Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

There's no sense in that... A V6 doesn't need 10+ inch wide tires, and there will NEVER be a V8 under the hood of my car as long as I own it. When I want a V8, I'll find a late second-gen Z/28.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Started sanding the paint off of the bumper covers yesterday. That crap is being a royal PITA to get off, I'll tell you. The rear has barely been touched other than to get some of the repaint Rust Oleum off, and the front is nearly done. The problem I have now is that, somewhere along the line, the front cover seems to have been very badly gouged in places by who knows what and that seemed to have started the spider-cracking in the paint. I'm going to have to run to Sears soon and make a return to trade for some 120 grit DA sanding discs to see if I can knock the old paint off faster and get some of the scarring out a little better (currently using 220G and it's taking FOREVER AND A DAY to get anywhere ). And I'm still waiting for those shocks to show up . I get paid tomorrow, so I'll probably have ordered the welder by this time.

:edit: Just looked it up, and it looks like I'll have the shocks either tomorrow or Thursday unless they're on a really slow trip up from PA.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Update...

Got the shocks. They're in their box in the garage.

Got the welder. Can't do a damn thing with it until I rewire the garage due to the seller's amperage rating being incorrect and the welder requiring a 20A circuit and not a 15A.

Haven't done much in the way of cleaning off the bumpers either since the power has been down in the garage for the last week and a half. Which is the other reason I'm going to have to rewire the garage... The underground cable shorts out when it's wet .

Bought the pushrods I need to install the 3100 heads (yes, I know, not body, but still part of the update), and I'll be ordering the throttle cable shortly.

Going to get another pair of jack stands (this will make 3 and a half pairs I have now) and put the rear axle on the stands so I can get my wheels/tires off and start cleaning that up before I rebuild the rear brakes.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Another update: I'll have 91-92 Firebird bumper covers next week, with any luck. A local guy wants $250 for them, and I think I'm going to jump on it (as opposed to paying $300 a piece between the part and shipping).

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

New update: Engine is outta there! Got the tools Sunday on my day off and pulled it Tuesday. Can't do a thing other than that due to the crappy weather.

Still don't have the late bumper covers and haven't gotten a response in a week now from the seller. Bought the fender-to-body brackets that should be here next week. Still don't have brackets for between the bumpers and fenders/quarter panels (originals broke on removal and haven't found any replacements). Found a set of 91-92 fender-to-bumper air dam/fillers for $20, on the quarter panel donor that was blasted in the front (everything was pushed in and down instead of straight in as though she blasted a semi or something and the driver's side is still in place and okay and the passenger's side I threw in the hatch area to hide it under the snow).

Decided on an exterior color. My sister got a 2011 Malibu that's Charcoal Metallic.

Still working on a solution to the power problem outside. Looking for tips on using a flux-core welder. No, I'm not going to buy a MIG, too expensive for only a few weeks' use and then nothing (and I already have a flux-core welder). And I have to work outside, for which I have read that a flux-core is better anyways due to the fact that ambient air currents won't blow the shielding gas away. It's either that or I use 3M AutoMix body adhesive for the patches (which I also already have and was the original plan until I saw they recommend that quarters be welded on vertical surfaces).

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Question: How much paint covers the car inside and out, fenders off? I'm trying to figure out how much RustBullet to buy, but the stuff is expensive and I'd rather not have half a gallon or something left over (because the gallon is over $160). The stuff is applied in a minimum of 2 coats (getting only one quart of black because that will cover 100sq ft), and the quart covers 50 sq ft with 2 coats. The entire frame will be covered, under the fenders, under the body, engine bay, interior, window bows, entire door shells, and all of the exterior except the bumper covers. The Charcoal Met will come later, as this stuff will be the undercoat/primer/rust proofer.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

I feel like I'm talking to myself here... So I'm posting new pics. And yes, for those who are looking, I did overspray on the windshield. It's being replaced anyways, so I didn't much care. I still haven't gotten the rest of the body filler off of the roof bow between the tops and the hatch due to no power outside for my grinder and the fact that I'm terrified of what I'm going to find under it .

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Couple more, with some new parts (finally!). Of course, they need paint...

Yoseph Jakob

Hey for what its worth I enjoy following your progression, restoring a car like this is requires alot of skill and determination, and unfortuantely 99% of people whom start projects like this give up after only a month or so, so its cool to track someone's progress when they keep it going.

musclecar70sfan

iTrader: (1)

You my friend need to mount that shell to a rotisserie.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Ha... I wish I could. The driveway isn't level (and a good portion mud), we have a garage barely big enough for the car as it is (when assembled), and I have no space in the bank for one. Think I'm going to do the Rust Bullet the hard way on the bottom, roller and brush, and spray the rest.

