Project Phoenix, a 1964 Tempest rising from the ashes
 

Well this is my first time starting a thread so we will see how it goes. Basically I bought this 64 Tempest for 2500 and sold the Tri Power that the guy put on it for 2600 so I started out with nothing in the car. The car had been hit hard in the drivers side rear and had caked on bondo and a quarter skin pop riveted on. I took the car to AMD and they replaced everything from the doors back. I had to source a tail panel from a donor car and the trunk lid still needs work because it is bowed from the impact. I plan to build a 467 using one of the two 455 blocks I have. It will have edelbrock round port heads and Paul Carter has already spec'd a Lunati HFT cam for me that I purchased. I dont have the cam card in front of me so I dont know the specs. I am overbuilding it because I do not want to do it twice. This car will be my regular driver and I want zero problems. I plan on installing a T56 Magnum from SST in place of the original two speed transmission. I have a steering column from ididit so the floor shift will look appropriate. The car will be silver mist grey on the outside and nocturne blue on the interior. I am retaining the bench seat. I have wilwood brakes for the front and I am running a ford 9 inch with explorer disc brakes on the rear. It has 3.70 gears and a detroit true trac limited slip. I will post updates as they occur. Right now I am getting estimates on body work.

I plan to have the original radio converted to bluetooth so I had to patch the dash where the previous owner had butchered it. Wheels are 18x8 US Mags.

???

What do you mean?

This is the 157th thread you've started in just the last 6 months.

I thought there was a difference between a post and a thread

technically "i think" a post is something you or others do in a thread. its a thread of posts...

this could be considered your first thread specifically about your projects build that you will update with posts about actual progress made instead of just general questions.

good luck on your project though, looks like a lot of work ahead.

Will be staying tuned to your thread to see how things are going. Best of luck!!!

Congrats on your first thread.
Hopefully the car will progress along nicely now that you have some of the basic bodywork at least in place.

Unless the frame came out of California, there is always room for work there.

Believe you had a shop working on that part of the rerstoration.

Do you have pictures of the frame work?

I have two 64 "GTO"s, a clone drag car and a original Tri-Power 4 speed convertible. I had Scott Tieman do the frame swap on the Convertible so I have no pics of that work done. That is why I asked about your frame and pictures. Always nice to have more under-carriage pictures.

Thanks for the Thread.

Tom V.

Congrats! Looks like it's coming along nicely...but I have to say...you have definitely started some threads. I've read quite a few of them.
In fact, there are FOUR threads started by you on the Body Shop forum right now and that's just on the front page.....lol
I'm pulling for you though man. Keep choppin' wood as they say.

Looking forward to updates!

Here is the only pictures of the frame I have. It was straightened in a jig. Also I forgot to mention I am running the complete Holley Sniper fuel system from fuel tank to EFI unit

There definitely is.

This was your 157th thread that you've started in the last 6 months. That means you've originated a thread 157 times in just 184 days - almost a daily occurrence.

You've most likely had thousands of posts in the same time period.

Good luck on your project.

Love to see a car saved ...and one of my favorite body styles. Long road ahead but you have a plan and vision.
Definitely keep the updates coming ...

Good on you for building something that others would've thrown away. Always nice to see something done that you've never seen before. I have to wonder about a 467 in a DD though. Sounds like it's going to be a handful.

I am sure you have seen of the the build threads on the forum from other members to get some ideas. One of my favorite build threads is about a GTO. The thread was started in 2013 and is almost finished. I've really enjoyed it over the years. Here's the link

http://www.gtoforum.com/f83/dans-69-restore-tale-53945/

It’s gonna be a powerhouse but I have plenty of interstate and highways around me. I am not building it too radical. I don’t have the crank for the 455 so I might as well buy a stroker

One thing AMD did to me that I did not like was left out two body bushings and just handed them to me when I picked the car up with a picture of how they needed to be modified and said have at it. Apparently the body bushings under each door in the front were too tall and they couldnt get thread engagement. I contacted Ames and they said that shouldnt be and that all the bushings were the same but nonetheless I took AMD word for it. After consulting a local bodyshop and them telling me it would be at least 200 bucks if not more I called AMD back and asked them just what the hell was I supposed to do with these bushings, they took it off the frame they should put it back. Again they referred me to the picture and told me to just cut about a 1/4 of an inch of the top bushing and I would be good to go. I am terrified of body work because I know nothing about it. Anyway I got out a fresh box cutter and using painters tape I took about a quarter of and inch off both bushings. I went outside. Took everything loose but not off, slid the bushings in and bolted them down. Took less than 30 minutes. So thats done and I am proud of myself.

nice project, nothing beats a post car, good luck

Torquewar beat me to it.

