Dartht33bagger

Exactly my feelings as well. 4th gen interiors look almost like my moms 2003 grand am interior. New cars don't look different on the inside or the outside. On the outside they are all rounded and have similar looks, and the interior all have extremely smooth panels. That's why I would never get rid of my 3rd gen interior, I think it looks great in the car and look much better than the 4th gen interior. I think the only interior I like better than the third gen one would be the late 2nd gen one.

By the way, NICE CAR OP! Love the color and it looks like it is coming along nicely. I hope I can do this to my Camaro one day.

musclecar70sfan

iTrader: (1)

I love it.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

I can gaurentee that if you dropped the hammer in a 6spd lt or ls car you'd have a grin on your face.

The way the keep pulling all the way to the rev limiter is fun.

My G6 GTP is a 6spd and it's fun to row through the gears.

Granted. I get into the gta once a month to let it start and idle. And if the roads are clean enough I take it for a drive. I love hearing it start up and feeling the car shake for the first minute or two while it wakes up.

Project 3.4 Camaro

Yeah, mine always shakes at idle, granted it could use new motor mount and trans bushings, but even once I get them I doubt it will be any better since I am going to get polys.

L695speed

I have resisted the temptation to read this til a couple days ago. Something about Project PITA made me wonder about it. I'm restoring my Dad's old 84 in the same way you are. Just not going as far as you did (at least for now), not taking the glass out or anything. but I gotta say, that looks awesome. I really like the detail work like the black paint on the VIN tag. I gotta remember that. I stopped taking it apart at the dash and places like the steering box and a couple other things. The glass is all still in, hatch is still on blah blah blah. Otherwise its a bare shell. I am also wondering about what you were billed for paint work.....

Keep up the progress, I'd love to see it done, the color must explode in the sun when seen in person.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Worked on the car more this afternoon. Man do I love my propane heater! LOL, but anyways, the drivers side door is now mainly together although I need the bolts for the door latch since my old ones were not correct. Still waiting on my new door handles too. Feels good to have the doors done with and know that I didn't scratch them putting the windows in!

While I was working on the car today, a broom that was left by my parents up against the garage door randomly fell with me half way accross the room and nailed the rear quarter of the car!!! I ran over and THANKFULLY it didn't leave a mark. I calmly explained to my parents that nothing is to be left in falling distance of my car from now on lol. Got lucky on that one but boy did my heart stop for a few minutes.

LOL.....I picked the name because I've never done anything this major before and figured that was a suitable name due to the amount of work and money involved. I am honestly having a ton of fun doing it though!

As far as the paintjob price, I will just say that I brought it to my painter as a very well prepped shell which saved me quite some cash. I obviously didn't get it for the price of say a maco job, but the quality of work to me is worth more than I did actually pay! Best of luck with your project too....do you have a build thread?

Project 3.4 Camaro

Its nice to have the money and tools to do an all out resto, I would love to do one with the resources even if it wasn't my ride, if only I knew someone who wanted an older car to get built up, I could very easily make a LOT of money disappear into my car...could probably sink 100g into it....

L695speed

Yea, I'm avoiding the Macco job. My problem is some painters will refuse to do paint work over any bodywork other than theirs. And secondly, my car needs some rust repair that I'm better off leaving to the professionals...metalwork is not my thing...so if the rot is getting repaired they might as well do the bodywork too. My car was surprisingly clean as well, but not as clean as yours. I don't have a build thread here yet, I've been thinking of doing one. My problem is what started out as a straight forward resto got out of hand...I don't care about costs to a point as I'm keeping the car. But since I plan on driving the wheels off the thing I'm not looking for trailer queen perfection. I was going to just restore the L69 and 5 speed car to factory, then looked at costs and said screw it, so I'm having fun with it. I'll probably start a thread now that my plans are a lil more concrete. But it won't be as thorough as your resto for the time being.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Not too much happeneing with the car lately. I had to buy a new nut where the wiper linkage hooks to the wiper motor since I lost the original. Now thats all back on. My Hawks door striker bolts were delayed till tomorrow due to yet ANOTHER 16" of snow in beautiful new england. This winter is really draining me!! I also had to order the drivers side door latch bolts from GM since my originals off my original door were not the correct ones. 4$ a piece!!!!! Damn you GM!! Oh well, thats out of the way now, and paying 4$ a piece is better than digging them out of a junk car in 3 1/2 feet of snow .

