82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

Randy - did your transmission guy make any improvements to the transmission? Not much info out there for the 200c trans, but a transgo shift kit sure helped mine out. The shifts are firm now. Overall it works better. But I know there are better clutches that could be used because many of the parts are shared with the 2004R. I think the torque converters from the 2004R can be used also. Just wondering in case I eventually blow mine up what can be done to make it better.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

I didn't specifically tell him to beef up the tranny, but I'll find out if what he used tomorrow when I pick it up. When I dropped it off, I told him I wanted a nice, reliable factory set up. I'll let you know if he did anything special.

I confirmed a 7/15 drop off date with the paint shop today. Body & paint has always been my big, mental mid-point and I don't think it will really hit me until I see that work in progress. I know the car is going to come back looking like new on the outside, which is pretty exciting.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Picked everything up from the two shops this morning.

82tarecaro: the trans shop did install a TransGo kit. The invoice also lists an "updated sun shell", so maybe there was a design change or something. The rest of the parts are all what you'd expect: new filter, bushing, pump, etc. They replace the 2nd gear band since he said it was pretty much shot. The overall cost was more than I was expecting but the owner, without asking, discounted nearly all of the labor and just charged me parts. I thought that was pretty stand up. They also said to bring it back after I have about 500 miles on it and they'll re-inspect and adjust things for free and will then do a free annual inspection and adjustment as long as I own it. The rebuild has a 2 year / 24,000 mile warranty. So, while the cost was a bit high, the fact that they really wanted to make sure I brought it back so they could make sure it was right and were straight up about standing behind their work made me feel pretty good.

Block and heads are bagged and also look good. I need to get some pictures later just because it'll never be this clean again in my lifetime.

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

You will like the transgo kit. It feels like a different transmission.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Hi all -- was on vacation with the family last week so no new progress. I got my interior paint from BAPS and am ready to start cleaning and prepping the interior panels. I have a flatbed scheduled to pick up the car first thing Monday morning to take it over the paint shop.

While I was on vacation, I stumbled across another pace car with only 47k miles that was for sale on Craigslist right near where we were staying. I went and took a look at it and was tempted to buy as it was a car I'd seen in the past. The current owner had given it a fresh paint job (with lots of orange peel), had re-decaled it and it ran well enough to drive but had a lot of stumbles (CFI car). It was a complete and more or less unmolested. However, between transport costs and the effort and money to fix the paint is beyond what I have given that I have to finish my current car.

I'm fortunate that my wife puts up with me. She would have been ok with me buying it and actually encouraged me to go look at that one. I joked with here that I could start a museum for these cars. If I didn't have a car already, I probably would have bought it on the spot.

Will post pics of the car going to paint on Monday!

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

My wife is pretty understanding also. She just gives me that look every time UPS drops off another package.
That paint should work good for you. Clean it with strong soap. Use a prepaint solvent to make sure all the oils are off and then use a good adhesion promoter right before you paint them. Use a light coat of adhesion promoter because if you have an uneven, thick area of adhesion promoter it will show through the paint. Same goes for the paint - multiple light coats.
Snap some pics when you are done and post them in this thread that we have been trying to get stickied for years:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...ic-carpet.html
It might help some people out.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

The flatbed showed up this morning at 8:00 AM to take the car over to BodyWorks Custom for body and paint. The owner, Steve, and his team will start working on things right away. They're already thinking that it might make sense to replace the nose and the lower spoiler due to previous damage that caused stress cracks. The spoiler has a lot of gouges in it and the cost to repair vs. replace may be a wash. For the nose, they're concerned that the final paint could lift and show the cracks -- which I had happen on my '84 way back in the day. The other panels, ground effects and rear bumper are fine.

All told, they're thinking the job will take 8 - 12 weeks, probably on the lower side of that. They're going to weld in my NOS battery tray (thank you Craig!), clean up and paint the engine bay, paint the car and apply the pace car decal kit.

Here are a few pictures of the car loaded up...

http://www.vosehome.net/82pacecar/pr...-off-to-paint/

and today's blog on my site ...

http://www.vosehome.net/82pacecar/pr...-to-paint.html

Since I have a lot more space in the garage now, I figure I have 8 weeks to get my motor put back together.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Hi all - just realized I haven't posted anything in the last three weeks.

I talked to my paint guy this afternoon. He said the car is ready for primer and will go in to the booth next week for the first coat of silver. The front fascia and rear bumper covers had both been hit before (not surprising) and had spider cracks in them. Rather than risk sanding them down and having the paint lift after the fact, I decided to buy replacements from Classic. Same with the lower chin spoiler. There were huge gouges in it and in the repair vs. replace financial equation, replace was going to be cheaper and safer in the long run.

