[boostmaster]

For the past few years I've been on and off fooling with a 67 Tempest Custom. For the past year it has sat untouched in bare metal (all the metal work had been completed).

Recently, I sent her out to get some primer and a coat of hot rod black in order to protect the metal and keep things as cheap as possible.

My goal was to see if we could get the car back on the road again with the most minimal amount of expense and without damaging all the work so far. Once we have some more cash, we will probably have the body work done and the have the car painted properly.

So, at this point the following has been done:

Body: metal work finished, painted
Frame: painted and long hard lines run
Suspension: new shocks and springs, control arms etc. (set up for OEM drums all around)
Engine: rebuilt and painted
Trans: rebuilt and painted

So, the other day we get the car back and feels like looking at Mt. Everest! I'm not really sure where to begin. Body is bolted back onto the frame. (Fenders and core support lightly bolted in place for transport- will be removed for engine/trans install.

Brakes and suspension?
Wiring?
Engine and trans?
fuel tank?
Exhaust?

I know there's a million ways to go about this but I want to be as efficient as possible. Thought I'd pick the brains of the folks who've done it!! Thoughts?

Note: There's lots of small bits that I do not yet have such as the fuel pump, sending unit, water pump, distributor, etc. AND the steering column looks like it could use a quick going through as well...

[boostmaster]

Nobody?

Don't need a bolt by bolt guide. Just looking for ideas on how you would start (or have done in the past) and maybe the rationale behind it.

For example: do I fit the fuel tank first before the exhaust. Will one necessitate the removal of the other? It's the little details that I'm hoping you hard core pontiackers will be able to guide me with. I'd hate to do things twice if I can avoid it.

[Doug]

So, if your "fuel line(s) are done, why not do the gas tank now? For me, the exhaust system is something you do at the last (assuming your exhaust manifolds are in place).

Wiring? Are you doing a complete new wiring harness or piece-meal? I assume your car is "empty" (seats out) so running the harness through the car to the rear should be fairly simple. This would let you do the hook-up of tail lights, fuel tank.

Dash in car? That part of wiring is easier to do if car is "empty".

What part of "suspension" needs to be done? New steering parts should be fairly easy to do.

Brakes? Sounds like the brake lines (and wheel cylinders?) have been done. I would do that work including adding drums.

Then I would finish building engine. Fuel pump, water pump, sending unit, distributor, etc. Then I would install engine and tranny and finish hookups of fuel line, engine wiring, grounding straps, exhaust system, etc.

This is a general schedule. There are lots of bits and pieces of work that can be done at short work sessions but are necessary to do. When you get opportunity to do sustained periods of work hours, tackle some of the larger chores.

I notice that you are in Lexington, KY which experiences real winter weather. (Nothing like a cold wrench to discourage working.) Accordingly, you may or may not have a nice warm garage to work in so that dictates what little short term jobs you can get done. But, even when its cold, you can be rounding up the parts you will be needing sooner or later.

Don't get discouraged! Pace yourself! It's YOUR car and you can do whatever you want whenever you want!

Good luck! (Make sure to use safety jack stands under it!)

[jd66]

Sounds like mine when it came back from the body shop. first thing torque the body to the frame, align the doors, put in core support and hang the fenders and inner fenders, do all this with the wheels on the ground, now after your happy with all the body lines lift the front assembly off in one piece sounds like alot off work but this way will save you alot of headackes later, now the motor trans exhaust, gas tank wiring and on and on and on, have fun. jd grim 66 gto

[charles bledsoe]

Was the front clip installed as one piece at the assembly plants when these cars were going down the line?

[rexs73gto]

If I were doing it I'd pull the body back off the frame & get all the fuel lines run, then all the suspension done & painted. Then put the gas tank in & all lines hooked up. Make sure the next step is all the brake lines , then put the body on, only.Now do all the inside work , like the wiring , gauges A/C & heat if you have them. Then install the engine& trans. Next is the core support & radiator all the hoses & any thing that goes to the engine so you can start the car without the fenders on so you know it runs & the engine is broke in. Nows the time to install the front fenders & hood & any lights to the outside of the car like markers & headlamps tail lamps. Next is the bumpers & all attaching parts. Last is the interior. Now you've got the way mine went back & it worked out best for me that way.

[400 4spd.]

Sounds like a good plan. However the gas tank is bolted to the body, but I guess it could be strapped up before the body is dropped.
And I would do the exhaust after the engine is in and maybe after the rear bumper, but before the front end.

And yes, Charles. The front end was dropped onto the body and chassis after the drive train. In the 70's we had color match issues on new Buicks at a dealer I worked for. The front fenders were sometimes darker (better coverage) than the doors. The painter said that Fisher was spraying some of the front ends in a different building than where the bodies were shot. Maybe Keith or John V. can chime in?

[boostmaster]

Great info! Thanks guys for all the responses!!!

