[Judas]

I dread the sanding/paint part the most.

I have a bit of a confession. I suffer from *mild ADD, but it really comes to the fore when I am doing a really repetitive task...like sanding. My mind starts to wander and poor quality is pretty much inevitable. I have accepted that my paint will look bad in the end.

This isnt a problem with things like metal work because there is a lot of varied steps like shaping, fitment, cutting, grinding, and welding. I can't fathom how anyone can sand for hours on end. :|

I do have a plan though to help things out at that point.
1. Go panel by panel, treating each as a sub-project as much as possible, knowing that the panels do "work together" to establish the body lines.
2. For the sanding/painting step I am going to rent a garage. There is no way to do this right in a car port. The main thing is to get the project "mobile" (towable) by getting the body back on the rolling chassis.
3. Mix in mechanical/electrical work to break up the monotony.

-J

[Judas]

I have not bumped in a while, but there has been some progress. I have just been lax in getting the pics uploaded and such.

Pages 7-8 cover installation of the Pypes exhaust, and more work on the trunk floor which is almost complete. All that remains is the pass floor brace, then I can get it mated to the wheel well, leading to the passenger quarter panel repair.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=f2e9257c31

-J

[shawn e.]

It's coming! You have done a ton of work. Looks good!

Shawn

[valkyrie9901]

Moving right along.................Keep at it and it will come together........JB.

[Judas]

Thanks for the words guys!

Ran into a couple of setbacks on Sunday.

An old friend of mine who is a prof. mechanic dropped by and looked over the project. I asked him about the strange alignment of the bolts that go through the upper control arms and the bushings of the differential housing. The passenger side one is seriously cocked and crushing the bushing. I was not sure if this was because the frame is in an unnatural setup (no body on top it, no rear wheels, frame on jack stands). He was of the opinion that the control arms probably have a right/left sideness to them and I have installed them backwards. Anyone know for sure? I bought them as a set and they were not marked if I recall.

After that, I said "Why don't we fire up the engine?" since I have not heard it run yet with the new exhaust, although I had it running before (2 months ago). It began to start then quit. After that, it would not kick over. Gas started coming out of the top of the carb and dripping from a junction in the exhaust pipe. So, I am betting the float is stuck and the carb is going to have to come off for a check up. With that much raw fuel pouring into the motor, I better change the oil and pull the plugs to "pump out" the cylinders.

Ah well...at least its a change of pace from sheetmetal work...

-J

[Judas]

I havent bumped the thread in a long, long time, but much has happened. Most of it very good.

First and foremost, the days of me working in a carport are rapidly approaching zero. My motorcycle parts biz is doing well enough that I now have a 1400sqft garage/warehouse with, of course, a bay door. I have been moving and consolidating all the GTO parts/fastners/etc to this location.

Related to that: Recently, I got a helluva good deal on industrial steel shelving (1$ per shelf, 1$ per 8-foot upright) from a paint company that renovated their main warehouse. This weekend, a buddy of mine is coming up to help me build them. A few will be dedicated to GTO parts, not motorcycle parts

I have been "strengthening" the body sheel in preparation to move it. I had hoped to be done by now, but you know how that goes. I did finish the trunk floor and bracing! I also welded the passenger floor/brace back to the patched wheel well. You can feel the back end is now becoming more "solid". Now I have to do the same on the driver side and I think it will be safe enough to put back on the frame for transport.

On the engine front; I fixed the float in the carb and have ran it through the new exhaust. It does not idle well, but I think that is a result of "guessed timing" + untuned carb + no throttle springs. Basically, its a patchwork, but it still roars when you juice it.

At spring carlisle, I got a rear-disc brake kit and, most importantly, an OEM drivers fender! I may (or may not) have mentioned that mine was badly rusted to the point of non-repair in the top.

I think I am going to have to remove the header pipe extensions and cut about 2 inches from them. I am using Hooker Comp headers + the Pypes complete system. The "humps" for the axles look to be too far back and will get hit if the car bounces. Anyone else have to do this?

I don't have many pics of all this, but some will be forthcoming.

[Judas]

Just cause I havent bumped in a while, doesn't mean I haven't been busy!

BIG NEWS below, but first some updates.

We cut 2 inches out of the header extensions to move the 'hump' at the axle forward. It looks way better now, but we will check it again once the body + frame are together. There is plenty of room for adjustment left.

The donor GTO quarter section has been dissassembed (epic struggle) and patches cut from it for the wheel well inner and outer. These parts have been welded in and the wheel house has been mated back to the trunk. The rear of the body is pretty solid again.

