Picked up a new project/daily driver yesterday - the replacement for my F-150.
I really need something that'll carry 4 full-size people, the doggie, a lake-load of crap, and occasionally tow the boat... the truck would do all of this, but NOT the 4 adults.
I'm going to have to tease y'all for awhile, until I get some "after" pictures... but I'll go as far as saying it was an "Estate Sale" one-owner car, with 71,403 on the clock.
It's been sitting basically un-used for 2+ years, wasn't cosmetically maintained for long before that, so it really needs a TOTAL detailing job. I've got the hard surfaces of the interior done, and will be doing the carpets, seats, and soft stuff over the next few days. Then I'll attack the exterior and engine compartment.
Thanks again to Pushrod for helping me get it home, and doing his wizardry on the A/C system.
OscarZ said
Jun 30, 2011
Buford II?
Derek69SS said
Jun 30, 2011
Caprice or Roadmaster wagon?
SteveS said
Jun 30, 2011
Tahoe or Suburban?
Chris R said
Jun 30, 2011
Its got an LT1 in it right?
dashboard said
Jun 30, 2011
So, you’re going to have more children?
Derek69SS said
Jun 30, 2011
If it's a wagon, I've got a 3.23 posi rear in my way... yours if you want it! :)
Enganeer said
Jun 30, 2011
My guess is a full size crew cab truck or Avalanche.
SShink said
Jun 30, 2011
You said 2 things that caught my attention; 1.) Estate Sale (meaning nobody in the family wanted it?) and 2.) You used the word 'car'
My guess is a Volvo station wagon!
SShink said
Jun 30, 2011
I'm changing my guess to a '70 Malibu wagon. I think I just found it on CL!
John D said
Jun 30, 2011
You said 2 things that caught my attention; 1.) Estate Sale (meaning nobody in the family wanted it?) and 2.) You used the word 'car' My guess is a Volvo station wagon!
Hey, I resemble that remark... I drove one of these butt-ugly beasts for 1-1/2 years... and I did get it for free. Original owner didn't want it. It was a burnt Orange color. The only good thing I can say about it was the heater would melt your shoes off!! Traded it in on my '87 Mustang GT.
dashboard said
Jun 30, 2011
Like this.
John D said
Jun 30, 2011
Derek gets a cookie, and Stan some crumbs... It's a '95 Caprice Wagon, LT1-4L60e, wood delete, gray/green metallic with gray cloth guts. No nasty body rot or rust, a few rock chips that'll need some work. The surprising thing is the rust damage on the front wheelhouses & core support... no where else! Not under the back end, floors, nothing - just under the hood.
Spent the bulk of this and yesterday afternoon CLEANING... the dash, door panels, cargo area, seat upholstery, and carpets... We've got a Bissell carpet machine with the side-saddle hose & wand gizmo - it got a workout today. I used 4 or 5 tank fills of water & "juice". The stuff I dumped out of it beared no resemblance to water, more of a viscous mud/slime/slurry. (I'm seriously thinking this thing was left in a pine forest with the windows down. I sucked up about a pound of needles, and dug them out of every little crack and crevice inside & out.)
I'll get some more pictures up soon with the car CLEAN.
-- Edited by John D on Thursday 30th of June 2011 09:36:05 PM
Looks like a nice one! Hard to find them anymore with low miles and no rust...
67ss said
Jul 1, 2011
Hope some different rims or hub caps are on order to get rid of the grandpa look
That thing should get better mileage then buford did though and still haul just as much stuff.
SShink said
Jul 1, 2011
Chris R should get a crumb or two for making the call on the LT-1.
One thing about it, you know your way around that driveline combo and electronics from the swap into the Elky!
Derek69SS said
Jul 1, 2011
67ss wrote:
Hope some different rims or hub caps are on order to get rid of the grandpa look
And an Impala SS grille too!!!
Chris R said
Jul 1, 2011
The inner fenders dont supprise me but I havent ever seen a core support rust like that before either.
bowtie said
Jul 1, 2011
Canadian Imp SS's were called Caprice SS, just saying...... they had emblems and everything........
John D said
Jul 1, 2011
Hope some different rims or hub caps are on order to get rid of the grandpa look
I seem to do well on Craigslist finding wheels & rubber...
