[ZeGermanHam]

Thanks guys! Before diving into it, the upholstery work had always been something that I viewed as a highly daunting task. In the end, it was very doable for a DIY'er like me. And I must say, it's very satisfying to sit on a seat that you recovered yourself!

[Greg Reid]

Very nice job on the upholstery!

[ZeGermanHam]

I paid a visit to see the GTO tonight after not having seen it since the painter picked it up in late April. It's behind schedule, but progress has been made and I'm still enthusiastic about the outcome. As a discerning person myself, I can tell that the painter has a very keen attention to detail. He asks the right questions and notices the right things without being being prompted. Hoping to have the car back in my hands by the end of January.






At this stage, I have ordered any and all parts down to the nut & bolt that I will need to finish the project. I literally flipped through every page of the Ames catalogue to see if there was something I still needed, and then ordered all of it. I now have most items on hand that were ordered, but a few items remain on backorder (windshield, rear armrest pads, vent window seals, main window felts, and parking brake kit). The result is that there is now not a single part on the car that won't look brand new.

One fun item that I ponied up the big bucks for is a (somewhat) stock appearing digital stereo from AAR. Pretty trick little unit. It has Bluetooth, hands-free calling (not that I ever use the phone while driving to begin with), and also the ability to select from an array of EQ settings and adjust the fade and balance, plus a separate output for a sub. Seems kinda silly to spend a bunch of money on a stereo that will probably get used infrequently, but I plan to road trip the GTO when done so it will help pass the hours then.

[1_Wild_Cat]

It's behind schedule

What does that last word mean?

Looking great ZeGerman...I'll bet you can't wait to get it home. I'm with you on the sound system - good sounding tunes but tastefully hidden away is a trick with these cars.

BTW - Thanks for the update. I just about bumped this thread the other day wondering how you were doing.

[ZeGermanHam]

Originally Posted by 1_Wild_Cat

What does that last word mean?

Looking great ZeGerman...I'll bet you can't wait to get it home. I'm with you on the sound system - good sounding tunes but tastefully hidden away is a trick with these cars.

BTW - Thanks for the update. I just about bumped this thread the other day wondering how you were doing.

Ha! Yeah, my buddy commented that paint and bodywork takes 3 times longer than you think it will, no matter how conservatively you estimate it will take. Seems true for me so far.

Otherwise, things with me and the project are good. I suppose a silver lining to the extended time it has taken to paint the body is that it allowed me to spread out the final purchases and keep my bank account from undergoing thermonuclear meltdown. Now that I've purchased virtually everything I'll need to finish the project and the money for paint is allocated, I can start healing my bank account and not worry about future purchases because there basically won't be any. None of significance, anyway. Feels good to have gotten over that hurdle, even if the car hasn't been reassembled yet. Now I can just relax and get fired up for bolting on all the nice new parts.

[Scarebird]

Originally Posted by ZeGermanHam

...Now that I've purchased virtually everything I'll need to finish the project and the money for paint is allocated, I can start healing my bank account and not worry about future purchases because there basically won't be any...

That's the lie we all tell ourselves.

[ZeGermanHam]

Ha! Watch me get the car all put together and then spin a bearing in the engine on the first drive...

[1_Wild_Cat]

Watch me get the car all put together and then spin a bearing in the engine on the first drive...

LOL…another optimist just like me. Only I have visions of get hit by a Prius…

[ZeGermanHam]

Just checking in here again for a small update. No surprise, it is taking much longer to get this car painted than I had hoped. But with that said, I think the painter finally has some fire under him and is pushing to get the color sprayed in the next 2-3 weeks. I had a few in-person meetings with him last week, and snapped a few photos while I was there. He has spent countless hours block sanding, and it will undergo one additional round of major block sanding and then a final minor block sanding before spraying color. I was just excited to see the body as (mostly) all one color again. It has been a while since I've seen something like that!






He put the trunk lid on after these photos were taken and I couldn't believe how nicely it fit and lined up with the surrounding panels. It bodes well for how the rest of the car will turn out, which I am confident will be excellent. These photos above were taken just as he was beginning to refit the doors and front clip again to block sand them together. He still had lots of fitting/shimming to do, and of course they will come off the car again for paint. Current ETA is around March 10th. We shall see.

