Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

dashboard · 2K+ Club

Winter work on 71 Convert, Round 3

Lost in the 60s · President

NEW avatar picture... I LIKE it...

It wood be nice to get it painted and have that hood on it by spring...

BLyke · 1K+ Club

dashboard wrote:
Very resourceful! I cut two pieces of 1”x 3/4” the width of the hood plus the desired gap x2. There are some great hood how twos on Team Chevelle.
Your project is moving along nicely; mine is shoved up against the wall to make room for woodworking.

Found the info and was planning to use the spacers once i knew for sure the width, however the opening is a little tight in the front

what is the woodworking project?

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Lost in the 60s wrote:
NEW avatar picture... I LIKE it...
It wood be nice to get it painted and have that hood on it by spring...

I have sprung into action and want to complete it by April..... 2019!!

By complete, of course, i mean street legal and able to drive, keep in mind a few years ago i dove the Nomad to BBT50's with only a windshield for glass.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

dashboard wrote:
Very resourceful! I cut two pieces of 1”x 3/4” the width of the hood plus the desired gap x2. There are some great hood how twos on Team Chevelle.
Your project is moving along nicely; mine is shoved up against the wall to make room for woodworking.

Got sided-tracked with a wood working project, but wrapped it up last night. Saws are on rollers and tuck of of the way.

The sawdust seems to help clean up dust from stripping paint and grinding, so I've got that going for me.

Lost in the 60s · President

BLyke wrote:
Lost in the 60s wrote:
NEW avatar picture... I LIKE it...
It wood be nice to get it painted and have that hood on it by spring...
I have sprung into action and want to complete it by April..... 2019!!

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Well i think i have just about completed the removal of the "undercoating type tar" (that the PO had sprayed all over the place) that i will be doing with the clean up of the hinges.
Here is a before and after view (spring was removed to clean both parts)

-- Edited by BLyke on Monday 19th of November 2018 08:20:52 PM

Lost in the 60s · President

Man, you are persistent. It looks like new.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Lost in the 60s wrote:
Man, you are persistent. It looks like new.

It was very affordable, mostly just time

Time to paint it black next

SShink · 3K+ Club

BLyke wrote:
Lost in the 60s wrote:
Man, you are persistent. It looks like new.
It was very affordable, mostly just time
Time to paint it black next

Bruce, if you're going for the original look, I used Eastwood Cast Gray paint. I think that's pretty close to how they were originally, and the contrast with the black engine bay always looks good to me.

Same for the hood latch assembly that bolts to the radiator support.

Some little tricks I learned from Tim H. when doing the resto on the convertible.

Lost in the 60s · President

I knew it was all hand cleaning, too shiny for much sanding yet. Did you try brake cleaner to dissolve the undercoating first ? I usually try to remove all the old spray on junk with chemicals and then blast the rest clean with glass beads in the cabinet.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

So is this what the LH vent on a non-AC car is supposed to look like?
looks too neat to have been broken out to make a hole.
Saw some on eBay when looking for one that was not broken
Anyone know why it is like this?

Derek69SS · Founding Member

SShink wrote:
Bruce, if you're going for the original look, I used Eastwood Cast Gray paint. I think that's pretty close to how they were originally, and the contrast with the black engine bay always looks good to me.
Same for the hood latch assembly that bolts to the radiator support.

I could be wrong, but I think the Eastwood "Gray Phosphate" is a closer match to original. It's a little darker than the cast gray.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Derek69SS wrote:
SShink wrote:
Bruce, if you're going for the original look, I used Eastwood Cast Gray paint. I think that's pretty close to how they were originally, and the contrast with the black engine bay always looks good to me.
Same for the hood latch assembly that bolts to the radiator support.
I could be wrong, but I think the Eastwood "Gray Phosphate" is a closer match to original. It's a little darker than the cast gray.

Thanks guys,

Since I'm not going for a original/restoration look, think its best to keep it simple and go from "dirt infused tar coating with yellow over-spray highlight's" to semi-gloss black for now

BLyke · 1K+ Club

BLyke wrote:
So is this what the LH vent on a non-AC car is supposed to look like?
looks too neat to have been broken out to make a hole.
Saw some on eBay when looking for one that was not broken
Anyone know why it is like this?

Bueller?!?

tn-2195263?AWSAccessKeyId=1XXJBWHKN0QBQS

-- Edited by BLyke on Sunday 25th of November 2018 04:39:01 PM

67ss · 1K+ Club

Found this at OPGI, Looks like that is normal.

https://www.opgi.com/chevelle/CH26235/

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Thanks Chris!!
Guess for now I'm good to go.
The complete set in the link looks like a good deal for everything.

