Topics

31

Restoration / Fuel Pump Restoration?

« on: September 12, 2008, 04:08:18 PM »

Does anyone know a good place to have an AC fuel pump rebuilt?  I have purchased 2 different rebuilt pumps through Rick's, and both of them have looked horrible.  The casting on the first one actually had through holes in it.  The casting on the second one had a lot of porosity and just looked bad for a 'show quality' pump.  I can only assume that these are Goat Hill Classic pumps, since the part number on the box starts with "GHC".

I would like to have my original AC logo pump rebuilt, or find a source for a nice looking rebuilt unit.

32

Restoration / 68 Tail Light Bezels - Which Ones?

« on: August 05, 2008, 08:19:28 PM »

I'm trying to make a decision regarding which reproduction tail light bezels to buy for the restoration of my 68 Camaro. 
It looks like my choices are:
1)  Moroso (made in USA)
2)  Classic Headquarters (imported)
3)  OER (imported)

Does anyone have any experience with any of these?  Is one better than the others?  I remember seeing something in the Rick's catalog about the Moroso ones having quality 'concerns', but I really don't know what that means.

I imagine that these need to be replaced on almost every restoration of a northern car, so please let me know your experience.

Thanks,
Jeff

33

Restoration / GM 14x6 Trim Ring Quality

« on: July 29, 2008, 04:34:15 PM »

Has anyone purchased a set of GM rally wheel trim rings recently?  How is the quality?  I'm looking into sending my rings out to be restored, but they are the 'inside clip' style, which means that the few little dings in them can not be removed.  So it looks like I may just order a new set of GM rings.

Also, can anyone confirm the correct GM part number for these 14x6 rings?  I believe it is 475019, but I haven't been able to confirm.

Thanks,
Jeff

34

Originality / 68 Convertible Windshield Header Moldings

« on: January 21, 2008, 01:29:07 AM »

I have a set of NOS 68/68 winshield header moldings that have the satin finish on them.  The only part of the moldings that is bright chrome is the short 'leg' where the moldings turn to meet up with the wide side moldings.  I though that this was correct.  However, this past summer I found a car with some unusual moldings, and the owner said that they were original pieces.  See the attached photos.  Talking to my father (who bought my car new), he said that he remembered his looking like the ones in these pictures as well.  Are these original moldings?

35

Restoration / License Plate Restoration

« on: January 06, 2008, 04:33:34 PM »

In CT, we are allowed to run a license plate from the year of manufacture of the car.  Well, I have the plates that were on my car when it was originally registered when new, but they are in pretty tough shape.  One of them actually has tears in the metal around the mounting holes.

Has anyone had their old license plates restored?  I see that there are quite a few places that do this type of work, but I wanted to get some feedback from people with experience. 

Thanks,
Jeff

36

Restoration / 68 Dash Pad - Again

« on: October 01, 2007, 05:10:07 PM »

I was looking through the new Rick's catalog and saw that they are advertising a new vinyl wrapped 68 dash pad with a steel core.  Now, I remember a few years back that they had a similar dash pad but it wasn't available for too long.  I would like to install a new dash pad on my 68 when it finally goes back together, but I really don't want a poor quality OER reproduction.  I also don't want to 'sacrifice' my original dash pad to have it restored since it is in fairly good shape.
Has anyone had any experience with this latest version of the 68 dash pad? 
http://www.rickscamaros.com/product.asp?pf%5Fid=DP%2D53&dept%5Fid=3373

37

Restoration / Chrome Mylar Gauge Housing Trim

« on: January 19, 2007, 06:58:15 PM »

Well, I decided to try the chrome mylar gauge housing/carrier trim stickers.  In the past I tried close-to-chrome paint, but that didn't look too good.  I also bought a 'correctly restored' gauge housing that had the heat stamped chrome like the original, but the quality was very poor.  So, I restored my gauge housing and applied the chrome mylar stickers purchased from Rick's.

Installation was a little tedious, since you need to make sure to properly align these little beauties.  They don't have much 'give' to them at all, so the positioning needs to be spot-on.  I removed several very small pieces of the backing to allow for repositioning the trim.  When they were in the right spot, I removed the backing in larger sections and pressed them into place.

They look good.  I'm very happy with the way they fit & look.

Here is a picture of the finished product:

38

Restoration / Fit of Al Knoch 68-69 Deluxe Door Panels?

« on: January 16, 2007, 08:47:03 PM »

How is the fit & finish of the Al Knoch 68-69 deluxe door panels?  I bought some about 5 or so years ago and the fit wasn't very good - the trim didn't fit well and they did not seem to have enough of a 'bend' at the top.  I ended up sending them back. 

Instead, I found some original door panels in very good shape and had a local vinyl repair shop make a few minor repairs and re-dye them.  They look great - all the original stainless trim, inner window felts, and door lock ferrules fit perfectly as expected.  However, if you look really, really close (from like 6" away) you can tell they have been repaired (the grain is not an exact match).

Now, I'm wondering if it is worth it to replace these door panels with a new set of Knoch reproductions, or if I am better off with what I have now.  I'm thinking that a set of not quite perfect original door panels is still better than a set of repops.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeff

39

Maintenance / Fuel Filter Relocation

« on: January 25, 2006, 05:28:41 PM »

I have a 68 Camaro with the L30 327.  The Q-jet carb has a small filter built into the inlet, and the threads for the retainer are a bit chewed up (which I guess is common).  I intend to have the carb rebuilt/restored, but I do not want to have to deal with this filter in the future.  I also do not want to use an in-line filter between the fuel pump and carb because I would like everything under the hood to look original.  What are my options?  Can I use a filter located in the rubber line back by the fuel tank?  Is it bad to put a filter in upstream of the fuel pump?
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Jeff

40

Restoration / Front Sheet Metal Paint/Assembly Sequence

« on: January 14, 2006, 11:14:40 PM »

My car is at the paint shop.  The painter wants to edge the front fenders then install them and paint them on the car.  I think that it will be better to paint them off the car.  Any comments/suggestions?  I'm not a paint & body expert, and I don't want to make a request that will upset my body guy.
Also, if the fenders are painted off the car, should the inner fenderwells be bolted to the fenders prior to installing them?  I did a test install of the fenderwells first, then the fenders and it was a little tricky getting the fenders mounted.  I wonder how it was done at the factory.
I'm sure some of you have been through this installation many times and can offer some great tips.  Any guidance is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeff