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It started raining so I couldn't do what we had planned for the day. It give me a chance to finish the fluid metering valve and install it on the carburetor. This is done now and ready for the turbo.
Disassembley has officially began. I started out taking lots of close detailed pictures of all the trim and the alignment of the trim and bumpers. Also got more pictures of door, hood, fender and trunk gaps. I still have the automatic car for more reference but still want good pictures of this car coming apart. Today I only pulled chrome parts that need re-chromed and that I don't have NOS of. I do not need to have much chrome work other than the bumpers and the bumpers are small on these cars.
I did take my time and got the original trunk weatherstrip off without hurting it. I am undecided if I will reuse it because it has about a 1 inch spot that it cut.
After starting this car, I strongly believe it is my last full restoration. For a very long time I enjoyed building more than driving but it is becoming the other way around. I have a very long way to go on this one to be feeling this way but I am on a mission to have a restored Jetfire. I would like to be done on time for the 2020 MCACN show. I don't really see a problem with that time frame but I will not rush if the time is going to be close, I will just miss the show. My quality goes down with a deadline and I will not allow that to happen.
Yep, I believe this is my last restoration.... After a part day in the shop yesterday, my hands hurt so bad today I can't hardly use them. I suspect I have arthritis but I don't know. They swell up really bad the day after working in the shop. Going to have to tough it out till this one is done anyway.
Pulled the back seat out and this is the 1962 version of the broadcast card. The 3147 is Jetfire, 971 is silver interior, 384 is 4 speed manual transmission and 1997 is the body number on the cowl tag. The 3-23-27-1 I am not sure what this is, I will have to spend some time and see if I can figure it out. I am not going to remove this tag. It will stay on the back seat.
I had already cleaned this original interior in the past and does not need restored. I am just pulling it out to put it in storage. The seat frames and springs have zero rust and not even turned brown. I have determined that I will have to replace the headliner. It is stained so bad I just can't use it. I am going to take it out carefully and see what the chances are I can clean it good enough but I sure don't think I can. I will have to recover one arm rest but I have mint used original material for that. The top side of the floor pans are in great condition but the bottom side has some pitting.
I really feel like this rare survivor couldn't have ended up in better hands. Did you ever hear a reason why the original owner decided to just park the car and never touch it again?
I really feel like this rare survivor couldn't have ended up in better hands. Did you ever hear a reason why the original owner decided to just park the car and never touch it again?
Thanks. That is a good question as to why it was parked. When I bought it, it had sit so long that it would not run. I had assumed that it was going to have engine problems and was the reason it was parked. When I got messing with it, all I had to do was clean the tank, carburetor, and cut the plugged up exhaust off and it fired up. It made lots of noise and figured out that all the lifters were stuck. I rebuilt the lifters and put it back together and has ran great ever since. I don't believe it had a problem at all when they parked it. From 1962 till I got it in 2015 it was located at the same address. I almost wonder if maybe there was a death and the other one just never drove it. Sadly, I have very little backstory on this car.
Edit: I just remembered that I did not even have to rebuild the carburetor.
I almost wonder if maybe there was a death and the other one just never drove it.
This seems probable. The Jetfire as well as the Cushman scooter in there. They likely belonged to a loved one that tragically passed and the survivor just didn't want to deal with it and in1974 they were told neither one was worth much money. Years go by and it's just easier to let them sit if you don't need the space than deal with it. Years later, somebody dealing with the estate cleans them out.
My other passion is airplanes and I've seen this sort of thing a lot with them. The good news is, the Jetfire sat long enough to become more valuable and get to the right person to live further into the future. If it had just been put up for sale in 1974, likely it would no longer be with us, maybe a parts car somewhere, or at best, it might have been a Jetfire missing it's turbo and lots of modifications over the years. I think fate worked it's magic and it has worked out well.
My quest is to reuse as much as I possibly can on this car so disassembly is taking much longer than usual. I was able to get the back glass out without hurting the rubber seal and was also able to get the package tray out without hurting the foam rubber or vinyl on the front edge. I also got the insulation under the package tray out and will reuse it. I am going to spray it with glue and cover it with a really thin fabric to help hold it together. I am highly allergic to this insulation so I have to use a mask around it.
I am happy to see no rust in the back glass opening
Is the rubber for the rear window available? It would seem that reusing 57 year old rubber would just encourage leaky windows. I would think that if you could get new rubber, this would be one area where new replacement would be a better choice. If it's not available, then awesome job of getting the window out and keeping the seal intact!
Is the rubber for the rear window available? It would seem that reusing 57 year old rubber would just encourage leaky windows. I would think that if you could get new rubber, this would be one area where new replacement would be a better choice. If it's not available, then awesome job of getting the window out and keeping the seal intact!
