Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Its a 1971. You can tell by the little squares in the grills and the seat pattern. Is that a British or Australian license plate?

Nice vintage first generation BFG Radial T/As, Cragars, and black sidepipes.

The chick is vintage late 1970s wth the Dorothy Hamill "Camel" hairdo and the spaghetti strap dress.

BTW, there was one black 73 SD T/A produced. It still exists. Its a rather famous story. The original ordering dealership figured a way to get an SD allocation by making up a story that a longtime customer wanted a black Trans Am and was prepared to buy a black Camaro instead. So when Pontiac gave them the OK to special order a black Trans Am, the dealer just happened to order it with the SD455 engine option. The car was delivered with a red front bumper, and red spoilers/flares since those items were produced in color already. And were supposed to be painted black by the dealer upon arrival. The dealer kept them red.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I've been doing some more hunting and found some NOS stuff for the unitized project. I located an NOS ignition module, and NOS distributor cap housing and an NOS coil (which is on the way at the moment).

I also found another remanufactured unitized distributor at an online auto parts store and when I opened the box it turned out to actually be a 1972 1112127 (455 non-HO) with a 1K13 date code. So that is as close as I'm going to get to a 1112133 at the moment. And seeing that I only spent about 1/8 of the cost of a 1112133 for it, I was quite happy.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/P1000234.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/P1000231.jpg

Here's the instructions with the NOS control module. It even had the little tube of heat-sync grease still in the box.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/P1000233.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

The NOS coil pack arrived yesterday. There is a slight difference in finish from the original which has a somewhat visible fiberglass grain texture and the slightly glossier NOS piece which is still dated from late 1971. So maybe the gloss gets worn away after the electrical heat from usage.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/P1000241.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/P1000247.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Nice finds, and awesome luck on that '72 distributor.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

A couple years ago, a guy bought a remanufactured distributor from CarQuest for about $65, for his 70 GTO. He checked the numbers, and it was for a 1970 RAIV. He put it on E-Bay, and it sold for over $1,100.

Strange what you find at some of these auto parts stores. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I got the 1112127 unitized distributor back from getting the advance curve set. I installed it today and the car started right up. It actually sounds like its running smoother than with the HEI. The HEI had an old set of wires so it's probably the new wires helping things out.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/P1000291.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/P1000289.jpg

Unfortunately it is snowing outside at the moment so a test drive will have to wait a day or two...

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I've been playing at the Votech class and doing more cutting and welding. It's quite amazing what you can get done in three hours when you have a dropdead time to move it out of the shop and head home when the class is over. I spent one class cutting and trimming the bad section of the upper drop-off that mated up with the outer wheelhouse on the driver's side. The seam between the two panels was soft so I elected to cut the seam out so I had an easier area to weld from (inside the trunk), instead of trying to recreate the mated area underneath the car which is blocked by the frame rail.

Here's the before shot:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/SDC11241.jpg

And after trimming:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000273.jpg

I used the upper portion of the drop off and an extra leftover section of flange and welded them together to pre-form the mated seam between the trunkfloor and the drop off:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000276.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000277.jpg

And here is how the replacement piece fits:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000282.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

The following week, I welded the replacement section in place and then grinded...a lot!

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000287.jpg

I also prepared the second replacement piece out of the aftermarket wheelhouse that I bought to serve as a donor supplier of repair sections. I also had to recreate a small section of the inner wheel house edge that the overlapping &quot;flap&quot; mates to. (All that crusty black stuff is old undercoating and will be scraped out of there soon).

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000305.jpg

And here it is after some minor body work and filler:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000328.jpg

as compared to the opposite untouched side:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000329.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

And after consulting my &quot;before&quot; photos and examining the trunk in my Grandma's '75 Firebird, I spent yesterday using two tubes of seam sealer to replicate the horribly gooped up application of the factory seam sealer. After letting it set overnight, I then used some MEK solvent and a brush and nitrile gloved fingers to replicate the original look as close as possible. No matter what I did it still looked &quot;too nice&quot; to be factory applied. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Here's Grandma's '75 Firebird trunk:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000314.jpg

and the '72:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000316.jpg

And the driver's side, too:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000315.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000317.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Looks really nice Steve. Instead of you asking me for help with your car, I might be asking you for help with mine!

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Sure, if we can manage it in three hours, at the local high school, at night!

