CRG Discussion Forum
Camaro Research Group Discussion => Originality => Topic started by: cook_dw on December 01, 2021, 01:09:31 PM
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I’ve thought long and hard about this and I think, with the rising interest in proper restorations coupled with the surging popularity of survivor cars, while discussing with a core member we agreed it would be a good topic to discuss. While I have decided that since RGR is no longer in business and, myself, wanting to help the community, I wanted to start a new thread on how and when to try to attempt preservation on these survivors. I will be using my 68 Z as the platform for the processes I use. I recently brought this car home from a prolonged storage at a friends home and I, then, took a small vacation from my automotive duties. Now that the fog has settled, I have looked the car over and decided to abandon the original plan. Which was restoration that has now turned into a preservation attempt.
I thought seeing how far it had deteriorated to reviving the remaining original car and enjoy the path and hopefully learn some new info along the way. Overall I look forward and encourage additional input from some of the; as I like calling them, Automotive Preservationists. My approach will be from a person that likes to work in the garage and maybe doesn’t have limitless resources but I think an average enthusiast can do and feel good about doing it. Also if you have never attempted any of these processes do so on a test panel or junk part before moving to the desired part or area needing the work. Let me make it clear I am certainly no expert when it comes to preserving as this has always been a hobby. With that said, Let’s get started…
First let’s go over the history of the car to date 11/22/21. Car was originally ordered by Capitol Chevrolet in the fall of 1967 and left Van Nuys plant on 12/22/67.
Unfortunately no history has been found but the trail starts to pick up in the spring of 1970 with this article from the Austin Statesman newspaper. I believe that this is potentially the order in which the story goes at this point. Purely speculation to date.
01/20/70
Person w/ 68 Z writes into newspaper about hill climbing/gymkhana racing.
Columnist T.Q. Jones suggests going to Armstrong-Johnson Ford and meet up with the Cobra Colts Mustang Club.
While this is going on a salesman by the name Bill Pevey sends out a note in the paper that he was currently at Henna Chevrolet the other dealership in Austin aside from Capitol.
01/30/69
Bill Pevey ad for him moving to Henna Chevrolet
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The cause for this info as he then writes another ad in the for sale section that he was back at Armstrong Johnson Ford in
03/14/70
Bill Pevey (salesman) ad listing he left Henna Chevrolet to work for Armstrong-Johnson Ford dealership
This becomes important as Mr. Pevey places another ad several months later of a, you guessed it, 68 Z.
07/16/70 - 07/18/70
Ad appears 68 Z for sale to contact Bill Pevey with A/J phone number 454-3711
Also of note is the company Armstrong Johnson is undergoing a name change from the 51% of Bob Armstrong’s ownership being bought by Leif Johnson (which already owned the remainder 49%) in July of 1970.
07/27/70
Article about Leif Johnson buying out Bob Armstrong's 51% share of company to become primary owner of Ford dealership which would include the name change from Armstrong-Johnson Ford to Leif Johnson Ford.
This is very important as the car still has the Armstrong Johnson of Austin dealer emblem on the tail pan. For the next month or so there are several ads with a 68 red Z28 for sale on the lot.
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This is where the lead cools off for a couple years. We fast forward to April 1972 when I was able to obtain the last known registration of my Camaro’s vin in the Texas DMV database. A gentleman named Mr. Donald A. Dixon.
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I have been searching for Mr. Dixon since 2013 as some of you might remember from previous posts. The summer of 2021 became another jumping off point and reignited the search when a friend gave me access to their newspapers.com search and ultimately subscribed myself. As I made my way through all this new found info I began the search again for Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon originally was from middle TN and went to Texas for basic training and met a young lady that he dated for a month or two and as it turns out went to his girlfriends house for dinner one night. As he pulled in there it sat in the yard like a shiny penny fresh off the press. He amazingly worked a deal with her father (traded is 69 Roadrunner and $50 for the 68 Z) which was a wheeler dealer of used cars on the side from being a Major. There were several training camps in the area as the Major was living in New Braunfels, Texas. Mr. Dixon said the first thing he did after getting back to the base was go to the local speed shop and bought a new Hurst shifter. Once Dixon finished training and was finally done with his service to our country he moved back in 1974. Upon coming back to middle TN he traded the 68 Z into EB Smith Chevrolet on a 72 Monte Carlo and as he put it the worst mistake he ever made..
No results were found on any transactions or listings for a 68 Z from EB Smith from 1974-1975. The belief is EB wholesaled it to another used car lot where the next owner bought it in 1975. His name was Randy Cassidy. From ‘75 until 2005 he owned the car and in the late 70’s decided to blow the car apart and begin a resto. Luckily for me, the car sat basically untouched until this fall. My father, along with myself, had been after the car for as long as I remember. With the passing of my father in Oct of 2006 the car was passed on to me for ownership. And with that, the preservation will begin.
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To start the preservation I decided to work on the pass side roof and see how much the ole Matador Red will come back to life.
Steps used to accomplish this was the following:
1. Wash with your favorite dish soap. Mine is Dawn and dry with a microfiber towel
2. Pick a clay bar of your choice and go over the area you are preparing. Mine for this project is Pinnacle clay bar and Meguiars Quick Detailer as the lubricant.
3. Apply a generous coating of Meguiars #7 polish and hand polish it like you are mad at it and let it sit overnight and out of direct sunlight.
4. 800, 1500 and finally 2k wet grit paper - work backwards to make sure you don't go too far on prepping the painted surface and then go back in the order listed. Every car is different so I can't stress this enough but take your time and practice before you get aggressive with the paper.
5. Meguiars #105 with a wool pad on a DA polisher. Reason I do not use a buffer as you can burn the paint quickly if you are not used to operating one. DA polisher is much more forgiving in this regard.
6. Meguiars #105 with a firm microfiber pad on a DA polisher.
7. Meguiars #105 with a medium (maroon Meguiars) pad on a DA polisher.
8. Meguiars #205 with a soft (black Meguiars) pad on a DA polisher.
9. Finish the area again with #7
Now these are the steps I use and seem to have decent success with this. Realize that every car is different and other products will most likely do the same but for me I have had positive results using Meguiars so that is what I used.
Photo 1 - After washing and clay barring the application of the #7
Photo 2 - Roof after after wet sanding and #105 & #205 (steps 5-9)
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Photo 3 - Sail panel after wet sanding and before polishing
Photo 4 - Sail panel after polishing
Photo 5 - Pass quarter before steps listed in previous post
Photo 6 - Pass quarter after
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Photo 7 - Pass door before
Photo 8 - Pass door after
Photo 9 - Quarter and door after
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Looking like this is going to be a great thread.
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Keep AT IT!
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Looking like this is going to be a great thread.
I agree! I love the before and after contrast on pass side in photo 8. Great idea to do this from the preservation approach. The result is what a truly original car looks like. Thank you for sharing your work!
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Thanks gentlemen.
I was fortunate enough for a fellow CRG'er had a good eye and located me an original dealer emblem from Capitol Chevrolet. Thanks Bentley. As you can see although the emblem is a newer design without the attachment pins for the emblem which would have been later replaced by adhesive the location of the ejector pin locations match up perfectly with the original holes that were placed in the tail pan.
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I'm looking forward to following this thread.
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This will be definitely worth following. thanks.
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While I work my way around the backside of the car I continue to use the same procedures mentioned above. Some things to note. The car, at some point (I can confirm prior to April '72 when Dixon bought the car), had been tapped in the rear and I believe that is when the spoiler was added and the trunk lid reshot and a touchup area on the pass side quarter. I will leave it as found as I do not want to disturb the condition of its history. You can also note the original paint along with stripes which were under the spoiler and once an emblem is in place you can see what's left of the cut out of the stripe for said emblem. I will not this later on as I had to find an original replacement emblem as they did not move the emblem when the spoiler was installed. Underside is still original and the remnants of the jacking instructions along with glue residue from the posi traction decal. I will document those later in the process when I begin the trunk area clean up. Now to the photos.
Photo 10 - Another shot of the roof after final process. It's still show imperfections like stains etc. Unfortunately I do not know of anything that will rid them from the paint surface as it embeds deep into the paint.
Photo 11 - Trunk Lid before.
Photo 12 - A little sanding brought out the original stripe under the repaint on the lip of the lid.
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Photo 13 & 14 - Trunk lid after. You can see how the reshot did not hold up well over the years. But again will not refinish. You can also see that the pass side bumper guard does not sit flush on the bumper. This is due to what I believe was also part of the rear end bump it obtained. I will have to replace it with an original replacement due to the lower bracket that is welded to the guard broke its welds. I have several used guards so this will not be an issue. The primer sprayed on the drivers quarter and upper quarter and sail panel will be addressed. I will remove this primer and keep whatever is underneath up to the surface.
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Photo 15 - is the tail panel before being stripped down to begin cleaning of this area.
Photo 16 & 17 - That decal is a parking sticker for a local University here in TN. Middle Tennessee University and is dated to expire in Aug 15 1976. This was when the previous owner finished high school and attended MTSU in '75 but never finished as he was hired on full time with the postal service in Nashville, TN.
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Photo 18, 19 - are the tail panel cleaned and prepped. Again using the same procedures listed in previous posts.
Photo 20 - you can see how the panel was popped outward around the guard mounting hole due to previously discussed tap. I will address this once I am ready to reinstall the components of the tail section. Also not that every bumper to body bolt and bracket had dum dum around the opening.
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Amazing stuff. Keep the photos coming please.
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Photo 21 & 22 - While the trunk lock is out I went ahead and did a cleaning and polishing of it. Granted there is some residue in the key hole after polishing but will be removed and clean when reinstalled.
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Photo 23 - 25 - Also while out I cleaned the tail light bezels and housings. Bezels were done with Zep Citrus Degreaser (can be purchased anywhere I'd assume but I get it at Home Depot) and a hand polish. Then the housings I did the same Zep cleaning and after wiping them down I used #0000 steel wool and a soap water solution and cleaned the galvanized. I think they turned out ok being originals.
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Photo 26 - 29 - Rear side marker lights were soaked in dawn soap and hot water to get them cleaned and then I used the da polisher and #205 to clean up the lenses. Sorry no before photos on these.
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Photo 30 - 32 - Last updates for today. This was the original license plate light before cleaning. Cleaning procedure is pretty much the same citrus degreaser but then I soak it in evaporust. Once out of the evapo I coat it down with RPM (Rust Preventative Magic). From my experiences the evapo will remove zinc plating or cad plating. I decided to proceed as I was going to protect it with RPM.
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Photo 33 - Lens was the same citrus degreaser and then a minor polish.
