I got the '70 auto off the rack last week and pulled the clip and engine for the "new" one. I installed a new pilot bushing and an used flywheel/clutch assembly from John's old 350. The bell and 4 speed are from my '66. I'm going to use the bell and M20 from John's car in the '66.
I brought the car home this morning and John and I pulled the clip in pieces.
The clutch pedal was missing and I discovered it had been cut off up in the bracket. I had to remove the bracket and replace it with one I had.
I swapped out the lower windshield stainless and was pleasantly surprised that the channel/cowl is very nice.
That's a New York safety inspection sticker from 1984 on the glass....no wonder it's a rust bucket...
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 6, 2016
I had a clutch linkage interference with the header and put the left one from the '66 on for now. Then i started getting some sheet metal attached. I removed the junk gas tank and sprayed carb cleaner in the fuel line to blow out the front and flush it. Half of the cleaner blew out 2 rust holes in the line near the back of the car so, as usual, it was 2 steps forward and 3 back again.
SShink said
Feb 7, 2016
If that's New York rust Mitch, I'll take that any day compared to the Wisconsin rust I had in the convertible! Your cowl area looks factory new compared to the 1/2" rusted out gap on mine.
As you know, rusty lines are not a big surprise on a 46 year old car.
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 7, 2016
SShink wrote:
If that's New York rust Mitch, I'll take that any day compared to the Wisconsin rust I had in the convertible! Your cowl area looks factory new compared to the 1/2" rusted out gap on mine.
As you know, rusty lines are not a big surprise on a 46 year old car.
The upper cowl is very good. The lower cowls have some rust and will require minor surgery to correct.
The firewall and most of the toe boards are savable with minor surgery.
The floor, rockers, trunk, rear wheel houses and quarters are total trash...
Maybe Bruce and I can get a quantity discount for the parts necessary to restore both cars...
jim larson said
Feb 7, 2016
Another Post to subscribe too and view with interest.
Tony Hoffer said
Feb 7, 2016
I wish I could get floorpans and toeboards for the Astre. :-(
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 7, 2016
I formed a repair section of fuel tube to bypass the rusted area and got that in along with the new gas tank. That was all forward progress...
Moved on to the left fender. It had evidence of a corner hit in the past and I didn't think it was that bad....crap !! it was a 2 HOUR fight to get the corner down and out enough to get the bolts in. I even employed a 2x4 and 5 lb maul to move it...
I couldn't resist putting the grille emblem on. That is THE part that started this whole OCD thing...Obsessive Chevy Disorder as John calls it. I bought that emblem 13 years ago before I had a Chevelle to put it on. I had pined for another one for the previous 24 years, after being "persuaded" to sell my LS5 car.
SShink said
Feb 7, 2016
Nice progress Mitch!
Diggin' the ladder bars.
Not sure... but is the SS grill emblem upside down? I'm not sure if there is a 'top' and 'bottom', but it looks like the longer part of the 'S' is on the top? I could be completely wrong though...
The big question is... since you fixed the fuel line, did you start it up today?
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 7, 2016
I tried that emblem both ways and it seems to be the same... Probably less confusion on the assembly line.
No fire up today. Still need to install the starter and get electricity for spark. I'm hesitant to fire it before I get a crossmember too. I will have one of those Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, it could be moving under its own power...
hkgmillette said
Feb 8, 2016
Mitch,
I do NOT have a fan shroud.
I must have sold it when I sold the radiator.
I do have the radiator top panel.
Sorry,
Hank
H
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 8, 2016
No problem, Hank. I won't really need one for a long while.
dashboard said
Feb 9, 2016
Lost in the 60s wrote:
I tried that emblem both ways and it seems to be the same... Probably less confusion on the assembly line.
There is a top and bottom for the grill emblems, the larger part of the S should be down, a straight on picture would help. The SS emblems for the 70, 71, 72 look similar but are different and year specific. If it is a original GM part, the part number on the back of the emblem will be right side up when installed.
Mitch, was this an A/C car?
What are your plans for this one and what will become of the 66?
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 9, 2016
I took the emblem off and the part number was upside down. I looked at it and I guess one of the tips is a bit longer than the other. It's back in the box, on the shelf.
John and I got the car done around 12:30 and by one pm we were loaded up and headed back to storage. I backed the trailer up to the shop door and backed the Chevelle on the trailer under it's own power. Not bad for a car that was a rolling, gutted shell 4-5 weeks ago. Well, OK, it's still a gutted shell, but it's running on ship's power.
As for the '66's, they aren't going anywhere, nor is this one. With the 4 speed, I'm motivated to get this car in good driving condition as it waits for a full restoration.
more ambition than brains said
Feb 10, 2016
Another pristine project!
