#181  
Old 11-15-2020, 05:34 PM
JUDGE3 JUDGE3 is offline
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Default fender adjustment

I wanted to add steel to close gaps to the door edge rather than the fender.

to widen the gaps I wanted to take it off the fender because I knew I would have to take quite a bit off and would easily grind thru the door skin edge and I was afraid I would risk loosening the skin and create rework.

the area where I had to grind back the fender is a formed/folded over area and I knew I would grind thru that also but knew it wouldn't loosen things up to bad.

none the less, it was touchy but I went at it very slowly, cooling the welds as I went. came out trouble free imagine that.

I removed the door latch pin for the process. my passenger door doesn't need nearly as much work. it just needs gap closing adding steel. much easier.

once I have the front fender gaps and bottom of door gaps and adjustment done I will move to the rear of the door to quarterpanel jamb gap adjustments. the door stays on with no adjusting for the back, much less work!


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  #182  
Old 11-19-2020, 06:50 PM
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Default door jambin'

finished up the front of door to fender and the bottom less some fine tuning when I remove the door again after working the aft to quarter gap/mismatch.

when you remove a door just once maybe twice, the door hinge and door adjustment seems overwhelming. but after r&r multiple times I find it actually to be no big deal at all.

I had an area at the bottom of the drivers side quarter panel that I knew I would have to rework after welding on the full quarter cut to quarter skin. it had an inward twist to it at that spot out of the box, plus I welded it up to fast warping it in.

so I cut it, opened it up to match the door, welded in some gap closing wire. in the process was able to nicely straighten it out. I have finally learned to go slowly and I air cooled my welds as I went. grinded the welds as I went also. still have to finish the aft end gap now.

this is not difficult, seen other DIY's skip this part. its just adding steel and filing it to contour. piece-o-cake.


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  #183  
Old 11-19-2020, 06:53 PM
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Default mismatch fix

here's the before and after........


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  #184  
Old 11-19-2020, 07:09 PM
JUDGE3 JUDGE3 is offline
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Default gappin' is easy

granted I'm not going for show car gapping. but it won't be far from it. I just didn't want the factory gaps of this era where it varied from top to bottom with some being large gaps on these cars.

but with my project here, with new repop fenders/quarters/door skins and basically building the car it absolutely required gap and mis-match work.

but I am really impressed with all my repop panels. especially the front clip, shimmed up and the fit was great.

getting close..........also a very thin smoothing coat of micro fiberglass filler over the edges will finish it off. not a building edge fill, just smoothing. don't wanna ever build edges with filler.

found this weld-aid spray at my gas supply shop. works great keeping the nozzle clean.

enjoyed this learning curve on the doors. the planishing, slowing down, air cooling, I'm using a much better process now and the results are so much better.


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  #185  
Old 11-21-2020, 08:56 PM
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Default drivers side

finished up the drivers door welding/gaps.

on to the passenger door.................

(no idea why the pictures get flipped)


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  #186  
Old 11-24-2020, 06:44 PM
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Default back on a roll.....

passenger door gap welding/fit done today yeha. both doors done.

was able to complete it much quicker than the drivers side due to knowing the best technique this time around.

gonna easily be in final bodywork mode by January 1. that's gonna take awhile to but all the welding/fitment big stuff will be behind me after 4 years of it! be moving on to a much different realm of the restoration with the end game in sight uh huh!


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  #187  
Old 11-25-2020, 06:19 PM
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Default 4 years to get here

removed the drivers door for a final pre-adjustment today and fine tuned both doors. went over the car to be certain I was happy with all the fit. the "build" is done! not concerned with the door hinge to door, but I think I'll make some sort of permanent mark for the door hinge to cowl location.

its officially time for everything that go's with prep for paint!


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  #188  
Old 05-06-2021, 09:17 PM
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Just thought I'd give u a heads up on my progress...car is out for paint and should have it back on about two weeks. Here's a couple pics cut and polished then it's reassembly time but big problem with border closure ...so I can't get my new carpet and that under padding u used and suggested to me .....which I bought
I have the to see the car in person since the paint was shot .....
How goes the progress on your end....Chris
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  #189  
Old 10-15-2021, 02:28 PM
JUDGE3 JUDGE3 is offline
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Default the good, the bad & the ugly

my schedule for completion is gone with the wind darn it. wanted to be painting it right now. routine life putting demands on my time. mostly house remodel projects. then work. ugh 42+ years at aircraft mfg plant. there in catch up mode and my weekends are working overtime that I don't want. But!, i'm retiring NO later than end of next year maybe sooner so free time is ahead! yeha.

now, for me getting good parts for my car is a big deal. no money tree here. the only thing I have had time for is ordering everything I need for completion. I literally have it all now. in box's and ready. from door panels to carpet to the stereo to the wheels.

so here's my favorite purchase! this is a downright bucket list item. finally, after years of wanting a set. lookie at my spankin new set of 15 x 7 CRAGAR SS big time yeha. even the boxs they come in are cool!

starting with the good............


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Old 10-15-2021, 02:41 PM
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Default ........the good

did not want delays once i finally get done. more goodies.

original style floormats, console, and didn't seem right not to put a nice mat in the trunk after all the hard work.


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  #191  
Old 10-15-2021, 02:54 PM
JUDGE3 JUDGE3 is offline
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Default ........the good

so I blasted all the bumper brackets and painted em. funny thing, I got my new rear bumper and knew I needed the rubber piece that gos in the center over the bracket. I went to remove and restore the bumper brackets and there it was, the original rubber piece had come off with the bumper and i didnt know it. its still pliable and usable! i dig the new bumper uh huh.

amazed at myself that at 60 i'm still like a kid in a candy store with these Pontiacs. glad though! fun stuff.