Otherwise, the body was in good shape. There were a couple of small rust holes on the forward edge of the B-pillar (where the back of the t-top sits) that they'll fill in, but otherwise all of the dents and dings have been banged out and smoothed over.

I haven't stopped in to see the car since I dropped it off but will try to get over there next week before they cover it in primer. I was planning to drop by today but my painter had a wedding rehearsal to get to. He's taking pictures as they go along but I haven't gone over there to get them from him.

I also ordered and received the rest of the things I need to start refinishing the interior panels. I haven't had a chance to start on that due to other family priorities. Not sure I'll get to it this weekend either.

Summer and time in general is flying by too fast. I'm almost to the 1 1/2 year mark since I started disassembling the car.

83Z28/L69

I have a real soft spot for the 82 Pace cars. My first car was a J65 /4spd. Sadly it was hit by a drunk driver and totaled. Good luck on your resto, I hope you car don't get caught in paint jail too long.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Stopped by the shop to see the car Monday. They're doing a great job. All of the dents and dings were fixed and they'd fixed a lot of low spots on the body. The body man was working on the rockers and other trim before primer. My nose, bumper and chin spoiler from Classic had arrived and fit perfectly. They had also aligned the fenders and fixed the lower fender mounts that had been smashed flat. It was exciting to see the body prepped and ready to go. They should primer this week and start shooting the silver next week.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Pics, Randy, pics!!!!!!!!!!

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

LOL - didn't have my camera with me. Pics soon ...

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Quick pics from the shop ...

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

And more ...

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Battery tray -- before and after ... (Craig -- does the tray look familiar? )

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

And more ...

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Water got under the t-top moulding on the driver side, but the shop cleaned it up and will repair it.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Last two ...

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

Looking good!

Richboll

That does look good. and everything seems to line up. Let's get some paint on it!

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Love these 'in process' shots!

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

The car is in the booth and they started shooting primer today. Will take a few days to cure, then block sand. The silver should go on in a couple of weeks.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

And a few more ...

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

No update on my car (been way too busy with work and life) but this pace car just popped on eBay ... 4,400 original miles. WOW.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Camaro-Z28-Indy-500-Pace-Car-Replica-1982-chevrolet-z-28-camaro-indy-500-pace-car-4404-/321190764996?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4ac87621c4&vxp=mtr

ZR600MN

subcribed

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Stopped by the shop last week. They had a problem with the primer checking so they had to resand and reshoot some of it. The had blocked the whole car when I was there and it was looked straight as an arrow. They were ready to prep the engine compartment and were aiming to shoot silver this week. Still another 4-6 weeks from being done by my estimation, which is fine. I've not had time to work on the other things that need to get done so I'm not ready for it to come home just yet!

I got a new flap assembly from another TGO member this week and also got a new interior roof panel from Hawks. If the weather cooperates I may break out the interior paint and finally get moving on that.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Need some help TGO -- I need the paint code for the blue on the lower half of the pace car. The info here and elsewhere says the code is WA-8273, Ultramarine Blue Metallic. However -- PPG has no WA-8273 in their database and there is no 1982 color that matches.

There is a 1978 Ultramarine Blue Metallic, WA-7030 which is GM Code 24. Here's a sample

http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcod...camaro19783079

Does anyone know if the 1978 WA-7030 is the correct Ultramarine Blue Metallic for the pace car, or is there another PPG code I need to looking at? Obviously, I need this to be correct.

scottmoyer

The paint code is #24, Ultramarine Blue metallic wa-8273. I think I would tell them to look again as people have repainted their cars correctly and I'm sure some of them have used PPG.

I found this from an earlier post I did.
1981 GM Bright Blue Poly on the lower (blue metallic) Should be PPG #3340

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Thanks Scott. We'll check out PPG 3340. I was puzzled by the inability to find WA-8273 as well.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Scott -- the 3340 is a 1981 Corvette color. Any idea where you got the info that the lower blue was this color? The PPG 7030 color seems way to bright and the 3340 you suggest seems like it may be dark. I find a lot of references to the 1982 WA8273 color but I cannot find anything that actually shows it. I found one site that lists the PPG GM color cards and it's just not there. Very puzzling.

austinrods

Try GM code 22, Dupont #B8210, the PPG paint store can cross reference this Dupont number to a PPG number. Dupont refinish web site has a historical color library in their color information.

TX82PaceCar

I had a pint can mixed for me at my local PPG outlet back in the 1980s. They really had to dig for it, this was the pre-computer age, so a number of reference books were pored thru before they found it. I just remember it took them a good half hour to find this page in their book while I waited at the counter.

