# 1964 Pontiac Tempest Frame-Off Restoration



## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Greetings,

I've been reading this forum for a while and have really enjoyed many of the threads and thought today would be a good day to join. Today I drove my 1964 Tempest for the last time, took some pictures and pulled it into the barn. I've been holding off and planning this project for decades and have finally completed college and have a job to support such an undertaking. The car, admittedly has seen better days. I've been driving it in the summertime to shows/cruises for the past seven years dreaming of one day having a shiny car. 










My dad bought the car in the early 1980's in Pennsylvania. It came originally equipped as follows:

Model: 1964 Pontiac Tempest Custom
Body: Post Coupe (2dr)
Engine: 326 CI
Carb: 2 barrel Rochester
Trans: 4-speed Muncie
Shifter: Hurst 4-speed on the floor (bench seat shifter) 
Rear End: 3:23 Posi
Ext. Color: Marimba Red
Int. Color: Maroon

The car before pulling it into the garage for the final time.


















I've got some work to do....









New trunk floors and quarters, inner and outer fenders will be needed:









Phase: 1 disassembly, media blasting and body work on the front clip.









Parts Ready for media blasting tomorrow:









After a few hours of work:









Anyways, thats probably enough for a first post. I'll share more as the days go on. I'm really going to town on this project, I want to drive the car to a show in nine months. I'll have to make some compromises on parts that can be easily replaced or switched once it it finished, but I want the frame and body complete.

Any comments or help along the way will be greatly appreciated!

-Carl


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

Welcome to the forum,


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

Was that car originally with rocker panel moldings but without the wheel well moldings like that? I assume you are keeping it original as a custom Tempest. If so, I applaud you for not making another GTO clone. 

Would be interesting to know what you spend after the whole process is finished. Let us know.


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

Welcome to the forum.
Nice project. We are all more than happy to help from afar. Good luck on the car.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for the welcomes.

Concerning the rocker moldings, I am not sure on the originality without having the wheel moldings. I'll do some research and find out. I need to have the car PHS documented (not sure if that will tell me but it needs to be done). 

I am leaving it as a Tempest Custom with a few exceptions. Since it is a Tempest I'm going to take a few small liberties and delete the three trim pieces on the front fenders, I am not going to put any tempest tags on the car (no gto tags either). I am leaving the Tempest Custom chrome trim that runs the length of the car; it is in great shape. I also am going to paint the front grilles like a GTO would be painted, the unpainted Tempest ones are a little too shiny (personal preference). An uncle put the GTO tags on it, which will be removed and the holes filled. I have a GTO hood for it, but am going to restore and fully finish both so that I can switch between them as I feel. The idea is to do a really nice frame-off restoration without modifying the car to a point that it would be impossible to return it to stock as-built condition. 

Am I keeping track of cost, will keep you guys updated on that side of the project from time to time.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Nice!!! :cheers


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## FNG69 (Nov 15, 2009)

It came originally equipped as follows:

Model: 1964 Pontiac Tempest Custom
Body: Post Coupe (2dr)
Engine: 326 CI
Carb: 2 barrel Rochester
Trans: 4-speed Muncie
Shifter: Hurst 4-speed on the floor (bench seat shifter) 
Rear End: 3:23 Posi
Ext. Color: Marimba Red
Int. Color: Maroon

*SWEET, No PS, NO PB, NO AC. with 4 sp & Posi and in a POST.. Be Cool if you could find the original owner and talk with him he knew what he was doing. Wonder why no 4 barrel ?? I have one that coded from a 1963 would have to dig it at to check for sure. Love the look with the Rally ones!!!!!!!!LES *:cool


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## FNG69 (Nov 15, 2009)

Be easy to put new heater core in now. Just a FYI.... Les


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Made some progress today and yesterday. 

I got the stainless trim removed from around the windshield:









I also removed the trim around the roof. (I was able to due it without unrepairable damage, so with some cleaning/polishing I can use them again)









The rear window trim also came off.









And the first sandblasted parts....










Daveh70, I checked on the rocker moldings. The car came originally with the rocker moldings but the wheel well trim was an additional option that, to my knowledge, didn't come on this car.


FNG69, I haven't decided whether or not the heater core will need to be replaced yet. I will definitely remove it and inspect really well prior to re installation.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Progress continues.....

Started paint removal on the hood:









More sanding..









Found a "friend"....









Top side complete:









Was happy to see the lack of rust underneath the insulation that had never been removed since it was installed at the factory.










and removing the minimal surface rust on the bottom (I used the 4-1/2 angle grinder with a wire wheel for the structural steel and a DA sander for the back side of the sheet metal skin to avoid heating and warping):









Hopefully more progress tomorrow. :seeya:


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

Wow, you weren't kidding, great progress and nice solid car--except for the rust, but it is in better shape than me and I'm a year younger!! :cheers
Keep it up!


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Jetstang, Thanks. I'm pretty motivated to keep this car moving. I have some more pics of the rust in the trunk... I went exploring around the trunk this evening, including removing the aluminum flashing and rear bumper.

The bottom of the trunk lid looked great for the most part.









I've got some work to do around the hem at the back of the trunk lid.









The top of the trunk is in excellent shape.









The rear bumper had some rust on the backside, but the right re-chromer should be able to make it perfect again.









Trunk floor or whats left of it.









The rear frame cross-member seems to be in good shape, which was good news.









I'm hoping to see my other parts come back from media blasting soon....

-Carl


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

When you pull the trunk pan out, check the top of the drivers side frame rail, it should have the VIN # on it. I only learned of the # after I put the trunk pan in and wasn't able to check it.


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Nice car, nice thread, nice progress........:cheers

Couple comments. I would've left the surface rust alone on the underside of the hood and sprayed it with a rust converter, such as Eastwood Rust Stop. You'll never get it all with a sander and the risk of heat warp is too great. The spray will get under the braces too and stop the rust. You can prime and paint right over the converter. 
Same with the rust along the trunk lip. I would wire brush it and spray inside and out with the converter. I would then use a brushable seam sealer to cover/fill the few holes and paint. If you start trying to weld in patches, you'll most likely loose the whole lip....
Trunk floor....I got a 1 piece replacement with all the braces attached for my 67. They list the same one for your 64. It is a recent release from Dynacorn just for the Pontiac models and doesn't need modification like the Buick floor that was the only one available until this year. I haven't welded mine in yet, but the fit is very good. The 1 piece will eliminate a HUGE amount of time spent welding, grinding and the risk of heat warp over a multiple piece kit.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Mitch,
Thanks for compliments and response. I've read through your restoration thread and really liked the trunk floor and fenders you bought. Did you buy those direct from Dynacorn or from a dealer? I have looked though the dynacorn webpage and didn't find a one piece trunk floor like yours for a '64. 

Also, I used the wire brush on the rust under the hood and only on the support structure. For the under side of the hood skin, I used a DA sander. Tomorrow, I'm going to sand blast the areas of the support structure that you can see but are hard to hit with a wire brush. I don't want to warp or bend any of the currently extremely flat hood. Before I prime I'm going to cover the inside of the support and other areas with POR15 or similar type product to convert the rust.

I've been really pondering what to do with the trunk lid. I have access to a laser cutter and brake press, so I've been thinking about making a patch for it and welding it in. I probably will sand blast that rusted area by the lip and see what I really end up with for metal. Then decide what way I want to go. 


Rukee,
I'll definitely check for the vin stamping on the frame rail. I know that the VIN was stamped on the Transmission as well (I know that matches).


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

More progress was made today on the car. Not as much as I had hoped, I had to work this morning (I guess the $ isn't so bad as soon I'll need to buy some parts).

Parts came back from media blasting yesterday and I am very happy with them. They don't seem to be warped or bent.









Couple of holes found in the inner fender









Crack on radiator core support









Goo was covering this puncture in the inner fender. Thankfully someone had the forethought to put the goo in the hole to keep water from getting in and rotting the fender/firewall out.









The worst (known) issue was the front drivers fender. It has been hit lightly twice and its bent in the front and really rough on the bottom. I may try to fix and if that fails buy the patch panel.









Lower driver's fender damage and old repair.









And finally I decided to stop using my brothers' tools and get my own....As a graduation present.


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

I believe the lower portions of those fenders are available reproduced from Ames. Just the lower portions if you want to replace them.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Didn't get much work done tonight...to tired. 

I did find a picture from 1994 of the car during a Holland, Michigan winter. I'm sure this had no effect on the car's condition....










-Carl


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

Are your belt line moldings (the trim on the door where you would rest your arm while driving) made of stainless or aluminum? My car has 1 side stainless and the other aluminum for some reason. Just curious.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

daveh70 said:


> Are your belt line moldings (the trim on the door where you would rest your arm while driving) made of stainless or aluminum? My car has 1 side stainless and the other aluminum for some reason. Just curious.


I haven't gotten to the doors yet, but when I do I'll let you know...


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

I made some more progress today and on Sunday. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Removed the heater core cover...









The fan casing looked good.









Started straightening the front fender, it has been hit twice :shutme









The lower trim piece was bent outward and I couldn't get it bent back into shape, so I clamped it down and put a few tack welds to hold it in place.









The windshield was quite a fight... It came out in more than a few pieces.









Small surprise found under the windshield, shouldn't be too hard to fix.









The window trim is in good shape, media blasting and some straightening should make them pretty good.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

More Progress;

I got more parts back from media blasting and felt it was a good time to setup and paint. Take a look...

Inner fenders ready for paint









Core Support









Hood, I ended up sandblasting all of the rust off the bottom of the hood. I was really careful not to hit the outer skin as doing so may warp it..









Inner fenders and an outer rear fender that has been laying around waiting for this project for years... It was picked up at a swap meet for free.









Under hood painted









Lots of parts were painted









More Parts









I held off on the deck lid, media blasting revealed an ancient rust repair. The lower lip is in rough shape, I've moved onto other parts hoping I can find a better one to replace it. Anyone have an extra trunk lid laying around? 









Anyone have experience with the ceramic 2K epoxy black under hood paint from Eastwood? 

Hope you're enjoying the project...
Carl 

:seeya:


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

Those appear to be rivets just under the front of the hood in your sandblast shot. Is that correct?