You are far more ambitious than I
Karl
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 10, 2016
more ambition than brains wrote:
Another pristine project!
You are far more ambitious than I
Karl
Couple days with a DA and a few hours in a booth and she'll look like new, Karl...
It took me over 3 years to get the other '70 roadworthy and even then it only left the yard 4-5 times and went a total of, MAYBE, 20 miles in 13 years...
I love manual trans cars and this one is going to get driven while waiting for better parts. I'll just park it in the "Barn Find" row...
BLyke said
Feb 11, 2016
"I love manual trans cars and this one is going to get driven while waiting for better parts. I'll just park it in the "Barn Find" row.."
Not that there's anything wrong with that. Sure beat it being one of the "sitting and rotting" cars we see all to often.
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 11, 2016
Thanks Bruce. My poor little Camaro has been getting parked in the barn find row for too many years now as I keep buying more "stuff". It may be the next one up in the shop next winter. It and the '38 are the only 2 my wife likes and she wants the Camaro fixed up...
BLyke said
Feb 11, 2016
One at a time and as you prefer.
Hopefully i will make it out there on the 27th and get look at the latest addition to your stable.
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 11, 2016
BLyke wrote:
One at a time and as you prefer. Hopefully i will make it out there on the 27th and get look at the latest addition to your stable.
The Blue/White/Orange/Black '70 went back to storage Tuesday. I need the room for the '66 frame buildup.
BLyke said
Feb 12, 2016
Remote storage and not the unheated side of the shop?
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 12, 2016
Yeah, I have 4 vehicles stored in WI...
My other forum user name is Too Many Projects. I started that a number of years ago on the GTO forum as kind of a joke. I seem to have grown into it tho...
SShink said
Feb 13, 2016
I was thinking about this yesterday... Mitch you only have the 4 Chevelle's listed in your signature, but I think you ALSO have:
'64 or 65 Imapala 2 door (I forget which year, and forgot about that one until you mentioned it...)
'68 Camaro
'39 Chevy
'53 Flatbed Truck
2 Corvairs? (not sure if you still have those)
What else am I missing?
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 13, 2016
SShink wrote:
I was thinking about this yesterday... Mitch you only have the 4 Chevelle's listed in your signature, but I think you ALSO have:
'64 or 65 Impala 2 door (I forget which year, and forgot about that one until you mentioned it...)
'68 Camaro
'39 Chevy
'53 Flatbed Truck
2 Corvairs? (not sure if you still have those)
What else am I missing?
You're close but missed them all by a year or so, but still from memory...
'62 Impala SS
'67 Camaro ss/rs
'38 Chev coupe
'52 Chev flatbed
The 2 Corvairs are gone..
BLyke said
Feb 13, 2016
Mitch make me think of a Paul Simon song, to paraphrase into car guy speak " One mans "pole barn plus a spot for 4 more in Wisconsin" (ceiling) is another mans "empty K-Mart store" (floor).
supporting data.... "Yeah, I have 4 vehicles stored in WI..." Mitch
"Actually, if you did win, you would really just get a bigger pole barn and buy more cars... am i right?" Me
You got me....probably buy an empty K-Mart sore and FILL it....:Mitch
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 13, 2016
I got the other '70, that I'm going to sell, done today to.
It looked like this Friday morning...
Today at noon...
SShink said
Feb 14, 2016
Is this just a roller Mitch, or did you install the BBC and auto trans that are on the garage floor?
Let us know how much you are selling it for, and I'll pass the word to the MACC club in KC.
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 14, 2016
SShink wrote:
Is this just a roller Mitch, or did you install the BBC and auto trans that are on the garage floor?
Let us know how much you are selling it for, and I'll pass the word to the MACC club in KC.
I'm not going to actively try to sell it until after the club meeting on the 27th. Too much going on and I need the shop space for the '66 chassis.
396 went into the Blue car, this is a roller but only needs an engine and radiator. The rad in there came with the Blue car but isn't for a Chevelle.
1971 12 bolt with 3.08 open.
1969 TH400 that does work and shift but no guarantee. I only drove it less than 50 miles, 4-5 miles at a time over the 8 or so years it was drivable.
Master cylinder was NEW from Inline Tube several years ago and the calipers were loaded remans from NAPA.
SShink said
Feb 15, 2016
The floor pans look pretty solid.
Lost in the 60s said
Feb 22, 2016
Floor pans in this car are WAAAY better than the blue car. These need a few patches but nothing serious.
The trunk pan needs some help along the wheel house seams too, but again, nothing that would require major replacement.
Lost in the 60s said
Mar 1, 2016
I got the Canadian docs on the Blue car today...
Everything lines up with what is there. I believe it still has the original rear axle as it was built with a 3.31 posi and that is the code on the tube.