All new front brakes installed; rotors, bearings, calipers, pads, hardware, and hoses (well, once I get new banjo bolts for the hoses since the others are AWOL. :/ )

Now...why would I install new rotors if I am working in a carport so they can rust up? Because of the Big News:

***

Tomorrow we put the body back on the frame and haul the car to my warehouse. This should be the last day that the GTO sits in an open carport! I've got a nice area reserved for it and work should speed up now that I am unhampered by weather and darkness.

There are pics for the above at the usual place: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=f2e9257c31

Speaking of which, I cleaned up the album a bit. There were a few pics that were somehow out of order. Enjoy!

-J

[Judas]

The car is together! Finally, there is something you can point at and say “There! There is the car!” (even if it’s a stripped car).

We had a cherry picker and a come-along, but in the end, with the body being so out of alignment with the frame below, we said “F-it” and just lifted the body by hand; my friend in the front, me in the rear, and put it down on the frame. I am very proud to announce that I managed to weld the braces and whatnot together properly so that all the bolt holes (body-to-frame) aligned after some normal adjustments. Also; the car did NOT fold up like a piece of metal Origami when we did so.

The actual move went almost flawlessly. We had 1 delay where we had to run to the store for the most humble of things: lug-nuts. I had lost mine and we had to bolt the wheels on to move it.

Luckily, I had my old wheels from my ’79 Camaro (scrapped in 1999) still sitting in the yard covered by bushes. I had to dig one out because one of the GTO tires was so dry-rotted that the sidewall was split. The Camaro tire was flat too, but it was one of those extra wide, rear racing wheels so just the thickness of the tire combined with light/stripped body worked out.

For once my extra steep driveway came in handy because the GTO largely rolled itself down the hill (even with a flat) and we used my 05 Ford Escape tethered behind it as a “brake”. Crude but effective. After that, I pulled around to the front and used the Escape to drag it down the street (straightening the car out), docked the trailer to it, and hoisted it up and away.

Standing in the center of my own carport is an almost surreal experience. The GTO went there very shortly after I moved into this house and has been a permanent fixture since. I really psyched to work on it now, but the next step is getting everything into the shop and organized to start the ‘push’.

[squidtone]

Judas,
I just took a look at all your pix on facebook. WOW you've done a ton of work. Keep it up. Looks great. The new work area should be a great help!
Dave

[Judas]

Thanks Squid! Can't wait to get back to it! Things are slowing down for the moment due to Xmas, but I should get some done over the upcoming extra time off.

-J

[Judas]

Holy crap, I can't believe it's been so long since my last update. I bet y'all think I gave up! Sorry, I am not that bright!

Anyhow, I filled up that whole album here (200 pics):

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3500440&type=1

And theres another 90 pics here to bring you up to the present:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3500440&type=1

To summarize: I've repaired the base of the windshield (I didnt know they made a patch nowadays), got the passenger side quarter a hair from install (includes repair of the wheel well and filler panel) and got the driver's side quarter rough fit. Current projects include repairing the package shelf and the trunk lid. We also installed the 4-wheel disk brakes.

Also, in tandem with this, i have been improving the shop itself with things like "electricity"

It's really hard to believe almost 2 years have passed since my last post. Looking at it from that mindset, I am moving at a glacial pace.

Anyhow, enjoy the pics!

-J

[Matt Meaney]

[QUOTE=Judas;4456962
It's really hard to believe almost 2 years have passed since my last post. Looking at it from that mindset, I am moving at a glacial pace.



-J[/QUOTE]

12/08/2010 to 12/08/2011 is one year. it's only 11/3/2011 not even one year. dude, your flying through this thing! at this rate you'll be driving it by spring now don't go slacking off, thinking your ahead.

any way you could post some pics here? i don't "facebook", but really like to follow these progress theads.

[Judas]

Doh! Your right; I was thinking it was 12/09 for some reason.

I might post some here, but I really like the album functionality on FB. I am not a big FB'er, but the way it puts the pics in a nice template so you can add captions is great. Also, reordering the album is ez.

[Judas]

Well, it's been 6 months since my last post, so I guess its time for a bump. I've realized that almost 10 years have passed since I started, so I guess I have another 10-15 years to go. :/

Anyhow, the package tray is completely repaired and I have taken on, and completed, repair of the corner of the rear window, passenger-side. Mine had rusted like so many other A-bodies and I had to create this complex piece with amature tools. This repair was every bit as difficult as you've heard.