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

I used the Eastwood ceramic epoxy Spray Gray on my frame. Easy to work with and dries very hard. If your gun has a mesh filter under the cup, remove it or all the ceramic particles get stuck in it and plugs it rather than on being the part.
Also have the correct gun cleaner handy. Once the epoxy starts to set up it's difficult to remove and the reducer that comes with the paint to thin it doesn't clean the gun.... I have a wall trophy that even acetone won't touch.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Made some more progress today:

The fender after media blasting..









Beat it straight again and worked on locating the supporting brace.









Another angle..









Since I have two passenger fenders, one is near ready for final paint, the other we decided to prep and fix for a spare. So chief, my father, cut out an area that he intends to patch. We bought patch panels for both fenders but the quality was as described (poor) and as such couldn't really be of much help, we'll form whatever metal we need ourselves. If the fender was completely missing everything they would have been a starting point but as it were what is left in this picture is easier to deal with than the patch panel. 









DaveH70,
I took a closer picture of what I believe you were seeing as rivets. It was just the light hitting the high quality original Pontiac spot welds.









Also, Chief did some research and we found a couple of Tempest brochures that show the cars advertised with a rocker molding but without a fender trim ring. So the car probably did leave the factory as it was shown in the first posting. I really need to spend some $$ and get the PHS documents for it.

Too Many Projects,
I'm thinking I'll use the ceramic under hood paint. My gun doesn't have a screen so I should be good there. I'll just make sure I have plenty of thinner ready for cleaning. 

Thanks for looking!

-Carl


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

Looks like some really good work so far...


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

Man you are kicking butt on that thing. That's a lot of work done in only 16 days, good job.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for the comments, I've been working really hard on it. I try and focus on one part and work to get it done. Once all of the front clip parts are complete in primer and block sanded ready for paint, then I'll move onto the doors and trunk lid. The slow tear down allows me to focus on a selective area and not get over-whelmed with so many parts.

Tonight I primed some things....









Hood









Hood again









Even though this fender is not finished I wanted to cover what I could to avoid rust work later, and it served as a good place to use the extra primer in the gun...









Chief cut out a rusty section of the spare passenger fender..









And then he made a patch for it.









Chief (my dad) is working on the spare passenger fender. His GTO has been done for a while, it serves as inspiration and a goal. Not to mention it will really help when I need to know how something goes back together.









Hope your enjoying these.

-Carl


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

I'm thinking I should bring all my parts to your dad and let him restore it !!:cheers


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

:lol: Yeah...this is the first restoration that either of us has done... He has done a lot of thinking the last 18 days. In fact he wore out the lawn chair doing so. He was sitting there the other night and the lawn chair clothe fell through to the floor :lol:... His car was completed in stages and just the front clip took 10 years and a few kids. Now I'm done with College so its time to tackle a frame off restoration, I'm really pushing to keep the project moving. No kids, No wife, GF is out of the country for 9 months, and I have a job so the timing could not be better.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Update:

Chief started welding the patch panel in:









I eliminated a few rust pits on the core-support:









Katy came down to check out the parts:









Filled the chrome strip holes on the fender:









This is a spare fender that I will end up using on the car. I started working on it a year ago, it still needs some blocking:









It's starting to look straight, but I learned that once I move it off the horses it's not perfect. This means I'll have to fit everything on the car and do some blocking and wet sanding with all the parts in proper position:









I've done some thinking and came to the conclusion to save the trunk lid. So I started to plan my attack:









The barn is looking like a real body shop:


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

The last time I primed I was pretty disappointed with texture and feel of the paint; not to mention the water leaking onto my hand out of the fitting on the gun....This may have something to do with it (its the only filter we had):









New Filter:









And a filter just for painting:









Tonight I started work on the 'Devil Fender'. For any of you 1964 restoration veterans; is this the toughest body part to block sand of this car?:









And lastly, the first finished parts:









Thanks for following along, I hope you guys are enjoying it.


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Really looking great !! 

For filling unwanted holes, Eastwood has a copper strip with magnets for the backside. You can then weld a plug in the hole. Turn the wire speed way down and it will fill nearly level and not have that mound to grind off. You may be able to get them at a local welding supply.

Final block sanding is always done with the car assembled and shimmed for the final fit. That's the purpose of "jamming" or "cutting in". You get everything as straight as possible in pieces and then paint the areas that will not be accessable after assembly, i.e. the entire door jams, behind the fenders, etc. Once you have it assembled and final block sanded, you have paint to blend into.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Too Many Projects,

Chief made this and it worked nicely. I just need to perfect the technique..









I figure by the time I'm welding spot weld holes they'll look pretty good.

-Carl


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Thor7352 said:


> Too Many Projects,
> 
> Chief made this and it worked nicely. I just need to perfect the technique..
> 
> ...


That will do the same thing. Now if he can come up with a way to attach magnets to it, you won't have to hold it in place...:cool

Actually that was presented as a little challenge to him. I bet he's up to it too...


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Just a little more progress:

Inner fender smoothing:









Smoothed and primed:









I marked and drilled the holes for the fender support:









Then I welded it all. I used weldable primer to prep the areas to be welded.









Started to put filler on some rough areas:









Sanded it down:









And a little bit more filler:









And so begins the nightly process for this fender until it is straight and I am happy. Probably be eating turkey by the time its right (worth the effort/time though). 

-Carl


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

Very nice work so far. My car is getting this same kind of stuff done at a resto shop near me. What color are you painting the fender skirts? Resto guide says 60% gloss black. How about core support color? Some debate over the firewall which I think should match the skirts?


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## 64phil (Nov 23, 2007)

I just happened upon your thread and discovered that we are working on twin cars. Only yours is in better shape than mine. Mine also had GTO emblems added as well as side marker lights (both are being removed). My car is a 326, 2 brl with automatic tranny. Here is a photo before I started a couple of years ago and the frame as it is now. Actually, all of the running gear has now been restored and I am currently in the process of re-assembling to have a rolling chassis again. I have the body up on stands and the front floor cut out. Still a long ways to go and I am not as energetic as you are . You are doing a great job.

Phil








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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Not done yet*

For the record, this thread isn't dead and neither is the project. I've been working 11s and 12s for the past week and a half. The funding of the project has progress, just not the actual project work.

I did get all the parts that need it, covered with Hi-Fill primer and ready for block sanding. The devil fender is progressing decently. I put high-fill primer on it but it will need a little bit more filler work before it is complete. 

64Phil,
I cannot believe how similar our cars are! Which plant did yours come out of? Nice work on the frame and painting. I looked through your other pictures and its looking really nice.


Daveh70,
The inner fender skirts are supposed to be 60% gloss, I'll paint the core support and firewall the same. I would like to use Eastwoods Ceramic underhood paint but it seems to dull at %20 gloss?


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

Yes the skirts are 60% according to the resto guide, but I believe there's some debate over the firewall color. Not that glossy, almost could be a rally matte black. If you want to get really picky, I believe some components are glossier than others like the core support, etc. I know you're doing some custom stuff with your resto. With my current paint job, we're going to do skirts, firewall support in a rally matt. Have you decided what to do w/your trunk? We have stripped the spatter out of mine (real tough job) and painting it body color per factory.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

I like the idea of the splatter paint because it hides things really well and is practical, but I'm going with the original factory colored trunk. I'll probably use the 60% gloss for the core support, fender skirts, and firewall. It may not be perfectly original but it will match the other '64 GTO hanging around here.


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## 64phil (Nov 23, 2007)

Thor7352 said:


> 64Phil,
> I cannot believe how similar our cars are! Which plant did yours come out of? Nice work on the frame and painting. I looked through your other pictures and its looking really nice.


Mine is from Pontiac Michigan (originally sold in upper new York state). If yours is also let's compare serial numbers by PM just to see how close they are.

Phil


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

nice looking resto Thor, glad another Tempest is being saved from being a sacrificial lamb to a GTO clone, have only seen two on the road here (near where your car was built). had to go 3/4 way across country to find mine, but the condition of the body /frame/pans made it well worth it, think i would be overwhelmed getting into welding panels and the such, just doing body on resto on mine, take a peek

http://s1098.photobucket.com/albums/g372/instg8ter/1966 Tempest/


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Still Not Done Yet*

Hey all,

My apologies for the lack of posting lately. Scheduled outages at work slow down Pontiac project progress but help with the funding....Thanks for all the views and comments, they are really encouraging and remind me that I have some help and advice available if/when needed. :cheers

Speaking of help; 
-Anyone live within 2 hours of Holland, Michigan have a decent or better rotisserie they are looking to part with? 
-Also, have any of you found Maroon Tempest interior door panels, rear seat covers, front bench seat covers and the rear interior panels? I can find the GTO ones from the typical sources, but they aren't the right color or pattern and they don't make the front bench seat covers.... Looking ahead, this will be a challenge (or lots of $ ).​
And now the pictures for you to enjoy...Hopefully....

I started stripping the doors to get them ready for media blasting (The paper cover had never been off before):









No big surprises:









The lower edge hem had some spot rust but nothing too serious, we'll see what it looks like after media blasting:









Inside the door was an unusual spray-on insulation that must have been an option (haven't seen that on the other cars hanging out around here):









Overall, both doors were in really nice shape, there will be some body filler found in both but nothing major:









We've been getting alot of dirt and junk in the primer and it really gets annoying so Chief and I did some 'flow testing' with a mosquito fogger. We found that 20% of the air going out of this old fan was coming back in due to the way the window was:









So we put a squirrel cage fan in and flow tested it:









It worked better:









I had all the underhood and chassis parts that were ready cleaned and prepped for final paint only to paint the first part and find that the paint is glossier than I want... (I'll post a picture tomorrow.) So I changed gears having a 5 day Thanksgiving weekend, the following post will detail that progress.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Even More Progress*

So haven't some disappointment with the underhood black paint I decided to spend some time removing the interior.

So the seats and carpet came out the green spot is a patch repair I did a few years ago to avoid 'flintstoning' it:








Not really any surprises here:









And then I took the dash apart and the only surprise was the massive amounts of wiring. How I will ever get it all back in I have no clue....









The dashwas completely disassembled:









I removed the tail section of the car and all of the remaining trim:









With the interior stripped, all the trim off and daylight left; lifting began:









First glimpses of frame (thankfully its still there in the back, I was worried):









And just like that, the body was gone:









Here's my serial number stamped on the frame:









 Something that appears to be severally corroding stamping marks can be seen in this area but they can't be read. On the positive side, the rear cross member is riveted, meaning it is a true 1964 frame.


