Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

Lost in the 60s · President

My 66 "renovation" project

Derek69SS · Founding Member

Looking good!

Lost in the 60s · President

My GM relocation oil pan kit came yesterday.... biggrin

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Good luck on your project Mitch. Love to stop by some time this winter and see how things are progressing.

Jim

Lost in the 60s · President

Well, I hit the shop at 8:30 this morning...
On the stands ready for surgery.

removed the hinge springs

lowered the hood onto a pallet and removed

next, the clip came off in 1 piece

gotta love having a forklift !!!!!!!

sway bar and entire steering system came off

shock worn thru from the spring not being clocked properly and original riveted ball joints

while holding weight on the lower a arm, I loosened the ball joint nuts. Then I let the jack down to hold spring tension on the joints and gave the boss on the spindle at the stud a firm whack with a bfh. Once the studs pop loose, i jack the arm up again and remove the nuts.

Once the nuts are gone, lift the upper arm off the spindle and then lift the spindle assembly off the lower stud. be sure to have the brake hose disconnected at this point and hold the spindle while lifting the upper arm

lower the jack to release the spring

and here we are, 3 1/2 hours later. I did have to use my 3/4 impact on one stubborn lower arm bolt but it didn't argue long with 650 ft lbs hammering on it !! I can't get the upper arms off until I pull the motor, as they hit the exhaust maniflds.

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Keep the photo's coming. Can't remember the guy's name, something like Lemon, lives in Hudson area, He has rebuilt 2 66's. He has a black one and a red one that his wife drives. he also races a camaro. Now is rebuilding a Mopar product. He should be a valuable resource, Maybe you know him.

-- Edited by jim larson on Monday 29th of November 2010 0645 PM

Lost in the 60s · President

Not familiar with him, Jim, but I'd like to know who he is.
I only had an hour after lunch and I removed the driveshaft, shifter and all the bolts from the engine mounts, cross member and rear trans mounts. At this point all that is left is 4 wires to the engine and then bolt on the chains for the equalizer, mount the lift frame to the forks and haul it out... Should be swinging free in a half hour or so.

bowtie · Secretary

I wish I had your motivation.

and a forklift

SShink · 3K+ Club

Mitch you are a one man wrecking crew! That's meant in a good way of course! biggrin

Lost in the 60s · President

bowtie wrote:

I wish I had your motivation.

and a forklift

And time........I like not working in the winter anymore but I don't have any income either....it's a double edged sword.
Not sure the forklift would fit in your garage very well.... confuse

Stan, as you well know, the teardown is the quick, easy part. I'll have around 6 hours to get it stripped and at least a week for every hour of that to rebuild and re-assemble. The goal is to have a safe, dependable, correctly built cruiser in 6 weeks.

-- Edited by Lost in the 60s on Tuesday 30th of November 2010 07:40:07 AM

67ss · 1K+ Club

I can't believe with all the stuff you do mitch you have not installed a two post hoist in there.

Looks like the car was originally butternut yellow or cameo cream colored?

-- Edited by 67ss on Tuesday 30th of November 2010 11:38:25 AM

Lost in the 60s · President

Chris, the shop is a business in the summer and I need to get my semi in for maintainence/repair, so nothing bolted to the floor.

Today hasn't gone as well as yesterday. I realized I forgot about the exhaust pipes and z bar. I crawled under to remove the exhaust nuts from the manifolds and as soon as I hit the trigger on the impact a piece of rust (imagine that) fell in my right eye and I thought I was gonna die from the pain. I can't deal with crap in my eyes. After a few minutes of digging around with a shop rag, I got most of it out and went back at it. This time with my safety glasses on... ashamed

Anyway, here's a pic of the home made Z bar and pivot ball bracket. Also the clutch rod I assume out of the same truck as the engine/bell housing. The rod was so far to the right, it scraped on the steering column. Note the "remodeling" of the firewall for clearance.

