[unruhjonny]

Congrats on winning the (somewhat strings attached) lottery on Firebirds!!

IMHO, you have an invaluable resource in Leigh;
I had read many of his posts and thought he seemed like a cool guy, but when both him and I got somewhat shafted by another group when attending the Trans Am nationals some years ago, I had the pleasure of hanging out with him and his friend (who's name alludes me).

I'd love to help out if I ever can, but odds are that I'll just be another guy sitting back, watching the action...

LOL

I was pleasantly surprised by the article in the current HPP...
And other than the one reprinted, I believe I have every other article on that car!!
(They make for some great light reading!)

[LeighP]

Hey, mate...hows it going? Long time, no post...lol.
That would have been my travel buddy, Michael that was with me on that trip.

[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by LeighP

Hey, mate...hows it going? Long time, no post...lol.
That would have been my travel buddy, Michael that was with me on that trip.

I'm doing great!

I have my own house, a super fun little daily driver, and life in general seems to be on the upswing...

regaurding my poor activity level, I figure the less I come and post here, the less tempted I am to spend money I really don't have...
I've been focusing more on my house, and maintaining a budget...
as much as it pains me to NOT be tinkering on the 'Formulae' (lol), I know that when I can afford both the time & money required, it will all the more sweet.

Both Formulas still run, and can be started and moved on a whim, but the '70 is REALLY needing to get some attention... hopefully I'll be wrenching on it shortly here.

[mscicluna007]

Might have sourced a nice 72 dash would this be correct for a dec 72 build car. I am assuming their is no difference to a 73 dash. Also is their an AC and Non AC dash.
I believe the only differance in dashes is pre 76 the radio mounting area is slightly different to the later models.

Also if its black and I want to change to the original colour which the interior was saddle tan will the colour come up o.k. I've heard sandblasting the dash is the best method for preparing it. Is this correct.

Michael

[mscicluna007]

Some Pics in and around the diff with Fuel Line Routing and nice solid Pans.

[LeighP]

Mate, don't sandblast the dash...they have a particular grain structure thats special to GM dashes of the period...you'd destroy that by blasting it.
To recolour the dash, scrub it with a cleaner like Ajax Spray and Wipe or dishwashing liquid and a soft scouring pad (worn scotchbrite), flush it with water and dry. Wipe with wax and grease remover using clean cotton cloths (lint free) and repeat till the cloth stays clean.
Very light coats of vinyl dye are the best way to build up the coats and colour depth.
Keep re-coating every 10-15 minutes (light coats) till you have the colour you want....at this point, stop. More coats are not better.
SEM dyes are hard to come by in Sydney....they also sell an adhesion promotor and a clear satin top coat.
I've had good results using VHT vinyl dye since I can't seem to find anyone selling SEM.

[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by mscicluna007

Might have sourced a nice 72 dash would this be correct for a dec 72 build car. I am assuming their is no difference to a 73 dash. Also is their an AC and Non AC dash.
I believe the only differance in dashes is pre 76 the radio mounting area is slightly different to the later models.

Also if its black and I want to change to the original colour which the interior was saddle tan will the colour come up o.k. I've heard sandblasting the dash is the best method for preparing it. Is this correct.

Michael

If by dash you meant the whole vinyl covered piece, then it's the same piece from 1970 - 1977;
The radio changed in 1978, and this necessitated a revised dash with a larger radio opening.

As Leigh said, please do not sandblast your dash.

[mscicluna007]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I think Leigh may have sent me this link a while back or I stumbled upon it by chance and it had some useful restoration tips on poor condition dash and consoles.

http://transamcountry.com/community/...?topic=54058.0

Michael

[unruhjonny]

Happy to help!!

TAC was a great site, just do yourself a favour and don't plan any trips expecting any of them to follow through on any plans of inviting you in on stuff
LOL
(You can ask Leigh about this one!!)

[LeighP]

lol...we had a good time anyway.....

[unruhjonny]

I TOTALLY agree - and that pizza you(?) bought was awesome!

[Norwood]

Originally Posted by unruhjonny

If by dash you meant the whole vinyl covered piece, then it's the same piece from 1970 - 1977;
The radio changed in 1978, and this necessitated a revised dash with a larger radio opening.

As Leigh said, please do not sandblast your dash.

Early dashs 70-72 maybe had a much smoother grain than later ones, so they all interchange but are really not all the same.

[Norwood]

Originally Posted by unruhjonny

Happy to help!!

TAC was a great site
LOL
(You can ask Leigh about this one!!)

No offence meant to Leigh as he has a large role on TAC but for early T/A info this is the place to be. This site has the most knowledgeable 70-74 Trans Am base on the Internet and nobody's even close to second. Some of the best restoration people in the country are members here. If you need 403 olds or Bandit info get it at TAC.

[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by Norwood

Early dashs 70-72 maybe had a much smoother grain than later ones, so they all interchange but are really not all the same.

Come to think of it, my cousin's '71 T/A DOES have a smoother grain, but it didn't click till just now...
And I *rarely* come across original 70-72(or 73) firebirds...

Thanks for the correction!!

[LeighP]

Originally Posted by Norwood

No offence meant to Leigh as he has a large role on TAC but for early T/A info this is the place to be. This site has the most knowledgeable 70-74 Trans Am base on the Internet and nobody's even close to second. Some of the best restoration people in the country are members here. If you need 403 olds or Bandit info get it at TAC.

No offense taken, I steer guys here for early 2nd gen info....this is definately the place to go. TAC members mostly own mid to late 2nd gen cars....those of us with early cars are often members here too.
I'm in awe of the accumulated 70-73 knowledge in this forum.

[Judge273]

I think 69 TAs are covered here best as well as 68 RA II's.......

[mscicluna007]

so for a Dec 72 build would a 70-72 dash have been used or a 73 dash.

[johnta1]

73 dash.

[Held for Ransom]

How are you dating the dash?

[mscicluna007]

good question.
i am sure that theirs a date stamp on the back of the dash. so a dash that comes out of a 72 car would most likely not be correct than. would a 73 car have a 72 or 73 date code