[1_Wild_Cat]

I hope you land it one day...that is a gorgeous version. They look great in black.

[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by 1_Wild_Cat

I hope you land it one day...that is a gorgeous version. They look great in black.

What color you going with yours ?

[1_Wild_Cat]

Saddle Bronze. It was the original color and has grown on me. We may tweak the color slightly toward the copper side but just a bit.

[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by 1_Wild_Cat

Saddle Bronze. It was the original color and has grown on me. We may tweak the color slightly toward the copper side but just a bit.

A word to the wise......if you make color changes...tape the formula to the inside of the glove box. I’ve been the “ next guy” on the last 2 cars I’ve worked on...trying to match a “ Mystery “ color.

[1_Wild_Cat]

Good idea. We are going to spray out a few more brands too. The photo show the color.

Thanks for the advise.

[MUSLCAH]

When customers want a little more pop in their color......I telll them to go to the Dealerships .....and cruise them ,looking for that shade of color that appeals to them....and get the paint code off that car. Today’s colors have pearls and all kinds of goodies in them. That way you have a solid paint formula.....in case something happens....just an idea

[1_Wild_Cat]

Good thinking. I have a list of close colors I’ve seen on late models running around. Nothing that really speaks to me. Part of it is probably just trying to visualize it on the car.

[1_Wild_Cat]

Hi Everyone -- This is just sort of a mini-update - nothing major to report. But I did get my AMK bolt kit today. I think this is going to be a life-saver since the PO didn't label or bag anything and then mixed in a bunch of Ford, Mopar and diesel equipment bolts.

Anyway - The hardware looks very nice. I had seen these recommended by folks on the forum and I am glad I followed through with getting them.

Hopefully I will have a more serious update soon...Thanks for following along.

[ZeGermanHam]

Those kits can indeed be a lifesaver. I purchased a hardware kit for the front clip of my '66 from Ames and the quality was good with their product, too.

Certainly beats spending hours and hours sifting through old hardware to figure out what goes where, wire-wheeling, replacing damaged bolts à la carte, etc.

[Cardo]

Good call on the kit - i used one too. I will warn you though that the PAL nuts in that kit for emblems and such don't work anywhere near as well as the originals - they're kind of soft and open up and "strip". Save your originals if you can.

[gtospieg]

WOW...just found this thread...awesome. Great story, great metal work...looking forward to more progress.

[ZnbOlds455]

Originally Posted by Cardo

Good call on the kit - i used one too. I will warn you though that the PAL nuts in that kit for emblems and such don't work anywhere near as well as the originals - they're kind of soft and open up and "strip". Save your originals if you can.

I've used the same kit. The PAL nuts can be made to work, but they need modifying. Just beat the 2 raised "threads" down a bit to close the opening. They can be fairly snug afterwards.

[1_Wild_Cat]

I will warn you though that the PAL nuts in that kit for emblems and such don't work anywhere near as well as the originals

The PAL nuts can be made to work, but they need modifying. Just beat the 2 raised "threads" down a bit to close the opening.

Thanks Cardo and ZnbOlds455 for the heads-up on the PAL nuts. I think most of the originals are still threaded to the emblems.

Certainly beats spending hours and hours sifting through old hardware to figure out what goes where

I had a bunch of hours into figuring out the hardware and not that much progress so it made sense to me.

Working backward from the shop and chassis manual and pictures of survivor cars was more difficult than I would have thought.

WOW...just found this thread...awesome. Great story, great metal work...looking forward to more progress.

Thanks gtospieg...Welcome to the madness. Hopefully we are going to have some big leaps forward pretty soon.

Thanks again everyone for your kind comments, good advise and for following along.

[1_Wild_Cat]

Hi Everyone - thanks for following along. It has been a few months since I've updated this thread.

We left off with a hole in the firewall - which is where we are starting off again, after a little break from the action.

The firewall damage was pretty extensive and so the cut-away area got bigger...



Here is a more detailed look at area that was hammered up from the bottom - probably with a carpenter's hammer...



The portion along the cowl where the hood seal sets was also damaged beyond repair - so a new piece is being fabricated. This is it laid-out - dies are being made for the Pulmax to put the correct shape into it.



In other news...I stumbled upon a set of '64 GTO heads and Tri Power intake at the HAN swap meet. I had already found one set of heads but the package deal price was pretty good...so now I have an extra set.



And the best news, we have a new home...With a detached shop. So finally I have a real shop of my own to work on the restoration. Hurray!

Thanks everyone for following along and for keeping me inspired.

[wooftfd]

PM sent!

[Cardo]

Glad to see you're still making progress. You'll love having a shop to work in.... if nothing else for the fact that you don't have to pick everything up every time you stop. Just turn off the lights and go in when you're done. Nice find on the top end. Always good to have choices!

[1_Wild_Cat]

Hey wooftfd -- I sent a PM back.

Thanks Cardo -- You are right about the shop...the best thing for me so far is that I'm home when I am working on something. So no missing dinner, driving to-and-fro, feeling like you have to stay a long time because of the drive, etc. Once we have the house sorted-out I think progress will pick-up.

The top end was a real score, especially for a swap meet these days. I needed the intake but the second set of heads will come in handy for the mock-up since my other set is off for port work/rebuilding and not due back for a year or so. It was a nice matched set too - and oddly the dates also line up with my other set of heads. (But not the dates for my car).

At some point I am going to set the drivetrain so I can get weight on the suspension for body panel alignment and to make sure I have everything a need (pulleys, brackets, bolts, etc.) and that everything fits.

It's a long process - but having a really solid car will make it worthwhile.

Thanks again to everyone following along with me on this resto.

[wooftfd]

Originally Posted by 1_Wild_Cat

Hey wooftfd -- I sent a PM back.

Thanks Cardo -- You are right about the shop...the best thing for me so far is that I'm home when I am working on something. So no missing dinner, driving to-and-fro, feeling like you have to stay a long time because of the drive, etc. Once we have the house sorted-out I think progress will pick-up.

The top end was a real score, especially for a swap meet these days. I needed the intake but the second set of heads will come in handy for the mock-up since my other set is off for port work/rebuilding and not due back for a year or so. It was a nice matched set too - and oddly the dates also line up with my other set of heads. (But not the dates for my car).

At some point I am going to set the drivetrain so I can get weight on the suspension for body panel alignment and to make sure I have everything a need (pulleys, brackets, bolts, etc.) and that everything fits.

It's a long process - but having a really solid car will make it worthwhile.

Thanks again to everyone following along with me on this resto.

PM back, and a couple of pics!

[1_Wild_Cat]

Hi Everyone -- I was going to update this thread when I noticed that a couple of photos disappeared from my update above. So here are those missing pictures showing the firewall cuts and damage.

[1_Wild_Cat]

Now for the current update - which shows some of the straightening to the cowl/heaterbox area and the cowl seal/support area.

I posted this photo above - but it shows the initial fabrication of the replacement cowl seal/support area.



To get the proper profile for the recess on this piece, Cam had a set of dies made for his Pulmax.



After running the part through the Pulmax and after a little hand finishing - this is what we ended up with. Also notice the straightening in the lower area near the heater box.





And finally - here is a comparison of the patch with an El Camino in the Imperial Kustom shop.



It sure is nice to be making a little progress again.

Thanks for following along...