Hey everyone

I posted about a month ago on the newbie forums about my 71 Cutlass Supreme Convertible restoration project. The original post in the new users introduction forums can be found here.

After a whole lot of PITA tear down work (Quite a few bolts on the CA's were rusted beyond recognition and ended up getting cut off) and sandblasting/wirewheeling, I managed to get almost all of the chassis parts cleaned of rust and painted a nice shiny black with some Rustoleum (pics below). All I need to finish up would be the last rear upper CA and the bumper brackets. Set to have new polyurethane bushings pressed in sometime next week.

I am humming right along now (putting 10-20 hours a week into it at this point) and here is what is on my to-do list so I can get her rolling again:

1. Get the body parts to my body guy - I am having it painted midnight blue as a tribute to the 69 cutlass my dad drove. I was referred to this place by my neighbor who runs a garage on the east side of Cleveland.
2. When the body is off the frame, sandblast and Rustoleum the frame.
3. Install suspension/brakes
4. Get body parts back on
5. Restore fuel delivery and brake function
6. Redo the interior to white from my current saddle brown - once again modeling the 69 my dad drove.
7. Get the 350 rocket back to its former glory
8. Details details details

This is my first big restoration project, and I think I have most of my bases covered... but there are a few things I definitely need some help with (These are loaded questions, sorry about that).

Convertible top - the switch works and so do the hydraulics. It is very badly rusted where the top itself attaches to the windshield (needs to be replaced) and it needs new cloth. I have the OE glass that I would like installed instead of a cheap plastic replacement. What is the best way to go about doing this? Anyone know of a good place where I can order parts if it is something I can do myself?

Getting the body off the frame and on a truck - Not sure how the logistics are going to work out in regards to getting the body off of the frame and onto a flatbed to send off to the body shop (never done it before). Anyone know where I can find a walk-through for this or have any personal experience? I would like to avoid pissing off my flatbed truck driver by actually knowing what the hell I am doing. Plus this garage is pretty small and limited in space (mostly clutter) complicating the process.

Chrome work - are there any reputable places in NE Ohio for re-plating chrome? From what I hear, getting an aftermarket bumper just doesn't hold a candle to a re-plated original.

I know this is a big post, but I am really driven to get this sucker back on the road before the snow flies in a few short months. I am always open to any recommendations/tips you veterans might have.

Thanks in advance for reading/helping me out!

 

When I did my 71 convertible, after the body was down to the shell and all mount bolts removed, I lifted the front with an engine hoist and the back with 6 of my good friends.

Used four 55 gallon drums (in pairs of two) with a 3x10 timber plank across to set the body on therefore allowing me to 'roll' my chassis in and out of the garage underneath the body. I think this same concept would work for you and have the flatbed guy back up under it.

 

Yea I was assuming the tried and true roller technique would be the generally accepted method for moving such a large heavy object. Thanks for the tip Olds Dad

 

Replacement tops are readily available with glass rear windows. I wouldn't mess around with trying to use the old one. I don't have any experience myself but a lot of people say that convertible tops are a job best left to a prefessional.
Getting body onto truck - unless you want the body dragged across the ground try to improvise some kind of dolly for it and add some reenforment to the body before you take it off.

Good luck. It sounds like an ambitious undertaking.

 

Thanks droptopron - I will keep these things in mind while working through it. Yea I was thinking about fabricating a sled out of 2x4's and mounting it to the body. And yea a bit of luck can't hurt me!

 

Well I am back. Kind of fun to see this post from two years ago! So the last couple of years have been exceedingly tumultuous, and I have not been able to get near as much work done on the cutlass as I was hoping.

Here is what I have done thus far:

Removed all components from the frame
Removed rust from the frame with a flapper wheel attached to an angle grinder
Sealed frame with Rustoleum Professional Oil based enamel

http://mightytext.net/zM2he
http://mightytext.net/zayW7

So basically I have a nice clean sealed frame and a whole crap load of parts - I actually had to move and I finally have a good garage set up for working again. Just finished putting up my peg board/tools and industrial shelving and am ready to go at it again!

BTW - I got the body off of the frame with my two brothers and a cherry picker. Picked up the rear with the cherry picker (plucked it by the rear seat support) and just lifted the front at the firewall. Wasn't too hard to move when most of the weight was on the lift

So I am hoping to get on here more often and post more pictures for your guys up and coming. I love tooling around on here and seeing what you guys are capable of! Makes me feel like I can actually get this car put together someday (ha)

Happy Easter

Brian

 

Ahh, just realized this is a 2 year sabatical...Welcome back

I'm glad to hear you're making progress and hope none of the parts got lost in your move. BTW, I looked at the pic of your rad support and it's definitely from a 72 model. That means your car was likely in a smack up earlier in it's life; so the entire front clip and hood likely has been replaced too. Did you check the front of the frame horns and engine cradle for any damage/evidence of buckling or measure it for proper square? Not saying this to rain on a parade, just reasonable questions based on what's been noted. Front end damage could have an effect on how well the hood/grills and fenders line up on the re-install.

 

Wow crazy that you can tell that simply from the picture... If you don't mind me asking what tipped you off to it?? I know there has been some work done between the first and second owner (main piece of work being a tranny swap from manual 4 speed to automatic). When I took out the rusted out floor pan it had the cutout for a 4 speed, not an automatic. There is also a dent on the right fender too, so I am not that surprised that there are some replacement parts on the vehicle.

 

Didn't even think to measure it for square, but that is mainly because I didn't notice anything too far out of the ordinary when I was taking the front end apart - everything seemed to be in fairly good condition.

 

The 72 rad support is not flat all along the leading edges. It has a raised bevel area about 2" long to accommodate the 72 grilles which were higher profile than 71. A 72 rad support will still work fine in your 71 though. Other than those 2 bump areas the rad supports are identical.

Here's a pic of what I mean (raised areas circled in red):

 

Thaat is very interesting thanks for the heads up. I Will definitely be looking closer at some of those front end parts there has to be more to the story here