[eaglesan13]

Bob,

I am aware that chevy bellhousings are different. I did get a Pontiac bellhousing with the car but it wasn't pretty. I don't have any before pics, but here it is after refinished it. I sandblasted it first, then painted it with aluma-blast, then used Eastwoods satin clear on it. It actually turned out pretty good.

Chris

Originally Posted by superdutybob

I'm sure that you know this but don't forget that you will need a bellhouising to go with that Pontiac engine. Different bolt pattern than a Chebby.

FTR: Leave the car the original color. You'll be much happier in the end and it's easier on your painter.

I also think you will find that the 3.55's will be plenty for a built 455. Traction will already be an issue and you'll easily be 3000 rpm on the freeway.

[eaglesan13]

Here is the pedal assembly after I put it back together. Since the clutch switch wasn't broken I will wait till I hang the pedals back in the car to install the switch.

[eaglesan13]

I need some help identifying the clutch Z-bar since I'm not sure if this is the correct one for a 70 Pontiac F-body. I would hate to drop the drive train in and find out this was for a Camaro. Can anyone verify it is correct for my car?

[eaglesan13]

Today I'm working on the door hinges. I had an extra set sitting in a box so I ordered a pin kit for them. I took one of the hinges apart and sandblasted the pieces. I then shot them with blue lightning metal prep and installed the new bushings and pin. The metal prep will prevent the metal from rusting till they are painted. When I'm finished with all four hinges I will drop them off at the body shop to be swapped for the ones on the car.

I was a little pissed off when the pin kit came without any instructions, but it was actually so simple that none were necessary.

[keith k]

Originally Posted by eaglesan13

I need some help identifying the clutch Z-bar since I'm not sure if this is the correct one for a 70 Pontiac F-body. I would hate to drop the drive train in and find out this was for a Camaro. Can anyone verify it is correct for my car?

Chris, my TA is not in a place where I can get a super good look at the Z-bar, but I looked it over as best I could and it looks just like the one in your pic....

[eaglesan13]

I went by the body shop yesterday and snapped some pics of the formula. It has been stripped to bare metal now. The passenger door is full of bondo so I dropped off a replacement. There is a small patch on the lower drivers quarter panel behind the wheel but it looks to have been a good repair and will not need to be redone. There is a weld seam near the rear bumper on the drivers quarter and I have not idea what was done there. The passenger quarter has been replaced and I think it may have been damaged again afterward because the entire quarter appears to have been replaced but there is old damage and bondo in the sail panel area. It also looks like there is a welded seam along the belt line. Again, it does not make sense. However, the car is in fairly solid shape given it's age. The glass is out now and the window channels are in good shape and will not require any repair. My body man will not be patching anything, he said all the metal is good and he will just repair what is on the car.

[eaglesan13]

More body pics

[LeighP]

Nice and clean. I've got my 71 body in about the same stage and found a couple of small spots around the back window to fix. Interesting, I haven't seen that style parcel tray before..I wasn't aware that 70 models were different.

[CaptCrunch]

When i stripped mine down to bare metal I found a bullet hole in the drivers door...........lol........

[BobC]

Nice job on the '70 Chris. You'll be happy with the Castillion Bronze color when it's done.

[eaglesan13]

From what I have read, the rear "parcel tray" was redesigned for 1971 and later to accommodate the vent stove pipe on the evap system, hence the 1970 one-year-only.

Originally Posted by LeighP

Nice and clean. I've got my 71 body in about the same stage and found a couple of small spots around the back window to fix. Interesting, I haven't seen that style parcel tray before..I wasn't aware that 70 models were different.

[eaglesan13]

Hey Capt,

Maybe your Formula was the getaway car in a liquor store heist!

Originally Posted by CaptCrunch

When i stripped mine down to bare metal I found a bullet hole in the drivers door...........lol........

[eaglesan13]

Nice car Bob,

Please post some more pics, I'm collecting Castillion Bronze photos. What color is the interior?

Chris

Originally Posted by BobC

Nice job on the '70 Chris. You'll be happy with the Castillion Bronze color when it's done.

[LeighP]

The guy who originally restored the 70 Camaro RS/SS I owned a few years back told me he found a bullet hole in the rear quarter.
people must have a thing for shooting at F-bodies?????

[eaglesan13]

When I got the car it came with a set of 15 x 8 snowflakes. Although I like the look of those rims I don't think they look right on an early second gen car, (JMO). So, I swapped the 4 snowflakes for a set of 5, 15 x 7 rally II's. I have a sandblast cabinet but it takes forever to blast rims so I took them to a local sandblasting place and had the blasted. It cost me $25.00 per rim and another $10.00 each to have them epoxy primed. I had a choice of black or gray primer and I picked the gray. I had ordered all the paints and stencil kit from Eastwoods a few years ago for another project that I never finished so I had everything I needed to restore the wheels. I didn't care for the stencil kit, they didn't stick well (maybe due to age) so I wound up just taping them off myself. It's time consuming, but I'm happy with the results. I used all Eastwoods stuff, the silver, charcoal, and satin clear and the wheels turned out real nice. I left the back of the rims unpainted I just clear coated right over the gray primer.

I'm going to run 245/60/15 tires and I had intended to use trim rings, since I think they would accent the paint nicely, but now I'm not so sure. I would really hate to scratch those rims by putting trim rings on.

[keith k]

Hey Chris, they look great. Nice job!

I've had the same experience with the masks -- won't ever buy them again. As tedious as taping is, it's the way to go.

I think Formulas look a bit naked without rings, but I'd have a hard time scratching the those pretty rims, too!

BTW (and you probably know this), the correct P-metric replacement for an F60x15 is a 235/60 x 15. I've always thought the 245s look ever so slightly blimpy on a 7" wide rim....but I'm probably a minority/overly picky about that stuff. For new production stuff, we wouldn't fit anything wider than a 225 on a 7" rim.

[1973Formula]

Are those Jeep Cherokee rims on your car? I didn't realize they are the same bolt pattern.

Later-

[eaglesan13]

Keith,

I had 245's on my old 70 trans am and I liked the way they filled out the wheel wells, however, I'll keep your recommendation in mind. These were the best pictures I could come up with short of spending a couple of hours looking through CD's full of old pictures.

Chris

Originally Posted by keith k

Hey Chris, they look great. Nice job!

I've had the same experience with the masks -- won't ever buy them again. As tedious as taping is, it's the way to go.

I think Formulas look a bit naked without rings, but I'd have a hard time scratching the those pretty rims, too!

BTW (and you probably know this), the correct P-metric replacement for an F60x15 is a 235/60 x 15. I've always thought the 245s look ever so slightly blimpy on a 7" wide rim....but I'm probably a minority/overly picky about that stuff. For new production stuff, we wouldn't fit anything wider than a 225 on a 7" rim.

[eaglesan13]

I'm pretty sure the mags shown in the pictures of my formula are old "Western" mags. They were on the car when I got it, sans center caps, and I'm only using them as rollers till the body and paint work are done, after which I will install the rally II's.

Originally Posted by 1973Formula

Are those Jeep Cherokee rims on your car? I didn't realize they are the same bolt pattern.

Later-

[LeighP]

Nice job on those wheels.