1972 Chevelle "restoration"

no big long speeches about stuff. we've had this car since before we got married, bought it in 2008 from my cousin who had it for close to 10 years and let it sit the whole time in his garage. we have been driving it since, but it was an amateur job to begin with and has deteriorated since we purchased it. the paint is from maaco and faded, rust bubbles show at the bottom of the LF fender, there were bubbles under the vinyl top, and the cam is in process of wiping it's lobes round.

this is about 4 years ago, it does not look that good anymore.

step one peel vinyl top.

roof is a complete mess, the trunk pan has rusted though as a result of the rusted trunk filler panel, and the rest of the car is pretty good and lots of straight body to work with.

i have just ordered a new roof skin, trunk fill panel, LF fender patch panel, and trunk floor as well as 3m panel bond adhesive, dura-block sanding block set, and a gallon of evercoat rage ultra filler. the plan is to keep the car mobile with the current hurt 350 through bodywork then paint it and switch out the motor.

other things will also be getting attention, as they screwed up some suspension bits and the coil springs have a bunch of screw in helpers.

the roof was my main concern, but now it's not, since we're getting a new skin, so i began sanding the hood. it is a factory super sport cowl induction hood and i have the correct air cleaner with seal to make it functional.

look what was hiding under a bunch of bondo - the factory hood pin holes. in the interest of originality, and because i think they are cool, i'll be getting reproduction hood pins and cables.

that's where i stopped at about 10 tonight.

Cool project! Are those Convo-Pro's?

So I take it that it's a Malibu and that hood is off a Super Sport?

Never did I know they had factory hood pins, that's really weird.

patgizz wrote: look what was hiding under a bunch of bondo - the factory hood pin holes. in the interest of originality, and because i think they are cool, i'll be getting reproduction hood pins and cables.

That car looks familiar...

more ugly. got both sides around the glass stripped.

mostly got the door ready to work. 2 tiny rust holes at bottom front corner, 2 small dents to work out.

found the quarter panel seam

my workspace.

Trunk floor, filler panel, and fender patch procured. Roof panel backordered with estimated delivery of 6/16. Oh no looks like i'll have to spend a few days on the challenge car instead, "practicing bodywork" for the chevelle.

In reply to patgizz:

Whatever happened to the gasser project?

bravenrace wrote: In reply to patgizz: Whatever happened to the gasser project?

My uncle wanted it as bad as i wanted to free up space for a $2015 car. He's working on it right now, just ordered speedway front axle

so this showed up the other day.

not sure if excited to learn new thing or scared to death to remove roof from car.

garage almost cleaned properly, decided i didn't need random boxes of crap and went through a ton of stuff, scrapped lots, organized, made a sell pile, and am setting up one corner for metal fab work with my benders, brake, bead roller, welder, etc.

have to remove interior and glass before anything gets to that point, but right now i've been practicing bodywork on $2015 car so that when i start slinging mud and doing real sanding and welding on the chevelle i should be better.

started working on it again. the $2015 datsun ate the balance of last summer's chevelle time. that's ok that car is a freaking riot.

rear rubber - 315/35/17. so much rubber.

i've been in collect parts mode. scored BMR rear drop springs on clearance at summit for $40, got a new oil pan for the 454, and the entirety of the new suspension is on the shelf.

i'm bumping this to motivate myself. work has begun again. the Datsun turned itself into a project car again in may at the first autocross of the year by showing that 80's 350 smog heads are crack prone, and was a mad dash to get it back to the challenge.

current progress should hopefully get some pics posted tonight. i'm once again at "clean garage and unbury car" state, but now there is no angry little japanese coupe in the way of getting things done. part of clean the garage is get the engine cleaned and painted so i may clean the floor to keep going.

i've scrapped the weld in fender patch panel idea in favor of a new fender, and i've found the bottoms of both doors were repaired with hammering in rust holes and filling with bondo, so will be ordering a pair of goodmark door shells shortly. rear glass is almost ready to pop out, and i have made an entire shelf in the basement to accept the interior and glass so it'll all be out of the way when the sparks start flying with panel replacement.

scrubbing a not very dirty 454 in a 20 degree garage with a toothbrush and a can of brake cleaner isn't my idea of fun. Luckily the only real grime is at the oil pan to timing cover seal and at the oil cooler adapter. Oil pan and cooler adapter are both getting chucked so they can stay gross and be recycled.

