My Tenth Anniv.

[N PRGRES]

I am guessing you could add this even to a car that originally didn't have power locks?  Can you post where you got it?

[roadking77]

Yes, def can be added to a car without existing power locks. The system is made by Klassic Keyless and I bought it from Ames. Its not cheap at around $240 but I figured since I had everything apart I may as well. I actually bought it about 3 or 4 years ago and it has been sitting in my office until just recently. I even had to replace the fob batterys as they had gone bad. If you do not have power in your door they supply a small rubber boot to route the wires. I used existing. The one thing I need to call them about is to see if I can splice the original harness into the new system, otherwise there is no need for power door switches.

[N PRGRES]

Yes, def can be added to a car without existing power locks. The system is made by Klassic Keyless and I bought it from Ames. Its not cheap at around $240 but I figured since I had everything apart I may as well. I actually bought it about 3 or 4 years ago and it has been sitting in my office until just recently. I even had to replace the fob batterys as they had gone bad. If you do not have power in your door they supply a small rubber boot to route the wires. I used existing. The one thing I need to call them about is to see if I can splice the original harness into the new system, otherwise there is no need for power door switches.

Thanks!

[FormTA]

I may have to get that too. One of my doors was from Florida and for some reason didn't have power locks. I'll have to drill no mater what and all of my actuators are in really poor shape. Might as well install something new instead of 46 years old....

I'll have to go searching for those, or something like it.

[roadking77]

I put the lock cylinder and handle in. It was kinda stiff to turn the key. I figured at the least maybe some lube on the door latch/lock. Looked a bit closer and it seemed a bit crusty, SO I figured as far as I have gone this thing may as well come out for a refresh as well. I am glad I did as it looked so much worse than what I could have imagined. Installed inside the dark recesses of the door shell it didnt look all that bad, but on the workbench , well thats another story.
20250120_132312 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250120_132532 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250120_132527 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

[roadking77]

The inside levers were just ok, with some minor pitting. I did not want to go to the extreme and trouble of replacing. I found it was easier to remove it along with the door latch so out it came as well. The backer plate is surface rust so I figured on cleaning it as well. I needed a couple of small parts so placed the order and saw the new inside handles are only $11 I thought that was pretty reasonable, heck my wife spends more than that at starbucks every morning! So I ordered up a couple of those as well. The catalogue says good quality so I am hoping for the best. IF the old ones clean up and look better or at least that much better made I may re-use them.
20250120_132235 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250120_133658 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

[roadking77]

20250121_161145 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250121_161150 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250121_161208 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
After an overnight bath. Should be good enough for some lube now. I am planning on using wd40, or maybe a teflon spray. I have found that white lithium is good for the window tracks but is a bit gummy for something that needs a quick release action like the door lock and hood lock. Something thinner does a much better job.

[5th T/A]

Looking good Kerry!

Did you use Evaporust or Charlie's home brew?

[roadking77]

I should clarify, I use Evaporust as a generic term, but it is actually a product. I have used it extensively with great results. For these products and the window regulator I used Rustoleum brand's equivalent. I am not sure off hand what they call it, maybe just a Rust remover. The nice thing about this product is that its a gel. It works on vertical surfaces pretty good. I just sprayed it all over and it pretty much just sits in place and does its job. The Evaporust is liquid and the part needs to be completely submerged to do anything. It seems like you do not need to use as much with the gel, however with the liquid I will put it back in the container and re-use it. Something the gel cannot do. So I guess in the long run they even out.

[scarebird]

WD40 is not a lubricant, it acts as a poor one briefly then evaporates.

Lubriplate is what GM specs for stuff like that.

[roadking77]

Thanks, I will see what the lubriplate compares to off the shelf. Unless of course I could get the real thing.

[scarebird]

Only place I saw ten years ago was Amazon, and you had to get a large/expensive tub IIRC.

[roadking77]

20250104_113314 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_135124 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_122948 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_132202 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_132151 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_133228 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_133032 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_133016 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_135509 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_140409 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_141527 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_141652 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_142031 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250126_145547 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

[5th T/A]

A picture is worth a thousand words! It has to be very rewarding to be at the point of bolting together beautifully restored, shiny new and NOS parts. I am guessing the temperature in your shop is tolerable or you’re able to work with stiffing fingers!

[81Resto]

Car is looking great.  I had never even thought about keyless entry even being an option to do, but may just have to open up my Ames catalog haha,

[N PRGRES]

Looks great!  Did you use the original or new screws for the weather strip?  Just be careful when you raise the window and ensure the screw isn't hitting the glass....ask me how I know 

[roadking77]

The window rub strip is not installed yet , I just set it into place for the pic. But I will be installing it very soon in the next couple of days I hope. I used a small light gauge steel stud screw to install the ones in my 77 with no problems. I have them by the thousands They are pretty close to original.

