[gthmcty1]

Originally Posted by 61 vent

Thanks, I am trying to stay local. I hope Jim has a lead.

Ok np

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by 61 vent

Hello Jim, I am here in Tucson also. Did you have the car soda blasted or walnut shelled or sand blasted??? I need to get my 62 Bonne wagon done and can't find anyone who will touch it. Thanks Andy

I hand sanded it all. The last place I had sandblast some fenders for me was out of business last I checked. So, sorry, no leads.

Jim

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by 60man

.....
I am hoping this 1" bore MC will work with the discs all around. Having a H of a time bleeding it by my self..

What color is it going to be....any ideas yet?

I've got my brake system all "done" and all lines connected, but I plan to leave the miserable job of filling and bleeding and adjusting 'til I'm closer to the end and motivated by the prospect of actually driving it soon.

I plan to paint it the original white (they called it cameo ivory later in GTO's). At first I planned to pearl it, but I've decided some flames coming from the front wheel wells and halfway across the doors should be just about right. I've never done flames before, but I got a book and it doesn't look too hard.

I put the radiator and electric fans in yesterday and after my race tomorrow I'll start on the floor shifter. I decided not to mess with adapting the column shifter--the reverse lockout and neutral safety switch deal for the track is all built into the floor shifter.

Good luck with your brakes. I'll pick your brain after you finish dealing with any problems.

Jim

[twooldgoats]

I've been making hoses, hooking up belts, making transmission cooler lines, etc. for the last several weeks. The engine compartment is starting to look complete, though I still have some vacuum lines to make and some issues with the tripower linkage and finding an upper radiator hose that will fit. For the moment, I'm sick of the detail work, so I'll take off the fenders today and start masking to get some epoxy primer on the bare metal.

Is it my imagination or do those tri-power carbs stick up a long ways? I didn't realize how much taller the '66 tri-power manifold is than a '60 tri-power manifold. I'm assuming the hood will shut without modification. Anybody know?? I guess I'll see soon enough and deal with it if I have to.

Jim

[60man]

Jim...I ran a '65 TriPower set up on my old 462 with 670 heads and IIR it fit under hood...It's been a long time though..can't remember for sure if I ever put air cleaners on it..

OH yeah...I finally have a nice high/solid brake pedal now. Will test it ouit on Sat. hopefuly..

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by 60man

....

OH yeah...I finally have a nice high/solid brake pedal now. Will test it ouit on Sat. hopefuly..

Thanks for the info. And good luck on Saturday---stopping and going.

Jim

[twooldgoats]

Finally sprayed some epoxy primer on all that bare metal. Next step on the bodywork is do the finish bondo and putty work, several coats of sanding primer, block sanding, etc. Actually, finishing up the brakes is looking better and better to me with the prospect of all the finish bodywork ahead.

Jim

[twooldgoats]

A few more body pix.

Jim

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by 60man

Jim...I ran a '65 TriPower set up on my old 462 with 670 heads and IIR it fit under hood...It's been a long time though..can't remember for sure if I ever put air cleaners on it..

.........

The hood DID fit and close OK with the '66 tri-power intake, carbs and air cleaners. At least I didn't feel anything crunch when I slammed it and the air cleaners looked fine when I opened it back up again. I think it's real close, though.

Jim

[61 vent]

Looking very nice rolled out into the sunlight.

[60man]

Looking better & better all the time Jim...
MY paint guy told me I had to block sand the car....too damn many curves !!

On brakes....IIR you said you were or are going to install a line loc. If I had it to do over I would put it BELOW the master cylinder level..be sure no air trap there or fluid draining back to MC resevior that way..JMO..

[Engine-Ear]

Your grille mod is really growing on me, Jim.

The frenched taillites are very cool, too. ...to that end, I don't s'pose '59 Caddy t/l lenses will fit within those gun barrels, will they?

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by 60man

Looking better & better all the time Jim...
MY paint guy told me I had to block sand the car....too damn many curves !!

On brakes....IIR you said you were or are going to install a line loc. If I had it to do over I would put it BELOW the master cylinder level..be sure no air trap there or fluid draining back to MC resevior that way..JMO..

I got the body work roughed in before I sprayed the epoxy, but the hard work lies ahead---the weeks and weeks of leaving paint and bondo dust tracks back and forth across the patio between the garage and the house. A perfectionist could spend a lifetime block sanding. Fortunately, I'm not a perfectionist.

I do have everything under the level of the master, so I'm hoping bleeding will be easy. I plan to borrow a Mity Vac from BVR421 to do the worst of it. The brake rod went in just fine and the angle of the rod and the mount insure that it can't come out of the MC without disassembling the brake pedal from its mount. That's what I had to do to get it in. I'm not looking forward to the several little leaks that will no doubt develop from not having the fittings tight enough or--God forbid--too tight. Also, I get to find out soon if the eight lug drums I bought from eBay have had too many resurfacings. I guess I'll just wait and see if there are problems and deal with it then.

Jim

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by Engine-Ear

Your grille mod is really growing on me, Jim.

