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Project Heretic or Operation Mashup
Back in 2005 I was vending at a swapmeet and a guy noting my Pontiac ballcap asked whether I wanted a 1978 Firebird, as in free. It was not far away - nor was it a Firebird, or a 78... but a 1979 Trans Am, originally a 403 car. His race partner's wife wanted it out of the backyard. So I hired a tow to drag it home where it sat gathering moss for 5 years.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps48c297d8.jpg It was dragged out of it's sleep, washed and the content's assessed. As you see the driver's fender was banged up, but the car was remarkably rust-free. I have been slowly gathering parts: Verdean gave me 2 70-73 nosepieces and ancillary stuff (he ended up building my shop, not a bad investment...) Eric in Bremerton sold me a nice short block for the princely sum of $20 (thanks!). Other items fell into place; interior bits from a 78 Camaro, ST10 from a 1974 Corvette, leather seats from a 95 Corvette. http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...psa55c7e35.jpg A few things will of course be changed - I hate the 79-81 noses; so it was given away. And the rear bumper won't look right with the rest of the curvy body so I have plans to cure that issue also. http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps03a7204d.jpg Car was originally bought in Everett, WA - about 7 miles away, home now to Revord Motors http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps31ac3906.jpg Mods: wasn't sure where this thread belongs, so if it needs to be moved please do so... |
You weren't kidding about the moss! What surprises me is the total lack of rust,especially considering it is from the Seattle area with all the moisture you guy have there.
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What little rust it has is in the damndest places; behind LH rear bumper mounting pad, where the rear frame mates up to for example. Also, a pinhole in the differential arch. A small amount in the bottom of the door edges.
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Nice project...rust free is always a huge plus.
For the rear bumper...a suggestion. I've seen a 79 with a 70-73 nose and they'd fitted the 74/75 rear bumper. The 74/5 rear will bolt straight on, fit the quarters, and the rolled pan look of the bumper really suits the front the car. It looks good, and its a real cheap way out of that "front doesn't match the back" look. They left the blacked out 79+ tail lights and cut a plate holder into the rolled pan section of the 74/5 bumber under the bar.....it all worked really well. |
Leigh, I saw that on Trans Am country - but like the look of the chopped rear 70-73's. A repop bumper should arrive in a day or two, will see how it fits up. I plan on trimming the tail lights to allow a formed metal piece to house the plate up high between the tail lights.
The 74-78 bumper is the backup plan. |
Looks like a good start and you can't beat the price.
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Roll on
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Looks well worth the money..........
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Cleaned out the body shell. Removed HVAC stuff. Treated the rusty sections with this stuff I had laying around:
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...2&d=1359053532 Nasty stuff, takes a while to cure and smells. Time to patch some metal. I'll start with the hidden stuff to practice. http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...3&d=1359053558 What lies beneath, err, behind. Ugh. http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...4&d=1359053575 Received a partial set of rear bumper brackets today from SD73. Ordered a rear filler panel and shift porch. Working on AutoCAD drawings for bumper adapter brackets cut from 1/4" material. Mark |
I've heard of projects, but that's a project!
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not really. you see some of the stuff on the HAMB....
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Update:
I have been working on the T/A, but not posting - mainly scut work. I tried to shorten the stock 79 tail lights with a sharp saw and patience but the plastic was just too brittle. the idea was to modify a 70-73 tail pan to work but that idea went glimmering off. I am now using a pair of 74-78 tail lights I snapped up off eBay; I will need to fab a center filler piece as the license is a bit lower with the 70-73 bumpers. The more I looked at the 74-75 rear bumpers the more I liked them but they are very scarce and pricey even for torn pieces.I am waiting now for the welds to cool a bit before the next round of welding. Also waiting for brackets to arrive from cutters; these are custom pieces i drew up on AutoCAD and will fit up. Visited a paint shop, looks like about $4k to respray. More than budgetted so either 5 speed or KRE heads will have to be deleted; as the car is a winter driver I am leaning towards getting the trans as KRE's cannot be drilled for exhaust crossover. My 71 has KRE's and is quite mulish till warmed up... http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...3&d=1360209623 http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...4&d=1360209643 |
Did that $4K include the paint? BC/CC? What color? If it included all the paint that is a good price around here. The paint (sealer, BC and CC) was about $2500 for the 67 GTO I'm getting ready to paint. Granted we have enough clear for 4 coats, 2 + 2.
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Yes, and estimate is 50 hours body work. Other than orange peel Maaco seems to do a decent job - they had a 65 Mustang, 63 Comet and 62 Buick there when I looked it over. Paint is BC/CC, will be 1971-72 Cameo White with proper stripe decals.
