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#701
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He's right though. I am a bit anal when it comes to any work I do involving my own hands. But I take it as a compliment.
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'69 GTO Convertible - Acquired October 2020. An all original project car. Restomod is underway PROJECT THREAD '83 Chevy Choo Choo SS El Camino - LT1 350/4L60e, Owned for 30 Years, completed 2nd restomod in 2018 PHOTO 2019 BMW 440ix - Twin turbo I6, 8spd auto. PHOTO '55 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe - Ram Jet 350 / T56 Magnum 6spd, Restomod Completed Sept. 2012, Sold Sept. 2021 PHOTO |
#702
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The factors that become more important than the actual assembly manual is that we have to face certain realities such as bumpers that are not straight and true to their blueprints, rear body cushions that have either collapsed somewhat or have been replaced with cushions that may be different thickness or hardness than factory specified and most important is bodies and frames that might have been bent or twisted after 53 years of life.
My key goal when mounting a bumper is to get a sense of evenness around the taillight bezels and upper rear of the quarters. From side view I strive to get the bumper to have an even gap along the vertical pocket formed into the back of the quarter. I have six cars that use that bumper and my success level varied greatly from car to car… My brown GTO ragtop (pictured above) has the best end result because the car was never bumped and the bumper is the untouched straight original. My 4dr LeMans is also quite nice for the same reasons My green GTO hardtop is also quite good but the bumper is a rechrome and a good one but it has some slight warp that shows a bit under the bezels. Similarly my LeMans ragtop has a dead straight body that was never hit or worked back there but the bumper is a rechrome and the bottom edge has a bow in it, probably someone backed over something and when trying to go forward pulled out the bottom a bit. Whomever chromed it missed it. My Judge has very nice body panel fitment even though the right tail bezel area had been slightly pushed in. (Like backing into a sharp vertical column slightly outboard of the passenger side frame bracket. During painting we were able to get the tail panel pulled back just right but the original rear bumper was rechromed but they didn’t get the upper right end of the bumper remotely close to straight. I’m on the hunt for a better bumper as this one would be really tricky to get true. My worst rear end alignment is the one on my brown GTO hardtop. Car had a moderate hit under previous ownership right at the right rear corner. The subsequent restauration did not correct it properly. The hit was not enough to put any wow into the trunk pan or frame but the tail panel has some distortion that has the right bezel being in a bit on the bottom and the area of the quarter behind and below the Side marker light was actually pushed in enough that the bumper (which must have been replaced outright as it is a rechrome but with no sign of hammering before chroming) is too proud of the quarter panel on the side view. Car has nice paint but once you see what’s wrong you can’t unsee it! The quarter and tail panel will need to be stripped and straightened one of these days.. since the Expresso Brown on the car isn’t quite right (too brassy) I’m afraid that a full repaint is in its future.
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My Break Away Squad 1969 Fbird (base OHC, 350, 400HO & Sprint Cvt’s - 400HO & TA ht’s) 1969 Custom S 2dr ht 1969 LeMans (2dr & 4dr ht & Cvt) 1969 LeMans Safari wagon 1969 GTO (2 Cvt, 2 ht & Judge ht) 1969 Cat (3 Cvt’s & 2dr ht) 1969 Ventura wagon 2 seat 1969 Exec 4dr post 1969 Bonnie Cvt & 2 wagons 1969 Bonnie Brougham (4dr ht & Cvt) 1969 Grand Prix 2 SJ’s 1969 2+2 2dr ht (Canadian) |
#703
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And both you and Roger post motivating images that clearly set a high bar. As to the "factory" vs "what looks good", I personally fall on the "what looks good" side of the debate but appreciate the "factory correct" perspective too. I do agree with you that what Roger had done looked great and he should feel good about it. He spends way more time on the details than most and I'm truly impressed by the result. |
#704
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Jesus….the written word can be taken many ways. Rogers bumper fitment looked good to me. Then another poster said it was improper…and thats when it got a little crazy…to me. Splitting hairs …. Lol
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#705
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I wasn't trying to criticize Roger's car. I know how picky he is about
panel fit by what he did on the front bumper.....I was just trying to help because I know how they were built from the factory.....I've owned one for 50 years. The reason why the center bar is so close to the decklid is because it has been hit and tweaked at some point...this is why the gap between the bumper and the bottom of the tail light bezels gets smaller as the gap approaches the center bar. When the car was new, the center bar to deck lid gap would have been about to spec where he has the bumper now, as the outer corners of the bumper to the quarter panel gap appear to be pretty close to spec, perhaps just a hair high. At this point, if it was my car I would remove the bumper and get it straightened in the center bar area( it needs to come out and down). Yes, I am picky, but so is Roger........just trying to help......his car is gorgeous...I'm not trying to criticize it. When my car was 4 years old a guy rear ended my bumper and tweaked it and later when I did a show restoration on it I spent 2000 dollars to get the rear bumper right because I couldn't find a better core to use. It's a shame that nobody makes a correct fitting reproduction rear bumper for these cars. |
#706
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Wheels
The next day after spraying the outer sides of the wheels with epoxy primer, I applied a bit of finishing filler to spokes on the 3 factory 15X7 wheels. The 2 aftermarket 15X8 wheel spokes didn't need to have this done.
After block sanding I sprayed a couple of more coats of epoxy primer on them and finish sanded the spokes with 400 followed by gray Scotchbrite. Next I sprayed the wheels with Argent Silver base coat followed by 2 coats of SPI Universal clear. The base coat paint I'm using is Automotive Art Motobase. Next I put the wheels in my blasting cabinet one by one and very lightly blasted them just to etch them enough to dull the clear. I did this because it was a lot easier than scuffing them with gray Scotchbrite. Here's the first one ready for taping: It took me about an hour and half to tape each wheel. Early this morning I sprayed the wheel centers with Charcoal Gray Metallic basecoat. After letting them dry for about an hour I removed the masking tape and sprayed the wheels with 2 more coats of SPI Universal Clear. I've got a lot of hours in these wheels but I think they came out great.