One of my all-time favorite bodies and you're bringing it back from the dead.

Keep up the good work!

OK I see where the cable actually goes thru the firewall but the end of my parking cable and the actual clevis on the pedal are a mile apart and I cant pull the cable out. How do I get it attached?

ok I got it.

Is the parking brake cable mechanism supposed to have a spring on it or does it just spring back from the stretch of the cable

Love 64s and it looks like your going to have a fun one however I would advise relocating your build thread to the 64-65 section especially if your reassembling and and will have many question regarding all the little pieces. Lots of smart and experienced people in the dedicated sections that don't venture over here often

Subscribing!

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Well I have stirred up a hornets nest about Maaco in the body shop section. Long story short all the estimates for paint and final prep are high. Like REALLY high. I only want a factory paint job and I only have a few minor dents left to pull and a tiny bit of rust so I went by Maaco. Talked to the manager for a long time, explained what I wanted and my concerns and he showed me a 77 Blazer they had just done a repaint for that looked fine to me. Everything is off the car as far as trim goes. He said the would take it to metal skim and block prime seal and paint base clear for around 6000 give or take since I had already removed all the body trim and moldings. I think I’m gonna do it. The manager was knowledgeable was understanding of my apprehension of a Maaco paint job etc. the paint will be PPG which he had the codes for. That will be the next big step.

Hi 64 I am one of the skeptical ones in the Maaco thread. My only advice as to getting it done at Maaco would be to get every detail you discussed with the manager on paper. If things go sour at least you have a written guarantee. You seem to be enjoying this project and after all is done you want to be able to look at the car with a smile of satisfaction not regret.
My first project was going to be a 67 Tempest that I was going to clone. It would have needed 10k plus in sheet metal. I decided to part ways with the Tempest and find a true gto as my project. After all was I figured if I was going to spend that kind of coin I wanted to have #'s matching car. But that's just me. My big mistakes have been when it came to paint and I lost time and money because of it. You know what you want as far a finish product just make sure the shop does and backs it up!

Best of luck with the Tempest!

:popcorn: Subscribed

It’s gonna take me a long time to save up the money to do my chrome and paint since this last batch of bodywork depleted my funds. In the meantime I have several things I’m gonna do and one of them is rebuild my front end. Anybody got any tips or techniques for doing the springs without the weight of the engine? I want to do as much as I can while everything is off the front end. The reason I am retired from the military and police so young is because of rheumatism and I can only do so much bending leaning and stooping before I start hurting.

Took my car to Maaco for a full estimate today because I wanted to know how much to save and show the manager more than pictures. He said he saw no reason why it couldn’t be finished out for 6000 or less. Shot in base/clear with my exact specs on gloss % for the dash and all the extras I want. Paint will be PPG and he said after the strip it I will come down and mark anything I find and they will fix it. Weld in new metal where appropriate etc. I know a lot of people think I am foolish for even considering Maaco but I really can’t stomach the estimates I got and this car is going to be driven. I don’t want to fear a scratch on a paint job that cost 2 or 3 times the cost of my panel replacement

In my attempt to either build the worlds nicest 64 Tempest or light cash on fire depending who you ask I have stumbled across the rockland standard gear t56 magnum. Basically after talking to the head of the aftermarket sales division he told me that nothing I could ever do to it would break it and he would warranty it for life against everything except an improperly setup (engaging/disengaging) clutch.
It’s basically a blueprinted T56 magnum with even more robust parts installed and the shifter mechanism reworked to make it shift like glass. It’s exactly 900 bucks higher than SST just for the transmission. SST wants 3200 for their magnum and they want 4100 for Tranzilla. Thoughts?