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

I am trying my best to get all the underbody stuff done myself, so when it comes time to paint, it is just topside stuff, only.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Is there anyone out there (near me in NJ) who has the equipment to paint the correct spatter paint in my trunk? I dont want to do the spray can method and would much rather get the correct finish done, whether by paying for it or borrowing/renting the equipment.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I finished up the bodywork and prep on the driver's side trunk drop-off. In order to reproduce the original heavy body shutz sound deadener I used a couple cans of spray-on bedliner instead of undercoating. It worked very well as long as you spray it from at least a foot away to allow it to hit the panel in a dryer state. You don't want to spray it on wet. It will look too smooth at a minimum and will all &quot;landslide&quot; off the panel if it is too wet.

Here is the original drop-off from my 1972 Trans Am that was built a week before the Formula at Norwood:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...rterdriver.jpg

And the finished result:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t.../P1000344a.jpg

It's a helluva lot better looking than the way it came:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000532.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I got the trunk finished today. I spent a couple hours soaking the plastic tail lamp housings in PurpleStuff degreaser to remove the fossilized remains of that roofing tar/rustproofing that encased them. I also pulled the tail lamp wiring harness out and masked off the trunk area.

I first used some red oxide primer to spray a small area at the inner, tops of both NOS quarters because they were still in their original black E-coat, instead of red oxide dip primer. I then sprayed the areas that were going to get the trunk speckle paint with dark grey sandable primer. This really helped with the speckle paint coverage. I was able to do the entire trunk with one can of the Eastwood Trunk Paint since the background dark grayish color was already there.

To get the right finish I really stood back a ways to get the spray as dry as possible when it landed. I was spraying from outside of the trunk opening most of the time and I used small one-second bursts with the can until I got enough coverage to resemble the original speckle finish that is still remaining in some areas of the trunk, such as the trunk latch bulkhead. I think it came out reasonably well for a spray can job.

Here's the original post pressure washing photo:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/SDC11254.jpg

And today's results:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000369.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000371.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000370.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Steve....that trunk turned out excellent! You are quite a craftsman and I enjoy reading your threads and seeing how you tackle particular areas of your restorations. Keep those pics and this thread going....I'm sure many here feel the same!!!

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I agree 100%, keep the pics and commentary coming.

Ryan

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Thanks guys!

Sometimes I wonder who is reading this stuff or if I am posting for my own entertainment. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img] My other thread has over a million-and-a-half views now. It's like it has a life of its own now!

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Sharp Mac! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I am thoroughly entertained by your threads. I've through about posting similar threads about cleaning original parts but there never seems to be enough time in the day. I am revamping my blasting cabinet in the next month and will try to post results of different types of cleaning that can be done in a media blaster. I have learned a lot from your posts Steve.

Thanks for taking the time,

Jason

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Steve, that is pretty much exactly how I did mine, but I did the black undercoat, since 69s are black and aqua. Not sure about Eastwoods, but my Duplicolor was still very fragile when completely dry. It would rub off easily. I ended up putting many coats (7) of spray can matte clear to get a good protective coat. Kevin

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Actually it seems very tough as the base layer is the primer and only the speckles are from the spray can. It looks very close in finish to the remaining original finish. At the moment I wont be clearing it. I did that on the T/A and it changed the appearance of the finish too much.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

OK [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Look what I found! I was perusing ebay one Sunday morning, a couple weeks ago, right after someone listed this alternator. It's the exact one I needed for my car. I emailed the seller and asked him what he wanted for the alternator. He said $50. I had him send me a paypal invoice and I bought it immediately. It arrived today and I had it tested at the auto parts store and it works fine.

It's a 1101015 80 amp with a 1M14 date code. If I deduce correctly, that is December 14, 1971, perfect for my Jan 11, 1972 shipped car. This is a real oddball piece since they only came on the Firebirds with A/C and electric rear window defogger with the heating elements in the rear glass.

I disassembled it this afternoon and I am soaking the case in the trusty old Purplestuff degreaser at the moment. I found a new front bearing for it in my box of alternator parts and it should be good to go.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1000372.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1000378.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1000376.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Nice Score! That does sounds like a rare &quot;bird&quot;.


Jason

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Sure is. I have been hunting for one for a year now. There are hundreds of hits on ebay for the 1101015 part number but they are all for modern cross-referenced, superceded alternators that cover that application. This was the first one I have seen in a year of searching, and luckily it had the right date code as a bonus.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I got some more of the welding done at the Votech class last week. I finished up the bodywork on the passenger side trunk drop off and the large rust hole in the outer wheel tub. Luckily the rocker panel rail end was fine. As I mentioned before, anywhere that there was a large concentration of body seam sealer/caulking is where the rust occurred. Once that stuff gets old, it acts just like a sponge and holds the water next to the metal until the metal rusts away.

