Author Topic: My Tenth Anniv. (Read 82050 times)

roadking77 · « **Reply #40 on:** April 05, 2021, 07:53:29 AM »

Been working on misc small stuff waiting on the big day! Got a coat of semi gloss on the air cleaner, still a couple of parts to install on that to finish, cleaned and painted the linkage and side cover of the trans. I got a 'Hurst Pit Pack' from Ames, this has the new brass bushings and correct spring clips for the linkage connections. I put in pics of the old misc. worn out stuff I removed and a pic of what the new looks like. Anybody that has one of these trans should spend the $14 and replace that stuff. It made a world of difference in how tight the linkage is now.

roadking77 · « **Reply #41 on:** April 05, 2021, 07:59:44 AM »

2021-04-03_06-30-38 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

How many people have a Hurst equipped work bench

Polished the corroded handle up nicely, and took some oooo steel wool to the handle to get rid of the rust. Still a bit of pitting, but it is def. servicable. I was thinking of 1. getting a new one-$400

OUCH, not gonna do that. 2. get this one replated, but after cleaning I think the bad will be under the boot and hidden. So gonna live with it as is for now.

2021-04-03_06-31-02 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Washer connector broke on Wiper motor

2021-04-04_04-27-04 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

2021-04-04_04-27-15 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Another $10 part from Ames, I didnt check but with the part no. GM parts direct may have it for cheaper, or maybe even NAPA

2021-04-04_04-27-25 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
I didnt like that the replacement was black, there are 2 options, the white one which looks more correct is at a right angle not straight. Once installed if I find the white one will work I will swap it out.

roadking77 · « **Reply #42 on:** April 05, 2021, 08:02:07 AM »

Last pic for now is of the bottom of the trunk floor after I took out the fuel tank. Its nice not to have to deal with rust!

2021-04-04_04-34-10 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

roadking77 · « **Reply #43 on:** April 05, 2021, 08:04:15 AM »

Other than getting some small stuff taken care of nothing major happening. Going to make by weekly check with the shop to see if the motor has come back from the machinist yet. I ordered a new gas tank and fuel lines to be delivered to the Carlisle show, that saved about $400 in shipping. Wont have them until at least the 21st though. In the meantime trying to get some stuff put back together.

FormTA · « **Reply #44 on:** April 05, 2021, 10:26:03 AM »

Ooh, I didn't realize this was a 4 speed car. This should be a fun option to your 77.

« **Reply #44 on:** April 05, 2021, 10:26:03 AM »

roadking77 · « **Reply #45 on:** April 05, 2021, 01:03:47 PM »

Quote from: FormTA on April 05, 2021, 10:26:03 AM

Ooh, I didn't realize this was a 4 speed car. This should be a fun option to your 77.

Absolutely!! Biggest reason I bought it to begin with. I was talking to Ryan at one time when he was about to switch out his motor, and came within inches of buying his. But, I figure the biggest value this car has is the original 4 speed drive train. I have driven a lot of trans ams, going back to 1980. I have NEVER driven one that is a 4 speed!! Very much looking forward to it.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #46 on:** April 05, 2021, 01:20:30 PM »

I can attest that he was very close to buying haha. Kinda wish he did, but I understand why not.

My 76 had that exact same shifter in it when I bought it. Very comfortable in the hand.

5th T/A · « **Reply #47 on:** April 05, 2021, 02:38:20 PM »

Kerry,

It’s been almost a year now since I joined TAC. In that time I have been watching you turn various parts and assemblies that look like crap into a beautifully restored part. I am still amazed every time you do it. Your a very talented person, great inspiration for me and others on TAC on what elbow grease and TLC can do.

FormTA · « **Reply #48 on:** April 05, 2021, 05:47:52 PM »

Kerry, was thinking hard about buying Ryan's LS combo for my 67. That was a great deal! I half wish my car was still the 301 4 speed but I love the LS power and ease of use. I really wish I would have bought a LS 5 speed donor car but the price was right for what I got.

roadking77 · « **Reply #49 on:** April 11, 2021, 12:31:29 PM »

One little piece at a time. Didnt get to check on the motor in the last couple of weeks. Kinda dont want to hear the bad news (that its still at the machinist). I hope to drop by one of these days and see a nice long block on the engine stand!
In the meantime I am trying to get all of the little bits that need refreshed done and put back. One small thing was the wiper arms and motor. I had re finished the motor, got a kit to patch the pump back up and was ready to roll. Then there was a thread on the py forum regarding the date/product sticker. This discussion led to proper finish. I painted the bottom half of my motor satin black, same as I did on my 77. I have seen a few restored this way figured it was right. WRONG. The original had a slight goldish tint on the bottom half. I scraped off my sticker and found remnants of the original hue. So I stripped it down again and lightly misted some gold spray. May not be perfect but it looks closer to correct than black.

