I forgot to mention before, but one thing I've considered doing but not done yet, is bonding a few pieces of extruded aluminum C-channel to the backside of the cover. I think it may do a good job of keeping that area from sagging in the heat again.

 

I thought about installing plates that fit the entire area of each side. I figured that would prevent any possible distortion of the plastic if it wasn't supporting the entire surface. I wasn't so sure if I could bond it good enough so I initially thought of attaching them to the bumper structure below. I'm just not so sure if I could get the dimension from the bumper to the structure exact so it would support them properly. Not enough pressure or too much pressure against the nose would both be bad.

What do you think a good adhesive would be that bonds to both aluminum and urethane?

 

I found this thread. Lots of suggestions and theories but only one actual fix. He used Liquid Nails to bond aluminum to the plastic. Said it's been working for 20 years. Post #17

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...g-bumpers.html

 

It’s time to decide how I am going to repair the t-top channels. After calling every salvage yard in the nearest big city, I narrowed the possibilities to four. One of them said I could just lop off the entire roof. Perfect! The only problem is the car was severely vandalized. There wasn’t an area of sheet metal or a pane of glass that wasn’t destroyed, including the channels taking some hits. What a shame. It was an IROC too.

 

I got the invoice from Just Dashes. Gawd… $2,027. The basic cost was $1,700. The estimate was going to be $1,500 -$1,800. I knew it would be too good to be true to hope for the former amount. Shipping to them was $100 and shipping back will be $170. Go figure. But, they make it sound like it’s boxed very securely.

No taxes, which is nice, but they tacked on a $59 "Credit Card Convenience Fee". If I write a check or do an ACH transfer, they will waive that.

This is ungodly expensive but what choice do I have?! NOS is next to impossible, an original one could crack at any moment, reproductions suck, (plus they are incorrect for an 83).

Reproduction, (OER), Dash Pad Review:

(Installation starts at 7:30)

I can’t see myself repairing/making one either.

Here I go... (It's only money)

 

I've got no trouble believing that Liquid Nails would work well for the long haul. Last time I bonded plastic to aluminum, I used a 3M "primerless" urethane, as recommended by my glass guy.

I wouldn't want to use a solid panel below the bumper cover, due to different expansion and contraction rates.

 

Yes, I could see that being an issue. But, windshield urethane is somewhat flexible, unlike liquid nails. It might not cause problems.

If I could figure out a way to support the nose without the plate being bonded to it, that seems like the best of both worlds.

 

After sanding a little more in these areas, I can see that there is also lead along with some brazing at a couple of joints.

 

On another note, I am following Wildjeff’s 83 TA project. I noticed how his interior is gray and has just exterior color over-spray, unlike mine where the entire interior is painted. His is a Norwood car, whereas mine is a Van Nuys. I theorized that’s how the different factories painted their cars until Firechicken82 revealed his Norwood TA’s interior was also entirely painted.

It would be interesting to see if other owners could post how their cars are painted and where they were built.

 

I had them do my 82Z’s dash. Like you! Where was I going to find an 82 dash. I was very particular about the double edge at the front of the dash coming out as close to original as possible. Im very pleased with the outcome. That is mine on there FB page that they show as an 82 Z29? lol They do pack them excellent for the return. Also we had shifter ***** with stitching going both ways at Norwood. The majority was on the side, but there were ones with stitching across the top. I “took” me a spare from the assembly line while working one day. I still have it unused to this day. The quarters to the roof were lead welded too. Usually wavy on all the cars. Lots of “personality” before robots took the job over.

 

Wow, so cool to hear from an assembly line worker! We had John Hinckley, (JohnZ), on Camaros.net until he passed in '21. He was undeniably a great asset to the Corvette and First Gen Camaro family.

Starting with that shifter ball, you could have built a Camaro like Johnny Cash, (One Piece at a Time)! I didn't know that on the shifter ball stitching.

Good to hear you were happy with the their product. When I saw your pad get covered, I noticed the vinyl had bumps in it as they were spraying it down! I guess those disappeared.

What did you do on the line and when were you there?

