[Norwood]

It's the little things, looking good Bob. Those are most likely the best bumper gaurds in the country......

[Held for Ransom]

Bob, why does one have a PN on the lens portion and the other does not?
My '73 unit has it.

[Bentwheelbob]

Originally Posted by Held for Ransom

Bob, why does one have a PN on the lens portion and the other does not?
My '73 unit has it.

HFR - Good eye. Actually it did although it can't be seen in the before photo. In the after photo, it has been pretty much obliterated by the polishing process. The rock pits were so bad on this one that I started sanding with 220 grit, went to 320, 400, 600, 800. 1000 and the 3000. After that I used the compound included in the 3M kit. Once this was done I still wasn't happy so I broke out the 3" R/O and used the Griot machine polish 1, 2 and 3, followed with the Best in Show Wax. On the other one the process was much the same, but I started with 600 grit and sanded much less aggressively since it had fewer deep pits, and tried to be careful to avoid the GM PN's. On the pitted one I didn't try that hard to avoid the part numbers and justified that by the fact that bezel covers that portion of the lens.

[Bentwheelbob]

While I had the polishing stuff out, I also polished the clear plastic instrument bezel window. I did it much the same as the parking lights. On most of it I started with 500 grit, but on several areas (namely the turn signal indicator windows), I started with 220 grit and worked up. There were several really deep gouges on the turn signal windows that appear as though someone took a pick or punch and gouged out a deep trough. these were very laborious to get out.

Generally I am very happy with how it turned out. It's is far from perfect, but when you look at the before and after pictures the difference is very noticeable. Beyond removing the scratches, it just makes it look much sharper and brighter if that makes sense.

While everything is pulled apart, I am trying to decide whether to replace the bulbs with LED's or 4 watt replacement bulbs. Any recommendations?

We also cleaned most everything back in the inner dash area. MPD removed the wiper switch and prism diffuser and those look like new. He also wiped everything down back there, lubed the speedo cable, and replaced a vacuum line grommet that had come loose. The center stack gauges were also removed, cleaned and the lens polished

Here's a few pictures as usual. Check out the turn signal windows.

[njsteve]

Originally Posted by Bentwheelbob

That lens looks to be around the same size as the eyeglasses I wore in the 1970's.

No wonder I never could get a date for the prom....

[Formulabruce]

looks great Bob!! wow!
I have not been impressed with the dimming ability of the LED dash bulbs ( 194) and the hue of the color either..cant use them ( 194Led) on front side markers as they dont have enough resistance to make flasher work correctly

[Norwood]

That is an incredible outcome on that lens

[Norwood]

I have filed the points in mine a few times. I think I'm just going to tape a Timex to the dash

[formula kid]

When I took my clock out of my car because it no longer worked. I saw the problem was the points that make the counter spring work was pitted. All you need is a ignition points file and it is fixed. Who needs a stinking quartz movement? The tick tock movement is fun to watch.

[Judge273]

The only dial I watch when I drive is my tach. Clocks worked before?

[Bentwheelbob]

The rear bumper also got removed this weekend and the new one is scheduled to arrive today. NJSteve had mentioned in his thread that the current bumper was a Frankenstein that had been stitched together from two bumpers and you can see that in the picture below. Whoever did that work really did a nice job. The rear bumper brackets and the bumper guard hold downs and bolts were in pretty shape and cleaned up well with the bead blaster. However, the side brackets are in pretty lousy shape. I blasted and painted them, but would like to hear if anyone has a better set of the side brackets available, especially if they could be shipped so as to arrive earlier than Friday since I would like to get the bumper installed this weekend if possible. I've seen that complete repop sets of the brackets are available, but I hate to pay $100 for a whole set just to get the two I would like to replace.

Lastly, the new headliner from Legendary showed up two weeks ahead of schedule. They told me three weeks when I ordered and it was delivered after one week. The upholstery guy came by the Hot Rod Garage on Saturday and he is going to install sometime next week. The cool thing is that he suggested doing it in my garage which means I don't have to reinstall the drivers seat. Now all I need is to get the radio back from JV and the interior will be pretty much complete and ready to get reassembled. Here's some pictures.

