My Tenth Anniv.

[FormTA]

As for the bird application, you are 100% right. I did the same thing and wrinkled a tiny spot because I was trying to get rid of a bubble, I should have left alonre.... I hope others see this and don't work the decal too much, let the heat do it's thing over a few weeks.

I can't wait to hear how the painting goes. Good luck!

[roadking77]

Im still waiting on my paint to arrive. Its coming from New Orleans so I dont want to call them right now as they probably have enough on their plate with the storm. In the meantime I just about have my exhaust finished. I ran into a problem with how the hangers work/where they mount kinda thing. Then it hit me, go look at your 77 dummy So I have that figured out now, will get that part finished up tomorrow. Found a small stress crack in my shaker so I dremeled it out and put some pc epoxy then sanded and primed. Also while waiting I decided to refinish the air bottle for the spare tire. Waiting on the new decal to come in.

I found a pulse wiper switch from Franks in Cali. It took 3 days from the time I ordered until it was in my mailbox. I thought that was pretty good going across the country. It takes Ames at least 4 or 5 days to get me stuff from a couple states away! Anyway, I cleaned it up a bit and wanted to compare it to the one in my car that was crapped out. Wouldnt you know it, the one in the car started working So now I have a spare. Besides the one in the car was just a slight bit nicer than the one I bought.

[roadking77]

I am still waiting on paint
In the meantime I have finished my exhaust. I am only about 90% satisfied and once the car is on the road I may take it to an exhaust shop to see if they can clean it up a bit. The over axle pipe on the passenger side did not fit quite right and I had to modify it just a bit. Cant really see anything unless youre under the car, but it bothers me a bit. To change gears just a small bit I decided to restore the inflator bottle for the spare tire. It came out really nice. I ordered a new label from Ames but its nowhere near correct. The Parts Place has one that is pretty close so I need to get one from there. I got a new park brake kit from F bird central. Pretty nice part and I started the install. That thing has and is fighting me all the way. First was getting the old one out of the floor board by the front seat. Had to cut it. Then that hole was just a slight bit smaller than the new fitting, so I had to ream that out a bit. THEN the hole at the pedal connection was also a bit undersized and that needed reamed as well. I used my right angle battery die grinder with a cone shaped stone. Worked pretty good. All cables in and went to hook up the calipers
That part of the operation is to be continued...................................


And I got an email that cold case now offers black radiators so I am planning on switching mine out for one that looks correct.
Its only money

[N PRGRES]

The exhaust on these is a bit of a nightmare. I plan to redo mine over the winter. I need to add some hangers to get it closer to the floor pan.

[roadking77]

I used a Pypes dual system. All in all it wasnt too bad, just the last pipe on the pass side was kinda wonky.

As for my e brake, that was pretty straightforward until hooking up the calipers. I thought that was going to be the easy part.
Apparently I have the wrong side caliper on the dr. side. The e brake connection is backward. Not having any prior experience I had no idea when I installed this a couple of years ago. I am sure it is marked L but will not know until I remove it this weekend. Last winter when I was having trouble hooking up my lines I bought a new pair of calipers which I ended up not using and just put them on the shelf. So, I pulled them down and lo and behold the new one marked R is a perfect match for my original dr side that is marked L? The one marked L does not match my dr. Very frustrating.
There was a previous post a couple of years ago that was pointed out to me that someone else had the same issue.

I will try to post a picture showing the difference.

[roadking77]

20240919_085004 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Original caliper on the left (marked L) Replacement in the middle (marked R) and replacement on the left (marked L)

[N PRGRES]

Wow

[ryeguy2006a]

That's crazy Kerry. Glad you got that straightened out. Hopefully you get your paint soon.

[roadking77]

I figure the rotation on the ebrake should be the same, I am hoping that I can move the bracket and spring to the bottom of the caliper as it exists on my car presently. That will keep me from having to unhook the line and then bleed the brakes again! IF not I will have to swap out what I have with this one thats on my bench.

I called the paint store today, they told me that it will be shipped later this afternoon and I should have it within 3 days. Being were heading into the weekend if that is the case I will be looking for it around wednesday. Thats good I suppose as it will give me time to get the parking brake situation fixed, then I have the speedo cable to hook up and that should finish me with the bottom of the car.

I have been putting off but finally got around to ordering a replacement window sticker from Mike Noun. Got it yesterday and it looks fantastic. Mike does a great job with these.

[roadking77]

20240920_154211 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240920_154216 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240920_154239 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

[roadking77]

For some reason my pics are not downloading right now, I will post them when they pop up.
OK, So the fault lies on me. The caliper I had on the dr side was marked R. However, it does not match or come close to the original in any way!
As most know or may not, the front calipers are available as a replacement for the second gen t/a. I bought mine at napa. The rears are no longer available. All of the supply houses I checked say the same thing. They are not made anymore. The originals can be rebuilt and I was planning on that, but Firebird central had replacements available. So I got those. They do say they are not like the originals but work. The way they are configured messed me all up. When I was having problems I searched the net and found what were supposed to be direct replacements so I bought a pair. Lo and behold after finding my original they match up perfectly, SO, I suppose they are available. I will post what I used. Everything is now hooked up on the dr side, I need to bleed it again then I can attack the pass side. I hope it goes better

[N PRGRES]

That window sticker is amazing!  Where did you get it from?