 

Yea I dont see those deviations at all. My dad started there in 1978 and I hung around there all the time, they never cared back in the day. Then I walked my 82 Z down the line, sold it to get my 85 IROC and walked that down the line and was first to start it up on the line. I started there in early 86 and worked there until the plant closed. I worked all over, but mostly stayed in hard trim. which is everything before carpet and door panels. So first jobs after paint. As far as Johnny Cash.. Well My 85 had plenty of parts hidden as it left the factory. I not only worked there, but tried to learn everything about how we built Camaros and Firebirds. Found and bought my 82 Z back last Sept ironically on the day it was delivered to me. It was produced on 8-31, 9-2 and 9-3. which was the last week of production for the 82 model year. It was going to end up an 83, but luckily they moved my order up (employee perks) lol

 

Very cool!

I just realized you posted this info in an earlier post.

 

Whatever happened to 9-1? Nothing done to the car on that day?

 

i meant 8/31,9/1 and 9/2. 5 1/2 shifts to build a car 2 shifts per day production.

 

There is a guy on facebook wanting to sell an 82-83 NOS dash pad

 

Id have to see evidence of the front edge to see if it is an 82-84. Looks like its sloped like the second design from the photos. Id gladly pay a good price for a correct one, but not sure that is one without more pics.

 

You are correct. It's an 84 and up. The AC vent opening isn't visible from the top on 82-83, especially at the angle in the FB photo. I wish I could verify that with my pad, but it's in restoration.

 

That Can't Be An 84 The Speaker Perforations Should Look Like This Unless GM Used Different Vendors

 

Referring to painted interior/ bottom - my '83 also built in Van Nuys, was "lightly" painted interior and underneath.

I ran across the brazing joint where the quarter panels meet the roof when I was prepping for primer.

The dash prices (obviously have the same style) leave me bewildered. I get it that it was a two year only part and low demand... BUTT I didn't pay that much for my car when I bought it 6 plus (has it been that long) years agon. I was going to pony up for the 84' repo as I am not trying to build a concours restoration (just a nice amateur driver to relive my youth), but from the information you provided, I think I will pass.
I am leaning for the 82-83 dash caps now. They seem cheesy, but my dash (like most of ours) is completely trashed. I can't screw it up more than it is.

Really appreciate the build details though and I am also following Wildjeff’s 83 TA project too.

Outstanding work done on both these builds in my humble opinion.

 

It's an NOS pad that was made who knows when. The later speaker opening design would have applied to earlier model years.

I'd venture to guess that if you went to a Chevy dealer in the 90s (or earlier) and ordered a pad for an '82 or '83, the part number was already superseded with the '84-up style.

 

Except for the t-top channel repairs, all metal and body work is done on the shell. There were a few dings that I was able to hammer and dolly out and then covered them with a skim coat of filler, but most of the irregularities were very minor along with the extremely shallow low spots. Both fenders and one door are also done. The driver’s door needs some attention on the edges. When the skin was replaced back in ’84 after the wreck they didn’t position it very well. The gaps are wonky. I need to add metal to the rear and remove some at the front. Before I do that, I’d like to replace the hinge pins and bushings. Then I’ll install the door and fender temporarily to determine exactly where the edges need modified.

 

I’ve been putting off the t-top channel repairs. UUGGHH…

After looking over the donor damage, it will be extremely difficult to straighten out the damaged sections. The original channels that are rusted away can be replaced by splicing in the donor channels. This is doing it the hard way but it’s doable, just time-consuming. I’m out of options.



Instead of trying to remove the channels from the roof sections, I removed the roof from the channels, if that makes sense. I dissected the rear roof, a section at a time, until all I had left was the channel and the strip of metal it was spot-welded to. I then ground away the spot welds from the underside to preserve the integrity of the channel. The rear channel’s forward edge is good so I split the donor down the middle to use the aft edge.

 

I was concerned about the rust that is in between the original channel and roof structure. I would have liked to eliminate it. But, after looking at the whole situation, I decided to leave the original channels intact. My reasoning is that the metal still appears solid after thoroughly blasting the entire channel areas. I cut out the sections of rotted channel and replaced them with the donor channels sections. I'm sure there's rust in between the other layers too.