Here's the finished trunk drop off on the pass side:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...unkdropoff.jpg

And here is the before shot of the rust hole in the front of the passenger side wheel well:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...heelwellb4.jpg

And after I surgically removed the rusty portions and welded in a section of the reproduction outer wheel tub, and finished the body work, seam sealer, and partially undercoated it:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...twheelwell.jpg

And for comparison's sake, here is the wheel well from Gramma's 75 Firebird in all its sloppily applied seam sealer glory:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000396.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Nice work......as usual. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Kurt

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Great stuff Steve!

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Thanks! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

All that detail work to make the metal seams look correct, and I then have to cover it in slathered-on goop to make it look sloppy on purpose! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/no.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I put the alternator back together after some parts cleaning. I soaked the case in the Purplestuff for a couple days and scrubbed it with a brass wire scrub brush (something softer than the cast metal case). I then used some 0000 steel wool and Orangestuff hand cleaner and gently scrubbed the outside of the case under really hot water. It turned out great, it has that just tumbled look out of the casting mold.

As for the pulley and fan blade, they turned out to be just dirty. The original silver cad plating on the pully cleaned up nicely. The finish on the back half of the pulley was perfect, the front half, not as nice due to being out in the elements all these years. The fan blade still retained its original grey phosphate finish and just needed some soaking in the Purplestuff degreaser and scrubbing with a plastic scrub brush. After seeing the original finish on the pulley and fan blade, and all the cobwebs inside, it looks like this alternator had never been apart in 42 years, so it retained all its factory hardware after all this time. The only repair needed was a new front bearing and to heli-coil the upper mounting bolt hole which is always stripped out on these cases.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1000402.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1000404.jpg

And you can even see the part number and date code on it now! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1000408.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I just noticed on the calendar: This is the one year anniversary of me buying this car. Wow what a difference in progress versus the prior project! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Steve
everything looks great! Its hard to put back something like seam sealer that is gobbed on or looks messy on a car you are trying to make look nice but thats how they came.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Finally finished the passenger side wheel tub repairs and slopped the seam sealer on, just like the assembly line did. The best method to reproduce the original application style seemed to be by wearing rubber gloves and applying three parallel lines of the sealer next to each other. Then you smeared it down the entire length of the seam with your index, middle and ring fingers held tightly alongside each other. This seems to duplicate the &quot;triple stripe&quot; application that is on my Gramma's 75 and the other car's I have examples of.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000415.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000414.jpg

So, in the end, the Votech adult education course at the local highschool really paid off. For $400 and 12 weeks of Tuesday night dedication I was able to use their entire body shop and all the associated welding and bodywork equipment, and get expert tutelage on its use. I removed and replaced both trunk drop-offs, repaired the passenger side trunk-to-wheel tub section, and the rocker-to-wheel tub section, and refinished the trunk floor. Sure beats the estimate I got to have the work done (by around $7000). [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

And you know the work was done to your satisfaction. Great work as always.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Thanks, John. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Now I have to find someone to do the topside. (A man's got to know his limitations...and painting a black car is well beyond mine at the moment). [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Maybe one more body shop class will do it.......

Great job, very inspiring to try some resto/repair items myself.

Ryan

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Are you sure it needs to be repainted? Some detailers do what is referred to as &quot;paint correction&quot; and it is a much more involved detailing process that can, in some cases, produce excellent results on the existing paint. It's not cheap but, much cheaper than a respray.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

It deserves a repaint. It is 30 year old enamel and has contaminants from the original application (tiny bumps from water in the air lines), chips, scratches and the entire lower 8 inches of the car including front and rear valances are coated in that darn gravel guard crap that everyone loved to apply back in the 1980s.

I also need to fix a couple cracks in the fiberglass hood near the scoops from incorrect hood closing procedures. These hoods should never be slammed down in the center. They should be gently prssed closed with two hands, one on each scoop. If not done this way, you get a crack alongside each scoop on the centerline of the hood. This hood has those cracks.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Spent a couple hours at my buddy's garage this morning. We filled up the A/C system with R12 and man does it blow cold. 37 degrees at idle! Ready for summer cruising. I finally used the R12 that a fellow Yenko.net member gave me a year or so ago. Thanks again!

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/P1000435.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/P1000436.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Another evening at the votech body shop class. I forgot to take any before shots but here are a couple after shots. I had to weld up several 1/2&quot; Ziebart rust proofing holes in the doors. The one on the driver's side was right in the middle of where the conformance decal is supposed to be. The original rustproofers must have drilled right through the decal. DUMB! There were also a couple extra 1/4&quot; size holes where they must have tried to install a non-original replacement, power door lock solenoid. The large hex-head screws are the retaining bolts for the power door lock solenoids.


Anyway, here is the result after I reinstalled the door panels and made sure everything still worked:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000456.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/P1000457.jpg