Lost in the 60s · President

That link makes one wonder if the open top is for a plastic tube to direct air to the dash vent, where the a/c would've come out ???

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Lost in the 60s wrote:
That link makes one wonder if the open top is for a plastic tube to direct air to the dash vent, where the a/c would've come out ???

Maybe, for now i will delegate it to a non-issue, as you know there many "bigger fish to fry" if it is going to be ready for Summer2019

Actually, didn't the A/C cars have different kick panels with out any vent?

-- Edited by BLyke on Wednesday 28th of November 2018 10:49:42 AM

-- Edited by BLyke on Wednesday 28th of November 2018 10:49:58 AM

Jon H · 1K+ Club

It may give extra room for the e-brake assembly.

Bobs_Place · Vice President

BLyke wrote:
Lost in the 60s wrote:
That link makes one wonder if the open top is for a plastic tube to direct air to the dash vent, where the a/c would've come out ???
Maybe, for now i will delegate it to a non-issue, as you know there many "bigger fish to fry" if it is going to be ready for Summer2019
Actually, didn't the A/C cars have different kick panels with out any vent?

-- Edited by BLyke on Wednesday 28th of November 2018 10:49:42 AM

-- Edited by BLyke on Wednesday 28th of November 2018 10:49:58 AM

70 A/C cars left side is caped off, no vent, right side has the recalculating duct to bring air back into he A/C system. Both kick panels are different non A/C to A/C cars.

My guess kick panels for 69-72 A/C cars are the same, non A/C 71-72 added a second push pull control in the kick panel, don't know what it did, more venting maybe?

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Thanks for the reply's.
Since it is now know to be an original, a good scrubbing of them 4 decades of dirt and grime of and they are bagged up for later installation.
Been cleaning up smaller parts and seeing what else may be needed.
Located a nice drivers door handle from our 1970 when the window lift assembly had to be replaced in ~1980.
The ones on the car have "inadvertent grind marks" from the PO (He's the gift that just keeps on giving).

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Fixing a cracked lid with a little help from "J.B. Weld"
Pictures of the steps for those who may currently have a bit more time than money available for your Chevelle.
1. Clean up all areas (and remove old glue from the PO if/as needed) ans rough up a little by sanding
2. Form up the metal reinforcements to fit as needed. In this case it was to hold the center under the trim tight
3. have the clamps adjusted and ready to snap on
4. Apply the JBW into the cracks and under where the reinforcements will be going, clamp in place
5. Remove any excess on the top and let dry in the clamped position for 24 hours

This basic approach has helped make "temporary repairs" that have in many cases lasted for years.

Disclaimer: should this fail, a new re-pop can be to your house in a few days for ~100$ or less.

-- Edited by BLyke on Friday 30th of November 2018 02:18:30 PM

SShink · 3K+ Club

Nice work Bruce. I've never used JBW for plastic before, only on metal. Good to know.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Still making progress in lining up the panels (also fixing up the interior panels).
My grandsons helped get the hood fitted, this is my oldest posing with the car

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Have been primarily working on smaller parts, sorting, repairing and cleaning, with I'm referring to as "extreme detailing".
Trying to get all parts either good to use or on the need to replace list.
Lots of scrubbing, polishing, re-gluing, repainting, lubricating, etc.
My elbow grease budget is pretty flush at this point, so making these original parts better the plan.
It is proving to be a good education for potential future cars that parts are not readily available for, so I've got that going for me...

Lost in the 60s · President

Is this a hint at some "future" car you already have planned, that you expect parts to be scarce for ???

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Lost in the 60s wrote:
Is this a hint at some "future" car you already have planned, that you expect parts to be scarce for ???

Nothing in particular, there are several that would be considered as my "only old car".

None have the availability of the Chevelle's, and i would prefer to find a "Survivor" and try to keep it as original as possible.

BTW, in some ways the 71 is survivor... in that it was never scrapped!? Pretty sure it made it this far due to the drop top.

It has certainly provided ample opportunities to learn how to repair things and increase my skill level.

Looking forward to getting it done for summer.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Despite the lack of posting of comments and pictures progress has continued.
Focus has been on getting the body parts that were out of wack sorted out and lined up.
Also getting missing parts lined up and starting to track them down.

-- Edited by BLyke on Thursday 10th of January 2019 08:06:07 AM

BLyke · 1K+ Club

After viewing many pictures of bumper gaps, and seeing them all over the place i finally found this in the manual.

Needless to say the car was not close to this prior and i think i can get it reasonably close.