I also ordered a correct date coded sticker from ECS, it is close but does not match the original in size and layout. Oddly enough I have a buddy restoring a similar car and he too got a sticker from ECS. The one he got looks perfect!!

2021-04-07_06-27-47 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Very faint gold under where the sticker was.

2021-04-10_04-05-59 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

2021-04-10_04-06-10 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

FormTA · « **Reply #50 on:** April 11, 2021, 07:12:15 PM »

OK, I'll pack mine up and ship it to you. I haven't even got to it yet, it's still in a box somewhere....

Yours looks amazing! You really do some great work!

roadking77 · « **Reply #51 on:** April 12, 2021, 06:36:26 AM »

Thanks Luke, send it out

, the plastic cover was broke in a few places. I was searching and couldnt find one so I patched this one up with some 'glass and bondo. Far from perfect but it looks better than cracked. Ames had them in their cat., I was surprised to see them so I placed an order. Something like $75 for the whole unit. BUT it was back ordered. I still have my eyes out looking for one.

roadking77 · « **Reply #52 on:** April 26, 2021, 07:01:41 AM »

2021-04-25_05-17-16 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

2021-04-25_05-17-26 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Block off plate in the air plenum cleaned up with a new seal. I have been looking all over for some foam rubber that is like the original. No luck. Guy had Carlisle had a 500ft roll of this stuff, tore a piece off the corner and gave it to me. Its a bit thinner than the original but will work in the meantime.

2021-04-25_05-16-45 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

And my haul, new fuel tank from firebird central, along with new fuel lines (sending unit was backordered), new cold case radiator. I did get the driver side line installed over the weekend now I need to get the pass side lines in. Still waiting for word on my motor

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #53 on:** April 26, 2021, 09:06:45 AM »

I wanted to go to Carlisle so bad this year, but I'm tapped out... I'll definitely be there next year though. Might even grab a vendor spot.

5th T/A · « **Reply #54 on:** April 26, 2021, 03:03:52 PM »

Kerry,

Looks like a nice haul from Carlisle. I always wanted to attend one of their events, but it’s a long way for me. Trying to work something out where I can visit my daughter and grandchildren in Alexandria VA and make Carlisle as a side trip.

Hope you hear back on your engine soon.

« **Reply #54 on:** April 26, 2021, 03:03:52 PM »

roadking77 · « **Reply #55 on:** April 27, 2021, 06:11:00 AM »

Radiator was kinda spur of the moment. Kinda like Jonathon, Wed my 'liquor money' came in!! I am a resident agent for a store, only strings attached is I get a nice stippend once a year when the license needs renewed. I typically use that as my 'play' money. Its not retirement money but I did get my parts out of it!

jonathonar89 · « **Reply #56 on:** April 27, 2021, 06:29:42 AM »

Good way to spend the play money...something that still retains some sort of value and brings added value to your asset

. I’ve been thinking about getting one of those Cold Case radiators myself. They sell them for LS swap vehicles with inlent/outlet on the passenger side.

roadking77 · « **Reply #57 on:** May 04, 2021, 06:30:01 AM »

2021-05-04_08-20-24 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Still not much going on but the 'behind the scenes' boring stuff. New fuel tank along side the old one. New sending unit installed need to get some more tubing then I will have it ready for install. I got this from Firebird Central, picked up at Carlisle show to save on shipping. I am very happy with it and wanted to get one with the neck soldered in place. Some sell the necks loose. Also picked up fuel lines. The supply line on the driver side fit really good, not perfect but with a bit of tweaking worked out. The pass side return and vapor lines werent even close. I was able to re bend the return line to make it work but it looks a bit sloppy. The vapor line was non existent, and there was 1 line included that I am still trying to figure where it goes? I ended up getting some nicop off of amazon and bending my own. As typical of all the plumbing jobs I do 3 trips to the 'hardware store' are involved. I didnt order enough tubing the first go round, next order to be in on thursday. Needed to order spring wrapping the stuff I had was too small. And a trip to a couple of stores to get a good tubing bender.

2021-05-04_08-20-14 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

My original vent line and the nicop straightened from the coil

2021-05-04_08-20-03 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

New one bent up. Need the spring then I can put this in place. Not perfect but I am sure it will be as close as the return line I installed.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #58 on:** May 04, 2021, 08:03:58 AM »

Looks great Kerry. I love NiCopp.