I had to remove the mounts from the block to get it out of the frame. They bound up on the frame mounts with the bell housing wedged under the firewall and the truck pan hitting the frame.

Lazy mans coolant drain...

The firewall "modifications" and the distribution block he added for the dual master upgrade. The "neatly" bent u-pipe was rubbing on the exhaust manifold. All that will get relocated to the top of the frame rail. I am converting to front discs, so the distribution block will stay.

Truck frame mounts welded on...

Upper control arm bushings The right side was metal on metal.

Here's the shifter "hump" he built for the boot, since it was 3 inches too far back from the original location.

I kept wondering what the patch down the middle was for and finally realized that he cut the tunnel and spread it for the bell housing to fit !!! The hole under the throttle pedal is where the clutch fork wore thru, even after all the hammer bashing.

He converted it to a cable pedal too, which isn't all bad. I will most likely keep that for now, as a Lokar to do the same thing is $160 with a cable kit.

bowtie · Secretary

Did you know about the floor, etc beforehand or is this a "nice surprise"?

Lost in the 60s · President

bowtie wrote:

Did you know about the floor, etc beforehand or is this a "nice surprise"?

I wasn't informed or aware of ANY of this crap. It's just the nature of doing business without looking at it. So far, I'm about 2k behind for fixing all his butchering in addition to what I knew was missing, like the heater, carpet and interior. He told me the frame was "really nice" too and it has a serious rust issue under the left door..... furious

The upper dash at the windshield channel is really tough too and will be a challenge to get repaired. I have a floor pan and lower windshield channel on the way as well as a complete wiring harness for the entire car. All the engine wiring was home made and most of the circuits were from the same roll of wire.......all one color...

67ss · 1K+ Club

Your car is a good example of why some people should not be allowed to own a welder.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Sometimes. I would much rather remove rusty metal then try to fix what someone else screwed up.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Mitch, with all due respect... I think you should call this project 'FrankenVelle' after looking at that shifter hump!!! biggrin

I'm sure you will bring it back to life in fine shape.

Lost in the 60s · President

I missed one of your earlier questions, Chris, it was Lemonwood Yellow.
Pulled the left vent out.....packed full of leaves.

Pulled the entire instrument panel, wire harness and pedals out. Also removed the unsightly "hump".

Ten minutes of readjusting the floor/firewall with a bfh.

Actually came out really well. Most of it will get cut out for the replacement pan anyway. The pan was supposed to be here today but it never showed up.

Lost in the 60s · President

SShink wrote:

Mitch, with all due respect... I think you should call this project 'FrankenVelle' after looking at that shifter hump!!!

I'm sure you will bring it back to life in fine shape.

I could've saved myself all this work by painting it flat black, putting on some spinner wheel covers and joining the Frankenstieners....

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Looking good Mitch. Z bar/cross shaft repo are available. I had to relocate the arm however, to get it to clear the oil pressure sending fittings. I have photos of an original cross shaft.

Lost in the 60s · President

WOW, FedEx knocked on the door at 8:20 with the floor pan and other parts !!!

COMPLETE seal kit, every piece of rubber seal on the car along with new fuzzies and a heater box seal kit. New heater core and complete front end bolt kit and inner dust shields.... biggrin

Replacement lower windshield channel. I got lower front fender patchs too but they are going back. I explained exactly what I was looking for and the salesman swore these were it. They aren't even close to what's available now....

Lost in the 60s · President

jim larson wrote:

Looking good Mitch. Z bar/cross shaft repo are available. I had to relocate the arm however, to get it to clear the oil pressure sending fittings. I have photos of an original cross shaft.

I won't be able to use a stock Z-bar as the block has no boss cast on it for the pivot ball. The bell housing has a boss for the ball at the block seam, so I will need to modify something to use that. I have a BB Z-bar for my 70 and will dig that out to compare once the engine is back in.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Lost in the 60s wrote:

WOW, FedEx knocked on the door at 8:20 with the floor pan and other parts !!!