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Those doors ARE really nice for a Michigan car !!! 
The spray inside is a sound barrier and to keep the outer skin from vibrating. All my 60's doors have it too.
For the interior, call Legendary and see what they can offer. They indicate dark red interior but don't specify if it fits a post door. Their annual holiday special is on now too. Up to 25% off...:cool
Legendary Auto Interiors


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Body On Trailer*

So the body was placed onto a trailer to be prepped for selective media blasting:






















































Monday evening the engine and transmission were removed:









Tonight I began removing the rear-end from the car and thinking about all the sandblasting and painting that will need to be done on the frame. I'm also trying to figure out what to do for new bushing on the rear end. The 1964 rear-end have a special bushing that is tough to find... Anyone have experience?

Thanks for the looks and comments! :seeya:


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

that car must not have seen to many of our Michigan winters, or salt slush roads...looking good Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Too Many Projects,
I'll take a look at legendary and see if they have them. The Tempest Custom door panels are different from the GTO ones though.... The key to having a Michigan car is to not have it in Michigan it's whole life. The car came from the Baltimore plant and spent half its life in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It only saw the nasty Michigan weather in the 80s and 90s then it was stored for 10 years until 2003. A lot of preventive maintenance was done on the doors, rear window area and front cowling to clear leaves, pine needles and junk to keep the rain and snow from getting stuck in there. 




> nice looking resto Thor, glad another Tempest is being saved from being a sacrificial lamb to a GTO clone, have only seen two on the road here (near where your car was built). had to go 3/4 way across country to find mine, but the condition of the body /frame/pans made it well worth it, think i would be overwhelmed getting into welding panels and the such, just doing body on resto on mine, take a peek


Instg8ter,
Thanks, it's my first restoration and I'm pretty excited about it. There are a few GTO around here, and I'm just fine with the extra chrome of the Tempest Custom and the uniqueness of the bench seat with a Hurst floor shifter. I'd been lurking through you're posts trying to learn about some of the interior stuff that I will need to do on mine, it looks really nice. I'll put some pictures on soon showing me and car a few years ago, which is kind of why I decided to do this car and not look for one in better shape.

-Carl


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

Really looks great so far. Noticed you have the original steering wheel. Pretty rare to find. Are you restoring that or replacing with something else? Also, is it getting media OR soda blasted and do you have a preference?


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

looks like you have a great foundation there Carl, knew it had been stored if it had spent time in MI, door seams are the first thing to go. I have wanted a GTO since 15 when i missed out on a 66 for my first car, but also knew with what they are getting for rusted GTO hulks these days i was dreaming. was not really in the market but i stumbled across mine messing with "search all craigslist", saved link and kept finding myself pulling it back up and looking at the 4 grainy pics, loved the flat black for some reason. Happen to have an uncle that lives out there that is into Porche restorations, had him step out of his comfort zone and go look at it and send me detailed pics. Contacted the owner and over the next few weeks was able to hash out a deal that covered most of the shipping cost across country (well worth it for a rust free 99.9% original car). another month to get it picked up, and a week to make the trip on a car hauler, and it was in my garage, sagging ass end, 326 just setting in the cradle, one offending piston and hardware in a tub in the trunk, not a GTO but its mine and am doing all work except trans build and machining myself as it is my first resto also...arty:

and i love the brightwork on our cars too...wish mine had the full length trim, but it appears to have been deleted long ago (leaded in and invisible repair from outside, which does not appear at all recent) still a mystery, should figure it out when i start stripping for paint prep in the next few weeks. don't know of any reproductions as it was a Tempest Custom Only piece and would hate to see what originals would cost if i find them.

love the pics, keep them coming

Brian


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## BronaughMo (Nov 29, 2010)

Glad I read this thread today my car is also a Tempest Custom. Mine came from California and has 20,000 original mile. Lucky no rust that I can find and an area on left rear qtr that has been repaired at some time. Car must have sat in garage most of its life because hood and trunk have serveral dings. I am taking all trim off in prep for a repaint at this time. Bye the way how did you remove the roof trim. I have seen post using block of wood and hammer?


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Daveh70,

Concerning steering wheels. I like the steering wheel I have, it is in good condition. I will probably clean it up, polish the chrome and reuse it for now. Eventually, I would really like to get a 4-spoke 'wood' GTO wheel for it. My fathers car has that wheel and it looks so cool...

There is a lot of discussion concerning soda blasting, sand blasting, acid-dipping, DA sanding, or just leaving the hard durable paint on it and covering it up here on the forums. This has been my attack plan: 

I evaluate every single part. Take the doors for instance, they are in good shape but have rusty spots. So I will have them sand blasted to really clean the rust out. However, the door panels are really flat and sandblasting those would cause lots of warpage and take hours to fix. I don't want to acid dip it because it has seams and hems and the acid would seep out for years to come and probably wreck the paint job. So I mix and match; I take spray paint and paint only the areas I want sandblasted because of rust or areas that minimal warpage is acceptable or unnoticed. For the large flat areas that are rust free I use a DA sander with 80 grit and move fast. It gets the paint off quick and keeps the panels warp-free and kills the rust. This of course takes a good sandblasting vendor that is willing to work with you and understands the issues that are associated with sandblasting sheet metal. (I learned the importance of this with the very first fender I had 100% sand-blasted)

Inside of door ready for blasting:









Outside of door ready for blasting:









I don't have any pictures of the finished doors yet but will post them once they come back from sandblasting and again after I have finished DA sanding them. This will be the same way I do the body. 



BronaughMo,
Have any pics of your car? What year/color/etc?

The roof trim was tedious, but I got it off without damaging it or causing 'spider-webbing' of the aluminum. I used a disc brake clip from a 2005 Honda CRV cut-in-half and clamped in a vise grip to remove the trim. I know it sounds absurd, but the piece was either a high strength alloy steel or stainless steel that did not bend and had just the right shape to slowly pull up on the trim and work it off by slowly lifting a section, then moving a little ways and lifting some more. It took forever, at least it seemed like it at the time.

Disc brake clip from a 2005 Honda CRV cut-in-half and clamped in a vise grip


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## BronaughMo (Nov 29, 2010)

My car is 64 Tempest custom 2dr coupe, color is called sunfire red(looks more like a coral to me) with cameo white top. 326 2brl with automatic, power steering, bench seat dark red interior. I have five spoke 15" american racing wheels on it now but have original tires wheels and caps, and duals with the GTO tips. As a rule I would hotrod a car a little more but this is such a nice original car I will keep it pretty much that way except for removing the factory remote outside mirror. That thing is so ugly where it is located on finder I can't stand it.

So this clip was used to lift bottom of drip rail molding back and up to remove? I am going slow so as not to screw things up I have all winter.


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## FNG69 (Nov 15, 2009)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

This is the one of the sheets on the Tempest Custom out of the 1964 Pontiac Sales Manual. It has the Coupe or Post (2127), the 4 door (2167), and a Converlible (2167), But it does not show a hardtop. Do you ever remember seeing a harptop in a Custom????Les


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

LES,
I looked at all the literature I could find and it doesn't look like they made a '64 Tempest Custom hardtops. I've never seen one. Chief thinks that the Lemans/GTO hardtops were only available late in the model year. 

BronaughMo,
The CRV disc brake clip was used to slowly peel the drip rail trim up and off of the steel piece. I used a screw driver to slowly/carefully unbend the little corner piece and then began working from the rear pillar forward and slowly pulling the trim up and over the steel. It's tedious work. Sounds like you have a really neat car. I'd love to see pictures sometime.

-Carl


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Trunk Lid Day*

Hey All,

Thanks for the continuing comments and interest! Yesterday was trunk lid day.

Before the project began I knew the trunk would be tough. The underside near the hem was rusted and would need welding and filler to make it look/feel right.









The outside of the hood looked /felt in really nice shape yet:









'Selective Sandblasting' revealed some additional issues:









After researching the price of a replacement and looking at different ways of fixing it, I decided to use patch panels and repair the trunk lid, so I did some planning:









Then I drew some patch panels in SolidWorks:









Nested them for cutting on a laser:









Then cut them out of some 0.035 steel that matched the trunk lid.









Then it was off the the bender:









New patch panels









First Side cut:


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Continued....

Fitting the first patch panel:


















First panel tacked in:


















Second,outer panel fitted and tacked:


















Welded and ground:









Just like new:


















Now for today, its out to the barn to finish the other side: (Note:Chief in his chair behind the engine.....)


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## FNG69 (Nov 15, 2009)

CHIEF is correct. The Sales Manual has the revised sheet still in it. It is called Release No. 8 - Pontiac Sales Manual. It is dated November 20,1963 and says Enclosed is a new page (C-2A) which pictures and describes the new LeMans Hardtop Sports Coupe. Insert this page in numerical sequence behind Section C - "Le Mans" in your 1964 Sales Manual.

And yes page C-2A is in it, a Nocturne Blue Poly. w/ White Top & Wire Wheel covers or disc as they like to call them.. Only a few of the sheets in the Manual are in color but the color ones are very nicely done..

Anyway looks like hardtops weren't available the first couple months of the 64 year..Les


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## FNG69 (Nov 15, 2009)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The chrome gas door between the Tempest & the Tempest Custom had a big different. This is what the Tempest looked like...


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

Wow what great work so far, Thor7352. You mean you were looking for a replacement trunk lid? I believe that's like finding a needle in a haystack..looks like yours is really looking good! How long do you think this restoration will take to finish?


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Trunk lid work*

Hey guys!

This week it snowed in the winter wonderland... 









I promise, starting next year I will not let any snow get on it.

Since it was so cold and the body is covered in snow, I decided to continue working on the trunk lid tonight. I got the other side all patched up and started grinding it smooth.





































Daveh70,
Thanks for the compliment. I was trying to find a '64 trunk lid, I located a few but they appeared to be in about the same shape for $700-1000. I can spend a lot of time making panels and repairing what I have for that price. Tentatively I have three ideal project finish dates, the first date (near impossible) is June 5 because that is the week the Hot Rod Power Tour is cruising up US-31 about 2 miles from my house. I cannot think of a cooler place to show it off for the first time. A more realistic date is the end of August when there is a cruise in Grand Rapids, Michigan that draws thousands of cars and would be another great 'first show'. The final date would be sometime before the snow flies again (worst case:shutme)....