I started to clean the original door handle when I saw Ames had them for $11! The catalogue says 'good' quality. One thing I like about Ames is that they will describe their parts truthfully. So I was figuring on the worse case being only good. They do look very nice and have a good feel about them. I think they are a good+ if nothing else. They also match the original in fit and finish as well.

It was still pretty cold when I was doing this work, but tolerable. With the overhead heater and the propane pot heater I had the shop to about 50deg which is fine with me. A little bit warmer would be nice but it sure beat the 20deg that was outside.

[N PRGRES]

Its been super cold here also.  My garage is getting spray foamed but it has to be above 32 degrees to do it, of course, we haven't been close to that.  Hopfully it will be done mid Feb asw I am losing time on getting stuff done on the car before cruise season 

[roadking77]

The spray foam is nice. I wish I had gone that route. I have my ceiling insulated and paneled with steel. 1 long wall on the north side is insulated and drywall and painted. One gable end is half butt insulated, drywall and painted. It abuts to my garage so that helps too. The other long wall and the outside gable are about 1/4 insulated and no finish. I have loaded those walls with shelves and tools hanging so its a big project to insulate and finish at this point. I will get to it eventually  . The building holds heat pretty good considering, but I can imagine it would be so much nicer if everything was done properly.

[N PRGRES]

The spray foam is nice. I wish I had gone that route. I have my ceiling insulated and paneled with steel. 1 long wall on the north side is insulated and drywall and painted. One gable end is half butt insulated, drywall and painted. It abuts to my garage so that helps too. The other long wall and the outside gable are about 1/4 insulated and no finish. I have loaded those walls with shelves and tools hanging so its a big project to insulate and finish at this point. I will get to it eventually  . The building holds heat pretty good considering, but I can imagine it would be so much nicer if everything was done properly.

It helps that the company my wife works at does the foam spray....

[roadking77]

Dave, years ago I was constructing a new town hall building. It was about 10k sf all flat roof. At the time there was a local guy that did spray foam insulation. He also would spray it on flat roofs with a rubberized coating for waterproofing. When they did my job which was right in the middle of a town, they ended up with overspray on a car. I think the owner was looking for a new paint job. It was a 1930's era street rod with an old tired paint job. Anyway, the only time I ever saw the car or even knew about it was the day they sprayed the roof and he pulled it out of his garage and parked it in the alley next to the jobsite. Of course he came to me a couple of days later complaining 'I' had ruined the paint on his car and he had some kind of stupid estimate for a repaint. I simply passed this to the foam guy. He laughed and said "I once sprayed an entire parking lot in Ocean City". He told the guy to park the car outside in the sun for a couple of days and the product would turn to powder, then he would pay for a wax job. I have no idea whatever came of it but every time I hear about spray foam I remember this.

Now, back to the regular scheduled program

[N PRGRES]

LOL. someone always looking to game the system

[tajoe]

Finally got back here, and need-ta catch up on your progress. Will this be the summer of cruising?

[Nexus]

I'm caught up again

I love this car!

This would be my crowning jewel if I ever had the opportunity to own one but the likelihood of that happening are very slim. Not impossible but definitely slim.

Doing a masterful job sir!!

[Jack]

I need to catch up but at least see that you have you car back.

[silver78]

I've been MIA but your build caught my eye...awesome man!  Keep after it.

[roadking77]

Yes I hope to be cruising this summer
I got the pass side door finished up. Window installed and working. I jumped the power off of my battery charger as the switch is not hooked up yet. I bought some relays and want to go that route along with a new switch. I took the dr. side door insides apart today for their time on the bench. Started the rust removal soak and clean up of the tracks. I bought new window hardware years ago and it took a bit of digging but I did find it. I searched everywhere for the special tool to remove the window parts with no luck. Came back into the office and there it was behind my desk. Since I know what Im doing this time around I went ahead and drilled out the inside handle and the old power door lock motor. I have all of the rebuild parts and hope to get this door finished in a week or two.
20250202_151438 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250202_154101 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250202_154142 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250202_163627 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250202_155014 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Discard/put in a box and sit on a shelf pile.

And the sticker finally came in for my jack20250201_171602 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20250201_172046 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
I learned this trick here on TAC a long time ago. A spray paint dab at the bolt heads will let me put the tracks back in their original position. This should help with installation.

I started to clean the glass and it has the typical line of scratches. More than what I am comfortable with. So I am going to look for replacement glass. I would rather stick with original and may end up doing so but............

[scarebird]

Do you think the scratches may buff out?