The label on the can says Duracryl Acrylic Lacquer, the code they wrote on the label was DDL-15697, 82 Pace Car Blue. I have no remembrance if that was a PPG code, a Ditzler Automotive Finish code or a GM reference sheet contained in one of their other reference books.

Hope this helps, good luck in getting your paint match!

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

A guy over on camaropacecars.com who has an original car with exceptionally good original paint is going to have someone use a PPG Prophet to IR scan his blue to get an exact match. We'll know definitively what the blue is next Friday!

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

They did the IR shoot on Friday and expect to have the match results on the blue this Tuesday. Sounds like the software will look for an OE match and if there is no exact match it will provide details on how to match. Some pretty sophisticated stuff.

I picked up some Berryman's Chem-Dip this afternoon and started cleaning the pistons. I soaked piston #1 three or four times, 30 minutes each time, and it did a pretty remarkable job. Some of the really caked on carbon didn't come off the crown and I'm not sure how to get that off without damaging anything. I also need to get a ring groove cleaner.

I also cleaned off the remaining gasket from my valve covers and attempted to get the rest of the gasket off the CFI intake (both the top and bottom covers). I'm stumped on this one guys. I sprayed the left over gasket repeatedly with CRC Gasket Remover over the course of an hour and the gasket pieces would simply not come off. If anyone has any tricks for this, I'm open to suggestions. I've read about gasket discs but I've also read those can easily take off material so I'm not anxious to go out and get one. My big concern is not damaging the aluminum.

Speaking of damaged aluminum -- while looking over the intake, I noticed a pretty decent sized pit just below one of the ports. See the attached picture. The factory castings are lousy so I am not sure if this is simply a casting flaw or if something else happened. Either way -- does anyone think I should be concerned with this? It is a sealing surface.

82RZ

Randy, glass bead or plastic media will remove the remaining gasket and will NOT hurt the aluminium. DO NOT sand blast it.

For the pit on the gasket mating surface, just dab a little JB Weld on it and file/sand it smooth.

Your doing a Great Job! Keep up the good work....

Craig

82RZ

Hmmm, I think I've seen that NOS tray before......

BTW, I still have that NOS hood insulator if you're interested.

Craig

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

All right everyone -- the IR scan says the blue is 1981 GM Code 20, Bright Blue, WA7563, PPG 3309. That's what I'm going with.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Ok - I lied. In the interest of documenting this for future restorations, I decided to have my painter shoot both colors on a test panel so we can see the difference between the 1981 and 1982 colors. I'll post pictures of the two once they're done. My guess is that they'll be nearly indistinguishable from each other, but we'll see.

I ordered my stripe kit this week from Phoenix Graphics and also ordered a complete weatherstrip kit from 1A Auto.

I've sloooooooowly been cleaning my pistons. Two down, six to go. It's a slow process.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Ok -- here's a quick update on the battle of the blues.

I had my shop shoot cards of both the 1981 GM Code 20 (Bright Blue, as identified by PPG Prophet II against an original pace car with original paint) and the 1982 GM Code 22 (Bright Blue Poly, as recommended by several people).

Turns out there is a huge difference in those colors. I scanned the two samples and posted them below. The lighter color on the left is the 1981 color and the one on the right is the 1982 color. Obviously, your monitor calibration will affect what you see, but I think you'll be able to tell that one is way different than the other.

I compared both cards to my original front fascia paint (which was pretty weathered) and the 1981 color is closer. Way Closer. So much closer that I am certain the 1981 color is correct for the car.

However -- the decision that now comes in to play is whether I want to match the blue used on the stripe kit from Phoenix Graphics. In my opinion, the main blue paint on the car must match the thin blue lines on the stripe kit -- the blue lines that separate the larger silver/blue stripes across the bottom of the car. My fear is that the blue used in the stripe kit is the darker blue. If I paint the car using the lighter blue, and assuming the stripe kit uses the darker blue, the contrast and ultimate mis-match between the two will make it looks like the paint is wrong.

The shop is going to carefully peel back the mylar one one of the stripes to see which one looks closer.

I'm really torn on this. Even if the darker color matches the stripes, I think it'll bug me to no end knowing that I shot the wrong color just to match the blue in the stripes. On the other hand, if I shoot the light blue and it doesn't match the blue in the stripe kit, I think that will also come out looking stupid and wrong. There may be no good answer.

So -- that's where things stand with the blue.

The shop has the silver color coat laid down and I gotta say -- it looks absolutely gorgeous! Crappy cel phone picture attached. Will try to get some better ones with my good camera this week.

scottmoyer

Without reading your post first and just looking at the color swatches, I immediately thought the left color is the correct one. Here's some more info that I have direct from GM. Hope it helps.

