#181  
Old 09-02-2022, 04:50 PM
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tempest1964 tempest1964 is offline
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I know sometimes pictures can lie, but that radio looks to be in beautiful shape!

  #182  
Old 09-03-2022, 11:11 AM
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Quote:
Still looking good and glad to see that you're seeing this through. I believe for every one of these cars that we see finished to this level, there's probably 3 or 4 that are never finished, or totally half a$$ed. Any word from Legendary on your materiel match?
Hi Cardo -- Thanks for the compliment and inspiration. I'm certainly trying to do it right....No word from Legendary lately - but I told them I wasn't in a hurry and that right was better than fast. However, given their lead times I need to follow-up.

Quote:
I know sometimes pictures can lie
Hi Tempest -- For sure...but this one is telling the truth. I guess the radio has been wrapped up in the sellers garage for about 30-40 years.

Thanks to everyone for their comments and following along.

  #183  
Old 09-03-2022, 12:11 PM
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Great to see an update here! The radio looks very nice. What are your plans for it? Try and use as-is, rebuild to factory spec, or rebuild with modern guts? Or maybe not even use it at all and just have it fill a hole in the dash?

What other things have you been working on/thinking about for your '64?

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  #184  
Old 09-03-2022, 06:40 PM
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Quote:
The radio looks very nice. What are your plans for it?
Hi G-Ham...Thanks for checking in...The radio is supposed to be functional - although I haven't bench tested it yet. Other than wanting the display to light-up it is really just to fill the hole.

I am planning on running audio through a small amp and bluetooth controller. I'm still working out speaker placements and how to hide them.

Quote:
What other things have you been working on/thinking about for your '64?
I've been working on the trim and peripherals a bit. Most recently I have tried to tackle the taillight housings. The car came with three (2 for one side and 1 for the other). I decided to experiment on the one in the worst shape.

Step one...removing the ugly old paint. It was pretty tough but finally came off after a soak in lacquer thinner.





You can see that most of the blisters are located in the areas that will be painted. So I decided to drill out the blisters with a round bur in a pin vise. (I need to buy a dremel before doing the other pieces).







Thinking about the next steps - I think I will epoxy prime the recesses. Fill the drilled areas with glazing putty. Prime again and then paint with the correct color (Marimba Red in the center and black around the perimeter).

In other news...The engine recipe is coming together. I have a 4" stroke forged crank on order from Molnar. And I came home from Hot August Nights with a set of Doug's ceramic coated headers. So incremental progress on all fronts.
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  #185  
Old 09-03-2022, 07:13 PM
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Greg Reid Greg Reid is offline
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I'm very interested in your experimentation with the tail light bezel and tail panel. I have a 4-speed console in similar condition and hoping that I can figure out some way to use it.

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  #186  
Old 09-06-2022, 01:42 PM
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Good to hear that progress is happening on things here & there. The taillight housing work looks especially tedious! I'm curious to see how things turn out, as like Greg, I'm facing a similar situation with an imperfect console top. I refurbished it good enough for now, but it's not perfect.

Congrats on scoring a set of Doug's headers. I'm extremely pleased with how easily mine went in and how well they fit. They're worth every penny.

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  #187  
Old 09-06-2022, 05:21 PM
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Quote:
I'm very interested in your experimentation with the tail light bezel and tail panel.
Quote:
I'm curious to see how things turn out
I had read an article in one of the car magazines years ago about doing something like this. I can't remember if they refurbished a 65 GTO tail panel or one of the die-cast Mopar tail panels.

There seems to be three parts to the chrome bubble. The flaked chrome bubble, powdered metal underneath that, and soft decaying metal at the bottom. I've taken the burr through those layers into the good solid metal underneath.

This leaves little round craters - but they should fill pretty easy.



Quote:
Congrats on scoring a set of Doug's headers. I'm extremely pleased with how easily mine went in and how well they fit.
There is a Summit store in Sparks, NV and they always have a good discount during Hot August Nights. Picking them up in person also saved me the oversize shipping charge.

I'm currently gathering up everything I need to mock-up the drivetrain when the car comes back. I need the weight on the car to get the gaps all set - and since I don't know what is missing and/or not right its an opportunity to see what I have and what I need.

Thanks everyone for chiming in and following along.
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  #188  
Old 10-01-2022, 04:26 PM
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I picked-up this engine today...I have the (probably) original short-block for my car - but I didn't want to base my hotrod engine on that in case the engine ever lets-go.

This engine is a 1964 389 from a big car. It's still standard bore which is nice. I'm figuring out the engine recipe now. But the plan is to build a 4" stroke - essentially a small-journal 421. The engine will appear basically stock on the outside, but be hiding some pretty serious work inside.

Here is the "new" block in all its greasy glory.

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  #189  
Old 12-28-2022, 11:28 AM
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Hi Everyone – I hope some of you are still following along with this seemingly never-ending restoration. Progress is achingly slow – but progress is being made. I’m choosing to look on the bright side.

Some of you may remember the driver’s side quarter had some damage from a previous accident (or two) and we had decided to save that quarter aside from a patch panel in the lower portion of the back. (Pages 5 and 6 of this thread).

