[stuta]

You might as well put a ring on that finger Doggy! You have a real sweetheart down there.....and you know it too! Badabing...I'm out

[wwilder9]

Originally Posted by cdoggy81

Not a lot of progress as I have been screwing around about what to do with the tail panel & Fabulous Firebirds...

As most people fixing up 70-73 firebirds know you can't get squat for those years. The tail panel being no exception. You can find NOS ones that pop up from time to time on eBay but they usually run $1500 to $2000 so F THAT! Another option is donor car. So I called Fabulous Firebirds in MO & they guy tells me he has a perfect one with 1 small rust hole the size of a pencil tip. Great I'll take it... 4 days later & an additional $90 in shipping & this is what I get:



As you can see I was not too happy... 1 small rust spot, HA!, try 10 good sized ones. Good shape, HA!, how about full of mud. After spending almost $600 I was only offered a measly $75 credit & I had to even fight for that! The kicker is that this all started Dec. 9th & I STILL have not received closure or $ from them!

So, be ware of the new owner & guys that work there as they are not the same as what Larry was doing in the past when he owned it...

That place where the big gap is there is supposed to be a small filler piece, Check out these pics, it gets welded into th quarter panel and the the tail pan welds to it.

[thefirebirdm@n]

Cdoggy, would you mind posting some good info with pictures to detail exactly what it took to get those seats bolted into and working in the TA? Are you planning on the power seat part of those front buckets actually working? I assumed you would but wanted to clarify. If so that information would be helpful as well. Since I have seen the pics you posted here I am considering transplanting the seats of a 2002 TA into my '73. Thanks...

[cdoggy81]

yah Stu I know I should but rings are expensive & I still need car parts... hehehehe......

[cdoggy81]

wwilder9,
Thanks for the info. When I talked to FF they said it was a small gap & wouldn't need much to fill. Different opinions I guess...
Thing is I remember seeing some cars that had better fit back there than others so that is why I asked FF. I didn't want to have to do a lot back there but I will have to now. Guess I'll just make a fill piece out of sheet metal.

Jimmy,
Seats are not in yet, just placed in for reference. On a + note you will have a MUCH easier time getting the TA seats in there than a set of GTO seats. The LS1 Camaro / FB seats are lower, narrower & thinner. Check out Aaron's car, it is EXACTLY what you are looking for
http://www.extremefirebird.com/Home.html

[x-bird2]

good call by wwilder, i forgot about that little filler. i remember being really careful about saving it intact when doing my quarter. the gap is usually right at the quarter where the bodyline break is. kind of strange it's missing from that tail panel you got. it attaches mostly just about the taillight opening, are you sure you still don't have your original one?
or just too rusted out?

[cdoggy81]

It is all nasty but I will use some of it & then make some filler pieces.

[FLYNLOW]

The power seats are easy - just a ground and a hot wire.

[cdoggy81]

Just a quick few updates....

1. Got some of my $$$ back from American Express Not much but I am happy I got something none the less.

2. I have been working on my friends 68 FB (the one from earlier) to get it ready for the big Gator Nationals car show this weekend. We did a bunch to the interior including fabing our own center console & redoing the seats. We also made some front fender braces to match the hinges & a few other custom - one off touches... This thing is SO SICK now I will post pics this weekend from the show.

3. Started work on building a set of speakers for the house. For those that build audio, I will be using Seas aluminum cone drivers in a 3-way design.





4. I wanted something to play with since my car won't be ready so I got a motorcycle. Going with the theme here it's no new bike but a 1973 CB750 that I am turning into a Cafe Racer...

Here she is as it sits now:


A LOT of photo editing to this pic to get the look I want but this is what I will end up with:


I have fully come to the conclusion that I suffer from a serious problem with building things & taking on too much & too many at one time...

[aronhk_md]

Love the project and great job you've done so far. I'll be watching your build. Of course, at the rate you started I would expect it to be done before my birthday in August, but the rate you've been going recently I'll be cheering you on from my nursing home bed....lol.

As for those purists who want to restore every car to factory standards, I agree that there are an awful lot of cars out there for sale right now.....you should be snatching them up to keep them out of the hands of evil people like cdoggy here.....LOL. Personally I love both the restored originals AND the resto-mods. They BOTH belong here on this forum, so stop sniveling. Nothing nice or constructive to say...don't say anything.

P.S. - Since you are doing a resto-mod I would have your painter paint the stripe rather than use the decal kit in the end. It will look better and last a lot longer.

[cdoggy81]

Thanks man
I know I started off with a big bang & faded a bit here as of late but I will be picking it back up hard in the next few months. The big thing was the holidays then finishing up my buddies 68 FB (I will post pics from this weeks Gator Nationals car show!) so now we are back on track.

As for the purists thing I agree with you 100%. I'm lucky & have 2 cars, both at either ends of the spectrum. The 73 TA 4spd is all original & will be restored back to top notch (if the S.O.B. who has it will ever finish it). That car will satisfy my original hankering I also had my original 70 TA that I recently sold to fund this project as well. Then I have this current car & I think it will really be great even though it is so different from the others. I will be able to drive either one depending on what mood I'm in... Pro-Touring Friday night fun - POCI car shows on Saturday

I was originally going to have the stripe clear coated if it is not too thick & would look good but depending on the $$$ I may have him paint it on.

[aronhk_md]

Good for you....do it both ways! Yeah, I don't think it'll cost you much more to have the stripe painted than the cost of the decal kit. My feeling has always been that a decal reacts differently under sunlight, heat and then cooling than the metal nearby and the paint above it if it is clear-coated....and I have seen a few where the clear coat began to crack.

Plus, since you are doing a pro-touring mod, there is no reason you couldn't do something custom with the stripe.....kind of like you are doing with the color of the paint. So when people see it from a distance it looks normal, but up close there is something unique about it.

I'll be watching your progress, thanks!

[cdoggy81]

Something like what Art did:

[aronhk_md]

Yes....nice, though I'm not a huge "flames" fan. I sometimes think flames are used when people just can't think of something interesting to use...lol. I'm thinking like a pearl white stripe....with the design ghosted in toward the front, or a repeated pattern. Ghosted in you wouldn't be able to see it from an angle.....only straight on. A "shield of arms" designed for your family name? The Pontiac symbol? The new "name" of the car (Like Brett Evans "Splitter" 70 TA clone featured on Nov cover of popular hot rodding - if you havent seen that car look it up online! He just put it up for sale.)?

[cdoggy81]

I'm not a big fan either. I just wanted to show the "custom" look your were referring to. If I paint them on they will be a copy of the original.
Oh ya, I know Brett & his car It is one nice ride & a good price for it too considering what it cost to build!

[DeWayne]

I love it,,,, I have a 73 TA and I give you the

[cdoggy81]

Thanks

[cdoggy81]

Wrenched a bit more on the GTO (what a cluster F*#K..)



Got frustrated with the AC box so I switched back to the tail section I left off at.
Cut & cleaned up the new used tail I got shafted on.
Cut out the old one.
Cut my finger AGAIN! (hmm, a pattern forming perhaps???)
I'm buying a plasma cutter this weekend...

[HWYSTR455]

Heh-heh! So you bleed like everyone else in the garage, eh!?! You know, Pontiac wasn't a god, and doesn't require sacrifices! I was trimming a carpet once along the door opening while straddling the rocker area, and stuck a razor knife in the inside of my thigh. My daughter was standing there, looked up at me, and asked "did that hurt?". I still have a triangular scar there!

Nice job, love what you're doing here! And dig the plans for the bike too!


.

[Wick]

I don't care what motor you are putting in it, that's a cool project.