# Sticky  First Restoration: 1970 GTO



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So my dad surprised the heck out of me in August 2011 when he gave me a blue 70 GTO he bought from some friends of ours. After I had recovered from my heart attack he handed me the keys and she's been my daily driver ever since (except in the winter, too much salt). Late last summer I did my first head swap and changed out the 6x heads with much more powerful and date correct #13 heads. When I parked it for the winter I decided I would make my first attempt at a mild restoration. The car was in good enough shape that a frame off wasn't warranted, plus I'm a broke college student and that just wasn't in the cards. So I've been stripping and sanding and welding almost every weekend and after class since January, in a frantic and desperate attempt to have it finished before I graduate this May. Despite a few setbacks I have managed to get the fenders, hood, front valence, and trunk lid stripped to bare metal, wire wheeled the floorpan down and welded in a small patch panel, and I am currently in the process of stripping the endura bumper. Hopefully by the end of the weekend I will have the bumper sanded down and have a coat of 3m flexible parts epoxy applied and sanded. After that I will strip the doors, roof, and quarter panels. Hopefully by then it will be warm enough to shoot everything in a coat of epoxy and start bodywork. My plan is to do all the prep work myself and have a professional shoot the base and clear coat. It would be neat to paint my own car, but it would cost more and look crappier if I did it myself. The real art is in the prep work anyways. I'm not sure if I can get everything done by May, but I intend on trying my best. Luckily I have two mentors who rebuild GTOs and occasionally hot rods for a living (they are who my dad got the car from). I'll keep updating this thread every once in a while. As soon as I figure out how to post photos using my phone I will post some showing my current progress.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Here's my photobucket page if what she looked like before I tore into her.

Mobile Photobucket


----------



## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

Congrats, nice dad. Good luck on the build! Welcome to the herd.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Welcome to the forum, nice to see another youngster with a classic. Looks like you have a nice foundation to start, you would be surprised at what you can do yourself to save some money (did mine all myself including paint). Sounds like you have a good plan. Your correct the key is in the prep, the best paint job won't hide a wavy panel. Most of the man hours for good paint are spent in block sanding and smoothing the surface, thats why good body and paint costs so much. In reality you are paying them to CARE about your car, the more you pay the more they will care. You sound detail oriented so i am sure you will do fine, but don't be afraid of squirting it yourself if budget requires. I rented a booth at the local HS for 200.00, primer, paint, and materials ran around 1300 with 4 coats of premium clear. Check out BEAR and FLAMBEAU's cars they were also built and finished in-house.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks guys. I uploaded more photos on my photobucket of my progress so far.


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Cool! And congratulations. Don't be afraid to tackle the paint yourself. I did mine, in my garage, and it was the first paint job I ever attempted. I'm reasonably happy with how it turned out...










The magic in getting a nice finish is something like 70% in the prep and then 20% or so in the color sanding and buffing you do _after_ spraying it. A very small part of the results is owing to the actual spraying. If I can get results like this in my garage with no spray booth, _my first time on a black car_, then I'm willing to bet that you can also get results you'd be proud of.
Two resources you need:
The complete set of videos from Kevin Tetz at Paintucation.com{/url}
Kevin's web forum that is devoted to paint & body topics.

Bear


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

The main thing about shooting the car myself is the cost. I would have to get a good spray gun, and all the paint, and a buffer and attachments and buffing formulas etc. Somewhere like maaco can do a paint job cheaper than I can, and they shoot 50+ cars a week so as long as the prep work is good they will do a better job shooting it than I could, for less money.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

I have a few long term plans for the car for after I finish grad school... Basically I will probly end up spending half of my first years salary on car parts. Haha. First I plan on replacing all of the suspension components with the Hotchkiss kit. It would be awesome to have a 43 year old car take corners like no ones business. Next I want to swap out the th400 for something with overdrive. As much as I drive the car it would do me a lot of good. After that I'll pull the engine and install a butler performance 461 striker kit, maybe even butler heads. As long as I can get 500hp and 550+fpt, I'll be happy. Has anyone done any of these modifications before? I know this is 3+ years down the road before I get to this but I'm just curious.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So this weekend I managed to get a lot of little teadious stuff done. I finished sanding all the small areas inside the headlight and grill areas on the endura bumper, and used a dremel tool with sanding bits to sand all the areas on my front valence I couldn't do with the da. Didn't get everything but close. I also dropped and disassembled my rear bumper and thoroughly inspected my trunk. There's a lot of surface rust, but I only have a few small holes after hitting it with a wire wheel. However, there are a lot of tight little nooks and crannies in the trunk area. How do you go about getting everything cleaned up for epoxy and spatter paint? I've kicked around soda or media blasting, but I don't wanna pay someone else to do it, and I don't want to get sand or soda everywhere. What are your guys's suggestions regarding this??


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

wire wheel it, use POR15 over the rust scale, spread filler on it and sand before primer and splatter paint (will hide alot of imperfections)


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Instg8ter said:


> wire wheel it, use POR15 over the rust scale, spread filler on it and sand before primer and splatter paint (will hide alot of imperfections)


The filler is an interesting idea. I probly won't use POR15 because I already have a gallon of epoxy and I'm not a fan of the POR15 system. The real issue I'm having is figuring out how to wire wheel everything in the trunk compartment. There's areas I know I won't be able to reach with the equipment I have, and the rust in some of those areas is bad enough that it needs to go. So what did some of you do to reach areas near the base of.the quarter panels, around the lid latch, up onto the wheel wells, etc??


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Here are some photos of my trunk area I took today. Overall it is in good condition. The problem areas are where the drivers side wheel well meets the trunk pan, and on the inside of the quarter panels where the bumper wraps around. Any advice on how to tackle these issues would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

The 3rd photo is the rear corner of the quarter panel that has a lot of rust, and a small slit that I can see through. The 4th photo is where the bottom of the drivers quarter panel meets the trunk. The 5th photo is where the drivers wheel well meets the trunk pan.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

The 3rd photo is where the passengers side quarter meets the trunk.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

did some more grinding after posting those. Looks like the seam where the trunk pan meets the wheel well on the drivers side (photo 1) is rusted all the way through, but it doesn't go very far, maybe only an inch or so into the trunk pan. The rear corners of the quarter panels (pictures 2 and 4) look to be rusted through in places, with bondo stuck in there. I ground out what I could, but I didn't want to blow through the metal until I knew what I was going to do to fix it.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

thats the good thing about POR15 you do not have to get all the rust off just the scale and it is supposed to make it inert, the epoxy won't do that. Your best bet will be soda blasting and patching the metal if its rusted through the wheel house. The pitting on the pan can be epoxied, filled with body icing and sanded smooth (tedious), then splatter painted.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

I guess my next step is to strip the quarter panels to see what kinds of secrets they're hiding before I tackle the rest of the trunk. I have some rust converter paint that I used on my floor pan. It works really well. I will most likely do the same in the trunk, then epoxy. Still haven't figured out what I'm gonna do about the areas I can't get to with the wire wheel.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Took a slight detour today from the GTO and decided to get some bodywork practice on my motorcycle tank before I get to anything too serious. Sanded it down to metal, got all that old mud out of the dents, put down some new mud, feathered it out real well, primed it, sanded it, and shot it with flat olive green paint. Then I hit the gas cap with plasti dip, which looked good but I don't think it is durable enough. I will probly peel it off and powder coat it instead. My plan is to put my rebuilt starter, New chain and sprockets in, reattach the newly painted tank, clean everything else up, and sell it so I can get more parts for the GTO. Roommate sold it to me for dirt cheap so I think I can turn a good profit. After that I removed the drivers side door on the car, took all the hardware off, and stripped the paint off the door shell. Has some rust at the bottom front corner but should be an easy patch. Forgot to take pics of that so I will post more later. Slowly but surely all that old paint is coming off to reveal a remarkably solid 43 year old body, especially for the Midwest.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

I decided to pull my front and back windshields this week. Turned out to be a good thing. There's lots of cleaning up under there that needs to happen. I've been grinding all of the surface rust and paint out of the windshield channels and there are a few areas that are rusted through. However, they were hidden under bondo so my guess is the previous owner saw the rust and smacked a little mud over the holes. It seemed to have worked, as the rust doesn't appear to be any worse than when they mudded over it. What's your suggestions for how I should approach this? Mud it back up, or try and cut it out and weld new metal in? My welding skills and equipment are primitive at best... The holes aren't bad, a few dime sized or smaller with one area about two inches long that's swiss cheese. I'm thinking if I sealed everything in epoxy and put new mud in it would be perfectly fine but I just wanted to ask. I'm sure its a common rust problem.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Those small areas i would cut and weld in patches now while you have it apart. Take out as little as you have to to get to good metal and practice your welding skills in those hidden areas for the rest of the body. Like my buddy says, i am a shitty welder but one HELL of a good grinder.


----------



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

I've seen people use a product like liquid aluminum in areas like that then sand it down smooth after it sets up. I would only use it for small holes though.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So I decided my garage was becoming unbearable with the dirt and dust and clutter, so I went through and cleaned and reorganized everything in it today. The result, I can actually see my car and the progress I've made up to this point, and I suddenly have a new found motivation to get this car done! Here's a few pictures from today. The second photo is the worst part of rot from under the rear windshield. I also posted 300+ photos on my photobucket page: 

1970 Pontiac GTO Photos by Orion1188 | Photobucket

The photos posted backwards so if you want to go through them in chronological order you'll have to start at the end and go backwards. Some of them are crappy quality because of low lighting in my garage.