-Carl :seeya:


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

get her done by the Dream Cruise and come on down.....looking good thor, hope to have mine done around July, actually just primed back of trunk and epoxied inside of hood, sounds like we are on the same pace, just got motor together, waiting to finish drivetrain details before dropping it in, hope to have it fired up by feb first and pray for and early Michigan spring for break in.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Frame Work*

Hey Everybody,

I guess it's really been a while since I posted, I was off the in the 2nd page. Progress has been continuing, I just have been slacking off on the posting. So I will post a few times with some new pictures.

The frame heading out to sandblasting. (For reference, a 1964 Tempest frame will fit in an 8ft pickup truck!)









Here's the frame at the sandblaster's









Here's the doors ready for selective sandblasting









The frame back in the barn after sandblasting









Thin stop by the upper body mount









New laser-cut washer fitted and ready for welding









Finish ground washer after it was welded in (other side but same idea)









Here is the rear body mount replaced. It was in really rough shape, the patches were made the same time as the trunk patch. (Both sides were done the same way)










Any of you guys have a 4-speed car; Note the cracked mount for the clutch yoke. Had this failed while parked at a stoplight with the car in gear and the clutch in, it could have been bad...









Comparison of the old and new replacement;


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*More Pictures*

I stripped the trunk lid of the rest of the paint and found....no surprises.









Frame welding complete, cleaned and moved into the booth for priming;









Frame, drive shaft and cross member primed;









Bottom-side in black (I decided to use a urethane);









Bumper brackets were painted as well;









Frame upright and painted;









Clutch yoke bracket welded on and final painted;









Cross-member and drive shaft painted;









Hope you guys enjoy. Hope you had a merry Christmas! :seeya:


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

I should have asked Santa for a spray room like yours....LOL, looking good Thor keep the pics coming.


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

You're doing an incredible job. It will really feel like you're getting somewhere when the frame is back to a rolling chassis....:cheers
I'm still hoping to get back to my GTO this winter but the Chevelle needed WAY more work than I anticipated...


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Sorry guys, 
No new pictures today, I was going to put one in showing the doors as they came back from selective sand blasting, but forgot to take that picture... Today Chief and I just cleaned parts and prepped the rear-end and misc pieces for sandblasting. Then it was time to clean from the weeks of welding, cutting, grinding and body work. There is actually an open stall in the barn now!


Instg8ter,
Thanks! Maybe next year Santa will bring a new paint room ... The paint room has really helped out a lot. I don't have very much painting experience, so it's been kind of 'learn-as-you-go'. We got really lucky and this barn already had the paint room setup before we moved in. The pictures don't really show how bright the room is but my weld helmet auto darkens when I walk in! Believe it or not this car has been to the Dreamcruise, rust and all it was there! It may appear there again someday.


Too Many Projects,
Thanks for the compliment, I'm doing the best I can. I'm really pushing to get the chassis back together soon, but haven't ordered the all the parts yet. I noticed the new Chevelle project was becoming quite involved and I wondered what that would mean for the GTO? Doesn't really matter, as long as you're having fun. 

More pictures soon! :seeya:


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

at the rate you guys are going Thor you may make it this year, let me know if you do we'll hook up. 
Started block sanding my front fender today, so glad i have minimal body work after seeing all of your guys metal masterpieces, welding is not in my bag of tricks, suffice to say. Have a feeling door dings and straightening out the hood that my son in law got a little sandblast happy with (been wanting a GTO hood....lol) will keep me busy enough.
Will be painting myself so in the spring the whole garage will become my paint room.
keep up the good work and the pics


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*More Progress*

Hey all,

I'm still moving ahead. Lots of stuff happened over the Holidays and I slacked on the posting so I have to catch up. So here it goes;

The doors came back from 'selective sandblasting':









One of the doors has some rust holes;









So I figured I'd patch it:









Patch Tacked in:









The back side was rusted through so I cut the patch out with the hemmed edge still welded to it. 









I made a patch for the inner door panel and welded it in:









Then I welded the patch and hemmed edge back on:









The corner was rotten so I opened the hem and cut the nasty out:









I made a new patch:









Welded and ground corner:









More pictures to follow....


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Chief's Fender*

Chief is still working on his fender:

Here is the support on the backside of the front fender:









Chief, made and welded in a new patch:









He got that part finished and is currently experiencing the joy of body filler...








Yeh, he's having fun. :rofl:

I had to brush up on my brazing skills because the door piller had split from the outer door skin and needed to be re-brazed:









Then I got the rear end back from sandblasting and noticed the brake line hold done clamp was broken:









From a recent rear end rebuild we had a spare clamp so I welded that on:









And then, painting:









The doors were also painted. Anyone have experience with fixing an 'oil canning' door skin? The drivers door had some bondo in it from a previous dent and the area next to it is really soft and pops in and out... Any ideas?

Thanks for the views and comments!!!

Thor :seeya:


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

You're making GREAT progress ....:cheers
On the door skin.....there are "shrinking" body hammers with serated heads to reduce the area of the metal or you can use dry ice and heat to shrink it too. Neither process is easy and will take some practice. I haven't personally done it but there is info on the www with a search.

You really need to get aerosol rust converter/encapsulator and spray the insides of those doors until it runs out to seal that from coming back in a few years. There's a lot more rust in there than you can see and it will come back.

Also noticed you sprayed the brake drums with primer. That will most likely smoke, stink and burn off once they get hot. I would recommend removing the primer and painting with high temp caliper paint.

Oh, and tell your dad to enjoy the bondo process. I've never mastered that and it would take a gallon can to get that small area to look good from 20ft.


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## dcvice1967 (Dec 12, 2010)

*Inspired*

Thor7352,

I have been really inspired by your progress. I am just getting started on a 64 Tempest Custom. It will be for my son next year as his first car. It has a maroon exterior and a blue interior with a 326 and automatic. It actually is listed as a GTO on the title but it does not have the GTO package. 

My son and I will be leaving it a Tempest, but will be modernizing it some. If anyone is interested, we will be pulling out the 326 and trans soon to make place for a 96 LT1 and 4l60e. We will probably not keep the full length body side molding so we will be lokking to get rid of that as well.

We will be upgrading it to disk brakes and updating the fuel system to accomodate the LT1. I do have the fron split bench seat if anyone is interested. It would need new rails. My son want "racing" buckets up front. We will also be adding an after market AC/heater system. 

We are located near New Orleans if anyone is close by and wants to get together. We will need all the help we can get. Unfortunately, we are having to do the build in the driveway. I lost my garage to a utility room after Katrina hit. 

Have you tried media blasting in your projects? My brother-in-law gave me a large compressor and media blaster for Christmas. He also gave me 80 lbs of ground corn husks for media. I haven't tried it yet. 

We will have to replace the trunk floor and the driver's side of the front floor. We also have rust at the bottm of both rear quaters and front fenders. We have rust on the rear panel which holds the rear trim and above the doors below the drip edge. I will upload some pictures soon.

Thanks and keep up the good work.

David Vice


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Still Sanding...*

Hey guys,

No new pictures to post, I'm sure you have all seen piles and piles of bondo dust. 

Too Many Projects,
I did do some searching over the holidays for 'oil canning' doors, found some good stuff, but its the practice part that all of the methods require... I suppose I'll have to go to the local junk yard and get a beater practice door.

I also did, but did not show the use of the described aerosol encapsulator/converter spray. I really poured it in until it ran out of everywhere and chief told me not to get it on the floor again  The following image shows some of the pre-spraying (blue/purple overspray), of the permatex brand stuff I've been using. 









Yeah, I thought the burning might be an issue on the drums. At least their easy to change. And chief is really hogging the sand paper and using up the gallon of bondo really quick.

David,
Sounds like you have a really awesome car and project. I can't wait to see some pictures. I'm glad that my pictures and project have inspired you. Don't be afraid to ask any questions or make any suggestions. If you've been following since the beginning I'm sure you seen some of the helpful comments and suggestions. 

I have done some of my own media (sand) blasting on this project and had extensive sandblasting done at a local shop. I try and send out as much as possible to the local shop as they are really decently priced and have a quick turn-around time. The only piece I sandblasted so far was the hood, it took some time, so I decided to send the rest out. Since most of my components had rust on them I needed to use sand, the grains have sharp edges that cut through the rust that walnut shells and others won't. This is a positive for cutting paint/rust, but it will warp the large flat body panels. So I get around the warping by spray-painting only the areas that I want sandblasted and then I DA sand the large flat surfaces. The following image shows the door back from blasting, the other side was completely blasted. 









When it comes to the project management side of the car, pick some key parts and goals and focus on those. It can be overwhelming having the whole car apart, assuming you are doing a frame-off? Overall it is a blast and really gives you something to do with your time, not to mention $.

I'll be getting into the floors, and quarter panels soon as well so keep looking!

(I'll send PM concerning parts)
Thanks,
-Thor

:seeya:


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Products & Materials*

Hey guys,

Planning a big sanding day tomorrow on the car. I thought I would take some time and write a post including some of the products I used so far on this project.

Where I can't sandblast, like in seams, inside trunk lids, hoods and other similar areas I use a Permatex brand rust treatment:









Once the sandblasting and rust treatment is completed I apply Sherwin Williams DP800 epoxy primer system. It provides a good protective coating. I couldn't find a picture of the can...

Then comes the bondo. I have been using Evercoat's Lite Weight bondo.









I just bought some of Evercoat's Rage Gold, it's supposed to sand nicer and use less paper. So I figured I'd give it a try.









For small pin holes or really small low spots I use Evercoat's Spot Lite filler:









To sand the bondo I use 3M 80 grit Sand paper to smooth it. Sometimes I'll use 120 Grit, but mostly 80 grit:









I was gifted some dura block sanding blocks from my birthday last year and they work really well for sanding and getting bondo smooth and wet sanding. 









Once the epoxy primer is on and I have applied and sanded the bondo smooth I use Sherwin Williams FP410 and FH411 Hardener which is a high-fill sandable primer. It's like a spray on 'icing' or surfacing coat. 









Once the high-fill primer is dry I wet sand it with a 400 grit to eliminate high and low spots and eliminate the waviness that plagues fenders/doors. 









I'm no body expert, these are just the products that have been recommended to me that I have found to work well. As always, if you know something that works better or notice a compatibility problem with any of the products being used please let me know.