Going to pick up an attachment for my pressure washer this week or next that turns it into a sandblaster . And then wait for better weather. I want to get at least the bottom cleaned off and painted with the Rust Bullet before too long, and then get out and get the quarter panel. Still looks like I'm going to have to find a way to use the body panel adhesive I bought months ago on the quarter and find a way to fill the gap at the factory seam (definitely don't have the time or the budget to rewire the garage OR just install an outdoor 20A outlet). We'll see what happens.

Still need to drop the front suspension. Still need to get rear LCA's, track bar, front struts, springs and sway bar end links, and pretty much all the rest of the bushings I'm missing. Got the front passenger's spindle and the replacement heater module case. Don't have the MegaSquirt finished yet (well, the soldering is done but nothing else), which I can't test until I get a replacement part for the stimulator, and I don't have the parts required to finish the 165 ECM adaptor card to go with it. Found out that the engine's main bearings were .016" undersize from GM (or a GM replacement crank) so I have the wrong mains now and have ordered new ones (bought the internal engine parts back in 06 assuming the bearings were standard size). Will have the full gasket kit in a couple of days along with the stimulator CPU. Progress isn't going anywhere near fast enough to make my July deadline... May have to extend it.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Update...

Got the pressure washer attachment and now I have a sandblaster. Going to go get the abrasive when I send my air compressor in for a fire recall .

The front suspension is out and has been broken down. The struts are going to be tossed at the earliest opportunity and I'm going to order some Monroe struts. The steering box and all linkage has been removed. The car is literally just a body shell now with glass and the side doors.

Should be going to the junkyard Friday, weather permitting, for the front air dam fillers and the quarter from the 91.

The MegaSquirt has been finished, base programmed, and tested. Still need to get some parts and a new adaptor circuit board made to connect it to my harness.

Need a couple questions answered: I was planning on picking up some either glass bead or crushed walnut shell abrasive for the sandblaster, but I'm not sure how well that will do on rust killing. Should I go for aluminum oxide instead? Second, how the heck do I get that plastic gas filler pipe shield out behind the driver's side wheel well? I'd like to get as much metal cleaned and rust proofed as possible, and that shield is in the way. Also, may need a torque spec on the front crossmember bolts if I can't find them in the FSM...

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

New update. No pics yet, they're in my camera but the camera isn't here at the moment.

Got the quarter panel and it's about half disassembled to where I need it to be (blasted weather makes working outside difficult). Found rust on it, as I knew I would, but it isn't that bad, just a couple quarter-sized spots here and there. Bad part about the panel is that I found body filler over a rather good size dent of sorts that it looks like someone attempted to pull out but didn't quite make it. It's not accessible from behind due to the spare tire bracket being on the other side of the panel, so I guess I'll just fill it back in.

Getting aluminum oxide abrasive next week. Ordered 2 quart cans of Rust Bullet Automotive Silver and one can of BlackShell top coat to go over it, should be here next week.

Still looking for input on the fuel filler shield. Found the info for the front crossmember. Need input on fixing the small rust holes in the replacement quarter. Still feel like I'm talking to myself. Hmmm...

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Spent a good portion of the day today getting the quarter ready to go. Started by gutting what I hadn't already cut out of the panel with the saw, and then cut a lot of spot welds both with a cutter and my angle grinder. I hate those spot weld cutters... They always walk on me, and it got my finger... Anyways, all I have left to do is cut off the remnants of the outer wheelhouse panel and grind off the cut spot weld centers before I run a test fit and cut some more of my existing sail panel off and cut what I need to off of the tail of the replacement quarter. First pic is the day I brought the quarter home. Not particularly fond of the pinstriping and details, but they'll soon be gone . The pinstriping on the doors was better when they were still on the car... Should've nabbed them when I had the chance .

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Couple more pics. Forgot to add that the front suspension is out, disassembled, and the struts are in the scrap bin. The engine mounts are soon to follow when I get the ambition. The rear roof bow (between the t-tops and the hatch) has been stripped. Found some more body filler up there, not anything major, however. I hate Harbor Freight wire cup brushes... I think I ended up with about a dozen of the wires in my skin in various places (not deep but annoying) and all sorts in my clothes. Ouch! The first pic is of the cut out spare tire compartment floor. If you happen to notice, the lower corner that would connect to the quarter panel has been cut out as it was damaged in the collision or whatever happened to the car before I bought it, and I wasn't sure I would be able to get it realigned properly. The second needs some tumbleweeds... Clean air from front to rear. You can see from the tail all the way out the radiator support . All of that rust will be history shortly.

musclecar70sfan

iTrader: (1)

No offense but considering all of the work involved with a quarter panel swap, I'd keep searching for a much cleaner one. Save yourself a bunch of work.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

A, it's western NY, salt country. B, I'm going to sandblast it anyways. C, there isn't much better around here. D, $100 to cut it myself was bad enough, especially considering it took 2 trips and about 4 hours total to cut it (not counting battery charge time ) and even then I almost didn't get it home.

musclecar70sfan

iTrader: (1)

For an additional $40 and a lot less aggravation, this is what you could have gotten:
http://www.classicindustries.com/fir...s/1668035.html

Gotta shop around first dude!