I'll try to address all the comments:

Doug: While it is cold here we have the car in a garage where we can make some room if the weather permits (ie: no rain or snow, enabling me to push the other garage queen outside while we work on this one)... I think the idea about finishing the engine is a good place to start.


jd66: I recently had the car shot with primer and a satin paint to preserve the work that's already been done and I figured I'd assemble and drive as is for a while while finances recover. The shop "temporarily installed the core support and fenders. I had not considered lining everything up and removing it all as one piece. Would the inner and outer fenders all come out in one shot together? Also how heavy to you estimate this assembly to be? It's just me and the wife working on this.


rexs73gto: When we pulled the car apart I took lots of pics and tried to bag and tag everything. I had a few long hard lines and an assortment of smaller ones. I made sure that they were all clean inside and out and I merely painted them. The long ones were installed by the body shop when the car was off the frame so I'm under the impression that the hard part is done. I need to double check though.

For the brakes I've been kicking the idea around for upgrading to discs since the car is set up for drums. The pros to keeping drums: I have all the parts to put it together now so no more expense or delay. The Cons: poor stopping power. Pro's to adding discs: more stopping power Cons: more expense for the conversion, more time delay and the need for larger wheels which will then be more expense and require larger tires and even more expense. Can't seem to ever win...

Also: I was thinking installing engine and trans before wiring would be ideal so as not to have wires in the way. I'm thinking that ALL the wiring in the car will be new.

[jd66]

when you wrote and said your car was in primer I thought what as great time to get everything lined up. seen many 66 7 cars that where just not right, my car is painted waiting on the motor and now I'm seeing the doors arn't perfect and that means the fenders won't fit right, see where I'm going here? just one persons opinion here but with a little time it could make a differance, but you have to remember not all fenders are the same and not all doors fit the same either, back in the day the dyes would wear from the beginning of a run to the end, as for removing the front end in one piece BTDT but a lot more then you and the wife to handle, where do you live? good luck jd grim 66 gto

[boostmaster]

The car has been in bare metal for about a year in the garage and it's been like a giant rolling paperweight as it's always in the way and could only be rolled out on perfect days. A few months ago we had it out while working on something else it it got lightly rained on. Talk about flash rust! We wiped her down asap but there was still some light surface spots.

I had wanted my body shop to put the car into epoxy primer but they did not want to do so without a million other steps which would equal me spending more cash that I didn't have.

I looked into spraying it myself but I have limited space, a crappy compressor, no paint experience and even more limited skill/patience.

So, I found a shop that would shoot it for me cheap inside, outside, and underneath. Then, I discovered that I still had some hot rod black left over from where the shop did my frame so the new shop shot the whole car for me at my request. (No body work, just the paint) (If nothing else it'll be a guide coat for future body work)

The state of the fitment is actually decent. Doors look pretty good to me. (could use some minor adjustment on the passenger side) Hood and fenders are mocked up and actually look ok... The worst part is the decklid that came off another car. It seems to sit too far out and has a big ding in it (nothing that can't be fixed)

BTDT??? (not sure exactly what this one means?)

I'm in Lexington, KY.

Just a quick back story:
I purchased this car with the "boss's" blessing as a gift for her imminent graduation. We tore it down and sent it out to get the metal work handled by experts. We never imagined in a million years that it would get as expensive as it did. However, since we're neck deep into this thing we've decided to keep moving forward.

My original plan was a pro-touring restomod. That gets very pricey and with the money spent on the body, well, that will have to wait for another time or perhaps another car.

The next plan was her idea (rather, her insistence): Essentially, a completely original rebuild down to the stock 326 with 2bbl and the stock st-300 trans. The car was numbers matching, PHS documented and essentially untouched (ie: not terribly hacked).
So, the engine and trans are done. Metal work is done. Satin paint on a less than perfect but, 100% solid car is done.

My goal currently was to see if we could get this thing running under its own power by her graduation which is in May 2014... The engine shop that did the engine has offered to help us to do a proper break in and carburetor adjustment when we're ready to get her running. (Sorry to all the expert gear heads... I absolutely love cars but no one in my family was ever interested so, I never learned much except what I've taught myself as I've gone along... I've never fooled with a non computer controlled engine or even had the occasion to start a brand new one so it's all new to me.) Please don't flame me...

I'm sure I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew at the moment so this is why I frequent these, and similar boards. I need all the expertise and guidance I can get.

Once the car is able to move on its own and we have some extra cash, then the car will go back to my shop for some body work love and some nice paint- maybe. The boss is kinda digging the satin black mad max look right now (even the pitted chrome). Go figure.

[1966geeto]

I would be chomping at the bit to start it up don't ever be embarrassed about not knowing you can always learn and it's much easier on the non computer controlled cars what ignition system are you running stock if so you can set it up by yourself did they drop the distributor in for you ?.Need help just ask..

[jd66]

Been There Done That. wish I lived closer would give ya a hand. jd grim 66 gto

[boostmaster]

Thanks for the encouragement.

The engine shop only rebuilt and assembled the block (minus fuel pump, water pump, oil pump and no distributor) The original distributor was damaged during removal.

I had planned to drop in an original reproduction distributor but a lot of folks here recommended a gentleman who custom builds distributors which apparently affects driveability, starting and so forth.

If I can find the name of the guy I'll post it here. I have it saved somewhere for future reference.