5th T/A · « **Reply #59 on:** May 04, 2021, 03:02:07 PM »

Kerry,

Nice job on the tubing bends. Having recently done some of this myself, I have an idea of what you went through. As Ryan mentioned NiCopp is great to work with, a lot more flexible than hard steel. If you have to tweak a line a little to make it fit, it's pretty easy to make small adjustments with your hand.

olds403 · « **Reply #60 on:** May 11, 2021, 07:30:48 PM »

Nice restoration. How did you determine where to overlay the dark gray over the silver ? Did you lay it out with decals or measure off another 10th Anniversary. We are at this stage ourselves.

TATurbo · « **Reply #61 on:** May 11, 2021, 08:20:18 PM »

Super impressed with the bending skills! I made a couple of attempts at a couple of different lines. Thankfully, I'm wasn't doing a stock restoration...'cause I was pretty bad at it. I ended up using pre-bent lines for the brake system and rubber coated PTFE for everything else (Fuel system, Trans cooler, and Power steering).
The new lines look great!

roadking77 · « **Reply #62 on:** May 12, 2021, 07:08:23 AM »

Thanks Tom, The pre bent stuff def looks better, and the nicop bends super easy. But tucked up under the car they look fine together. I started awhile ago with brake lines and wasnt 100% happy so I ended up buying pre bent front to back brake lines. Then I decided what the heck and bought the fuel lines. The big problem was that the pass side lines werent even close to fitting. They were marked for a 79 trans am but I think that was a mistake.

Olds, I did several things with the paint scheme. First thing I study pictures of these cars and minute details almost daily. The good thing is there are still a lot of original's to look at. I surmised that the top door edge colour change is split by the mirror base, so I used that as a starting point. I paralleled that line down the door top. The over the roof width is pre determined (got the measurement from an original car), and for the life of me cannot remember what that distant is off hand. I can get it for you. Something like 1-1/4". I had some traces of original paint on the door jambs so that helped me align all the points. My biggest hurdle was the swoop across the fender top that is the transition from the door to the hood. I traced an original paint car at a show and made a paper template. I also have an original paint hood that I temp. installed to make sure every thing lined up. Hope this helps, let me know if I can offer any thing else.

olds403 · « **Reply #63 on:** May 12, 2021, 06:04:46 PM »

Thanks Roadking
Ours is very close to this stage so anything you can share is appreciated
Mike

Nexus · « **Reply #64 on:** May 12, 2021, 06:52:43 PM »

As the others mentioned, those came out great!!

« **Reply #64 on:** May 12, 2021, 06:52:43 PM »

roadking77 · « **Reply #65 on:** May 17, 2021, 06:54:28 AM »

2021-05-04_08-20-24 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Old tank beside new one. Old tank looked ok, bottom was pushed in a bit and I probably could have reused it. But, one thing I want new on my car is fuel and braking systems. New tanks dont cost that much, my philosophy is to put the best in I can even if I have to wait a bit longer to do so. I dont drink, smoke, gamble, or chase wild women (anymore) so my spare money goes into the car.

roadking77 · « **Reply #66 on:** May 17, 2021, 07:00:17 AM »

2021-05-16_01-05-21 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Cleaned up and sealed, all of the lines in place and stenciled. Back on the shelf for the time being until I get the rear back in place.

There is a bit of work that goes into the fuel tank out of the box. The sending unit needs installed, new return lines and new vapor lines need to be fabbed. The fuel supply line is already there and I got a tank that had a soldered neck in place. The one thing I had to swap from my other tank is the ground wire.

No comment on motor work

I did get all of the lines finished underneath and am pretty much finished on the bottom. So, I took the car off of the cribbing to set it back on its feet, propped up the rear from under the frame and ready to remove the rear end. This should be the last major task I have before the motor. Plan on removal and rebuild, new lines brakes, etc.

5th T/A · « **Reply #67 on:** May 17, 2021, 11:53:22 AM »

New tank looks good. Did you have to apply the US steel stencil? Is it date coded? I didn’t even know they were available.

I also agree on the one piece tank with the neck soldered on since that’s the way the factory did it. My tank came with a rubber hose to connect the neck. Going straight in the angle wasn’t exactly correct, so I had to compensate a little or it would have been too low.

roadking77 · « **Reply #68 on:** May 17, 2021, 04:03:09 PM »

I got the stencil from Ames, they have several dates, my car being march 79, dec 78 was the closest I could get. For what it is, a bit pricey but I figured what the heck. Right now is probably the only time anyone will ever see it. I have a buddy restoring a car with a similar time frame and same drivetrain. I thought after I used the template I would put it in the mail and let him use it too. No dice, its a sticker with the negative cut out. Put the sticker on the tank, spray paint then peal the sticker off. One shot and done. Tank was kinda just dull and had a lot of marks on it. I did a rub down with 4-0 steel wool then sprayed the whole thing with shark hide.