----------



## FastMonty (Dec 9, 2009)

Orion,

Welcome to the world of restoration... your story sounds a lot like mine. I originally just wanted to spray some new paint, and change the suspension to something modern. That was exactly TWO years ago! It transitioned into a full restoration. I even had the body acid dipped. But, I do have a full Global West Suspension now, with coil overs front and rear. 

Any way... when it comes to fixing rust, your best bet is to cut it back until you find standard 18 gauge thickness with no cancer. Then cut, shape, and weld in a new piece. Be prepared for a ton of surface finishing... the picture below shows where I was two weeks ago, those are the original un-damaged panels. Notice how much Filler I had to apply to get them flat. The front end now has Epoxy primer. Now working on the rest of the body, which will be faster now that I know what I'm doing. Like you, I've never done this before, that includes TIG welding too... Ohhhh, and I thought I was going to do the body work and hand it over to an expert to paint. No expert will touch it, if they didn't do the body work themselves, so like Bear, I'm going to be painting it myself too.

Have Fun!


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

yep, no such thing as a straight all metal classic, they all require at least a skim coat of filler to get there.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Yeah I'm fully prepared to sling mud around. I've spent a lot of time watching my mentors smooth over dents depressions and imperfections with Medallion brand urethane filler, which is what I bought as well. I've started on my trunk and so far it's easy to work with. Right now I'm just waiting for my Dura Block set to come in the mail from Summit Racing so I can start smoothing it out. 

As far as the rust under the windshields, it is all in areas that would require a professional level of experience to cut out, weld up, grind down, and smooth out. At my level, it would take countless hours I don't have and it would probably look pretty crappy. I will post a few more photos later of the damage.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

its a good idea to use a temporary etching primer wherever you expose metal immediately after roughing it out, then before you start "mudding" apply a few coats of epoxy primer for a base and sealer. If they are small holes you could use catshair fiberglass although the channels are hard to sand and finish smooth for a good glass seal. Main problem is channels will collect moisture even during washing and if theres any old rust left it will start up again under your fresh paint eventually. This was a weak spot in these cars and leaks in the back window seal usually led to the trunk pans rotting out when left unchecked especially on DD's that will see the weather.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So today was a disheartening and potentially expensive one. Last night I chemically stripped the roof and passenger quarter and I was planning on finishing them off with the DA sander this morning. Well I started poking around the rear deck filler panel and ended up going all Jeremy Clarkson on it with a hammer and screw driver. Turns out some idiot decided to cover up the badly rusted filler panel with fiberglass and call it a day... Fantastic. Also as I dug around the quarter panels they were rusted out around the window sail and had some other issues, so it looks like I will at least be spending $100+ on a new filler panel and possible another $900+ on new quarter panels... Not exactly what I wanted to find out.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Here's a few more pictures. I did manage to get the roof down to bare metal today and it's in good shape at least.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Instg8ter said:


> Main problem is channels will collect moisture even during washing and if theres any old rust left it will start up again under your fresh paint eventually. This was a weak spot in these cars and leaks in the back window seal usually led to the trunk pans rotting out when left unchecked especially on DD's that will see the weather.


thats why you don't use fiberglass in those areas


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Don't worry, I won't he taking the same short cut the last numbskull took. I'll be replacing that panel for sure. I just have to decide if I can fix the quarters or if I have to replace them.


----------



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

My back window channel was so bad~ some yahoo put crumpled up news paper, wire mesh, and about a gal. of bondo. By the time I ground all the bondo out, the rear filler panel was ready to just fall off the car!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

If there are any bodywork Gurus reading this I really need your opinion on this!

So I had been thinking that I was going to need to replace my quarter panels due to the rot in and around the windshield channel and by the deck filler panel. However, today while I was working, I decided to dig deeper and see just how bad the rust was. After stripping the affected area down to bare metal, I started to think that it was fixable. It would take me forever to install new quarter panels, and they're $450 a piece, so maybe it's worth my time to try and fix them. My concern is being able to shape the metal right, because there are some complicated body lines and contours right in that area, and I have no idea how to shape the metal to the corner of the window channel. These first five photos are of the driver's side.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Here's some more photos. The last two are of the passenger's side.

I don't imagine they make a patch panel for this area do they? Or would anyone know where I can get a hold of some junk quarter panels where this part is still intact?? Again any advice will be much appreciated here.


----------



## Miked410 (Oct 18, 2009)

First off, great job on that resto so far. Your taking all the attention to detail that is necessary to have a great looking car. However, I can tell you they do not make a patch for any part of that area. I looked for a while for patches for those areas on my 72, only to find no one makes them for that car. However, in the spirit of true DIY body man and mechanics, GIVE IT A SHOT  try and fix it!
The truth is, it doesn't get much worse then it already is! Just be careful and work one area at a time, don't cut too much and weld slowly. That's my opinion, but hey, either way, I wish you luck! :cheers


----------



## gjones (Oct 8, 2012)

All that fiberglass reminds me of the the trunk pan in the '66. Some nimrod in the distant past slathered the whole floor of the trunk with about 1/2" of fiberglass resin, then "sodded" the resin with copious amounts of cloth. Once I lifted an edge, I could pull up large chunks at a time, exposing the original metal-a sight for sore eyes! It was sort of surreal. Patched what I had, and am really pleased with the results.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks for the words of encouragement. There are a lot of times I feel like I'm in over my head but so far I haven't screwed anything up beyond repair. I guess these quarters will be my real test. I stripped the passenger side to bare metal today. The rest of it looks really good. I will need to patch a spot just behind the wheel about the size of a golf ball, maybe a little bigger. And I need to patch the rear part of the quarter just above the bumper. A previous owner cut a hole in both quarters and installed trans am fender scoops like a freaking idiot and the patchwork there will need some shaping. Other than that I think its feasible. Will post photos later.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Well, it's been a long wait but I finally got my car in epoxy today. I decided I am going to replace my quarters... there are just too many areas that need fixed, I would be much better off in the long run to just replace them. I also decided not to use my original door as it had a hole in it the size of my fist and was rusted through in the lower corners... not an easy area to cut, weld, and grind. I managed to pick up a very solid 72 Luxury LeMans door for $350. Once I got it stripped I taped off the engine bay, headliner, dash, and behind the rocker panels, vacuumed, and wiped all of the surfaces down with a wax and grease remover. I used medallion brand epoxy and catalyst. I only made one mistake and I learned a valuable lesson: don't put your epoxy catalyst right next to your wax and grease remover when they are in similar looking containers! Wasted about a cup of epoxy but no big deal. Now I can haul it down to Indy, start bodywork, and replace the quarters. I'll be moving back to Indy from Purdue after I graduate tomorrow.


----------



## gjones (Oct 8, 2012)

Nice, nice work, bra! A little tenacity goes a long way!!! Kudos!!! :cheers


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks! It feels great to see the car move forward in stead of backwards for a change.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So I ventured out to the GTOAA Convention in Dayton last week. I managed to score brand new fenders, quarters, a rear valence, and a rear deck filler panel, plus a new rear bumper and a hood tach for $2000, and I hauled it all home with me so I didn't have to bother with shipping! The guy I dealt with was pretty awesome. It's nice to know there's places to get quality parts who are actually willing to negotiate on price, unlike Ames. Once I move down to Bloomington for grad school I will be hitting it hard! It's killing me not getting any work done this summer...


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

sounds like a deal, who did you get them from? Cars looking good, the fresh metal will save you a ton of welding.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

His name is Dan Gregory I believe with DJ Gto Parts. Very nice guy. 

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So now I can't decide if I should go ahead and pull it off the frame or not. If I'm replacing the quarters it would make sense to go that extra step, but I have a few concerns. I'm starting a masters program at Indiana university and I don't know what my work load will be like, and I don't have anyone to help lift the body off the frame. My mentors are trying very hard to convince me to go ahead and do it, and they really know their stuff. It just sounds waaaaay more involved than they are making it seem. I have to pull the engine/tranny, take off the core support, disconnect all the wiring, hoses, and brake and fuel lines, drop the tank, drop the steering column, send the frame off to get sandblasted and painted, sandblast and paint the underside of the car, then get everything all cleaned up and put back together (any other steps I'm forgetting?). Now I'm no genius, but that sounds like at least 100 hours of work and a few grand added to the project. And as a full time grad student, I'm skeptical as to whether I can get it done by spring. I don't want people to think I did a crappy job when they look under the car, but I just can't figure out if a frame off is justified. I've been banging my head against the wall on this and have even lost sleep over the matter. Anyone's expert opinion would be much appreciated.


----------



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

I did mine on the frame, just couldn't justify the extra labor. Plus I was worried about snapping off the body bolts. I did take the front clip off and detailed that section of the frame.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

me too...mine was undercoated at the dealer or shortly after and i was surprised to find most of what i thought was surface rust was red clay dust after power washing. I just jacked the car up high on both sides and spot blasted the areas they had missed with undercoat. Then i applied epoxy primer and paint, then undercoated to match the rest. Body mounts can be done without taking the body off the frame.


----------



## Josh.AZ.GTO (Jul 11, 2009)

Great work so far. I also have a 70 I'm restoring. I have found some of the typical things you have encountered along the way as well. My passenger corner panel is full of filler. I wish I had your roof as mine had a sunroof and a nice sized hole now. I took mine apart about a year and a half ago. 

I look forward to reading about your progress. Keep it up.


----------



## FastMonty (Dec 9, 2009)

Orion,

Me again... great work thus far. A few posts ago, you were venting about the rear window channel rot, and how to fix it... not sure if you fixed it yet. But, as suggested by MikeD, try fabricating the corners yourself. That's exactly what I had to do, and I have never done it before. Mine was more of a nightmare because there was no metal left after acid dipping! 

