[psw]

Originally Posted by boostmaster

I have been told by the restoration shop that they own some older cars and that they still maintain the 4 wheel drums and the cars stop fine... Not sure how but, that's I'm working with... I don't even have a brake booster...

I have a 66 GTO with manual drum brakes all around. Quite a bit more pedal effort is required than with power brakes, but for normal driving around town, they work just fine. They even work pretty well coming down from high speed in an emergency, but they get hot and fade quicker than disc brakes. They will not stop you as quickly and repeatedly as the brakes in any modern car, though, no doubt about it.

My car also has manual steering, so the driving experience is totally different from any modern car. If you want this car to be original, and to feel different from a modern car, I say keep the 4-wheel manual drums.

If you are not really interested in keeping it original, and want better performance, go for one of the upgrade options previously mentioned in this thread.

I do not think you ever mentioned where you found the car? Looks like it had been sitting somewhere for a while.

Good luck with the project!

[GT182]

No matter how you go for brakes, use a dual master cyclinder.

If you keep your manual brakes the one thing to do is change to a dual master cyclinder for them. If you break a rear line, you'll still have the use of the front brakes. No not original but so much safer. You can ask me how I know, but you already know the answer. LOL

[boostmaster]

Sorry for my slow response time... Been playing with my other projects and waiting for the body shop... They were supposed to blast last week but some 69 GTO convertible was hogging the attention...

Anyway, to answer the questions:

PSW: the car was from GA. It spent it's whole life there and was last registered in 82 IIRC. The guy I bought it from had it for a year in his shop to restore but had too many projects so he sold it to me...

GT182: The car has a dual master cylinder and Power steering and we're sending the drums to be checked and turned if they're good. They are original all the way around and the rears look better than the fronts but we'll see what the shop says... I looked at the replacement drums and they're about as pricey as upgrading to discs! So I guess we'll see.

Hopefully I'll have more pics and updates in the next few days.


BTW, anyone here have a rear bench seat bottom spring assembly they'd like to sell? (I already posted in the wanted section also) I only need the springs (no material) but they have to be in good condition (ie: not too rusted) . I'm going to blast and paint them too before affixing the upholstery.

[boostmaster]

So, I stopped by the shop today... Blasting has begun and everything is looking good! Here's a few pics.

[GT182]

Body looks pretty darn solid. You is one lucky fella.

[6 Grrrs]

This is the first I saw this thread. Nice project and good luck. That car would be sharp in the gold color. Not too common aorund these parts.

I agree with psw about 4 wheel drums being adequate (if you plan to drive easy). I have a '67 GTO here that I am doing some work on for a guy, and I was surprised how well it stops for 4 wheel drums. It doesn't really handle all that well, but it has bias ply 14" redlines on it too.

If you wanna really enjoy it, then at least power disc/drum would be needed.

On my '66, I did front single piston discs, rebuilt the rear drums, and added power. I also did Global West del-a-lum bushings, lowering springs, and rear lower control arms. Also 15" wheels and decent radial tires. What a difference in the 'fun to drive' factor.

The difference between these two cars is amazing. My '66 can be driven on twisty roads much faster that it should be driven, yet still has an original look to it. The '67 is original/unrestored and drives like it.

[boostmaster]

6 Grrrs: We're sending out the drums to be checked... I wanted to go with discs but the boss would like to keep it stock. We'll see... Originality and price are driving factors... Brakes and seatbelts WILL be priority over price... However, the driving we do is more like putting about since we hate to damage our toys... We have a few "fast" cars and when we drive them - which is rare, it's only on nice days and usually never over the posted speed limit- usually slower...

GT 182: Body is pretty solid but the quarters will need some work... Someone had been in there previously "fixing" stuff so it needs to be unfixed.

The blasting has revealed that what seemed like pretty solid floors are a little less than solid - more like cheese of the Swiss variety so, I'm going to replace the entire floor from the firewall to the tail. This will be like brand new when we're finished!

I think from now on all my projects will get blasted. That stuff really is amazing. I'm willing to bet that there's a ton of ugly body work hidden under paint driving around these days... I'm glad we're going this route. I think it will make all the difference in the finished product...

BTW, all of my trim has been pulled. I have been able to clean up some of it but I am not sure what is supposed to have the brushed vs. polished look...

Additionally, the drip rail trim that I have refuses to polish using my primitive techniques. It also has some scratches. Does anyone have a way to bring these back to life. I'm trying to use every stock piece I can. (for originality and for wallet retention purposes)

Any ideas?

[6 Grrrs]

The drip rail mouldings are anodized. You need to remove the anodizing before they can be polished. There are a few ways, but I found good old elbow grease yeilds the best results. Start with about 400 or 600 grit paper and work up to about 2000 grit paper, then use a liquid or paste polish. Unfortunately they will need to be re anodized again or you will have to keep up on them as the bare aluminum needs to be protected.

I did my beltline moldings this way and I usually need to polish them twice or three times a season.

[boostmaster]

Cool info!

How about the other trim? Is there a comprehensive list of what is what? I have the resto books but I cannot seem to find something that is all in one place and easy to reference.

I am going to try and tackle all of the trim and misc little things with elbow grease to save some dough... All the body work, however, goes to my bodyshop... I know my limitations.