[boostmaster]

I found the link as well as some emails I had exchanged with Mr. Ray. Price seems right and all I have read about his work is excellent. I need to dig out all my engine specs so that I can prepare the sheet he sent me and get this part of the project on the burner.

http://www.davessmallbodyheis.com/

[Andre]

I could be wrong on this, and maybe the $$ are not available, but I would take the body and sheet metal to your nearest MAACO, Econo, or whatever paint and body shop you have around there, and have them shoot the car in a color that makes you happy. (even if it is black) It doesn't matter that the body work isn't done, because that would be better protection than primer etc. Around here you can get it shot for about $200.
As far as putting it back together, I would stick with original parts that you have instead of spending $$ on upgrades. All the factory components work just nicely as is. You aren't trying to go fast right now, you are just trying to get going. You can always change those out later.
If we were closer, I'd bring one of my friends, and we could probably have that thing back on the road in 2 hard days of thrashing on it. Perfection can be accomplished later on the running/driving car.

[boostmaster]

Andre: the body was shot with hot rod black paint. I wanted to avoid leaving it in primer. I'm pretty sure that original is about all I can swing right now....

I just need to do all the assembly and it's painful to discover that I need lots of little things and that those little things start adding up rather quickly.

For example: The new harnesses for the car will run over $700, the new distributor close to $300, new water pump, fuel pump, so on and so on at $40-50 bucks here and there... I probably need to cough up a few grand more in odds and ends before I'm ready to even start the re-assembly.

2 days to put a car together? That's hardcore! Sounds like one of those tv makeovers. I anticipate this reassembly taking some time. If you plan to find yourself in the area, let me know. (I can use all the help I can get) I'd like to be able to say that the weather would be nice for folks wanting to make a visit to KY but it's ugly right now and looking to get worse. Maybe I'll just get some Bourbon and sit in the garage looking at the cars (since there's barely any room to work with both of them in there.) It's supposed to drop to the single digits by next week... I REALLY hate the cold!

[Andre]

I think you need to scale the scope back a little bit. Do you really need to get all new harnesses? As I mentioned in another post, I have not had any trouble with original harnesses that are uncut. I would change out the engine harness though. Was something the matter with the old fuel pump and water pump? I know the idea is to put new parts on the car, but sometimes orignal working parts are better than the reman parts. Whats the matter with the original distributor that a new set of points wont cure? I'm running points distributors in all my cars with no problem on distributors that have not been rebuilt. They are very reliable.

I'm thinking you should post some pictures of what you have. Yeah, 2 days is a short time, but thats 14 hour days with no beer breaks. It would be far from perfect, but it wouild be running and driving and then you can pick at it as time permitted.

[boostmaster]

No beer breaks? You guys just drink the whole time? Not sure my reassembly would go very smoothly if that were the case. That, or the car would run backwards!

I originally started a restoration thread and showed some of my progress but haven't resurrected it since I had not really gotten much accomplished. That's where most of the pics are.
Here's the link: http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=673355

I can post more pics of whatever is helpful. I have many pics.

As for the other parts: We purchased the car non-op. Looked like it had not run in many years. Last registration was in GA in the 80's. The water pump is still on hand but looks rough/ metal plate behind it was rusty. Distributor was frozen and I ended up using a BFH to persuade it to come out (even that was difficult - and eventually damaged the unit) Old fuel pump is still probably floating around but in rough shape and I figured that some of those "important parts" might be better off new so as to limit my possible future issues.

Most of my wire harnesses look fine, save for the tail harness that was trashed. (I'll double check them again to make sure) After, my other thread and the responses that people posted, I was under the impression that the consensus was to go all new to avoid issues... As I stated earlier, I'm neck deep into this and if spending the cash for
new harnesses will make my life easier, I'm all for that-especially, if it becomes a matter of safety.

On the other hand the main goal was to get the car moving by the graduation date- not that she's worried about it but we plan on moving shortly thereafter and it would be easier if the car was able to be driven... Once she's working and we have some extra cash we can finish the car the right way.

[Andre]

I must have missed most of that thread. I'll help the project out by sending you a good clean orignal distributor - gratis. If you have a list of some other stuff, I'll include it. No reason for this stuff to sit around here getting in the way.
Might have a new water pump in the box, I'll have to check. Possibly a new fuel pump? I have a mint used '67 dash harness (not free), but if you feel you must have new, I'm not going to try to tell you otherwise. I saw what the consensus on dash harnesses were, but I don't agree with it at all. It takes about 1 minute to look at a dash harness (especially the fuse box area) and deem it usable or scrap. Of course, I like to save $$ wherever I can. In owning many (40-50) of these cars, I have had one fire- Engine harness shorted out against headers. Of course that was my first GTO (1980), and I didn't know that running the wires to the starter as the factory did for log manifolds was a no-no for headers. I still have that car today.

I probably got a bunch of extra stuff that might help the project along to being driveable, but I couldn't tell from the pictures what is needed. New radiator hoses, belts etc other used parts that are serviceable that you can replace later if you wish.

[boostmaster]

Hey Andre: Thanks for the kind offer!!

Let me post up a few pics of what I'm working with so that you all can get a better idea.