So, I bought some 18 gauge sheet metal (36" x 12") for $20, cut a corner off then used my hammer and dolleys to form the curvature. Welded the inside curve to the body curve, then welded the whole thing into the corner. Note, don't do what I did and eye ball the window corner radius. Go grab the stainless steel trim piece and use that as the corner template. I wasted 8 hours with that error (both corners). 

As far as body off goes... I did that too. If you're not planning on studying in grad school, you should do it. ha, ha... it's a lot more than 100 hours. But, mine looks freakin awesome! 

Have fun!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Hey Monty,

Looks like you did a hell of a job fabbing up that rear channel patch. I lack the sheetmetal experience to do such a patch, plus I just bought new full quarters for both sides. They had other issues that needed addressing and by the time I fixed them it probly would have taken twice as long and looked half as good. Plus I got a cracker deal on my body panels. Unfortunately I can't get any work done until I move to my new place in Bloomington. It's been an unproductive summer in the automotive department but I've been acquiring much needed funds to proceed so I guess it balances out. Especially since I decided to pull the body off the frame.


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Orion88 said:


> ... plus I just bought new full quarters for both sides...


Be careful. I replaced one full quarter on my 69, and after I got it all done, painted, clear-coated, color sanded, and buffed I got a nasty surprise. The shape of the curve around the lower corner of the rear window opening didn't match the curve on the reveal molding trim and I had the DEVIL of a time getting that section of trim installed.

As many others have experienced, the fit of repop panels is often lacking. Make sure you check, double-check, and triple-check the alignment and fit of everything as you go along.

Bear


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks Bear. Luckily almost all of the repro panels for 1970 are an extremely good fit, especially compared to 67 panels. But yes I will be sure to be extremely careful with it. Honestly I'm pretty nervous tackling all of this myself. My welding skills are minimal, my time is limited, I have no one in Bloomington to lend a helping hand, and I've never done anything like this before. As long as I take it one day at a time and keep track of everything I'm sure I can't screw up too bad. By the way, I read about how you barbecued your engine a while back. I hope she's back together soon. I'm planning on doing the exact engine build in a few years.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

By the way, I tried to post a picture of the seats I snagged on craigslist before I left for Canada but I guess it didn't go through cuz I didn't see it on here. Got a set of Procar Rally 1000 seats to replace my originals. I'll still keep them for car value but these are sooooo much more comfortable and functional, not to mention they look awesome.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## FastMonty (Dec 9, 2009)

Orion,

Thanks for the compliments on my rear channel work. Apparently Bear went through the same thing, but 1000 times worse. Luckily it dawned on me to use the reveal as a template. Keep in mind, this was also my first time doing metal work AND welding. Trial by Fire. Ha, ha... Once you start banging metal, it's a relatively fast learning curve. Attached is what I did after my confidence went up... Unlike your valance panel, in 68/69 there was a "square boss" that acted as a front license plate holder. I decided to remove it... believe or not, that middle section is one piece of metal I welded in, which was originally a flat piece of metal. 

Seats look cool too... Legendary Auto sells our original pattern vinyl with the bolsters too, can't wait to get em.

Good luck!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So I'm finally working on Orion again. It was a rough summer not being able to get anything done. Managed to remove the dash, steering column, heater/ac box, heater core, pedals, firewall insulation, and all of the wiring that connects to the fuse box. Not sure what my next move is. I also removed 7 of the 8 body bolts. The one on the passenger side rear corner of the car, near the bumper, just spins. Won't get any more loose or tight no matter what I do. Suggestions??

I guess my next move would be to remove the brake booster as I believe that's the only thingattached to the body right now. Once I do that I should be able to pull the body (provided I get that last bolt out of course). After that I will pull the core support, then engine 
/tranny, then start working on the frame. Does this sound like a good order? I want to get the frame prepped asap as I don't have a ton of room in my garage to have the frame and the body separated. As always any and all advice is much appreciated.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Here's a couple pictures after what I did on Saturday.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Removed my core support and Endura bumper this week. The Endura bumper and brackets look great, can't say as much for the core support. Rust on the bottom, one small area rusted through, holes cut on both sides about the size of your hand for who knows why, the drivers inner fender was crappily welded to the core support, not bolted like it's supposed to, and there's a pretty good sized dent on the bottom near the passengers side mounting hole. Basically, it's totally hodge podged. The guy I got my sheetmetal from can get me one for $195 so I think it's money well spent. I will post photos when I can. Now there are only two steps between me and the divorce of my frame and body: I need to bleed the brakes so I can pull the brake booster, then I need to cut a small hole in my trunk floor so I can access the broken cage nut on the body bolt I can't get off.


----------



## FastMonty (Dec 9, 2009)

Orion,

Finding other people's F ups, is all part of the fun. When I got my body back from Acid dipping, I found all kinds of shotty work. See the quarter panel patches? LAME. You also asked for advice when taking the body off. One, get eight able bodied guys. I took it off with four, and that was zero fun. I put it back on with eight. Much easier. Secondly, I bolted casters to some wood and bolted the wood to the same body mount nuts in the body... made it super easy to move around the garage, etc... don't forget to remove the e-brake cable too. If you haven't figured it out yet, the funky looking brake cable release can be compressed by pressing the closed end of a box wrench over it... i think 1/2", can't remember. 

Good luck! I'm gonna get back to wet sanding now...


----------



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

What did they use on those patches in the first picture? Bubble gum?


----------



## FastMonty (Dec 9, 2009)

Ha! Did they have bubble gum in 1971? The car was originally an east coast car, where my Dad said the work was done in Texas, prior to moving to California. Maybe it was pieces of cow pie? Ridiculousness.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks for the advice Monty. I was already planning on bolting casters and wood to the body mount nuts. Bought 4 casters from harbor freight this weekend actually. I haven't messed with the e brake cable yet but I don't have a box wrench, so hopefully I can figure it out. Right now I'm waiting on my jack and jack stands to come in the mail before I proceed any further. Should be here on Wednesday if I'm lucky. I plan on working on it most of this weekend so I hope that I can have the body off by next week.


----------



## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Those seats are sharp indeed, gonna look great!:thumbup:


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

IT IS OFFICIALLY A FRAME-OFF RESTORATION!!!!!!

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Is the body bare steel?


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Yes and no. Since I stripped the car down and then had to transport it I went ahead and epoxied the hood, doors, roof, and floor. The quarters are bare because I'm replacing them. No point in wasting epoxy. Had I known better at the time I would have just shot the car with etching primer for transport but whatever. So now I need to strip the undercarriage, firewall, trunk, and under the dash and epoxy those.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Got the drive shaft out and the engine/tranny pulled!! Learned a few lessons with my first engine pull: its easier with 2 people, drain your transmission before proceeding, and have the kitty litter on hand instead of running to the store to save your garage floor from the red sea.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So I dropped my rear end the other day no problem. Last night I thought I would remove the front suspension, but it turned out to be more complicated than I'd hoped. I managed to remove the front sway bar and the steering components, but I am having trouble removing the shocks inside the coil springs. I can get the nuts loose but then the bolts start spinning and I have no way of getting inside the coil to get something on the bolt to keep it from spinning. Do I need a special tool or is there a trick I'm unaware of? Once I get the shocks removed I can use my spring compressor to remove the control arms and then everything should be pretty simple after that. Once I remove the suspension and brakes is there anything else I should remove before I take it to get blasted? Engine mounts? Transmission Crossmember?


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Ok so I managed to get the shocks removed with a little creativity. I put my spring compressor on to remove my control arms but apparently I need to get a pickle fork to break the ball joints loose to be able to go any further. I'll pick one up this weekend. 

I've been emailing with a guy with The Right Stuff about brake and fuel lines and he's put together a package for me - all new stainless steel brake and fuel lines, new parking brake setup, brake and fuel line mounting clips, front disc flex hoses, and a front end suspension rebuild kit with polyurethane bushings, for $800. I was going to get the rear disc brake conversion kit and new front rotors and calipers, but that would have put it upwards of $1400+. I plan on fully decking Orion out with a Detroit Speed suspension package and Wilwood big brakes and Yearone 17" Rally II's once I'm out of college and can afford such upgrades, so I figured why waste the money now on the conversion kit?


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

One way to break the ball joints loose is to loosen the nuts a little - not a lot, just enough to create a little space between the back side of the nut and the ball joint, but the nut still fully engaged on the threads. Leave the tension on the spring. Get a BFH (big friendly hammer) and hit the side of the spindle where the ball joint stem goes through a few solid whacks. That's usually enough to jar it loose. The spring tension will separate it for you "quite effectively". (That's why you leave the nut on with just a LITTLE open space, not a lot. It can be a little unnerving when it pops loose if you backed the nut off too much. )

Bear


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Yeah I've heard of that trick as well. I went ahead and borrowed my friend's pickle fork in case that doesn't work. I was going to finish stripping the frame last night but I didn't get home from Campus til almost 8:30 so I figured I should spend the rest of the evening with the lady... HOPEFULLY I will get back in the garage tonight and finish the suspension disassembly. Then I have to get all my small parts together and send everything off to get sandblasted. 

Once it's blasted I'll shoot it with Medallion epoxy and top that with Rustoleum low gloss black. Then reassembly, mounting new brake/fuel lines, and the body goes back on the frame. If I'm lucky I'll be starting body work before December... and my garage is NOT insulated.....