[roadking77]

Mike Noun. You need to send him the PHS info. I am not 100%  sure but I dont think that PHS does window stickers anymore.

[N PRGRES]

Mike Noun. You need to send him the PHS info. I am not 100%  sure but I dont think that PHS does window stickers anymore.

Thanks

[roadking77]

Got home early yesterday and it was a rainy afternoon so I got a little forward progress done.
1. Got the dr side brake bled, and finished up
2. Installed park brake at pass side (park brake adjusted but needs a little more tlc)
3. Pulled the dash cluster in prep for a mild restoration. Clean up, new lights, etc.
3. Pulled the broken speedo cable in prep for new speedo cable install. Something going on with the connection at the trans, lost           my flashlight so I went to the next job at hand. Will re-visit this today.
4. Installed my new tach wire (using the flashlight, dropped and fell into the lower front fender. Didnt feel like digging it out, refer to #3 )
5. Installed my 'new' pulse wiper switch20240923_153627 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240923_162959 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240923_162830 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

[roadking77]

Took the cluster apart and did a cleaning/light restoration. I did not want to paint the outside of the can because I liked the way the factory over spray was. I know its kind of ridiculous as no one will ever see it, but I will know.
20240924_160159 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240924_175823 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240924_154824 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240924_175653 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240924_180658 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

[ryeguy2006a]

That cluster looks significantly better Kerry! Great work. Also like the PHS documentation, that MPG document is really cool.

[N PRGRES]

Wow!  Nice job!  I didn't realize the inside was painted red, I figured it was just red bulbs

[5th T/A]

Really nice looking window sticker. Also great job on the instrument cluster. I had forgotten they were painted red only on the 79 TATA cars. Out of curiosity was the clear bezel scratched? If so, what did you use to polish it?

[roadking77]

I read an article that during the design phase they wanted the instrument cluster to have 'an airplane/jet' like feel about it, hence the red gauges. They experimented with red bulbs but found that painting the inside of the can red (more like fluorescent red) did the trick.
The original lense was in bad condition. I bought new from AMES. I have nothing to loose and will try to polish the old one just to see if it can be brought back.

Paint came in yesterday, but it looks like rain for the next 7 days so it will be awhile before I will be using it. In the meantime maybe I can get some of the loose ends tightened up.

[b_hill_86]

I polished a spare I have mildly and it helped although I forget the what I used.

I personally love the factory gauges in these cars. No offense to anyone who has swapped them for aftermarket but I’ve never seen a set, even the newest made to resemble factory, that I liked.

[roadking77]

I agree. Actually I feel that way about the entire car. I suppose one of the reasons why I love Trans Am's. To me they are perfect right off the dealers floor. Not many cars can claim that.

[5th T/A]

I polished a spare I have mildly and it helped although I forget the what I used.

I personally love the factory gauges in these cars. No offense to anyone who has swapped them for aftermarket but I’ve never seen a set, even the newest made to resemble factory, that I liked.

I couldn't agree with you more on the factory dash and gages on these cars. At a time when most cars were built with really plastic and cheesy instruments, they looked high quality, even if they weren't super accurate. 

[roadking77]

20240930_164730 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240930_164743 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Got a little shop time yesterday afternoon. Got the cluster installed, new speedo cable hooked up. I need to put the battery on the charger for a bit then will fire this beast up again checking to see what is and what is not working in the dash. If all is good then I can move on to something else. I did find when I was testing the lights a couple of weeks ago that my turn signal switch is junk! Not sure how that happened as I would have thought I would have checked it when I restored the column. I bought a new switch and need to replace that next order of business. Perhaps this evening if I am in the right state of mind.

[roadking77]

20240905_145620 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240905_145944 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240905_154028 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240905_153604 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240930_155657 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240930_155539 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

This is the inflator bottle I decided to restore. After stripping off the cardboard I found the colour was actually a dark blue and not the lighter blue as it looked at the top. I only assume it has faded that much over the years. I had 3 'Pontiac' blues on the shelf and none of those matched. I did have a can of 'ford' blue that I got at TSC to match the colour of the motor mount and it was just about a perfect match to the original colour under the sleeve. I sanded down to bare, put a coat of high build primer, then a coat of glazing putty to fill any pits. Sand down again, a couple more coats of high build then the final colour coat of blue. Turned out pretty nice. I found a lable from The Parts Place. I replaced the cardboard sleeve with a piece of very heavy construction paper we use called 'Ram board'. HD has it for floor protection during construction. I wrapped it twice and glued it together then wrapped with shrink wrap as a clamp. I will finish it up later today hopefully.