Have a good weekend, look for more car/project pictures soon.

-Thor :seeya:


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## midwest.swapmeet (Sep 25, 2009)

Thor7352 said:


> I'll take a look at legendary and see if they have them. The Tempest Custom door panels are different from the GTO ones though....


I had SMS do mine. They have the pattern for Tempest door panels. They also have lots of NOS vinyl and can emboss like the original seat covers. If they don't have your color in NOS, they can actually make new vinyl to match a sample. Nice work! I enjoy seeing a Tempest restored.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

midwest.swapmeet said:


> I had SMS do mine. They have the pattern for Tempest door panels. They also have lots of NOS vinyl and can emboss like the original seat covers. If they don't have your color in NOS, they can actually make new vinyl to match a sample. Nice work! I enjoy seeing a Tempest restored.


Midwest.swapmeet,
Thanks for the pointer! I had not come across them in any of the internet searches I've done. They seem like just the place to redo the door panels. Speaking of that, I saw on 64woodwheel.com (nice wheels by they way..) that you have an interior book from 1964. By chance could you send me a high quality scan or photo of Tempest Custom (2167) so I can get the color codes for my interior? (PM sent with email address)

Thanks!
Thor

:seeya:


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Posting Blitzkrieg...*

Hey Guys,

I've often wondered what obstacles and things get in the way of a car project that cause a car to sit in pieces half way into the restoration, now I know. I'm pretty upset, I was given the PHS documentation for my car for my birthday. As it turns out, my beloved Pontiac was made by Chevrolet!! This just cannot be! I quit... Just kidding, I know that it's better that way since the guys working in the Chevrolet plant were so sick of putting those chevys together it was the highlight of their day when a Red 2 door post coupe Pontiac came down the line, with a 326 V8 and a 4 speed no less, they put it together right. 

It has been a long time since I posted, but work hasn't stopped on my Pontiac. 

The doors are in Primer:









I started filling and smoothing the trunk lid;









More Trunk lid work;









Trunk lid progress;









The biggest thing that has happened is this;









I liked the frame when it was sandblasted, I liked it when it was primed, I was okay with it when I first painted it, but after looking at it for a while the pitting kept bugging me. So I went at it with the scotch brite pad and then the lite weight filler to make it smooth and new looking. I know this may seem overkill, but I want it smooth!









I've also been getting worried about the big painting day. Considering Chief and myself have never actually painted a whole car, let alone a show car we figured we could use some practice. So we found this car in the barn and decided to put a little side effort (hopefully not too much distraction from the slightly bigger project) into this car. 









We're going to paint it the same color the Pontiac is going to be, that way we can test the color and make sure we are happy before the big painting day. It will also give me some practice spraying a base coat clear coat urethane. I have sprayed it before but not recently.









I also bought a coffin;








Oh wait, thats the box my rotisserie came in. The assembled rotisserie ends are there behind the coffin like box. I picked this up locally and am very pleased with the quality, fit and function of it. I decided to put the frame on it first, since thats what I've been working on. I'm hoping to get the frame done soon and move onto the body. Anyone have an ideal way of mounting the body to the rotisserie, it came with a lot of hardware for mounting things, but I'm not sure which way to go with it, some pointers would be awesome (pictures?)

Thanks for lookin!!

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Rotisserie*

Thought I might add some more. I think two in a row is allowed.

The rotisserie came with the following hardware;









Here is what one of the ends looks like;









I got the frame mounted on the rotisserie. (I hate typing that word)









Its worked out really nice for the frame. I can't wait to get the body on it.
arty:


-Thor


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Throw the frame outside and get back to work on the body...:willy: I was hung up on wanting my frame really nice too but after realizing no one see's 90% of it when the car is done, I got over it. Unless this is going to be a trailer queen with mirrors on the floor at shows, the frame will be dirty/dusty after the first drive...

I hate typing rotisserie to, that is why I refer to it as a roto in my thread. There are many pics in my sig link to my car on the roto but to explain, I bolted it to the outside holes in the front body mount and the rear most mounts at the bumper. It takes a bit to get it balanced for turning easily without capsizing. The arms on the front should really be offset lower to keep the rotos at the same height. With the straight arms on the roto, the rear jack is higher. I intend to make new front arms for mine with a drop to correct the offset, someday...

I also had to drill thru the center brace once the arms were set to match the mount holes. I don't know how much of the floor you intend to cut out but once I removed my entire floor and rockers, the body weight spread the center support bar with just the pinch bolts tightened and let the body spread too. I had to pull it back into shape with a come-along and use thru bolts instead of the pinch bolts.

Looking great.......keep at it..:cheers


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## DukeB-120th (Oct 19, 2009)

:rofl:

Thor, dude, you are hilarious, you had me going through your recent posts. Great progress, looks like all the hard work on the frame is done since you've filled it already, I say get it painted and then get onto the body asap.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Frame Dust*

Sanding the frame stinks!!! 

It looks nice from afar, and it will look good under the car.









and then you flip it and make some more dust...









And a little more dust...









And a little bit more magic dust..









And then you look in wonder.... How in the world am I going to sand that smooth? 









I figured you all might like to suffer along with me. :shutme

DukeB-120th,
Thanks for checking out my resto.. I'm glad you got a good laugh from the post, every once in a while everyone needs on of those. Real soon the frame will be complete and I can put it all back together. 

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Next*

I'm still sanding.... Chief and I made some progress this past weekend. I let him sand the inner frame rail section. Probably should have considered how I would sand it before filling it. (note to self: consider how something is sanded before filling)

Tonight, I flipped the frame over to finish up a couple little things. I cleared the plastic from the floor and started organizing. It was refreshing to see all the parts and how far I have come. I have been bogged down with this frame and keep seeing the body ready to be sent out but nothing happens to it. Shortly I will have this frame complete.









I have to replace this mount yet;









With this one;









Soon it will look like this again but without all the rust pits!









arty:

:cheers >> 3000+ views! Thanks again for checking the project out and especially to those that have helped with advice and pointers!!

-Thor


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

whew, talk about making it hard on yourself!


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

66tempestGT said:


> whew, talk about making it hard on yourself!


Yeah, but he learned a valuable lesson about giving in to his perfectionism....:rofl:


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

> Yeah, but he learned a valuable lesson about giving in to his perfectionism....






Its still going.....


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Finished.....Finally*

It is finished. Well at least the frame nightmare is over... Can't say I'll ever do that again, but it was worth it. The frame is now smooth. 

Remember this nasty body mount? Well I replaced it today.









With this one;









I cut off the old one;









And welded on a new one, I did cut the tabs off and then welded it on. The tabs weren't on the original one and as you now know, I am a perfectionist...









And then Chief and I prepped for paint..









I forgot to get a picture of the frame in primer, but I promise you it looked just like this but gray.









Now the frame is smooth;









It was worth the time, but prehaps I was a little excessive with the bondo...









Anyways, thanks for suffering with me.....:cheers

Oh and the little car came back from sandblasting so it received a coat of epoxy primer while the gun was loaded.









More progress soon.

-Thor


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

looking good Thor, least you know it will be done to your level of satisfaction....been blocking my body down for the last month, i have to police myself too.... As soon as this Michigan winter gives us a break for the body to warm up i will be getting it in high build and hopefully to paint in April.


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

wow Thor, nice pics of your project, brings back some fond memories...

Looks like you are doing a thorough job.

Is the "little car" a 59 Pontiac? sure looks like it :cool. Should look outstanding in that red. :cheers


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

ALKYGTO,

Thanks for compliments.

Chief informs me;

"The pedal car is known in the pedal car hobby as a “Murray V Front”. Murray was the manufacture and the front grille sort of looks like a V. They were made between 1960 & 1967. I think ours was probably closer to 67 because the original graphics on the car said Camaro. (ARRGGHH!!.. why I am I being dogged by Chevy’s? the Tempest was built in a Chevy plant and now our practice painting car was a Camaro???) Anyways, Yes, it looks just like a 59 Pontiac, Thank God!! It could have been a “Murray Flat Face” which looks just like a 59 Ford. When it is done it will be a Tempest if we can find decals."

More pictures soon...:seeya:


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Engine and other part prep*

Hey Guys,

Had a successful weekend. The wallet is hurting....earlier I was on Ames Performance Engineering's website... :willy: I'm pretty excited to see the box(s) later this week.

I cleaned and painted this a few years ago;









It held up great but needs cleaning and painting. A little later..








I did take the intake manifold off, but I neglected to take a picture.

Bottoms Up!









The suspension arms were smoothed and I re-primed them to prep them for paint.









I wire brushed the trans and bell housing.









I painted the section of the clutch fork that sticks out;









I found this nightmare and began thinking about maybe kinda cleaning and sending them out for sandblasting...eh, maybe later this week.









After that it was time for some motivation, so I dream....









You can just about hear it running.

Thanks for looking, :seeya:
Thor


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

lol Thor, i always get a kick out of your posts, hows the weather treating you upstate, we just got 6" dumped on us in 4 hrs after the previous 20" just melted off....keep up the good work and i hope to see you at the Dream Cruise this year. Looking like i will be on the road late April....fingers crossed


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Christmas in Feb....*

Instg8ter,

The weather here on the west coast has been typical, snow is measured in feet and the days I can go to work without brushing off the car are few. I'm close enough to the lake that the lake effect snow is a daily occurrence.

I've been working on the car some more;

Christmas came at the end of February, but the presents were only boxed and not wrapped, and I bought them myself, so I guess it wasn't really Christmas. But still fun...Like Christmas:









I painted some parts, some black, some high-temp spray gray;









Some even blue;









Installed some new stainless steel brake lines and fuel lines;









I painted the motor the wrong color;









Then, I painted in the right color;









But I'm not sure it was the right color because the first can I painted the intake with did not match the second that I painted the engine with;









At least the fan came out the colors I expected;









And some more parts prepped for 2K epoxy;










So the saga continues... I'm having fun and enjoying the project, so no complaints there. The suffering of the frame-bondo-battle is in the past, now I get to see everything come together on the frame. Hopefully I can finish the engine soon and get it back on the frame.

Thanks for the views and comments! 


-Thor


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## likethat (Oct 5, 2007)

There is like 6 Pontiac blue colors for the true Pontiac engines from the early 60's to the early 80's. So it comes down to do you want original for the car or if you have a different year engine then that original year color or if you just like a certain shade. Like many here I like the 66-70 Pontiac blue metallic. in the 50's they used green shades. Cool colors also.