Photo 34 - Assembled and ready to install
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Continuing on. As mentioned previously the passenger side bumper guard was damaged and wasn't repairable without welded and damaging the chrome on the shiny side. So I dug around my pile of parts and found a suitable replacement as well as a set of very clean original rubbers and installed them. I am pleased with the finished product.
Steps of cleaning were:
1. Citrus degreaser
2. Evaporust bath (submerge into 5 gal bucket). This took a solid 2 days with the weather in the 30-60F
3. Hard metals polish (green stick) on a buffing wheel on a pedestal mounted grinder.
4. Finish with RPM on the back sides of the guards and hand polish the chrome
Hardware for the guards while using all the original components consist of markings of RBW (bolt supplier). Something to note while I was going through my other guards I had 2 "A" lettered bolts from one of the sets. Food for thought.
EDIT: Like to mention the upper bracket and bolt were zinc plated and required soaking in evapo on the bracket and a cleaning & polishing of the bolt Lower bolt is phosphate and only soaked in evapo and then coated in a silicone based lubricant. I used PB Blaster Silicone Lubricant.
Photo 35 - 37- Before photos of the chosen replacement and the original guard from the drivers side.
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Photo 38 - 41 - After results
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Before I get too far ahead I wanted to go back and clean up the passenger door handle and lock. The handle had a very small amount of micro pitting but I feel like I was able to reduce it some. So a thorough cleaning with, yep you guessed it, citrus degreaser and then hard polish on the buffing wheel. Something I'm not sure many realize or maybe its me and I had forgotten but don't forget to button gasket. Luckily mine was not damaged and still pliable so I reused it.
Photo 42 - Before handle and sorry didn't get a shot of the lock prior.
Photo 43 & 44 - After.
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Photo 45 - 46 - Door lock clip in its original finish along markings
Photo 47 - Trio shot including the trunk lock.
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As I mentioned yesterday I was going to have to source a trunk lid emblem and a header panel emblem which came in the first part of this week. No pitting and a little worn. Should fit perfect with the layout of the car.
Photo 48 - Header panel emblem
Photo 49 - 51 - Trunk emblem. You can see the original painted stripes have the contour cutout for the emblem which is why I removed most but not all of the body work that had been done prior to me getting my hands on it.
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Not much of an update over the weekend due to other projects but I did want to tie up the loose end of the door handle bolts and their markings. Cleaned in Evaporust and then soaked with PB Blaster Silicone Lubricant.
Photos 52 - 54 - Pass side door handle bolts
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Next major milestone in this project will be building a small form to soak the rear bumper in Evaporust and see how well it can be revived. Here are some before photos of the bumper brackets, bolts and nuts. Again soaked in evapo and the sprayed with silicone lubricant.
Photos 55 - 58 - Before photos of the brackets etc. Note the overspray on the outer bumper bracket due to the repair on the quarter.
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Photo 58
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Photo 59 - 61 - Removed the overspray and was able to keep the original finish on the brackets. I coated in them RPM after being soaked in evapo. Notice a trend yet? lol
BTW screws are for the license plate light.
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What did we do before evaporust?
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Great detail and effort Darrell.....
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Thanks. Working around the car to the drivers quarter. Still some of the same. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Photo 62 - Before
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Photo 63 - 65 - After
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Got a couple hours yesterday to rough in the drivers door and get the drivers side of the roof sanded and polished and then my Meguiars maroon pad that was on its last leg finally let go so I had to order a few new ones.. Oh well... Again same of the previous, wash rinse, sand, buff repeat.
Photo 66 - Driver side roof before
Photo 67 - Roof after cleaning, sanding and polishing and loaded up with #7 a left to sit overnight
Photo 68 - Drivers door before
Photo 69 - Drivers door after wet sanding and before polishing
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After allowing the #7 to soak in overnight I hand buffed it off the rest of the car (doors and roof back minus the drivers door). Also polished the drivers door handle and lock so at least that mini project is now finished.
Photo 70 - Door handles and locks finished
Photo 71 - 72 - Roof & quarter after #7 soaking
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Photo 73 - 76 - After hand buffing
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Photo 77 - 79 Roof after hand buff
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Following for sure
Preservationists …love it. My only question thus far is what DA stands for? And what care or procedure
should be used around the nonpainted portion of the D-90 stripe? Thanks
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DA is dual action, which means oscillating as well as rotating.
There are two types of DA actions one is free spinning and the other is geared - the geared cuts hard and fast, the free spinning is more finesse.
On the geared the pad will not spin, it oscillates and gear drives the head in a circular motion.
Makita makes one which will do both, perhaps other companies make similar DA's? The makita brand gearDA is over $500.
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As always James is correct. I’m not fancy and when I decided to start playing around with preserving many years ago I didn’t wanna spend a ton on a DA polisher so I went to Harbor Freight (yeah I know..). Only things I did were by the advice of Mike Phillips of Auto Geek which was blow the unit apart and lube the drive gears with hi temp grease and swap the backing plate to a 5” Lake Country and I’ve been using Meguiars 5” foam pads ever since. I’ve tried several pads and meguiars for me last the longest and work the best for what I wanna do. The HF da is a free spinning unit so there is no worry (for me anyways) when it comes to taped portion of stripes. But with everything always try on a junk or spare part before using on whatever you actually are working on.
Also new updates coming tomorrow.
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Over the weekend between periods of rain and Christmas shopping I was able to get a couple things done and started. New pads finally showed up Friday afternoon so I was able to wrap up the drivers door.
Photo 68 - again this was before
Photo 69 - was after wet sanding
Now with new photos
Photo 80 - After da polishing
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Photo 81 - 82 - Continuation of after
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I then moved my attentions to getting the remainder of the parts that I had inside the trunk and interior so I can move forward in the cleaning to the insides of the car.
Photo 83 - 84 - Trunk area after removing parts and before cleaning
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As you will notice in the previous photos the tail light harness was just hanging outside of the trunk. Well... That was due to me not being able to get the thing out of the trunk drop off. It was hung on something.. So with my trusty archeological digging tools (screwdriver, flash light and magnet) I began the excavation of what was causing the resistance. I also found one of the (what I believe to be the original) barrel nuts that fit into the tailpan for the dealer emblem. And yes I have all the tools soaking in evapo so I can have them with the car as who knows how long they have been in there and I think it's fitting for them to continue to travel with the car just not in the drop off of the trunk..
Photo 85 - 86 - Tools found
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Now that the harness is out of the way I figured I'd see just how well the trunk would clean up.
Photo 87 - drivers side cleaned vs untouched passenger side
Photo 88 - Both sides after starting the cleaning process.
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Keep in mind this is just the beginning of the cleaning of the trunk and you will more than likely see areas that still need attention but rest assured I will be going back and doing a deeper dive into the trunk over the next few nights if time allows with the holidays quickly approaching.
Photo 89 - 90 - Misc Trunk photos
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My apologizes for the photo sizing issues. These trunk photos have too much detail in them for me to keep them at their normal size for the restriction of the forum so the size had to suffer.
Photo 91 - 92 - Misc Trunk
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Photo 93 - 94 - Misc Trunk
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Photo 95 - 96 - Misc Trunk
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Photo 97 - 98 - Misc Trunk
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What did we do before evaporust?
It was Naval Jelly for me and/or a wire wheel. If you left the jelly on too long it would crust up and turned white. The results
were ok but messy to clean up.
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the undercoat in the quarter looks exactly like the one in the NOS 67 convertible quarter in the thread on the forums.
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Slid out to the garage today while the in-laws were visiting and knocked out a couple small tasks.
Photo 99 - 101 Defrost duct
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Photo 102 - 104 Defrost duct
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Photo 105 - 107 Gas tank before. What I originally thought was black overspray on the gas tank I had a hard reminder to double check and always question cause you will eventually make mistakes. I removed the original assembly line blackout from the gas tank. Thank you Jon for reminding about this because the details matter and although it sucks I'm glad it was me and not someone else. Ive learned from my mistake. Oh well Moving on Ill leave it clean or once I go back for a restoration I'll take care of it then. Its documented so nothing to hide. Me ignorantly removing blackout and the clamp dates and sending unit before.
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Photo 108 - 110 Gas tank after
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Photo 111 - 113 Tank after continued - Seq number for the car #20
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Photo 114 - 116 Gas tank straps
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Photo 117 - Gas tank strap hardware
Photo 118 - Strap on tank
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I'd hate to see what you consider a large task. Keep up the good work!
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Just went through the pics. Great job DW. I am thrilled you went the preservation route. Keep up the good work. 😁
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Sure am enjoying this thread. Hope to get my 68 restored soon, and seeing the quality of care and info. here really helps me to know what I should be asking for/looking for in my restoration. Thank you for taking the time.
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I'd hate to see what you consider a large task. Keep up the good work!
It's not that big of a project as long as you don't burn yourself out doing it.
Just went through the pics. Great job DW. I am thrilled you went the preservation route. Keep up the good work. 😁
Sure am enjoying this thread. Hope to get my 68 restored soon, and seeing the quality of care and info. here really helps me to know what I should be asking for/looking for in my restoration. Thank you for taking the time.
Thanks guys.
Photo 119 - 120 Got a strip of magnet with double sided tape along with some dum dum and semi permanently mounted the dealer emblem.
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Photo 121 - 122 Emblem mounted
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Turned my attentions to the interior
Photo 123 - 124 - Interior after removing all parts and before cleaning.
Photo 125 - Passenger door interior before
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Hard to believe this thing was a raccoon hotel a little over 3 years ago while being stored at my mothers home.
Photo 126 - 130 - Interior after cleaning
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cont.
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Photo 131 - Pass side door after cleaning
Photo 132 - 133 What's left of the tape covering the shock hole while being leaked tested.
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Darrel,
What is the clip attached with a single screw for? (picture 132 upper left corner of the door). I wish I had your attention to detail, good work.
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Going off memory I’m pretty sure its to help with clipping of the deluxe door panel. Someone will correct me if I’m wrong.
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Photo 134 - 135 - Trunk mat
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Photo 136 - 138 - Driver rear side marker light installed
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Photo 139 - 141 - Passenger rear side marker light installed
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Photo 142 - 144 - Misc trunk photos
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Photo 145 - 147 - Misc trunk
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148 - 150 - Reinstalled tail light housings
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151 - 153 - Clamps sending unit to main fuel line. Note black spray from blackout of tank.
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154 - 156 - Screws for the fill tube ring and flange. These were NOT re-zinc'd. Only cleaned.
