Topic: "Piper's" Restoration Progress

[TurdPolisher]

Man your making quick progress.

yup......gettin 'r DONE! Late nights but, heck, I'm having a blast learning and doing.  It's hard for me to stay focused, so this is one of the purposes of the project.........to teach me just that....one step at a time.  Other wise, I just have too many things going at once and I never get anything done.

How is you progress coming along little man{

[TurdPolisher]

And for the rust hole, best would be to cut it out beyond the rust, cut out a metal patch to fit the hole, like a puzzle piece, and weld it in.

great idea thanks!!  Yeah I know they make something for working with baseboard molding, of course on a smaller version. I will look into that.  Yeah, I think you might be right on the rust patch. I was thinking about a fiberglass patch, but I think that just might cause more problems in the future.  I'll have my buddy's welder for the holes so I should do all the welding then.  I get to learn how to weld too.  Take a peek again at the patch they welded on the quarter panel.  That weld might need to be ground down as it is pretty high.  Do you think I should try that, or just filler on top of that as I'm ......I don't want to grind off too much to damage the integrity of the repair yet don't want it to be too darn high either when I fill it in. What do you think.

Also, what gauge was used for the panels on the TAs.  18, 20, 22{  What should I use for the patch....all would be good and I'm thinking the 18 would be fine for that small area but want it to be the same as the rest of the car.

[TurdPolisher]

Just a quick note. For shaping up the door, and perhaps the quarter too, you could buy a profile gauge. The longer the gauge you get, the better. 

They wanted $40 for a 15 inch one....heck, for that I can link 3 of these together, save money AND get a longer one.  http://www.micromark.com/8-Inch-Plastic-Contour-Gauge-with-Interlocking-Ends,9578.html

[tbirdscott]

Have you tried to locate another door and quarter panel? You have made good progress on fixing what you have but for the amount of work it's gonna take before it's ready for paint you would be farther ahead to replace them both. Save a lot of time and have a better finished product.

Also 110V mig welders can be had for cheap nowadays, would not be a bad idea to think about picking one up for yourself when you can. Once you have one you will wonder how you managed without one, kinda like torches.

[Grand73Am]

If I were you, that panel is so lumpy, I'd buy a new quarter panel and replace it. It would take care of almost all of your damage, and save you from having to do a lot of bondo sculpting. Here's one thread that shows a quarter replacement on right side. I'm sure you could find other threads or even videos to get more tips on doing it: http://www.78ta.com/HTAF/index.php?topic=36745.60

[TurdPolisher]

If I were you, that panel is so lumpy, I'd buy a new quarter panel and replace it. It would take care of almost all of your damage, and save you from having to do a lot of bondo sculpting. Here's one thread that shows a quarter replacement on right side. I'm sure you could find other threads or even videos to get more tips on doing it: http://www.78ta.com/HTAF/index.php?topic=36745.60

Hmmm  That really has me thinking.  That is the right way to do it for sure. However, they seemed to get it looking pretty good and smooth when it was under primer. I didn't know the area was damaged that bad until I dug into it.   Perhaps I can cut the one I have, dolly out the damage and re weld it.  Seems to be the most  cost effective way to do it and ensure it will fit. 

That might be out of my league as I'm still in Pop Warner when it comes to my experience level..........then again, I only paid $500 for the car.........why not learn on it.

I'll think about my attack while I'm working on the doors.  Should have them done this weekend.

[Grand73Am]

I applaud your efforts on your 79. 79's are my favorite and I have 3, all of which need work, but at least I got 'em  .  So, it's good to see you saving another one    .

[TurdPolisher]

If I were you, that panel is so lumpy, I'd buy a new quarter panel and replace it. It would take care of almost all of your damage, and save you from having to do a lot of bondo sculpting. Here's one thread that shows a quarter replacement on right side. I'm sure you could find other threads or even videos to get more tips on doing it: http://www.78ta.com/HTAF/index.php?topic=36745.60

Ok, from the get go, the guy that is working and teaching me some things said to me "if you are going to go it wrong, you might as well do it right." 

With that in mind, I have decided to go the RIGHT way and replace the rear quarter panel with this. 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1974-81-FIREBIRD-TRANS-AM-60-QUARTER-PANEL-SKIN-RIGHT-/330433608832?hash=item4cef60bc80&item=330433608832&pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

Like you said, since it is FUBAR with all the dings, I don't trust myself to get that quarter panel  contour just right...although I do want to try working it with filler for practice.  I hate the sound of the "thump" when I check for bondo and find a patch. I do recall hearing it when I checked for body damage.

is one is only $135 with shipping.  I might need to get more tools as I just don't know how to attach the QP to the rear tail piece, or whatever they call it. Either way, I'll learn advanced body work skills , mig welding  and practice sculpting....and it will be done right.  That works for me..
  I sure hope it is the same gauge metal as the original body. 

I'll have to check first with the seller  before I order.........But this is a better price then the $260 panel.......which I would prefer since it is original. hmmm

[TurdPolisher]

While I am waiting for some deliveries, my new used 15x8 rims for $45 each arrived today and I thought I would put some things on hold and restore one of the wheels.  In the process, since I like video production as well, I figured I would do a video on how I did it using some old tricks I learned using Chaps Stick along the front of the spokes prior to priming and painting to allow for easy removal.

