Those are some nice lines! I hope the other side goes just as good.
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Those are some nice lines! I hope the other side goes just as good.
Looks great! Lots of tedious work but it's well worth it when it's all done! Keep us updated, love the old Grand Prix!
That is looking really nice! You'll be spraying paint before we know it!
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Starting on side 2. Also started sanding the fiberglass filler off the roof where the landau top was and it ain’t pretty. Luckily the roof section from the parts car is a good donor.
Also here’s a picture of Andrew’s mom and grandpa before he stopped driving the car several years ago.
In a word. WOW! Now that is dedication.
The structure behind this quarter is actually better than the other side was. Don't know if we could have saved this without a parts car; nobody is making new sheet metal for these.
Sigh... I don't want to come off negative but... these folks REALLY wanted to keep that car.. I'm searching for the words.. but. I'll sing your praise to the moon and back for doing this. I can't say what I want to say.. you'll think me a fool..
But I wanna cuss like Yosemite Sam when I see all that work!! You are a better man than me for even thinking of fixing that P.O.S. - sorry, please don't think bad of me 'cause I'm not really ever like that, and I think a lot of you and your cars. I am certainly opinionated enough and wonder why people do the things they do... and through the past few pages I have been wanting to question someones sanity 'cause that just isn't a "collector car"... So it must be the emotional attachment. Sorry if it came off as whining.. but I had to get it off my chest and I tried to do it respectfully with many random thoughts... LOL.
Lol! Believe me, I get it. Thankfully I’m not painting it; I’m getting it welded back together and spraying some sealer primer over the repair areas. He’s probably going to have Macco do a budget paint job on it.
I definitely wouldn’t have picked this for myself. But I have to admit if I had my dad’s old 77 Ford LTD back; I’d probably be doing the same. Lots of good memories in that car.
Fits good!:)
Ya' do good work, Mr Falconvan!!
Very nice work! I totally get the sentimental attachment. I've got a few of those projects. Luckily they were all something cool to start with. Haha
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I look at this as what could of happened early in the cars life had it been involved in a nasty rear ender and the owner rebuilt the car. That and the sentimental aspect which, IMHO, shows the enormous talent of falconvan.
Thanks, man. I don’t if it’s talent or just stupidity to know when I’m in over my head! lol!
I started tackling the roof skin today. Looks like it’s going to fit good; just nervous about that long seam across the middle and not warping it when I weld it. 😬
big brass cahoenees right there! LOL. definitely talent in there too.
Scary. Take a deep breath, then pull the trigger.
Thanks; a vinyl top is about the worst thing you can put on a car. I wire brushed all the inner structure off and sprayed it with some rust inhibitor so hopefully that will stop the cancer. Finished patching the trunk in today; had to make some patches to make up the difference between the 73 and 77 trunk pans. Hopefully get the roof skin trimmed and tacked in place tomorrow.
Are you putting the vinyl top on it again? Nice job on the roof!
I don’t think he’s going back with a vinyl top. I recommended against it.
Finished up for the weekend; got a coat of POR15 on the trunk floor, cut out the rotted rear floor boards and made some patches. Just about made it through all the rust repair; only a few spots left.
If he really wants that vinyl top look tell him to take it to LineX!! Any color you want, as long as it's black.Quote:
Originally Posted by falconvan
I wonder if a spray on bed liner would look like the vinyl top?
It might; I think he’s just going to take it to Maaco and have them shoot the whole thing in the original color or something close to it.
Got the top welded on; just did lots of little tacks on the lowest setting and did several passes until it was done. It looks pretty good; I’ll know better ones I get it ground down and get some filler on it.
That is looking really nice! As fast as you work I'm surprised he isn't having you paint it. I'm sure it would be better quality than Maaco.
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Thanks; we talked about it but he’s not ready to invest in paint right now and I don’t want it sitting in my garage for several months. So I’m just getting the rust taken care of and shooting on some sealer, getting it mechanically right, and sending it home.
Finished up all the patching on the inside. Now the lucky owner gets to wire brush everything down and hit it with POR15 while I focus on grinding the rest of the outside welds.
So are you going to tell him about POR15 or let him wear some for a few weeks? :eek:;):LOL::LOL:Quote:
Originally Posted by falconvan
Lol! Oh, he found out about it when he painted the front frame stub and all the components! I gave him rubber gloves but I probably should have told him not to wear short sleeves and shorts. ��
Well, he did pretty good and didn’t get paint all over himself
She’s back on all four feet. Back brakes and shocks are on, exhaust is on, fuel tank back in; basically everything underneath the car is done.
Next is sand down the filler on the back and hit it with some primer, then put a little paint in the window channel and get the back glass back in along with the interior. That will be just about it for my part. From here it’s going to a local guy to finish up the metal work on the rear wheel arches, then to Maaco for paint.
Lot of work, should be nice once it gets some color on it.
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A great transformation! Grandpa's GP lives on only because of you and your talents.
Thanks! Kind of an odd car to put that much work into to save but it grows on you. He’ll definitely have the only 77/73 GP hybrid around. It’ll be a head scratcher for the Pontiac guys!
Pat, very nice work! Now that you're shop is empty can I send my wife's 72 burb to you to get all the rust repaired and painted? :LOL:
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Got the filler on the weld seams sanded down and some primer on it to protect the bare metal, steering column in, shifter in. Not a whole lot left of my part to do before it goes home.
Getting this thing wrapped up. It’s running and sounds good. Dash is in, carpet is in, a few wiring snafus to figure out under the dash and the seats and console can go in.
This car has been eating my lunch the last few weeks. I spent several days chasing down electrical gremlins and getting them fixed. Typical old car stuff from 40 year old bad connections; a couple of gauges that didn't work, blower motor that shut itself on and off, bad connections on 1/2 the dash lights, etc. Got it all working and put the dash back together.
So I hook up a tach and did the cam break in. Everything runs great and all the vitals look good until I walk around the other side of the car and the heater core is puking coolant on the ground.:mad::CRY: Yep, everything I just buttoned up; back apart again.
ARRRRGH! Old cars teach us patience & humility, don't they? I hit "Like" because I appreciate your updates and details, not the frustrations!Quote:
Originally Posted by falconvan
Yeah, the war stories are part of the fun of it. They're just not very fun at the time they're happening!:LOL:
I feel your pain, IMHO old Vettes are as bad or worse. The cargo light in my Vette didn't work. The orange ire that fed it had been poked with a scribe or awl and over the years was corroded. It was in a bundle under the left kick plate near the door jam. I cut about a foot out and replaced it with new wire and no more problems. The vacuum system is another story.