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157 - 158 - Trunk front corners
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159 - 160 - Trunk, Pass qtr, Drvr qtr date codes T49, H48, H4? (0, 2, 3, 6, 9)
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161 - 162 Dash face after #7 application
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163 - 165 - Glovebox and tire pressure decal
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While Im adding photos this morning here is the top of dash as you can see the texture that is applied and the break lines.
Photo 166 - 168 - Top of dash suede finish
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Lasts ones for today. More interior and trunk before cleaning.
Photo 169 - 171 - Interior and trunk before
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Not certain if this is original spray on the heater box cover but its consistent all over it and the blower motor.
Photo 172 - 173 - Heater box cover and blower motor before cleaning
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Photo 174 - 175 - Cover and motor after
I will probably go at the cover with thinner or reducer once I can confirm this isn't original. We don't need another gas tank mishap.. ;)
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Photo 176 - 177 - Closeups of date & part number
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Photo 178 - Fastener blower motor
Up next is the heater assembly inner. I'll have a follow up with details of the blower coil and bracket as well as floor duct.
Photo 179 - 181 - Assembly before cleaning.
Note the #7 on the box. The tank had 20. mixing of assembly parts as they don't really matter as long as its a non big block or A/C. Idk what it is at this point but documenting it nontheless..
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Photo 182 - 185 - After cleaning
The inner box does have that textured finish like the dash top to note as well. And yes I do plan to soak it.
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Been pretty stagnant here on the preservation but I was able to snag a correct dated jack assembly (Thanks Sport!) and also a used trunk mat which I will be picking up this weekend.
Photo 186 - Trunk mat
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Photo 187 - 188 - Jack assembly
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I take it the car had a deluxe interior, Darrell ? I didn't catch the cowl tag. Curious what other options (RPO's) you've noted...
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Yes deluxe interior. If you look back at photos 87-88 you will see the insulating pad that's placed in the trunk for trunk matted cars. Here is the trim tag. As far as options go it's not much. U63, Z28-2 (Cowl Plenum), J50, & J52.
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I sure am enjoying this guided thread through this rebuild, it's going to be so helpful once I dig into mine. Thanks again for keeping this going.
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Yes deluxe interior. If you look back at photos 87-88 you will see the insulating pad that's placed in the trunk for trunk matted cars. Here is the trim tag. As far as options go it's not much. U63, Z28-2 (Cowl Plenum), J50, & J52.
Sparsely optioned seems to be the way the majority were. Z87 is a biggy in my book, especially on a 68! :D Cowl plenum is cool one... Guess if the engine was gone, there's a good chance there may've been some headers on top of the mat too!?
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idk if it came with headers or not so I don't wanna assume anything. I have a set of what I believe are Appliance or possibly Blackjack headers that are 1 3/4" primaries and 4 bolt square flange collectors that were on the car from when it was parked in the mid to late 70's. On a side note since this car was not ordered with a console and because of that no gauges, I have 2 different styles of tach and gauges to choose from. Just can't make up my mind which one to go with. I also have an NOS Mallory Double Life distributor with tach drive I will use as well. Black face SW's triple gauges were in the car when parked and I picked up the tach from a member here and the fuel pressure gauge from our own ko-lek-tor aka Bentley.
Photo 189 - Headers
Photo 190 - Black Face Stewart Warners
Photo 191 - Green Line Stewart Warners
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Yeah, tough decision....I like the green line as it matches the OE dash pod fairly well, but sounds like the black face may be "day2" original. Maybe same with the headers.
Kinda interesting on 68Z factory installed gauges... From what I've seen, it's about 50/50%. Your thoughts? I wonder what the CRG data shows....?
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Yeah, tough decision....I like the green line as it matches the OE dash pod fairly well, but sounds like the black face may be "day2" original. Maybe same with the headers.
Kinda interesting on 68Z factory installed gauges... From what I've seen, it's about 50/50%. Your thoughts? I wonder what the CRG data shows....?
Idk if I'd go as far to say 50/50. I haven't looked through my data for any comparisons but my gut says 65/35. 35% with gauges but I could be off. One of the core members will have to speak on what is in their db but I can tell you it isn't always an easy task to do percentages from db's as there is always holes in the data (at least in my experience).
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From the CRG data: http://www.camaros.org/geninfo.shtml#HowMany
RPO 1967 1968 1969 Description Option Dependencies
CODE QTY List$ DH$ QTY List$ DH$ QTY List$ DH$ Requires N/A With
U16 n/a n/a 1410 $50.00 2.70 Tachometer-availMay69) V8 (U17, U35)
(added to AIM on 20SEP68,
n/a before May 69
U17 27078 $75.00 4.00 20263 $90.00 4.80 29524 $90.00 4.80 Special instruments: V8 D55 (U57, AL4)
amp, temp, oil pressure,
fuel, clock, tach.
Official Chevrolet production records show a total of 220,906 Camaros built in 1967; 235,147 Camaros built in 1968; and 243,085 Camaros built in the last year of the first generation, 1969.
Total % for U17 are much closer to 10%....
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You probably already know, but you can utilize the two screws underdash (ash tray mount) for your gauge bracket. Very secure. I'll send you a pic how they mounted the tac in place of the fuel gauge,,,in 68. Very simple and I like it anyway. Lose the amp gauge, throw a 0-90 ohm fuel gauge in it's place. Just an opinion, the way I like it set up.
Green or black on you lol, I Iike the both.
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Yes sir, that was the plan to mount the gauges using those screw locations. I'll probably keep the amp gauge just because that is what was in it when it came to me but I completely understand your logic. I'll most likely go black face at this point but will keep the green lines as a backup option.
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Black face in mine..
Also didnt spot the fuel gauge top pic,,nice
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Black S/W
&
Kustom Headers
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Total % for U17 are much closer to 10%....
Was just questioning 68Z's, Gary. I know there's no official documentation on that. I do have 9% U17 on total 68 production written down in my White Book from years ago.:) One would think that U17 would be more commonly ordered on performance oriented cars. Kinda surprising that many (possibly the majority) 68Z's didn't get U17. I guess the feeling was that aftermarket gauges were more accurate/precise not to mention more economical.
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Black S/W
&
Kustom Headers
Is yours and Darrell's car twins ?? :D I gotta take time to check yur build thread out closer! ;)
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According to Darrell they were very close at the LOS plant, both 12 d's, If my memory serves me correctly,
I got the U17/D55 in mine.
I added the Header & A/C of RPO Z284 (For fun)
The "OLD" statistical analysis of the obtained sample groups 1967/68 dated 2006/2007 indicated:
1967 w/ gages 58%
1968 w/ gages 56%
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Ah, was thinking yours was red as well (guess it's just the avatar), but now see it was white, red interior. Definitely siblings none the less!
Thanks for stats, although I'm not sure where they came from... ???
One of my childhood buddies was a Gilmore, btw LOL
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Starting the long and slow process of the undercarriage cleaning. Be prepared to be underwhelmed with photos of dirty and then clean floorpans.
Photo 192 - 193 - Before Cleaning
Photo 194 - 195 - After 3rd Pass
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Photo 196 - 199 - After 5th pass across area
As I said this will be a slow moving train down the tracks so I probably wont post much if any until I get the full mid section completed. And yes the plan is to pull the subframe, springs and diff out of the car but that will have to wait until I can pull the front sheetmetal as well.
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AWSOME!
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A little more progress over the last 2 nights.. Almost have the center section of the tub getting close. Hope to dedicate some time over the weekend on some more cleaning.
Photos 200 - 203 - More of the same center section of the tub
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Photos 204 - 205
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Photos 206 - 207
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Very nice job with the underside - what process/method did you use?
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Thanks, Zep citrus degreaser with a blue Scotchbrite pad and then wiping with cheapy microfiber rags and then hitting it with #7 Meguiars.
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You forgot the most important thing, patience.
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You forgot the most important thing, patience.
& a Neck Pillow,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
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I took some time away from laying on my back and cleaning and pulled the front clip off the car. Also shot a quickie video of ole green while I let her warm up this morning. Memories of my father flood back to me every single time I hit the key.
https://youtu.be/-7iHqDngCO4 (https://youtu.be/-7iHqDngCO4)
Photos 208 - 209 - Removal of doghouse
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Photo 210 - Overview and a shot of my garage helper (Stella)
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Last night I spent a few hours working on removing the black overspray off the top of the cowl and tulip areas. Word of advice, if you still have any MEK make sure you have whatever you are working on in a well ventilated area as you are gonna burn some brain cells.. I almost felt a buzz afterward and I had fans going in the garage. Either way it worked sorta well but I am going to try oven cleaner next. If you have any experience and success with spray bomb removal chime in as I am open to suggestions.
Photo 211 - Pass tulip before removal
(https://www.yenko.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=217717&stc=1&d=1650475296)
Photo 212 - After a few attempts at removal
(https://www.yenko.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=217718&stc=1&d=1650475296)
Photo 213 - Plug removal showing original white for the white out for the stripes
(https://www.yenko.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=217719&stc=1&d=1650475296)
Photo 214 - Upper cowl after a few passes with MEK and a scotchbrite pad and a few with 800 grit paper.
(https://www.yenko.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=217720&stc=1&d=1650475296)
Photo 215 - Fan shroud after cleaning. There was a ton of overspray on it and I still see spots I missed but I needed to "tap out" for the night and called it for now. Will show done done photos once I'm done done.. lol
(https://www.yenko.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=217721&stc=1&d=1650475296)
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I use cold oven cleaner for engines, but it usually takes off the paint. Be careful. Sure hope you are using gloves too as MEK will soak into your skin. I have been using it on a hundred year old car, has factory paint with a preservative brushed on top. It's the only thing I have found that will take this crap off without ruining the original enamel.
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Hi,if you need a gas tank filler neck hose,cut to fit,let me know,,,Mitchell
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I appreciate the offer but I good friend just located an original one for me just the other night. Thanks
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Some progression although slow it is moving forward. Needed to continue with firewall cleaning and removal of old black spray bomb paint so I pulled the steering column, e-brake assembly and master, metering valve and distribution block for cleaning.
Photo 216 - Original e-brake assembly after removal
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Photo 217 - 219 - E-brake assembly after soaking in Evaporust overnight. Also to note that the bottom tooth on the gear is also painted black as it follows the same line as the painted arm.
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Next I pulled the master, metering valve and distribution block back off the car for cleaning and rebuilds.
Photo 220 - As found setup on the car.
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Photo 221 - 223 - Metering valve during rebuild and after soaking in evaporust. Date on valve is either 36 or 38. Original Bendix rubber cap over rear of valve shaft.
