Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Vinyl or Not?

« on: November 07, 2006, 12:28:33 PM »

phil sorry i took so long to reply to this.  In my first post you asked me if I thought the rust around the window was due to the vinyl top.  Yes definately.  It held moisture right around the trim and it was so bad it bubbled.  The car only has 40k on it total and was restored in 95-96, which is when the vinyl top was put on.  The car had one from the factory as well.  I can only assume it sat outside, but due to the poor resto job I have no idea how they prepped the roof.  The rear 1/4s were both replaced, front windshield had some bondo/lead work done to it, and the roof had like 6 different colors of filler.  The lips on top of the rear 1/4s were all covered with bondo that was so much thicker then you are ever supposed to use it.  Even if the car sits inside.  If its not driven and not kept it a strict moisture controlled environment I dont think i would put a vinyl top back on.  If you plan on driving it often that might be different.  I dont think i can save the pillars on this car so i might end up putting a whole roof on it.  If i do the car will definatly not get a vinyl top.  A guy i work with has an early gto with a vinyl top that he drives monthly and it has no problems at all with rust or moisture.  I also have a friend with several old licolns that sit or sat for exteneded periods of time outside and you can push holes throught the body where the trim was its so thin from rust. 

Its hard to see because of the crappy pic, but you can definatly make out a color difference where the top used to be.  the bottome 6" was all flaky rust.  And the car sat inside a garage from about 98 or 99 until today without being driven.  I can also see in to the car in several places where the trim was.



if you look at the paint around the trim you can see it bubbling up.



I dont want to discourage you from putting one on.  Personally I loved the look of the car in hugger orange with the SS clone stuff and vinyl top.  I like the look of the cars with vinyl tops if they have all the orig trim with the car, emblems and everything.  It really dates them.  If you are trying to modernize it i would steer away from it.

good luck with your choice 

2

Restoration / Re: Paint first, or mechanicals?

« on: November 07, 2006, 02:18:57 AM »

Id say mechanicals as well with the exceptions listed above.  Ive got my car stripped down to a rolling chassis.  Im going to clean and paint the front sub frame section tomorrow and hopefully drop the motor and front clip back on in the next few days with one new front 1/4.  This way ill have the firewall, subframe, and cowl painted black and i can just touch up later if anything gets scratched.  And with motor and tranny back in i can drive it in and out of the garage to do all the major sanding work, instead of pushing it in and out, thats not as fun as it sounds by yourself up hill:)

3

Restoration / Re: The wrong way to replace fenders!

« on: April 12, 2006, 11:03:00 AM »

yeah i figured it wasnt there but i just assumed a little more work with the fenders would have saved alot of bondo/sanding time.  All i know is i wont be doing them l ike this

4

Restoration / The wrong way to replace fenders!

« on: April 09, 2006, 02:32:22 AM »

Hey guys. im getting farther and farther down on my camaro and there was a TON of bondo on this thing.  I took a pic to show you how both rear 1/4's were replaced.  the pic is from the front  but the seam in the back is equally as bad.  The fenders were just laid over the old ones and spot welded then bondo'd.



there was so much bondo covering this up that it was unreal.  I got it almost all the way down on the pass side and part way on the drives.  Im going to replace them with full 1/4s and take care of some of the C pillar(sail panel whatever its called) at the same time.

matt

5

General Discussion / Re: cloning

« on: March 31, 2006, 12:51:54 AM »

my car is a 68 ss350 clone.  Ive had alot of trouble figuring out exactly what it is and thats the real pain.  Its got the 10bolt rear non posi but it does have muli leaf springs in the rear.  all the ss trim and a steel ss hood but the hood springs are wrong.  Front power disc brakes but they arent the 4piston calipers.  the motor is out of a 76ish canadian monte and the tranny is a turbo 350 so i know they arent orig.  The car was handed down to me but if I had purchased it I would have been very unhappy.  I did find for sale signs in the rear 1/4 window area in the fender listing it as an SS350 so i think when it was restored they "cloned" it to make some extra change.  Im with everyone else as long as you are honest about what it is at sale then no harm is done.

matt

6

General Discussion / Re: Vinyl or Not?

« on: March 31, 2006, 12:43:39 AM »

my68 came with it orig.  It was island teal with a black vinyl top.  It was restored once already and the car is now an ss clone hugger orange with a black vinyl top.  I really liked the way it looked but it left the roof in bad shape.  Mainly around the rear window and the C pillar.  The actual window frame is fine but the rest is bad. 
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/maperez/Camaro/carrear.JPG
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/maperez/Camaro/carside.JPG

7

Restoration / Re: Dash

« on: February 23, 2006, 12:26:22 AM »

did you just drill out the spot welds to do this?  not that im planning on removing mind but just wondering

matt

8

Restoration / Re: Sears Sand Blaster Question

« on: February 23, 2006, 12:25:00 AM »

hey guys, doing some research on blasting media a came across coal,  apparently its good because it doesnt hold moisture?  anyone have experience with this

thanks
matt

9

General Discussion / Re: Rear Seat Removal

« on: February 23, 2006, 12:18:42 AM »

I popped the seat out awhile back and it was simple once i put a little muscle to it.  I didnt find any paperwork under the rear seat or the front seats.  I completely dismantled the front seat and found the seat back frame to be cracked so atleast i caught that

10

Originality / Re: 68 Windshield Trim

« on: January 17, 2006, 12:08:40 PM »

the trim i pulled off was in good enough shape, some of the other trim got bent from rusted out mounting points when pulling off.  The reason I asked is because I dont think I want the polished trim around anything on the car but I havent decided. I didnt know if any of them came with black window trim or if that was a custom deal when they install a windshield.

11

Restoration / Re: Front Sheet Metal Paint/Assembly Sequence

« on: January 17, 2006, 12:04:08 PM »

thanks for the tip. 

12

General Discussion / Re: new guy here, doing full resto 69.......

« on: January 17, 2006, 12:02:58 PM »

thats where i sit right now.  Gotta pull the rear glass, rear seat, carpet and a few misc dash items, wires. then pull motor and trans so I can strip it down.  Im thinking I might smooth it out. No badges(except the one in the grill and gas cap) flush tail lights, get rid of marker lights etc.  we will see though. never know til i strip it down just whats been done, i know the rear 1/4s were replaced.

13

Restoration / Re: Sears Sand Blaster Question

« on: January 15, 2006, 10:19:41 PM »

thanks for the tips.  I sand blast alot of stuff at work and we use pretty aggressive media.  The reason I want to use the walnut shells at home is because I will be doing this in my drive way.  Otherwise I would use plastic beads probably.  When I did my engine bay on another car I used very fine play sand and didnt have a problem but the sheet metal is much thicker and layered(unibody car).  I wouldnt think of using it on this.  Also the gun I used was a siphon cup unit from sears that was about 40 years old.  Id like to upgrade doing an entire body.

thanks

matt

14

Restoration / Re: Dash

« on: January 15, 2006, 10:14:21 PM »

thanks.  do you have any tips on removing the glove box face.  The stop that goes through the dash doesnt seem to want to be removed.  Does it actually pull out of the glove box face and get removed from the back side?

15

Restoration / Re: Front Sheet Metal Paint/Assembly Sequence

« on: January 15, 2006, 10:12:58 PM »

when reassembling the car before paint.  What is easier to do. fenders then doors, or doors then fenders.  Im just asking because i removed the front clip first and then the doors and it seems like each was has its benefits.

thanks

matt