Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Minor update for today. Got impatient and decided to install the refinished air cleaner.



Although the scratches on the original air cleaner were pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, in our never ending pursuit of perfection, we could not let it be. Engine bay is getting ever closer to our goal. LOL

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Did some decal restoration yesterday . . . some of the original engine bay decals were badly faded or damaged, so I got to work in Photoshop and investigating/investing in making vinyl decals . .

First was this decal on the DS firewall:



So as you can see the original decal was a bit damaged, so got to work in Photoshop:



And the end result:



This is laser printed on chemical, abrasion, waterproof, UV and Tear resistant vinyl decals . . . be a really fun experiment.

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Next in the vinyl decal restoration was the air lid decal:



My original decal was badly deteriorated, but was surprised to see that each decal has an additional stamp on it unique to the car, I assume some kind of date stamping. My guess on mine is 16292 = Feb. 16, 1992

I'm pretty sure the stamping is unique to the car since the spare air cleaner I restored, had a different stamp, and my research had each photo I'd taken as unique as well:



Above are the cut decals, I did run it in two different shades of "Black" . . . Cutting the corners is still tricky since right now just running a knife around a template . .



Applied to the refinished air box . . . my camera made the colors look odd . .



And the finished install. Very happy! Will be interesting to see how they hold up!

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

And my last endeavor for the day was replicating a 1992 era Delco Remy Freedom Battery.

I had found the decal on eBay as a start:



But the graphics were actually incorrect, and the quality and resolution was not up to my expectations . . .

Luckily I found an original owner of a 1992 RS who still had their original battery, which matched their build sheet.



With the correct photos in hand I went to work in Photoshop, and bought a basic class 75 flat top battery from Farm & Fleet . . it also looks like Walmart has one that works too. I pealed off all of the original labels:



Printed my new decal on the waterproof vinyl - and here's my end result:



The latest testing I'm working on is attempting to create the Hydrometer Green Eye:

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Great work!

RWerksman

Is there any way we can convince you to share your photoshop files for someone looking to do the same thing?

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Looks like the ebay decal is a copy of the lower decal for a 89 older 630cca battery.
The one you made looks just like the one in the 1st post of Jans battery decal post. (which came from a 92 GTA 305 tpi auto car)

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

I met an original owner 92 RS L03 owner who had his original battery, which is where I got photos and created this replica from, but yes it appears to match Jan's work.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Either way, it looks great! Keep making us all very jealous !

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Finished the decals on the battery today, got the green eye and the trio of plugs printed out.



Also got an original set of genuine GM hood struts installed.



Hopefully getting a rear set next week.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

That looks great, Andy!

KMK454

Where'd you get the struts, and do they also sell the hatch struts?

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Found the hood struts on eBay, sadly they may be NOS, but they are old and are a bit weak on holding the hood up.

The rear ones I have not found the correct ones yet. . .

Did find this neat gem on eBay, an original showroom marketing plate from 1992.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

I bought a set of NOS rear hatch struts and they have a decal instead of printed lettering plus, as you stated with the hood struts, they are weak.. Buuut the sun hasn't baked the black paint of them.

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

A very nice touch!

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Made another decal to replace the badly deteriorated customer satisfaction decal.



The blue turned out a bit dark and the chrome film does not flex in the corner, so I'll redo it a bit later. But really pleased with the result.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

A local dealer used to used those colored dots for service writer line ID when cars came in for service.

Here is what I use to restick the peeling decals.
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/double-sided-adhesive-sheets

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Clearly not original. You put it on too straight!

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Obsessive compulsive alert!!! Was not content with the light blue sway bar bushings. Was super happy to learn that AC Delco Pro made blue poly bushings.



The replacement units I first found were rather pastel,



Even happier the bushings were made in USA.







Onward and upward, let the craziness continue!

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

In my decal creation efforts found what the original factory oil filter looked like. So, made a laser printed chemical and water resistant replica decal.



I bought some true AC Delco PF-25 oil filters, sprayed them black, and applied the decal.



I little tough to get a good picture, but you get the gist. Is it over kill? Sure, but it is authentic to the day it rolled off the assembly line.

Fbdy-Z28-92

iTrader: (1)

Great job on the car!

Really enjoying this thread.

I'm looking into making some decals myself. What brand and type of vinyl paper did you use?

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Been using Avery Ultra Duty vinyl sheet labels and custom cutting by hand.

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

The condition of my tail pipe tips always bugged me so, since the factory alumi-coat had pealed away I tried some faux finishing with high temp paints.



Not perfect, but looks way better!

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Did some more rust removal / treating . . .



The exhaust is coming pretty clean. Started on the rear axle, and got this far on the diff cover. Been using gel and spray iron-x.



A lot more to go but very happy I got this much cleared off.

edpontiac91

iTrader: (2)

I have been very impressed with the details you have done so far, but it is just my opinion that there is no such thing as ORIGINAL rust. That rear end cover is a major sight point when you look under the car, and that using something like Dull Aluminum spray paint would give it a Brand New (from the wrapper) look. With everything else looking OEM or Brand New, ANY rust should be removed or painted over. Most judges would not be able to notice a clean painted part, but rust or oxidation jumps out when looking at all the other original looking parts. There are plenty of spray paints that look like steel or iron where large areas such as the rear end or the sway bars would give it that off the shelf look. Just my and hope there is no offense taken in what you done with this survivor.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

I'd like to have some of those filter decals but I'll stick with wix racing filters, they are already black.