COMPLETE seal kit, every piece of rubber seal on the car along with new fuzzies and a heater box seal kit. New heater core and complete front end bolt kit and inner dust shields....

Replacement lower windshield channel. I got lower front fender patchs too but they are going back. I explained exactly what I was looking for and the salesman swore these were it. They aren't even close to what's available now....

Lol, dude. 1979 called. They want thier couch back. biggrin

Sorry Mitch. I couldnt resist. For the record, when I get to that point, ill need that section of floor pan for my 66 as well.

Lost in the 60s · President

Chris R wrote:

Lol, dude. 1979 called. They want thier couch back.

HEY, that couch is only 10 years old..... it just LOOKS like your Grandmothers...
I take it you're not interested in buying it ? We aren't crazy about it either but we wanted a sleeper sofa for possible guests.

dashboard · 2K+ Club

Mitch, check you PMs

jim larson · 2K+ Club

You are probably aware of the fact that there were 2 different manufactures for the 66 doors and as a result the clips on the fuzzies may not be in the correct place depending upon who you got them from. Ausley chevelle has a good video clip on how to remove and adjust the position of the one clip. Just check their web site.

Lost in the 60s · President

jim larson wrote:

You are probably aware of the fact that there were 2 different manufactures for the 66 doors and as a result the clips on the fuzzies may not be in the correct place depending upon who you got them from. Ausley chevelle has a good video clip on how to remove and adjust the position of the one clip. Just check their web site.

Nope, didn't know that. I got all this from Ausley's and they didn't mention it either. The left door is toast and I got a new repro shell with the car. Guess I'll make whatever I got work for that one.
Thanks for the heads up on a possible issue.

67ss · 1K+ Club

Mitch check out this link, this should fix your z bar issue.

http://sdparts.com/category/sdpc-clutch-pivot-ball-brackets

Lost in the 60s · President

67ss wrote:

Mitch check out this link, this should fix your z bar issue.

http://sdparts.com/category/sdpc-clutch-pivot-ball-brackets

THANKS, Chris......I figured there had to something like that and you saved me the time/frustration looking for it... wink

Now I can look for an original Z-bar and be done with the linkage.

Dashboard came over for a few hours today and as long as I had help, we removed the junk windshield.
Too bad the pic I took didn't turn out.....I'll get another later.
After cleaning up the glass and loose rust with the shop vac, I put him to work disassmebling the inside heater box and commandeering the sand blasting cabinet. He's a quick learner and was doing good until it plugged up. I drained all the sand and we sifted it for debris, which there was a LOT, and he left right after that. It still wouldn't flow any sand, so I took the nozzle apart and there was a piece of debris stuck in there. It all works great again now.

I started the initial evaluation of how much to cut off the floor pan. The pan will eliminate all the rust and butcher damage in 1 fell swoop..... smile

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Lost in the 60s wrote:

jim larson wrote:

You are probably aware of the fact that there were 2 different manufactures for the 66 doors and as a result the clips on the fuzzies may not be in the correct place depending upon who you got them from. Ausley chevelle has a good video clip on how to remove and adjust the position of the one clip. Just check their web site.

Nope, didn't know that. I got all this from Ausley's and they didn't mention it either. The left door is toast and I got a new repro shell with the car. Guess I'll make whatever I got work for that one.
Thanks for the heads up on a possible issue.

On the Ausleys site they have tech tip videos, one shows the fuzzie issues.

dashboard · 2K+ Club

Mitch,

Glad to hear the blaster is back up and running, next time we know to check the tip second. Don't forget, I did not finish the engine compartment heater box.

All the small parts are in your "don't forget were I put it box" including that nylon bushing.

Any up dates?

Jim, your the 66 expert, you need to make the trip up and spend a day with Mitch. He has a great setup. All the tools you can dream of in a large well lit warm shop. After working in my small shop I felt like I got my JFKs* yesterday walking from one end of his shop to the other.

*Some may not understand this term.