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

And then I would have ended up spending an extra $60 or so on the extra metal that doesn't come with that SKIN. Classic DOES NOT HAVE FULL THIRD GEN QUARTER PANELS, and that is what I needed (there's no sail on the skin and my sail panel was also damaged by what looked like either shotgun pellets or hail). I looked there first (I've had their catalogs since 2004). And then I looked at YearOne. And then I looked elsewhere on the Net to find ANY full replacement quarter panel, and found ZIP. My ONLY option was a junkyard, especially with the damage that wasn't just to the quarter panel but to the lower rear corner between the tail panel and the quarter.

And besides, now I have good factory metal from the inner structure of the car to fix the other rust holes .

musclecar70sfan

iTrader: (1)

Alright alright no need to get testy, I'm just trying to help you out with this project considering how deep you're in it. I didn't know about that extra stuff you needed.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Ah, sorry... It's late and I've been up since like 4... And my ears haven't stopped ringing yet .

If you notice in the Classic catalog, however, they show a pic of the 3rd gen full quarter for selling GM full replacement 4th gen panels... . Page 354 in the 2010 catalog...

Don't worry, I'll have a BIG order for them when the time comes... I'm not crazy about the rust on this panel (and can't seem to get any help fixing it), and maybe if the budget and time allows, I'll spring for the skin, but I need to get the base structure taken care of first.

musclecar70sfan

iTrader: (1)

No worries. Another idea worth considering would be to order the new skin and put all the stuff you'd need from the quarter you already got from the junkyard onto the new panel, considering that the new skin will save you a lot of rust repairing to do.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Well, I suppose I could at least find out shipping... That's not going to be cheap...

I'll give me plenty of time to clean up what's there and use the Rust Bullet on it... And then patch the other holes... Maybe even get the lower door skins as well. Dangit, I'm spending money before I've made it again (not that I already hadn't, but...).

last_

hell yes, might as well if you are this far along! even if you dont take advantage of all that extra space for tire you would have the option later on.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Again, NOT tubbing ANYTHING on this car. I'm going to patch the holes any way I can and put it back together. That's all.

Got the Rust Bullet yesterday, 2 cans of Auto silver and one can of Black top coat. Also went and bought the rollers and trays to put it on with along with the abrasive for the sand blaster.

The sand blasting didn't work as I hoped. Only got some of the top coat off under the hood and that's it. Guess I'm going in manually.

Got the replacement quarter stripped completely (of paint, still have the portion of inner fender and a part of the roof bracket to remove). Got the driver's door and rocker stripped. Found a TON of body filler on the passenger's side door and places where there had been holes drilled for pulling a dent, 2 of which are still in the skin. Working to strip the rest will continue with better weather as it's supposed to rain for the next few days. Not concerned about surface rust on the bare metal as it's a bit necessary for the Rust Bullet to adhere properly.

last_

sorry man, just got a little excited. i love seein these cars being built or fixed up no matter what is bein done to them.

Paul Vibert

WOW Awesome topic here i'm thinking about doing the same thing to my camaro. It's been sitting for like 5 years and her body is hurting. I wish i did more to perserve her but she has rotted wheel wells and a hole in the passenger floor near the rocker panel, which i've heard is common. I'm going to school for automotive and this is my project car. I want to restore her, i've had so many memories in this car. My biggest concern is STOPPING THE ROT. Mother nature has taken a toll on my car and i want to fix her, but funding is a problem. All the power to you man for restoring this car and fixing the body, all the stuff people don't want to be bothered with. That's dedication right there keep the posts coming.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Another update with pics.

