My Tenth Anniv.

[roadking77]

We try to be observant with where products are made when we make purchases in our home. I try to avoid China made at all costs.
Still waiting on Pypes Had a couple of nice weekends and ended up doing home chores, gardening etc. I was moving along pretty good with the car until I hit the latest roadblock. Kinda takes the wind out of my sails and I lose motivation.

[Jack]

I was hoping to see more progress but this reminded me of my tail pipes, I have splitters on my 71 which I have on early cars, I bought straight pipes that I should have replaced while the car is at the shop.

[roadking77]

Me too Jack. I was really hoping to have this thing on the road this past spring. I feel like I am so close yet so far. It will almost be a year that I have had my motor back. I was moving along pretty good until the hiccup with the pipes and I am still waiting. Its stinking hot now. By the time I get home from work and take a shower I dont fell like going back into the shop and getting dirty and sweaty again. So I end up sitting around, reading or watching tv completely bored for hours on end. And I keep thinking if I could only get some motivation to get in the shop I could get this thing finished.

[N PRGRES]

Yeah this weather has been miserable.  Not sure where you are but here in NE ohio it's the humidity also thats kicking our butts.  I put my papssenger seat in the other day and I looked like I had ran a marathon I was so sweaty.

[roadking77]

North Eastern MD. Right at the top of the Ches Bay. we def get our share of humidity. I am in the category of people when the weather gets really bad for 'those with respiratory problems'. We changed our hrs and I have been working 6 - 2 pm. or less if we finish up early. I am usually soaked after being at work for about 5 minutes. Unfortunately we have all outside work right now, so little relief. I can deal with cold, but not the heat!

[5th T/A]

Kerry, summer has just begun and it looks like it’s going to be a brutal one. Yesterday I watched as my next door neighbor had windows installed, the guys looked wilted and wiped out by days end. This last week several neighbors were getting new roofs installed. High temperatures and humidity is a double whammy. I can’t imagine more demanding working conditions. My dad suffered for years with COPD, this kind of weather was very tough on him. Hopefully your clients can show some empathy when it comes to making deadlines and you can make your health a top priority.

On your TATA, I know your patience has been tested with parts availability and slow delivery times. You have come a long way and overcome a lot of challenges with this project. Hang in there!

[N PRGRES]

We finally just got a break here in NE Ohio. Was waaaay too hot to drive a car without AC. Guess I forget that in the 70s not many cars had ac.

[roadking77]

New problem has popped up! I am tired of waiting on pypes so I figure I would get the last couple of items buttoned up in the engine bay and start to put the sheet metal on, maybe having a car that looks like a car will be enough motivation to get it on the road. Lo and behold stepped out to the shop and there is coolant on the floor again
My first thought was that it was coming out low and the water pump cover was leaking, but then I found there is a leak at the stat housing again. Very frustrating as it has sat for a couple of months now with no problems at all, now this!!!!! I ordered a new front end gasket kit as well as a new gasket for the stat housing. Picked them up last night, maybe this afternoon I will get a chance to swap out the simplest thing, the stat gasket and hope that is what was causing the problem. If thats not it then Im afraid I will  have to start tearing things apart. Not what I was expecting or looking forward to.

Have I said before that this car is really testing my patience

[N PRGRES]

Ugh, thats annoying.  I hate the 2 steps forward and one back

[wheels78ta]

Do you have to use the gasket?  I thought the manual stated not to use a gasket.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

[roadking77]

The housing gasket is a common part, and I dont know how it would seal with metal to metal only? So yes I would think it needs a gasket.

I had high hopes that the new gasket would do the trick. When I took the housing off I found a piece of very thin plastic that was still attached to the manifold itself, like a factory protection thing. Why the builder did not take it off is anyones guess?? It had turned to jelly I am assuming once it came into contact with the antifreeze. I was pretty sure that was the reason as there was really no seal between the gasket and the manifold itself. I cleaned everything very well, and put a new gasket on even using a bit of sealant, belt and suspenders kind of thing. I filled the system back up and put a little pressure on it. I started to hear a hiss and saw coolant bubbling out at the back bolt, looks like in the housing itself. I am not sure the housing does not have a microscopic crack. So I ordered a new housing, supposed to be here on tuesday.
20240626_173037 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Here is the piece of plastic I pulled off.
20240626_172911 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
A piece of schmutz I found when I pulled the housing off.
20240627_170701 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
coolant coming out at back bolt

[b_hill_86]

If for some reason that doesn’t take care of it, for what it’s worth, I was gifted a chrome water neck with an o-ring. I hadn’t used it for years mainly because I didn’t want the chrome look. Eventually after I tired of seeping, I installed the chrome one with the o-ring. No gasket, no sealant. Not a drop since.

