# Order of Restoration Help and a Few Questions- 65 Tempest Custom



## Wob (Dec 2, 2010)

Hi all:

I am in the midst of the break down of my 65 Tempest Custom for a frame off restoration. It will be a "take your time, high quality" restoration but not a "Oh my god, your spatter paint in the trunk is a fraction of the color spectrum off". 

I have been working my way back on the breakdown: front end is off, engine is still in the frame but the connections between it and the body are off, interior is out and today will working on the rear trim, bumper, lights etc. Plan was to roll the frame out after making a body cart like Squid's 67 resto. Squid's Fab 1967 GTO Frame Restoration Page (if you havent seen). Thereafter I have some concerns here was my order of operations I had planned but let me know if I am off base please:

1) frame comes out, engine goes on the stand, disassemble suspension, blast arms, clean frame and address any issues with body mount rot (if any), new fuel lines (has new brake lines), fresh suspension and brakes.

2) While body is in the air, resurface underside of floors (NOW, this is where some grayness comes in for me). My trunk needs to have the patch panels done at the braces. Im worried if I do them while the body is off the frame I could shift the mount holes around by a little bit and they could not line up when I drop it back down on the frame. BUT, if I do it on the car I'm worried about messing up my nicely prepped frame. 

3) My pax 1/4 panel needs help, btu I think its still salvagable. Its got a big dent at the pax door, ripples all over from a prior owner attempt at body repair and a nasty weld scar up the middle of it and on the body line crease at the top. I really would prefer to try to fix it first before doing a full 1/4. Should the body be on the frame for this? I feel like it would be easier if it wasn't but I dont want to change geometry by accident. Should I make sure all of the inner trunk work is done first? The seams of the inner rear fenders to trunk floor could be re welded together and braced a bit better.

4) should engine go back in near last? Engine mechincally is mostly done. I want to make a tweak to the water pump and do a fresh couple seals, but it was my daily driver and looks and runs great. Just not sure if i should get it back in the frame before paint or not.

5) ALLLLL the body work - what should the timing be? On the frame or off the frame? Again, just trying to protect a fresh newly done frame and make sure I am not closing off work area etc. 

5b) I have two other interesting issues. One, my roof has a few dents and some are like the old oil cans where they will ping up or down based on pressure on them. Was told heating with a torch and then putting a rag soaked in ice water could help shrink them back. Any other good ways to get dents out from the roof? Also at some point the car was near a fire (what caused the 1/4 panel issue in the first place I think. Anyway, I believe it caused the roof cross members to sag. The one from front to back is mostly maliable, and hangs about 1" too low at the center point. The side to side one hangs about the same but is made of ship iron I believe because I can not bend it for the life of me. I was thinking I should drill out the spot welds or cut the supports near where they join the roof and try to reshape them by hand and weld them back in. They should contour to the roofline with basically no gap but with some padding between them and the roof correct?

6) then prep the body and paint. Should I leave the fenders off the car for paint? What about doors and trunk?

7) windows and interior "softs" 

8) then trim inside 

9) I will be doing a vinyl roof. Should that be dead last?? I know I need to paint the roof anyway before that goes on, but for sake of "wasting" paint and $$ would doing some rattle can Eastwood chassis paint be silly? Or just spray it body color and call it a day?

10) then outside trim?


Thank you guys VERY much, I know I write a lot.

So far the breakdown has been great. Was hoping for some old 60/70's stuff hidden in the car, but nothing interesting. I did find that my rocker panel was welded to the front fender though and some weld lines on the rear window inner "door" area. Must have been popped before in its life. Frame is great and so are the rockers so who knows. The fender looks original too.

Anyway. Thanks

Rob


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Wob, i think you will find on a project of the scope you described that you will be raising and lowering the body and panels on at least a few times during the whole process. think the welding is best done on or at the very least with braces welded in place so there is no distortion, sure one of the welders in the group will have some suggestions. 

once you get the tub off the frame remove the motor and do undercarriage frame, suspension, brakes and fuel lines.

Most of the body work can be done off the frame you can paint your jambs and recesses while apart. I painted mine body on but the color was so close to original and my factory paint still great in the jambs i only had to scuff and mist them. spray the base and clear assembled on the frame, can do fenders and hood off but i would hate having to line up fenders with fresh paint on them (one ding and you'll be kicking yourself) One piece of advise i can offer is if you plan on spraying it yourself see if you can find a booth at a local HS or trade school that you can rent (cost me 200.00 for the day with full use of guns and masking supplies) some even do work at good rates if you don't mind a student spraying it. Good paint is 80% in the attention to the bodywork (200+ hrs sanding smooth 7-hrs laying down color and clear, 15-hrs wet sanding and polishing clear) guess thats why they charge so much.

to protect the underside from overspray be sure to at least run a skirt to the ground of masking paper for paint and primer. The underside is easy to touch up and as you said not gonna be 100 point resto.

motor can go in before or after paint....i did before so if i dropped a wrench or dinged it i only had to touch up primer...either way you have to mask the whole engine compartment (see pics) 

save interior for last along with trim, felts and seals

check out my 66' Tempest Custom body on resto at my photobucket for pics of the whole process


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## Wob (Dec 2, 2010)

Great advice Ingster. Not the first time you have provided me, a fellow Tempest Custom'er, with good advice either.

Good idea on the high school paint shop too. I wanted to do it myself but the Craftman air compressor I had my eye on did not make enough CFM (the 27 or so gallon professional). That could be a great way to go! What did you do about spraying the jambs before using the high school? Also, how do you get the lip sides of the hood and fenders if you have them on the car? Keep the hood ajar and open it?

PS your TC came out great!


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

thanks Wob....FYI before i started it i had not even picked up a wrench to work on my cars in 20 years so "you can do it", just takes a lot of patients and a lot of homework. 

Those parts can all be sprayed while off with the basecoat color in the garage with your compressor and a touch-up or primer gun its good practice for the grand finally (see my pics of the fender flanges) not like a few specks will kill you in the mostly unseen parts. then i masked in the booth so you can cover them with the clear when you do the rest of the car. leave the doors unlatched and do the jambs with clear first then close the doors but not all the way so it feathers in when you do the outside. You forgot dash painting and interior (metal door caps) you will want all that done when you do the jambs and such in the garage.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

video...


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