Spare tire floor has been rebuilt with replacement panel. Cut out the remnants of the driver's side battery tray. Got the paint and crap off of the roof bow in the rear. Degreased the underbelly, but haven't gotten all of the flaking rust and paint off of the passenger's side yet due to problems with the grinder. Removed the hatch and broke out the windshield (blasted sealant killed my old grinder and I ended up buying a new one ). Took the paint off of the rockers, and now I have more questions, especially as to just WTF happened to the passenger's side of my car... Found dents and drilled holes for a slide hammer in the front end of the passenger's side rocker panel. Outer sheet metal there is good, though. It's under that area, under the floor pan, that has the rust? Don't get it . Anyways, cracked open the Rust Bullet. Used it all because I was an idiot and followed the directions on the FAQ page of their site instead of the Application page. Used a 2.0 tip instead of the 1.4 they recommend, and ended up with a crud job for most of it (and a TON of the stuff on and in the gun as a result). I'm in the process of sanding it down to build up more (this stuff gets layed on as thick as factory paint/clear or thicker, 6 mils), but can't touch the black for another 2 days (sprayed it the 4th and can't touch it until tomorrow). I'm not worried about the interior as much because it's going to be covered up, and I'll be putting undercoat on the floor pan once I fix the small rust holes there. Reason I started with the RB first is because I wanted to stop the rust from spreading so that I could have a chance to possibly get my welder going and have more time to patch holes. Need to get more RB (blasted price went up $12 a can!) before I can finish the engine compartment and even start on the underbelly.

Anyways, as to the pics, first few are older, just haven't felt like digging them out of the cam. First is the battery tray, or where it used to be, second is the passenger's rocker panel damage, and third is the engine compartment after being wet blasted.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Next are the bare replacement quarter, less rust than I thought, and the passenger's side door. The quarter has been coated with RB. The doors have not and they're sitting under a tarp on my patio on tires ATM. I'll see how much RB I have left and then do those and the hood up. Oh, forgot to mention that the outside of the hood has been stripped (took me 2 days with mostly not working time due to being 90 degrees plus outside with 80% humidity, I was dying).

:edit: Didn't post the battery tray pic in the last post ...

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Last. being split due to the 3 pic limit, is the frame after Rust Bullet. Stuff isn't all that bad, but it will probably be better when I get it sanded down flat and redone .

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

The front end will be done completely with the RB BlackShell, when I get some more, just like the interior. Depending on how it coats, I may end up doing the whole car in BlackShell and leaving it until I can have it painted with the Carbon Flash Metallic (found out that was the proper color name as opposed to Charcoal). The rearend, spindles, and the front crossmember have also been done with RB, but I haven't got them completely coated yet (was more of a test shot than anything), so no pics.

Oh, almost forgot to mention I ordered Founders' Performance LCAs and a track bar. Will be here tomorrow, according to UPS. Still need to order rear sway bar mounts from Summit/Hawks (can't recall at this second who has them, but I don't have any u-bolts so I need the kit), and every piece of suspension hardware I can get my hands on from Hawks. Also received door frame seals from RCAR7395. Still missing EVERYTHING I need for the 91 front bumper conversion, or just to put the stock (not quite, but stock-ish) bumper covers back on. Have all of the front seat track covers, and have extras if anyone is looking. Junked ALL of my useless parts (struts, strut towers, old sway bars, old track bar, old LCAs and shocks, bunch of hardware, sheet metal chunks, ALL of my stock engine parts from the cylinder heads up).

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

A little more progress:

Bought the missing bumper parts from a member on here (wish he would get back to me about the rear sway bar mounts I paid for and am missing and the battery tray and driver's floor section I asked about!) and have the front end mocked up and body gaps aligned according to the 92 FSM (those gaps are SOO ugly but there is NOTHING I can do about it!). I have the brackets mounted to the rear of the car at the moment but not in the bumper cover, as I need to work back there. Don't have the front bumper parking lights yet, will order from RCAR shortly. Bought 2 more cans of RB silver and one of black. Got the bottom of the body done in its first coat (used a whole quart under there and still needs more in spots!) so it's all one color now . Went out and bought a pair of doors and passenger's side fender from a local guy parting his 83 T/A. Fender is damaged by the door, only wanted it for the front anyways, but I don't think I'll be able to use it as the bumper cover has a HUGE gap at the top when installed due to a slight difference between the 83 fender and the one on the car from an 88 (keep in mind NOTHING in terms of the front end sheet metal, other than the hood, was/is factory on my car... Driver's fender is a GM replacement and the passenger's side is from an 88 Formula, along with the Colonel's front bumper cover). Also coated both bumper bars, the engine and trans, and the rearend in RB, single coat, silver (except the rear which has 2 coats now) but not black, along with the top of the gas tank. The gas tank has been reassembled with the carbureted fuel sender I bought from another member on here (going with an external fuel pump as I don't want to drop the rear again, ever, unless I need new shocks!), and reinstalled. I changed the stripe preference when I went to Advance a couple days ago and decided the stripe is going to be Medium Garnet Metallic.