It took a lot of work including a lot of shrinking of the metal to get the damage worked out. But it seemed to have come out OK. (You can already hear the “however” can’t you?).

However, one day looking at the car from one side to the other it became clear that something wasn’t quite right. And when we compared the shape of the quarter panel on one side of the car to the other…well…they weren’t the same shape.

To cut to the chase – a big part of the driver’s quarter really isn’t practically repairable. There is just too much stretch in the metal.

Here is the solution…In classic Cam fashion – you just make half a quarter panel out of a flat sheet of steel. These are Cam’s photos illustrating part of the process. The panel is a single piece…

Begin with a template and a metal with a little shape in it…



Move on to building the lower body line/detail…



Next is the wheel arch flare…



After a lot of work you end up with a “roughed-in” panel that will replace about half the quarter.



I have my fingers-crossed that it will soon be on the car and we can wrap up the remaining metal repair and metal finishing.

Thanks everyone for staying interested and following along.
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  #190  
Old 12-28-2022, 01:56 PM
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That's one hell of a patch panel! Simply amazing. You'll be driving it down the road one day! Anything going on with the motor yet?

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  #191  
Old 12-28-2022, 10:58 PM
gtospieg gtospieg is offline
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That's some fine looking work there...

  #192  
Old 12-29-2022, 11:15 AM
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Hi Cardo and gtospieg -- He does some impressive metal shaping and finishing. I was a little frustrated to return to an area that I had crossed off my list. But getting it right is the goal so...

Quote:
Anything going on with the motor yet?
The block I picked up looks pretty good - one scar in one cylinder from a broken ring and piston. It feels like it should be gone with a .030 overbore. After the holidays the block is headed to the machine shop to be hot tanked, checked and sonic tested. We are fortunate to have several good machine shops in the area.

New rods will be ordered next week. I'm going with a forged Molnar 6.7" BBC rod to match up with the crank I have on order with them. The forged 4" stroke crank should be done late summer or early fall this year.

Thanks everyone for following along.

  #193  
Old 02-08-2023, 06:45 PM
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Gaining -- A few details to address then it will be time to burn it in...Thanks everyone for your kind words and for following along.





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  #194  
Old 02-08-2023, 09:59 PM
gtospieg gtospieg is offline
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Nice work there...

  #195  
Old 02-12-2023, 09:59 PM
DLNorth DLNorth is offline
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Wild,

Thanks for posting and documenting your build.
I'm fairly new here (and have a Lemans convert in need of lots of work) and couldn't "put this down" once I found it.
This should help a lot in deciding what to do with mine.

Dan

  #196  
Old 02-13-2023, 10:45 AM
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Looking good Wild Cat. Hopefully this will be the year to get some color on it! I'm certain you're chomping at the bit for that....

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  #197  
Old 02-13-2023, 11:54 AM
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Quote:
That's some fine looking work there...
Quote:
Nice work there..
Thanks GTOspieg. We are trying to do it right.

Quote:
hanks for posting and documenting your build.
I'm fairly new here (and have a Lemans convert in need of lots of work) and couldn't "put this down" once I found it.
This should help a lot in deciding what to do with mine.
Glad to do it. I really enjoy build threads - so why not have my own. Helps keep me inspired.

I saw the post on your car. Special order paint - that is really cool. I bet you'll find some good paint on the cowl area under the fender showing the original color in unfaded condition. I feel like there was a green side of aqua Cadillac(?) color for '62/'63. Looked similar I think.

Quote:
Hopefully this will be the year to get some color on it! I'm certain you're chomping at the bit for that....
Ha -- You got that right Cardo. If I can get it this spring - then color by fall is possible.

Thanks again everyone for your comments and for following along.

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  #198  
Old 04-08-2023, 10:47 PM
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At a local swap meet today I found this...I recognized the shift lever as correct for a 64 GTO and the box marked "Patent Pending" as early. Even though I already had one it was too good a deal to pass up.

The box has no bolts for stops. So I am guessing it is a correct box for a 64 GTO. But the reverse lever is wrong - looks like it was modified to fit a Ford transmission.

The lever numbers are: 2512, 2513 and 2350 (reverse).

Can I only replace the reverse lever? Or do all three need to be changed?

Thanks.



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  #199  
Old 04-08-2023, 10:59 PM
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In other news -- the work to the driver's quarter continues. I thought some of you may enjoy seeing some more of the finishing work prior to welding the patch in.

First off a view of fitting the wrap-around area at the rear of the quarter. The fit of the seam being welded is really impressive to me.



Welded up. And blued for finishing.



Here is an oblique view with the surface wetted so you can get an idea of the finish.



Sideview of the trimmed patch being fitted up...



Rearview of the trimmed patch being fitted up...



Thanks everyone for following along. Really hoping to be in bodywork and paint prep soon.
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  #200  
Old 04-09-2023, 01:25 PM
gtospieg gtospieg is offline
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That work is impressive.
...also I believe when you disassemble the shifter all the pieces are separate and can be changed out individually. Pete Serio rebuilds these and could answer your question definitively

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