Lower stripe colors:
MEDIUM RED WMH 7251
SILVER BLUE MET. WMH 8269
LT. BLUE MET. WMH 8270
MED. BLUE MET. WMH 8271
BLACK WMH 848

Body line stripe:
Blue - 96A with red accent

Exterior:
Silver Metallic - 16
Ultramarine Blue Metallic - 24

Ground Effects:
Silver Metallic - WA7448

Rims:
Silver - WA7448
Red stripe - WA4409

TX82PaceCar

I concur, the lighter blue on the left matches up with my car's original paint and striping. It makes sense it is the 1981 blue since the pace cars were some of the first Z28s off the assembly line - they probably wanted that blue for the pace cars so it would be unique against the other GM vehicles sporting the 1982 shade of blue. I remember I belonged to a Camaro club back in 1981-82 and was sent a picture of the pace car in January, 1982, and remember following the development of the '82 prior to its public introduction.

I have a pic of my rear bumper showing the paint and striping for comparison purposes, but I don't know how to attach it here. Those blue divider stripes between the silver stripes matches my blue body color exactly. If you have off-color repro stripes and Phoenix is your only source, I probably wouldn't worry about it and go with the correct body color, the stripes can always be replaced later if you run into a better match. I know there are still some original stripe kits around that were never used on the pace cars they belonged to, I just don't know how they would fare after 32 years rolled up in a box.

Hope this helps, good luck with your decision...looking forward to any progress you write about concerning your rebuild.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the info guys.

I am going to go with the lighter blue. It's what belongs on the car. I already bought the replacement stripes from Phoenix and would not trust using NOS OE ones that are for sale out there. After 30 years, those decals just can't be any good IMHO. The shop should be shooting the blue in a couple of weeks. I figure the decals will go on some time in January.

For those keeping score, it's been TWO years (and two days) since I got the car, although I started the tear down in April '12. Time flies. My hope is to have it back on the road some time in 2014.

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

Looking good Randy. Don't sweat the time factor. It will be worth it in the end.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Happy New Year everyone! The blue is on the car. The 1981 color is completely correct and looks stunningly good.

The shop is re-spraying the fascia because after the initial coat they had fish eyes. This was the new fascia from Classic. They cleaned it pretty thoroughly before spraying but apparently not well enough. They figure another two weeks and it'll be ready to come home.

Here are a few pictures. It was bright outside and the car was in the shade, so the colors are a little washed out, but trust me, in person it looks awesome.

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

Looking great Randy! I just read a thread somewhere that someone had an issue with a similar part from Hawks. I guess those parts need to be cleaned very thoroughly. Did he use an adhesion promoter? Paint does not want to stick to urethane and it needs a barrier between the part and the paint.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Thanks. It's motivating to see the body come back to life.

The shop did use an adhesion promoter. The guys were surprised that even after cleaning it thoroughly and with using the promoter that they still had problems. It's the release agent from the mold. I'd bet money the Hawks part is from OER, same as Classic sells. I had a nose replaced on a Lexus IS300 years back and a different shop had a similar problem after painting. In that case, about 5 days after I got that car back a chunk of paint the size of a half dollar fell of. That shop said the same thing -- the release agents the vendors use are really difficult to clean completely off the part and if you miss any of it -- things goes bad.

The guys doing my car take a lot of pride in their work and they aren't letting anything slide, which is great. Since gave them no timeline, I'm their best customer right now because I'm not nagging them to get the car back. It gives them all the time they need to do it right.

TX82PaceCar

That looks really good and it is the right shade of blue, Randy. Great way to start off the new year, you're well on your way to getting this car back on the road soon. Let us know if you need any reference info, always glad to oblige.

When I get mine roadworthy again, I am going to need to track down a Crossfire Injection emblem for my rear bumper. Mine has crumbled apart and now only a ghost outline remains where it once was. No matter how much protection and care you give, GM just did not make these materials to last...it's too bad the aftermarket is limited for early 3rd gens, especially when it comes to the CFI.

Good luck with your build, Randy, and as always, enjoy reading on your progress.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Thanks. The 1981 blue is so correct. Thanks for the offer to check things ... I'm sure I'll have questions once I start trying to screw things back together.

The Crossfire bumper emblem on mine was missing as well. Fortunately, the previous owner of my car had purchased a new one from GM years ago before they became n/a so I have an NOS one for my car. I'll keep my eyes open and will let you know if I come across one. It is too bad there is not much on the way of correct, early third gen parts.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Decals are on and the car is ready to come home this week - assuming I can get the flatbed there. A couple of pics from the shop are attached of the decals in progress earlier this week.