[mzbk2l]

Originally Posted by 165th

Also, thanks for starting the registry. I just signed up this morning!

Me, too. I'm number four!

["QUICK-SILVER"]

165th, Just got back from the country. Wheels are not show quality. It had been moved on a flat and scraped outside bead on one wheel. The other, leaves had piled up against and had some corrosion.

Sorry
clay

[1971WARBIRD]

trying to load pics of mine.i have 2,both 403 auto's.one is a perfect body with the wrong engine and this one is wrecked on the pass side with a good drive train.


on the one with the wrong engine what would you do?it has a rebuilt 455 pontiac,350 trans,i have a couple ways to go.leave the 455 in it;pull the 403 out of the wrecked car and use the complete drive train;put in a 400 i just had built but sold the car it was meant for,if i put in the 400 i would change to a 4 speed i have left over.

the good body is being painted right now,will be sold once it's done,just trying to figure out what to do with the engine.

[1971WARBIRD]

heres the picture,don't know why it didn't go last time.

["QUICK-SILVER"]

1971WARBIRD, Put the 403 in. Want be #s matching but would be correct. Correct engine doesn't hurt car value like wrong engine.
Changing to 4 speed nothing would be right, starting with vin. To do the 4 speed conversion right would take another car for parts, pedals, steering column, trans tunnel, wiring harness, console, reverse linkage to column, clutch linkage, etc. etc. etc..
The Olds automatic cars are not as collectible as the 4 speeds but they sure are popular and wanted for drivers. In my area selling a Pontiac motor is not a problem, finding a 400 or 455 to buy, just don't happen.

[165th]

Warbird, how bad is the wrecked car? If it can be resurrected then it wouldn't make sense to end up with 2 non matching cars at the end. I think I would put the 400 in with a correct TH400. Since non matching numbers already, I think a buyer would prefer that the motor was replaced with a 400 vs. 403. This keeps the marketability of wrecked car in tact, as numbers matching.

Having said that, if the wrecked car is not salvageable, then Quicksilvers tact would probably be best.

It's nice to have some options!

[Mr W72]

Final castings of the 400-cid engines was during Thanksgiving week 1977. Unfinished blocks were stockpiled for use during 1978-79 model years. It appears final assembled engines were done around June/July 1978 for the 1979 model year.

[165th]

Mr. W72, thanks! This information is in keeping with the cast date codes that I listed in Post #2 on this thread (page 1).

That's quite a history these W72 engines had finding their way into these cars. From Fall '77 cast dates to Summer '78 engine builds, to Jan-April '79 installs. In addition to the planning that went into this strategy, storage, potential for parts robbing (borrowing) and logistics to integrate the stored motors into the cars must have been somewhat challenging.

Looking back on it, that's pretty cool indeed.

[1971WARBIRD]

not sure why my pictures aren't coming up.



finially.pass side is crushed from the door back.big hooch is thinking about buying it to fix up.i was just going to use it for the small parts for the other car.

[165th]

2ManyT/A's, you had asked about the clamp types in post no. 3 on this thread. Here's a picture of the Silver Seal worm clamp on the firewall. It's a Norwood car.

Other cool details such as the HG and KK coded heater hoses are visible as well.

Formula400, were you ever able to get your car on a lift to get some pictures of the leaf springs, coil springs, tie rods and underbody decals and markings?

[165th]

This Pace Car looks pretty nice. Very original looking. Plug wires and brake fluid cap are the only items I can find that are non original. Anyone see anything else?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ponti...spagenameZWDVW

Should do well.

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Hey 165th, Hard to say about that one. To me the car showed normal wear in some places that didn't match in others. Paint was typical dried out and thin like most but pin stripes didn't show the same wear, other than rubbed through on back bumper corners.
Drivers door weather strip looked new. Passenger side had cracks like it should. Not sure about floor mats. Door decals looked a little too good to me. Enough about that.

My car had all the pace car decals in the trunk. I am glad they were never installed. Trotter Pontiac in Chattanooga told me that they asked the customer before applying.
Did all of the cars come with them then dealer installed?

Why don't you want to clean up brackets on your car? All that I have for parts look like yours.

Things a little quiet right now, hopefully spring will bring some excitement back.
My typing is getting faster. Iv'e got to learn how to do pictures.

Keeping the faith
Clay

[165th]

Clay, that's cool that your decals were in the trunk. I suppose you still have them? I found some paper peel away backs to pin striping that were under the trunk mat. The installer may have tossed the paper backs in the trunk vs. dropping on the assembly line floor.