[roadking77]

I doubt it. I think there was discussion about that on here, as well as there was a very long winded one on the aaca forum. With some pro glass guys chiming in. The bottom line was that if you can catch your fingernail on them they are too deep. I am going to continue with the clean up and see what it looks like. The pass side window was pretty good, it had a couple of small spots but because I have heard bad things about the repro glass I wanted to keep it. I am afraid the dr side may just be too far gone. If that is the case I will order a pair. Theres no way I am going to put one side in new and leave the other old. I put new glass in my 77 and to me seeing old glass in a restored car is a big detraction. That glass fit fine but then again that was probably 10 years ago! I will make some calls tomorrow.

[FormTA]

Good luck with the glass. The ones I got from NPD were not curved the same as the originals and I had to remove some of the guides just to get them to operate at all. We once had a thread on all of the side glass out there. Hope you find some that are close to the originals.

These cars all had the same problem. I have probably 5 sets of door glass and they all have deep scratches from worn felt or something in them.

[roadking77]

Yes, the metal guides that are wrapped in felt seem to be a common problem. The felt wears down after awhile and I suppose the amount of work for the repair was not worth it on a 15-20 yr old car. Guys just lived with it and as a result all of us poor slobs trying to keep them alive now are stuck with not so good glass
I ordered the ones for my black car from auto city classics. They did fit nice. They have door glass for $130 with $35 shipping. I am going to give them a call and see what their return policy is. If the curve doesnt match I will send them back. I have bought all of my glass from these guys and the service and price has been great and they have been very good to deal with. I think they usually go to Carlisle which is not really that far away. If so I may just do a pickup there and save on shipping. I have plenty of other things that can be done in the meanwhile, need to look at things from different angles right now

[N PRGRES]

My drivers side glass is a mess, the passenger side is good.  Honestly, my windows are down 99.9% of the time in the summer so replacing them is pretty far down on the list.

[roadking77]

I just bit the bullet and ordered a new set. They came out to $160 per side. Not that I wanted to spend 320 on glass but the dr side was just too bad to put in. I hardly ever put the glass up in my 77 and I doubt I will in this car, but it will drive me crazy knowing that I did as much work to this thing as I have and not put a new piece of glass in when it was the best time to do so. I also ordered some replacement "felt" to fix the window track that has deteriorated. So I am back to waiting on parts to continue with the door at this point. I can get to work on my window switch wiring if nothing else.

[roadking77]

20250210_150221 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250210_150238 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
It was hard to take a pic of the scratches, but the 'buff' marks are the main reason why I am replacing. There are a couple more long scratches as well.
20250208_134900 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250210_150150 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250208_121450 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250208_125557 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250208_131148 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Anyone that wonders why their original windows may be slow, the gunk build up is horrible and the grease solidifies!
20250208_132038 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20250208_132436 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Door latch rod cleaned up with new sound deadening sleeve.

20250208_123831 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Rub pad that needs replaced.

[FormTA]

Kerry,  those window tracks look great! I bet your windows will work great!

[N PRGRES]

Looks great!  For the level of detail you are doing, I would replace the glass also, for my car, she will just have to live with it for awhile =)

[5th T/A]

I just bit the bullet and ordered a new set. They came out to $160 per side. Not that I wanted to spend 320 on glass but the dr side was just too bad to put in. I hardly ever put the glass up in my 77 and I doubt I will in this car, but it will drive me crazy knowing that I did as much work to this thing as I have and not put a new piece of glass in when it was the best time to do so.

Talking to a carpenter, I would say “you hit the nail right on the head”. There will never be a better time for cleaning up and lubing the mechanism or replacing the glass. I think we all know of some spot on our cars that’s not 100%. While someone else may not notice that, our eyes tend to be drawn to it. Being a perfectionist is a blessing and a curse! In the long run I know you will be glad you did it.

[roadking77]

Parts are cleaned and painted. Some misc hardware bits have shipped from Ames, I expect them Thurs or Fri. Also received confirmation that the glass has shipped from Minnesota. Once everything is here I should be good to go for a couple of days

20250211_140137 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

[ryeguy2006a]

Fantastic work Kerry! So when are you going to sell this car to me? 

[roadking77]

 
When I first started this project it was to be a quick paint job, throw some stuff together and sell. I have a friend locally that has a 66 gto. He bought a 1979 formula brand new. It was stolen and he ended up with some scrap parts off of it. A 79 trans am is his dream car. We have joked multiple times about doing a trade once I was finished, his '66 for my '79. As much as I have put into this car I would have to think a long time on that one. His car is a nice driver but for my tastes it would have to go under the knife for a full restoration

We are seriously looking for a new suv for my wife now that I have scrapped the faithful expedition. She tells me the other night that she was considering trading her mustang! That was a major shock as that car is her baby. She said the new car WILL NOT sit outside! AND she will not park her mustang outside, thus we are running out of garage space. She also said that I dont need 2 trans ams either and once the silver car is done one has to go NEW FLASH: Its time to build a bigger garage, I am not parting with either car

I have been thinking about a 4 post lift for parking because the reality is that I AM running out of space. I have 10 bays worth of parking and no room.