I’m hoping that any rust lurking between the layers would be minor surface rust. I know “rust never sleeps,” but I feel if I encapsulate everything with thick coats of epoxy primer and then seal everything, that should stop the rust dead in its tracks. (Or maybe not). I feel if it does continue to grow, it will be at a glacier pace. As dry as it is here in the shop, I feel there is little, if any, moisture trapped inside. I can always apply additional heat to these areas to help dry it out too. Can’t hurt.

Besides, after cutting out the rusted-through holes at the rear of the t-top area, (the vertical areas aft of the rear channel), I noticed a fair amount of surface rust inside the roof structure. I can’t feasibly remove that. Like other body designs, there are going to be some hidden areas that can’t be accessed to remove rust. The best one can do is apply cavity wax inside, which is what I will do.

Speaking of epoxy primer, I know auto paint prices are going up, but jeez, I paid $341.20 for two gallons of sprayable product. I’m still stuck 10-15 years ago when prices were about half that.

Rear channel is dun!









Corrosion inside roof cavity


Blasted and ready for repair.





My attempt at encapsulation.

 

Nice work! Im sure it will be perfect forever. I am working on rebuilding the steering column today. Lots of small parts.

 

I HATE steering columns. It's one of those jobs I do once every few years and I have re-educate myself all over again, every time. Yours is a tilt too!

 

On to the front channels. Pretty much a repeat of the rear channel except not as bad and just a couple of small sections needed replacing, no rust through.

I am still concerned with the rubber fitment, so I ordered Fairchild’s set from Rock Auto now, instead of later. I looked around and decided to try Hawk’s best set Fairchild's. Everyone here at TGO seems relatively happy with them. I was going to order both for comparison, but if I’m not happy with Fairchild, I might try Hawk’s. I think everyone else’s are OER, which I understand are junk. Rock Auto's prices can't be beat, however. $280 shipped. I'll do a mock-up before paint and before I permanently install them.

My drip seals are rubber so I went with that kit. I am a little curious, since the plastic ones are a later design, if they are considered better. My rubber ones did fine for the most part. Later, they did start to droop at the ends.







Blasted and ready for repair


DUN!

 

Started working on the driver’s door. That’s the one that had the skin replaced after the wreck. I temporarily installed it on the car after replacing the hinge bushings. It’s weird how the factory installed the hinges. As I’m sure most of you know, they are spot welded to the door. The nut plates that the hinges bolt to on the body are also welded in place. An 8mm bolt goes through an 8mm hole in each hinge from the outside. So, basically, only a fine adjustment is possible. Then, two 10mm bolts secure the lower hinge from the inside and two more 8mm bolts secure the top hinge from the outside. These go through larger holes in the hinge as you would normally see on an adjustable door.


TOP HINGE



BOTTOM HINGE



I wonder if when the door was installed on the line, the two 8mm bolts were torqued after the door was aligned. The nut pates were welded at some point and the remaining bolts were installed. Why the two 10mm bolts on the lower hinge were installed from inside, and why the nut plates were welded, who knows? It must have been more convenient that way.

But, the door sits too low. The skin almost drags across the rocker panel. In fact, it always dragged across the ground effect plate. This was also more than likely the result of the bad skin fitment. At the risk of upsetting the door sealing, I enlarged the two 8mm hinge holes so I could raise it a little.

With the passenger door hinges rebushed I installed and aligned it to the quarter panel and rockers with the same gaps I measured before I disassembled everything. I then installed both fenders and the hood to make sure everything else will line up.

Now that I know everything can be adjusted to fit properly, when it’s time for the final installations, it should go smoothly.

Should…

Something always seems to change, then I have to start over.

 

Both edges of the driver’s door are complete. I assumed I would be satisfied with the factory gaps on the passenger side, but the more I looked at it the more I noticed the gap inconsistencies. Looks like I’m going to spend some time on that door too. With the dark blue color I am probably obsessing with the gaps as they will be harder to see compared to a light color. Oh well…



Before



New Metal



After. (A little green tape to make it easier to see the gap).

 

I love your project. Keep up the great work.

 

Switching gears again…

The t-top seals came in yesterday. At first glance, they seem well-made, very detailed in their shape and very soft and supple. I did notice the design of the t-top rubber panel to “A” and ”B” pillar rubber interface was quite different. Maybe that’s supposed to be an improvement? I didn't look at the glass panel rubber but maybe when the panel is installed, its rubber is supposed to slide into the pocket? Sounds like a plan. We'll see how that works in a little bit here.