----------



## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

I would remove everything possible before getting it blasted, motor mounts, cross member and anything else that you don't want a rust pocket under. Don't reuse the motor mounts, they are cheap to replace.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Yeah I was going to remove the crossmember. Didn't think I needed to remove the motor mounts. I'll go over everything and see what other little things I can pull off.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Did some cleaning and organizing after pulling the front suspension. More disassembly is needed but I was tired of having everything strewn out all over the garage so I dis that today instead. Everything looks pretty good and I'm pretty sure most parts are reusable, but I will be replacing the tie rods, ball joints, shocks, and most other moving suspension parts that are prone to wear. I will also be upgrading my steering box with a quick turn ratio box. Is it cheaper to do that or to pay someone to get it rebuilt with the quicker ratio?

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Making progress! Don't know which is cheaper for the steering box but im sure someone will chime in, id be interested in finding a reasonably priced conversion as well.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Just got a quote from Chip at powersteering.com. $350 to rebuild my power steering box with the quick turn ratio, $130 to rebuild my power steering pump...... Not exactly cheap. I'm sure there's a cheaper alternative. He also said he wouldn't get it done until January because he is very busy... So who has a better idea???


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

I believe mine came off a 70's camaro/firebird and the shaft for the pitman arm was slightly larger than the manual box and also the rag joint is a bit different. Check Larescorp.com, they were able to tell me and sell me exactly what i needed for the conversion, just happen to have their magnet on my file cabinet. Cheapest is to get a junkyard box as they rarely go bad if they still have fluid in them so the seals don't dry out. Think i paid 50 bucks for mine from a guy that was scrapping a 55' chevy project.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So I've finally stripped my frame down 100% and it's ready for sandblasting. I also disassembled my rear drum brakes so the rear diff is also ready for sandblasting. This weekend I am taking my suspension parts home with me to press the bearings out, and pressure wash them to get all the grease and grime off, and then they too will be ready for sandblasting. Last weekend I purchased another gallon of epoxy + a gallon of catalyst, along with a rear disc brake kit and a set of boxed lower/tubular upper rear control arms. After I blast/paint my frame/suspension components, I'll install my new poly bushing suspension parts up front, new control arms in back, new rear discs, and have the body on hopefully before December.

Should all of the bushings for the rear control arms (where they attach to the frame AND the rear diff) be rubber? Or is there some sort of rubber/poly combination that is optimal? I know that poly bushings on rear suspension are bad because of binding during cornering, but I just wanted to make sure that goes for all of the bushings.

Also, I found these on JEGS. They say they are steel lined, free-floating, and do not bind. Anyone have any experience with these? Or maybe a really smart technichal guru (BEAR?!) who can explain why these would or would not work?

http://www.jegs.com/i/Energy+Suspension/355/3-3132R/10002/-1


----------



## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

I used the full energy suspension kit including thay rear set and have had no problems. The only place I used rubber was body mounts to isolate vibes and the ride is great.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So I was GOING to take my frame/suspension components in to get sandblasted today and paint them tomorrow, but gravity decided otherwise. I went deer hunting yesterday and as I was setting up my tree stand it broke with me on it and I fell 15+ feet flat on my chest/face. Managed to walk away with only a sore neck, a mild headache, and a pretty badly sprained wrist. As a result my right arm is mostly useless, so loading/unloading a frame and rear diff into the back of my truck is a little out of the question for at least a week, along with most anything else I could do in the garage. Not very happy about my delay of game but I guess it could've been significantly worse. Maybe I'll get my brake and fuel lines ordered in the meantime. Gotta try and do something otherwise I'll go nuts!


----------



## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Man that sucks! At least the deer didn't exact any revenge while you were down... Although they may have sawed partially through the tree?  hope you feel better


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks Flambeau. I was actually feeling good enough today that I got out in the garage and got a few things done, then with the help of a cherry picker and my lovely lady we managed to load the frame, rear diff, and all my other parts into the back of my '71 Chevy to take to the sandblaster first thing tomorrow morning! If the shop wasn't just down the street I most certainly would not be transporting my frame this way, but it's secure enough for a mile or two for sure.

I was working on disassembling my A-arms for the blaster when I found one of my control arm shafts was SEVERELY worn. I was looking on ebay for a new shaft and stumbled across these instead. 

Heavy Duty Control Arm Upper Lower Tubular A Arms GM | eBay

They are priced right and he's sold almost 600 sets and has good feedback. Surely someone on this forum has these on their Goat. Can anyone tell me if these are good quality parts? The price has me worried, since most aftermarket tubular control arms are $500+. Any feedback on this product would be much appreciated.

If I replace my control arms with the product listed above, I wouldn't have to worry about new bushings etc, so I was thinking of buying this along with it.

Steering Linkage Kit

Once again, if anyone has anything to say regarding this linkage kit, or PST in general, it would be much appreciated. For the control arms and the linkage kit I would be looking at $500 give or take. 

Lastly I think I found the cheapest steering box swap. Apparently the steering box from a 1985 Chevy Monte Carlo SS bolts right in and is a 2.5 turn lock-to-lock unit. 

Cardone Remanufactured 27-6550 - Steering Gear Box | O'Reilly Auto Parts

Things are starting to move forward!! All I need now is money........


----------



## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Wow, that is worn! Were you looking at a tubular swap? You should be able to pick up an original for a pittance and bushings aren't much more. I'll be interested to see if anyone tried those arms as I ran across them during my restoration as well. I personally never had any problems with the beefy factory units and worried about the welds and steel quality of the aftermarket units. If that steering box is really a direct bolt in I may be in the market, been having some problems lately. Good luck and keep us posted! :beer:


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Flambeau, I decided to keep my factory arms and replace the shafts. Rock auto has some good prices for what I need. If you go with the Monte Carlo box let me know how you like it. 

I just got my parts back from sandblasting today. Frame, rear, front suspension, door hinges, window regulators, front and rear bumper mounts, crossmember, calipers, spindles, backing plates, and headers for $350. The guy did a decent job. It's not quite as spotless as I'd hoped but it will work just fine. Apparently my rear springs are powder coated. What's the best way to remove that? Also he picked a crappy day to do it cuz there were short periods of slight drizzle. Hopefully it doesn't flash rust or I'm gonna be P/O'd. I will have a kerosene salamander heater in a day or so and will be painting Sunday if all goes well!

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

Might not want to paint with that kerosene heater burning. It will contaminate your painted parts. 


Great thread and looks like you are making nice progress on your GTO. I'll be following! :cheers


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

From what I've read most people heat the garage, shut it off, paint, then fire it back up if needed. Unless we have a warm snap after this cold snap (lows in the high twenties in October!) I really don't have much of a choice. And thanks for the compliment! Doing what I can with what little experience I have.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

ALKYGTO said:


> Might not want to paint with that kerosene heater burning. It will contaminate your painted parts.


That, and it's PROBABLY not a good idea to have an open flame like that going in a situation where the air is going to be saturated with flammable paint solvent...

Entire body shops along with adjacent businesses have been levelled that way.... 

Bear


----------



## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

Orion88 said:


> From what I've read most people heat the garage, shut it off, paint, then fire it back up if needed. Unless we have a warm snap after this cold snap (lows in the high twenties in October!) I really don't have much of a choice. And thanks for the compliment! Doing what I can with what little experience I have.
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


What Bear said too, honestly not worth the danger factor as far as fire and breathing the fumes. You _*must*_ have good ventilation.

And as far as shutting it off and doing the work while it is not running the thing is the fumes contain oily residue and they will contaminate the surfaces you are working on and lead to fisheyes and low product adhesion. Sorry but you might want to look into a Natural gas furnace or electric heat. 

In my first garage where I restored my GTO I had a discarded Heat Pump with half the coils disconnected and it worked pretty good. My current set up is a small gas furnace and it gets it very comfortable. Trust me, you will not like working in an enclosed area with the fumes from a K1 heater. Just saying from someone who has been there and done that. :cheers


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Well as luck would have it I went to get a heater from my dads tool rental and they could only find a propane heater. So I guess problem solved there. It even has a thermostat. However they were currently out of 20lb tanks....... So they gave me what I think is a 150 or 200lb tank!!!!!! At least I won't have to get it refilled any time soon!

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

What Are the Dangers of Using Propane Heaters? | eHow

Choosing a Propane Garage Heater

Bottom line is ensure proper ventilation and don't forget there is an open flame involved here so if you are painting realize the airborne paint product is flammable. 

Just want you to be informed and be careful. I've knew a family who died camping using a propane heater. The risks and dangers are real. :cheers


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks Alky. I will be taking proper precautions, and my garage is well ventilated, between the gaps in the doors, the holes chewed in the walls by rodents, the lack of any insulation, and the poor seal on the garage door (the joys of renting in a college town). And I won't be burning while painting. 

I was actually hoping to paint today but my sandblaster didn't do as good of a Jo. As I had hoped and I spent all day cleaning and prepping and hanging parts for paint. It's supposed to be a warm week so I should be able to paint tomorrow or Tuesday. 

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Two coats of Medallion Epoxy Primer...

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Followed with three coats of rustoleum professional semigloss black!! Spent all damn afternoon and night painting but it was well worth it! I'm so psyched to start reassembly, no more destruction!!!!! I still need to flip the frame and rear diff but that will have to wait til tomorrow. Really happy with how everything looks so far though.

I am considering painting my springs, calipers, and maybe my driveshaft red, just to break things up a little under the car instead of just black everywhere. If not ill at least do silver, but id be interested in hearing people's opinion on red. Too flashy/out there? Or tastefully eccentric???