[roadking77]

Ok. Water issue is resolved. Initially the leak came from the joint with the plastic protection from the factory that was errantly left in place. When re-installed and a small bit of pressure there was a hiss and water spray. This time on top of the bolt. I only assumed that it was a microscopic flaw/crack in the housing. So a new housing ordered from napa. Old one removed, opening prepped again, no gasket this time but permatex for water housing. Followed the instructions to the T. Install finger tight, sit for an hour then torque. Sit 24 hrs before adding water and pressure. Coolant installed but no pressure. Looked the next day and WHAM-coolant laying on the manifold
What did I do wrong? SO, back to Autozone for the pressure tester. I figure while there may as well get a couple new hose clamps. The last couple of times I took things apart I kept reusing the tower clamp. I did not have a spare the correct size and they are not available locally. These are supposed to be the original look and I wanted to stay with that.
I added the band clamp and when tightening it down a bit of coolant came out of the hose, BINGO! What I learned, DO NOT REUSE A TOWER CLAMP! Going on 36 hrs and no leak. I am pretty sure its good to go at this point. Now to move on to bigger and better things. STILL waiting on Pypes to deliver the products I ordered in May!!
20240703_115252 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240703_115302 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240703_120949 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240705_182038 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240703_121005 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

[5th T/A]

Ok. Water issue is resolved. Initially the leak came from the joint with the plastic protection from the factory that was errantly left in place. When re-installed and a small bit of pressure there was a hiss and water spray. This time on top of the bolt. I only assumed that it was a microscopic flaw/crack in the housing. So a new housing ordered from napa. Old one removed, opening prepped again, no gasket this time but permatex for water housing. Followed the instructions to the T. Install finger tight, sit for an hour then torque. Sit 24 hrs before adding water and pressure. Coolant installed but no pressure. Looked the next day and WHAM-coolant laying on the manifold
What did I do wrong? SO, back to Autozone for the pressure tester. I figure while there may as well get a couple new hose clamps. The last couple of times I took things apart I kept reusing the tower clamp. I did not have a spare the correct size and they are not available locally. These are supposed to be the original look and I wanted to stay with that.
I added the band clamp and when tightening it down a bit of coolant came out of the hose, BINGO! What I learned, DO NOT REUSE A TOWER CLAMP! Going on 36 hrs and no leak. I am pretty sure its good to go at this point. Now to move on to bigger and better things. STILL waiting on Pypes to deliver the products I ordered in May!!

Congratulations on putting this one to rest, I know you were getting frustrated, who wouldn’t be!

[roadking77]

One add on, I went back to check on things and there was more liquid on the floor   I felt around the hose at the lower water pump housing and it was leaking as well. Also, the hose at the bottom of the radiator was leaking. I replaced the clamp at the housing and then ran out of new clamps But I will get a couple more and replace all of the tower clamps. They are junk IMO.

[ryeguy2006a]

My father-in-law used a Lubelocker gasket for his thermostat and has had it off 4-5 times with no leaking issues. FWIW. Looking great Kerry, glad the motor is running!

[roadking77]

A week on and nothing leaking. And my parts came in from Pypes yesterday. Now I have no excuse but to move forward.

[roadking77]

20240712_165916 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240713_164047 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240713_170216 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Moving forward. Had to take parts outside to wash the years of shop dirt off! Got the inners installed, pass side fender loosely installed. Will hit the dr. side today.

[roadking77]

20240712_161743 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240712_161526 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Exhaust cut to fit. Roughly in place. I needed a bit of help so I left this as is for now. I dont like to start multiple projects but figured the worst was behind me in just getting this much done.

[wheels78ta]

Nice progress, Kerry.  Are you going to weld any sections of the exhaust?  I bought extra clamps but I'm going to weld some of the sections when I get to that point.

[5th T/A]

Kerry, nice looking exhaust with smooth bends. You might not care but it has to give you a HP boost over the catalytic equipped system with smaller pipes the car came with. I imagine it will sound a lot better too.

[FormTA]

Great progress Kerry!

[N PRGRES]

Looks fantastic!

[roadking77]

20240720_170159 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Got the dr side cleaned up and installed. I need some help to set the hood in place so I can get the alignment pretty close before I put the nose on. The pass side fender is aligned very nicely, I give it a 9/10. The dr fender could use some work, it looks pretty good and I can live with it but I would say its a 8/10 at best. I think the only way to make it better would be to raise the door a bit but all of the other gaps on the door look so nice I dont really want to mess with it.

20240718_133216 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240718_133415 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240718_133358 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
I did a favor for a buddy of mine a few years ago and he sent me this NOS antennae. Its just about too nice to use, but I have exhausted my search for a replacement that will look the same so I suppose I will get it bolted in place.

[FormTA]

Dang, that NOS antenna is awesome!

Hey, I reposted the video of the low mileage pace car that TTA performance "Joe" is getting ready for BAT. It's pretty cool to see the tags and the blue nuts that signify metric. Also tye actual spitter angles. Might be something you want to check out. I posted it on the special model thread.

[5th T/A]

Amazing how much a core support and front fenders can totally change the look of your TATA. Antenna is way too nice to leave in the box. It belongs on your car. After years of hard work, finally seeing it come together has to be exciting!

[rkellerjr]

Great progress, really dislike those gremlins when they creep in, good to see you figured out it was clamp.

[roadking77]

20240723_103514 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240723_102912 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Set the hood in place today to check the alignment of the fenders. All looked really good. I just needed to move the front edge near the bumper in just a bit. I have 2 hoods to choose from in my shop. I was looking for awhile for a good one to use but gave up after not being able to find something decent. I really dont want to buy a repro as I have heard good and bad and dont want to end up with a bad one. I have decided to use the black hood. They both need about the same amount of work and I have been wanting to keep the TATA hood for wall art. It is not original to the car or I probably would use it. The black one came with the car when I got it. One of the original pieces that was missing.

[roadking77]

20240724_143217 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240724_150502 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240724_152415 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240724_155307 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
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Bit more done. I have a few minor details to take care of then the nose can be bolted into place.

[5th T/A]

I am excited for you Kerry!

Back in early 2020 when I first joined TAC, you were one of the first to welcome me to the group. I didn’t know you were working on restoring your second TATA because the first was lost in a fire. I have watched you work on everything in the restoration and admired how you could take a junk old part and make it like new or better. I along with others watched painfully for years as you waited for the builder of your engine to finally deliver. I know in detail how you fought challenges in putting your car back together, harder because you started with a basket case, literally and had to scrounge for a lot of money parts. Yesterday I found out you did the body and paint work on your TA, not a simple paint job by any means. You are part of a small group of prolific posters that keep TAC going and interesting. Hopefully inspiring others not to give up on their project and bringing a car back to life.

[N PRGRES]

Can't wait to see it together!!!!

[roadking77]

Thank you for the kind words. And to quote my favorite band "What a long strange trip its been". My patience have definitely been tested during this ordeal. The funny thing is, when I got this car it was pretty much rust free, seemed to be complete other than the motor being dismantled and I figured a quick paint job, throw an interior in place. By that time the guy would have my motor finished then put it up for sale. I was planning on this to take place over a long winter HA, How naive I was, AND I have restored a Trans Am before so I knew what I was up against. During the process I met a guy with whom we have become good friends that was also restoring a '79 trans am, but his is the opposite of mine being a stripped down hardtop model. He goes above and beyond with his restorations and seeing him chasing down 'that exact part' inspired me. So I fell down the rabbit hole and several years later here I am.
I will also add,  to quote Sheriff Justice, 'There is no way, no how"  I would have ever gotten my motor finished and running without all of the ancillary support that I received from Larry (aka 5th ta). Both in parts, text support and multiple calls on my part with more than silly questions that I did not have the answer to.

