62Starfire63

I suposse so...it's definately not coming off the frame, I just watched my father get his 62 back on the frame thats farther then I want to take this! I just keep digging into it and figure i might as well clean this or replace that while I've got it all taken apart, while also trying to not get to far into it, but I'm learning its hard to know where to draw the line on 'just a driver' car for me. It doesn't need to be show quality for myself...just trying to clean it all up and make it work! One day!

62Starfire63

Been quite awhile since any new photos/updates. So here's just some photos of how the engine things have come out over the last few months.

62Starfire63

These are a few more photos!

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A few more again!

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And thats it for now as of a few weeks ago.

Higgins

Very nice work, It's going to be beautiful...... If you happen to run across a nice rear bumper for a 63 in your search for parts would you let me know? Mine is rusted badly just above the tailpipes on both sides. I'm in Mich. near Flint.

trackz man

Great pics- In your honest opinion, what works best for cleaning the transmission and engine? And then what did you do to prep it for the final paint? Did you primer it first and then final coat of Dupli-color?

Thanks for your great pics again-It looks great

62Starfire63

Ah what I did wasn't necessiarly all that top notch or professional. Just some old elbow grease and time. A lot of scraping, tiny screwdrivers/picks to get some dirt out of corners. Used wire wheels in any areas I could get them into. I used an industrial degreaser I get at work as well, and I just tried to get it as clean and dry as possible. Not sure how's it's going to hold up over time, but will be better then it was for sure. The intake was sandblasted as well, but no primer was used. Just 3 coats of paint I think. Its the first motor I've painted, it's all just been educated guessing and doing the best I can come up with. I'm just trying to build a driver, not a points judged showcar, although it's easy to get carried away with detail and not know where to draw the line! ha

trackz man

Great job and love the pics- My son and are wire wheeling the transmission and using little screwdrivers and pics to get all dirt off of. What color did you use for the transmission? I was thinking of using Eastwood Aluma Blast 10109Z.

Any thoughts?

Also love the idea of keeping all bolts where they belong on the pics- It is so easy to forget where each one goes, isn't it?

Keep up with the pics. It is a great inspiration...

HolidayCoupe

Very good work indeed. Awesome!!!!!!

gearheads78

The engine looks great

62Starfire63

Got a few more things put together in the last while and got it up and running. Only had it running maybe an hour total and driven it twice. Took it for a drive down the driveway and it went ok for it's first roll in probably 30+ years. Just going through the headaches of trying to get everything all running well I guess. So far motor seems to be strong, fires right up and is quiet. Brakes, alternator, power steering, heater, carb all seem good so far. Blew a tranny line, replaced it, had the radiator recored and it's all new now. A little leak in the fuel pump will have to be investigated, and now something in the front of the trannsmission isn't right as it's leaking, so I think next is to pull the transmission back out and take a look. It shifted alright though. Anyway, here's a few more photos to add.

62Starfire63

A few more photos

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And more photos

trackz man

Looks very good!! Here is a link to see pictures of our engine compartment and restoration on our 1963 Starfire COUPE http://www.flickr.com/photos/1962old...7626202575076/, and then here is a link to our 1963 Starfire CONVERTIBLE http://www.flickr.com/photos/1962old...7626318329468/not a super detailed job but it was sand-blasted and rust encapsulated and then coated with Eastwood UnderHood Black.
Cant wait to see it finished!!
-Dalton

Don R.

You're doing a great job, that's a lot of hard work on the body and frame. I just purchased a 63 Starfire coupe so I will be following your progress with great interest.

snowballs442

Looks great!!! Where do you get the front end kit?

62Starfire63

Thanks for the comments, it's nice to see a couple other 63 starfires on the forums here..nice cars!

What do you mean by front end kit? Which part are you asking about exactly?

trackz man

62Starfire63- I sent you a PM about tire size..

trackz man

Your thread has been a great inspiration to us. We are now in the process of replacing floorboards on our 63 Starfire convertible- Just like you did a couple of years ago. I have read thru this entire thread again and did not see the answer to what I was looking for.

Did you drill out all the spot welds on the floor pans and then weld then back in? Or what did you use to cut out the floorpans?