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'69 GTO Convertible - Acquired October 2020. An all original project car. Restomod is underway PROJECT THREAD '83 Chevy Choo Choo SS El Camino - LT1 350/4L60e, Owned for 30 Years, completed 2nd restomod in 2018 PHOTO 2019 BMW 440ix - Twin turbo I6, 8spd auto. PHOTO '55 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe - Ram Jet 350 / T56 Magnum 6spd, Restomod Completed Sept. 2012, Sold Sept. 2021 PHOTO |
The Following User Says Thank You to roger1 For This Useful Post: | ||
#707
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You ain't the only one that thinks that!
They were never that nice NEW. Charles |
#708
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If you had to guess…how many hours …not including bead blasting. I did my set ..but it was a while back. …and it sucked …lol
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#709
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Freakin beautiful!
Be honest, have you ever been treated for OCD?
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I'm World's Best Hyperbolist !! |
#710
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He’s not finished with them yet….still has to sand with 800 then 1000 then 1500 then 2000 then 3000 then 5000 then 8000 …then Hand Rub with compound then Hand rub with Polish……..
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#711
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I guess there's no chance you're putting trim rings on those.
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#712
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I know, they will get marks in them but I guess I'll have to live with that. They just look better with them IMO. Sorry Judge owners. I am however thinking about painting the egg crate parts of the front grille black. That's something I really like about the Judge. No wing for me on this car though. Got a suggestion about where to buy new trim rings? Are rings the same for the 15X8 wheels on the back as they are for the 15X7 on the front?
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'69 GTO Convertible - Acquired October 2020. An all original project car. Restomod is underway PROJECT THREAD '83 Chevy Choo Choo SS El Camino - LT1 350/4L60e, Owned for 30 Years, completed 2nd restomod in 2018 PHOTO 2019 BMW 440ix - Twin turbo I6, 8spd auto. PHOTO '55 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe - Ram Jet 350 / T56 Magnum 6spd, Restomod Completed Sept. 2012, Sold Sept. 2021 PHOTO |
The Following User Says Thank You to roger1 For This Useful Post: | ||
#713
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Those exceed the definition of shiny objects...
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#714
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Assuming you hadn't done this before as a business...I think you missed your calling.
Heck of a one-man effort!
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1970 GTO (Granada Gold) - 400 / TH400 |
#715
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I know nothing about the correct dimensions of bumper to lights or trunk lid, but I am still impressed with your work, Roger!
If you get tired of restorations and decide to put your skills up for bids ... I'M BIDDING! Great work, Roger. Ogre
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“Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants.” -- Benjamin Franklin - (1706-1790) US Founding Father |
#716
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'69 GTO Convertible - Acquired October 2020. An all original project car. Restomod is underway PROJECT THREAD '83 Chevy Choo Choo SS El Camino - LT1 350/4L60e, Owned for 30 Years, completed 2nd restomod in 2018 PHOTO 2019 BMW 440ix - Twin turbo I6, 8spd auto. PHOTO '55 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe - Ram Jet 350 / T56 Magnum 6spd, Restomod Completed Sept. 2012, Sold Sept. 2021 PHOTO |
#717
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What do the backs look like?
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#718
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Spraying the back sides with black SPI epoxy primer was the first thing I did and I posted a photo of them in last week's update:
https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...&postcount=692
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'69 GTO Convertible - Acquired October 2020. An all original project car. Restomod is underway PROJECT THREAD '83 Chevy Choo Choo SS El Camino - LT1 350/4L60e, Owned for 30 Years, completed 2nd restomod in 2018 PHOTO 2019 BMW 440ix - Twin turbo I6, 8spd auto. PHOTO '55 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe - Ram Jet 350 / T56 Magnum 6spd, Restomod Completed Sept. 2012, Sold Sept. 2021 PHOTO |
#719
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We laid it on the floor on the side of the car and she held one end of the top while standing inside the frame. Then she stepped up into the car while I was holding the other side from outside the frame. I had the lowest bolt stuck into the body on both sides and since the bottom of the top side brackets were slotted, it allowed the top to go right into place. There wasn't much to it so there wasn't anything I could take multiple photos of like you asked me to do. Update: Not much else done since I finished the wheels. I do have the grilles ready for painting. I did a bit of sanding to remove the small places that were left after using the oven cleaner. I then put them in my blasting cabinet and blasted lightly to get them clean. There were a few very small cracks in the plastic and I ground them out a little and used JB Weld to fill followed by sanding flat the next day. I blasted the front park/signal light housing and stripped the paint housing mounting frames. Lightly blasted those too and repaired a couple cracks as well. I believe these are made of some kind of fiberglass. Painted them using rattle can chrome for the insides and cast coat for the outsides. Also blasted and painted the retainers. The frames will get painted red later.
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'69 GTO Convertible - Acquired October 2020. An all original project car. Restomod is underway PROJECT THREAD '83 Chevy Choo Choo SS El Camino - LT1 350/4L60e, Owned for 30 Years, completed 2nd restomod in 2018 PHOTO 2019 BMW 440ix - Twin turbo I6, 8spd auto. PHOTO '55 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe - Ram Jet 350 / T56 Magnum 6spd, Restomod Completed Sept. 2012, Sold Sept. 2021 PHOTO Last edited by roger1; 05-13-2022 at 07:31 PM. |
The Following User Says Thank You to roger1 For This Useful Post: | ||
#720
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Roger ... what brand chrome spray paint did you use?
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I'm World's Best Hyperbolist !! |
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