Lost in the 60s · President

My wife comes home from work and walks in the neighborhood for exercise and gives me a hard time for not joining her. I tell her I walk at least a mile every day back and forth from the house to the shop and in the shop...

I cut out the floor yesterday and replaced the body mount cage nut. There are NO body mount bolts holding this body to the chassis !!! Most have been snapped off and some haven't had bolts in them for many years. The front two nuts are so rusted from being empty, that I will replace the ones I can get at.

New pan is in place and tack welded. Just need to finish welding it in and seam seal it... smile

67ss · 1K+ Club

Does this phase of the project including painting the whole car once you get all the sheet metal fixed?

Lost in the 60s · President

67ss wrote:

Does this phase of the project including painting the whole car once you get all the sheet metal fixed?

NO, I'm just making the car what it was supposed to be, safe, reliable and roadworthy.....

Lost in the 60s · President

Wow, frustrating day. My Mig welder hasn't been working properly for some time and it came to a screeching halt today. Somhow the liner got kinked in the outer jacket and was pinching the wire. I took it back where I got the welder and they tried to remove the liner to replace it but they couldn't get it out !! I had to buy a whole new gun and hose assembly......aaaaaahhhhhggggg
Anyway, I finally got to work on the floor around 1:30. I cut a piece off the old floor from the GTO to fill the last of the factory console shift hole and then welded it all in. I have some final grinding on the pan and to cut the hole for the shifter but for the most part, it's a done deal. There are still a bunch of extra holes someone made in the floor and old console mounting holes that I will fill too but I'm pretty pleased that the pan is now an integral part of the floor.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Mitch that new shifter hump sure looks a lot better than the Frankenstein creation!

Lost in the 60s · President

SShink wrote:

Mitch that new shifter hump sure looks a lot better than the Frankenstein creation!

Thanks, Stan. I really like it. I decided to stop before cutting the shifter hole and screwing down the "porch", as Pontiac calls it. I have a LOT of cutting, grinding and dirt involved with replaceing the lower windshield channel and dash panel repair. I didn't want all that crud going in the porch and trying to vacuum it out of there.
Here's a few in progess pics of the lower channel removal ...

Lost in the 60s · President

I had "hoped" to be welding the lower channel in today, but i am STILL going backward with this car !!! I need to weld a patch on the dash panel to weld the channel to, so I took the whole danged dash panel out so I didn't have to weld upside down in the car.

A pillar needs a patch too...

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Looking like your doing things right Mitch. Keep up the good work

Bungy L-76 · Active Member

Lost in the 60s wrote:

so I took the whole danged dash panel out so I didn't have to weld upside down in the car.

So you didn't want to weld up under the dash and have sparks landing right in your face? You're taking all the fun out of it.

Nice job Mitch, keep going and you're gunna have a heck of a nice car.

Dave Seitz · Mega Poster

Many of us can feel your pain on this brother. In the same boat as you now doing many of the same things.

Lost in the 60s · President

Dave Seitz wrote:

Many of us can feel your pain on this brother. In the same boat as you now doing many of the same things.

All too common, isn't it Dave ? You start out to do a few "simple" things and pretty soon you've got a full blown mess on your hands...

No work on the car the last 2 days. Yesterday I had a seriously stiff neck and headache from crawling around inside with a wire wheel on the angle drill getting all the loose rust off the inner firewall.
Today was spent cleaning, organizing and making room for tomorrows weather.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...... smile

Lost in the 60s · President

With the recent snow and cold, I haven't done a thing on the car but the parts keep arriving... biggrin

I got the conversion bracket with pivot ball for the clutch yesterday. I got a box from Summit last Friday with a new short water pump to move the alt back to the left side. New valve cover and front timing cover gasket sets and 2 Global West off-set upper control arm shafts for better camber/caster alignment. I'm still waiting on a shipment from Ausley's with a complete coolant hose set and a few other trinkets. I also ordered a pair of front fender patchs from Dynacorn but they won't ship for a few days yet. Going to Auto City Classics this morning to get a windshield and picking up a bunch of parts from a sand blaster up that way. I'll get a couple pics later when it's all gather in one place... smile

