my first restoration!
 

Found a shop near by home, recommended by a close friend, that let me do a lot of the work myself, and is also teaching me. I have not had this much fun in quite a while..taking it apart, engine out, etc, anticipating it getting dipped, and then I will paint it..or they will.

It's here, I think this shop is not too far from Ken Barnhart's (ZL1) Amoco station.
http://artiesrestorations.com

Here is a shot of a guy using a grinder, that eventually showed me how to use it [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psq31p9sgh.jpg

Interior floor shots look good:
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psfopsrary.jpg

No rust tail:
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psuciijltl.jpg

Nice floor above the tank!

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psqqpuc9jj.jpg

eventual end product by summer!
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps7nzyjy08.jpg

Re: my first restoration!
 

Bob,

VERY CLEAN CUDA.....I still wish I would have restored your fomer Cuda.....I would have done her proud.

GLAD YOUR MAKING GREAT PROGRESS. Thanks for sharing, KEEP THE PICS COMING [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Dan

Re: my first restoration!
 

Sounds and looks like you are having fun. Gonna be handsome. Keep us posted!

Re: my first restoration!
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Postsedan</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Bob,

VERY CLEAN CUDA.....I still wish I would have restored your fomer Cuda.....I would have done her proud.

GLAD YOUR MAKING GREAT PROGRESS. Thanks for sharing, KEEP THE PICS COMING [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Dan </div></div>

Thanks Dan, I regret not doing that, as it would have been fun! It had a lot more rust though...and decided to sell because of the likely restoration costs...

Re: my first restoration!
 

You are fortunate to a part of the restoration process...it helps to gain perspective as to how much work it really takes to do it right.

There are great resources on this site who can help and offer guidance..

enjoy the experience [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

Re: my first restoration!
 

Sounds like a fun &quot;real car guys&quot; hang-out restoration shop :-)

KEEP US &quot;Posted&quot;

Dan

Re: my first restoration!
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: WILMASBOYL78</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You are fortunate to a part of the restoration process...it helps to gain perspective as to how much work it really takes to do it right.

There are great resources on this site who can help and offer guidance..

enjoy the experience [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img] </div></div>

Yes, I hope to learn a lot. I will ask for help, no doubt! I know the expertise is here!

Re: my first restoration!
 

Great fun [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img] I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU WILL ENJOY THIS [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/headbang.gif[/img]

Dan

Re: my first restoration!
 

Awesome! Enjoy the fun. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

(Just a reminder- always cover the windshield glass with a blanket when anywhere grinding near it....Ii made that mistake once and ruined a brand new, date-coded windshield. Those sparks permanently melted holes in the glass that were too deep to polish out).

Re: my first restoration!
 

Beautiful car, I know I'd love to have it.

Also some very good advice from Steve. Same advice applies anywhere you are using a cutoff wheel, or even if you're using those small Roloc discs.

Re: my first restoration!
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Awesome! Enjoy the fun. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

(Just a reminder- always cover the windshield glass with a blanket when anywhere grinding near it....Ii made that mistake once and ruined a brand new, date-coded windshield. Those sparks permanently melted holes in the glass that were too deep to polish out).</div></div>

Been there -- done that ... just ONCE!! Life is a learning process ...

Re: my first restoration!
 

The 'kid' helping me cut off the bolt was part of the helper crew at the shop. He saves the mechanics and body guys from things they don't want to do. I doubt he had the experience the shop owner has, we were working on the car after everyone else was gone. I asked for the help and the kid was good with the grinder, as I never used an air grinder before. Lesson learned (no sparks on glass!).

Re: my first restoration!
 

Ok, I need some help [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Enough folks said I would be foolish to dip the car as a lot of it is rust free (I can create problems that come up later).

So what are good ways to get the sound deadening material off inside the quarters and inside the wheel wells? (the whole reason I was having it dipped).

Or do I have the shop scrape it off with a scrapers and a torch? Then wire brush the rest off? I heard Walnut shells work for stuff like this?

And are all glass bead media created equal?

Hope to have it on a rotisserie this weekend (while checking out different media blasting choices around Chicago).

Re: my first restoration!
 

There's some stuff called Peelaway 7 that is at Home Depot, etc. Here is a link to someone who used it to remove wheel well undercoating. Amazing stuff. It was designed for removing linoleum tile cement.

http://www.svend.net/mustang/ww73/ww73.html

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/vintag...orks-great.html

Re: my first restoration!
 

well she got on a rotisserie today! It was a lot of hard work stripping it (top side), but I did most of it at their shop. (btw, the old scratched windshield I scrapped did have the pits from the grinder sparks in it, just as predicted. You guys were right about that!).

The restoration shop took the rear end out and the front suspension, doors off, and the firewall stuff.

Going to be blasted tomorrow (settled on glass beads for everything, but walnut shells for outer body). They will remove all the brake lines in the morning before the media blaster gets there.