The letters “FCI” is molded into the rubber. I’ve seen those on another post. I assume that means Fairchild Industries.

I disassembled the center channel assembly and remove all the rust I could. I removed the rivets holding in the center rail in place but the main structure is spot welded together. I think I will leave it together and encapsulate all the seams to hopefully stop the spreading of rust.

The “A” and “B” pillar channels were a little tougher. There’s a lot of remaining adhesive and the black “paint” is more like a layer of plastic. Blasting was taking care of it but was extremely slow. I built a small reservoir to hold them and submerged them in paint stripper. The rubber and adhesive melted off and the plastic-like layer pretty much peeled off in one piece.




A little bead blasting and now they’re nice and pretty.

After installing the channels I notice the difference between the left and right sides on the “A” pillars. There’s a ¼” difference in the gaps. One of them must be wrong. Maybe the locations were determined by the final window adjustments? Can anyone look at theirs and tell me what they have?

 

The placement of the channels is just poor original fitment, I'd assume.

It's been a number of years since I messed with t-top weatherstripping. Iirc, GM updated the seal design and the new replacements you have should be a copy of that later design. I seem to recall the seals on the tops themselves being slightly different to match.

But again, that's all going off of a foggy memory. I'm not currently home to inspect my GM replacements.

 

At the moment, score one for Fairchild. T-top seals are in and the panels fit fine. The panel seal ends seem to butt up nicely to the roof seal ends. We’ll see how well it keeps the water out. There is a flap of some sort that I’m not too sure of its purpose. It’s located at the top of the “A” pillar. I just laid it over the roof channel as that’s the only way the seal can be inserted into the roof channel lip. Maybe it’s a water diverter.




Also, those pockets on the roof seals I mentioned earlier don’t seem to have anything to do in relation to the panel seal ends so maybe it’s another water diverter/channel?



The front seals don’t sit up against the roof. It has just a small gap, but that disappears when the panels are installed. The panels sit just a wee bit higher than the roof, but that’s OK with me. I think it’s more of a curve mismatch because the outer edges sit pretty much flush. I don’t believe it’s because the latches are pulling down too much; there’s just a little bit of pressure at the latch end.


Lastly, the new panel seals don’t have the tabs to help secure them. It doesn’t seem like they are needed anyway.

One thing that could be considered a semi-fail are the panel seal channels. The mounting holes don’t line up. I’ll decide later if I want to drill new ones. They seem to be correctly shaped otherwise.

So, overall, I’m happy and relieved with these seals that I didn’t run into a roadblock.

 

Can you move the tabs over to the new seals? I wonder if those tabs aren't to keep the seal from coming loose and flopping around after a little use.

 

The later style GM seals utilized a support bracket. Iirc, they went into those pockets. They in turn bolted to the body, utilizing the t-top latch mounts. If that makes any sense how I worded it.

 

I don't think so. They are molded into the rubber. The seals take a fair amount of effort to get them seated in the channels. I don't see them coming out, even if I don't glue them in. The tabs almost seem like overkill.

 

Interesting... I'd like to see what those look like. I did a search but nothing popped up.

 

Thank you!

 

Well, my memory was off a bit. The brackets are more like a support pad that the seals attach to. They can be seen in John's pictures here:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...herstrips.html

 

Yes, I saw that one. It didn't look like what you described so I figured it was for something else. It looks like a typical seal channel but I don't remember if there is anything shaped like that on the seals that would fit in it.

I'll have look at the new ones again.

 

Just read this whole thread from the beginning, I love how you're documenting everything. Thanks for sharing, and looking forward to your progress!

 

Thanks! I see you also have an HO.

 

Sure do - I'll be pulling my engine soon for a reseal as well. Thanks for posting the cam you went with, I'm debating which one to order and might go with your recommendation.

 

I removed all the loose factory applied seam sealer. It’s ready for me to shoot some black epoxy primer on the blasted areas of the belly, firewall and other areas that were black from the dip at the factory. I’ll then reseal the seams. After that’s done, I will shoot gray epoxy primer on the exterior panels. During the recoat window, it will be the time to shoot some poly filler, (Feather-Fill G2). This is my way of skim coating the entire car with filler. It can be applied with a much better consistent film thickness that way.