5 genuine GM wheels, 5 Impala SS center caps, 5 Bowtie center caps, 20 lugnuts (correct for the alloys - GM), and 4 Bridgestone Potenza's. Plus a "never on the ground/still got nubbers" spare. There isn't a SCUFF on any of these wheels! Less than 1500 miles on them. )
(original owner had them on a Roadie wagon, and didn't want to use a weenie wheel if he got a flat on the rear. He researched and found a 235/70/15 tire & wheel "the same diameter as the alloys & Potenza's, "because I didn't want to burn out the posi...". Then he bought a 5th wheel-only "just in case one of them got curb rash, I could have the tire remounted on the spare rim while the scuffed rim was repaired" )
Now, which caps to run, the Impala's or the Bowties...
-- Edited by John D on Friday 1st of July 2011 09:55:03 PM
Now, which caps to run, the Impala's or the Bowties...
I vote Bowties.....they have more contrast...
John D said
Jul 12, 2011
Couldn't take it anymore, had to bolt on the SS wheels. The dang car was looking too nice to have the granny-wires on it! Glad I did it now, as it took some PB-Blaster and a sledge to knock the steel rear wheels off the axle hubs. (They'll have to come off again when I inspect the rear brakes and paint the drums anyways...)
The paint is really coming around. I'm using Meguier's "Fine Cut" compound/cleaner on an orbital D/A buffer. 99% of the minor scratches and scuffs are coming right out! Let me tell you that these cars are BIG to begin with, and only get BIGGER/HUGE when you're polishing & buffing!
Noticed this ad in Lakeville. Might contact him and see how good the inner fenders and core support you need are.
John D said
Jul 17, 2011
Thanks for the lead Chris! I left him a message.
Yesterday's project was the tailgate. The license plate corners had rubbed through the paint causing some rust bubbles, and the emblems and moulding were loose (foam sticky tape had failed). When I pried the emblems all the way off, where the sticky tape didn't fail, it took the paint off. There were also some deep scratches and scuffs all over the gate... so it got re-shot.
Dupli-color no longer offers my color (in dauber or spray), and it would take a case of those little cans to shoot this tailgate. I found these guys on the 'net:
Took about a week to get the paint, clear, and some supplies. I'm very pleased - the spray cans have a great pattern - 4" fan, constant level of paint for the width of the fan, and when they're getting low, they don't sputter!
I watered down the garage floor & work area, then took the scratches out with 220 wet, then feathered those areas into the field with steps of 320, 400, then blocked the whole gate with 600 (wet). Two cans of color later (2 dry/fog coats, 2 slightly wet, and 2 wet final coats) got the new work covered, then 4 coats of clear. I'll give it a few weeks then a buffing.
You can do respectable work at home with spray cans, patience, and good materials!
Obviously, I wouldn't want to paint an entire wagon with rattle cans though!
Lost in the 60s said
Jul 17, 2011
Looks great, John....
The new paint should adhere but 600 is a little fine for finish sanding. Generally 320-400 is better.
Chris R said
Jul 17, 2011
Factory colors in a spray can eh? I wonder if a guy could go that route and use the same technique to paint an engine to match the rest of the car.
Lost in the 60s said
Jul 17, 2011
Chris R wrote:
Factory colors in a spray can eh? I wonder if a guy could go that route and use the same technique to paint an engine to match the rest of the car.
That's an interesting question. I wonder if they can mix the color in a high heat, oil/gas resistant paint..... I'm sure the body paint won't stand the heat and would discolor.
Chris R said
Jul 17, 2011
Lost in the 60s wrote:
Chris R wrote:
Factory colors in a spray can eh? I wonder if a guy could go that route and use the same technique to paint an engine to match the rest of the car.
That's an interesting question. I wonder if they can mix the color in a high heat, oil/gas resistant paint..... I'm sure the body paint won't stand the heat and would discolor.
I dont think it needs to be high temp and oil resistant. From what I understand. If the engine has to be super clean when you paint it and the paint will stick just fine and should last forever. I dont know what upkeep it required but I know that using typical body paint has been a custom trick for years.
John D said
Jul 18, 2011
The person to ask would be Derek. He shot the old LT-1 engine & accessories body color on his '69.
John D said
Jul 30, 2011
We "Christened" Pushrod's new garage toy today. Had the barge up on the new 4-poster and got lucky with some repairs!
It started puking trans fluid badly last week. Leaving it running and looking it appeared to be coming from the front pump seal - not a job I was looking forward to!
Got it on the lift, started it, and the leak turned out to be coming from the pressure side cooler line. The little steel clips used to hold the lines together had reacted with the lines and rotted a pin-hole in it! WooHoo! Didn't have to drop the trans!! While it was up we also noted some leakage from the water pump - so a new water pump was in order. Then we saw the sway bar end links were totally shot/broken.