They do make a reproduction but this one has really nice pliable rubber. They are still sealed into place also so should not have to worry about leaks. It is a real pain getting the sticky old sealer off though.
More parts I plan to reuse but may change my mine later.... The original roof rail weatherstrip is still good and sealed up nice to the glass and minimal wind noise. If the glass and doors and all the parts line back up like they are now I will reuse this weatherstripping. I really do not want to replace it because I know I will fight the repop stuff. This is something I can always change after the car is done if need be later. Now to try to get the door weatherstripping off without hurting it.
More parts I plan to reuse but may change my mine later.... The original roof rail weatherstrip is still good and sealed up nice to the glass and minimal wind noise. If the glass and doors and all the parts line back up like they are now I will reuse this weatherstripping. I really do not want to replace it because I know I will fight the repop stuff. This is something I can always change after the car is done if need be later. Now to try to get the door weatherstripping off without hurting it.
That's amazing that the rubber is still that good. Out west, even if the rubber is kept in a garage, it tends to get hard and cracks easily after 50 years.
That's amazing that the rubber is still that good. Out west, even if the rubber is kept in a garage, it tends to get hard and cracks easily after 50 years.
With this car being in Chicago and in a garage all its life I think it helped the rubber and foam parts stay alive. Even the window sweeps are like new and flexable. I will have to change the vent window rubbers. Those are dried out and cracked but I believe it is the only bad weatherstripping.
With this car being in Chicago and in a garage all its life I think it helped the rubber and foam parts stay alive. Even the window sweeps are like new and flexable. I will have to change the vent window rubbers. Those are dried out and cracked but I believe it is the only bad weatherstripping.
I got the headliner out and all the weatherstripping out without hurting them. I will attempt to clean the headliner and reuse it. The weatherstripping will get reused as long as I get the doors and windows lined up exactly where they are now.
Getting farther apart. Slow but surly. Did find some small rust spots in the inner fender area. I have a parts car with perfect ones in it that can be cut out and used for patches. To bad they didn't make these front inner fenders removable... The driver side front fender is junk also. I already have an NOS one that I can use. I would like to replace the passenger side but don't have one of those. I did locate a set of rust free used Jetfire fenders but not sure if he is going to sell them to me.
Aren't the from fenders from any '62 F85 the same except the number of trim holes and possibly the location of those holes? If that guy won't sell you the Jetfire fenders, IMO, welding up trim holes and drilling new holes is easier than dealing with rust issues, or collision damage issues.
Aren't the from fenders from any '62 F85 the same except the number of trim holes and possibly the location of those holes? If that guy won't sell you the Jetfire fenders, IMO, welding up trim holes and drilling new holes is easier than dealing with rust issues, or collision damage issues.
I checked my Cutlass parts car and it has a better passenger side fender than the original. The good thing about the Cutlass fenders is that all the holes on a cutlass would also be used on a Jetfire. Just have to add more. I would prefer to get the rust free set that has factory punched holes.
I checked my Cutlass parts car and it has a better passenger side fender than the original. The good thing about the Cutlass fenders is that all the holes on a cutlass would also be used on a Jetfire. Just have to add more. I would prefer to get the rust free set that has factory punched holes.
That's what I suspected. I had theorized that the Cutlass holes and the Jetfire holes likely matched up. I bet even the base F85 holes line up. It just makes sense from a manufacturing point of view. At least you're not stuck having to patch up crappy original fenders. You have options.
The beltline weatherstrip and window fuzzies are still really nice on this car. I was able to get the driver side door apart and not hurt them. I sure hope I can do the same for all the others. These are a real pain to remove on these cars.
Excellent! That really seems to be a very special car.
Has so many parts that survived in great condition but sadly, the bottom side of the car did not make it as well. Was on a concrete floor all its life but it was not as dry as it should have been.
I got the front end all apart, antifreeze drained, drive shaft out, exhaust unhooked (did not brake a single original bolt), transmission cross member out, brakes unhooked, steering column unhooked and everything under the hood unhooked... Ready to pull the three bolts out holding it all in and lift the body off.
I strapped the transmission up through the shifter hole so I could remove the crossmember on the lift. These bolts were really bad for the crossmember and a couple of them broke.
Has so many parts that survived in great condition but sadly, the bottom side of the car did not make it as well. Was on a concrete floor all its life but it was not as dry as it should have been.
Yeah, pretty rusty. That garage must have flooded every year. Looks mostly like surface rust though and not much rot. Are you going to put this on a rotisserie and work on the bottom, or just work with it on the lift?
Yeah, pretty rusty. That garage must have flooded every year. Looks mostly like surface rust though and not much rot. Are you going to put this on a rotisserie and work on the bottom, or just work with it on the lift?