M20, bucket seats and tach/gauge dash...
The best surprise... the final build date is the day before my birthday. It was shipped on my birthday. The frame assembly date of my '66 SS is my birthday... These cars were destined to find their way into my life...
The desire and motivation to actually build this car is off the scale compared to the black one I just sold.
SShink said
Mar 1, 2016
Lost in the 60s wrote:The desire and motivation to actually build this car is off the scale compared to the black one I just sold.
That's cool Mitch on the ship date.
I missed that you sold the black one. Congrats! Did you get the sell price you were looking for?
Lost in the 60s said
Mar 1, 2016
SShink wrote:
Lost in the 60s wrote:The desire and motivation to actually build this car is off the scale compared to the black one I just sold.
That's cool Mitch on the ship date.
I missed that you sold the black one. Congrats! Did you get the sell price you were looking for?
I had it on CL for a week and sold it Saturday before the meeting. I didn't want to do the ebay fishing expedition to get every penny I could. I need the funds back from the Blue car for the '66, so I had it priced attractively and got that for it.
Lost in the 60s said
May 5, 2016
I got offered a floor pan for a price that was hard to resist, even though I'm not actively looking for parts yet.
Dynacorn one piece with inner and outer rockers, front bucket and rear seat brackets as well as all seat belt mounts.
more ambition than brains said
May 5, 2016
Nice looking piece.
Karl
BLyke said
May 6, 2016
nice
Tim H said
Jun 5, 2016
Those one piece floor pans are great. I've installed 3 of them took a very little bit of trimming but in general the fit great. I hope the car turns out the way you want it to.
Lost in the 60s said
Jun 5, 2016
Thanks Tim. Gonna be a while before this one see much restoration action. I do plan to replace the brake system this year yet and drive it at least once, in it's ugly condition.
I got the '70 auto off the rack last week and pulled the clip and engine for the "new" one. I installed a new pilot bushing and an used flywheel/clutch assembly from John's old 350. The bell and 4 speed are from my '66. I'm going to use the bell and M20 from John's car in the '66.
I brought the car home this morning and John and I pulled the clip in pieces.
The clutch pedal was missing and I discovered it had been cut off up in the bracket. I had to remove the bracket and replace it with one I had.
I swapped out the lower windshield stainless and was pleasantly surprised that the channel/cowl is very nice.
That's a New York safety inspection sticker from 1984 on the glass....no wonder it's a rust bucket...
I had a clutch linkage interference with the header and put the left one from the '66 on for now. Then i started getting some sheet metal attached. I removed the junk gas tank and sprayed carb cleaner in the fuel line to blow out the front and flush it. Half of the cleaner blew out 2 rust holes in the line near the back of the car so, as usual, it was 2 steps forward and 3 back again.
If that's New York rust Mitch, I'll take that any day compared to the Wisconsin rust I had in the convertible! Your cowl area looks factory new compared to the 1/2" rusted out gap on mine.
As you know, rusty lines are not a big surprise on a 46 year old car.
The upper cowl is very good. The lower cowls have some rust and will require minor surgery to correct.
The firewall and most of the toe boards are savable with minor surgery.
The floor, rockers, trunk, rear wheel houses and quarters are total trash...
Maybe Bruce and I can get a quantity discount for the parts necessary to restore both cars...
Another Post to subscribe too and view with interest.
I formed a repair section of fuel tube to bypass the rusted area and got that in along with the new gas tank. That was all forward progress...
Moved on to the left fender. It had evidence of a corner hit in the past and I didn't think it was that bad....crap !! it was a 2 HOUR fight to get the corner down and out enough to get the bolts in. I even employed a 2x4 and 5 lb maul to move it...
I couldn't resist putting the grille emblem on. That is THE part that started this whole OCD thing...Obsessive Chevy Disorder as John calls it. I bought that emblem 13 years ago before I had a Chevelle to put it on. I had pined for another one for the previous 24 years, after being "persuaded" to sell my LS5 car.
Nice progress Mitch!
Diggin' the ladder bars.
Not sure... but is the SS grill emblem upside down? I'm not sure if there is a 'top' and 'bottom', but it looks like the longer part of the 'S' is on the top? I could be completely wrong though...
The big question is... since you fixed the fuel line, did you start it up today?
I tried that emblem both ways and it seems to be the same...
Probably less confusion on the assembly line.
No fire up today. Still need to install the starter and get electricity for spark. I'm hesitant to fire it before I get a crossmember too. I will have one of those Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, it could be moving under its own power...
Mitch,
I do NOT have a fan shroud.
I must have sold it when I sold the radiator.
I do have the radiator top panel.
Sorry,
Hank
H
No problem, Hank. I won't really need one for a long while.