The frenched taillites are very cool, too. ...to that end, I don't s'pose '59 Caddy t/l lenses will fit within those gun barrels, will they?

The jury is still out on the grill. I like my idea of isolating the central part, but I'm thinking I may put some turn signal lights (small and tasteful, of course) in that wide blank expanse where the factory turn signals were to break it up a little.

Are the Caddy taillights the ones that are reminsicent of Jayne Mansfield in a push-em-up bra? If so, I might have to check into them. It's just that I have so much eBay time involved in finding and buying '60 Pontiac taillight lenses. I got a few extra because I will have to glue them in and then smash them out if they need to be replaced for any reason (the taillight bulbs can be replaced easily from inside the trunk).

Jim

[Antique]

I have really enjoyed the updates on your build. Keep the pictures coming.

[Engine-Ear]

Originally Posted by twooldgoats

The jury is still out on the grill. I like my idea of isolating the central part, but I'm thinking I may put some turn signal lights (small and tasteful, of course) in that wide blank expanse where the factory turn signals were to break it up a little.

Choose the right color and the blanked out area is spot-on...JMO, but if you're putting signals right back where they were, what's really changed, ya know? Maybe run '61 backup lights in custom-cut openings in the front bumpers...subtle and only the second-semester kids will know where they're from! Yeah I am both nuts and Polish, so disregard my bizarre POV as needed.

Originally Posted by twooldgoats

Are the Caddy taillights the ones that are reminsicent of Jayne Mansfield in a push-em-up bra?

...uhh, YES, including the slim chrome stretch marks on the sides! >schwing!< Man, you gotta make the lenses more easily removable than breaking them out! This practice is not DarkSider-approved! LOL!

Originally Posted by twooldgoats

If so, I might have to check into them. It's just that I have so much eBay time involved in finding and buying '60 Pontiac taillight lenses.

So YOU'RE they guy raising the price on Shark tail lite lenses!

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by Engine-Ear

Choose the right color and the blanked out area is spot-on...JMO, but if you're putting signals right back where they were, what's really changed, ya know? Maybe run '61 backup lights in custom-cut openings in the front bumpers...subtle and only the second-semester kids will know where they're from! Yeah I am both nuts and Polish, so disregard my bizarre POV as needed.


...uhh, YES, including the slim chrome stretch marks on the sides! >schwing!< Man, you gotta make the lenses more easily removable than breaking them out! This practice is not DarkSider-approved! LOL!



So YOU'RE they guy raising the price on Shark tail lite lenses!

Actually, the reason it took so long to get so many extras is I'm too cheap to pay more than ten bucks each for them. I like your idea of putting the turn signals in the bumper, too, and I may do that.

As far as the grill appearance goes, even if I put some small parking lights back into the original locations, I will have covered the horizontal grill bars that were there, so the grill will still appear to "float" rather than connect to the headlight areas as the stock one does.

I grant you my idea of gluing the taillight lenses in is a little crude, but how often do they need to be replaced? Not likely in my time.

Jim

[twooldgoats]

The brakes are done for now. The dreaded job proved to be a snap. Didn't even bother to get the Mity Vac or bench-bleed the MC--- did it the old-fashioned way: Ellen pumped the brakes while I opened and closed the bleeders and kept the end of the hose in the glass of brake fluid. The pedal is hard and stays about four inches up from the floor (factory spec is at least 2"). The linings drag slightly, but I'll wait to worry about that until I've taken it around the block a few times and tried the brakes. Had a couple of small leaks, but tightening seems to have taken care of them.

Another thing to cross off the mental list. Now back to body work--that'll wipe the smirk off of my face.

Jim

[60man]

Originally Posted by twooldgoats

The brakes are done for now. The dreaded job proved to be a snap. Didn't even bother to get the Mity Vac or bench-bleed the MC--- did it the old-fashioned way: Ellen pumped the brakes while I opened and closed the bleeders and kept the end of the hose in the glass of brake fluid. The pedal is hard and stays about four inches up from the floor (factory spec is at least 2"). The linings drag slightly, but I'll wait to worry about that until I've taken it around the block a few times and tried the brakes. Had a couple of small leaks, but tightening seems to have taken care of them.

Another thing to cross off the mental list. Now back to body work--that'll wipe the smirk off of my face.

Jim

Cool...

[twooldgoats]

Okay, the wiring is done. The Painless kit worked well and everything is now functioning: turn signals, high beam indicator, headlights, brake lights (had to buy a new switch, though). wipers (one-speed), heater blower, etc. The Line-loc is working, too, but it was touch and go. At first the solenoid wouldn't activate, but after cycling it twenty or thirty times, it started working and has since when I've checked it. I guess sitting for a couple of years didn't help it any.

In order to wire up the front turn signals and parking lights, I had to decide how to proceed with the custom touches. I finally decided to keep the original turn signal housings but modify them to fit on the panels I made to cover the sides of the grill and make the center part appear to "float". I'm pretty happy with the end result.

Now, back to bodywork.

Jim