We are using a 88 as a donor car with real good floor pans...will post pics as we strip down

62Starfire63

MY floor boards came from a super 88. It was cut out by drilling all the spot welds along to inner door sill on either side and along the firewall and back seat it was sliced along using a cut off wheel on an air tool. The floor pans were cut out oversize as to what was needed in my convertible. After cutting out all the floor pans from the convertible there was a lot of measuring the replacement pans to fit the hole I had to fill. I sized the replacement pans down so at the backseat it was overlapped and cut to sit over a lip/curve... rememeber when you do your cutting it's best to cut close to or near rigid parts like a radius or formed section...not just along a flat open panel, as the radius's and forms help keep the sheet metals memory/shape and make it easier to line up to the factory shapes...if that makes sense. Along the firewall on the passenger side I lined it up along the factory spot welds and instatlled that as it was original, on the drivers side I had to carry the sheet metal up into the firewall where I just drilled holes and spot welded it to the firewall. Along either door sill was spot welded as it was by the factory... the trikiest part I had to solve was lining up and figuring out how to weld the floor braces from underneath and access them as I had to weld them above the frame. In some photos you can see areas I had to cut slits/flaps in the floor pan and drill out more spot welds and fold the floor pan back from the top and cut through the braces and line them all up to where I had cut the braces off on the conv when removing it's floors. Without joining the braces the floor could flex.

Being an 88 floor you'll have to cut a hole for the shifter linkage and make sure you draw yourself a blueprint as to where to relocate your bucket seat brakets. I dropped the top to drop the whole floor pan in, which made it easier, but also took lots of time to have the car/frame all leveled and square before I took any cuts at all and the top up and latched while installing. I've attached a couple photos of how I got the braces welded together without taking the body off the frame.

trackz man

That is a great response. So here we go. Just to clarify what you have posted above.

Tools required:

Air tool w/cut-off wheel
Drill w/spot weld tip

What types/brands of tools did you use?

Before I start anything. We will strip entire 88 of floor material/seats. We will make a blue print of the Starfire console shifter location with brackets and bucket seat mounts.

Then start drilling out spot welds on the 88 floor- Did you do this because you knew it would be easier to re-weld? Did you end up having to cut thru the floor braces and that is why you had pockets peeled up to re-weld the brace supports?

Did you then cut thru the floor braces in the 88 after you removed all spotwelds? I assume you did by the pics.

Really appreciate the starting info. Will start a thread with pics in a few days...

62Starfire63

Well it's been almost 2.5 years since I've touched this post. The car took a long pause on having any work done through some tough times a couple years ago and almost had the towel thrown in on it. But eventually things started to come back around and I got my *** back up and in gear and got to twisting wrenches again to finish this boat! In memory of my mother who wanted to see me enjoy and finish this car one day, a great woman & wife, who participated in the classic oldsmobiles for years with my father and also helped me drop my engine back in and line it up! It's been a long ride getting through this restoration and it will likely never be really ever DONE, but on the road is a huge milestone I hope to get to in the next few weeks! I'll keep the words here short as there is tonnes of long stories that have taken place since the last update, but its easier to just let the photos do the majority of the talking. Many thanks to my father for the direction and knowledge that I continue to need to help me along the way, and to all the old car friends that have helped me to get to this point. There is NO WAY I could have ever achieved what I have without the help of these people!

62Starfire63

More photos

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Con't

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......

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...

gearheads78

Glad to see you moving on it again.

sammy

Congrats for getting back at the car!
Looks like it is really coming along....

Ted

62Starfire63

and more

62Starfire63

getting there...

OLD SKL 69

Just read through your entire post, great job. Looks like you're really starting to crank it up now, do you have an idea of when you'll have it on the road?

tru-blue 442

Nice work!
It will be beautiful when done.
Looking forward to the updates.
Your'e almost there!

Don R.

Looking good! Glad you were able to get back to it and you have made a lot of progress. Keep up the good work.

62Starfire63

Thanks for the comments. Hoping to have it on road for a test drive in the next few weeks. I have more photos but have to find more time to post them in the next day or two maybe.

442craig

Very nice! Can't wait to see it on the road! How about posting a video when it's done?

Craig

62Starfire63

A video? I don't know if I can get that figured out, all these photos are enough to keep track of uploading, but maybe I'll try some video down the road.

For now here is a few more photos!

62Starfire63

A little more

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.....

Charlie Jones

Nice car! I especially want to commend you for saving the original floormats instead of just slapping in generic 80/20 carpet. Nice touch.
Reading your thread has given me the inspiration to get my @ss in gear and get back to work on my '63. The coming of cooler weather will also help.