Here is a link to the colors at year one:

Pontiac Engine Colors

and a 67 engine Blue Metallic bay:










Correct Pontiac blue-green from Bill Hirsch automotive 40-57:


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

LikeThat,

Thanks for the pictures. I've seen many different colors of Pontiac blue but that link really lays it out. My concern with the paint color was a mixture issue. I want, and bought the original color for the year car (1964), both cans were the same paint and labeled the same '1964 pontiac blue', but the two cans sprayed completely different colors despite being the same part number. :shutme

I think what I'll do is introduce a third can after the intake is installed to cover everything to make sure the color is all uniform. I just wasn't expecting that much variation from one can to the other considering I bought both at the same time, same manufacture and same PN...

Such is life...:cheers

--Thor


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## likethat (Oct 5, 2007)

I have ran into it many times. We build museums and see color change in dyes, stains, and every other paint. Nothing like painting something and a year later in the build some one screws up an older display from the beginning. Then have to go back and repaint the repair part and you get a new color. Even with stock store bought or our own color formula. Something has been altered in the product or they get a new supplier and don't let you in on the change.


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## GhostTown (Jan 25, 2011)

I had to subscribe to this thread. Your progress has been remarkable, and I sincerely learned quite a bit by reading through it.

Good luck to the rest of your efforts, and say hello to Chief for us all!


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Saga of the Pontiac Engine Paint....*

GhostTown,

Thanks for subscribing, I'm glad your enjoying the project! Chief, says "HI", he reads this all the time, he even has an account! 


LikeThat,

Thanks for the pointers, I've got my problem figured out... It was a pain though.


The Painting Saga continues;
A few days ago I noticed the paint color between two cans did not match.









No problem, I'll just repaint the intake with a different can (same brand) and it will match. This is what I got:








Wrinkles, all wrinkles.

This is by far the worst painting product I have ever used. If you recoat after a few hours it wrinkles, they know this (chief talked to them)... The EPA in their glorious wisdom forced them to modify the formula to save the planet.









If you are going to paint your engine soon do not use this stuff;









Instead, go back in history to the previous version, buy, beg, borrow, steal, pirate pillage, or plunder this stuff because it works flawlessly; Note: I used No 208 not the number that is shown here, but the can logo is the same.









So what does one do when they end up with wrinkle coat on the intake...








Sandblast.. take it all off.

And a few hours later, more primer, and the old good stuff that I found buried way in the back at the local Car Quest store;


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

So the project continued, and the engine was reassembled;









Every day I end up with fewer and fewer used-looking dirty parts and end up with freshly painted parts ready to go back on the car;









Chief cleaned some parts today;









He also says I stop too hard, but I disagree. What do you think?









Anyways, thanks for the views and comments!

-Thor


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## likethat (Oct 5, 2007)

Back in the early 90's the plastikote would wrinkle like that for me. You had to spray it very lightly let it flash and do it again. It would run horrible also. I use the other new stuff you have pictured there. If you are not going total original you can swap out 76 77 grand prix backing plates, brake spring, adjusters, and drums on you axles housing. Basically everything backing plates out but not the axles. Old ones still work. That year GP has 11" drums and the small bolt pattern. Nothing else needs changed.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Two Steps Forward One Step Back....*

With the motor more or less complete, the next big item is the rear end. It was sandblasted and primed with epoxy. So Chief and I thought it would be a good time, before final paint, to replace the pinion seal along with the other seals. So we took the cover off to dump the 47 year old rear end oil.










Here is the 3:23 posi, the gears looked really nice:









All was well until I found these laying in the oil... (Socket included for size reference)









Any ideas on what they might be? I couldn't find any missing teeth or any obvious place where they came from. (second angle)









Maybe a bearing race, or seal ring? Chief and I decided to outsource the rebuilding of this rear end as the scope has changed from a simple seal replacement to a failure analysis. With the differential as it is we got a quote for $400.00 for new bearings (5), seals and reassembly. They will inspect the differential for the broken components and replace whatever they find broken. So the rear end project is on pause till Friday when I can take it to the rebuild shop. We decided to focus on some much overdue organization..

We turned this:









Into to this:









During the re-org I found the old spring insulators so I re-purposed them to Axle (the dog) for fun.. He couldn't wait to head out and play with it.









Stayed Tuned for more restoration fun!
:seeya:

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Road Trip*

Hey Guys,

Chief and I had another successful Pontiac day. This morning we drove to Ionia to drop off the axle at a shop that specializes in Muscle Car rear ends. Very position meeting, should be about 3 weeks and I'll get my differential back. On the way home we were thinking about what to do and decided to finish the little car. So after visiting 3 paint shops, the 4th finally had what we need, Marimba Red Urethane BaseCoat Clearcoat by PPG.

So back at the shop I spend some time and bondo-ed the little car;









It have alot of little dents and dings, I did quite a bit of hammering on this car;









Then some high-fill primer for wet sanding;









Tomorrow, I get to spray some basecoat/clear coat in the color of the car. I'm pretty excited to try it out. I prepared a section on the body that I will use to compare the colors to ensure i get the right one. In 1964 there were 2 Marimba Reds, I believe mine is "Marimba Red Poly #2 50684". Tomorrow we'll know if it matches the original laquer;









While I sanded bondo, Chief finished cleaning, primed and painted the hood hinges with phos;









Have a great weekend, I'll keep updating as things happen.

-Thor
:cheers


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## GhostTown (Jan 25, 2011)

You're little car looks great. Very cool idea, using it for a way to get a feel of things.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

:agree ghost plus it will be kick a** to set next to the car at shows...keep up the good work Thor, still hoping to see you at DreamCruise this year. Hats off to you and the Chief, meticulous does not even begin to describe your build....love it


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Little Pontiac Progress*

Hey guys,

Thanks for the awesome feedback. Chief and I got a good laugh about being meticulous with our restoration. I guess we just are...idk.

So this weekend we made some massive jumps with the Little Tempest;

We sprayed basecoat (Marimba Red).... I forgot to pic of the basecoat before we taped it;









Then we sprayed the grille with a silver;









Notice the Tempest Custom trim;









Then came the clearcoat;



























Of course, we didn't forget to check the paint color with some unfaded original paint. I was extremely happy with the color match;









So another successful weekend working on the car. Not much direct progress on the car, but I learned alot about basecoat clear coat, found my paint supplier and got some practice with painting. So indirectly the project is advanced.

Thanks for all the views!!! :cool

-Thor


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## likethat (Oct 5, 2007)

There will be a 66 GTO at the door later this week. Just paint and send back to sender:seeya:


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## Koppster (Jul 27, 2008)

Very cool...a real pleasure to follow this thread...Rick


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

:agree


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## [miko] (Feb 17, 2011)

This is such an inspiration. It's working out that my Pop and I are starting to put together a restoration plan for his marimba red '64 Lemans convertible. Love seeing how nice that color looks with a fresh clearcoat on it. 

This might be a bit hard to answer this early on, but any idea of your parts budget for the project? Or are you taking it one step at a time? 

Can't wait to see her back together and running.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the comments. I've been busy working on the car. Chief and I did some more painting/priming this past weekend. I'll post more pics tomorrow, the camera battery was dead after just one picture.

All I'm gonna say is that I have been acting meticulously again;









LikeThat; I checked the driveway and haven't seen a '66 GTO yet. All I can tell you is, it takes alot of work to get it nice enough. Thanks for the feedback!

Koppster; Thanks for following, I'm glad you've been enjoying it.


Miko; First let me welcome you to the forum, feel free to post comments or ask questions.. There is a great group of folks here that have a vast knowledge base to help you out. Sometime you should get some photos and start a thread for the restoration, tell the story and keep following it. Just remember its not always about the end result but the fun of getting there.

As for the parts budget; I've been taking it one step at a time. I'm spending money only when I necessarily need to. This means the interior, rechroming bumpers, rims and tires, exhaust, and other parts that can be restored/purchased later are on hold. My goal is to have the car drivable by August, but be working on the details through next winter. Anything that can be done easily later is put on hold until I absolutely need to spend the money. I am keeping track so when it is finished I will know (if I dare add up the receipts...) 


Thanks for all the views:seeya:!

-Thor


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## [miko] (Feb 17, 2011)

Thor7352 said:


> ...if I dare add up the receipts...


I hear ya. Somethings are better left a mystery. I'll definitely start a thread. Thanks for the welcome.

peace*mike


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## likethat (Oct 5, 2007)

HMMM I looked in the garage, and what a shock to see the 66 still sitting there waiting for the owner to get off his lazy butt, and stop taking the Hayabusa out for stop sign races.

Good work as usual Thor.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Wedge the Hiyabusa in behind the GTO so you have to finish it...LOLarty:


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## lemanslady64 (Mar 23, 2011)

*Darth V rides again!*



Thor7352 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> [Then we sprayed the grille with a silver;]
> 
> ...


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Painting Progress*

Hey Ladies and Gentlemen,

It's been a while since I've posted. Thank you all for the comments (Welcome LemansLady) and I am glad you are all enjoying the progress.

I've been prepping parts lately for black frame paint;









Again, epoxy primer..bondo....paint..









Chief and I realized that painting on tabletops is part of our dirt problem and hanging them is the way to go. We looked at the number of parts we needed to paint so we came up with this plan for hanging them;









Then came the black;









We pushed our new part hanging system to the limits on this job, we even hung an additional bar below some parts to add a second tier (Chief thought this might be a bit much but, we went for it anyways!);









And for Dave, this is the flywheel guard my Tempest came with;









Now the parts are painted. UPS is in possession of a package from Ames headed my way. I'm hoping this thing will be rolling soon. 

Rear Diff update: I stopped by the rear end shop in Ionia, MI the other day, the axle was in the process of being disassembled but no answer to the chunks of metal yet.

Anyways, have a good weekend! :cheers


-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Assembly*

Hi!

Not too much has happened since my previous post. I cleaned the painting room and organized the parts for assembly:









I put the steering box and motor mounts on the frame;









Organized and started figuring out which bolts I have, which ones need to be replaced and digging around trying to find the nicely labeled bag with the bolts i'm missing...









Soon, some more parts will be here! 

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Still Not Finished....*

Hey Guys and Gals...