Got my year-end bonus (anniversary year, not calendar year) a couple days ago and bought new front springs (Moog 5658), new front struts (Gabriel, anything's better than the crap ones I took off), front sway bar end links, and a whole bunch of suspension hardware from Hawks (but I'm pretty sure I need more), all off of eBay. Got the springs yesterday. Took the front a-arms down to Monro and had them press out the junk bushings and ball joints, and will cut off the bump stops and clean them up really good before coating them with RB and then some sort of paint.

Anyone needing door panels and parts from an 83 T/A speak now or they're going in the trash. The door panels are tan (and DIRTY), the armrests black (only have one bracket as the other ended up damaged on removal) and the window sills are uncracked and unbroken with decent sweeps. The doors had power windows, but not power locks or mirrors. I have the door handles with the "PONTIAC" emblem in the middle and the emblem around the driver's door lock (there wasn't one on the passenger's side so don't ask), all rods and window tracks (except the front which connects to the triangles which I need to keep due to differences in the door construction, but have them from the 87), but only one door latch, the passenger's side (my factory door latch was damaged on the driver's). The door handle trim pieces probably are going to get tossed as most of the phony torx screws have been damaged, but I do have the non-power lock button covers and the driver's remote mirror (non-power, obviously) control trim. I kept the metal tab thing that holds the mirror controls in place, though (I'm sick of using duct tape ). Also have the factory motors and regulators for the windows. Be warned: These motors are S L O W!!! Probably because the car sat forever and a day. They need to be cleaned and lubed very well (and probably cleaned inside the motor as well). Oh, and I have both side mirrors as well, in black. They need to be repainted BADLY.

Now for the bad: Went out last week and found ANOTHER rust hole, where there wasn't one before, but in the same area as the other on the driver's side floor pan. Cut it out and cut out a patch, and it's ready to be patched. Still don't have the welder up and running yet. Have about half of the parts to install an outdoor outlet, but no wiring and a few other things yet. The passenger's side quarter isn't exactly mounted to the car as seen in the pic. I need a couple dozen more c-clamps before I can start with the body panel adhesive. It's merely clamped in place with clamps at the front and bolts in the back (where I can't put the clamps down the tail panel of the car... Bolt heads and nuts will be cut off and used to fill the holes since the bolts will probably end up adhered to the body). The hatch isn't permanently re-mounted yet, the nuts are still loose. I reinstalled it because I don't have a car cover right now (tore it up bad) and I'm sick of having to vacuum out the rear trunk well when it fills with water.

chevman24

iTrader: (1)

What does that passenger quarter panel look like now that it appears that you have it all back together?

Edit: Maybe its not done yet, i think i see c-clamps on the sail panel.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Yeah, the quarter needs a lot more work... It's still being aligned, which is why I have the old tail light on that side mounted. I messed up a bit on the sail panel and there is a huge gap at the top where the quarter meets what is left of the old sail... I had a brain fart and forgot to brace the roof, so the screws holding it on the inside managed to come out and the roof sagged a bit before I test fit the panel the first time. So, trying to align the panel to the frame, I ended up grinding and cutting off a lot more than I should have. I still have a piece of the old sail I'm going to weld in there when I get the opportunity. And yes, I realigned the roof, screwed it together on the inside (if you look at the top behind the sail panel trim you will see 2 screws, which is how GM attached the roof to the body before welding the outer skin on the outside later down the line) and used the 3M body adhesive to stick it there until rust or the crusher does it part.

Although, I think I might end up doing some scavenging for another quarter... The one I have needs a lot more work than it looks like around the wheel well, on the inner lip. If I had known I needed it, I probably would have gotten it 3 years ago when the donor first arrived in the yard (along with the doors, t-tops, and the dash pad ). It's only on there now to keep crap from getting in the interior and to give the car cover (when I get another one) support over the winter. I would mount the door, but I can't due to the c-clamps being in the way. And no, I don't have the hatch struts installed.

chevman24

iTrader: (1)

I saw the rust holes in the quarter panel and wondered why you didnt get a solid no rust quarter. They have whole firebird quarters at thirdgen ranch for 100. Although it would probobly cost another 100 to ship it there. Im doing something similar with my camaro, only mine wasnt nearly as bad as that. Luckily for me my car was only driven for about 5 years in the winter, WI uses ALOT of salt on the roads. Its mostly only the lower portion of the quarter that needs replacing on mine. But like you the weld points are rusted out so i cant get by with just getting a quarter skin. Im not expecting to spend that much since the pick and pull will most likely charge me 50 bucks for the pieces because they have to cut them off. I hate to cut up some really nice quarter panels, but i dont need to replace the whole panel.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

At the time I got it, the quarter was what I thought to be a pretty solid piece with some surface rust at the top and behind the wheel. I thought I posted a pic of this... I started taking the paint off, since it was a crappy repaint done by Maaco or somewhere, and ended up finding body filler covering a couple dents behind the rear wheel and rust that went slightly deeper than I originally thought, but nothing compared to the panel that came off.

