ring gear and pinion races then dropped it off at Pyle Brother in Baytown Texas. These guys are experts at rears and come highly recommended. Today I put the assembled rear back in the car and it is now finally back on all four wheels.
I also spent some time addressing some of the minor items like the battery cables, pressure and temp sensors and odds and ends.
I can now wrap the chassis and have it ready for the body shop.
Sean
Sean your progress is incredible, I'm jealous! What kit did you get and what is the p/n for the Richmond Gear unit? I may do exactly as you to accomplish 3.42's.
Sean your progress is incredible, I'm jealous! What kit did you get and what is the p/n for the Richmond Gear unit? I may do exactly as you to accomplish 3.42's.
Thanks
Do you have the 2 series carrier as well? If so you can use the gears for the 3 series carrier with the following.
So the gear set was a Richmond 3.42 10 bolt ring gear for an 8.5" 12 bolt housing.
The following is the spacer ring I used but, I will say it needed some machine shop work to get it to fit perfect. Essentially the inner diameter of the ring had to have about 1/8" diametrically turned to allow to fit onto the carrier. I would recommend taking you carrier to a shop with the spacer so they can get it measured exactly. You do not want any slop in the fit or else it will not be balanced. You may also need to bore out each bolt hole slightly to get the bolts to align properly. I know it sounds like a lot but to be honest finding an original 3 series carrier can be costly.
I can't believe it has been so long since my last post but, there is a reason.
So the past 18 months have been essentially a complete waste of time because of the body shop I was dealing with. I dropped the car off in October of 2014 and expected to have the car back 6 months later. Well that was not the case. The shop Bare Bones Custom Paint in Houston is a disaster and a poor excuse for a rest shop. Today I recovered the vehicle and moved it to the best shop in town Classic Cars of Houston. The current state of the body is metal work is done (although will have to be reworked to make it right), epoxy sealer/primed and on a body cart. The new shop is definitely much more expensive but well worth it when you see the cars they push out. I am excited that in 6 months the car will be back in my hands where I can complete the build.
On another front, I am relocating to the Middle East for work soon and will spend the next two years overseas. What that means is that the car will then be moved into a climate-controlled storage until I return.
My other car, the blue 69 442 is on the selling block if anyone is interested. I posted it under the Classified section and am open to offers so if interested please shoot me a PM.
As the car is making progress in the body shop I will be updating with regular photos.
I returned to Houston from working overseas and finally got the paint shop to put my car on the schedule. They have had the car for over 2 years and been working on it between projects. The wait was worth it to be honest. The quality of work was unbelievable and far exceeded my expectations. I now have the car back at home (for about a month and a half) and have made a lot of progress getting it back together. Since it has been long hours and many small projects I figure I would just share some of the photos. I decided to go with Caribbean Turquiose which was a good choice.
October 13th, 2014, 07:21 AM