I couldn't believe it, I had to go to the 2nd page to find this thread. I've been busy working 60 hours a week. We're rebuilding a 29,500 horsepower steam turbine generator at work, so the car time has been reduced... However, some progress has occurred in the past couple weeks;

Christmas came again;









I got all sorts of goodies for the front end suspension, steering and other good stuff;








I needed to press the new bushings into the suspension arms and I did not have a press to make it happen. So I found some I-beams and a bottle jack laying around and decided they would work;









Welding the frame;









Using the new press to install the upper a-arm shaft and bushings, not pretty but it worked;









The lower ball joints and bushings;









Putting upper and lower on the frame;









And finally, putting the spring in.









Then I put the stabilizer in;


















I hope everyone's projects are going well. I'll be finished with the turbine generator inspection at work soon and have some more free time to dedicate to the car. Enjoying the project at work, but missing the Pontiac...

-Thor


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## likethat (Oct 5, 2007)

Moog is always my first choice.


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## Koppster (Jul 27, 2008)

Thor, you made all that look easy! Keep 'em comin'! :cool


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## likethat (Oct 5, 2007)

Did you buy the Moog replacement upper control arm positive camber mounts
?

Moog K5250 Upper Control Offset Arm Shaft


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## Squidtone (Nov 26, 2010)

Thor
Your project looks fantastic. Thanks very much for all the eye candy in the posts. I love 64 Tempests Lemans GTOs.

I have a question:

How did you compress your front springs to get the lower ball joint stud into the spindle? Did you use a spring compressor or some other technique? Without engine weight the frame just lifts off the floor......

I'm at just about the same point as you with my 67; Painted parts hanging all over the place on wires, and I'm ready to install bushings and ball joints and put it all back together.

Thanks!
Dave


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Good evening,

Two steps forward, one step back today. Chief took the day off and went to pickup the rear end, the shop re-built the whole thing but forgot to replace the wheel bearings that were packed with sand from sandblasting... Now we need to purchase new wheel end gaskets, and differential cover gasket because they used RTV during reassembly and we need to open everything back up to put the wheel bearings in and clean the tubes out because they didn't clean all the sand out....:shutme

Likethat,
I inspected and re-used the original upper control arm shafts, but replaced the bushings with new Moog ones. What would the positive camber shafts gain me in regards to handling performance?

Squidtone,
Thanks for reading the thread and for the comments. Here is how I got the springs in;

First I installed the upper and lower control arms. Then I installed the spindle onto the lower control arm and hand tightened the nut.

Next, I used a spring compressor tool, as shown, to compress the spring. I used an impact wrench to drive it tight as it takes a lot of tough turns with a wrench. Also, I learned the hard way to leave three or four coils on both ends to get the tool out once the upper and lower control arms are bolted to the spindle. This means the middle section of the spring will need to be really tight. (Be Careful, there is a lot of stored energy in the spring)









Once the spring was in place, I used a ratchet strap around lower and upper control arms to pull them together while guiding the spindle hole into the upper ball joint stud. If you try this before the spring is in place you will realize that the upper and lower control arms will not join easily with the spindle because you must compress the upper control arm bumper stop. I found that the ratchet strap would fit around the upper ball joint and the lower ball joint and pull it together (be sure not to let the strap pull on the grease zerks). The spring compressor tightened the spring and the ratchet strap tightened the rubber bumper stop and pulled the upper ball joint stud into place and I torqued everything down.









It took a couple tries on the first side, but the second went much smoother.

Hope this helps! :seeya:

-Thor


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Thor, the offset upper shafts allow for more positive camber and caster which enhance cornering performance. The tires stay flat on the road instead of having the top lean out, letting the tire roll under and loose tread contact.

Looks like you could be driving it this summer yet....:cheers


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## Squidtone (Nov 26, 2010)

Thor thanks for describing your technique on installing the springs.
Good luck on the rest of the build, I'll be watching this thread!

Dave


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## likethat (Oct 5, 2007)

It is not a have to have item. I see you are going original on drum brakes also. When they are in like new condition drum brakes are still good. I have an original 67 RS convertible Camaro and an original 66 SS Impala. Both still have everything stock 4 wheel drums except the shoes that are new and everything else has been cleaned and adjusted. They even have the springs around the drums. The brakes work very well. All the disc brakes and positive alignment shafts are bolt in and if you feel like you need them. You can just added them later. Your car is looking very nice and original. Well maybe a face lift(smoothing out the wrinkles), but still very stunning.


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

And for Dave, this is the flywheel guard my Tempest came with;


Thanks Thor. Yes I did manage to get that part a little while back.

You project is looking great. You're going to have a beautiful car. Keep posting the pictures.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hey Guys,

I'm not dead yet... The car has progressed slowly. The steam turbine is back online at work and now I'm replacing the exhaust system on a gas turbine. Soon, I'll have more time on my hands and get cranking on the Tempest again. I did order a ton of parts from Ames and got many of those installed. I'm waiting to get the axles back from the shop with new bearings and the rear end will finally be ready for paint. It's looking like my 9 month time frame will be shifted slightly into the fall for an On-The-Road date. Hope everyone's projects are moving along!

-Thor


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## onetwomany (Apr 22, 2011)

Thor-take as much time as you need to do it right. Work on your schedule and timeframe. Its looking good man.

Squid- I went thru the same pain with mine. Putting a new front end under a bare chassis.Heres what I went thru. Cheap spring compressor failed 3/4 thru install with my buddy.He didnt get hurt but scared the $hit out of both of us. Same scenario-different compressor failed with my wife helping me. same outcome. Third spring compressor- American made about $65. Got the springs compressed and in place and ball joints tightened down with my Dad helping.
Holy $hit I'm glad thats over.
If and when I ever do that again I will have a engine and tranny sitting in the mounts if only for weight donation. For safety sake.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Back*

Hey!

I've been at it again. I've made some serious progress on the Tempest project in the last couple weeks. While I was lax on the project and busy with work I did find time to order a lot of parts so when the time did come I was able to breeze through the assembly and not have to wait for parts. 

The front brakes went on:









New stainless steel lines;









The rear end was finally finished and installed and the frame was taking off the rotisserie;









Rear brakes were assembled along with shocks and springs;









New steering damper installed;









I think it's ready for some wheels!!









No Problem, Chief and I cleaned these up and put them on. (though I probably won't use these when the car is finished they look awesome for now)









What's that? Oh an engine, time for that now too.









In she goes!









And then there was an engine.... (all 400 cubic inches!)









To be continued....


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

continued...

The clutch and bell housing were installed, followed by the 'z-bar' for the clutch pedal.









Then the transmission was installed;









And of course the shifter;









Brake lines in the rear (note the POSI tag reinstalled as it was found from the factory);









And then it was time for a break...









Speaking of breaks, chief and I are headed down to Indy later this week for the Hot Rod Power Tour with the '65 GTO. So we've taken a break on the Tempest for a while to get the GTO ready for the trip and the laps around Indy that I will get to drive for.









My contribution to the GTO work has been rim painting;









Finished;









You can follow the rest of the HOT ROD POWER TOUR prep work on Chief65's post over in the technical discussion thread (don't think for a minute that he will be driving the car on the Indy speedway.....)

Thanks for the views and comments!
:seeya:

-Thor


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

Your frame looks amazing Thor.


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Looks amazing and your pace is making me feel like a slug with mine...


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Inspiration*

Josh,

Thanks for the compliment!

Too Many Projects,
Thanks, Just remember it isn't a race. Enjoy the project at your own pace. Also, keep in mind I can currently count my responsibilities on one hand, I don't think thats normal...


Last week I was inspired;








That's Chief riding shotgun and me behind the wheel...

Cruisin on the Indianapolis-Muskegon stretch of the Hot Rod Power Tour









Arriving at Indy;









We did hit a little rain... I think we were the only muscle car on the tour with belted tires... but I drove the heck out of it and we made it in one piece (Chief drove 0 miles  ).









The '65 GTO we took;








(Rumor has it this one may be our next frame-off resto)

Next step on the Tempest: Mount the body on the recently freed rotisserie.

Till next time,
Thor


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

hey Thor thought you might want this for your paint files and i did not want to hi-jack Bears thread, this is a spray booth procedure a body/paint friend of mine wrote for me. i found it very helpful especially with mixing and "patterning" (working your way around the car to keep a wet edge)....FYI i used around 80 OZ. per coat and laid 3 coats base and 4 coats clear.

Show up with a box of paint prep wipes (good paper towels)

Moisten a couple wipes with water and kinda "dust mop" the car to remove dust.

Put on gloves. Keep fresh latex or nitrile gloves on the whole time.

Degrease the car with wax n grease remover. Get it wet, wipe it dry.

Put your can of color on the paint shaker and let er rip. Put on a cheapo paint suit preferrably with hood. Or wear a ball cap.

Unfold a fresh tack cloth all the way then ball it up loosely and grab your blow gun. Turn the booth on.

Tack and blow the car off simultaneously. Use medium-low air pressure and be thorough around gaps. Don't mash on the tack rag. Tack the masking also. This should take like two or three minutes.

Booth off. Grab your color off the shaker. Open and stir with a stick. Scrape the bottom of the can and be sure theres no clumps there. Shake more if so.

Show up with two empty gallon paint cans from the paint store. Or a couple old plastic pitchers.

Set your freshly cleaned gun in the gun stand in your mixing area. Pop the lid and put a paper strainer on top.

Show up with four or five paint sticks marked off in numbered half inch increments with a pencil or permanent marker.

Chunk one of them in an empty can. Set the lid back on your color and tap one side down. Hold the lid down and pour your color.

Mix one coat's worth of color 80 oz. . Second coat you'll know how much to mix if u pay attention.

Hit your mixing ratio exactly every time. No buts. Mix up your reducer and color now. Stir twice as long as you think you need to.

Get it into the gun and don't make a mess. Booth on for good. Cork it and go to the Temptress.

Stand by the exhaust fan and gently blow yourself off with low pressure air. You are ecstatic but loose, not nervous. Stretch, breathe. Concentrate. Respirator on.

Check your gun pattern on the masking someplace. Make it do what you want. Wide fan, but even top to bottom. Not too dry, not too wet.

Practice the roof right before u spray first base coat. Will you make it in one sweep front to rear or will you have to move the stool and make two sweeps per side? Gotta keep the gun pointed straight at the panel without touching the car for support!