There's a couple more yards around here that I haven't been to yet because I've had other priorities and have had to share car(s). I've been checking CraigsList, Thirdgen Ranch, Hawks, Modern Day Muscle, and Car-Part.com, and really haven't found much at a decent price yet. I'm going to leave the car pretty much the way it is for the winter and save money to either have something shipped from down south or find something in a junkyard around here that I can go and pick up before I strip it down. I figure that by spring I should have enough money and parts (going to buy some small parts now that most of the expensive stuff has been taken care of) to start getting things back together again, starting at the front. Obviously, the interior will be going in last due to not having a windshield (and I'd rather not have my dash with alarm, VATS, and what not ruined by rain and snow). Luckily for me, once the ground freezes, I can use the power in the garage again (it's been going batty on and off again since the roof was repaired months ago), and it will be plenty bright enough to see to finish converting the doors over to the GTA door panels, building up the engine, putting the rearend back together, and getting things ready to be put back in.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Well, since I didn't post them, here are the pics of the replacement quarter. First when I brought it home, second when I started stripping it and found the body filler and the rust I didn't want, and third completely bare.

chevman24

iTrader: (1)

I believe you did post these on the first page of this topic.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Those were the old one... The system wouldn't have let me repost them. I guess I put them up on my Photobucket but not here.

chevman24

iTrader: (1)

I can tell by looking at that first pic that your quarter has issues. That one little rust hole on there tells me that i would need to look at another quarter panel.

I just purchased quarter panels from a pick and pull. I will post pictures when i get them.

musclecar70sfan

iTrader: (1)

Any updates?

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

I've been sourcing more parts since the last update... Got the headlight doors and passenger's side headlight bucket and bezels installed and everything pretty much lined up. Bought the front parking lights shortly thereafter and had to take the front cover off to put those in. The lights are in, front end body panels are reassembled for the winter, and I bought a new cover to help keep water out of the interior (about time!). Put the weatherstrip in its mounts on the roof and the t-tops on for roof support, and have a sheet of plywood to act as a support where the windshield sits. Other than that, as far as the body is concerned, only other parts installed are the upper strut mounts.

Engine is almost done, just needs rocker arms and custom length pushrods. Had the crankshaft polished and bought a new con rod bearing for it, and also had the flywheel turned while I was at it. Oil pan is on and is staying on until paint is done and I'll put a chrome one on it. Bought the oil pump drive I need and stuck that in the hole (no distributor with the newer parts). Still need to replace the oil pan bolts, but the store I had been getting hardware from closed so I need to go to the other. I won't worry about that until the engine is painted up and it's time for the replacement pan.

Bought new axle seals for the rearend and put those in. No other progress there as I've been having problems with the adhesion on the Rust Bullet (even following their instructions to a T, the black top coat comes off of the silver in sheets, which is why I've had to coat the driver's side quarter 3 times now).

Finished the front end wiring harnesses last week, had to wait and buy more heat shrink tubing and wire loom for both. Swapped over the proper connectors from the 91 harness to the old harness for the newer headlights and parking lights. Also put in a pair of relays for the headlights which will have constant power coming from the junction block where the old air cleaner box was by the radiator support. I have another 2 pairs of relays waiting to be put in each door for the power windows (I'm hoping bigger wire will speed those things up A LOT and the relays will help the switches live longer). I'm currently modifying a power window switch I got out of a 2-door 88 Grand Prix to fit in the space in the 00 console where the ashtray was, so that I can nab a slightly newer switch and have plug-in auto-down on the driver's window. No, I'm not using the stock 3rd gen switches, as mine broke a while ago and I don't feel like cutting holes for replacements. I've been using $5 RadioShack DPDT switches for the windows since about 2005 or so.

I have all the replacement suspension hardware I can get, but I think I still need to source a pair of rear shock to axle bolts. I bought a set of bushings for the front control arms, but I think I got the wrong set (for the rear instead). I do have a set of ball joints, however. Since I found out I can get a set of rear axle u-bolts at the parts store, I'm going to do that.