I also contemplated not using any kind of sound matting on the interior. After a ton of research on muscle car forums however, I found out that it is DEF worth it to put it in. Also, apparently not all sound mat is created equal, and a lot of people say the cheap stuff on ebay is actually roofing tar that was never designed for automotive use and will stink for weeks while not cancelling sound very effectively at all. I ended up buying 2 bulk packs of good old Dynamat which got the best review by far. I figure the original maker should still be the best, right? LOL.

Anyways, hopefully I will have some updates and pics worth posting soon. The snow has kind of had me in a non productive mood for a while.

L695speed

I've been thinking of using Dynamat in my car, let me know if two bulk packs is enough for the job. Another thing about buying new....you're not getting rusty ones that might break. I'm also sick of the constant weekly snow, I could swear we've had ten storms or so since Christmas, and we're due for ice and snow tomorrow as you said, but they're also saying we're gonna get even more on Friday/Saturday. Damn you nature!!!! lol.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

I'll def let you know how the dynamat install goes .

I don't think the 2 bulk packs are going to be quite enough though from what other people have used in 2nd gens. It seems like if you really want full coverage, 3 to possibly 4 packs is the norm. I figure 2 will at least get me started on the firewall and floors though for now.

And yea I am so sick of this weather. Pretty soon I'll be able to go get the mail naked since nobody will be able to see over the massive snow walls on either side of our driveway! (not that I WANT to get the mail naked, lol.)

quickkris2006

iTrader: (2)

look up rammatt its a lil cheaper u can get 100sq ft bulk install pack for like 130$ im going that route with mine and from what ive seen it only take about 75sq ft to do the floors trunk and doors.. the extra should be plenty to do the firewall.. inless ur plaining on doing the roof or multi layers..

quickkris2006

iTrader: (2)

opps didnt see that u had already bought some dyno matt.. my bad lol thats what i get for not reading it all at once

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Haha no worries. I'm happy with the dynamat purchase based on the reviews it's gotten. I have heard of the rammat as being a popular cheaper alternative as well. Any sound deadener is better than no sound deadener, all things considered!

quickkris2006

iTrader: (2)

yea i was trying to get a group purchase together a few months ago for the ram matt but needed 2 more people..

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Heres a few pics I snapped today while working on the car. Not much progress since I'm waiting on little odds and ends to get here that I ordered but it's better than nothing!

Interior door handle riveted in...I used larger than stock rivets since the door handles always seem like they wobble. This 1/4" rivet fixed that!

Buffed my "FI" emblems and re-glued them to the new door handles. Came out great!

Got the door jambs together with my new Hawks SS door strikers.

Just a cool shot of the car with the handles on


Anyways, I know it's not much but I'm waiting for little misc screws, trim parts, etc that are holding me back. I also got my Dynamat in the mail so I want to set a full day aside for that...possibly this weekend. Anyways, more progress soon hopefully!

sleepsinshed

iTrader: (10)

Great job so far. Your attention to detail is an inspiration.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Thank you, glad to be an inspiration to others! I checked out your project in your sig as well and it looks like it's coming along great. Always awesome to see a car restored on a budget and it looks like your doing a fantastic job so far with attention to all the factory cast colors and all.

camaro1185

LOVE this build man! I can't wait to you cruisin' around CT. When you finish the car, if your ever near the pike at any of the shows, let me know, I live just seconds from BK.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

I LIVE at the pike during the summer. I'm there religiously on Sat nights at BK lol. I meet up with my group of freinds and we try to set up races all night on one of the non-busy stretches of highway down the road. Believe me, if you go to the pike often, you'll def see me!

85f-bird

Wow...Just read through 8 amazing pages of progress...totally subscribing. I am planning on doing a rebuild on my 85 firebird, was my first car also when I was 17....about 10 years ago, the car is not in near as good of condition as the car you started with, and unfortunately being my first car, and being in my family since my father bought the car off the truck it has sentimental value, so i've gotta see it through. Luckily it's not my daily anymore, it can be down for years at a time as long as i'm making some progress, i'll be happy, will be nice once i've paid off my other car as well (next year) then i might be able to convince my wife to let me blow a little more of my own cash...if the soon to be kiddo doesn't eat it all (which i'm sure he/she will).

Once again, awesome progress, your attention to detail is amazing! The color looks fantastic, and the workmanship really shows. One thing i love and hate about my car is the color...I personally think Black looks totally wicked on a thirdgen, and i love the fact that my car was black from the factory. But there are so many nice details you can miss out on with a black car, such as having a painted engine bay with black trim, gas filler area, door handles, undercoating, etc....That if you have a black car you simply will never see ...It nearly makes me want to change my car to a brighter color....maaaaaaaybe.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

I have been enjoying every minute of this build. It's amazing to me to see a car blasted to a bare shell and then day by day, piece by piece completely building a new car from scratch. Doing it this way I can customize every little inch how I would have wanted the car from the factory so that in the end it is a complete reflection of the builder. I would recommend anyone to take on a project like this! I don't even consider the money factor because the car has been off the road for about 3 1/2 years now and I put money into it when I have it.