Engine is from my low mile dually that rotted out around the drivetrain. I know i could get x more hp with a cam swap, but it's a good strong runner, and i'm not exactly looking to break in a new flat tappet cam anytime soon.

About ready to pull the old tins and intake, clean and mask the gasket surfaces, do a final wipedown, crank the heat and paint it. At that point i can cat litter the floor where it was and once the paint cures i'll complete assembly with new pan, intake, distributor, plugs and bag the engine until installation time

Please tell me your keeping the tbi...

And check ausleys chevelle prices on the sheet metal. Youll be coming near me, and i can pick them up and meet you.

I'm convinced that vinyl roofs are indeed the work of the devil. Scares the $#it out of me when I see one for sale.

This thing will be bitchin when it's all one color again though!

Wow the only original panel left on my bosses nova is the roof, sheetmetal work fascinates me.

dropstep wrote: Wow the only original panel left on my bosses nova is the roof, sheetmetal work fascinates me.

strangely enough, this one is going to be the passenger compartment floorpan, which is crazy because that's where things usually rust first. this one is clean as can be down there.

i will be putting a vinyl roof back on, it's correct to the car and i really do love me some A body vinyl roof. however, since the only water the car will ever see in the future is when it's washed i won't be worried about bad things happening under it.

i buy sheetmetal at summit racing, their prices are good plus i get summit bucks and it's 30 miles from home. on the way back up through NC i believe i'll have room for absolutely nothing.

so now i'm looking at 2 doors, 2 fenders, trunk pan, roof, fabricating panels for around back glass before i can bother with anything mechanical.

i'm wondering at which point this is a car that should be a quick and greasy pro touring type track car and i should find a clean roller to throw all the new/best parts at for my wife. i've contacted a guy in cherryville NC with a supposedly clean roller. we'll see what unfolds over the next couple weeks, but keep an eye out for me on the east coast on a 4Kish or less clean rolling 70-72.

CLynn85 wrote: I'm convinced that vinyl roofs are indeed the work of the devil. Scares the $#it out of me when I see one for sale. This thing will be bitchin when it's all one color again though!

But it's not a camaro.....

Got like 40 pics of the one in NC. When i get home and can look at them on computer i'll make a decision on it. The guy took them of everything i asked and on the phone it looks like he is not lying about it needing no metal work. Non vinyl top car. New cowl hood, new carpet/grill/headlight buckets/seat upholstery/more in boxes. I'd be able to paint it myself instead of farming that out to someone who can sling filler over patches too. Probably going to go get this one

As the author of several rustorations. I would advise the rust free shell as the sane approach. Unless it is for sentimental reasons, scarcity or learning how to do it, there is no good reason to restore rusty cars.

well,

i made the deal and sent the deposit on the much cleaner roller based on his pictures and seemingly honest description. he admitted there was a little filler on the driver's quarter and nowhere else and took a close up of that area. i'll pick it up saturday so i need to make room in the garage over the next couple nights.

however, exactly like nohome says, my wife is sentimental about this particular car and doesn't want it to leave the family(it's been in our family since the 90's) she is cool with my building the much cleaner car as a real "restoration" for her. i know the interior will be coming out of it for the new car. i was half thinking of patching the horrible rot around the glass, fixing the trunk pan by cutting it out to low mount a fuel cell, using filler on the rest of the crap and giving it a quickie spray and going nuts on it with suspension and LS swap(i have a 6.0/4L80E doing nothing).

i guess it will have to get evaluated when they are side by side, but it may end up being a tandem build thread.

In reply to patgizz:

That truly sounds like the only reasonable solution Pat.

petegossett wrote: In reply to patgizz: That truly sounds like the only reasonable solution Pat.

I know, right? I'm going to have to give up my 454ss pickup clone to do so though, but i'm sick of having stuff the kids can't ride in with me too.