So today's wrenching session was:
Splice in new cooler lines (I had a spare set)
Drop the trans pan, new filter and gasket
Engine Oil change & filter
New sway bar links
New water pump, T-stat, hoses, and coolant.
This thing's starting to run and drive like a 70K miler should! With these repairs the oil pressure's up, coolant temp is down, it doesn't leak, and it wallows "less"...
Lost in the 60s said
Jul 30, 2011
Nice the leak was a cooler line....
So Pushrod now has a hoist too. Seems he may get a lot more "business" from other members with that...
Derek69SS said
Jul 31, 2011
John D wrote:
The person to ask would be Derek. He shot the old LT-1 engine & accessories body color on his '69.
I used regular automotive BC/CC on it, and never had any problems... Lord knows I put some heat in that thing too.
The biggest thing on engines is to grind smooth any casting-flash and radius the sharp edges on the block & heads so that the paint doesn't have an easy spot to crack and peel.
Derek69SS said
Jul 31, 2011
John, I have a "big" 9C1 front sway bar here with your name on it... set it on top of the 3.23 posi wagon axle that also has your name on it.
John D said
Aug 1, 2011
I need to pick a day on an upcoming weekend to make a "power run" down to Dexter with the trailer. Pushrod wants to tag along too!
Picked up a new project/daily driver yesterday - the replacement for my F-150.
I really need something that'll carry 4 full-size people, the doggie, a lake-load of crap, and occasionally tow the boat... the truck would do all of this, but NOT the 4 adults.
I'm going to have to tease y'all for awhile, until I get some "after" pictures... but I'll go as far as saying it was an "Estate Sale" one-owner car, with 71,403 on the clock.
It's been sitting basically un-used for 2+ years, wasn't cosmetically maintained for long before that, so it really needs a TOTAL detailing job. I've got the hard surfaces of the interior done, and will be doing the carpets, seats, and soft stuff over the next few days. Then I'll attack the exterior and engine compartment.
Thanks again to Pushrod for helping me get it home, and doing his wizardry on the A/C system.
Its got an LT1 in it right?
You said 2 things that caught my attention; 1.) Estate Sale (meaning nobody in the family wanted it?) and 2.) You used the word 'car'
My guess is a Volvo station wagon!
I'm changing my guess to a '70 Malibu wagon. I think I just found it on CL!
Hey, I resemble that remark... I drove one of these butt-ugly beasts for 1-1/2 years... and I did get it for free. Original owner didn't want it. It was a burnt Orange color. The only good thing I can say about it was the heater would melt your shoes off!! Traded it in on my '87 Mustang GT.
Derek gets a cookie, and Stan some crumbs...
It's a '95 Caprice Wagon, LT1-4L60e, wood delete, gray/green metallic with gray cloth guts. No nasty body rot or rust, a few rock chips that'll need some work. The surprising thing is the rust damage on the front wheelhouses & core support... no where else! Not under the back end, floors, nothing - just under the hood.
Spent the bulk of this and yesterday afternoon CLEANING... the dash, door panels, cargo area, seat upholstery, and carpets...
We've got a Bissell carpet machine with the side-saddle hose & wand gizmo - it got a workout today. I used 4 or 5 tank fills of water & "juice". The stuff I dumped out of it beared no resemblance to water, more of a viscous mud/slime/slurry.
(I'm seriously thinking this thing was left in a pine forest with the windows down. I sucked up about a pound of needles, and dug them out of every little crack and crevice inside & out.)
I'll get some more pictures up soon with the car CLEAN.
-- Edited by John D on Thursday 30th of June 2011 09:36:05 PM
Hope some different rims or hub caps are on order to get rid of the grandpa look
That thing should get better mileage then buford did though and still haul just as much stuff.
Chris R should get a crumb or two for making the call on the LT-1.
One thing about it, you know your way around that driveline combo and electronics from the swap into the Elky!
The inner fenders dont supprise me but I havent ever seen a core support rust like that before either.
Hope some different rims or hub caps are on order to get rid of the grandpa look
I seem to do well on Craigslist finding wheels & rubber...
5 genuine GM wheels, 5 Impala SS center caps, 5 Bowtie center caps, 20 lugnuts (correct for the alloys - GM), and 4 Bridgestone Potenza's. Plus a "never on the ground/still got nubbers" spare. There isn't a SCUFF on any of these wheels! Less than 1500 miles on them.