[FormTA]

Dang! You are going all in on this restoration! Great work Kerry!

Somewhere I have three inflatable spares and those canisters. Never really thought of restoring them. I may have to if I could ever find the time.

[roadking77]

20240909_134830 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240930_171913 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20241001_120234 by 20241001_120300 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickrwww.flickr.com/photos/156399515@N07/]Kerry Grubb[/url], on Flickr20241001_120246 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

[roadking77]

Not perfect, but came out good enough to throw into the trunk

[N PRGRES]

looks great!!!

[5th T/A]

Not perfect, but came out good enough to throw into the trunk

I disagree, I don’t think the bottles looked that good new😁

[another10th]

I should restore the bottle in my car, though it doesn't look too bad as is. My problem is that of all the various labels available from multiple vendors, none display the same part number as the one I have (9590212). Probable not a big deal to most people, but a sticking point for me. Your work on this 10th, by the way, has been fantastic! Keep it up!!

[ryeguy2006a]

Great work Kerry! Do you have to send those bottles out to be hydrotested or is this now just a show piece?

[roadking77]

Simply a show piece.

Yes, I looked everywhere and the label I got from the Parts Place was as close to the original as I could find. Obviously the one I had was in deplorable condition and it was not original to the car. The new replacement label was close but as another 10th pointed out the numbers are off slightly. I figured since it was a replacement bottle that I could get by with something a bit different. The tire sizes on the label are correct though. If I had one original to the car and it was even marginal at best I would def. keep it as is original. Keep in mind though, this car was literally a basket case when I got it!
The original label on the one I have was also a 9590212 replacement is 9590678.

Another Tenth, I think there is a date code stamped at the top of the bottle, when you have a chance can you check what yours says, also the build date of your car. Thanks.

[another10th]

Simply a show piece.

Yes, I looked everywhere and the label I got from the Parts Place was as close to the original as I could find. Obviously the one I had was in deplorable condition and it was not original to the car. The new replacement label was close but as another 10th pointed out the numbers are off slightly. I figured since it was a replacement bottle that I could get by with something a bit different. The tire sizes on the label are correct though. If I had one original to the car and it was even marginal at best I would def. keep it as is original. Keep in mind though, this car was literally a basket case when I got it!
The original label on the one I have was also a 9590212 replacement is 9590678.

Another Tenth, I think there is a date code stamped at the top of the bottle, when you have a chance can you check what yours says, also the build date of your car. Thanks.

If I'm reading this correctly, the bottle is dated 1-79. The build of the car was 03C (third week of March, 1979).

[another10th]

This is the current condition of my inflator bottle. You can see why I'd like to restore it, but I want the correct part number on the label.

[roadking77]

I dare say that looks too nice to mess with. Especially if it is original to your car. Mine was horrible and not original.
My car is also 3rd week of march. I am not sure if I have you on my registry. I will double check. You may have sent me some info awhile back. Curious as to your s/n compared to mine.

[roadking77]

20241002_094556 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20241003_075549 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20241002_094547 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20241003_164549 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Another quick clean up. Repaint of the jack base.

I finally got to putting back the under dash duct work after many months. I took it all out last winter when I replaced the heater core. Most went back ok, then I figured I would clean up the glove box door before putting it back. Well, the plastic hinge is just about shot, the a/c vent has no chrome left and the metal backing has a rust spot. I accessed the situation, figure what was the best way to repair the hinge, and replace the chrome on the vent. I have 'chrome' paint but its only just another silver.  So I pulled out the parts book and saw that all could be ordered new so, another order placed and now wait for a couple of days for the parts to come in.

[roadking77]

I forgot to add, looking at the bottle that Jeff posted the label goes all the way to the bottom. The replacement label I got is a bit shorter, thus the reason why there is about an inch of bottle showing at the bottom. I tried to keep the original margin at the top. I wasnt too keen on this detail but it was the best I could do as far as finding a decent label.

[another10th]

I dare say that looks too nice to mess with. Especially if it is original to your car. Mine was horrible and not original.
My car is also 3rd week of march. I am not sure if I have you on my registry. I will double check. You may have sent me some info awhile back. Curious as to your s/n compared to mine.

No, I have not added my serial number to any registry. My car is a Norwood build. I recently met a gentleman nearby who just acquired a 10th with just 2600 miles on it. It is also a Norwood build from the third week of March. His serial number is 426 units below mine. Send me a private message and I'll give you my serial number to compare with your own. But I don't think I'm interested in having it recorded in a registry.

[another10th]

In regards to how the serial numbers relate; while the VINs are 426 units apart, the body numbers (per the trim tags) are only 165 units apart. I don't know what that means, exactly, but I found it interesting nonetheless.