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Photo 224 - 226 - Master will have to be sent off to be sleeved. I've used White Post in the past and will most likely use them again as the last one they did came back great and they left it unrestored as I requested. Ordered a rebuild kit for the distribution block last night and Scott (Muscle Car Research) sent me an email this morning and the kit will go out today. But everything has been cleaned and soaked in Evaporust and I stuck everything back together just to not have everything laying around to get lost or misplaced. Cast date on master is D1.
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Photo 227 - 229 - Cleaned the master lid.
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Received my distribution block rebuild kit from Musclecar Research a couple weeks ago and got it rebuilt. However upon installing the new seat; it failed to hold and pushed past the resting shoulder and became useless. Maybe I wasn't holding my mouth right when installing it but I pulled the new now damaged seat and reinstalled the old seat and it tightened up just like it should so that issue was corrected. Sorry I failed to get photos of the new o-rings on the piston but you get the idea as far as that goes.
Photos 230 - 233 - Removal of seat and piston in distribution block
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Photos 234 - 236 - Springs, piston o-rings and old seat reinstalled and then distribution block treated with a little RPM (Rust Prevention Magic)
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Next on the multitude of things to do I decided to clean up the e-brake cable to go along with the e-brake assembly I previously cleaned.
Photos 237 - 239 - Before cleaning of e-brake cable
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Photos 240 - 243 - Cable after cleaning. BTW the wet look on the cable is the RPM that hasn't dried yet.
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Last thing for today was to get the kick panels cleaned up and ready to be installed once the time comes.
Photos 244 - 245 - Panels before cleaning
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Photo 246 - Panels after cleaning
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Photo 247 - 248 _ Couple of detail shots
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Photos 249 - 250 - Original calipers before teardown and cleaning.
Photo 251 - Results of bracket line brackets and lines after cleaning. These are original finishes. Nothing was rezinc'd or refinished.
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Photos 252 - 254 - Calipers after cleaning. I did have to buy new pad pins as the originals were MIA as noted in previous photo as someone had installed a nail in place of one of them in the cars past. I will have to send these out as 2 of the 8 bores are pitted so stainless sleeves will be needed. Note black paint still present on the rears of the calipers.
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Photo 255 - 257 - Finally got the master back from White Post and I assembled the components.
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Next I decided to bounce back and clean up the cowl panel & wiper transmission.
Photo 258 - 259 - Panel & linkage before cleaning.
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Photo 260 - 263 - After cleaning, Meguiars #7, wet sanding with 2K, Meguiars 105 & 205, and Meguiars #7 again.
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Photo 264 - 266 - screws, squirters and cowl seal added after they were cleaned.
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Photo 267 - 270 - Lastly are details on the wiper transmission linkage after cleaning.
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Photo 271 - 274 - Details continued. Cleaning consisted of citrus cleaner, evaporust, Meguiars #7 & Rust Prevention Magic (RPM).
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Small update. Thanks to Jose for hooking me up with an early shifter assembly along with a handle. Here’s one before before photos
Photo 275 - 276 - As received before cleaning.
Photo 277 - 278 - After Cleaning and greasing/rebuilding.
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One other quick purchase to note is a vintage Mallory Rev Limiter. Stay tuned as more to come!!
Photo 279 - 280 - Mallory Rev Limiter
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Although the weather down here in TN wasn’t the best to hang out in the garage for long periods of time I was able to get a couple more items marked off the list.
Photo 281 - Driveshaft after cleaning but before soaking in evaporust.
Photo 282 - 283 - Yoke after removing from shaft.
Photo 284 - Broke out the pvc pipe to soak the shaft while the yoke was soaked in a smaller container as well as the original u joint.
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Photo 285 - Driveshaft after soaking and reinstalling yoke.
Photo 286 - 288 - Yoke after soaking and during rebuild of u-joint. Absolutely zero play in the cups and no wear in the needles or cups. Unfortunately I wasn’t so lucky on the diff side joint so I will source a new grease-able one from a local parts house.
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Now for some driveshaft marking details.
Photo 289 - 292 - What’s left of the white stripe, then oddly enough what appears to be remnants of a stenciled part number but unable to make it out completely and then at the end of the stencil is the remains of the orange stripe.
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Photo 293 - 295 - Additional photos of stencil
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Last thing for today are the front brake lines and clips that had black overspray on them and surprisingly it saved them from pitting and corrosion.
Photo 296 - Crossover brake line to the passenger side front and the drivers side front line. Sorry no photos of before paint removal.
Photo 297 - 299 - Clips and bolts before removal of paint showing detail of stamped “3” and then after cleaning.
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Photo 300 - 302 - close ups of the brake lines.
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Small update overnight. Pulled the main fuel line and gave it a good once over.
Photo 303 - 305 - Fuel line before cleaning
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As you can tell that line looked pretty cruddy but with a little pedestal mounted grinder with a wire wheel and hitting the whole line with Wenol Blue and Red metal compounds made it come out decent enough for this ole hunk of junk.
Photo 306 - 309 - Details of fuel line after cleaning
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Way cool! What did you use to clean the driveshaft?
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That line turned out great!
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I’m blown away. Best thread of 2022.
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Thanks guys.
Way cool! What did you use to clean the driveshaft?
4" pvc, pvc cap, and evaporust.
Couple of things when soaking driveshafts is #1 make sure to keep an eye on it and not to let it sit in there too long. And #2 when wiping down after soaking pay special attention to where markings are because you will wipe them off if you touch them while they are still wet. I've done 4 or 5 shafts now and the 1st one I done I lost all the markings but thankfully had photos prior to doing so.
I’m blown away. Best thread of 2022.
I wouldn't go that far but thank you nonetheless.
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Finally the last of the hard lines to clean which is the main brake line. Same process of wire wheel grinder & Wenol blue & red compounds.
Photo 310 - 311 - Main brake line before cleaning
Some reason website isn't allowing me to upload another photo.. Hopefully it's just something I am doing.
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Photo 312 Main line before cleaning
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Photo 313 - 315 - After cleaning and polishing using Wenol
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Photo 316 - 317 - All hardlines are now preserved.
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Is Wenol your preservative for protection? Are you clearing them to protect? I am impressed with your patience and ability.
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Mainly cleaning. I will either use RPM (Rust Preventative Magic) or Rust Veto (Cosmoline Aerosol) for the protection once its time to reinstall the lines. And thank you, not sure its much ability vs just cutting up the project into small bite size sections to work through the madness. I'm just a dumb hillbilly that likes trying to preserve old junk.
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If I pay for shipping and send cookies, you’ll do my lines and driveshaft right?
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Sorry not for hire. ;D
Moving forward I was had a couple hours yesterday free so I went ahead and pulled the sub before it got too miserable outside and before I had to get the grass cut.
Photo 318 - Subframe upon initial removal
Photo 319 - 320 - Frame after a quick pressure wash with no cleaners
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Photo 321 - 322 - Close up photos of the firewall and toe boards
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Photo 323 - 324 - No signs of tape on the subframe to body bolt holes. But previously noted tape still in and around rear shock holes.
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Just out of curiosity - what condition were the sub frame mounting bolts in?
Back when I removed mine in 2004 they were in pretty sorry/corroded condition. I had soaked them in penetrating fluid for several hours prior to trying to remove them. They did come free without breaking but were heavily corroded. Looks like yours must have come out without too much trouble.
Great thread
Richard
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Funny you should ask. I just pulled them from soaking overnight. I have hosed them down with PB Blaster silicone spray to keep them hydrated for now.
Photo 325 - Subframe bolts bushings
Photo 326 - Misc clips & bolts from brake & fuel lines
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Darrell,
Does the subframe bolt with washer that has the notch cut out go in a specific location, serve a purpose? I had one in my bucket of bolts thought it was a manufacturers fluke.
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Darrell,
Does the subframe bolt with washer that has the notch cut out go in a specific location, serve a purpose? I had one in my bucket of bolts thought it was a manufacturers fluke.
I do not believe it serves a purpose. It was in the pass side front mounting location. If I had to guess probably a manufacturer tooling issue when the washers were stamped.
Not much in the way of progress overnight but I did get the accelerator pedal, clutch rod & some additional bolts (& nuts) soaked. Also cleaned all the ground straps and bolts for them.
Photo 237 - Pedal before cleaning
Photo 238 - 239 - Pedal and clutch rod after soaking (sorry failed to grab a before of the rod but it was rusty with black spray bomb on a portion of the rod exposed to the engine compartment)
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Photo 240 - 243 - Ground straps and bolts (for the record I have not confirmed if these engine ground straps are correct as they seem long but they can be place holders for now. Frame to body strap is correct)
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Photo 244 - Nuts that hold the booster to firewall, clutch & brake assembly (and steering column to dash), clutch boot, pivot mount bolts and accelerator lever bolt. All are wet due to being sprayed down with silicone lubricant
Also want to say it once again that none of these components have been or will be refinished. All this is just cleaning and preserving.
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Any updates Darrell? As you can imagine, I love your processes.
Tim
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Updates? Gonna sell everything I own and moving to Wyoming or Montana. Writing my manifesto now. 8)
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I hear Montana is beautiful, remote and parts are devoid of people. To some that's a positive, with me the jury is still out. ;D
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Decided to take advantage of some downtime at the house and work on removing heavy spray-bomb off the firewall area. I did not get very far in the 4 hours I spent but I think there is some noticeable improvements. A concoction of lacquer thinner, xylene and some blue Scotchbrite pads allowed me to work the area without going too far (for the most part) without getting into the original firewall finish. And sorry Tim if my humor missed the mark on the Montana/manifesto remarks.. :)
Photo 245 - The before shot of the worked area
Photos 246 - 248 - After some removal and hydration with #7
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Photo 249 - Original voltage regulator before clean up. I used lacquer cleaner to remove overspray and then polished original finish back to a shine or to the best it could be.
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Photo 250 - 252 - Finished product
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What a great job you are doing. I must admit if I was doing this it would be difficult for me to hold back and refinish some of these parts.
I am assuming you are replacing some of the rubber parts and gaskets etc if they are cracked, torn or degraded.
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Thank you. Yes unfortunately there will be some items that will have to be replaced.
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Haven't updated this thread in a little while. Frankly just been busy with life and other projects and selling parts. I did start polishing the windshield and back glass trim.
Photo 353 - 354- Before starting the polishing process.
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Photo 354 - Mid progress of lower windshield trim. I use an 8" (2 actually butted together) stitched cotton polishing wheels on a pedestal mounted bench grinder along with green polishing compound.
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Photo 355 - 356 - 1 step of the polishing is now complete.
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Photo 357 - All trim now done with step one of polishing. Next will be evaluating any shadowing, dings and remaining scratches and moving to a final polishing compound on the buffing wheel and I will finalize it with some hand applied of Wenol paste polish.