Nexus · « **Reply #69 on:** June 08, 2021, 08:04:42 AM »

May 17th, gas tank update.

Anything happen since then or has your attention been on getting the garage wiring squared away?

roadking77 · « **Reply #70 on:** June 08, 2021, 01:13:22 PM »

Charlie, been busy with work, the weather has been unseasonably hot (118 heat index today), and of all things I was sick for about 4 straight days. So not much has been going on. I did finally get the rear out, I started cleaning it up yesterday. I will post some pics when Im done that project. Its pretty much the last 'big' thing to do before the motor comes in.

5th T/A · « **Reply #71 on:** June 09, 2021, 09:20:46 AM »

Hope your feeling better and nothing serious going on.

I’ll be watching as to how you paint your differential. I see many painted black, but I believe they were not painted at all. The driveshaft and differential were the only parts underneath that I didn’t clean up on my car because I thought I would be changing rear axle ratios. I am planing painting the center section with Eastwood cast blast and maybe the axel tubes too. You seem to have a good handle on how things were done by the factory, so I am curious to what you will do.

roadking77 · « **Reply #72 on:** June 09, 2021, 05:55:41 PM »

As far as I know everything was left in the raw, and naturally flash rusted right away. The axle tubes are steel, mine were pitted in some parts too bad to go back natural. Which was a shame as some parts polished up perfect. The pumpkin is of course cast, and I am really happy with how mine is coming out. I have almost all of the rust off and the bare cast is showing very nice. I am having an internal debate right now to 'shark hide' or put a cast iron paste on like what is used on exhaust manifolds. I am going to paint the tubes a steel replicating colour. My cover is pitted pretty bad I was gonna clean, fill and paint but new ones dont cost that much so I am thinking that is the route I will go.

Yes, feeling a bit better, had a bad head cold and chest congestion. Hard to breathe for a couple of days with the heat and humidity.

roadking77 · « **Reply #73 on:** June 16, 2021, 06:04:08 AM »

Still no motor news

, I wasnt planning on putting anything up until the rear was finished but since I had my flickr open.
Leaf spring mid resto. Rust remover, die grinder, and brass wheel. Still some work but I think they will be fine.

2021-06-15_07-26-44 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

2021-06-14_05-09-53 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

2021-06-15_07-58-05 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Before and After of the brake caliper.

2021-06-14_05-12-46 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Partial pic of the rear. Diff is cleaned about as good as I can get it. Covered the bare with shark hide. Now I need to pull the axles so I can get the backing plates off, then I can paint the tubes.

Jack · « **Reply #74 on:** June 16, 2021, 07:29:21 AM »

Nice work Kerry.

5th T/A · « **Reply #75 on:** June 16, 2021, 01:50:12 PM »

Sure looks good Kerry. If you didn’t post the before pictures it would be hard to appreciate the transformation.

roadking77 · « **Reply #76 on:** July 16, 2021, 09:26:07 AM »

2021-07-11_02-14-12 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Rear is all but ready for install. I sent out the backer plates and front mount cups to powder coat. Was supposed to be back by the 4th of July but still waiting. Once I have these I can finish this thing. Install, then put the fuel tank in.

roadking77 · « **Reply #77 on:** July 16, 2021, 09:27:28 AM »

2021-07-11_02-14-20 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Pile of parts on the work bench ready to go. New rotors, new calipers, got the prop shaft painted and ready to go.

roadking77 · « **Reply #78 on:** July 16, 2021, 09:31:25 AM »

2021-07-14_02-45-14 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

2021-07-14_02-45-31 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

These are the bolts from the backer plates. They were REALLY rusty. I soaked them in the rustoleum equivalent of evaporust. Sprayed it down with H2O and then hit with a wire wheel. I prefer using original hardware if possible, of the shelf stuff doesnt look right a lot of times. These were in good shape and I dont think they have a lot of stress so good to re-use. On the other hand I did use new u bolts and t bolts for the rear to spring mount.

5th T/A · « **Reply #79 on:** July 16, 2021, 02:03:21 PM »

Looking good Kerry, all up to your usual high standards.

I agree with using original hardware if possible. I have seen the bolts that attach the subframe rust to less than half the original diameter. So for critical fasteners I understand the need to replace.

« **Reply #79 on:** July 16, 2021, 02:03:21 PM »

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Author Topic: My Tenth Anniv. (Read 82050 times)