[rkellerjr]

Definitely an adventure Kerry, I fell down that rabbit hole as well. "If I'm going to do X then I should do Y and Z as well". You'll be very happy though in the end. Looking forward to seeing it move out of the garage on its own power. Definitely a trophy winner!

[roadking77]

20240726_113213 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Heres the backside of my nose piece. Not sure if I posted it before (years ago)when I restored it. Everything was new and refurbished. I forget now but I counted the pieces and it was in the hundreds!
20240728_132728 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
I realized that I put the stripes on the front flares wrong so here they are done correctly. I forgot that they went across the front of the car as well. I will do the centre section once its installed.20240728_144221 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240728_144318 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240728_144210 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Nose is bolted back into place for the first time in many years. I was surprised at how well everything lined up. The pic's show it right after I installed and all of the bolts were still loose. Its a bit tighter now with the bolts all socked down.
Gonna go backwards now and start the body work on the hood.

[N PRGRES]

Looking awesome!!!!

[FormTA]

Wow! That car is beautiful! That engine compartment! I zoomed in but how well did you get tye wheel flairs to fit?

[roadking77]

Luke, I have several pair of flares. I used the best ones for this but that was based on condition and not fit. I should have test fit first. The pass side fits really nice. The driver side is good and passable. When I bolted it in place to the fender the fit was perfect, when I 'pulled' it around to put the sheet metal screws in the inside edge of the fender well it tweaked a bit and came of the body slightly. Im not sure if its the right way to fix the issue but I used some 3m double sided all weather tape and put a piece on the edge that was lifting. That seemed to work about 85%. It looks much better than without but still not 100%. I figured a lot of emblems and side trim ect were installed with double side tape so im not too worried about that trick. IF it should create a problem hopefully it will be long enough down the road that I wont have to deal with it.

[ryeguy2006a]

Looks great Kerry! I thought that you still had to paint this car, but it looks like you could throw the hood on and take it for a drive.

[roadking77]

Ryan, with my 77 it was 100% complete before I put it on the road. This one is going to be different (I hope!). Realistically it is roadworthy now. Well, almost I have to hook up the parking brake, and finish the exhaust. But really other than that I could drive it down the street. I have a temp. seat in place. But in all likely hood it will be a couple of months before it hits the pavement. I need new tires as well. I do have a few sets of wheels so thats not really stopping anything as I can get the right ones restored and still be able to drive the car. I am hoping I can get insurance on it soon so I can put the tags on the car. I have most of the stuff for the interior. The body work is completed and car is painted. The only thing not finished is the hood. But I have one I could use if need be.
I started the other night stripping the hood I plan on using. For anyone that is afraid to buff a car and burn through the paint, let those worries be squashed. I used my ro electric sander with 60 grit. I figured it would knock the paint off in a few swipes. I worked my butt off for about a half hour and got about a square foot done. That old paint is TOUGH! I started to second guess myself and am now thinking I may roll the dice and get a repro hood. I will be many, MANY hours ahead of the game in prep work.

[5th T/A]

Congratulations Kerry on getting to hood refinishing.

Back when I did my 1975 TA, I foolishly thought it would be a good idea to refinish the underside of the hood so it would look nice like the top side. The foolish part was I used a sand blaster that nicely cleaned the underside, but at the same time stretched the sheet metal. So when I painted the hood I could clearly see the outline of the support metal. Not ever claiming to be a body or paint man I talked to a good friend who owned a body shop. He explained that the sand blasting stretched the hood skin and my hood was now junk. He went on to say that even when sanding a hood with a DA you have to be very carful not to get the metal hot or it will warp. My hood was ruined, but he said I should have used chemical stripper. The stripper is not inexpensive but will reduce amount of time sanding considerably. You still will probably have to use some 600 grit paper and be careful not to get the stripper in the seams around the edge and use caution when sanding so the metal doesn’t get too warm.

In 1980 I was fortunate to get a brand new Pontiac hood for $75.00 and it fit fine. I have no idea how good the repo hoods are today.