History: I bought a basketcase 1970 sport coupe in late October of 2002. It was waiting to become a drag car but the owner sold it to me instead. I turned the car from a complete pile of parts to a street able restified 70 base coupe including all parts and paint in about 18 months. There were plenty of times I was in the garage until 3a.m. much to wifey's dismay.
Instead of starting at the beginning of the story I refer you to my car website for all of the gory details:
http://webpages.charter.net/BBCamaro/
April of 2004 saw the car on the road. A first attempt amateur restoration complete with ill fitting body panels, plenty of squeaks some paint defects and various other imperfections which started to grate on me after the thrill of completion wore off.
After the car was "complete" I found that I did not like driving it nearly as much as I thought I would. It was loud, smelled of rich, unburned fuel, needed to warm up for awhile before being driven and seemed to always be working too hard. In June of last year I installed a T-56 6 speed transmission I bought from a board member. The drivability of the car increased 10 fold BUT there were/are too many "little" things that I did half or did not complete that began to bother me really bad. . .so much so that I have not driven the car this summer since Mid June when the registration and inspection ran out.
I have made a MONUMENTAL decision to ATTEMPT to get myself motivated to do this car "right" the SECOND time around. Since the time I completed my first attempt 6 years ago the restoration has begun to show some wear. I never babied the car, it is rain driven and often sits outside when I am painting other vehicles in my garage. Since the time of completion I have really honed my bodywork, metalwork and paintwork skills to the point that I now believe I can give this car the "do over" it needs.
Sadly, I have been out of work for 7 months and would not invest the needed money to this redo DESPITE having fairly unlimited time to do it. Being unemployed has taught me that if you need to sell some toys, they had better be in top condition. While this car is NOT for sale right now, that may change. I am getting closer to some job offers but my earning potential has changed for the worse, at least for the time being. It is possible that I am doing this car right in preparation to sell it. My 16 year old daughter would likely never forgive me but I have sacrificed many things to own this car. . .the least of which is money.
OK it is getting long winded so here is a thumbnail sketch of items which need attention while I am waiting for the accompanying photos to upload so that I can let you see what I am talking about.
In order of the items that bug me, most to least:
1.)I tried to make the door gaps on my car too perfect. The driver door neither aligns right not shuts correctly. Both doors are so far reward that they do not make enough contact to shut of the interior lights via the switches low inside the A pillar. Speaking of A pillars, this car was hit hard on the drivers side where the door hinges mount. This may need substantial work as I need to make up nearly ˝ inch of adjustment at the top hinge. I am sweating this part a bit
2.) There are areas I patched half assed before I could weld. These include but are not limited to: driver's rocker, cowl panel at A pillar joints, drivers dog leg front fender, both quarters behind the wheel arch, windshield channel, trunk drop off and extension driver's side. All of these areas plus MORE exhibit some bubbling starting and that needs to be addressed.
3.) I prepared most of the car in lacquer primer which is FAR from ideal. It has caused adhesion problems, paint chipping, large solvent bubbles and numerous other problems
4.) I have some “muddy” body lines that bother me in the rear of the car.
5.) I made a “pimple” in the roof skin when I ran a screw up for a wiring harness from the inside. .. oops
6.) I never took the time to work the filler low on the car AND there is just too much of it
7.) The hood has never shut properly and or never been properly adjusted, it has always been a tricky pain to close, so much so that I am the only person who has ever shut it.
8.) My rally stripes are crooked
9.) For some reason I hosed lacquer primer on the hood, it is so thick that it has shrunk and cracked in places.
10.) Passenger side headlight is not centered in the hole in the header . There is a hole in the header which I am surprised has not rusted. The bezels on both sides need new ones.
11.) The rear window is leaking, has ruined the parcel shelf
12.) I neglected the car, parked in my rodent infested garage (a really recent problem) and left the windows down with a bag of sunflower seeds on the floor. . . .BIG mistake, remember that 70 rear seats are Jute and Burlap. . .ideal mouse nesting material
For all of these major reasons and MANY more minor ones, it is time to get started.
I was going to start this post earlier this morning, but as late as noon I had not fully committed. WELL that changed about that time and 4 hours later the car has been stripped of most of its interior, drip rails, weatherstripping, glass, door handles, locks and many other parts. Most anything that is left inside is loose except for the headliner and upper dash (which is shot anyway)
Pictures before: (yes I know it looked OK but not good enough)
An example of a muddy bodyline and a paint chip that goes to metal
Linear Mode