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ah, the damage from tire jockeys...
The main sill seam under the car was pretty mangled, took a while to straighten it out. the fender mount was in sad shape also and was easier to replace than repair. A pair of steel brackets were fabbed and welded into place. I also noted these little holes in the rocker panel. http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...4&d=1360298989 http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...5&d=1360299008 http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...6&d=1360299031 http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...7&d=1360299047 |
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I have been pecking away at the rear end. The 74-78 tail lights are much harder to mount than I thought but still doable. I had to weld in a set of pockets in the tail pan and a set of standoffs:
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1361725979 I will use a set of delrin spacers to hold off the lamp assemblies. A quick mock up gives an idea of the general fitment after the bumper brackets were tacked together. Will need to adjust and modify the brackets some but in the ballpark... http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1361725979 Kinda like swimming in the ocean and getting a glimpse of the island you are swimming to. A rough photoshop of what it should look like: http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...6&d=1361725787 |
Mark,
Is that the bumper you went to look at Friday. Looks good int the photo. Ollie |
modified taillights & grill on 79-81
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I have done modifications on two of my T/As 1979 & 1980. On the 1980 I replaced the nose with a 1973 nose keeping the 74-81 flat hoods adding a very low cowl & functional shaker.I used vfn fiberglass nose, stock headlight buckets, trim, lights, trim rings & grill& spoiler & flares. On the rear I used 1970-73 taillights & chrome trim adapted to fit to the cut down rear mounting piece from the 1980 taillights. I made my own filler panel out of an original 1970-73 rear panel filling the recess for the license plate. I kept the factory bumper .I did all the paint & body work at home. Here are some pics.
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a few more
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a few more pics
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I have a set of tail lights off my 79 Formula just sitting up overhead in the garage. Make me an offer I can't refuse and you can have them, + shipping. Even the fuel door is there but the metal pieces need to be fixed or replaced. I'd have to look at it again and see what waht with it. The sockets and bulbs are included too. I just cut the wires about 7 inches back for all 6 when I got what was left of the car.
There's also a set of 15x8 WS6 Snowflakes from my car, but they need to be restored. One rim has a little kink from a curb kiss, but it is repairable. |
Ollie: no, that was a 74-75 bumper - jack holes were blown out and he wanted $$$ for it: pass
Cruiser: nice to see I am not the only nut here. If I was to do this again would have bought the 70-73 repop rear pan and made it work. GT182: a bit too far down the road to go back to the 79-81's, and mine could be repaired enough to be a nice driver. The center 70-73 filler piece is already on it's merry way back to Ames... and thanks but no interest in snowflakes at all. I have a nice set of 15" Rally 2's but am looking at a set of Panasport repops if business is good http://i.ebayimg.com/t/VTO-Alloy-Whe...u0WFKQ~~_3.JPG The Trans Am race cars ran the real minilites in the late 60's-early 70's - we'll see... |
Nice Project....Those wheels would look badass on there!
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ah, the wrenchmen are present...
better mockup pic. http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...4&d=1361850131 |
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Rolled the hulk outside to try to pressure wash the underside. Mixed results as I could not jack it up high enough. Dropped the tank and look what was revealed...
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...5&d=1362453188 Drain holes really suck on these - big mesh on the cowl let in all kinds of crap, small wonder the rockers did not rust out. http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...6&d=1362453199 Figured out why rear rail abutment rusted - stuff thrown off wheels goes right thru these holes and is deposited on the bulkhead. http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...7&d=1362453213 |
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Been a bit since I posted, but the work has not stopped. Verdean came over with his (and friends) trailer.
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1368222795 http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...2&d=1368222829 |
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...at the paint shop. Nick of Aldercrest Auto Body agreed to paint the T/A.
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...4&d=1368223336 http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...5&d=1368223506 |
Great to see the progress.
Aldercrest is one of the best in the area. |
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Of course the car is still at the paint shop - should be there til mid Fall...
More pix of the progress. Shell is stripped down to the bare metal. Nick says he will shoot a barrier coat then start on the bodywork. http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...7&d=1369623602 The two doors had some rust at the bottom where the two shells meets; It was cheaper to buy some rust-free doors from a 78 in the boneyard and use them. The driver's door had a big shallow dent. Had. :D http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...8&d=1369623642 The T/A is parked in the very front of the shop - who the hell wants to see a benz or camry being fixed? A 70 Mustang Mach 1 is across the way - they trade insults often I hear... :fencing: These pads are to protect the workers kness - the padding keeps getting thicker... http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...9&d=1369623667 |
Glad to see it making progress.