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  #192  
Old 10-15-2021, 03:06 PM
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Uh-oh. My rubber piece went with the car to the body shop, hope he doesn't lose it.


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  #193  
Old 10-15-2021, 03:08 PM
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Default .....the bad and the ugly

so after a lotta work on the doors...........now, i'm not a pro by any stretch, and this is my first attempt at major restoration of rusty doors. the skeleton rebuild went excellent, very happy there, the door skin replacement went well, even the wire welding for gap fitment -or so I thought-. i went to fast welding the wire, a rookie curse of mine, and caused some warps. i worked the warps out as best i could. then move to body filler.

i kept reviewing the doors, I just was not happy with the amount of filler. worked to hard on the car to not be 100 percent happy with it all, so.........I cut the new skins off and tossed em outside.

the skins are "only" 63 bucks a piece so ordered new ones and going at it again. now, I like learning so at least I have that under my belt.

so as time permits, its door skins round 2............ pics are the new-old doors skins and the filler areas. I could of used these as is, but I just wasn't happy.


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  #194  
Old 10-15-2021, 03:27 PM
JUDGE3 JUDGE3 is offline
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Default round 2, old skins knocked me out first time

so in effort to do things differently. I bought the automatic crimping tool. 130 bucks i think. did the drivers door. went ok, better than hammer dolly i suppose, but again a learning curve. dinged the edge up here and there but i can overcome that. still sucked though.

then, i stumbled across a pro shop video and never thought of this method, they mounted the door skeleton and then test fitted the skin for alignment etc. so i tried that on the passenger side. for me, it turned out not a difference maker. so I pulled the skeleton off the car and going to fit it up as I did the drivers side after all.

the skin(s) seem to naturally fall into place pretty darn good without much ability to move around. you get what you get and just have to adjust the door and use filler however required. for the rookie anyway I guess. i'll get em better this time. unless i drop em there wont be a round three. ali is gonna knock out forman, lol.

pics here are the new door skin efforts


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  #195  
Old 10-15-2021, 03:31 PM
JUDGE3 JUDGE3 is offline
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Default body work stuff

also have been getting body work products.

anyone have experience with the evercoat filler here? read up on it, seems a good product. I want to really build and sand and do best I can with good products.

I even have my new blue decal stripes for the white/blue stripe Trans Am clone action. I can't think of a thing I don't have in boxs up in the attic. headliner everything is up there but I want it to come down! gonna finish this thread one day..................

engine pics just because. ha


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  #196  
Old 10-20-2021, 05:39 PM
JUDGE3 JUDGE3 is offline
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Default 2nd set

I have both of my 2nd set attempt new door skins on. notable notes:

they fit pretty much the same as my first set. i'm happy with em as I was the first set.

not gonna warp em up welding as much wire and more importantly weld wire to fast and get the skin hot. see, I was mistaken in I was thinking the fairly big gauge wire would absorb most the heat as well as the skeleton structure. rework is a bummer for sure. but, was my first time.

also, I am going to tune down on my quest for perfection. going to live with larger gaps and weld minimum wire. don't want to risk it and also these cars were not real great new anyway in that area. (had a brand new 1980 TA) also, i'm a bit of a perfectionist anyway and fitting multiple aircraft cowlings and panels thru the years have me "over tuned" in to car gaps. aircraft gaps gotta be perfect. so I have to back off some.

first set of skins, I hammered and dolly installed. this set i sprung for the air automatic crimper. wasn't really worth it. I dinged up some skin learning to use it, but I do like the fact it left a much nicer "rolled or rounded" edge to it like the factory door looks like. hammer and dolly routine left a sharper edge.

just yakkin my experience for other folks that may try it.

obvious I like posting pictures ha, these pics are bit over a year ago when I put it together and drove it last summer 269 miles total. oh how I wish I had left the doors as they were then. had not welded wire on em yet. the car is powerful and drove/rode like new. its good for low low 12's i'm sure. I hated to put it back down, ugh I should be painting it right now.


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  #197  
Old 11-07-2021, 05:55 PM
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Over 30,000 views! that's more views than Tom V. has posts! that count? lol

I hope just a few got some help from my thread here. I just wanted non pro, closer to novice folks (me) to get some assist and see that you don't have to go hog wild on $ and you don't have to go deep into full panel replacement all the time. I noticed years ago magazines always seeming to show the only restoration is the one where you have more money in it than the car is worth.

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  #198  
Old 11-07-2021, 06:11 PM
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Yes, very useful topic for a very common problem, was a right on target thread! Just about anyone who owns a 2nd gen has at least some interest in the topic, and i found it very helpful!

I actually may need a rear frame rail, that's good info anyone could use too. Mine is a small section, and believe it could be patched, but had thought that if it's going to be done, maybe use thicker metal stock, or figure out a way to beef it do it can have less flex. Would be helpful for higher HP builds.


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  #199  
Old 11-17-2021, 01:28 PM
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Let's see the crimping tool please

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  #200  
Old 11-17-2021, 01:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JUDGE3 View Post
also have been getting body work products.

anyone have experience with the evercoat filler here? read up on it, seems a good product. I want to really build and sand and do best I can with good products.

I even have my new blue decal stripes for the white/blue stripe Trans Am clone action. I can't think of a thing I don't have in boxs up in the attic. headliner everything is up there but I want it to come down! gonna finish this thread one day..................

engine pics just because. ha
Evercoat Rage Ultra sands a whole lot easier than the Gold.

Don

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