And I do love black on a third gen....a good freind of mine did his car black with chrome wheels and it looks evil! I've always just been a fan of brighter colors though and orange I have always loved on mostly every car I've seen it on, so it was a no brainer. Good luck with your car when you decide to fix it up! Must be cool having one in the family since new.

camaro1185

Then I have probably seen you. I was there almost every weekend last summer. Unfortunately it wasn't with he camaro. It took about 2 months to get it painted, then it wouldn't run right where I didn't want to drive it and get stranded. I hung around there with the bike. This summer, if your there, let me know, id love to see this car in person. Your work is nothing short of amazing. Keep it up.

88TransAmGuy

iTrader: (3)

Wow man ive been watching this thread since i first joined!
I envy your project and hard work so much! amazing job!
Its coming along amazing! i wish i could do all of this to my TA haha
Only 16 and money aint really much of a necessity :/

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Got my LS1 style filler neck the other day so I got that installed. Also did a little undercoating in a few spots that needed it. Only did 1 coat though so I'll have to do another once it dries. Overall I'm really happy with how well the LS1 filler neck fit into the 3rd gen body! I really barely had to modify anything to get it to work and it looks factory. Heres a few pics.

Heres the freshly painted filler neck and the gas door trim after I cleaned all the old white overspray off it!

Here you can see how I mounted the bracket. It lines up real nice with the framerail on the car but doesn't quite sit flush on it. I drilled a hole and used a small spacer between the framerail and bracket for the filler neck and it worked out perfect. Nice and sturdy!

New gas cap

Finished install

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Finally got around to undercoating this wheelwell too. It was the only one I hadn't done yet. Still needs another coat though.

Also put some undercoating where the paint line on the car met the front wheel wells to give it a more finished look and cover the primer that was visible.

subroc

iTrader: (2)

Looking REAL good. As camaro1185 said...if its done in the summer we should all meet up at BK on the pike some night. Im doing a build on mine but nothing to the degree of yours.

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

Great work and fantastic car. What undercoating are you using? I really like the way it looks as it cleans up the underside very nicley.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Def, as I said the pike is my second home during the summer. I'd love to get a few of us together and represent a little for the third gen community lol.

The undercoat is Herculiner truck bed coating. It's heavy duty stuff and looks awesome under the car. Really gives it a textured factory look, and should hold up for a long time.

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

Thats a really good idea. What did you do for prep or does it basically adhere to anything?

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

I actually got the idea from another member on here (twinturbo) who was using it on his build. And as far as prepping, technically you could brush it over the old stuff but then it would be only as strong as the old junks adhesion. I actually used a scraper and kerosene to completely scrub the car clean underneath and applied the herculiner to the fresh metal. That way I know it has a good bond to the car!

Project 3.4 Camaro

I've heard of the herculiner, tell me whats it like as far as texture? Is it just a rubber type of undercoating or does it harden more like rhino truck bed liner? I plan to eventually re-undercoat my car and am deciding which route to go, also going to line the interior side of the floor with something too, its between fiberglass resin, truck bed liner, and uncercoating.
For underbody I have been leaning towards rhino because that will hold up to rocks getting kicked up, bottoming out or anything you can throw at it, the herculiner is a lot cheaper though if memory serves and you can do it yourself, just want to know if its stronger than typical rubber undercoating, I expect it won't be as good as rhino, but would like it to be comparable at least.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

It's a thick coating if you apply it properly (2 or 3 coats) and is very similiar to rhinoliner. Def not cheap though lol. A quart is 30$. I've gone through about 5 so far. It stays semi flexible which I like for being underneath a car so when the panels flex it has some give to it. It is WAY better than a typical spray can undercoating and is much thicker too. The more coats you apply the thicker you can build it up. I don't plan on driving my car through anything more than nice sunny days so 2 coats was good for me. It's basically a tar like mix with little rubber bits in it to give it that textured look.

As far as putting a coating on your interior floor, I would stay away from fiberglass resin. Seems like adding a lot of unnecesary weight for no real benefit. Use a nice heavy duty rust protective paint like POR15 or SEM chassis coat. I would recomend something like that anyday over some kind of undercoating on the inside. As long as you clean and scuff the floors, it'll stick great and last forever.

tango1112

I love to watch a piece of art in progress.... Beautiful work man!