And what would a repair on this car be without finding another major setback? I found the filler panel was swiss-cheese, expertly hidden with a skin of bondo. I removed all the mud and patched it with 3 large sections. I was torn between this and getting a re-pop filler panel, but strangely, the edges (spot weld areas) of mine were all good. It was just the flat section that was bad so I thought I would be slightly ahead, time-wise, by cutting out the sections vs splitting all the spot welds. Also, I wouldnt have to 'fit' the re-pop panel made out of 'sorta 18 gauge' metal.

I also did some patches of the passenger quarter. Considering the damage I've found, I think this car must have had a vinyl top. At this point, I most certainly should have bought a full quarter for the passenger side, but I found the damage 'incrementally' as I did other things.

Small items: Found a small hole in the floor (thought I was done there) and patched it. Cleaned up the speaker holes for my new speakers. Tested and installed a new fuel sending unit into the new tank.

Pics are here, about halfway down since last post. Enjoy!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3500440&type=3

[Judas]

Update: I had started fiddling with the disaster that is the trunk lid and decided to make a push to finish it. As most of you here know, the 69 Trunk lid is unique and virtually impossible to find at any price. The few that do appear usually have enormous price tags attached to them. So, I decided to attempt fixing mine. I can't make it worse than the rotted out/crashed mess that it already is.

I decided to start with patching the skin. My reasoning is I could use whats left of the structure to get the skin aligned, then make the structure 'to match'. I am working slowly in sections here because I don't want to 'lose' the lower edge of the trunk.

At this point, the skin is nearly done but the structure, with all its bumps and irregular angles will be a nightmare.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3500440&type=3

[PMD1969]

Judas you certainly have skills and persistence ! Thanks for posting your project.

[Judas]

Thanks PMD. Some times though, I wonder if its "persistance", "stubborness" or "stupidity". :/

Anyhow, some things to report. Naturally, progress slowed down as we plowed through summer with it's cook-outs, trips to the beach (Ocean City, MD) and other outings.

Nevertheless, I have almost completed the trunk lid repair. The skin is done, and I am have painstakingly re-created the structure (underside) on the right half (well, left- because its upside down on saw-horses).

Meanwhile, I have dismantled both doors in prep. for their sheetmetal and resto work.

Also, my neighbor borrowed my angle grinder one weekend, so it forced me to finally stop putting off painting the final top coat on the underbody. I didn't get to it before 'tow day' came when the body and frame were seperated because the weather suddenly got cold and the paint would not set or dry. So, I did a basic scuff + hand paint, and finished the core support as well.

The album is almost full, so I might be starting a new one soon. Think I am up to just over 500 pics so far...

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3500440&type=3

[Judas]

And so, my project is delayed 'indefinitely'. I crashed on my motorcycle and broke my knee. "But wait, theres more!" While waiting for the knee reconstruction, my leg was immobilized for 7 weeks. This caused a major blood clot to form (they didnt give me blood thinners), leading to a Pumonary Embolism which nearly killed me. I had a swollen heart, clots in my lungs, and was deathly when the EMT's came to get me. Let me tell you; the terror has no description.

10 days in the hospital later (5 in the ICU), a blood filter, two rounds of clot buster, and a procedure where they 'Roto-rooter' my veins, and I am alive.

However, my knee cannot be operated on because I am on a regimen of blood thinners and I cannot extend my leg. So, basically I am a cripple for 9 months or more.

So...thats it till sometime deep in 2013. Another decade or 2, and I'll be driving.

Be happy for the health that you have!

-J

[goatman65]

Wow,sorry to hear that. Haven't had a chance to look at all your pics but judging from what i did see you are doing a great job. I like when guys aren't afraid to do their own work rather than paying to have it done.

I've had my 65 GTO for 30 years and have always done my own work,mostly because i want to and enjoy it. The only time i pay for work is for things like plating or engine machine work.

Right now i'm about where you are,recontructing the rear after i wrecked it in 2010.
The first pic is the day it happened.
Second pic is after some 'quickie' bodywork in 2011 to get it back on the road.
Last pic is the way it looks now in high-build primer.

Good luck with your car,and your health. You can use the time to do research on the web.

[Judas]

THanks for the the wishes! Health is a blessing to be sure. When I was waiting for the EMT's, I wasnt thinking about cars, houses, or bills. I just saw the faces of my wife and kids, and the idea of them slipping away was crushing.

Wow, thats a nasty hit. You've done a world-class job repairing it! Please post me the finished pic when you get there!

One update: Since I can't do metalwork (too much danger of a cut with blood thinners), I am going to see about running the new electrical system. I figure I can sit inside the car and work on that.