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Refreshed the original rear end links. A little soaking, a touch of paint and clear coat.





Now I need to finish cleaning the rest of the rear axle.

KMK454

Is the rust removal all high temp paint, or are you using a specific product? My front k-member has some surface rust on the underside that I'd like to fix.

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Right now I am trying to avoid painting anything, unless it was already painted from the factory . .

On the end links, I repainted the yellow tubes . . the remaining washers and bolts were soaked in Iron-X for about 30 minutes, wiped clean, then scoured with paint thinner and then clear coated to prevent and further deterioration . .

On the exhaust I used Iron-X and a scouring pad to clean up as much surface rust as possible. So far I have only used high temp paints on the exhaust tips. I would dab on paint where the discoloration was and blot . . then add more silver or more grey as I saw fit to get the closest look.

On the rear axle I am using Iron-X over and over with scouring. Not sure if I can get the axle back without paint, but we will see.

r0t0rdr1ver

Wow Andy, absolutely incredible work! I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your thread from start to finish. It's been extremely informative. I'm glad I'm not the only one with OCD when it comes to my cars. You now have me seriously thinking of getting my 92 GTA back to original....

Superb!!

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Continued tinkering with the rear sway bar, got to soaking the mounting brackets.

Before:



After:

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Nice to see someone take the time to do things correctly!

dmccain

iTrader: (2)

Im very impressed with your attention to detail.

91 zeee

All I can say is ...wow....nice job.... car looks great!

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Wow, some great results there. What are you using on these?

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

I'm soaking the small parts in Iron-X . . . if one can let the parts soak for a while the results are pretty amazing . . . took a little bit of scouring.

But DON'T rinse with water or they will flash rust instantly . . I wipe / rinse with WD-40.

I would KILL to get results like this on the rear sway bar and rear axle . . . but not sure how to submerse those! LOL

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Might have to set up small fountain pump and a kiddie swimming pool, to keep a wash of Iron-X flowing over small sections of the axle one at a time. Then remove the flash rust later with muriatic acid or something similar. Remember that '57 Plymouth that was buried? They de-rusted much of it in a similar process, though it was well beyond saving.

mikeceli

iTrader: (2)

Beautiful car!

Are you going to actually DRIVE it?

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Well for the rear sway bar I built a custom dip tank. I left a large section of it submerged for over 30 minutes, and did get some results.







The end result isn't anything great, but does have me wondering, was the rear sway bar natural steel or black? I thought it was natural, but the more I work at it and look at the nooks and crannies I debate if it was black? Anyone?

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

All the ones I have seen are natural

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Sadly my NOS hood struts gave up the ghost last night, I had a second set on hand and they were completely dead . . . so sadly NOS struts die in the packaging . . boo . . . so buyer beware when wanting those. The plus side at least now I have the actual decal graphics to work with and make replica decals to go on aftermarket struts.Oh and we are off to NEOCC Fall Classic (Ohio) this weekend, so hopefully see some of you TGO guys there!

GASPEDDLER

iTrader: (2)

Andy, please put me down for a pair of those replica strut decals.

Polo Z03

iTrader: (1)

Boy I have been amiss on updates . . . been crazy times . . LOL . .

Well we just got back from participating in the 8th Annual Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN for short . .) in Rosemont, IL . . . we had a great time, thankfully weather cooperated (for the most part) for the entire event. Last year was a giant snow storm that really affected visitors coming out . . but this year visitors arrived in droves, especially on Saturday.

Had the great opportunity to meet quite a few TGO members and lurkers who I tried to convince was totally worth joining . .



We were the only 3rd Generation Camaro in the entire show of over 560 cars!

All of the efforts of cleaning and attention to details paid off . . we earned a 995 out of 1000 with the only points being deducted for "age" and "patina" . . which somethings without going crazy might not be worth fixing.

It is an amazing show to visit, the range and quality of cars is breath taking.

KMK454

What do you detail the front grill? I find mine getting shinier the more I wash it, but the shine is inconsistent. I believe that flat, almost matte black look on yours is correct.

KMK454

And congrats on the score!

scottmoyer

The front grill is supposed to be a satin finish to match the rest of the black trim. If you're finding it getting shinier, it's probably due to the removal of grime or hazing.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

I figured I'd experiment and try this stuff out. Works great on the satin/matte trim on our cars. I wish it were around 27 years ago!

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Great thread, just read the whole thing. One thing I do appreciate about the thirdgen community is that we do some of, if not the best documenting and factory correct restorations of any late model vehicle; hardly any other late model community cares this much about getting things right, so it's nice to see.

I can only add a data point regarding the t-top bag and the already settled air cleaner wingnut - my t-top bag on my '90 is plain, and I have the same wing nut on the air cleaner (bought car from original owner in 1999). 1990 continues to be a hybrid year.

PurelyPMD

iTrader: (3)

Andy - great meeting you at the show and the car was even more special in person than it is here. Congratulations on the score - only the most spectacular original or restored cars can expect to achieve such a number! Tribute to your efforts and attention to detail!