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Great thread. I have obviously seen many "restorations" and "modifications" when talking about working on old Camaros, (or any old vehicle or item)...but now I have heard of, and am a fan of "Preservations".
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Thanks.
Small update.
Photos 357 - 358 - Before comparison on the left side and the right side after applying some citrus cleaner allowing it to soak before removal.
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359 - 361 - after some additional cleaning but before Meguiar's #7 application
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362 - 364 -#7 applied
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365 - 367 - #7 continued. Still a lot of cleaning to go but baby steps in the process.
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Slowly chipping away on the firewall as well.. This has been the worst and hardest process to deal with. Removal of overspray without damaging the original finish. I have been working with everything from Xylene to lacquer thinner to just citrus degreaser to wet sanding to blue and green Scotchbrite pads to rags. I have even busted out the razor blade and had some success with that method as well. I have ordered some plastic razor blades which should be here before Christmas so I hope to have plenty to work on while on my break and hopefully have some decent updates for the thread.
Photo 368 - Firewall as found
Photo 369 - Progress to this point.
I am struggling with the reality of having bare metal on the firewall due to overspray removal and I might consider air brushing in some black into the bare areas but I am not going to jump into any decisions just yet. I have time before any thing needs to be done.
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Photo 370 - 371 - More photos of the driver side rear footwell. Still more cleaning required but showing potential.
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Roughly 3 days at around 8hrs total of cleaning over the weekend I managed to get the rear floor tubs cleaned along with the remainder of the tunnel. I still need to go back over the pass side forward of the seatbelt retainer but other than that and a few touch-ups here and there I hope to either move back to the firewall and then sub so I can get that back under the car and then begin on the rear of the car.
Photo 372 - Rear tubs before cleaning. Not sure if there is a difference in Texas dirt and TN but this was very compacted. I found success with soaking it down with my favorite citrus degreaser and then gently peeling of the layers with a razorblade on the flat surfaces making sure not to damage the original finish.
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Photo 373 - 376 - After removing the majority of the dirt with the blade I hit the surfaces again with degreaser and then gave it a work over with a blue Scotchbrite pad. Once the surface was bare and clean I then coated it with Meguiar's #7.
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Photos 377 - 379 - Finished product - I still need to go back and hit the pass side front tub in the photo with the red arrow.
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What great progress in less than 13 months.
Merry Christmas
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Yes, I am impressed by every picture.
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Boy that is a lot of Matador - Red underside overspray.
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Thank you guys for the replies. Its much appreciated; and yes a lot of Matador.
Went ahead and knocked out the passenger compartment last night. Overall, I am very happy with the condition of the floors considering the amount of caked on Texas and TN dirt. Next, I'll move my attentions back to the firewall and then on to the subframe.
Photos 380 - 381 - Finished pass compartment floor. After cleaning with the aforementioned process; I applied a healthy coat of Meguiar's #7. Oh and I received my plastic razorblades I ordered and they seem to work ok for the cleaning of dirt and grease but I'll put them to the test on removing heavier layers.
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Photos 382 - 383 - toeboards and front floors.
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Photos 384 - 385 - Here are a couple of a good contrast between the red oxide primer and the red paint. Someone asked either here or sYc but here it is regardless.
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Photos 386 - 389 - Rear of tub.
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Awesome progress. Can't wait to see you tackle that rear suspension and axle.
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Not much of an update but I am still working on the cowl and firewall (mainly cowl, wiper transmission area) removing black spray bomb, primer to get down to the white for the stripes. Very time consuming but I will update that once I have completed the upper cowl area. But just to have some sort of an update here is the wiper motor clean up.
Photo 399 - 400 - Wiper motor as found. Basically the process citrus degreaser and blue Scotchbrite pad and paying attention to the yellow ink stamp on the can.
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Photos 401 - 405 - waster pump was removed cleaned and regreased (sorry failed to capture photos) bolts cleaned as well as washer collars inserts for the bushings. Just cleaned and polishing not replating.
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Photos 406 - 408 - Continued.
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Photo 409 - Finally made my final decision on gauges, tach and rev limiter. Also have a nos Mallory CDI box and Mallory Double Life distributor (not pictured) to help with the Day 2 items.
Photos 410 - 411 - I managed to snag 2 pair of NOS brake pads for the Z and the green car if it ever needs them.
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Another small update. Since I needed to pull the cowl vent ducts I decided to give them a cleaning as they too had black overspray on them.
Photos 412 - 413 - Duct after removal and before cleaning.
.
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Photos 414 - 417 - Citrus degreaser, green Scotchbrite and then soaked in Evaporust. Finally applying Meguiars Mirror Bright Vinyl & Rubber Treatment
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Photo 418 - Horn relay before
Photos 419 - 420 - Relay after soaking and then lightly hitting it with an aluminum oxide Scotchbrite pad.
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Photos 421 - 423 - While going through parts on the shelf for the car I pulled the head buckets and trim rings and got them cleaned up.
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Photos 436 - 439 - Cleaning process is much like the same as just about everything I’ve cleaned. Citrus degreaser and blue/green Scotchbrite pad. Then added 2 original T-3’s.
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Photos 440 - 441 - Closeups of the T-3 logos.
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As I mentioned previously, I’ve been working on the upper cowl cove removing the black spray bomb and primer applied over the original paint. I’ll be honest, this was one of the most time consuming parts of this project. Working with anything from lacquer thinner, xylene, to sanding with 1k, 2k etc but ended with the best results using a blade razor blade and a plastic razor blade scraper. Then going over it with a green scotchbrite and lightly rubbing the areas after using the blade to get down to the white. As you can tell this was a trial & error process. After it’s all said and done I’m pretty happy with the results considering what I was working with.
Photos 442 - 444 - before photo and during the process of the cowl area.
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Photos 445 - 447 - After. If there were still any Doubting Thomas’ out there as to whether or not this car was a real Z I think this should clear any concerns.
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Photos 435 - 437 - After cont.
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I just hope I get to see your Z live when you are finished to see all the work you've gone through.
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I just hope I get to see your Z live when you are finished to see all the work you've gone through.
Maybe not live as I don't travel far from my hometown in middle TN but I promise there will eventually be video.
While going through the shelf of parts I began to pull misc items out to give them a cleaning.
Photos 450 - 451 - Inner fender to firewall splash shield after cleaning with citrus degreaser but before evapo bath.
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Photos 452 - 454 - After evapo.
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Photo 455 - Axle bump stop and bracket during cleaning.
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Photos 456 - 459 - After evapo
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Nothing real groundbreaking as I collect items to setup for the annual Stones River Swap Meet if anyone in the middle TN area enjoys find old rusty junk. Feb 5th. Now that the plug for the meet is done and I now move on to the one project I did start this week. I've been tripping for this thing for too long.. Bought this pump at the same swap meet a few years back. Anyways, its a 326 pump just wrong date. Plus it has the 3/4" NPT in the top. So I started out like every other item. Citrus degreaser and Scotchbrite pad. Then soaked overnight in Evaporust.
Photos 460 - 462 - Before cleaning.
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Photos 463 - 464 - After Evapo bath and you can see that plug is gonna give me issues.
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Photos 465 - 466 - I tried almost every tool in the arsenal but nothing would budge that pipe plug. So I said screw it since I had to put an adapter in it anyway I''l just just it off at the casting and drill and tap it. Then I took a small hammer, punch and worked the area over a little and then lightly hit it with a scotch wheel and threw some rattle black on it. I think it'll pass the 50ft test.
Photo 467 - Shout out to Tony (I'm not 100% on his handle on CRG) but I got these off him a year or 2 ago and got them cleaned up ready to be installed on the mouse motor.
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Photo 468 - added more texture. Once it’s painted it should t be noticeable. I hope.
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Excellent work and agree, should not be noticeable Darrell. So common to find water pumps with date code one needs but with larger opening used on truck engines and as Johnz had pointed out opened up during re-builds.
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In the midst of getting together for the swap meet I pulled the column and decided to give it some attention. Nothing major just yet but the turn signal arm and flasher knob turned out ok.
Photos 469 - 471 - Before photos of the arm and knob.
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Photos 472 - 475 - After a simple soak in evapo and a little polishing with the buffing wheel.
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Photos 476 - 478 - Snagged a hex head fitting off ebay and it arrived the other day.
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Now that I have some floor space I decided to pull the harnesses out for their cleanings. First up is the headlight harness. As you can see it was pretty dirty but the results are surprising and I feel the harness is in very good shape. I will need to replace one plug connector and a plastic clip but I should have enough old harnesses to replace the items needed. I hope.
Photos 479 - 481 - Before photos of the engine and you will see the engine harness attached as well.
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Photos 482 - 484 - Continued photos of before
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Cleaning was pretty straight forward. As you can see the black spray bomb in certain areas. I will do a final wipe down with xylene before installing but just want to get the majority off while I have the opportunity. Citrus degreaser, green scotchbrite pad and a microfiber rag to wipe it down.
Photos 485 - 487 - Current stage of cleaning
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Photos 488 - 491 - Continued current stage of cleaning. I will continue cleaning the bulk head connector and continue on to the engine side of the harness.
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The close up of the lamp socket really shows the skin cracking on your fingers from the cleaners well. Look just like mine when I clean parts. Your work is really showing amazing results. Keep up the good work and use the wifes hand lotion frequently.
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Better yet-use the wife's hand to do the work.
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Couple more items off the to-do list. Clutch & brake pedal assembly and main interior harness.
Photos 492 - 493 - Before soaking in Evaporust and after cleaning with citrus degreaser and scotchbrite pad.
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Photos 494 - 495 - After Evapo but before treating with RPM (Rust Prevention Magic)
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Photos 496 - 497 - After Evapo but before treating with RPM (Rust Prevention Magic) - continued
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Photos 498 - 499 - Wiring harness after cleaning
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Photos 500 - 501 - Heres something interesting. The pass side door jamb switch.
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Photos 502 - 504 - Last of the wiring harness. I still need to clean the fuse box itself but the harness itself is ready to go. Anyone cracked the coding on the sides of the flashers? One is 7 4 5 and the other is 1 5 3. If I were guessing it'd be 67 - 45th day and 71 53rd day.?. But I hate assuming.
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Sounds good to me for the flasher. But could it be 1967, 4th month 5th day?
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To round out the clutch/brake pedal assembly are the master cylinder pushrod, clevis & return spring.
Photos 505 - 508 - after soaking. Note the manufacturer’s crest and the stamp.
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Anyone cracked the coding on the sides of the flashers? One is 7 4 5 and the other is 1 5 3. If I were guessing it'd be 67 - 45th day and 71 53rd day.?. But I hate assuming.