I currently have the transmission in the basement all apart, except the mainshaft. Don't worry that I'm going to mess it up. I was forced to rebuild the first one I put in the car, the one that failed because the guy at the yard that pulled it for me BROKE THE MAIN CASE NEXT TO THE COUNTERSHAFT. I had it welded, but the welds weren't for beans and leaked ATF constantly. So, I junked a trans with less than 1000 miles on the NEW REBUILD PARTS I paid less than $60 for, a FULL kit, with synchro rings AND Timken bearings. Yes, I know, I should have kept the rebuild parts, and I wanted to get the trans back in the garage the next morning, but it was already gone . Anyways, this transmission (I have now) NEEDED to be rebuilt as the bearings are pitted pretty badly and there's a lot of metal on the magnet in the bottom. As soon as I can get some bearing separators, I'll have the mainshaft broken down and will be inspecting the speed gear bushings (NO bearings between the shaft and gears in an NWC T-5!). Also need to pick up a set of shift fork bushings as the ones on 5th gear are shot (no wonder why I never could hit 5th gear right when shifting hard!). Looking to get brass or bronze bushings for both the shift forks and the shifter ball cup, but they're ridiculously expensive. I'd also like to get a different set of 5th gears for the trans to get the overdrive ratio down below .70:1 for better highway mileage (currently about .76:1, IIRC). I had a bid on eBay for a set of .63 gears, but lost the auction (because I'm cheap and broke, lol).

And no, I don't plan on replacing the NWC T-5. My engine SHOULD be just barely within the torque limit for it, and I don't have the money for one that I would need to rebuild anyways just for the piece of mind (and NWC rebuild kits are expensive enough!).

STILL waiting on those parts from California THAT I ALREADY PAID FOR (rear axle u-bolts, front bumper honeycomb)!!! I may have a second source on a battery tray and another for rear GFX, but I'd at least like to get what I ALREADY PAID FOR!!!

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Update:

Found out I was right when I test-fitted the front control arm bushings before paying $50 to have them pressed in with the new ball joints... Got the wrong bushings. Sent them back (they should have them by now if I sent them to the right address ) and ordered the proper bushings.

Note for anyone looking at the Prothane bushings on eBay: The seller named "kmjperformance" apparently has a couple of monkeys working there. They have a Buy It Now listing for "82-02 Front Control Arm Bushings". In the listing, they have made several errors... First, the listing specifically states (when you scroll down the page to look at the item description) that the bushings in the listing are for FRONT UPPER CONTROL ARMS, which our third gens don't have (and I pointed this out to them both on the phone and through an eBay message!). And second, the part number in the listing is incorrect, and if they use that number, you will receive REAR control arm bushings instead. Just as a little warning.

Second, I found a local guy through CraigsList that has his own little collection of Camaros, mostly hard to find first-gens. I guess he recently bought a 92 B4C, and there was a spare windshield and other parts in it. I bought the windshield today for $80, which really beats $240 for a new one. I'll be getting a black driver's side rear interior panel from him as well as a posi rearend when I get the money (IF I get the money ).

Bought a battery tray and power steering pump bracket (thing broke when I removed the pump ) from a member on here. The "battery tray" is actually a flat piece of thick steel, but I'll cut it free from the bits of steel that are attached to it, notch it, and bend it to fit where it's supposed to be before I cut the hole in it for my air intake pipe.

HaIrLeSsHoBo

iTrader: (1)

Dan,

I am thrilled to see all the progress that you have made on this project! Ever since I wrecked my 86 trans am I have been dying to build another one. After reading this thread I decided to call around and find out how much to straighten the frame. Turns out, that part is gonna be cheap. Now I know that I can repair the damaged passenger rear quarter panel by just replacing it. I know it wont be a quick project but neither has yours. Thanks for the motivation, and keep up the great work! I look forward to keeping up with your progress.

-Steve

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

wow man, just wow is all i have to say again, i cant believe how extensive your taking this down too, its going to be like your driving a brand new car!!! love it dan, absolutly love it, keep it up buddy!!

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Got a long way to go yet. I have the bushings for the front control arms, just not quite enough money to have them and the new ball joints pressed in yet and still be in my "comfort zone".

Windshield is set in place for the time being, to act as a support for the tarp covering the midsection of the car and for the car cover on top of that. Going to have to call around to find out how much it's going to cost me to have it installed. I'd REALLY like to have that done ASAP and get some of the interior parts (dash insulation, heater box, etc) reinstalled, so that it at least seems like I'm getting somewhere with something on the car.

Looks like the tax man is going to be kind to me this year. I'm anticipating about $1500 back (don't make much), so I'm sure that will go towards an external fuel pump and regulator, stainless fuel and brake line (buying bulk, bending as stock, and using AN fittings to put everything together), engine pushrods and rocker arms (last pieces I need to get the engine put back together!), and a NWC T-5 rebuild kit.