Its funny, the whole bottom of the car is the original dipping primer (gray), no rust proof. There is no blue paint on it (yet all the restorations I see, those cars are painted body color underneath). I am going to have it painted gray underneath like it was born. I will get pictures of that in the morning.

I am EXCITED!!!!!! Hope to watch some of the blasting tomorrow.

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psqy4cbtub.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psjdb1l7hm.jpg

Re: my first restoration!
 

Bob,

I agree......paint the bottom as you know it was when it left the factory. I too....have restored cars that were not the normal.

I am so happy that you are very much involved and having great fun in the build.

KEEP THE PICS COMING.

Dan

Re: my first restoration!
 

How about some shots of the underside.. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Mike

Re: my first restoration!
 

the updates are here. The car came out of walnut shell and glass beading fine (10hrs for $1400, I watched most of it)! So far at $50/hr, I am only a day and a 1/2 of shop labor (they had to take the rear end out and the K frame, etc, front suspension, brake lines, etc). All the floors are mint! firewall is mint. Frame rails are mint, all the numbers on the body show up nicely. Media blaster said mopar underbodys are way more complicated than a GM.

I had them take all the sound deadener out of the quarters and wheel wells. Walnut shells rock for that. That car had NO real B5 blue paint under it, it was all the dipping primer. It had only a hazing of rust underneath that turned out to be nothing.

They will now hand sand it and etch/primer it today. We have an agreement to just replace what is needed on the quarters without a full replacement. That is where the labor charges will start to roll in. Doing it with a TIG welder.

Excited and very nervous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (the job they did on a 67 chevelle convert sitting next to my car was to die for, it was perfect perfect perfect for body fit and no defects when I looked down the sides, so I think things will turn out ok).

http://artiesrestorations.com/70plymouthcuda.html

Re: my first restoration!
 

My stress level is going down. Just paid my first $5K check (100hrs), included removal of all stuff in engine bay less engine, front and back suspension, everything under car,remove remaining caulk in wheel well and wire brush, hand sand every square inch of car (inside fenders too) post media blasting, spray with epoxy primer, completed basic rear quarter metal work and replacement of one extention (my NOS stash).

Eventually the car goes on a rotisserie to allow for comfortable hammering out of the welds for minimal filler. They straightened out some old body work (grinding areas).

Trunk floor is so nice in this car.

All repairs below the belt line.

No doubt it has a ways to go!
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps0fstcans.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psyxdzhv2r.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psukwfup1w.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psfep1zkml.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psuka1tetd.jpg

Re: my first restoration!
 

Getting there! Took forever to get that little rubber bumper!

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psqjwmcs4h.jpg

Re: my first restoration!
 

Finally off to the paint shop. The stress is finally over. I now I know why I waited so long to restore a car. Its STRESSFUL!!!!
Plus my wallet is now missing [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psplelekjq.jpg

Re: my first restoration!
 

I'll add in something I found in surveying some owners of some 71 hemi cuda coupes, superbirds, daytona's and some folks that have sold their convertible mopars for huge money. They all, for the most part said paint the car full body color underneath. They said most of the buyers care about the original drivetrain, and how much of the car is original. They care about documentation. They dont care as much about accurately the sound deadner reapplication was done in the quarters, or how sloppy the seam sealer was reapplied in the trunk. They said dont waste your time trying to replicate the factory dipping primer on the underbody, etc. Plus, one could go back later and shoot the drive shaft tunnel gray if they had to have the look (a new owners option). Long short, I now believe the big dollar mopars dont have to be OEM correct painted underneath, so its ok to do what you like in that area. Chevy's may not follow this option when it comes to having an impact on value. Everything else under my car will be OEM finish and stock parts. The last guy that told me to do the above, got stupid money for a 6 pack 4 spd superbird. Stupid money. He convinced me to leave my rear quarters to not have the sound deadner reapplied. You can always add it later (his superbird was without the deadner).

To prove my point a bit on this, a sassy grass green 1970 340 automatic cuda convertible sold for $150K at a recent Mecum auction. It had clear applied over its yellow strobe stripes, far from OEM correct.

Re: my first restoration!
 

What a cool restoration. Cant wait to see more pictures!

Re: my first restoration!
 

Great car! Wish you the best with it.

Re: my first restoration!
 

Good Luck [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Re: my first restoration!
 

Picked it up today and feel like Christmas came early! I have to put the suspension on then they will paint the rest. My wife said I have achieved true 'Hotwheel color status' as she loves the bright B5 blue. So do I.
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psrmxnyody.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psjhm9kqea.jpg

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psuhjisvr7.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psodypqlmt.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...pslaz8qv8y.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps0atxstyz.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psycmpnmdp.jpg
http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o...psx2ra8nvr.jpg

Re: my first restoration!
 

Looks great!!! May be a dumb question but why do you have to put the suspension back on before you get the rest of the car painted? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/hmmm.gif[/img]

Re: my first restoration!
 

I guess there is fear that when the car is on its suspension, the doors may not line up perfect.