You might find this thread helpful.
http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=18465.msg167633#msg167633
Richard
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Great additions to this thread,...still one of my favorite active threads on the site.
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Thanks for the replies. Small updates. Cleaned the fuse box and reinstalled what fuses were in it when pulled from car. Replaced the starter wire from a spare harness I had. Repair was done with interlocking the wire ends and soldering the connection then covering with heat shrink followed by wrapping the wires back with original style tape. The ends were crimped and heat shrinked as well. Also applied a healthy coat of RPM (Rust Prevention Magic) to the pedal assembly and reassembled.
Photo - 509 - Fuse box before
Photo - 510 - Fuse box after with fuses installed
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Photos 511 - 512 - starter wires repaired and a comparison to original.
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Photos 513 - 515 - Pedal assembly protected and assembled.
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Not much progress this week as I worked on other items out in the garage but I did start on the tail light harness now that the other harnesses are just about ready to go.
Photos 516 - 517 - Before cleaning
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Photos 518 - 521 - After citrus degreaser and then soaking the sockets in evaporust as they were pretty rusty. Cloth tape will be on order soon so I can repair the pieces missing as well as the clips.
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Photos 522 - 523 - closeups of the socket after cleaning and evapo
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Nice! Thanks for the update, and for those who are wondering what the round hole in the tail light socket is for…..it’s for the U46 Light Monitor Cable-or Fiber Optic as we call it.
This thread is by far the most interesting I’ve ever read.
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Photos 496 - 497 - After Evapo but before treating with RPM (Rust Prevention Magic) - continued
Well done as always Darrell. Everyone, note the disc brake pedal does not have the silver disc brake medallion yet.
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Photos 496 - 497 - After Evapo but before treating with RPM (Rust Prevention Magic) - continued
Well done as always Darrell. Everyone, note the disc brake pedal does not have the silver disc brake medallion yet.
March 13th cars don't have them either....at least not LA cars....Joe
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Photos 496 - 497 - After Evapo but before treating with RPM (Rust Prevention Magic) - continued
Surprised that the pedal assembly housing wasn't painted black from the factory. My NOR 67 Z is painted black
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Definitely interesting the paint line stop on the brake bracket.
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Thanks for the comments. Changeover is mid March of 68 on the medallion from my research.
Photos 524 - 527 - The tail light harness has now been repaired and unfortunately I ended up having to retape the majority of the harness. But original sockets etc so it’ll have to do.
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Photos 528 - 531 - Tail light harness cont.
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Some progress over last weekend. For accessibility I pulled the glove box and door. While it was removed I cleaned the box. Mostly just test fitting everything to make sure I'm not missing anything and of course there are a few odds and ends I have to locate in my parts stash but overall pretty straight forward.
Photo 532 - Before starting the test fitting.
Photos 533 - 534 - Glove box removed
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Photos 535 - 538 - Glove box after cleaning
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Photos 539 - 540 - Heater box with core installed from the interior.
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Photos 541 - 542 - Cowl ducts installed
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543 - 544 - Duct install cont.
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545 - 547 - Outer heater box installed and the rest of the firewall cleaned. BTW the MEK substitute works almost as good as the original stuff so that was nice to see. Also added the wiper transmission, wiper motor, cowl panel and harness (temporary).
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Last item is another Day 2 piece secured. This car originally had tow tabs (homemade) welded to the front ears of the sub and later were removed. So I felt I should at least at something similar back to the car.
Photos 548 - 549 - Tow tabs
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Next updates are the reassembly process for the firewall components, harness, dash items etc. All in all everything is gong back together smoothly.
Photos 550 - 551 - Fuse block installed.
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Photos 552 - 553 - Gas pedal and throttle arm.
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Photos 554 - 555 - Next were the Astro Vent duct work and the bezels & balls
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Photos 556 - 558 - Using my Harbor Freight special da polisher I run over the dash face with some Mequiars 105 since I had previously had #7 soaked into the paint prior. Note the lack of paint in and around the knob areas.
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Photos 559 - 560 - Installation of the drop down brackets, pedal assembly.
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Photos 561 - 562 - Clutch rod along with its boot.
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Photos 563 - 565 - Dimmer switch, ignition, headlight, wiper and cig lighter switches installed
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Photo 566 - Shot from the outside of firewall. Also installed correct 4 rib washer nozzle hoses.
Complete steering column teardown and go through hopefully in the next couple of weeks.
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Photos 567 - 568 - Close up of the control knobs.
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Photos 569 - 571 - Cluster installed. First time since the late 70’s
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Sweet! Great progress.
!!:)
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Now that the defrost duct, heater box, controls & radio are now in I touched them up from all the handling. 303 is the product I'm trying on the duct work.
Photos 572 - 575 - Under dash area passenger side compartment.
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Photo 576 - Glove box door after hitting it with Mequiars 105 on a maroon pad on my da polisher.
Photos 577 - 578 - Dash after controls & radio installed. Also a sneak peak at the trio of gauges I'll be installing into the car as well.
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Photos 579 - 580 - Mounting some accessories.
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Photos 581 - 582 - Cont.
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Great work Darrell and detail to assist others......
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Photo 583 - Are of the drivers door and glass while cleaning. Simple ole glass cleaner, razor blade and a cotton towel.
Photo 584 - Glass after cleaning. Not perfect by any means but its not horrible. I might hit it with the da polisher later on but for now it will work.
Photo 585 - Photo of glass date code. CZ-10 - Nov 67. -10 is explained here on the site. Click Here (http://www.camaros.org/glass.shtml#LOF)
Photo 586 - Door assembly after cleaning.
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Photo 587 - 588 - Door with original paper reapplied. Note that the door handle mech sits on top of the bracket and the arm will be applied over top of the plastic. 2 small holes were still present in the plastic cover.
Photo 589 - With a little effort and choice words the door panel finally settled back in to its original resting spot. Panel still needs to see a good hot day outside but other than that the panels are in great shape.
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Photos 590 - 591 - Decided to change things up a bit and while the column was out (still waiting on my lower bearing which hasn't shipped in over a week and still haven't got word from Groundup if the manufacturer has the dang thing..) it got me thinking about the tach placement. I could go the traditional route and place it on the column or copy the Yenko style and screw it to the face of the dash (wasn't doing that). Then I remembered this weird hole that was previously drilled in the lower center of the dash. I assume for a gauge or some sort of switch but it wasn't done at the factory. Then I saw the screw holding sec flasher and it hit me.
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Photos 592 - 594 - Dash assembly after picking up having tools, screws and bolts scattered around.
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Photos 595 - 596 - Door glass rolled up and door closed. Also made a video of the door closing.
Door Closing Video (https://youtu.be/hNEqxBVV5pU)
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Looks good!
I’m curious since there’s a gazillion post to try and find it, what your build date? Does your glass have the Astro etched on? I didn’t see it in the pictures. My car is a 68 11E NOR does and my is coded az. I know someone is documenting this somewhere, even though the extras were eventually put on later.
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Thanks. No Astro script and 12D. Pretty sure I have a pair Astro door glass and I think the dates are 10/67 and 9/67 iirc. If anyone is interested in them pm or email me in the link in my sig.
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Photo 597 - Pass side glass date. Dec '67.
Photos 598 - 599 - Ran across one of the earlier photos when I first went to inspect the car after my fathers passing. Dad passed in '06 and this photo was in '10. Comparison photo.
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Photos 600 - 601 - Time for the passenger seat to get some attention. Citrus degreaser, fingernail brush and elbow grease.
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Photos 602 - 604 - 303 Rubber & Vinyl protectant applied
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Love the 68 custom interior.
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This is one of my favorite threads on here. An amazing labor of love.
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Thanks guys. The replies are appreciated. Wrestled the passenger side door panel on. Didn't take a photo of the water shield as its the same as the driver.
Photo - 605 - Door panel
Photo - 606 - Glass adjusted to factory locations. I chose to not blow apart the doors as the glass was still tight and smooth on the roll up & downs. Just re-lubed all the tracks, mechanisms etc and carried on.
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I had gotten the seats out over last weekend and of course I showed the pass seat previously but here they are now ready to be installed. The shine will die down after soaking for a few days. As dry as they were I felt it wouldn't hurt.
Photos 607 - 608 - Seats when pulled this weekend
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Photos 609 - 611 - Front seats finished.
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Photo 612 - Rear seat
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Here was my solution since I liked the Yenko placement but did not want to drill or mount it to the dash:
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But, that is if you changed your mind about it being on the column.
On a separate note, for getting deeper scratches out of glass, have you ever wet sanded them with a really fine grit of sand paper? I was going to try this, but I was curious if anyone had success doing so.
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Previously removed the steering column for clean up and turns out the lower bearing was trash so it'll get a disassembly, clean and new lower and since they do not sell the bearing for the upper and since it is staked into the aluminum housing it would be a possible issue but thankfully the upper bearing on mine was good just needed repacking with grease. Lower bearing was ordered from Ground Up (ss396.com).
Photo 613 - 616 - column removed and disassembled and of the column decal
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Photos 617 - 620 - Paint markings on inner tube etc.
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Photos 621 - 623 - Main shaft
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Photos 624 - 626 - Main shaft cont.
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Photos 627 - 629 - Tolerance ring & spring before and after
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Photos 630 - 632 - Lower bearing compared to new replacement
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Photos 633 - 634 - Lock plate
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Photos 635 - 637 - Upper bearing before and after cleaning
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Photos 638 - 639 - Mid cup after cleaning but before evapo
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Photos 640 - 641 - Lower cup after cleaning but before evapo
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Photos 642 - 643 - Cover
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Photos 644 - 646 - Inner tube after soaking
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Photos 647 - 649 - Cups and cover after soaking and polishing with Mequiar's M105
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Photos 650 - 653 - Mast jacket after cleaning and polishing
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Photos 654 - 656 - Reassembled
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Photos 657 - 659 - Reassembled cont.
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Photos 660 - 662 - Back in the car.
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Photos 663 - 664 - Back in the car cont.
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Photos 665 - 666 - Back in the car cont.
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Not much to update this week. I've taken it easy as I order the carpet and get the qtr glass and tracks reinstalled and adjusted. I did pull the pass side door panel back off to address some adjustments to get the window back in its factory location. As well as readjusting the door panel so it fits a little cleaner. Also a couple videos of the door closing with the window up and window down. Also a shout out to Joe (x66 714) for suggesting SMS Auto Fabrics for a headliner replacement. They have the exact material as what the car originally had.
Photo 667 - Comparison between SMS sample and original headliner. SMS on the left and original on the right before cleaning original.