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

I like the idea of bed liner for an undercoating. I have line X in my truck which sees a lot more abuse than the underside of my car ever will. My only complaint is that it fades over time, not as much as Rhino Liner though. After some time rhino liner looks chalky. My line-X is going on four years (always outside exposed) and is just a nice flat black. I have had good luck with spray undercoating on other car projects before so I might have to do a little more reasearch.

quickkris2006

iTrader: (2)

looking good man.. ill be restarting my build soon.. lol and i only got a month to finish it this time..

L695speed

I saw the pics of the fuel filler area and for a second thought it was gold plated. Then I realized ofc, the color and the flash combined for that effect. LOL. No chance you could get this thing done quicker mate? I'm sure I'm not alone when I say HURRY UP AND FINISH THIS THING ALREADY!! It is already a stunner and its not done yet. Finish it and the trophies will probably come rolling in.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Believe me I want it to be finished lol! I also want everything to be done right the first time wihch is why it's taking so long. I'm still sticking to my spring time goal so we'll see how close I am to that completion date. Once the dynamat is in the interior should come together very quickly!

jeff_blake

iTrader: (1)

wow looks great! been watching it since the beginning. wouldn't mind if you stole my iroc and did that. great job.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Finally started putting in the dynamat and sound deadener. I plan to line the floors with the dynamat extreme and use 3/8 neoprene mat as an acoustic material to quiet the car even more, on top of the dynamat. Dynamat is a vibration damper only and WILL NOT get rid of any outside noise coming into the car. That is what the neoprene does. It's a 2 part system and if installed correctly will cancel out a ton of unwanted noises inside the car!

Heres the dynamat being installed. Contrary to what most people think, you DON'T have to completely cover the interior for it to be effective. Much more than this is a waste and won't do any better of a job.


This is the 3/8 neoprene matting I'll be using on parts of the interior


Firewall mat is almost done, minus the holes I need to make for the heater box, pedals, and anything else. The neoprene is way superior to the factory mat because neoprene is waterproof and will never hold moisture. It's also way more dense than the factory stuff!

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

Looks great. How much does the dynomat weigh? I am trying to get a good feel for how much weight this will add if I choose to go this same route. Also, where did you get the neoprene pad? Did you use spray glue for adhesion?

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

What're you using for the floor? POR15?

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

I bought 2 plus size packs of dynamat which is 9 sheets each. Each box will do 36 square feet and they weigh 18 lbs each. If I use both boxes completely thats roughly 36 lbs added to the car. The neoprene pad is pretty light. I'd say each 24x80" sheet is maybe 4-5lbs. For the benefits of both of them, the extra weight is minimal!

As far as buying the neoprene, I got it through http://www.thefoamfactory.com/. Dynamat and the other brands wanted WAY too much for a small amount of similiar material and I have heard of other people using neoprene mat as a sound deadener as well. The sheets cost me 23$ a piece and it's nice stuff. I'm not using any glue either. The firewall has plastic clip spots in place already that were used for the factory mat, and on the floors I'll just lay it over the floorboard and let the carpet cover it. It won't move with carpet on it.

It's actually SEM chassis coat....very similiar to POR15 though.

STEWARDORNG

Great build watching all the way that is going to be the quietest trird gen ever!

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

wow thats not bad at all. I always read how its weight is unwanted but for 40lbs, big deal. Especially that is is located right in the middle of the car.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Recently rebuilt my pedal assembly and re-installed it. Heres a few pics.

Old rusty parts dissasembled


After some cleaning, fresh SEM paint, and a new brake pedal pad they look good as new.


New NAPA clutch and brake pedal bushings....notice my shot originals.


And here it is all installed. The pedals have NO side to side play at all anymore. Feels like a new car!

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Nice to see my 3 pedals again! Can't wait to actually use them, lol.



I also got some other small things on like the pass outside door handle. I'm going to try to get the entire rear hatch on tomorrow so hopefully I'll have some new pics by then!

quickkris2006

iTrader: (2)

nice

camaro1185

Third gen pedals? How is that gonna work with a t56?

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

They work just fine with a bit of ingenuity. I have read a ton of times that 4th gen pedals need some modifying to fit and they don't "feel" right as opposed to the third gen ones. I know plenty of guys who have slightly modified the third gen pedals to work perfect with a T56 master cylinder. They are almost exact and I think the only thing that needs to be modified is the rod on the master cylinder. When I pick it up, I'll see what has to be done.