I took the emblem off and the part number was upside down. I looked at it and I guess one of the tips is a bit longer than the other. It's back in the box, on the shelf.
John and I got the car done around 12:30 and by one pm we were loaded up and headed back to storage. I backed the trailer up to the shop door and backed the Chevelle on the trailer under it's own power. Not bad for a car that was a rolling, gutted shell 4-5 weeks ago. Well, OK, it's still a gutted shell, but it's running on ship's power.
As for the '66's, they aren't going anywhere, nor is this one. With the 4 speed, I'm motivated to get this car in good driving condition as it waits for a full restoration.
You are far more ambitious than I
Karl
Couple days with a DA and a few hours in a booth and she'll look like new, Karl...
It took me over 3 years to get the other '70 roadworthy and even then it only left the yard 4-5 times and went a total of, MAYBE, 20 miles in 13 years...
I love manual trans cars and this one is going to get driven while waiting for better parts. I'll just park it in the "Barn Find" row...
Not that there's anything wrong with that. Sure beat it being one of the "sitting and rotting" cars we see all to often.
Thanks Bruce. My poor little Camaro has been getting parked in the barn find row for too many years now as I keep buying more "stuff". It may be the next one up in the shop next winter. It and the '38 are the only 2 my wife likes and she wants the Camaro fixed up...
Hopefully i will make it out there on the 27th and get look at the latest addition to your stable.
The Blue/White/Orange/Black '70 went back to storage Tuesday. I need the room for the '66 frame buildup.
Yeah, I have 4 vehicles stored in WI...
My other forum user name is Too Many Projects. I started that a number of years ago on the GTO forum as kind of a joke. I seem to have grown into it tho...
I was thinking about this yesterday... Mitch you only have the 4 Chevelle's listed in your signature, but I think you ALSO have:
'64 or 65 Imapala 2 door (I forget which year, and forgot about that one until you mentioned it...)
'68 Camaro
'39 Chevy
'53 Flatbed Truck
2 Corvairs? (not sure if you still have those)
What else am I missing?
You're close but missed them all by a year or so, but still from memory...
'62 Impala SS
'67 Camaro ss/rs
'38 Chev coupe
'52 Chev flatbed
The 2 Corvairs are gone..
Mitch make me think of a Paul Simon song, to paraphrase into car guy speak
" One mans "pole barn plus a spot for 4 more in Wisconsin" (ceiling) is another mans "empty K-Mart store" (floor).
supporting data....
"Yeah, I have 4 vehicles stored in WI..." Mitch
"Actually, if you did win, you would really just get a bigger pole barn and buy more cars... am i right?" Me
You got me....probably buy an empty K-Mart sore and FILL it....:Mitch
I got the other '70, that I'm going to sell, done today to.
It looked like this Friday morning...
Today at noon...
Is this just a roller Mitch, or did you install the BBC and auto trans that are on the garage floor?
Let us know how much you are selling it for, and I'll pass the word to the MACC club in KC.
I'm not going to actively try to sell it until after the club meeting on the 27th. Too much going on and I need the shop space for the '66 chassis.
396 went into the Blue car, this is a roller but only needs an engine and radiator. The rad in there came with the Blue car but isn't for a Chevelle.
1971 12 bolt with 3.08 open.
1969 TH400 that does work and shift but no guarantee. I only drove it less than 50 miles, 4-5 miles at a time over the 8 or so years it was drivable.
Master cylinder was NEW from Inline Tube several years ago and the calipers were loaded remans from NAPA.
The floor pans look pretty solid.
The trunk pan needs some help along the wheel house seams too, but again, nothing that would require major replacement.
I got the Canadian docs on the Blue car today...
Everything lines up with what is there. I believe it still has the original rear axle as it was built with a 3.31 posi and that is the code on the tube.
M20, bucket seats and tach/gauge dash...
The best surprise... the final build date is the day before my birthday. It was shipped on my birthday. The frame assembly date of my '66 SS is my birthday...
These cars were destined to find their way into my life...
The desire and motivation to actually build this car is off the scale compared to the black one I just sold.
That's cool Mitch on the ship date.
I missed that you sold the black one. Congrats! Did you get the sell price you were looking for?
I had it on CL for a week and sold it Saturday before the meeting. I didn't want to do the ebay fishing expedition to get every penny I could. I need the funds back from the Blue car for the '66, so I had it priced attractively and got that for it.
I got offered a floor pan for a price that was hard to resist, even though I'm not actively looking for parts yet.
Dynacorn one piece with inner and outer rockers, front bucket and rear seat brackets as well as all seat belt mounts.
Karl
Thanks Tim. Gonna be a while before this one see much restoration action. I do plan to replace the brake system this year yet and drive it at least once, in it's ugly condition.