[nicksL98]

he didn't tape off the fuel filler hole :smacksforehead:

[njsteve]

We're replacing the center section of the trunk floor next week. He taped underneath into the fuel neck hump area. You can see the light coming through onto the plastic tarp.

[necdb3]

Steve,

I put 2 of these on mine. I debated back and forth about changing out the original sheetmetal but I kept thinking after it was all done, would I regret not spending the extra money to do it right. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MEWA:IT&ih=019

Dave

[njsteve]

I talked with him today about panel replacement and he believes he can work it back into shape after welding up all the dent puller holes. He is very good at metal work. We both agreed that keeping the original structural integrity of the car is a priority since there is no rust in that quarter, just drill holes and dents.

[keith k]

Originally Posted by njsteve

I talked with him today about panel replacement and he believes he can work it back into shape after welding up all the dent puller holes. He is very good at metal work. We both agreed that keeping the original structural integrity of the car is a priority since there is no rust in that quarter, just drill holes and dents.

Steve,
I'd still think hard about replacing that metal. And definitely NOT with a piece from a repro patch panel. Chances are too great that the two surfaces won't really match right where you want to "splice" them, as they were stamped with different dies. If you do it, just get a partial panel off a rustfree late '70s base car... even one that has some rust down at the bottom should be OK where you need it, so It could be gotten cheap. If properly butt welded (100% all the way around the splice), structural integrity would be identical.

Filling all those holes and straightening that mess that you have now out will be difficult -- particularly as access to the backside of the panel is not great in some of those area. I'm sure a true expert could make it look good, but I'll bet the hours to do it will exceed the splicing approach, and more filler might go into it than you'd like. Plus there's a greater risk that you won't really know the surfaces look truly right until you get shiny paint on it.

I had a similar experience on a previous restoration where I was determined to keep original metal in a quarter panel, and my highly recommended body guy said he could fix it. It cost me a lot to have it done twice....

YMMV, of course.

[njsteve]

Over the weekend I found a nice quarter panel off of a 1980 Turbo Trans Am on ebay for $150. This way we can cut out a replacement section for the forward "LiteBrite" section of the rear quarter.

Gee, after seeing that 1980 Turbo Trans AM go for $65,000 at Barrett-Jackson over the weekend, I guess I got a bargain here. I should have bought each of the other 3/4's at $150 apiece!

[njsteve]

The body shop is starting the plasma cutting of the rusty sections of the trunk floor. He is trying to remove as little as possible since the rusty part is only in the "pit" section of the trunk floor. Since no one makes replacement gas tank braces for second gen F-bodies, he has to cut around them as well and then remove the rusty trunk floor manually from the long braces.

[68bird400HO]

Steve,

I have seen these braces on Ebay. I think they came out a few months ago.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970-...em360016028998

[njsteve]

Interesting. I wasn't aware they were available. It looks like they come with the exhaust hangers too. How accurate a reproduction are they?

Do any other vendors sell them other than this guy. I have heard of several people having bad experiences puchasing from them.

[68bird400HO]

Originally Posted by njsteve

Interesting. I wasn't aware they were available. It looks like they come with the exhaust hangers too. How accurate a reproduction are they?

Do any other vendors sell them other than this guy. I have heard of several people having bad experiences puchasing from them.

Sorry, can't help you with those questions. I would just check with Ames and the others to see who has them. Also try D&R Classic Camaro.

[70RAlll]

Originally Posted by njsteve

Interesting. I wasn't aware they were available. It looks like they come with the exhaust hangers too. How accurate a reproduction are they?

Do any other vendors sell them other than this guy. I have heard of several people having bad experiences puchasing from them.

I cut a pair of these from a car I parted out last year, man oh man ...there were so many spot welds,I bet I spent 1 whole weekend getting all the remailing trunk floor pieces off the braces themselves. I now have a perfect original set, but it is a bunch of work. If there are "faithful" reproductions out there,I would say the cost is definately worth it vs the hours needed to remove an original set. And yes, the tank strap bolts are part of it. actually they are removable but they come out as one piece. If you want original ones, and you have a donor car, it isn't that hard to cut them out, just 4 cuts on each one. But you will spend a munch of time freeing them from the trunk floor metal..

[njsteve]

After some more trimming. The gas tank braces look fine.

[njsteve]

The trunk floor being fitted and welded up:

[njsteve]

What a bummer: no more "Lite Brite" quarter panel!

[weranc55]

Steve,

Looks like he will do a nice job buttwelding the trunk pan in. I hope he is being careful with all the clean up work you did on the car underneath. I took a car to the body shop once after I detailed the underneath and subframe and never again.

[njsteve]

After soaking for over 2 weeks in the purple stuff, all the paint finally came off of the spoiler end caps and the fender vents. There was some thick paint on there for sure.

I was also able to trim the black spoiler end cap to the correct length by placing a piece of masking tape along each leading edge of the white end cap and marking where the taper ended. I then removed the pieces of tape and placed them on the black end cap along the same leading edges. I then marked the locations. I then verified that the cut angles were the same as on the white end cap (65 and 80 degrees) through the use of my 7th grader and her protractor. I then used a fine bladed hand saw to remove the excess and voila, a correct 1970-73 end cap.

Before... and after:

[njsteve]

At the body shop, they started trimming the replacement section for the front of the driver's quarter.

And welding up the 27 dent puller holes in the passenger quarter:

[njsteve]

They cut out the shoved in section of the rear valance and hammered it back into shape in order to then weld it back in place. He said after metal working the panel, it's now 1/2 wider and 3/8 longer! Love that original red-oxide primer inside!

[SD73]

NJSteve or any of you other guys who've done the Formula Wheel Restoration, question for you. Which of the paints seem to hold up better? The vinyl spray or plasti-dip product? My wheel is prepped and ready to go. I just want to find out which of the two is holding up better and if anyone has a preference. I already bought the Plasti-dip product as that sounded the best at the time.

[njsteve]

Use the SEM Landau Black vinyl dye. That is the way to go. Dont use the standard auto parts store vinyls dyes. Use only the SEM stuff. It is by far the best.

The plasti-dip stuff looks good but peels off very quickly if it gets a scratch or nick.