My brackets all caught some rust, and pitted. It's strange, because there is no rust anywhere else, except on these brackets. They cleaned up ok, except for the pitting.

On the auction pace car, the reason I trust the original paint and pinstripes is since the car was 'auto armored', that's a clear coat that coats everything, including the stripes and decals. If any were replaced, today it would be impossible to replicate that Ming or auto armor coating over the pin stripes. I know that because my car has the same coating. It has protected the paint and stripes well, but I wouldn't know how to repair any part of the paint or stripes should I need to. The door decals look good as well, as they are in the door jam, protected from the elements, and again, without repaints, protected from a painters bad tape masking job. Mine is similar, but without the wax cake in the rivits

Good catch on the weatherstrip and floor mats. My mats are yellowed with the oils leaching from them all these years. After looking at the Photo-Bucket pics, it looks like the engine was touched up with Pontiac Blue Metallic, and the carb shield is missing from the pass. front corner of the carb.

["QUICK-SILVER"]

165th, I do not have the pace car decals anymore. They had wrinkled on the release paper anyhow. They mysteriously dissapeared in a divorce.

I will try to go look at brackets this weekend and check for pitting.

The e-bay car??? Iv'e seen too many "original mile" cars with "no touch up" and this is not one of them. I feel sorry for anyone who believes that kind of advertising or trusts a used car salesman. I know too much and have seen too much, and yes I am ashamed of it. I hate it that there is no way to stop it. Buyers need to use a keen eye and some common sense.

The daytona decal on the door is what I was looking at. Auto armor used to be done at the dealer ship, along with the other corrosion protection. The pace car decals may have been installed later----much later.

You caught the paint on the head, it looked like silver on the intake.
I looked over the pictures better and noted 20 discrepancys. No telling how many if you could see it in person. The dulling or yellowing of the coating is normal. The fading of the paint and the sun damage to the passenger t-top tells me a lot when other things are too bright. T-top baked but leather seats look new? Back window moldings look new. The black on them went before the paint on the body. The bright silver between those moldings and the pin stripe, wrong color. Gravel chips under passenger door, painted over. Right rear quarter picture, pin stripes not one piece type and new looking exhaust tip, rusty on drivers side. Paint good on trunk corner spoilers but not rear bumper, that happens the other way around.
Look at the miles on the e-brake pedal compared to the others, which gets used the most. Rust on chrome valve covers and heat diaphram, shaker condition then look at air filter base and cool air intake components.

I see a lot more and yes I am picking it to death, all in fun though.
Overall the car looks pretty good, a nice survivor. I don't think it's what it is being presented as.

Venting this morning
Clay

[Jim Robertson]

TATA Thread...Great idea!

I am painting mine and was scouting out decals. Who makes the best and most accurate decal sets?
Thanks,
Jim

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Jim, good to hear from another 10th T/A owner.
I had my car painted about 15 years ago. I was able to get all my decals from GM.
I was told that I got the last availible from them.

Phoenix Graphix is advertiseing "GM exact 1-piece hood bird". www.PhoenixGraphix.com

I have seen their kits and they look great. I was told that they own the rights to the TATA decals.

Surely one of the other members has had theirs painted more recently than me.
Hopefully someone will catch the new post and chime in.

Hold out for more input
Clay

[bankbook]

I have a TATA 4speed in the middle of a unibody out restoration and I think that a forum woulb be very beneficial.

[speedrider]

I am restoring a tenth and was wondering about the seat belts.
Are the buckles smooth silver finish or grain finish painted silver like the seat color?
I definetly like this forum.
Thanks
Robert

[165th]

Speedrider, good luck with the restoration. Here's a pic of the seatbelt buckle. It is painted metal or plastic, and a combination of smooth/grain finish in a milky white/grey color.

Jim, Roysgoats has ordered a set of Phoenix Graphix pin stripes, and is on this thread. Roy, can you give us some feedback on the quality of the stripes?

[165th]

I have been meticulously detailing the engine bay. This car has never been touched in the 3,000 miles that have been driven, no detail work has previously been done. Here's a few before/after pictures.

The "OK-3" was there behind the grease build up on the pass. head, and barely visible in one of the pics.

I still have to replace the carb and EGR stickers and red/blue/white tape on the vacuum hoses. Does anyone have a suggestion of what type of adhesive to use to re-attach the decals/stickers?