Videos below
Glass up
https://youtu.be/LcSomCWX22U (http://"https://youtu.be/LcSomCWX22U")
Glass down
https://youtu.be/paKQ18l0JpA (http://"https://youtu.be/paKQ18l0JpA")
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Photo 668 - After cleaning
Photo 669 - Some older repo material I had in parts. Not even close.
Photo 670 - Door panel hopefully on for the last time for a while.
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Worked on the passenger quarter glass cleaning, installation & adjusting. Pretty much fell in.
Photos 671 - 673 - Door and qtr glass installed and rolled up. I've decided to keep the roof rail seals and door seals installed as the fit is too good to mess with at this point. Restoration time it will receive all new rubber.
Photo 674 - Interior qtr area.
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Photo 675 - Driver door glass date code - CZ-10
Photo 676 - Passenger door glass date code - VZ-10
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Photo 677 - Driver qtr glass date code - CZ-10
Photo 678 - Pass qtr glass date code - CZ-10
Photo 679 - Back glass date code - VZ-10
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Really nice work on the steering column. I didn't even know they had bearings in them. Is there any maintenance schedule for that?
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I am sure there is but I do not know it. To give context here. Car has roughly 87K miles, manual steering and the lower bearing was done. Upper bearing still tight just needed new grease.
No real updates from the weekend. Went to put the qtr glass in on the drivers side and while cleaning noticed the center lower roller was MIA. Got that on order along with the carpet. Still waiting on sample from Legendary on the headliner. So since I wasn't able to work on the car I knocked out some yard work and enjoyed a little bonfire Saturday night and cleaned the dailys.
Photos 680 - 682 - Driver glass roller missing. Using a punch and ball peen hammer I knocked the retainer loose after little it penetrating spray soaked on it.
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Photo 683 - Glass after roller removal.
And a couple shots of the dailys. Believe it or not the wife drives the truck since she works in town and I drive 2hrs a day back and forth to Nashville.
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The Samples I got from Legendary were not even close to 68/69 headliner material, I would suggest SMS in Canby Ore.
"Still waiting on sample from Legendary on the headliner"
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Here was my solution since I liked the Yenko placement but did not want to drill or mount it to the dash:
Nice choice on the placement. I have some options and plenty of time before that becomes a main focus.
But, that is if you changed your mind about it being on the column.
On a separate note, for getting deeper scratches out of glass, have you ever wet sanded them with a really fine grit of sand paper? I was going to try this, but I was curious if anyone had success doing so.
I have not tried wet sanding glass. If I do decide to work on them I will probably go the glass polish and da route and go from there.
The Samples I got from Legendary were not even close to 68/69 headliner material, I would suggest SMS in Canby Ore.
"Still waiting on sample from Legendary on the headliner"
Received my sample from Legendary for the headliner. Although its close to being correct as you can see the spacing is off. Here's a comparison between SMS vs Original vs Legendary. As previously suggested by Joe, Jim and others the SMS is the clear cut winner.
Photos 684 - 685 - Comparison photos
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ACC carpet arrived yesterday afternoon. Tossed it in the car to see how it looked. I have the original rear section and part of the drivers side front to make my cut marks etc. Replacement roller for the drivers qtr glass should be here today.
Photos 686 -687 - Carpet laid in place
Photos 688 - Original rear section
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Carpet is always a game changer with a restoration. it covers so much area and it always make me feel like I have turned a corner. The car is looking good.
Are you going to use a sound deadener under the carpet? I used torch down for my last one, for the price it worked well and has a somewhat factory look and consistency.
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Insulation is on the carpet. The underlayment is the original and still in the car. I did not opt for the mass backing.
(https://www.yenko.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=210269&stc=1&d=1641006598)
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now I see. You have a decent amount of the original sound deadener still there. I was not so lucky. 🙂
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Wonder what the current product is avail to best replicate that Orig sound Deadener,
The DNO mustang stuff ? (also used on Deluxe int trunks??
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Most likely but it isn't cheap and I don't think its in stock at the moment unless something has changed in the last few weeks.
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The qtr glass roller arrived yesterday so I took a few minutes and installed it onto the glass and then into the car.
Photos 689 - 691 - Now all qtr glass is installed, adjusted and finished.
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Took a few minutes last night and made some water shields for the rear side panel. Found some HD paper here at work they use as protectant to steel blanks that are shipped in. Took the shiny side and painted it black (ignore the shiny black as it was still wet when photo was taken. Krylon Matte Black was used.
Photos 692-694 - Water shields before install. "Homemade redneck water shields"
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Photos 695 - 696 - Installed
Photo 697 - What was left of one of the original shields
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Nothing much new over the weekend. Ended up getting the rear section of carpet cut and laid. Also pass rear panel on along with windlace. And yes I plan to address the rear panel and its waviness.
Photos 698 - 699 - Rear carpet installed & cut. Rear panel installed with windlace.
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Been a little of a dry spell in the garage but I took advantage over the long weekend to finish up the rear body harness. Previously I THOUGHT I had a good replacement harness for the car but while I was busy repairing it I failed to pay attention to the fact it was a RS harness.. ::) So my search continued for a replacement. With no original replacements out there (at least in my searches) I went to my other parts stash location and rounded up 2 other junk harnesses and managed to secure the sockets and terminals I needed to make the repairs to the original harness which had been butchered up many years ago. Now the mini project begins with repairing the old harness. You can see its pretty tired but the wiring is still good and has no bad insulation throughout the wiring and it ohm'd fine so I will use it.
Photos 700 - 703 - Of the harness before repairs.
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Photos 704 - 705 - After cleaning, repairing and retaping.
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Photos 706 - 707 - Continued harness repaired - Ignore the one terminal that's missing its backup light socket. Our own Bentley helped me out (which he always does. Thank you) and is sending me the one socket I need to fully complete the rear body harness.
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Photos 708 - 710 - Harness installed into the clip under the dash and installed into the tail light housings.
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Photos 711 - 712 - side markers
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Finally once all was installed I wired up the car to a battery and tested all the connections including the headlight harness.
Photos 713 - 716 - Headlights, side marker & license plate light.
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And the last for today.
Photo 717 - Tail light
Photo 718 - Brake light
Photos 719 - Reverse light
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That side markers is the rear one?
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Yes as the fronts are near the headlights. No doghouse on the car and the sub is out.
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Great Reference photos of the :stringy LA GMAD trunk spatter version paint.
Nice
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Got the package tray installed and glued into place as well as the rear belts. Ignore the bunched up carpet. It was from my big ass rooting around wrestling with belts.
Photo 720 - Package tray
Photos 721 - Rear belts
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While on belts I had previously cleaned up the retractor side of the fronts but still needed to clean the clip sides.
Photos 722 - 724 - Lap belts before cleaning.
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I went with my ole tried and true method of cleaning. Citrus degreaser and a blue scotchbrite pad. If you decide to do this make sure not to bare down on it while cleaning. Let the degreaser do the work and just massage it into the material. Rinse and towel dry and hang up to air dry.
Photos 725 - 728 - Belts after cleaning.
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Finished up the trimming the carpet, installed the firewall trim cover, kick panels and seal plates. I'm pretty happy with the results of the carpet. Ordered ACC from Speedway Motors for right at $200 with free shipping. Lays nice and very little needed to be trimmed. I actually like the fact the dimmer switch grommet wasn't installed as it allowed for a cleaner fit.
Photos 729 - 730 - As mentioned carpet, trim cover, kick panels and seal plates installed.
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Photos 731 - 732 - Cont.
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Photos 733 - 735 - Cont.
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Photo 736 - 737 - E brake assembly installed.
Photo 738 - Confirming dome light works as it should
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Bentley came through with the backup light socket. Got it cleaned up and installed. Now both backups work. Ignore the led light as I didn't have a standard on hand when testing.
Photos 739 -740 - Socket
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Photos 741 - 742 - Installed and working
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Pulled the cluster and replaced the bulbs.
Photo 743 - Lights off
Photo 744 - Lights on
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Photo 745 - Ignition in the run position. Brake light being on is due to testing the circuit along with the lights. One thing I just realized I failed to do was ground out the oil warning light which I will do at another date.
Photo 746 - Ignition in start position
Photo 747 - Ignition in acc position
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Tackled the fuel gauge issues I was having with the sending unit. These are very basic in how they work. I failed to snag a photo of the internals but I'd say if you do not have sending unit that is working pop the cover off and take a look. Make sure you have resistance from the through the mounting post, then through the strap and finally inside the cap where the resistance bar (I'm sure there is a technical term but it escapes me that the moment) is located. If you have resistance to that point confirm the copper tang is still attached to the float arm and is clean. I just cleaned the tang and the bar it rides on and presto I had a working sender. Resistance is 0-90 ohm and will should see 90+ when it is full (by the float arm) and around 40 ohms with a half tank and 0 ohms (roughly) on empty.
Photo 748 - sending unit grounded and powered through factory harness.
Photo 749 - 751 - Gauge showing different positions of the float arm.
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Previously I had the oil light which wasn't working so while the cluster was out one finally time (hopefully) I installed the dash pad and confirmed all lights working in cluster. Nothing prettier than a stock 68 cluster. But I'm biased. :)
Photo 752 - Dash pad
Photos 753 - 754 - Cluster lights
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Since I was having no luck locating a good replacement rear panel due to the previous racoon that took up residence in the car while in storage at my parents home. I pulled the vinyl off the board and removed it. I had an old junk 69 panel so I used it for its board. Once I applied new foam I patched (very crudely) the tear that was in the material. Again thanks coon...
Photo 755 - Original board chewed by coon.
Photo 756 - '69 donor (I knew 69 parts were good for something. ;) )
Photo 757 - foam glued
Photo 758 - Crude vinyl repair
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After it had setup I installed it along with the back seat.
Photos 759 - 760 - Back seat and panel now installed. The panel will have to do until I can find a suitable replacement. I'd rather push forward than delay the project. I can always go back and replace it.
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I looked at another tach option from my stash. At some point the car had a column mounted tach as the cup on the column had an indention.
Photos 761 - 762 - Don Garlits Stars and Stripes tach. Oddly enough my father acquired this tach from a fellow member many years ago when he purchased a C10 from him. I've cleaned it up a little and it looks ok.
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Found the bulb for the glove box so I installed it and confirmed it was working along with powering up the tach light to make sure it did not need replacing. Also installled glove box and door.
Photo 763 - 764 - Glove box and door with auxiliary light. Also like to add that's an original "born-with" scratch. I'm kidding. Idk when it happened but it was long before me.
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Photos 765 - 766 - DG S/S tach lit up with the dash cluster.
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Bump for updates. Always look forward to new posts in this thread.