Mike |
I need to get cracking on the peripheral stuff: dash, wheels, etc. Picked up a couple of period correct radios - need to see if they work. Hoping Legendary gets their **** together with the door panels - they looked very nice at SEMA but not available yet. PUI assembled panels have plastic uppers, Legendary uses steel.
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Looks like a cool project!
Too bad I saw this thread so late, I have a couple crappy 74-75 rear bumpers lying about.. |
Same here. I have a 75 T/A parts car sitting here and I have no idea what the parts are worth... Shaker set-up has to be worth a few bucks.
Looks like it going to be a nice car when done. |
I didn't think I'd like the 79-81 style rear spoiler end caps with the 70-73 rear bumper but it actually looks ok in the photo.
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Quote:
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Hard to go wrong with a free car. Exspecially a mostly rust free one. I look forward to seeing it painted.
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Paid a visit to the body shop.
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...9&d=1370476833 Progress being made http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...0&d=1370476865 Nick saying this will be outta here in a month, maybe... http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1370476894 5 of these waiting on the doorstep - 16 x 7's... see any problems? :confused: http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...2&d=1370476937 |
Looking good!:)
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5 of these waiting on the doorstep - 16 x 7's... see any problems? :confused:
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...2&d=1370476937 No lug nut holes. Oh, I forgot you can drill your own. Haven't decided on a rear end yet. Did you ever get the lifter problem figured out. |
Yes, went to Crower solids - much quieter. Waiting on Lunati to see if they will refund purchase cost. Something wrong with the Morels.
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As Ollie said, no lugnut holes. Did the lugnut hole driller take the day off?
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I saved about $50/wheel by doing them myself - though I may not be able to use the steel inserts they sent me - requires a 1-1/8"Ø 90° countersink. I cannot find one. I may be able to build one or simply go straight shank lugs. |
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Car was shot in primer seal - next up block sanding...
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...4&d=1370983094 http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...5&d=1370983177 ...and some more sanding on the fenders. http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...6&d=1370983266 |
Looking good. Will be sweet once finished.
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Subframe day!
Nick wants to spray mid next month. He wants to hang the fenders, etc. Original plan was to spray it in pieces and send back. Too much bodywork says Nick. I need to redo the subframe - would look like metric ass with nice bodywork and filthy frame. So I will strip it down and get it back to him to prime and paint. http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps604286d3.jpg You Mid West/East Coaster's may want to turn away. I decided not to gamble with stripped nuts and cut holes in the floor, then sprayed the bolts with AeroKroil. This stuff kicks PB Blaster's ass - and doesn't stink to high heaven neither. http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps84d70536.jpg ...10 minutes later: http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps32189252.jpg http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps366e4f93.jpg Rolled the assy onto a tow dolly. One would think people would keep their distance but some dope in a Mustang had to draft me the whole way back to the shop. http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps6a223f3c.jpg Off to Harbor Fright later to get one of those pressure washer sand attachment gizmos. Ordered new bushings, etc. Will reuse old B spindles from my Lemans and go 12" rotor since I already have them... |
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Things are moving pretty quick. Nick let one of the apprentices shoot the firewall. They use a Ford matte black on all of their black metal.
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...4&d=1372809479 Next up for the matte treatment is the subframe, back from Sandblasting, Inc. http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...2&d=1372808965 The A-arms did not make it to the blasters; pulling the bushings is not much fun with those specialized presses. http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...3&d=1372809037 Ordered a new roller cam for this build. Was not planning on this but Nick wants to put the sheet metal on, so I will put the engine/trans onto the subframe and then install as a unit as the factory did. :D |
Been using AeroKroil and Silikroil for years. Best penetrating lubricant there is,IMO. Project's looking good.
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Great progress in a relatively short amount of time. What will the final color be?
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71-72 Off white with T/A stripes.
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arrggh.
wallet taking a wallopin' this week. Ordered new cam from Comp - they held the order because price went up from $335 to $395. Comp says their core cost went up, $60? bull:censored:. Called Jeff at KRE and worked out a piece; 210°/220° 0.428 lift with 112° lobe separation. Cheaper too, should have called him to start. Of course the delay pushes me getting the subframe back to paint. Got a bunch of stuff from rockauto.com and APE. Rockauto stuff was suspension linkage - mostly Moog except centerlink which looks crappy. I will visit the alignment shop and have them look at my old one and see if it is ok. |
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