We will put it on a rotisserie when I get it to the body shop. Likely take it to the body shop in September but not sure.
Awesome. Definitely a great winter project... assuming the body shop is heated. I know you guys get pretty cold back there.
He has a new shop because the old one burned down. This will likely be his first car in the new shop. It is heated. I would like to help him on a couple things but I don't think I will have time. I fear he will be done with his part before I am ready for it to come back.
He has a new shop because the old one burned down. This will likely be his first car in the new shop. It is heated. I would like to help him on a couple things but I don't think I will have time. I fear he will be done with his part before I am ready for it to come back.
Well, the good news is, when other people's lives and schedules are involved in your project, I find it helps to keep you on track and motivated.
Engine is out. The rear end is loose and ready to drop out but not taking it out till I get it to the body shop. Also installing a temporary front end to be able to load it and unload it. I sure can't wait to get my shop cleaned back up. It is a total disaster.
Engine is out. The rear end is loose and ready to drop out but not taking it out till I get it to the body shop. Also installing a temporary front end to be able to load it and unload it. I sure can't wait to get my shop cleaned back up. It is a total disaster.
Well on it's way to a triumphant return to glory! I was wondering about what might happen on that lift if you dropped the engine and front sub frame. By the looks of it before it looked like it would be tail heavy and possibly flip off the lift. I see you have it strapped, so maybe my guess was right, or is it just a precaution? The two post lift is awesome for this work. I have a four post lift that is primarily for storage, but I can do some work on it, but the two poster is ideal for this kind of work.
I was wondering the same thing. I knew it was going to be ok but still wanted to test it. When I lifted the body to where the back tires were just off the floor, I could just barely lift the front of the car up with all I had. I figured I had best put straps on it before I lifted it any higher just to be safe.
I wanted a 4 post lift and was only going to use it for storage but then thought I would end up using it for work to much so thought I had best go with the 2 post.
Just talked to my body guy and he said he can take it whenever I want to take it to him. My shop is not large enough so I need it out of the way to work on the other parts. He is not starting on it till around winter but at least it will be out of my way. This will be the first car through his new shop and paint booth.
Just talked to my body guy and he said he can take it whenever I want to take it to him. My shop is not large enough so I need it out of the way to work on the other parts. He is not starting on it till around winter but at least it will be out of my way. This will be the first car through his new shop and paint booth.
Excellent! I imagine his new booth is cleaner and better than the old one. That could mean an even better paint job for you! This car is going to be sweet when it's done! Thanks for the updates. I wish there were more Y body projects and discussion on here, but I understand it is what it is.
I thought I was going slow but considering I started on it just over a month ago, maybe not. It is just about ready to go to the body shop. I pulled all the dash apart and removed all the remaining things on the firewall. The yellow insulation up under the dash was still really nice. I am VERY allergic to this insulation but it was so nice I put on a hoody sweat shirt and put on a face mask and started scrapping. I was able to remove all of it without hurting it. Talk about hot with the sweat shirt on... I will glue this original insulation back on. the firewall insulation just screws on and was really nice also, I will be able to reuse it.
I'd love to see a more close up shot of how the factory cut the floor tunnel and welded in the mod for the 4 speed if possible. Are you repainting the dash and interior too? It looks pretty good from here, but maybe close up, not so much?
I'd love to see a more close up shot of how the factory cut the floor tunnel and welded in the mod for the 4 speed if possible. Are you repainting the dash and interior too? It looks pretty good from here, but maybe close up, not so much?
Here are two that I took Saturday from the bottom side.
I was not planning to repaint the interior but this car was heavily smoked in and it is stained into the paint. I had my body guy look at it to see if it could be slightly wet sanded clean but he said it is to bad. I really wanted to save it. The dash and upper door area will need painted but as long as the pints matches good I will not have to repaint any of the interior trim parts. He should be able to match it fine.
Here are two that I took Saturday from the bottom side.
I was not planning to repaint the interior but this car was heavily smoked in and it is stained into the paint. I had my body guy look at it to see if it could be slightly wet sanded clean but he said it is to bad. I really wanted to save it. The dash and upper door area will need painted but as long as the pints matches good I will not have to repaint any of the interior trim parts. He should be able to match it fine.
It looks like the factory made nice clean cuts to the floor pan to get that 4 speed hump in. I wonder how and when during assembly they did it? I imagine they must have had a jig with a die to shear that hole out and they did it before the floorpan was welded to anything else. Then they welded and puttied the new part in. I imagine the factory assembly line engineers rolling their eyes and groaning when they were told that there was going to be a little deviation in procedure for just a few cars. It's too bad they couldn't have conceived of the F-85 as a sports car from the beginning.
May 25th, 2019, 12:29 PM
