Well we finally got some parts in that were hung up in transit due to the weather. Making great progress on our chassis and will have it ready for next weeks show. Wade and Tim have been at it hard detailing parts and assembling the pieces. Body and paint is next. ( Oh boy prime, blocksand, repeat).

Cant wait to see this car going down the road again this spring.

 

Nice.

Just a FYI that many filenames are dupes of each other, even though the pics are different.

 

PS. Call me an addict... but if I don't look at nicely cleaned/new resto pics like these at least once a day... I feel all funny inside.

 

Any new updates/pics?

 

Sorry Mike for not staying current on the posts. We were putting all the time into getting the chassis ready for the show and then spending three LONG days out there last weekend. We are into the bodywork phase now so there may not be a lot of interesting pics in the near future but I will post up what I can. The chassis got a great response at the show and we had a chance to talk to more people than I can remember. The sandblaster we use is a couple weeks behind due to the weather so the shell is leaving Monday to be stripped. We are working on some panels that were previously stripped and lots of other little parts that need re-furbished. The decklid has an area that obviously needs attenton. Stay tuned for more pics and progress.

Jim

 

looking/ sounding good

 

Well the chassis has been put in storage until the shell is ready to be bolted back on and we are working panels now. The shell is finally being media stripped after a few delays due to weather and logistics problems. Everything is pretty solid, but there could be some minor issues with the rear wheel lip areas. No biggie, we will deal with it when it comes back. Car is progressing nicely and I anticipate color being sprayed very soon.

We cut out a previous repair to the decklid and replaced it with some shiny new metal. Simple fix and it's good as new now.

 

Everything is looking fantastic. Are you able to treat us to pictures of the completed chassis?

 

Dream car!

 

I have enjoyed all your pictures. Is the owner putting on the original poverty caps again. I am doing a 1970 442 and it was difficult finding the correct rims. People in the day put mags on the cars and threw away the original xt wheels making them very hard to find correct date coded. I see you have the spare. Also, I am not an expert but the thermostat housing on my 1970 is different than the one you are using. They may have used that one on the 1971 but I am not sure.

Lee 1971 442, 1970 442 1970 vista cruiser

 

That is the correct T-stat housing used in '71 thru forever, which replaced the earlier version which was the short aluminum housing with the curved hose.

 

Brian, here are a few chassis pics from the Indy World of Wheels show. It's all I have right now since the chassis was put in a storage unit.

Lee, the owner actually has the original steel wheels and full hubcaps but really likes the Cragar SS wheels so that's what is going back on the car. But I agree that back in the day, the original stuff went bye bye and was replaced by cool new aftermarket items. The spare is 100% original with markings still on the tire.

We have been getting body panels ready for paint and have several ready. Getting the shell to the blaster and getting it back is taking FOREVER. Hopefully we get the call tomorrow to pick it up. In the meantime, we continue bodywork and restoration of all the individual pieces.

 

Nice work! A while back when you painted the engine you mentioned that you werent very happy with the Bill Hirsch blue. Did you repaint it or keep the B.H. If you did repaint what did you use?
Thanks, Rob

 

We stuck with the B/H paint. It looks pretty good compared to the original color.
Here are a few pictures from today. The inside of the fenders were painted and the core support. Color starts tomorrow on the fenders and deck lid.

 

It all looks so beautiful. I am so envious. I've dismantled my 71 442 and the body is unbolted from the frame. Everything is going well except for the rust around the top and bottom of the windshield. Although that part is very discouraging, it is a great retirement and father/son project.

I will be anxious to see the progress on your restoration.

 

A small update. A little green for the Irish today. The doors and hood will be next followed by the shell. We will then have about 60 hours worth of wet sanding and buffing in the near future. Stay tuned.

 

Wow they almost look black in the pictures. Lets see if I can get some better shots

 

Lets see what these look like?

 

Omg! I really like that color.....Mind you I am partial since it is the same green as my car. I have been watching the progress and I am truly impressed with the work, and the shape the car was in when you started to work on it. Great Job!

 

Beautiful work !
Now I really wish I'd made it to the WoW show....

 

Just drop by the shop and see it for yourself any time.

 

Thank you very much. It looks like you have a really nice car yourself.

 

That buffing is something you really gotta love. You gonna flat sand it and buff orleave a little peel? btw... looks pretty clean to start with. Not much nibbing.

 

We will start out with 800 grit and progress up to 2000. Then we buff it until it's like glass.

 

That's what I did on mine but I hit it with some Trizact before buffing. Makes it polish up a lot quicker. I hate buffing. I've been following this thread and you are doing a great job on a nice car.:-)

 

We finally got the shell back from media blasting and it looks pretty good. Just a couple of issues around the rear wheel lips but the rest is clean and solid. Worst part is the cleanup of all the blasting media. There is enough in there to start a small beach. On the positive side, we used it today as free oil dry in the shop. As luck would have it, the weather has turned again here in Indy so I'm not sure how much we can drag it outside to sweep it out and blow out all the nooks and crannies. It wont be long now and we will have color on the shell and start the reassembly process.

 

Very nice work. Did you have to mask off the VIN Tag to before blasting that area?

 

loving that

 

No, With soda blast there is no need to mask. The sheet metal comes back looking like new with no etching.

 

Awesome work guys love how the completed chassis & drive train came out. The fenders & trunk lid look fantastic. Cant wait to see the car finished I'm sure the owner must be pretty pleased with the quality of your work & whats be completed so far.

 

Any new updates/pics? Finished?

 

Sorry guys, we have been overwhelmed with our recent move. Our old shop was just to small for our needs and work load. So we moved from a 3000 SF. building to a 9000 SF building. It took us about 6 weeks to move and get up and running. I will update this thread with some new pictures of the build. The main shell is being wet sanded now and should be ready for paint with in the next couple of days. We found some previous damage to the quarters then needed repair after returning from blasting.

 

Just typical boring bodywork shots here. Wade did a terrific job repairing the metal in the quarters and wheelhouses and Tim got it smoothed out and ready for paint.

 

After long delays and a shop move, the shell finally got painted today. Looks really good and should be slick as glass after it's sanded and buffed. Lots of work ahead but a major stepping stone for sure.

 

Mine still has it too and it still holds air, not sure I would trust a 40 year old bias belted tire on the road but its still back there.

 

Any updates? Looks great so far! Just curious, how do you maintain a color match on the fenders etc. with metallic, and paint the shell at a later date?

 

Update on prrc 1971 442

 

What an awesome build!

 

More, more, more!!!!

 

Some more pics
Just about ready to start