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

I'd go with silver if anything other than black. Just my .02 
looking great!:beer:


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

did grey myself on the springs for the same reason, also painted calipers Pontiac blue.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thats interesting. Where did you find Pontiac blue caliper paint? Or did you just use the engine enamel and call it a day?


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So I ordered my new Polyurethane bushings today - body mounts with hardware, front control arm bushings, sway bar end links, universal greasable sway bar bushings (1-1/8"), radiator isolators, and rear coil spring isolators. Total came to about $250 and they will be here this weekend. I am also ordering my new steering and suspension parts - all Moog. New center link, idler arm, tie rods/adjusting sleeves, upper/lower ball joints, and control arm shaft kits. Also getting a quick ratio steering box. Total for that will be around $500. So once all that gets here the reassembly can begin!!!!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

SO... I've decided that a month and a half is too long of a period of time to not work on your car.... Between hunting season and school Orion kinda got moved to the back burner. But my last final is tomorrow and I have all of Christmas break to get the frame back to a rolling chassis, clean up and remount the engine/tranny, run the brake and fuel lines, and run the exhaust. Then I can look into getting the undercarriage/firewall blasted and painted. After that the body goes back on and it's a loooong Spring/Summer of bodywork!

I updated my photobucket album today. 774 pictures and one video. 

ORION - 1970 GTO Restoration Photos by Orion1188 | Photobucket


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

I kinda like the idea of the red. The point is though, do what YOU like. Make a statement. It's your car 

Happy to see that you're making progress :cheers

Bear


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

The only problem is my rear springs are powder coated black, and I don't know how to strip the powder coating off. Can I just paint over it? Also my front shocks are white and my rears are bright yellow. Not sure how all of that would work.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Just scuff the powdercoat with 600 gri. I used the engine paint on the calipers and shocks and its held up well over 3 years


----------



## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

Instg8ter said:


> did grey myself on the springs for the same reason, also painted calipers Pontiac blue.


I like that idea.  Shocks would look good in the silver blue also. 

It's the little touches like that to set your car apart from the "herd". I like people to take more that a cursory glance at my car and the little details look better too.

Just stay away from the do dads and gimmicks. Of course I do have a hula dancer on the dash though........:cool


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Got my steering components painted today. Also painted my front calipers. Looks pretty good overall. I hope the paint sticks cuz I only had the garage heated right before I painted. Don't know if the cold will have an effect on curing or not but hopefully they turn out fine.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So today went somewhat okay. I got my calipers reassembled, painted my shocks to match, attached my rear control arms to the frame, cleaned and painted all my suspension hardware cast iron grey, bolted my power steering box to the frame, and attempted to get my new poly bushings into my control arms. I bought a 4 lb BFH and a big socket to beat them in to place and tried for over an hour. Put the bushings in the freezer, still didn't work. I finally called it a day when I smashed my thumb with my bfh. Surprised I didn't break it to be honest. Oh well. Better than no progress at all.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Find someone with a small shop press and its a 10 minute job. Looking good


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

I was hoping to get a lot more done this weekend but because of the snow I only had enough time this weekend to get my bushings pressed in and attach my upper and lower control arms to the frame. I tried getting the springs in but the device I used to get the springs out is homemade and won't work for getting them back in, so I need to buy a spring compressor. Also since my girlfriend dumped me last week I should be spending A LOT more time in the garage. Haha! I also attached a pic of my drive home in my 71 Chevy just for fun.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So once again the snow has drug me out of the garage for the weekend... But I made more money, and I managed to get a little work done. I have my upper and lower a-arms in, and I have my drivers side spring in place and I have the spindle on a bit. Problem is I can't compress the a-arms anymore without the engine weight on the frame, so tomorrow I have to buy a ratchet strap to pull everything together so I can bolt it all up. I also got my first welder this weekend! Eastwood MIG 135 and a cart from harbor freight. I also got my deer skull back from my buddy who did a European mount for me, so overall still a good weekend and I can't complain.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Last night I went out and bought some ratchet straps to pull my A-arms together so I could finish bolting them to the spindle. Turns out it's pretty hard to do that with a floor jack when there's no weight on the frame... Anyways, that worked out well. Everything pulled together nicely. But the lower ball joint castle nut seemed too low to me. The cotter pin was well above the castle nut, instead of being in between one of the grooves. I've attached pictures. If anyone knows if something is wrong or sees something out of the ordinary please let me know. Otherwise I will bolt up the shock, rotor, and caliper tonight and start on the other side.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Made some more progress last night. I got my passenger side a-arms, spring, and spindle installed, along with my center link and idler arm. I also got my rear upper control arm bushings partially installed. I could only get them part of the way through the ears. I'll have to figure something out for that. Now all I need to do is install rotors, calipers, tie rods, and my front sway bar. Then once I get those pushings in the rear diff I can bolt up the rear suspension and I'm back to a rolling chassis!

One thing that my friend brought to my attention: I should have installed my motor mounts onto the frame BEFORE I installed the front suspension. Apparently it makes things much more complicated...... Can't wait.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

It's amazing what a little sandpaper, elbow grease, and paint can do sometimes. Exhaust system looks good as new now! I used VHT high heat paint, black for the headers, aluminum for the pipes/mufflers. Tomorrow I will be dropping them off at a powdercoating shop so they can cure the paint in their giant oven.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

That my friends is how you save money on a build...well done, take the 1000.00 you would have paid for the new system and put it where it counts.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Alright gear heads, finally a few posts worth looking at. Just try not to drool on your keyboards...

Before.....


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Post disassembly/cleaning.....


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

..........after!!!!!!

Still have more parts to clean/reassemble, plus I'm still waiting on my new valve covers, which I think will look awesome with the K&N X-Stream air cleaner. Overall a very good weekend!!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Got my new valve covers in the mail today. Scored a heck of a deal off eBay and I gotta say, they look even better on the motor than I had imagined!! Very happy with this dress-up combo.


----------



## GoatCountry (Aug 8, 2013)

That looks great man!! You have a great thread I cant wait to start tearing my car apart and let the restoration begin. Getting ready to move so figured might as well wait. 70 455 goat here! 

Kudos man keep it up!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

THE ENGINE IS BACK ON THE FRAME!!!!!!!

Finally got my 70 fuel pump and a new power steering pump/reservoir so last night I painted the last of the bracket pieces and today I bolted it all up and..... THE ENGINE IS BACK ON THE FRAME!!!!!!:bannana:


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Spent most of the afternoon/evening in the garage working on my transmission. Started out with a dirty, grimey, greasy transmission with a leaky pan. Took a wire wheel, a variety of wire brushes, about two cans of brake clean, and lots of elbow grease, plus a can of Duplicolor Cast Aluminum engine enamel, but she looks darn good now! Also it was a good thing I bought a new transmission mount... cuz I'm pretty sure the old one wasn't exactly doing it's job. Started out with this....


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

And ended up with this! Now I just need a few buddies to come help me bolt it up to the engine. Pretty happy with the results. Almost back to being a rolling chassis!


----------



## scolmoo (Mar 17, 2014)

Looks really good. I am working on a 70 as well currently, but am way behind where you are currently. Hopefully your pictures will help with ideas and guidance in some areas. I really like the valve covers you chose. Keep up the good work!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

It's been a rough last few weeks but I finally managed to get out in my garage and bolt my transmission up. I can tell you that lifting a tranny off an engine stand, carrying it over a frame rail, setting it on the crossmember, and lining it up with the guide pins by yourself and by hand is one major pain in the a**!!! Luckily I managed to get the job done without losing the tranny or my back.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Now the only thing between me and a rolling chassis are two stubborn rear upper control arm bushings. My buddy Smitty built this tool for me last week. Now I'm just waiting for him to bring it down to Bloomington and I can press those in and mount the rear end (phrasing!), and put the brakes and tires on and she'll be rollin!!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Well, two hours, three beers, lots of grinding, some massaging with a BFH, and one smashed pinky later, I managed to get the drivers side rear disc brakes bolted on. Considering The Right Stuff's rear disc brake kit is supposed to be a direct bolt on and go kit, this was much more of a pain in the a** than I anticipated... and I'm only halfway done!!! On top of that, I spent two hours driving to every hardware and auto parts store before I got a hold of new wheel studs (only 8 so I will reuse 2) and a die grinder.... Some days you're the pigeon, other days you're the statue.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Also I just noticed that this thread now has over 10,000 views. Thanks a lot for all your support, advice, wisdom, and encouragement!!!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Well, it only took a year and a few months, but I FINALLY have a ROLLING CHASSIS!!!!!!!! Currently celebrating with a nice, smooth White Russian! :cheers
Now the real work begins..... Hooray body work.........eeved:


----------



## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

Hey, your making good progress. Most on here are bear budget do it yourself hobbyists so your not alone. My frame off took the better part of 6 years (while working and going to school) :nopity:. I think it looks great and if the body turns out as nice you will have a stunning GTO. :Scottwax1:

What color are you going with on the body? Is that blue the original color?


----------



## 1968 GTO Resto-Mod (Nov 27, 2012)

cheers, dude!
that's real progress...
i'm stoked to be following your work here as it seems our projects are more or less at about the same stage.
keep it up!
danny


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks guys!