Lost in the 60s · President

Spent a lot of time running around yesterday but did get a little work time in. I found rust thru on the firewall where the e-brake bracket mounts so I cut it out and made a patch for it. There was also a 3/4" hole that I didn't know what it was for and was going to close it off with a patch but then got the bright idea to test fit the inner pad to see where the rubber plugs went. Good thing I checked because it was a plug location that someone punched out in the past. I found a washer with the right size hole for the plug and was able to file the hole to fit it. They will both get welded in today.

Lost in the 60s · President

I MAY have finally turned the corner on this project. I haven't found anything else to cutout or remove for 2 days and am actually starting the repair/assembly process..... smile

I finished welding in the patchs on the firewall and went over the pan for the final time. Then I made 9 small patchs to seal extra holes drilled in the floor over time and 2 to cover where the console once mounted. After all the welding and grinding were done, I vacuumed it out, washed it off with Eastwood PRE and seam sealed the entire pan edge and all the patchs. There's no way water is gonna get inside on my carpet.. disbelief

I then started welding the new edge on the dash panel to mate with the new lower channel. I'm hoping by this time tomorrow, I will have the dash and lower channel welded on the body.

After taking a wire wheel to the rust scale on the underside of the cowl, I had pits showing thru to daylight. I sealed the entire area with the seam sealer too.

Patch in firewall for e-brake bracket. I still had pin holes after welding, so I sealed that too.

Lost in the 60s · President

I forgot yesterday that I needed to get the lower channel in place before I could put the dash panel back. The channel isn't the best fitting piece I've had. I had to hold the center down with a couple pop rivets and then start surgically cutting out the cowl grille slots and bending the corners to get the grill to fit properly.

After 45 minutes of custom fitting, the cowl grill finally looked good. I doubt the guys on the assembly line spent 45 minutes fitting those 2 parts...

At that point, I test fit the new windshield. Everything looked pretty darn good ! Those cheap suction holders worked slick to carry the glass around and to be able to handle it easily alone.

I used my flat bottom spot weld cutter to mill holes in the channel .

Then plug welded them full.

I used the cut off blade on edge to knock down the high spots on the welds and then cleaned it all up with a flap disc.

Tony Hoffer · Moderator

Looking good.. Ive been beating on 37 year old snowmobile parts

Lost in the 60s · President

Last week I finished welding in the dash panel. Same procedure as the channel to cowl.

The last couple days I finished scraping old sealer out of seams, wire brushing rust, cleaning with acetone, spraying with rust converter, then re-applying sealer to the seams and pin holes and finally painting the firewall and underside of the dash panel Charcoal Grey. What a time consuming, filthy, pain in the arse job. It will look nice when done and there will be NO bare metal to rust anymore. Too bad no one will ever see it once the car is together.

In between waiting for the sealer and sprays to dry, I started the same process of scraping old sealer on the outer firewall and finished blasting the inner heater box. Kevin had the box 90% done when he was here, but the blaster quit working and it was time for him to leave. It only took another 15 minutes to git 'r done. THANKS Kevin !!!

dashboard · 2K+ Club

Mitch,

Great to see the Vell going back together. Need to get over there and check it out.

Kevin

Lost in the 60s · President

Alright, bit of a delay with Christmas and my neighbor destroying his plowing equipment and wanting me to repair it.

Here's the interior heater box all painted, cleared and a spankin' new heater core installed.

I cut a big hole in the left cowl to get at the rust inside. I neutralized it with rust converter and then sealed it with rust encapsulator.

Started the firewall cleaning/sanding. I dug all the old seam sealer out and re-sealed most of it today. Still have some sanding and cleaning to do around the steering column hole and weld the access panel back in, but it's only a couple hours away from being ready for paint.