Here is how I restored my wheels.  (Polishing using buffing compound on a cotton wheel will be in a future video.)
http://youtu.be/lvjNw4oJnEg

[TurdPolisher]

I applaud your efforts on your 79. 79's are my favorite and I have 3, all of which need work, but at least I got 'em  .  So, it's good to see you saving another one    .

You sound as happy as they guy I bought the car from as he too is into restoration, but prefers the early 70s.  And yes, it will be good to see yet another soon to be classic on the road.

[TurdPolisher]

Today I embarked upon an archaeological dig for my build sheet as it was not behind the rear seats. With the next option of hiding it above the fuel tank...........I went digging and...............

Yeah it looks like it came out of king tuts tomb.  Anyway, as I had never (nor had anyone else) seen the seat design as shown here.........



the build sheet revealed that it was a custom order vehicle. The code YS1-Custom front seats and YR1-Custom rear seats are indicated from what I could read. There were also custom door panels that I think were black.  From what else I could read it indicates WV9-Red Graphics 053-hood decal and some other things. I am going to try to clean off as much of the dirt as I can..........with the amount of dirt..........yes it was a track car for sure.

Not sure if I want to restore the front seats to these specs or not..............hmmmm Any ideas as to if this will effect the value, please let me know how it will.

The undercarriage is torn down completely ready for the wire wheel of death. 

[Grand73Am]

The YS-1 and YR-1 codes for "custom" seats doesn't mean that they were specially ordered with different seat cover material from the cloth that was normally used. They mean that the car came with Deluxe interior, which many 79's came with.

Your seats are not from a 79 with Deluxe interior, or the seats were recovered at some point with the wrong material, since no 79's came with that seat material. Those seats could very likely be from an 81, since 81's had that kind of striped material, called Pimlico.

Also, having custom door panels just means that they were the Deluxe door panels, and not that they were ordered in a different color. If  the door panels were black, someone changed them.

On your body tag (cowl tag) on the firewall, there's an interior code which tells what style(standard or deluxe), color(obviously red), and material(cloth or vinyl) that the seats were. So, that's what you would go by to restore your interior. It's apparent the color is red, and that it is a Deluxe interior. The pull handle on the dash shows it's a Deluxe interior. All we need to determine is whether the seat material was deluxe cloth(hobnail lombardy) or Doeskin vinyl. If you put your cowl tag codes here, someone can translate them.

[TurdPolisher]

The YS-1 and YR-1 codes for "custom" seats doesn't mean that they were specially ordered with different seat cover material from the cloth that was normally used. They mean that the car came with Deluxe interior, which many 79's came with.

Your seats are not from a 79 with Deluxe interior, or the seats were recovered at some point with the wrong material, since no 79's came with that seat material. Those seats could very likely be from an 81, since 81's had that kind of striped material, called Pimlico.

Also, having custom door panels just means that they were the Deluxe door panels, and not that they were ordered in a different color. If  the door panels were black, someone changed them.

On your body tag (cowl tag) on the firewall, there's an interior code which tells what style(standard or deluxe), color(obviously red), and material(cloth or vinyl) that the seats were. So, that's what you would go by to restore your interior. It's apparent the color is red, and that it is a Deluxe interior. The pull handle on the dash shows it's a Deluxe interior. All we need to determine is whether the seat material was deluxe cloth(hobnail lombardy) or Doeskin vinyl. If you put your cowl tag codes here, someone can translate them.

Awesome...........Thanks Steve.  The code is 12N so from what I have been told, they are suppose to be deluxe vinyl in Oyster.  I'm happy with that as I like the oyster deluxe vinyl the most.   Thanks for clearing that up.  Since they are from an 81, would the seats still be the same for when I order the seat covering kits in Deluxe Oyster{ Which won't be ordered for a while as I'm doing the interior last.....after I tackle the engine before I go for more of the body work and primer so I can enjoy her while I save a grand for the paint.

[Grand73Am]

Yes, fortunately the seats are the same, so you just need some new seat covers for them.

I forgot that the seats and other trim could  be white too. I looked back at the start of this thread and saw that picture of a red/white interior. That interior is a standard interior, so not quite like yours would be. Here's what yours looked like originally. The big differences are in the seat pattern and the door panels:


 

[TurdPolisher]

Yes, fortunately the seats are the same, so you just need some new seat covers for them.

I forgot that the seats and other trim could  be white too. I looked back at the start of this thread and saw that picture of a red/white interior. That interior is a standard interior, so not quite like yours would be. Here's what yours looked like originally. The big differences are in the seat pattern and the door panels:

Yup, that is the one and only pic I could find on the web of the combination.  Hitman informed me earlier that the seats were different, but when I found the build sheet, I just think it went out the memory window.  Yeah, he had told me that the deluxe door panels were oyster with carmine red carpet type bottoms..which will look unique for sure.

Good to hear I can use the seats and just recover them with the deluxe oyster covers.  I need to do some structural repair on them as they lean........easy bushing mod but who knows what else could be wrong without me getting in them. The back seat is pristine.  Lot's to do before I get to that point though.