[iceman411]

Frame is stripped down and loaded to go to the sandblaster tomorrow. This took more time than I thought since everything under the sheet metal was replaced by the person I bought the car from. Just being REAL careful not to damage anything on dissassembly. Poly graphite bushings in the front end, nice tight ball joints and steering linkage. I plan on stainless fuel and brake lines. Not sure about the vent lines to the charcol canister that was long gone before I got the car. Should I install new vent lines even if I don't plan to use them? I will need a new gas tank and am considering a '70 model tank so there's less connections if I go this route. Any thoughts? This is turning into a Dr Jeckel/ Mr Hyde project and the level of detail should be exciting. I'm thinking of ditching the ceramic coated headers for ram air exhaust manifolds and the duals that exit inder the rear bumper in the valence panel slots. Also, should I have my existing rear bumper rechromed or chance it on a repo? I have lots of questions everyday after I work on it... LOL. Mike

[iceman411]

What a trip this has been....

[iceman411]

Just a leftover engine that will suit this cruiser well...

Pulled the body back off the frame to smooth out the firewall and weld in new metal in the windshield base and finish as well...

[tjs72lemans]

Nice work. Looking good.

[iceman411]

Well.... a bit of an update is in order.... 2011 is kinda where I left off.... been through some changes...I parked this project to start a restoration business. I did a full rotisserie on an actual ‘70 442 W30 car, a ‘70 RS z-28, a ‘49 Merc, my personal ‘69 GTO I soon sold after.... all these before the summer of 2015 started.
We then moved in July 2015 and again in 2018... then I finished my personal ‘77 Trans Am that I also sold.... the good news is that leaves me with my favorite car of the used to be stable...the vert.
I just got back too it this past spring during furlow.... this project has changed directions so much, my head spins... my original intent was to just build a mild, mostly stock cruiser to fill in the gap of the other cars, I used to have. Now it’s the only one in the garage and I have a bunch of fun parts to put on it as enhancements..... I had a mild 400 with iron heads that was in this car while I first enjoyed it. Now I only have this aluminum headed 455+ that came in this car when I bought it, yet I have since gone through it and it makes just under 600 horse and over 600 lb/ft of torque.... kind of a beast but really fun....Transmission is a Th-400 and the rear is the original 10 bolt with 2.93 gears... perfect highway car.... no, it will never see sticky tires either....
I’ll try to pick up where it left off and what’s been done since...the frame.
I had it blasted and didn’t realize how soft it had become in the dog-legs. So, much fabrication was done by me and once all that was done, including a few mounts, I ground the excess welding spatter and slag, rounded sharp edges and burrs off I had it powder coated. As nice as it is, I’m having regrets over these last few years going this far... will the car be enjoyed enough when completed... not many get driven much after this kinda of detail...

[iceman411]

I also replaced the rear seat panel in the floor pan. This one came from Dynacorn and the fit was AMAZING.... a little bit of dolly love, some rosette welds and it’s done...you can see in the pics, I removed the back seat divider to weld in the partial trunk pan needed on the left side, then reinstalled it as needed.

[iceman411]

I also sand blasted the underside while in my driveway.... why I pick 85 degree days to what is probably the most miserable project you can do to a car.... no matter what... sand gets everywhere on your person...
On thing I found interesting is a discovery in the factory paint on the underside of the car... it had runs in it.. like the runs went from the back of the car towards the front... runs... like the body was straight up and down while sprayed at, I’m assuming, the factory. Anyone else confirm this? I found it unusual, to say the least... as far as pain goes, I won’t bore you other than I used Rustoleum 7777 and I used a enamel reducer to spray it down.... Two quarts cost like $20 a quart.... little sticky for a few days but dries real nice and has that just right gloss.... hope it’s durable as well

[1965gp]

Really interesting about the runs?

[iceman411]

Originally Posted by 1965gp

Really interesting about the runs?

Ha, ha....all I shared and you came up with that. Anyway, didn’t realize the factory painted the underside of the body standing perpendicular, tail end up... just seemed strange with how the procedure was... Mike

[iceman411]

Great day out in the shop... sunny and upper 40’s! My work shop isn’t insulated or heated so I take advantage of days like this...I pulled the body back off the frame a awhile back for the ease of removing the rear axle and finishing it. Also painted the top of the dash, cowl and firewall...I also installed the 3/8” stainless fuel line. The rear axle has been in primer since 2012 or so...I also upgraded all the rear suspension with parts I had laying around. These parts were in my former ‘69 GTO while it was a street racer. They were just sitting in a box, so they got freshened up and installed. The sway bars are Herb Adams. The rear is 1.5”......... I’ll show the front when I get to it... i showed a comparison to a plain old 7/8”.... the difference....is... just... HUGE! I replaced the stock, boxed rubber band control arms and those stamped flimsy frame braces with an Edelbrock kit. Simply a top notch set up... And the stamp in the frame... matches the car # on the tag too.

[iceman411]

Here’s the rear axle detail...
Hope to get brake lines soon to simplify the installation but I’d really like to get the body back on the frame and get some room back!

[1965gp]

No the entire build is awesome- it’s just that I had never heard of the bodies being painted like that??

[tjs72lemans]

Your frame stamp is very deep and clear. Wish my 72 vert was that way. I could barely make it out, but it matched.
I'd be interested in your rear bar if not going to use it for another project. Mine has none right now.

[iceman411]

Well, I figured no better time to fill the rear end... soooo much easier working from the top...
I really wanted some shop space and put the body back on the frame... two cherry pickers works quite well...

Back in 2015 I put this car together in about 3 days as we were moving and it seemed the simplest way to do it. Rolled nicely on the back of the wrecker as a mostly complete roller.... only to be untouched for three years to move again! The new body mounts I had came with the car when I bought it back in 2005... they have never been in the elements and I was very disappointed to see how the donut was deteriorating. I discovered some neoprene while at work and made up some replacements. This stuff gives a little yet has practically no deflection...a little lathe time and there we are... the washers that came with the bushings weren’t big enough in diameter yet I had these aluminum washers for line 20 years, so I milled them down to fit into the frame holes. Took a little bit yet even by myself I had this back on the frame in about an hour... I got it centered and evened up on the frame and coated the bolts in Anti-seize and ready for the engine and trans this weekend...

[iceman411]

Here’s a few more

[iceman411]

A couple posters back I made that comment on the factory paint runs on the underside of the car... here is a current pic of the area above the gas tank on the trunk floor... shows at the factory that these cars were indeed stood up on end for some of the painting or priming procedures....

Anyone else come across this?

[Scarebird]

I will examine mine - gas tank is still out.

[1965gp]

This is making me want to pull apart my 70 convertible

[Scarebird]

there are some runs, though pretty minor. Body would be nose down for them to form, so it is opposite of what you have.

I am suspecting when my painter sprayed the underside he got a bit heavy near the trunk aft pinchweld.

[iceman411]

Originally Posted by 1965gp

This is making me want to pull apart my 70 convertible

If I could go back, I would have repaired the rust and fixed the few things that ailed the car and enjoyed it. I see many folks today using a lizard skin or truck bed liner under the cat for preservation, not so much presentation that a frame off car is compared to a preserved driver...