I know a few people who have that trans in high HP cars and they are surviving abuse. The one is a Stage 1 70 GS, and has a professionally built 455 in that 10 sec car. Another is a 2006 Z06 with a pro built engine with a supercharger, just a hair below 1000HP.

I don't agree with the clutch setups Rockland recommends, but they are fairly indestructible. Neither of those folks have issues with their' setup, and have been driving them for over a year.

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I feel your pain. I was medically retired on disability at age 47 ( bilateral foraminal stenosis). That is why I put anything I do on sawhorses. That way I don’t have to bend or stoop. Both Lowes and Home Depot sell sawhorses rated for 1,000lbs each(2,000lbs per pair). When I finally get the Cat’s frame home( hopefully this fall), it will be going on two sets.

Just installed my 9 inch and it was really easy but I am kind of bummed because my UMI shock tower brace won’t clear the trunk floor and frame. Called tech support and they told me they run into that from time to time and to loosen the bushings up and jack the body up. Already done that once so I guess I will just go without. If anyone is interested I will take 100 bucks and pay for the ride

I got all my wiring harnesses for my car and was looking them over but I don’t see a lead for the dome light. Does anyone know where it hooks up and how to hide the wire? Is this something the average upholsterer can do for me? I want it to work but electricity and hiding wires is not my thing that’s why I bought the M&H harnesses. Plug and play

The dome leads run from the intermediate harness that runs from the fuse box to the trunk. It goes up the C area in the quarter panel on the driver's side. Orange and white wires I believe, and has to be installed before the headliner goes in.

I suggest a service manual and an assembly manual, both are valuable references and worth every penny spent.

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"It’s gonna take me a long time to save up the money to do my chrome and paint since this last batch of bodywork depleted my funds. In the meantime I have several things I’m gonna do and one of them is rebuild my front end. Anybody got any tips or techniques for doing the springs without the weight of the engine? I want to do as much as I can while everything is off the front end. The reason I am retired from the military and police so young is because of rheumatism and I can only do so much bending leaning and stooping before I start hurting."


Get an INTERNAL spring compressor- there is only one screw for this tool; the two screw, twin hook compressors are for external strut springs- and unthread the hook. Then remove the lower hook (the one that slide along the screw shaft). Get a washer that the screw shaft will fit through. put some grease on the washer, then slip the screw shaft through the washer and into the UPPER shock mount from above- it is now hanging down into the cavity where the coil spring resides.
Thread the first hook back onto the screw shaft, then seat the coil spring in the upper helix mount of the frame. Tighten the compressor enough to hold the spring up to the frame.
hang the lower control arm from its frame mounts, then gauge where the lower spring pigtail needs to be so it lines up with the pocket in the lower control arm (the end of the spring needs to cover one hole, but not the next hole), then adjust the spring so the pigtail falls into this location.
Tight then spring (not a bad idea to put a cable or chain through it- just in case), then move the lower control arm into place with a floor jack.
Assemble the control arms, spindle, and balljoints, then loosen the spring compressor.
Torque the balljoints and cotter pin them in place.
After the weight of the vehicle is loading the control arms, torque them.... Or use Global West Del-A-Lum bushing and just tighten everything up when you install the springs.

I have the global West knockoffs which look to be really quality pieces. I have tall ball joints upper and lower and factory ac delco shocks and springs. I am anxious to see if the back comes down any once the back glass bumper and gas tank at installed cause right now it’s sitting level and high with no weight on the front end. All I know is those hotchkiss springs rode like a buggy. If I have to lower the car after I get the engine in I will use UMI cause they have a set that takes into account for aluminum heads and intake. Plus isn’t the tall ball joint supposed to give you a half an inch drop too?

Also there is a thread in the 64-65 section about LED taillights. Can you just plug them in or do you need a special flasher to get your turn signals etc to work

If a set of springs 'rode like a buggy', then there was some other factor than the springs, most likely. 2 most common factors, incorrect installation (OE bushings tightened incorrectly) and shocks.

I know not many would run as much spring rate as I do, and it doesn't have a bad ride quality.

LEDs, yes, you need to run the correct flasher unit. Not a big deal though. It's best to not mix LEDs with incandescent bulbs, and I can't say for sure what the impact would be if you do.