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Thanks for the post. For now there probably won't be any more updates for a while. I'm taking a little break.
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You deserve a break. Just don't lose your patience or passion.
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Thanks. No worries on either of those 2 happening.
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Thanks for the post. For now there probably won't be any more updates for a while. I'm taking a little break.
I understand. I'm just really interested in this thread because it's so different. There are tons of Camaro rebuild threads, restoration threads, modifying and customizing threads, all over the internet,....and threads and posts about caring for your finished vehicle.....but just preserving a Camaro in it's current condition to extent you are, to make the very most of the condition it's already in, is a very unique and interesting journey.
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Thank you. I appreciate that.
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Back on the horse over the weekend. Cleaned up the subframe tails so I can reinstall it. I'll continue the cleaning on the sub once I am ready to work on the front suspension.
Photos 767 - 769 - Thanks to a good friend Jose (jbtech) I was able to obtain a set of original sub cushions that were taken off an early 68 LOS car.
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Photos 770 - 771 - Subframe tails before cleaning up the old spray bomb black.
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Photos 772 - 774 - Tails cleaned, then using my da polisher I hit everything with M105 & M205 Mequiars.
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Next I slide the sub back under the body and using my old brass punches as my alignment pins got it all bolted back up.
Photos 775 - 777 - sub bolted up using the pins.
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Next I rolled the ole girl out into the sun for the first time in a few years.
Photos 778 - 781 - overalls before knocking the dust off.
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Next I jacked up the rear and got to work with the pressure washer knocking off all the old dirt and grime to see how bad the rear tub was.
Photos 782 - 784 - Rear tub before
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Photos 785 - 787 - Cont.
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Photos 788 - 790 - Cont.
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Photos 791 - 793 - After pressure washing
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Photos 794 - 796 - Cont.
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Photo 797 - Last one of the rear tub
Photos 798 - 799 - After pressure washing and knocking the dust off the body and getting her ready to go back into the garage.
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Photos 800 - 802 - Last of the outside photos
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Looking good Darrell....Joe
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Thanks Joe.
Forgot to add the date on the original hood which is 48 or 49 (most likely 49) and it aligns with the rest of the sheetmetal dates.
Photo 803 - Hood stamp date
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The more you show of that car, the more solid as a rock it proves to be. Don't get me wrong, I love your idea of "preserving" the car and not restoring it, but that particular car would be a perfect starting point for a soup to nuts restoration if it were available for someone looking to do just that. Thanks for the update, I enjoy this thread a lot.
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Frank, I agree, but then it would look just like all the rest of the restored cars. I think it will draw more interest this way, at least from me. Even though I think he's nuts.
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Thanks... I think.?. I been called worse. Never have been considered "normal".
Photos 804 - 805 - Diff removed. More to come.
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I mean it in a good way. Will you touch up bare spots like in corners of the frame? Or leave them bare with wax to keep them from rusting?
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I knew what you meant. Its all good. I have been asked this question by several people about touching up items or the firewall etc. I have no plans to repaint anything or touch up anything. Now with that said I have had to paint the battery tray and horns as they were stripped and primered before my time. Could I change my mind later on? Of course but I am trying very, very hard to keep from making the car "better/prettier" than it is outside of just cleaning and preserving. Also keep in mind I will have to paint the front fenders as they were both "worked on" (pass fender was primered) unless I can find a pair of original paint fenders which I have not been successful. I will have to cross that bridge at some point and I'll make the best decision/option at that time. Once I start painting or touching up it can snowball quickly so I have to keep myself in check. I am not rich and I do everything on a very very small budget. Which is what I am trying to highlight for others out there. You don't have to have a 1K point / $100k car to enjoy it. Clean it up, make it safe and enjoy the journey. That is not a dig or slam to those out there that do that. Its their money and property so do whatever you want and makes you happy. Right or wrong at the end of the day I am doing this the way I want. Which is what I encourage everyone to do when working on their car. As I said previously, I've never been called normal. 8)
Thanks for the comments/replies.
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That car is really coming full circle!!
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D, it's been inspiring to follow your build. As a previous owner of your car has stated, it's like a "shiny penny!" Nice work!
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There’s preservation candidates and restoration candidates. It’s original only 1 time. I’ll take the preservation car all day.
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Amen
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I appreciate the replies gentlemen.
Moving on. Started removing the 50 year old dirt from the lower bulkhead/floor area. Also note the rear brake hole bracket only had 1 bolt and there is no signs of a bolt being installed into the lower hole. Cleaning process was the same as all the others. Citrus degreaser, blue scotchbrite pad and elbow grease. I will through a coat of #7 on everything once I am completely finished with the underside of the car. I still need to work on the pass side tub area and the tail pan section but progress is progress. Also have all the hardware from the leaf spring shackles and shock plates soaking so those photos of before and after will follow in a day or so.
Photos 806 - 807 - Before cleaning
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Photos 808 - 810 - After. I am also gonna try out the Evaporust gel as I picked up a small bottle of it several months ago and this will be a perfect area to give it a try. I don't recall where or who asked the question about original red primer vs red overspray but the last photo shows the majority of the floor has healthy amount of body color and the primer in the diff area for comparison. This was already established that LOS cars got more color on the floors vs NOR cars but this is just another example of that.
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Leaf springs are out and note that the original 4 leafs are still there but a 5th leaf was added. This was a common in drag racing applications. I do not plan to remove the 5th leaf as I thing it is a part of the cars story.
Photos 811 - 813 - Leaf springs after removal.
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While the diff is out I popped the cover. Diff was replaced at some point. This is a BL0401G coded rear (C 21 8 casting). Gears are 4.10's & dated 7/68 and again not original to the car as it is a 12D build date. What I found interesting and MAYBE the original carrier which is dated E 29 H (May 29th of 1967). Can I prove it? Of course not but it certainly makes you wonder.. I do not believe the gears and carrier are a matched set due to the almost a year difference in dates but I I have seen "Stranger Things".. ;D
Photo 814 - Dates on carrier and ring gear.
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Last up for today are some of the hardware on the diff. Common issue with removing leaf springs are the clip nuts for the leaf spring mounting bracket. Broke one on each side so I will have to source 2 bolts which I'm sure I have in my hoard of bolts and nuts. Hopefully I have the clip nuts also.
Photo 815 - Before cleaning.
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Photos 816 - 817 - Some of the items after cleaning with degreaser and soaking in Evapo. Still have the rest soaking. Note the shackles still showing signs of the dipped black as well as black overspray from the gas tank blackout on LOS cars.
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Photos 818 - 820 - Removal of the forward exhaust hangers. Note the bolts are zinc/cad for the nut inserts and phosphate on the coarse thread bolts. I will have after cleaning/preserving of the hangers in a few weeks.
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Photos 821 - 822 - Floor area where the hangers mount before cleaning.
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Photos 823 - 824 - Zinc/cad bolts after cleaning/preserving. Another note on the different head markings used in same location.
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Photos 825- 827 - Rear tub area still cleaning and noting stamping part number.
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Photos 828 - 830 - Huge shout out to Chick and his buddy for coming through on a good replacement gas tank to filler tube hose. Here are the before cleaning.
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Photos 831 - 833- Tank to filler hose after cleaning. I have it soaking in something that Chick shared on preserving. I will report back how it faired and what was done. Car's original tower clamps.
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Photos 833 - 834 - I think I have shown these before but here are the dates on the clamps.
Photo 835 - Another shout out to another good friend Nuge for selling me additional Day 2 item for the car and an amazing front plate from a local speed shop that was based out of Bowling Green, KY. Used them several times refilling my nitrous bottles back in my 4th gen Camaro and racing days.
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To finish up on the gas tank to filler neck hose; as I mentioned previously, Chick had suggested soaking the rubber in baby shampoo. So I sealed it up in a ziplock baggie coated with the shampoo. The outer ends seemed to feel more flexible after soaking for 24hrs. Center section that was exposed to fuel fumes didn't seem to change but still worth trying and I believe it is worth it on rubber components just be advised test the procedure on a scrap piece before hand.
Photos 836 - 838 - Close ups of the hose as finished.
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Photos 839 - 841 - More details of hose
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Next I tied up some loose ends and finished the exhaust bracket hardware, T-bolts & nuts, rear brake hose bracket (note only one bolt used from factory)
Photos 842 - 844 - Exhaust brackets and hardware and brake hose bracket & bolt.
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Photos 845 - 847 - Details of bracket and head markings of coarse thread exhaust hanger mounting bolt (Driver side)
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Photos 848 - 849 - Note the interesting blue/black rubber on the one hanger.
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Photos 850 - 851 - Removed the bumper stop and shock body mount and bolts. Before cleaning. Note one bolt failed to have its washer installed from the factory on the passenger side. All other bolts retained their washers.
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Photos 852 - 854 - After cleaning and coating them with Cosmoline Rust Veto aerosol.
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Photos 855 - Lower bulkhead stamping.
Photos 856 - 857 - Tail pan stamped number.
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Photos 858 - 860 - Drivers rear wheel well. Still more cleaning to be done but you hopefully can see the progress.
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Photos 861 - 863 - Drvr cont.
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Photos 864 - 866 - Passenger side rear wheel well
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Photos 867 - 869- Trunk floor
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Photos 870 - 872 - Reinstalling hardware and brackets
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Photo 873 - Reinstalling cont.
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One MUST realize that this Rear (Bottom) section is Very difficult to accomplish these results, This represents a TON of Work. My Neck and Back are aching just looking at this.
Super Hard. Manually with these results.
Can you share how or what you plan to do with the Surface Oxidized sheet metal, Coat with Rpm, Oil, Boeshield T9 ?
Jim
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Thanks Jim. Yes I will coat the areas of surface rust. I initially thought I would setup the wash station of evapo and get all the areas completely clean but after cleaning I didn't feel like it so I plan to coat the areas with Rust Veto most likely. In the areas where there is undercoating I will do RPM. I may do all RPM just depends on how I feel once I start the process. I will update on what I end up using when the time comes. I still have to touch up some areas after stepping away from it for a few days and seeing these photos I see areas I am not happy with so I will knock those out next (also something) and then go to the protection aspect. I might snag some Beoshield and give that a try also. Something I have yet to use.
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It may not look like it but I am more satisfied with the quarter wells. Note the quarters well lips had been rolled at some point.
Photos 874 - 875 - Driver qtr well
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Photos 876 - 877 - Drvr cont.
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Photos 878 - 880 - Pass qtr well
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Outstanding! It has been a few months since I checked in, lots of amazing progress. Thank you for sharing.
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It's been almost 3 months since any updates. This thread is addicting, and I need a fix...lol.
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More like making me feel guilty.