First Camaro - 1980 2nd Gen - Page 5

flak monkey · 10-04-2011, 06:28:27 AM

I just enquired about having the shell dipped to strip it back to bare metal and get all the rust out.... £1200 ($1900) then dipping to put a new EDP coating on everything inside and out is another big chunk of money on top of that as well.

I think I will carry on doing it the hard way!

david.cordle · 10-04-2011, 12:02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flak monkey

I just enquired about having the shell dipped to strip it back to bare metal and get all the rust out.... £1200 ($1900) then dipping to put a new EDP coating on everything inside and out is another big chunk of money on top of that as well.

I think I will carry on doing it the hard way!

"The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have sav'd my life." Wm. Shakespeare

AKA, the wife would kill you!!! lol

flak monkey · 10-04-2011, 01:00:51 PM

Lol, no wife, but my bank account wouldn't shoulder that!

Caveman Tiny · 10-06-2011, 10:51:14 AM

That's a good project you've got there Flak. I'm impressed with what you've accomplished, especially with a lack of donor parts in the UK. Keep up the good work and keep the pics coming!

flak monkey · 10-07-2011, 01:46:34 PM

Thanks

Slow progress now its dark in the evening. But have managed to get the kick panel area finished off this afternoon. Just the top edge to sort out when I do the cowl panel.

Going to be pulling the engine, box and front subframe this weekend weather permitting. The I'll start measuring up to build a rotisserie from the mountain of old tubing we have laying about.

flak monkey · 10-08-2011, 12:41:52 PM

Stripped everything else off the firewall today other than the blower motor (its keeping the rain out!) and also made a start stripping the ancilliaries off the engine ready for it to be pulled out and go to the new owner.

Its taken all day to strip the electricals, column, pedals and acoustic mat as it kept slinging it down with rain. Never mind! I know where all the leaks are around the firewall/cowl area now.

No more major rust has been turned up. Just some minor repairs needed at the bottom of the cowl on the driver side and some surface rust inside. Other than that the firewall is all solid.

And the engine bay is looking very naked now

Tomorrow I might do some more welding if the weather is OK. Planning on getting the drivers side lower cowl sorted, simple stuff.

flak monkey · 10-29-2011, 02:13:59 PM

Today I have been making a start on repairing the rotted out lower cowl areas. Done the drivers side this afternoon, and hopefully with an early start tomorrow I can get the passenger side done.

Not a lot left once the rust was cut out. Gave everything a coat of etch primer before starting to weld it all up. I need to replace the sills anyway (hence leaving a hole in the front edge...), so when they are off I will be giving everything a thorough coat of epoxy inside as well.

Spot where I did some welding inside the car...

Job done. Just proper paint and seam sealer to do on this side now once the sill has been replaced

flak monkey · 11-06-2011, 01:53:22 PM

Picked up the GRP and carbon front end today. 360 mile round trip with the bonnet on the roof all the way home

All needs some work and minor repairs, but nothing that can't be done before paint. Its going to take a lot of time and effort to get it fitting properly, I know. But it will hopefully be worth it in the end. Not sure what insurance companies views are on GRP panels?

The fenders and bumper cover are heavyweight GRP and the bonnet and front splitter are wet lay carbon/kevlar weave. Not the lightest way to do it, but its bloody strong stuff nontheless.

Bonnet scoop is fully functional with shroud underneath which will sit over the air filter. Wing vents need cutting out once they have beeen fitted.

Other than that nothing much done this weekend as it was me birthday yesterday

2ndgenhunter · 11-06-2011, 01:59:44 PM

Nice score! I like the hood. You did a good job on the lower cowl repair.
Keep up the good work,

Jamie

onelapduster · 11-07-2011, 03:56:20 AM

WOW!!! Major repairs, but you are doing a hell of a job on this one. Keep it up!

I really cant wait to see that hood installed. Looks like it is going to look killer with that hugger front spoiler.

flak monkey · 11-08-2011, 07:42:03 AM

Thanks guys. It's coming along slowly. Still waiting for some parts to arrive to get the cowl area sorted

Paratrooper1 · 11-08-2011, 01:05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flak monkey

And yes, I know it doesn't look original... but its a damn sight harder to find donor bits in the UK. If only these things were as popular over here this would be so much easier.

Maybe you guys wonder why I am bothering with such a rusty heap that isn't even a Z28? And I wonder that sometimes myself....

According to the DVLA (our vehicle registration people) there are less than 600 Camaro's here, from all generations right up to the current incarnation. If you are talking real Z28's then there are less than 100.

F-bodies are rare as hell over here...

No worries my good man, it is just good to see that you are getting the old girl back on the road, Z28 or not, it is still a Camaro! Keep up the good work and posting up those pics!

flak monkey · 11-12-2011, 12:24:54 PM

Rear lights arrived from leafs_11 earlier in the week, so I thought I would get them tidied up and ready to refit when I get that far. I needed a change from welding, needed to get something finished off.

I had decided to find another set of lights with lenses in better condition than the ones that were originally fitted to the car. Repro lenses are just begining to be made, but still very expensive by the time they make it to the UK.

The new ones were much better but suffered from the usual deterioration of the reflectors, making the lights a bit dim. Both in function and appearance

Once the lens is removed it was easy to see why

A quick key with some wet and dry and a coat or 3 of 'chrome' spray paint and they are nice and shiny again.

Made new lens seals with closed cell foam draught excluder. Should work....hopefully

And there we have some shiny lights

And a comparison shot to the old ones, bit of an improvement I think?

I also went and picked up a new windscreen, and the cowl panels from DB Motors today. Nice new metal to get rid of the rusty stuff

(New GM inner fenders I picked up a couple of weeks ago are in the pic too)

Tomorrow, if its not too damp, I'll be making a start on the passenger side cowl/sill area that needs the same treatment as I gave the drivers side.

flak monkey · 11-19-2011, 12:17:01 PM

Finally made a start on the major panel replacements this afternoon. Started off by stripping the passenger quarter to bare metal, only to find it nearly 3/4" thick in filler in a lot of places. Its obviously had a prang on that side at some point, but it must have cost more in filler than a replacement panel

Nothing that can't be sorted pretty easily though. Majority of the damage is being replaced by the quarter patch thats going in anyway. The rest I can fabricate bits to fix. Theres some rust in the bottom of the door pillar as well, but again a straight forward replacement job.

Cut off most of the quarter, will cut the rest off once the rocker is done as I needed some reference edges to make sure everything still lines up with the door afterwards!

The good news is inside its all pretty solid. Flakey paint, but no serious rust. The hole is in the rocker panel, and its all gone already....

Amazing what short work a spot weld cutter, air chisel and 0.8mm cutting wheel makes of a rocker. Took around 3 hours to get this far today. I have cut the rocker out to the factory spot welds, as it was actually easiest to do that with the quarter off, than mess around seam welding it all. Just the lower outer to inner rocker seam to seperate in the morning.

To be honest the front 3/4 of the panel was OK anyway, it was only the back of it that was completely shot. But I figure I might as well do it properly in the first place

Tomorrow morning everything is getting a coat of epoxy paint first, then the rocker is going back on before the quarter.

Hopefully everything will line up... if not there will be much swearing! On my own tomorrow as well

ezetorr37 · 11-19-2011, 01:27:48 PM

My quarter panel looks like yours, half inch bondo. I like your idea of the home made tail lamp seal, that saves you about $45. You are doing great, keep pics coming.

Ezekiel