Still not sure if I'm going to outright replace the quarter panel I have now with another one or not, not sure if I'm going to have a car to drive to get to the J/Y (or if the donor is still there even).

Where I'm at now is basically this:
I have all of the required suspension components, none installed yet due to no driveline ready. Still need more paint on the front A-arms after smoothing out what's already there.
Engine is 90% done. Want to get a chrome oil pan, but that's going to wait until it's painted black instead of silver (silver is a rust protectant coat).
Transmission is 40% apart and don't have either bearing separators (someone got me a gift card to Sears instead of Harbor Freight) or the rebuild kit to put it back together again.
Rear axle needs another 2 coats of paint before I can reassemble what I have, needs a replacement cover (not putting THAT rusty thing back on!), and rear brakes before being reassembled.
Still need a center link and all tie rods (pitman arm is good and the idler arm has less than 1000 miles on it) and to clean up and paint the steering box and pump, followed by replacing the pump pulley.
Looking for a gauge cluster lens and 93-95 Camaro seats along with black carpet.
Still don't have the front bumper honeycomb I paid for back in October and there's nothing I can do about it!
Still need to come up with enough money to get either a long 10 gauge extension cord or the rest of the parts so I can hook up an outdoor outlet so I can use the welder I have that's still sitting around collecting dust, unused, so I can patch the holes in the kick panels and the rear floor pan along with the bit of damage still remaining in the rear wheel well area where the quarter was damaged.
Have to wait on warmer weather for paint (probably just going to primer for now). I don't care if it's cold if/when I do the welding or not as my welding class in HS was in the late fall and the outer door was ALWAYS open.
Wiring harness for the front end is fully finished. Going to have to wait until some of my sister's crap (we moved her crap out of my bedroom a couple months ago and she hasn't touched it yet) is off of the back porch so I can get the dash apart again to modify the harness some more.
No exhaust parts yet except for the muffler assembly I took off of my old intermediate pipe.
Bought the new memory for the laptop I'm going to use to program the MegaSquirt ECU, but no hard drive yet (stupid laptop doesn't have the new disk controls and I don't have any 2.5" IDE hard drives with enough capacity to run Windows XP handy like I do newer SATA drives).

Last but not least, I have a surprise project I'm starting on. And it's going to take a while before I even start putting it together (waiting on the big part to come from China ). And no, it's not exhaust. And no, it's not a carputer, but it does involve a microcontroller .

HaIrLeSsHoBo

iTrader: (1)

Sounds great. I look forward to seeing your bird once you get the body put all back together. It is definitely going to look sharp!

Please, do tell!

I remember before I wrecked my 86 T/A I had built a microcontroller to manage my electric fans - I was sick of having to watch the gauge and hit the switch, and couldn't afford a ready to use kit. Never got around to permanently installing it though, so it was just chillin on a breadboard in the passenger seat for a couple months lol.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Well, all I'm going to say is this:

It's going inside the car. And you will be able to see it, without realizing what it is. And it's going to be cheaper than aftermarket (I hope... Haven't finished drawing part of it up yet as I need a bit of direction on a part of it, so I can't submit it to manufacturers to find out how much it's going to cost to build it yet). It involves some spare parts, and should directly replace existing parts without having to further modify the dash harness (the new shift **** is going to be bad enough in that respect... Need to run another 8 wires for that!). I got the part from China today (was expecting it 2 weeks from now), and will probably go out Thursday and get a breadboard, although I will need to wait on other parts from other companies before I can start figuring things out yet.

And, I'll give you a hint... There have been similar parts made for a long time, mostly by a company that got bought out by another. There is another thread about this going on in either the Interior or Electronics forums. Oh, and it will need either window tint or smoked plexiglass. There's also a hint in my previous post.

:edit: Forgot to mention a couple things above...
I won't reassemble the front suspension of the car until the engine is in because I want the weight over the front end to help with installing the new springs. And I still need to buy replacement engine and transmission mounts.
Oh, and I have the rear quarter GFX. There is a guy in Buffalo that's selling the door and rocker GFX on eBay, but I may see what they want at the J/Y for a set off of one of the 91-92 Birds (cars are relatively untouched) that are there before I pay his prices.
I'll have current pics soon as the sun shines again.

HaIrLeSsHoBo

iTrader: (1)

Ok I feel like an idiot now for having no clue what you'r talking about. Lol. Cant wait until you spell it out for us slow ones.

Dusk2600

Maverick howd you get that dent out of the quarter pannel?