As far as color, no that is not the original blue. The car was originally gold with sandalwood interior (yuck!). I really liked the color of the car before I tore it apart, and I was considering repainting it the same color for a while. But then I decided I didn't want my car to basically look the same as it did before I put thousands of hours and dollars into it, so then I was leaning more towards an original GTO color Atoll Blue. I like how it changes color in different lighting conditions. BUT THEN, just a couple days ago, I came across some pictures of the 70 Judge clone from Dazed and Confused. I've never been a fan of the Orbit Orange cars, but the black vinyl top, black spoilers, grilles, hood scoops, and hood tach really helps to break up the orbit orange paint, and I think it looks really sharp! I wouldn't want to make it look like a Judge though. I'm not too fond of the hippie dippie color schemes that were used on the Judge stripes in 70. However, maybe black Judge stripes would go well with all the other black accents. Sure, the purists will shun me, but I already have a bastard car as it is. I also saw something in HP Pontiac mag where a guy painted a firechicken on the hood of his T/A with glow in the dark paint. Maybe glow in the dark Judge stripes are the next step! But either way, the blue would look gorgeous, but the Orbit Orange would REALLY make my car stand out, even more so than it already would.

In short Alky, I have no idea what color scheme I'm going to go with, hahaha!!!!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

A few days ago I decided my frame needed some finishing touches, so I washed it down with a wet rag and touched up the paint. Afterwards I rolled it out into the sunshine for the first time in nearly nine months!! To be honest I almost don't want to put the body back on. I just wanna roll it into my living room and leave it there... if only it would fit!


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

It's nice to know when you get your car back on the road it's like a day one car again, everything under you new as the day it rolled out of the factory, and the only assembly line employee that tightened every bolt was you. Very nice work Orion, has your dad come around to see the progress lately?


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks Instg8ter. I've really enjoyed seeing my work come together. Unfortunately my dad has not been down to see my progress since he brought it down from Indy to Bloomington on the roll back. It has been a very stressful, busy year for him and my mom so I haven't really talked to him about it much. Hopefully he will get to see it soon when things finally calm down this summer!

I just ordered some square tubing to make brackets for my rotisserie. Once those get here tomorrow I can start cutting and welding and fab that up to bolt to my body. Then I just need 4-6 buddies and 12-24 beers and we can lift it up onto the rotisserie so I can haul it to the sandblaster.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Well... it's been a little while since I last posted on here, but the good news is... THE BODY IS ON THE ROTISSERIE!!!!!!!!:bannana:

It was a difficult process, and sketchy to say the least. I had some buddies help me get the body on sawhorses. Then I used the engine hoist to lift the front of the body up enough to bolt my fabricated brackets to the rotisserie and the body. Then I went to the back of the car and repeated the same process. I know that all doesn't sound too difficult but believe me... there were moments where I was worried I might drop the body on the ground. I used safety backups almost the entire time, but certain times I couldn't, for example when I would pull the engine hoist out of the way so I could bolt everything up to the rotisserie frame, the only thing keeping the body up was a sawhorse. I was extremely careful not to bump into it. Future reference for anyone looking to do this in the future: recruit at least half a dozen of your buddies to help with this process. It's much more complicated by yourself! And now for an ice cold beer. :cheers


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Well, I sent my body off to the sandblaster today to get the undercarriage and firewall stripped for epoxy. I ALMOST made a big mistake. My car mounted on the rotisserie only cleared my garage door by ONE INCH! I got seriously lucky there because I never even thought to check until we started rolling it out of the garage. I took the time to clean and organize my garage while it was empty. Tomorrow I will be spraying epoxy, then I start cutting out bad metal and welding in good metal.


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Awesome... :thumbsup:

Bear


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Here's the damage after the blaster. She's in pretty darn good shape to be honest but some of the spots are gonna be tough to patch. Not sure how to approach the cowls or the rear wheel well/trunk seam. Advice or pictures of how you guys have fixed similar issues would be much appreciated. Remember, I'm a very amateur welder!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

More pics


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

More Pics


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

And the final product. I only put enough epoxy on to seal the metal so it wouldn't rust in this humidity. After I replace all the bad metal I will put on 2 heavy coats. Once again any tips on fixing the bad spots or pictures of how you did it would be much appreciated.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

...Surely there has to be at least one sheetmetal Guru following this thread.


----------



## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

You should post your pics and questions on the Performance Years Forum, they have a section dedicated to body work. Sorry I can't be more help, but I paid a guy to do my body work, I wasn't about to learn to weld sheet metal on my baby.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Well, this weekend has fallen to crap very quickly. I had intended to patch all of my swiss cheese metal on my body today and tomorrow, and it turns out there isn't a single hardware or sheetmetal store in Bloomington that carries 20 or 18 gauge sheetmetal!! I spent all week calling and driving all over town and NO ONE has it in stock... So now I'm up Sh*t creek without a paddle. Right now there is pretty much nothing else I can work on except patch panels... so I'm a little frustrated to waste an entire weekend's worth of garage time.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

No Guru but i cut and patched inner latch catch and support brace on the salvaged hood i got. start on the inner wheel houses, the places that wont be seen. trace around the nearest good metal you can get too and cut out the old with a cut off wheel. if you can get behind the panel take some thin cardboard and hold it in back and trace your cut to the cardboard, cut it out leaving the line. Transfer to your sheetmetal and cut the patch. Grind to fit inside the cut out in your panel. Get some magnets and use them to hold the panel where you want it. Start tack welding one side then the other, repeat...repeat...repeat, letting things cool between every few tacks. continue until your tack welds fill the cut, grind, degrease and shoot with etching primer immediately. By the time you get to the hard stuff you will be a pro.


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Orion, look for a local shop that does sheet metal fabrication - like a/c ducts for commercial installations and such, or maybe a welding shop - any business that's likely to be a consumer of the material you need. Go talk to them, be friendly, explain what you're doing - you ought to be able to buy a sheet from them. It might be more than you need but it's always good to have around.

Bear


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

I ended up going to Indy last weekend and my buddy gave me what was left of his old 68 GTO quarter panel, and I grabbed my original door that wasn't worth reusing. I'll be cutting them up for sheet metal to do my patch work this week. If anyone needs the guts from my door let me know.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Well, I managed to pull off the cowl patch. Turned out pretty decent but it's still a good thing no one will ever see it on the finished car! My buddy who sold me the car came down last Saturday to give me a hand on some finishing touches on the frame, as well as help me with the first cowl patch. I did the passenger side by myself the next day. This weekend will be finishing up the floor and trunk. After all my metal work is done it will get another coat of epoxy, then satin black on the floor, undercarriage, and firewall, then it's back on the frame!! After that I will be getting all the body work done from the doors forward, as well as the trunk lid. Once everything is as straight as possible, the quarters will come off. Here are some before/after pics of the cowl areas. They still need some cleanup grinding/welding but I need to get a small angle grinder to get in to the tough spots.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Well, it's been a while since I'v posted, but certainly not because I haven't made any progress. Over the last couple weeks I've been working on getting the body back on the frame. I had a fair amount of small patch work to do here and there, as well as epoxying and seam sealing the floor, undercarriage, firewall, roof, and trunk....


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Followed by topcoating the undercarriage and firewall with Rustoleum semi-gloss black and wrapping up the frame as best I could to keep it clean....


----------



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Lookin good!! :cheers


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

More pics of the top coat


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

And finally got the body back on the frame!! After being separated for 8 months, she's finally starting to look like a real car again! I'm working on getting the body aligned on the frame and tightening down all the body bolts now, then I'll line up my doors and deck lid so I can be ready to do my quarter panel replacement. My buddies who helped me out and I decided to have a little fun after we got the body back on the frame.:bannana:


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Lookin' good there, sir...

Bear


----------



## Josh.AZ.GTO (Jul 11, 2009)

Orion,

I think your going to have a hard time fitting your fenders to that core support.

You may have figured that out by now,... but in the picture your support looks to be mounted on top of the frame. You'll find it hard to bolt the bumper brackets on next.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

HAHA, yes I found that out a while back. I have since relocated it to the bottom of the frame. Thanks for noticing that.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks to my buddy Alex who came down to visit and help out in the garage the doors and deck lid are now mounted and mostly aligned. Still need a few tweaks but she's really starting to look like a car again!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

It's not quite perfect but pretty darn close right now. The driver door needs a little adjusting and the trunk contours need tweaked a bit.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Ok, here's where I need some recommendations. This is my next rust fix. The bottom of the passenger side A-pillar looks like it will be pretty complicated to fix. Same with the top. It's a tricky spot to cut/weld/grind on. Anyone done this repair before? As for the pitting and small pinholes, I was planning on smoothing that out with filler to get a good seal with the windshield. Once again if anyone has tackled a similar problem any advice/pictures are appreciated. Also, the very first picture is where the body currently sits. I am gapped evenly from side to side between the frame rails and the rocker panel, but I can't tell if the body is far enough forward. Let me know what you think.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Lining up my doors by myself took a little ingenuity, but they're about as straight as they're gonna get. The gap stays true to the quarters until the top 6 inches where it gets a bit wider, but they're gapped 3/16" to the rocker and to the rest of the quarter everywhere else. Hopefully I can make the gap uniform when I replace the quarter panels.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Still working on getting the doors as close to perfect as possible before I cut out the quarter panels and start doing that swap. In the meantime, I finally got my 79 Silverado! 10,000 original miles!!! Since Pontiac never made a truck I've got a big Arrowhead sticker to go on the back. She was having some problems but after working on her all week I almost have everything buttoned up. Once the GTO is finished I will be doing some more expensive modifications.


----------



## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

looking good...how did you find that???

Bill


----------



## Josh.AZ.GTO (Jul 11, 2009)

I like your style Orion. Here's my daily driver. 84 K20 Scottsdale 4x4. 2nd owner.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Very nice Josh!!