After long board blocking most of that away that with 80 grit, then finishing with 180 grit, I’ll then apply the final primer-surfacer coats for the final blocking working up to 600 grit. The day the color coat is applied, I will shoot the sealer then hope for the best with this metallic paint.

I recently ordered a new gun. It’s the Exodus Luma 3. For the price, there are good reviews. My old Devilbiss Finish Line guns worked ok with solid colors. The fan wasn’t very consistent when it was set as wide as it should. I had to choke it down to about 6”-7”. That allowed for a decent application with solid colors, as I could keep laying it down until I got adequate coverage. Same with the clear. Since I always wet sand and buff, three to four somewhat inconsistent coats would always be enough. With some practice, I am really hoping this gun will help me get satisfactory results.

 

Finally! I’m at what I could call a major milestone. The bodywork is done! After a short break, I got back on the car. After getting the car ready for primer and cleaned up, I shot the exterior panels with one wet coat of epoxy primer and immediately followed that with two coats of Featherfill within the epoxy’s recoat window. (No epoxy scuffing required this way). After I long block the Featherfill, I will then shoot the primer/surfacer. Then I will wet sand with 600-800 grit, depending on what the data sheet recommends for metallic. We’ll see if my bodywork is good enough to block everything out without major sand-throughs.

Block sanding is were I tend to spend the most time on bodywork. Either through bad technique or from the lack of satisfaction of my work, I seem to always go over an area several times; reshooting primer/surfacer, sanding, reshooting primer, sanding again, etc., etc.

I also covered the interior cavities of the doors with epoxy. I used a combination of spraying and brushing. I paid particular attention to all the skin seams and any other areas where water can accumulate. I know I didn’t get every square inch but I covered all the areas I could see and then any blind spots. I also covered anywhere the blaster went to bare metal. I’ll have to rely on the factory coating in the places I couldn’t reach.

You’ll probably notice that I will not be blocking the car assembled. I didn’t try to get the body gap transitions absolutely flat when I did the bodywork. I will let the factory tolerances dictate how flat they will be. I feel they will be satisfactory.

I am going to miss my window of the final paint before winter sets in. Now, it doesn’t get extremely cold here in New Mexico and it’s easy to say this now, while it’s still warm, but I would like figure out a way to shoot during cold temps. Maybe closing up the booth to let the furnace warm up the body while curing? I can always wait for a relatively warm, sunny day to do this. I usually use a medium reducer during 70 degree days, but I might try a slow reducer to see if would allow it to flow better and reduce orange peel. With colder temps, medium speed might be the ticket. I’ll have to think about this one…

I will shoot the black epoxy on the belly and other areas after I have finished wet sanding the exterior panels. Why make more work cleaning up sanding dust and residue on the new epoxy when I can shoot it after all the messy sanding is complete?

 

I literally joined this message board to follow this thread. Great job and can not wait to see the Z when it's finished!

 

I'm not sure what paint you are planning on using but PPG has reducer that go down to 60 degrees. Other brands may also.

 

Well, that's cool! Thanks! And another L69 owner!

Both of us will be learning something with this build. I consider myself a novice when it comes to Third Gens.

Post some pics of your car.

 

I was going to use my go-to for the last three paint jobs for this build, (UreChem), but they can't mix that color. My local jobber has Axalta, so I'll probably go with their Nason line. Don't know what their temp range is yet.

 

Quick update…

I finished the initial blocking with 180 grit on everything except the doors. The hood looks like “The Land of a Thousand Lakes” with all the low spots. Most of them are shallow enough that a couple coats of Featherfill should do it. The deeper ones will get a skim coat of filler. Then, two more coats of Featherfill over the entire hood. Same process with the fenders and body.

I didn’t include photos because the low spots don’t show up. You would, however, notice that I don’t use guide coat. I’ve tried spray-on and powder. They work as advertised, but I never liked the idea of having to remove the residue before filling those areas. I can eyeball the obvious ones and on the real shallow spots I use a flashlight low and across the surface to highlight them. It’s a bit of a PITA, but it works for me. I just have to be very observant to catch all of them.