-- Edited by BLyke on Friday 11th of January 2019 10:02:44 AM

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Been making progress but a bit delinquent in up dating.
In addition to more rust repairs (yep, found some more and decided to redo one from a few years ago, before the snowball started rolling) the focus is to refurbishing the dash.
The one in the car was missing a large chunk and i got a different one then decided to make a better on of the two
Not perfect but much better than what was there.
will follow up with some pics

-- Edited by BLyke on Tuesday 5th of March 2019 06:47:10 PM

-- Edited by BLyke on Tuesday 5th of March 2019 06:49:42 PM

SShink · 3K+ Club

BLyke wrote:
After viewing many pictures of bumper gaps, and seeing them all over the place i finally found this in the manual.
Needless to say the car was not close to this prior and i think i can get it reasonably close.

-- Edited by BLyke on Friday 11th of January 2019 10:02:44 AM

I've always wondered how much that gap is supposed to be. Now I know. I've seen some cars with less than 1/4" and some like my old convertible was almost 5/8", which I thought was excessive. They definitely look better with a smaller gap.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

With the nice weather starting to roll in the time for priming is upon me. Also decided to not go with the 1970 Champagne Gold (metal flake), as the degree of difficulty may be too high for a DYI.
New color will be a solid Code 75...
Cranberry Red, so instead of being gold like our 70 Chevelle 4 door, it will be similar to the Red Fiat 124 Spyder we had at the same time.

Something like this...

-- Edited by BLyke on Thursday 11th of April 2019 04:29:44 PM

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Guess it has been a while.... and the car will not likely see the road this summer, but i did actualy start a little bit of the painting.
Mainly on a old door that will be scrapped and provided a good test piece. was able to get it to lay down fairly smooth.

Lost in the 60s · President

If you can get base coat or single stage to lay down smooth, you're already better than me. My Camaro looks like a golden, over ripe, orange...

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Lost in the 60s wrote:
If you can get base coat or single stage to lay down smooth, you're already better than me. My Camaro looks like a golden, over ripe, orange...

My goal was to get the primer smoother than the Nomad blue. Still need to experiment on the settings for flow and pressure, fortunately i have several panels i will not be using to try it on.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Moved up to priming real parts today and think that it is getting close to dialed in.

Perhaps thre will still be an escape from the CAC yet this year.

Lost in the 60s · President

That would be fun..

BLyke · 1K+ Club

My proficentcy seems to be improved from what i had when painting the Nomad. Moved on to some high build sandable primer and it is looking much better than last time, but time will tell.

Worked on gun pressure and settings, results were much smaller droplets for a farly smooth finish on the epoxy and sandable.

Have a little more time in the "workable window" to to get all the loose parts dne and than ont o the main body

-- Edited by BLyke on Saturday 27th of July 2019 08:27:44 PM

-- Edited by BLyke on Saturday 27th of July 2019 08:28:13 PM

Lost in the 60s · President

They look great from here !!

Sorry I didn't get over and talk with you at NSP. When we got back from dinner, the weather was moving in and I just packed up and got out of dodge.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Thanks Mitch!

It was nice to see your car up close, looing forward to seeing it completed.

Lost in the 60s · President

BLyke wrote:
Thanks Mitch!
It was nice to see your car up close, looking forward to seeing it completed.

THAT got put back a long way Friday night.

We had put in an offer on a different home and was informed at 5pm, that it had been accepted. Pending satisfactory inspections, we close August 22nd. The house is vacant, so we have time to get our ducks in a row and move in slowly, but I would still like to get ours on the market sooner than later.

Wanna move and have the huge shop ?? The pole building at the new place is about half the size of mine now and no heat to work over the winter...

-- Edited by Lost in the 60s on Sunday 28th of July 2019 07:48:56 AM

Jon H · 1K+ Club

Mitch, it is only money, do it once, do it right and be forever happy. You know if you don't you will regret it forever and we don't have that long of forever to go so do it and enjoy it! There will always be somewhere you can cut corners and save dollars without upsetting the wife and getting her needs met. Barb is understanding.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Shot the epoxy on the body today.

dashboard · 2K+ Club

Big step forward, very nice. Here comes the block sanding and block sanding and block sanding, I've been doing that and doing that and doing that. Red is a great color for a Vel. What color will the top be?

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Thanks Kevin,
Yes lots of sanding in the future,
the top and interior are black.

Lost in the 60s · President

BLyke wrote:
Thanks Kevin,
Yes lots of sanding in the future,
the top and interior are black.

Looks good all 1 color and not bare skin.

Are you going all the way to finish paint before putting it together ?

Larry Lucast · Active Member

Isn't that a great feeling getting it all primed? It is a milestone that helps you see progress.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Larry Lucast wrote:
Isn't that a great feeling getting it all primed? It is a milestone that helps you see progress.

Yes it is Larry and i have thought of our conversation about it.

thanks

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Started with the Red paint today and think it will work our well.