The truck has a cool story. The original owner who bought it brand new put a custom paint job and exhaust on it, lowered it, and only drove it to and from car shows. Unfortunately he passed away, and the truck sat for years in his son's garage untouched. I gues he decided one day to take the truck for a drive without looking under the hood. Mice had eaten away at the distributor wires, and a few miles down the road the engine caught fire. Luckily the damage wasn't extreme, and my buddy snagged it for dirt cheap. After seeing the Muscle Truck episode of Roadkill, I fell in love with the squarebody GM trucks. My buddy and his brother, who I also got my 70 GTO from, told me they would repaint the truck in hot rod black and redo the interior for me for a good price. It wasn't a full fledged restoration, which is why I could afford it. Plus with such low miles, this truck will retain a high resale value should I ever decide to part ways with her. If you crawl under the truck the fuel lines, gas tanks, and the underside of the bed almost look brand new. There are a lot of little things I need to adjust, fix, redo, etc but that way I can still make the truck my own.


----------



## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

thanks...that is a cool story...

Bill


----------



## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

Josh.AZ.GTO said:


> View attachment 46418
> 
> 
> I like your style Orion. Here's my daily driver. 84 K20 Scottsdale 4x4. 2nd owner.


nice Scottsdale...

Bill


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Cut out the bulk of the quarter panel, and removed the filler panel today. Everything underneath looks quite solid. I don't even have to replace or patch my wheel well.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Slid the new filler panel in just to see what it looks like. I think I'll have to cut out the rest of the quarter and get the other one mocked up before this starts to fit well. Or at least I hope.


----------



## Tron70 (Oct 5, 2014)

Nice work! Where did you find that panel behind the window?


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Most restoration sheet metal manufacturers carry it. It's called a rear deck filler panel.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Also, even though my daily driver is a 79 Chevy Silverado, I'm still making it clear as to how I really feel!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Over 160 spot welds later I finally cut out the rest of the old quarter panel. I still have to prep and prime the metal underneath but I was anxious to see what the new one would look like so I half-assed mocked it up for my enjoyment. Hopefully I can start lining everything up properly this weekend.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

I got everything under the quarter sanded and spicier, and I've got the quarter all mounted up. Just need to manipulate it in place to get the body lines right. Also slapped the fenders on just so it would start looking like a car again, and cuz they were taking up space. One problem I'm having is it seems the rear deck filler panel is about 1/4" too long. Everything fits great until I squeeze it in place. Has anyone ever come across this on a 70? From what I know 70 repro panels are some of the best fitting panels out there.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Pics of the quarter/trunk gap. First pic is with the filler panel in place, second is without the filler panel. Not sure what will need to be done to straighten this out. Suggestions? Also threw in some other pics of all the other gaps.


----------



## FastMonty (Dec 9, 2009)

Ohhh Rii Onnn! I can't believe my last post on your thread was over a year ago! Great job on your continued progress. As some inspiration, I took mine out yesterday, for the first real test drive. It was also the first time my Dad has seen the finished product too. Remember, he bought it brand new. Anyway, I have some carb bugs, alignment issues, and final polishing to work out... here's a link to a brief Youtube video too. 

Keep up the great work!

1969 GTO 1st Test Drive and Unveiling of Project "Green Envy" - YouTube


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks Monty! Your car certainly looks sharp!

I managed to get all the issues with the filler panel figured out with help from my friend who sold me the car and who rebuilds GTO's in his spare time. Everything is fitting pretty well and she will get welded on this week!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Got everything welded this weekend with the exception of the 1/4 window bracket and inside the quarter window where the quarter sits on top of the rocker. Don't judge the welds. I left them raw and unground for pictures so people could use them as a reference for where to place spot welds. You don't have to/can't replicate all of the factory spot welds. They had specialized equipment to get into tricky areas, and you just don't need 160+ spot welds anyways.

As you can see the window trim doesn't match up with the new quarter quite right. This will have to be addressed before paint. Just fill in and sand until the curve is perfect.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

More pictures. In the area behind the wheel well it was much easier and more practical to put 1" welds where the seams met instead of trying to spot weld back there. In the end it will be covered with seam sealer so it should be fine. For the area under the trunk, it was a lot easier to drill through the lip from the bottom up and spot weld from inside the trunk. If you did it the other way you would have a very difficult time grinding your welds down in that lip.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Drivers quarter is 90% complete. Just need to weld the bracket in the quarter window area and where the quarter meets the top of the rocker, and grind everything down. Finished cutting out the rest of my passengers quarter over the weekend and part of my outer wheel house came with it.... So now I'm shopping for one of those... In the meantime I mocked up the new quarter just for fun and it looks like it will need more tweaking than the drivers side. Might have to mess around with the filler panel. Luckily it's just screwed in place for now. Once I get a new wheelhouse and get to work I will get back to you guys.


----------



## Matthew (Feb 11, 2011)

Some mighty fine work. Looks like it is coming together. Nothing like a little quality time with a welder. Matt


----------



## fluidfalcon (Aug 2, 2011)

Great restoration on a classic year!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Off topic, but I parked my 79 Silverado 2wd this weekend for something a little more practical for the winter months. One of my dad's backup fleet trucks for his snow removal business. 86 Silverado longbed 4x4 two tone brown/tan. Great shape for the midwest.


----------



## maradamx3 (Feb 19, 2009)

Orion88 said:


> Off topic, but I parked my 79 Silverado 2wd this weekend for something a little more practical for the winter months. One of my dad's backup fleet trucks for his snow removal business. 86 Silverado longbed 4x4 two tone brown/tan. Great shape for the midwest.


It's been a while since an update Orion. How's the progress?


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Yes it has been. As I am sure we all know all too well, life gets in the way of our hobbies and projects. And 2015 has been off to a rough start for me. January 2nd I had to put my black lab Mocha down, just 2 days shy of his 15th birthday. Literally the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I've had him since I was 12 and he was truly my best friend. 

Three days later we found out my grandfather, who was a retired Major-General in the Air Force Reserves, had esophageal cancer. One month later he passed away in his sleep. Honestly, it was a blessing in disguise because he had been suffering from Alzheimers for 3-4 years and was in very poor health. He accomplished more in 86 years than I think I could accomplish in 1000. Valedictorian from his high school at 16, graduated from Purdue University at 20 with mechanical engineering and an electrical engineering degrees, joined the Air Force, logged 7000 hours of flight time, was trained and certified to pilot 22 different aircraft, got a law degree down the road, won several high dollar blackjack and craps tournaments in Vegas, the list goes on. 

All of that, plus trying to keep up on my school work and getting my Master's thesis complete on time has kept me away from the garage for quite some time. But last night I finally said enough is enough and I got back at it.

I had been trying to figure out the best way to approach replacing the outer wheelhouse. After talking with my friend, I decided to cut it out instead of drill out all of the spot welds, with the exception of the welds on the rocker and on the C pillar. I got the new one mocked up, but I still need to make some adjustments before it is to my liking. I am just glad I could finally get back in the garage and do something productive and forget about the real world for a few hours.

If any of you are current or ex-military and you are more curious about my grandfather's career with the Air Force, here is a link to his obituary. It is staggering to think one man could accomplish so much and raise a family at the same time.
Joseph Thomas Obituary - Indianapolis, IN | The Indianapolis Star


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

More pictures. I was amazed at how solid my rocker panel looked.


----------



## Matthew (Feb 11, 2011)

Orion, I read the obit for your grandfather. That was a full life for sure. I thought I had seen a lot in my 30 years with the Army, it is nothing like what is described there. Today I work with about a thousand retired USAF contract instructors. I will tell you 7000 hours of flight time is staggering. To put it in perspective... a cargo aircraft pilot that is able to stay in a flying status (which is hard to do) for 20 years will average about 3500-4000 hours. Fighter pilots tend to be far less. Your grandfather did some amazing stuff. Salute to MajGen Joe! Matt


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks Matthew. I really appreciate it. 

Sorry I haven't had much to say lately. The project is temporarily stalled. After replacing the drivers quarter and removing the passengers quarter and outer wheelhouse, I've decided to replace my deck lid (thanks to some persuading from my mentor). I did a quick patch with some mud back when I didn't really know what I was doing. The deck lid had some dents and rust holes along the lip and since I didn't own a welder yet I just filled them with mud. After doing some beating and banging to line the deck lid up before I cut my quarters out some of the mud popped out. Once my mentor saw this he told me to buy a new deck lid, and I agree, although my wallet doesn't. He also told me not to move forward with the quarter panel replacement until I have my new deck lid on, just in case. So in the meantime I am stuck doing nothing while I wait for his parts guy to get us deck lids (He needs one for his 71 LeMans).


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Well, I can't get a deck lid until the end of the month so I have turned my attention to the front end of the car. The last couple days I sanded my new fenders down to bare metal and then epoxy sealed them. They turned out great. Next I will fix some problems with my inner fenders then seal them as well, and top coat with rustoleum semi-gloss black. Then the hood goes back on, followed by the endura bumper. I gotta get this thing back together enough to transport it back to Indy for after I graduate in May! Time is running out...


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

I'm getting better at my patchwork! 

Also I just got my new deck lid ordered, as well as a complete exhaust system - RAR manifolds, plus a Pypes 2-1/2" complete kit with Race Pro mufflers (might swap them for Violators, we'll see). I went ahead and got the kit with the exhaust dumps for when I wanna get rowdy. Eventually electric cutouts will be bolted on. My buddy Paul with Fast Automotive is picking them up this weekend at the Carlisle swap meet. I'm kinda annoyed that I spent the money I did getting my headers/straight pipes prepped, but such is life. I will probly bolt the straight pipes to my 79 Silverado.