)
(original owner had them on a Roadie wagon, and didn't want to use a weenie wheel if he got a flat on the rear. He researched and found a 235/70/15 tire & wheel "the same diameter as the alloys & Potenza's, "because I didn't want to burn out the posi...". Then he bought a 5th wheel-only "just in case one of them got curb rash, I could have the tire remounted on the spare rim while the scuffed rim was repaired"
)
Now, which caps to run, the Impala's or the Bowties...
-- Edited by John D on Friday 1st of July 2011 09:55:03 PM
WINNING! on the CL find
Couldn't take it anymore, had to bolt on the SS wheels. The dang car was looking too nice to have the granny-wires on it! Glad I did it now, as it took some PB-Blaster and a sledge to knock the steel rear wheels off the axle hubs. (They'll have to come off again when I inspect the rear brakes and paint the drums anyways...)
The paint is really coming around. I'm using Meguier's "Fine Cut" compound/cleaner on an orbital D/A buffer. 99% of the minor scratches and scuffs are coming right out! Let me tell you that these cars are BIG to begin with, and only get BIGGER/HUGE when you're polishing & buffing!
Did a guy named Matt call you about the truck? I gave him your cell # last week.
(cost 4x that to ship the dang thing... but I'm still $100 ahead)
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/cto/2487482667.html
Noticed this ad in Lakeville. Might contact him and see how good the inner fenders and core support you need are.
Thanks for the lead Chris! I left him a message.
Yesterday's project was the tailgate. The license plate corners had rubbed through the paint causing some rust bubbles, and the emblems and moulding were loose (foam sticky tape had failed). When I pried the emblems all the way off, where the sticky tape didn't fail, it took the paint off. There were also some deep scratches and scuffs all over the gate... so it got re-shot.
Dupli-color no longer offers my color (in dauber or spray), and it would take a case of those little cans to shoot this tailgate. I found these guys on the 'net:
AutomotiveTouchup.com
Took about a week to get the paint, clear, and some supplies. I'm very pleased - the spray cans have a great pattern - 4" fan, constant level of paint for the width of the fan, and when they're getting low, they don't sputter!
I watered down the garage floor & work area, then took the scratches out with 220 wet, then feathered those areas into the field with steps of 320, 400, then blocked the whole gate with 600 (wet). Two cans of color later (2 dry/fog coats, 2 slightly wet, and 2 wet final coats) got the new work covered, then 4 coats of clear. I'll give it a few weeks then a buffing.
You can do respectable work at home with spray cans, patience, and good materials!
Looks great John!
Obviously, I wouldn't want to paint an entire wagon with rattle cans though!
Looks great, John....
The new paint should adhere but 600 is a little fine for finish sanding. Generally 320-400 is better.
Factory colors in a spray can eh? I wonder if a guy could go that route and use the same technique to paint an engine to match the rest of the car.
I dont think it needs to be high temp and oil resistant. From what I understand. If the engine has to be super clean when you paint it and the paint will stick just fine and should last forever. I dont know what upkeep it required but I know that using typical body paint has been a custom trick for years.
We "Christened" Pushrod's new garage toy today. Had the barge up on the new 4-poster and got lucky with some repairs!
- not a job I was looking forward to!
It started puking trans fluid badly last week. Leaving it running and looking it appeared to be coming from the front pump seal
Got it on the lift, started it, and the leak turned out to be coming from the pressure side cooler line. The little steel clips used to hold the lines together had reacted with the lines and rotted a pin-hole in it!
WooHoo! Didn't have to drop the trans!! While it was up we also noted some leakage from the water pump - so a new water pump was in order. Then we saw the sway bar end links were totally shot/broken.
So today's wrenching session was:
Splice in new cooler lines (I had a spare set)
Drop the trans pan, new filter and gasket
Engine Oil change & filter
New sway bar links
New water pump, T-stat, hoses, and coolant.
This thing's starting to run and drive like a 70K miler should! With these repairs the oil pressure's up, coolant temp is down, it doesn't leak, and it wallows "less"...
Nice the leak was a cooler line....
So Pushrod now has a hoist too. Seems he may get a lot more "business" from other members with that...
I used regular automotive BC/CC on it, and never had any problems... Lord knows I put some heat in that thing too.
The biggest thing on engines is to grind smooth any casting-flash and radius the sharp edges on the block & heads so that the paint doesn't have an easy spot to crack and peel.
John, I have a "big" 9C1 front sway bar here with your name on it... set it on top of the 3.23 posi wagon axle that also has your name on it.