Topic: 77 W72 trans am Restoration ( roof swap )

[4SPEED]

also on the little video clip, the lid isnt sanded or polished yet 

[4SPEED]

a few pics at sun set today.

[1980MNT/A]

Awesome!

[4SPEED]

thanks Bill

[Trevon]

Had to re-watch that video a couple times and made sure it was mirrored seeing that miller text in the background was backwords - looks awesome

[y88rick]

looking good doug

[PA Formula 78]

Looks amazing Doug.  Your going to have one amazing collection of cars once your done with all of them.  What ever happened to that early 2nd gen you were gonna buy off TAC.  Did you end up passing on that one.

[rad400]

Looks great Doug.

[4SPEED]

Looks amazing Doug.  Your going to have one amazing collection of cars once your done with all of them.  What ever happened to that early 2nd gen you were gonna buy off TAC.  Did you end up passing on that one.

I dont what to do another full rebuild on a t/a again, and that one needed alot of lovein.  the cost is just too high, paint and interior work is bad enough.   when I'm ready to looks for 70-73 I'll buy one done. ( it'll be alot cheaper that way)

[PA Formula 78]

Haha, thats what my dad keeps telling me also.  Quit wasting your time and money trying to do a car yourself, buy something that is almost finished and you'll come out ahead.

[ponchonutty]

Doug, man you are doing a great job.  I miss spraying cars, birds for sure.  Looking through your posts remind me when I did my first T/A.  Wet sanding those back fenders was soooo fun.  Seeing all the hard work is so worth it!  Unfortunately after my friend was killed in a car accident I never painted again.  He had a great little shop to work in and was set up right for the DIY'r.  I can't afford to build a facility to do this so I never got back into it.

My first car was silver.  I never had professional training.  My friend wanted me to do it for a living saying I had a knack for doing it.  I guess maybe I should have but oh well.  Anyways, this car below I did when I was 19 years old.  First time spraying base/clear.  I too sprayed the car with doors on and had super glassy jambs when done.  Nothing I hate more than a decent paint job only to see or worse feel overspray!




Not wetsanded yet.

[4SPEED]

DUDE  I almost painted this one like yours.  but didnt know what to do about the bird kit...  that combo rules.

[ponchonutty]

DUDE  I almost painted this one like yours.  but didnt know what to do about the bird kit...  that combo rules.

Thanks!  I actually had more compliments on that car than any other.  It was simply stunning.  I had matching red interior too.  That silver color was actually the same hue as the factory but had more metalflake in the paint that gave it almost a pearl look under the right light.  If I can remember back that far the paint code came up as a 91 Dodge truck color.  Funny thing is that I don't ever remember seeing that shade of silver on any Dodge before.  Then again, Dodge never made a vehicle with such sexy body lines as a 2nd gen bird!

[ponchonutty]

BTW, spraying silver was the hardest thing I ever did.  That car above had the front bumper redone 3 times and one fender twice because of either tiger striping or metallic pooling.

[ponchonutty]

Doug, did either of your cars have this much bondo on the fenders?  On mine all four corners were covered in it.  It was under the factory sealer too.  I met a GM engineer at the T/A nationals that stopped and really adimired my bird.  I showed him pictures of me redoing it and I made a comment about the bondo.  He said by late '78 Pontiac had so many panels made up they were using them all instead of throwing back bad ones.  He said the die used in makeing the panels were well worn after 10 years.  Panels they would have tossed back in early 70's they were using in late 70's and certainly using them by 81!  By the end of the 2nd gen life they had stopped making them and were already set to make the 3rd gens.  I was just curious if anyone else found this much bondo in good metal like this.