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Is there any chance anyone here has better images of how the dual action tailgate hinge is attached and works? I have a 69 Flattop wagon that I'm working on the tailgate will swing open sideways fine but when i try to fold it down it moves fine for about 3 inches and catches hard. It seems the upper hinge bushing is hitting and I'm wondering if the tailgate is supposed to lift up as it is folding down to prevent this.
Lowering the gate vertically should just swing down. Maybe the striker is catching on the gate itself? Perhaps out of adjustment? Or does it feel as though it is binding on the bottom side? It's very hard to help troubleshoot without being able to see what is going on...
It seems to be catching on the bushing above it that is used as a support/pivot pin? when the tailgate is swung out. I will try to get some pictures to help explain later today. I do know that when the tailgate is swung out it has a lot of slop like bad bushings. Is there a fairly easy way to access the hinge to check alignment or for worn bushings?
Thank you for the help and quick response and sorry if hijacking the thread.
I dropped of window felts this morning for the side windows, that was today's schedule. The aft quarter Windows/trim and windshield/trim were installed on Sunday. Perhaps the worm is starting to turn!
I'm going to suggest that at this year's Zone Show (April) in Gainesville, TX, we have a "line up" photograph of all the wagons that will be attending, similar to the one from many years ago out north of DFW Airport at that Zone Show. Don't know if there's a camera lens that will be able to get them all at once!
[QUOTE=costpenn;985472]Heath, could you let me know how the rear door outer window fuzzies fit? Having a hard time finding any repos that fit worth a poop.
This is the fourth set of felts I've bought. First set was sourced from Pete Lohr at Einstyn wagons. They were straight with no contour and were destroyed in the process of trying to arch them into shape. The second set was sourced from Repops for a '70 Chevelle wagon, although they were decent quality they had a different door contour than the Cutlass wagon. Then I noticed that Steele Rubber was offering the Cutlass wagon felts and ordered a set from them. When they arrived, the box was from PUI. I was disappointed because of the reputation that they have and thought that I was buying from a more reputable supplier. When I opened the box they had the exact same contour as the Chevelle sweeps. I called Steele and expressed my disappointment and they agreed to return them at their expense. Next I spoke with Fusick, while they did not have the four door sweeps listed in the catalog, they were in their inventory. After some minor trimming they fit very good and ironically the least expensive of all.. more detailed pics to come..
looking great and thinking of a black stripe like that for my red one
Originally Posted by Funkwagon455
I dropped of window felts this morning for the side windows, that was today's schedule. The aft quarter Windows/trim and windshield/trim were installed on Sunday. Perhaps the worm is starting to turn!
What size tires do you have on your car? I like the look of ones in the picture with the rear end raised off of the ground. I also have a '70 Flattop Cutlass.
What size tires do you have on your car? I like the look of ones in the picture with the rear end raised off of the ground. I also have a '70 Flattop Cutlass.
235/60r15 front 295/50r15 rear
15x7 front, 15x10 rear
You can see more wheel detail in earlier posts on this thread..
Last edited by Funkwagon455; March 20th, 2017 at 08:04 AM.
Reason: tire size ammended
Finished with door glass, fender peak moldings and installed the air dam
with correct gaskets courtesy of ShiftySydney. Onward to front bumper and rear glass
Last edited by Funkwagon455; January 27th, 2017 at 12:12 PM.
Still making progress, although always three steps forward and two back. The tailgate had significant play in the hinge so it came back off to repair the hinges. Finding the bushings will likely require a lot of searching and improvising to get everything to work correctly. I finally got some pictures of the hood, although these photos are before any color sanding and polishing, so not quite a sheet of glass yet. Hopefully get some more trim out pictures soon.
The pin and bushings are the same as the standard door hinge. Readily available from most auto parts stores, I got mine from Autozone. Phillip on the chevelles.com forum is the one that clued me into this and i have already made the repair. Works great, the only difference is the pin needs to be cut down in length.
Last edited by g_field07edd; March 31st, 2017 at 10:25 AM.
What was the process for polishing the trim? I've heard mixed answers as to whether or not it is stainless or aluminum.
I have a 70 Vista that is going to disassembled for paint and I'd hate to put the dull trim back on it!
A few pieces are aluminum, mostly around/between doors.
Especially after all these years, you can tell which metal it is by looking carefully at the piece. Aluminum will have a whiter tinge and less lustrous appearance. Stainless will retain more luster, has bluish-white tinge, and the surface appears smoother.
The aluminum was anodized from the factory, which dulled its luster a bit but helped it last for ~50 years.
Stainless polishes easily. Aluminum is more difficult because of the anodizing. The anodizing needs to be removed, the piece posished, and clear anodizing needs to be reapplied. Try to find someone who specializes in this and get a firm price beforehand. When I had mine done, I was charged an outrageous sum, about $800 (long story).
Mr. Funkwagon will have recommendations and experiences with this too.
Last edited by VC455; April 15th, 2017 at 07:22 AM.
You can see the variance of sheen in this photo
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is true, I had my trim straightened and polished professionally. The end product was fantastic, but economically it was a real eye opener! Whenever asked I always say that I'm glad that I was not restoring a '58 Fiesta wagon! Trim is very expensive to restore.. The window frames are aluminum, and many polishers do not reapply the anodized coating.. It will look beautiful for a while until the oxidation starts turning it milky. My polisher had problems finding a vendor to coat my pieces.. Most of the metal treatment vendors are geared for the aviation industry, and having a uniform appearance is not as critical as function. They ended up sending the pieces from TX to WI for coating, and then when I picked them up, they were wrapped in packing plastic. When we went to install the pieces, we noticed that the anodizing process had left some of the pieces with a different sheen. We ended up repolishing and recoating several pieces until we had a matched set... It was time consuming and frustrating. If you decide to polish your trim yourself, be very careful as the pieces can get away from you pretty quick on a rouge wheel. When pieces do this it can lead to destroyed trim or even worse deep lacerations! Also be aware of overheating the metal, it can warp and get misshapen to the point that it won't even fit right. Before polishing, check the fitment of the wheel arch trim, they can be problematic as well... Good luck!
Last edited by Funkwagon455; April 15th, 2017 at 08:25 AM.
Reason: Photo
On the 1968 - 72 series, aluminum trim is confined to the door area. Other trim is stainless, including that around the fixed windows and rear window.
Substantial pieces such as supports for the roof rack, rear light outer bright-work, hood front trim, and front fender rear top trim are chrome-plated pot metal.
Just budget a few thousand for polishing and you'll have it covered.
I was fortunate to find a fellow who worked at a trim shop who was willing to polish my trim at home. I deleted most of the stainless trim pieces and went with the stripes as you did. That reduced cost and added interest.
A friend with a custom 1959 bubble-top Impala and I got our aluminum trim done in the same batch. It was done impeccably but took over a year.
I've got a good support group of custom car guys, who, so far, have been able to advise me on anything I need that's out of the ordinary.
Your flattop looks amazing and it's making me strongly consider doing a body-off for my Vista rather than a body on resto![/QUOTE]
Thank you for the kind compliment, if you do decide to go that far on your restoration, make sure that you have the budget and enthusiasm to carry it through.
August 23rd, 2016, 10:46 AM
Also be aware of overheating the metal, it can warp and get misshapen to the point that it won't even fit right. Before polishing, check the fitment of the wheel arch trim, they can be problematic as well... Good luck!