----------



## Matthew (Feb 11, 2011)

Some very nice work with your welder. Matt


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks Matthew. It only took a full bottle of gas to get my skills honed in! haha! Better get it refilled asap so I can finish my quarters when my deck lid arrives!


----------



## G8assassin (Apr 15, 2015)

LOVE this thread! It's giving me plenty of inspiration as I start my 1966 LeMans restoration. Keep up the great work man!

-KB-


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Got the front end assembled today. Obviously not lined up yet but everything is on!

On a side note, I FINALLY finished my Master's degree! Now all I need is a job..... but in the meantime I plan on using my free time to kick some a** on the GTO!


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Awesome. It's an amazing feeling when you first see it looking like a whole car again, no?

Congratulations on the degree, too.

Bear


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Agreed Bear. All I need is my deck lid so I can finish the quarter panels and I will have a complete shell again! And thanks for the congrats!! Turns out I'm sharper than a bag of marbles after all


----------



## SpeedSLC (May 24, 2015)

*body and paint*

Pretty awesome Dad. Gotta be really careful on doing body and paint yourself, you can realm go back wards


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Been absent from here for a while. I have been spending most of my summer helping my dad out at his fly-in fishing camp in Ontario. But now I'm back and I have a lot of work to do before my lease ends this month and the car (as well as everything I own) gets moved back up to Indy. I went out to GTOAA yesterday, had a good time there and saw some gorgeous cars. I also picked up my deck lid from a friend while I was there. So this weekend I will be sanding and epoxying everything, then this coming week I will be lining everything up and welding on my passenger quarter panel. Once that is done, the car will get hauled back to Indy where I will continue on my restoration.


----------



## G8assassin (Apr 15, 2015)

Glad to see you back. Keep posting pics once you complete the next step of your restoration.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Got the 70 moved into my dad's garage over the weekend and I have everything set up how I want it. It's nice to have a garage with some elbow room for a change! This project might bet put on hold for a bit though, cuz my dad just bought a solid, running and driving 1971 LeMans Sport for $3000. It needs a little metal work but not much at all. Either way he wants me to get it ready for paint. So I figured it would give me an opportunity to practice body work on a LeMans before I do my GTO, makes sense right?? Haha. We are working on a color but I'm thinking trans am white/ blue or burnt orange. I'm just glad he didn't get a chevelle like he was planning on doing!!


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Slight change in plans on the 71. Our friend is gonna slap it together for us. Canyon copper with a black vinyl top. Should be done by the end of August. Here's how she sits now.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Back from the dead once again! I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season. Update on the 70 is I finally finished welding in the passenger quarter panel, filler panel, and outer wheelhouse. Getting 5 pieces of Taiwanese sheet metal to fit together was no easy job and she's not perfect, but I'm happy with the results. Gonna be a long winter of blocking and priming to get ready for paint by spring.

Update on my dad's 71 LeMans is the paint is on and looks fantastic! It's currently being color sanded and buffed. We went with 17" honeycombs and they look great as well. It will definitely be done before mine but this wasn't a restoration like mine. The car was solid and just needed some bodywork, paint, and interior.


----------



## 66 tempest (Jan 17, 2005)

very nice color, love those wheels..


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

So, more updates! I finished my quarter panel replacement, FINALLY!!!! Getting two quarter panels, a filler panel, a deck lid, and an outer wheelhouse, all of which came from Taiwan, to fit together, was not fun. But in all honesty the fitment is very good compared to 68/69 quarters. You just have to be patient and persuasive. None of my gaps are 'perfect', but it's going to be a driver not a show car. She will be plenty good enough for who she's intended for!

Also, dad's 71 LeMans is done and in the garage! Paint turned out absolutely brilliant. The car's drivetrain is all original (350 2bbl th350) and the engine bay was left unrestored. Can't wait to finally drive her once the salt is off the roads.

And I had to do a little massaging on my fenders to get them to fit perfectly. There is a thread I made under the body section for anyone who is interested. 

But for those of you who wonder about aftermarket sheet metal fitment, The only original metal left on my car is the doors, rockers, and the roof. Everything went together rather nicely, and I am a 100% green horn with metal and body work. 70 repop stuff is a very close fit considering it's aftermarket. Sure, it's not near as good as original rust free dent free metal, but not all of us can afford that luxury.

I am very close to being done with metal work and on to body work. Just a few odds and ends to tie up and then its on to blocking and priming for months on end.......


----------



## Juice564 (Jan 17, 2016)

Oh that looks great! This is my first rodeo with sheet metal work as well on my '68, and I'll have to do a filler and quarter this summer. 

What color you thinking of? 

Also how much horsepower does that co-pilot black lab supply?


----------



## Josh.AZ.GTO (Jul 11, 2009)

Nice job!! Looks good.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Juice, I'm leaning towards a dark blue of some sort, haven't figured it out yet exactly. I will say that if you're new to sheet metal, make sure you have an experienced guy helping you, especially with 68 aftermarket quarter panels. The fitment is not good and you will have a very difficult time getting it straight by yourself.

Last night I finished welding up and grinding down the drivers fender. It's not 100% flush, but they are close. I'm sure I can either beat the door out a little or build it up with a thin coat of mud. Regardless it doesn't have to be perfect, it's a driver.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

This threat has officially been resurrected!!!!

Ok.. so 2 years in hiatus was a bit much... and I'm sure those of you who follow my threat are expecting loads of progress but sadly, that is not the case. It seems every step forward has put me three steps back, and I finally opted to get some help. While I planned on doing everything myself, I decided bodywork just isn't my forte, and my friend Josh who has been guiding me along all this time, and who happens to be the guy I got the car from originally, has taken on the responsibility of bodywork and paint.

In the meantime, here are some good things that have happened...
I picked up a 1967 12 bolt 3.73 posi rear end for a pretty reasonable price. That will be getting freshened up in the near future.
I traded my 76 400 with ported 13 heads for an unmolested 70 GTO 400 with stock 13 heads. I just started digging into that tonight. Plan is a Crower 60243 camshaft, get the heads rebuilt, and freshen everything up. Hopefully a full rebuild isn't justified. 
A few other things have happened but those are the big ones for now.

I will try to keep this thread going. I know it used to be a sticky, but my inactivity has cost me my VIP status...


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Disassembled the 400 and took it to the machine shop this week. Found 2 spun bearings. One of the cylinders had two deep gouges in the wall, most likely from the pieces that broke off when the bearing spun on that rod. So that will need sleeved. The machine shop said the engine had lived a hard life. All the main bearings were showing copper and the crank did not turn as easily as he thought it should with no rods attached. We will see what they find.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Machine shop update:

Crank was bent so bad they were surprised it wasn't cracked. Luckily a friend hooked me up with a replacement. Got that turned .010, sleeved the gouged cylinder wall, and had everything bored .030 over. Ordered all new parts from Kauffman Racing including Keith Black forged pistons, and forged 5140 replacement rods. Also got a Crower cam, lifters, and springs and new valves. The cylinder heads needed a full rebuild. Next step is to balance the rotating assembly, install it, and degree the camshaft. The bill is going to hurt but at least the engine will be running as optimally as possible for a long time to come.

The body is almost ready for paint. Just a couple more sessions of blocking and priming and it should be squared away. I picked out my paint and that will be a surprise until it's out of the booth. But I can tell you it's going to be sharp! I finally caved in and passed bodywork and paint duties off to the person I initially got the car from. He painted my dad's 71 LeMans and it turned out spectacular. As much as I wanted to say I built the car start to finish by myself, but sometimes you're better off leaving some things to a professional. I am no body man, and learning on a 70 GTO frame-off restoration probably isn't the best idea.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

She's out of paint! Couldn't be happier with how this paint came out! However, because GM Hyper Blue Metallic has so much clear in it, it took almost double the amount of paint to cover everything... Painter said he never wants to shoot that color again. 

I broke the cam in a month or so ago so the drivetrain is ready to go in. More to come later.


----------



## Goat Roper (Oct 28, 2014)

Very nice Orion88!
I resticked your thread so keep posting those updates.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

very nice, i love 70's, had a chance to get one only in need of paint a few years back....wish i would have pulled the trigger. Keep us updated, great work!!!


----------



## Cafr119 (Dec 9, 2017)

Oh man, I love that color, I haul parts into LGR ( Lansing Grand River ) GM plant in Lansing, Mi where the Camaro is built and that’s where I first seen that color on the ZL1, Very Nice Orion88, that Goat looks Awesome.


----------



## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

Looks great. Did you get KB pistons to lower your compression? I looked up the specs on the Crower cam #60243 if you are still going to use it https://www.crower.com/pontiac-287-455-compu-pro-hydraulic-cam-284-hdp.html Let us know what you think of the cam when you get the car running and on the road. Looks to be a hot cam for the street. :thumbsup: Using the Crower solid cam #60310 in my 455 build.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

New updates: TH400 is out. Borg/Warner Super T10 is in!! 10 bolt 3.08 is out, 12 bolt 3.73 is in!!! Cold case radiator with dual electric fans are mocked up. FITech EFI system is sitting on top! Currently trying to get the fuel system plumbed and wiring in the engine bay all connected and properly routed. Any insight from people with extensive experience with the FiTech throttle body and fuel command center I would appreciate any help you can offer. The fuel lines have me a little puzzled. The website says you don't have to run a return line, but my mechanical pump has a return line port. Not sure what the best option would be.


----------



## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... FiTech is operational and exhaust is installed (pypes 2.5" kit with borla mufflers). All glass is installed. Just need to finish the interior and bolt the hood on. She'll be ripping up asphalt this spring!!


----------