In the meantime, the long-delayed window felt kit finally arrived from Ames, and the equally delayed parking brake kit should be getting here on Tuesday.



Also bought a new "Tomahawk" valley pan from Butler, as I figured why not. The one on my engine currently is (I'm assuming) from 1970 and the engine hasn't been run much in the past 20+ years, so internal corrosion is a possibility I'd rather not risk.



And I posted this elsewhere a bit ago, but I also worked with Mike Noun to perform some detective work and finally figure out who the mysterious Zone 17 Dealer 079 is. We were able to do some cross-referencing and determine that Zone 17 Dealer 079 was a secondary lot for Colonial Pontiac in Miami, FL (Zone 17, Dealer 080). Very happy to have solved that mystery. Turns out the original dealer building is still standing, and is being used to sell classic and collector cars nowadays.




I also found a vintage Colonial Pontiac key chain on eBay that I will use with my keys, which I think is kind of neat.

[MUSLCAH]

Finish dates and Bodyman/ Painter should not be used in the sentence. We are creatures of habit…and hate looking at the same car day after day. It’s a very ,very long marathon to finish a restoration. Are you putting the car back together once it gets painted ?

[ZeGermanHam]

Yeah, so far all previous dates have been missed, so I'm not going to hold my breath. But he seems extra motivated now and has numerous other cars stacked up waiting for mine to be completed.

The painter is going to put the doors and front clip on once everything has been painted, but I'll be putting the rest of the car back together once it has been returned to me. At that time, the only thing I'm considering not doing myself is the headliner installation. I would take it on if I had someone who knows that they're doing to guide me through the process, but I don't want to fly blind and screw it up on my own.

[bdk1976]

Headliner is a PITA since you are working overhead the whole time, but is relatively easy to accomplish if you have patience. I found it easier than recovering seats and mine came out really nice in the end. I stripped off all of the 'felt' under the roof and por15'ed and then covered with a layer of knock-off dynamat. No issues with heat/sagging in 14+ years.

I can never understand how body guys are always so damn far behind schedule. I work a 40+ hour a week job, have lots of other crap going on, and I still did all of the bodywork and paint on my 65 in evenings/weekends/late nights in a croweded 2 car garage, ending up with as good of a paint job than 90% of them put out.

It did take me a couple of years, but from what I'm constantly reading online that is about as good as some of the 'pros' out there. The thing that really gets me is that this is not rocket science - it's just really boring and dirty work.

[MUSLCAH]

The painter doing the cut and buff …there’s another weeks worth of work anyways.

[MUSLCAH]

ZeGermanham….just ask your body guy why it’s taking so long …and tell him “ It’s not rocket science “ so I don’t understand ,what’s the hold up….? You might find your car parked outside next time you visit…LMAO

[ZeGermanHam]

Originally Posted by bdk1976

Headliner is a PITA since you are working overhead the whole time, but is relatively easy to accomplish if you have patience. I found it easier than recovering seats and mine came out really nice in the end. I stripped off all of the 'felt' under the roof and por15'ed and then covered with a layer of knock-off dynamat. No issues with heat/sagging in 14+ years.

Interesting to hear your take on installing the headliner being easier than recovering seats, since I did that job myself over the summer and achieved outstanding results. Didn't find it particularly difficult since the Legendary website has video tutorials that walk you through the whole process.

What worries me about the headliner job is that it seems like you only get one shot to do it right.

[1_Wild_Cat]

Glad to see you still rolling (creeping) toward the finish line...I can't wait to see it in color - she's gonna be a beaut.

[jamesq]

Here's a link to an older thread that may help you decide if you want to try your headliner install:

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...28#post4921528

This very detailed thread has helped me decide to have the headliner installed professionally. I agree with your "one shot to get it right" and I would rather the shop foot the bill for the redo!

James Q

[ZeGermanHam]

Now we're cookin' with gas! Color is finally being sprayed. The body was jammed yesterday and the hood, fenders, doors, trunk lid, and other miscellaneous parts are getting color tonight. Feels good to be moving forward. Once you reach the point of spraying color, things tend to move pretty quickly, so it shouldn't be much longer before I get the car back and can start putting it back together.

[1_Wild_Cat]

Yeah Baby — That’s what I’m talking about! Congrats…I wouldn’t be able to sleep…

[gtospieg]

Awesome...finally. Is that a factory color for 66?