[6 Grrrs]

A little hint for refinishing any trim... Try to re mount it on the body and do all the sanding/polishing so it doesn't get bent/damaged. My beltline moldings were on a set of junk doors. I removed all the door hardware (vent windows/glass/fuzzies) and re attached the moldings to the junk door. Aluminum trim is pretty delicate, so you gotta do what you can to protect it.

It is fairly easy to tell what is what on the trim. Either aluminum, pot metal, or stainless. Aluminum has a whiteish appearance. Stainless will still look pretty good, and pot metal is usually pitted.

[boostmaster]

6 Grrrs: Good Ideas...Thanks for the input... I've been trying to clean everything up on my bench. So far so good.. The aluminum stuff ain't cooperating so far but then again I don't have all of the necessary equipment for polishing besides elbow grease.

As of friday the shop was finishing the blast session and was going to be assessing the damage this week...While the car is solid the blasting revealed a bunch of small holes and since I'm anal about my cars, it will get all new floors... No stinkin' patches for me... I have priced all the new metal and it's not as bad a s I had figured but I'm sure the labor will kick my butt... Oh well, this is the hobby we've chosen... This is supposed to be fun right?

Anyway, while that is being handled, I'm going to start hunting for a decent machine shop - hopefully someone familiar with these Pontiacs. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to chime in...

[GT182]

I bought the repo drip rail set from PY and I'm very pleased with them. The price and appearance are really good. I thought about polishing the originals, but replacing them was far easier IMO.

[boostmaster]

I thought about doing that too. They're something like $55 but then my problem is that I will often come down with the MIDAS disease when doing a project car...

EX: If I replace those strips, I midaswell replace this and that and the other and next thing I know I've added an extra thousand to my project... In my experience, besides all the big stuff, it's the little stuff that adds up.

[GT182]

Originally Posted by boostmaster

In my experience, besides all the big stuff, it's the little stuff that adds up.

In my experience... it ALL adds up.... big and/or small.

[boostmaster]

I've finally gotten a quote for the engine work. Not sure what one of these built to basic stock specs should run... Also quoted around $125 to rebuild the carb. Two week turn around with an Pontiac "experienced" shop

What should I expect to be paying? I've built a more heavy duty Buick engine and it cost an arm and a leg so I just want to be sure I'd getting the numbers right.

Any ideas?

[arbys]

Originally Posted by boostmaster

I've finally gotten a quote for the engine work. Not sure what one of these built to basic stock specs should run... Also quoted around $125 to rebuild the carb. Two week turn around with an Pontiac "experienced" shop

What should I expect to be paying? I've built a more heavy duty Buick engine and it cost an arm and a leg so I just want to be sure I'd getting the numbers right.

Any ideas?

If it cost an arm and a leg before you've only got one arm and a leg left. Sorry, couldn't resist.

[GT182]

$125 to rebuild the carb is not bad. It just cost me 300 for setting up my Competition Series and that didn't include the kit or floats. I bought those myself. Took the guy a day and a half to do, plus put in the points and condenser I also bought, and set the timing.

[Junkyard Dog]

How much did it cost to blast the body, and how did you go about finding a reputable blaster?

Do you have any pictures of the under-the-windshield area? Any rust or holes?

[72pontiac]

for my drip rails i did this. draino mixed in water will take the anodizing right off. i made a troft from a 4" pvc pipe and two end caps glued on sliced it length wise used hot water and draino checking often in about 5 minutes it was stripped. removed any dents by tapping them out from the back lightly. file carefully the little bump out you make. wet sand smooth. polish. came out stunning. aluminum is soft so it polishes the easiest. now i need to clear them with eastwood diamond clear or use that product i forget the name for that coats and protects for a very long time zymol or something. or get them re anodized the most costly alternative. for now they are indoors and safe. these parts are off my 65 gto.

[boostmaster]

arbys: last arm and leg went to shop yesterday.. I'm like the guard on Monty Pythons "Holy Grail " LOL

GT182: Thanks for the info. Sounds like I'm on the right track.

Junkyard: My resto shop did the blasting. They rented the equipment. $100 a day for the generator (It's huge) and a little over $200 for sand. They recycled all they could. The labor, as usual, was the most expensive... (a touch over $1500)- It was some dirty work... They took two days and there's still stuff to blast. Body and frame were priority. They blasted inside and out and a bunch of parts including the doors,etc... No rust left, except in the floor braces. That will be addressed since I'm going to have them pull the floors and put new ones... I just looked through my pics and could not find a windshield pic... There had been a tiny spot before... Don't think it was too big a deal... (I'll be at the resto shop on Tuesday, I'll see if I can get you a pic.) Word of warning, if you want to blast, please be ready to spend some $$$... The blasting will reveal all kinds of issues... Most of my floor looked and felt pretty solid... Blasting revealed that it was less solid than I had thought. I could cut corners here and save some money but I only want to do this once so It'll be done right...

72Pontiac: Thanks for the tips... I'm a little scattered right now. May have to save all the polishing tasks till winter since all the other little things are eating up my time and money. After you wetsand, do you polish by hand or a wheel? What sort of product is used?