I will have more first hand knowledge within the next couple months though, will share.

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Haven't found an issue with that, at least on one vehicle anyway. My father runs LED's in his GTO. All the tail lights and side markers etc... But when he installed yellow LED bulbs in the front lower running/turn signal lights, something wonky happened and signals wouldn't flash, some of the lights would stay on and some wouldn't.

I had a feeling a ground wasn't being completed somewhere. However once he reinstalled standard yellow incandescent bulbs just in the front signal lights only, everything returned to normal and works as it should. So he just left it that way, still running LED's in the tail lights. He does use a different flasher in it to work with the LED's.

Kind of weird but his car didn't like LED's in the front market lights.

Something was definitely off on your Hotchkis spring deal-- I ALWAYS run them on street driven cars, and, to me, their ride is smooth, taught, and controlled.
I have Hotchkis in my 74 Formula, and already put them in the rear of my 64 Tempest. I'm getting them for the front of the Tempest too, but I have to wait until I get the control arms situated- If I use a lower with a spring pocket, that may lower the car an additional inch, so I'd only need 1" drop vs. 2" like I have in the rear.
I previously had Hotchkis springs in my 68 LeMans, and that thing rode and handled fantastically!

Mine rode like an ox cart. I think it was a combination of worn out body bushings, bilsteins aggressive shocks, the polyurethane bushings in the control arms and over tightening. Whatever it was it was truly awful to the point of people commenting on it. Replaced everything with ac delco springs and shocks so we will see how it does....in a few years LOL

I wired separate grounds for the front light harness, so fingers crossed! I also did use the load resistors, though it was said they weren't needed in my case.

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Well wife gave me the go ahead to up my monthly budget so things should move at a quicker pace now. I was spending a thousand dollars a month which she wasn’t happy about. We agreed to 500 every two months but that’s a snails pace so instead of my going and getting a new truck I am gonna keep the Yukon alive as long as I can and spend 600 a month which is what the car payment for the truck I wanted was. Happy days are here again. Gonna get the chrome done then save for bodywork.

I bought the shock tower brace that braces the towers on the rear on the frame but I couldn’t get it to fit between the frame and the trunk floor. I am gonna but some longer 5/16 bolts to go through the brace and the frame and I am gonna loosen the four back body mounts up and try to jack it up far enough to slide it in and get the bolts started in my shocks. I hope it works cause I really don’t want to sell that piece.

By the way anyone ever use badger metal works to do their chrome. They gave me a reasonable estimate and a discount for the number of pieces but I have never heard any feedback good or bad on their work. I called Paul’s chrome plating and almost had a heart artack

Are you having bumpers chromed or pot metal pieces?

Pot metal pieces are not inexpensive to have restored/rechromed, I'm guessing you realize.

If you are doing driver quality, I believe bumper repops are available, as well as a number of trim items. Sometimes they are less expensive than having something rechromed/restored, especially if you factor in shipping.

Unfortunately, 64/65 stuff is a little more expensive, but bumpers are available. Parts Place has them.

If you have cores, that helps, if cores are not accepted, you can sell what you have to offset the cost of replacements.

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Thanks for the tip about the parts place

Well only I could break a brand new cage nut loose from the body. I was trying to install the UMI shock tower brace that I should have installed while the body was off the frame. I tried last week and it was just not going to fit so I called UMI and they told me that I needed to take the body mounts loose and jack up the body and the brace should slide right in.....WRONG. After messing with it for hours it was apparent to me and several other people helping me that it just was not going to go on. So anyway its up for sell but when I set the body back down the rear crossmember drivers side bushing was not seated I adjusted it as best I could but the bolt was still going in kinda cocked so I pried on the crossmember with a pry handle as I tightened the bolt. Well it broke the cage nut inside so now I have to cut a hole in my beautiful new trunk floor to weld a cage nut in. Oh well at least I can cover it with spatter paint and a mat.

Did you paint your trunk with spatter paint?

Not yet it’s still in that black EDP coating that all the AMD sheetmetal comes in. I was on the fence about spatter paint but it’s a definite now. I learned to weld in the army but I want no trace of this repair as I am already disgusted enough