[Bentwheelbob]

The bumper has landed and it is bad a_s. It was chrome plated by Keystone in Brainerd ,Minnesota. I bought it second hand new, but from what I can read Keystone has a really good name in the chrome plating business and this piece seems to bear that out. Initial inspection reveals no flaws. There is one area with slight "fuzziness" from the wrapping in a nickel sized area, but it appears minimal, is hard to see, and should polish right out. I'm happy. Now let's hope the bumper guards fit. Let's also hope they can be installed without making any nicks or scratches. Once I get an extra set of hands I will be able to a more thorough inspection. Here it is:

[Formulabruce]

Bob... FYI the car, at the factory had PADS on the car body side to keep from scratching the paint when installed, pics in the assy. manual.. Not sure if they are there, fell off, etc... can be a big help when installing Good luck, looks sweet!!~ The sides of the bumper tend to head down hill when its tightened, the big hole in the side brackets allows for this to be adjusted, so Pads on side are super needed..

[Bentwheelbob]

Originally Posted by Formulabruce

Bob... FYI the car, at the factory had PADS on the car body side to keep from scratching the paint when installed, pics in the assy. manual.. Not sure if they are there, fell off, etc... can be a big help when installing Good luck, looks sweet!!~ The sides of the bumper tend to head down hill when its tightened, the big hole in the side brackets allows for this to be adjusted, so Pads on side are super needed..

Bruce,

Thanks so much for your help and guidance - that's what is great about this Forum. There are no pads remaining, but I am sure that I will have plenty of pig mats and painters tape on hand. I appreciate the tip on the oversize side holes. What's the recommended order of bolt tightening? I would assume that I should get the correct horizontal attitude and tighten the side bumper bolts furthest toward the front first and then work my way back. Is that correct?

Thanks again,

BWB

[Formulabruce]

Here is what I do. After I put on some sort of thin styrofoam pads. get it all fairly snug, have a look and see if the front sides start to go down. If they do, I put car on lift with lift down, get a ratchet strap ( rubber coated hooks) to front of each side of Bumper UP to top adjuster bolt on the Lift and put some tension on both sides. Car needs to be at rear part of lift almost on the ramps. Only need to do last part if the bumper wants to move down in front. I have seen some bent brackets cause this also, BUT I have seen original cars do it that have never been touched. That said, there is room to adjust as shown. Get MPD to help !! Good luck, FB

[Bentwheelbob]

I unboxed the headliner this evening and laid it out to relax in anticipation of its' installation. This got me thinking about the sunvisors. The sunvisors in the Black Car are original, or at least have the correct original material covering them. I think they are original. The are in good shape with no flaws, rips, tears or blemishes, but are a little dusty and dirty. I was planning to just scrub them down and then if it seemed necessary shoot them with a light dusting of the SEM Landau Black.

Am I kidding myself? Should I just go ahead and get sunvisors from Legendary as well? I would like to think I am on the right track, but as is often the case I am going down a path that I have never traveled before. I appreciate any opinions and help.

BTW - the headliner material and workmanship looks sweet.

[PB]

I went ahead and ordered the visors and sail panels with my order, though I have the originals....figured it may as well match. They had NOS material for me though, so it was worth the extra expense. Should be here in a couple weeks!

[Gator67]

I ordered sun visors from Legendary for my 70 recently. They sent me some without any provisions to secure the visors to the support arm (nothing inside the visor for the arm to slide into and no screw / washer to secure the visor to the arm). They acknowledged the issue, and asked me to return them along with a set of cores so they could use the hardware. They turned out really nice, worth the wait, but you might want check with them to make sure they have what they need to build them the right way.

[Formulabruce]

I have used the SEM landau black on visors with excellent results. I use the adhesion spray first though, then light coats.

[Bentwheelbob]

So the new headliner is going in today. I'm pretty excited, but also anxious hoping the installer does a good job. So far he has gotten the old headliner removed and is making his preparations for the new headliner. The old one was not in terrible shape. It was a little crusty and dirty, but the big reason for the change is that it was not correct. I assume it had been replaced in 1985 when the car was painted. The replacement appears to be high quality and my install guy says it was put in well. The new one came from Legendary at a cost of $91.00 and is the correct double perforation. The sheet metal inside looks great with what I assume to be the original primer.

I am going to try just reusing the old visors. I ended up scrubbing them with detergent and a stiff brush, and frankly they look pretty good. I'll probably change my mind once the new headliner is in, but maybe not. Here's some pictures...