Its gonna be over before you know it. Go to work.

Roof first, one side then the other middle to pillar bottom. Deck n rearend same way. Then quarters and work your way forward, ending with the hood.

50% overlap on color. Medium wet coats. Medium pressure. Medium gun distance and speed. Take your time.

Stagger the start/stops of each coat down the side. For example, spraying the quarter beginning at rear, on first coat , go top to bottom (carry that wet edge down) and use the back of the wheel opening as your landmark. Next, just the area over the well. Next, well to door handle and so on. Second coat, go from bumper to middle of well, then from there to the door gap. Thats what I mean by stagger the start/stops. Gives you a better chance at even coverage.

...and don't flip the gun at the end of your strokes. Trigger off with gun moving.

Get all your coats down. Hopefully you used the slowest reducer available, or the next one down. Let flash thoroughly. It should have no texture to speak of and no loose overspray.

Dab gently with tack rag when dry if some trash is laying on the paint, but don't tack the whole car.

Thoroughly clean the gun. Remove nozzle if possible and flush.

Same way on mixing clear. Get out your other empty can and marked stick. Mix enough for one coat. Set up for easy refills. May take more than the color did.

Everything is more on the clear, but none to the extreme. Overlap your last pass by 2/3rds instead of half. Little air pressure bump. Go faster, hold gun closer. Do not tilt gun. Let the reducer do it's job and don't overwet at start/stops. Hit it hard, dump it on and keep moving. Be a robot and don't look back. Don't drown it because it WILL run. When the wettest spot on your masking is sticky or stringy, you're ready for the next coat. Don't drag a hose or pant leg in it!

:cheers


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Hijacked...*

Instg8ter, 

With a reply like that you can hijack my thread anytime you want! Thanks for the awesome procedure. This will come in handy, I'll print it out and use it for a checklist. I've done must the booth and paint room prep exactly how you have it written, its the base coat clear coat and finishing that I haven't done much of. 

Hey, Are you going to Tri-Power Nationals in Norwalk, OH? I'm planning on heading down there with the '65 GTO.

-Thor


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

Man that must have been the coolest thing ever to drive a GTO around Indy. I bet you are still grinning, dispite the rain on the way home. Your Tempest is looking amazing, it's been a while since I looked at the pics and the progress. Every damn bolt and everything, incredible amount of work. Mine may be done before yours, but I didn't do a frame off, so it won't be near as nice (plus I didn't do much of the resto so not near the satisfaction, laziness has a price).


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

would love to go down if work and the car permits it, when is it Thor?


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Instg8ter,

Here is the website:

http://www.pontiacnationals.com/


It's August 5,6,7.

-Thor


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

Great thread and it is now a sticky, :cheers


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## Thumpin455 (Feb 17, 2010)

Congrats on the sticky and welcome to the club. Indeed it is a great thread. I wish I could have done PT with you this year, hopefully next year my brothers and I can go along.

Also I have a unique tool I use for painting and working on trucks. It is a 6' long 12" wide 1" thick board screwed to two 5 gallon buckets. It makes for a handy bench or a nice long platform that is easy to move. You can see it in some of my pics. Makes painting roofs MUCH easier!

Just a couple additions to Instig8ers nice list. Always watch your air line so it doesnt get in the paint or drag stuff onto the surface. I wrap mine over my shoulder while I shoot. Also be sure to drain the water traps before you shoot. 

I have a special line that I only use for painting, it stays rolled up and the ends connected to keep dirt and moisture out. When you are done shooting, roll up the hose with the open end on the ground to make sure it doesnt have any water in it to get in the paint next time you shoot.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Good additions thumpin, i have a Mustang already lined up as the next color victim, daughters BF wants me to spray it when he gets it ready....may be a year...lol


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

Thor7352 said:


> Instg8ter,
> 
> Here is the website:
> 
> ...


I used to live 25 minutes from Norwalk (grew up in Ohio). :-( I was trying to go back to Ohio for a vacation to attend the Pontiac Nationals but it's not going to work out this year. Maybe next time hopefully.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hey All,

I lost my thread a few days ago, then I found it was a sticky! Thanks so much for finding it worthy. I made HUGE progress today. Chief, Pete (my brother) and I got the body on the rotisserie. It was a lot more involved than I thought it would be. We ended up making custom brackets for all four mounting points. It looks good, and even better will hold the load. Then we did a major cleanup and re-organization of the barn. There is almost 2 stalls available for parking other cars. The frame moved up to the house garage next to the '64 GTO and all the spare body parts were nested in. Very soon the body will disappear to sand-blasting!

Josh,
Bummed you won't be there, next year though.

Instg8ter & Thumpin,

Thanks for all the painting pointers that will definitely be used!

Thanks for the comments and views (and the STICKY!)
-Thor


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## Thumpin455 (Feb 17, 2010)

When we get these rusty old cars done either you should come up to the St Ignace show, or we could both go to Woodward. It would be cool if I could get my father in law to drive his 65, and I could drive my 70 and meet you guys for some car event.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

If you guys make it down for the dream cruise let me know have a nice group of Pontiacs to park alongside each other....:cheers


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Back at it*

Hey all,

No, I'm not dead and I didn't quit either. I've been traveling to various locations throughout the US to visit family and friends. I've seen some pretty neat things, cars, and events. I did get to the Tri-Power Nationals in Norwalk. I bought some really great trim pieces for around the tail lights and rear Tempest Custom only trunk trim. I'll post pictures of it later as well as pics of the body on the rotisserie. So far this week I've just about finished adding filler and smoothing out the last door, then it will be ready for high-fill primer. I've sandblasted both quarter panel extension pieces and made sure the new trim pieces fit. 

I'll try and not have any more posting lapses as it means progress is slow....

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Year One*

Hey All,

Today is 10-10-11, exactly one year from my first post and beginning of the project. It has come a long ways. Though it did not meet my hopeful goal of a nine month completion date, I am extremely satisfied with the progress of the build thus far. Since the weather got cold and the '65 GTO is now away for the year I've re-focused on the '64 Tempest. There has been progress;

The body on the rotesserie;









I cut some larger holes in the trunk for access for media blasting and cleaning;









Loaded it on a trailer;









Back from blasting DA-sanding in progress;









Firewall is nice and clean;









Passenger side quarter panel is complete;









I'm hoping to have the car totally cleaned by the end of the week and begin sheet metal work. I still need to purchase the cab floor, trunk floor and inner fenders. I'm hoping buy them by the end of the month, if any one knows a place in the Western Michigan/Chicago/Detroit area that I could buy them and pick them up it would be awesome. Thanks for looking, I'll be around alot more in the coming months!

-Thor


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Looking good.
The Parts Place Inc. is in Chicago. Muscle Car Parts, Pontiac GTO Parts, NOS GM Auto Part, Trans AM, Oldsmobile 442 Cutlass, Buick GS Skylark, Firebird, Bonneville, Grand Prix, Catalina, Olds 88 98, Starfire, Chroming, Polishing, Welding, Stainless Steel Straightening, Aluminum, Restor

If you need the complete floor and trunk, I recommend you get the one piece units with all braces included. I got them for my '67 and they fit well and save a LOT of time welding individual panels together, not to mention no warpage from the heat. You can find pics of them in my sig link.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

do not know if they are the same but NPD has chevelle pans in Canton, MI


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Too Many Projects said:


> Looking good.
> The Parts Place Inc. is in Chicago. Muscle Car Parts, Pontiac GTO Parts, NOS GM Auto Part, Trans AM, Oldsmobile 442 Cutlass, Buick GS Skylark, Firebird, Bonneville, Grand Prix, Catalina, Olds 88 98, Starfire, Chroming, Polishing, Welding, Stainless Steel Straightening, Aluminum, Restor
> 
> If you need the complete floor and trunk, I recommend you get the one piece units with all braces included. I got them for my '67 and they fit well and save a LOT of time welding individual panels together, not to mention no warpage from the heat. You can find pics of them in my sig link.


Do you need to remove a rocker panel or two to install the 1 piece floor?


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Instg8ter said:


> do not know if they are the same but NPD has chevelle pans in Canton, MI


Floor pan is the same, trunk is not. I would think they could bring a Pontiac 1 piece in on a stock order and not have to pay freight.



Rukee said:


> Do you need to remove a rocker panel or two to install the 1 piece floor?


You would need to remove the inner rockers but not the outers. The floor pan is sandwiched between the outer and inner rockers. Some floor pans come with the rockers attached too, if they need to be replaced.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hey All,

Thanks for the floor pan thoughts. It looks like goodmark makes the complete trunk floor I want with braces and gas tank mounts and dynacorn makes the complete floor pan with braces and inner rockers. However, reading the floor floor pan with braces in Ames they said it is listed incorrectly in the catalog and does not include inner rockers, so I still have some research to do.

In more positive news the car is primed with 2 part epoxy:


















I also ordered the wheelhouses for the back of the car, progress. 

Thanks for the comments and views.

-Thor


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Check the Goodmark description carefully. If it is still the same one I looked at a year ago, it's designed for a Buick and WILL work for a Pontiac with modification. The ONLY one I found to be Pontiac specific is the Dynacorn piece. I have pics of the Dynacorn floor in my sig link towards the end of the thread.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Mitch,

Did the dynacorn floor come with all the bracing?

-Thor


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Thor, The car is lookin' good. Why not call Dynacorn directly...they are usually willing to talk!:lol: Good luck with the rest of the project!! Eric


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Thor7352 said:


> Mitch,
> 
> Did the dynacorn floor come with all the bracing?
> 
> -Thor


Yes, here's a pic of it. I don't have one of the underside but it has all the braces with cage nuts for the mounts and the gas tank braces too. It's very complete.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

That looks sweet mocked up with the inner fenderwells. How far forward does it go?


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

It ties right in with the full floor pan behind the rear seat, exactly like factory. 2 pieces and you have a complete floor from the toe boards to the tail panel...:cool

The plan is to get back on this after the first of next year and add more pics to my thread...:cheers


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Blitzkrieg*

I'm Back!!!!

Been working on the car for the last few months and made some serious progress. Sorry about the lack of posting, I hope the following makes up for it.

I purchased a full floor pan with braces, a full trunk pan with braces, inner and outer rear fenders, inner and outer rocker panels and full rear quarter panels all from Goodmark. They all seem to be great quality and very closely match the originals. 









I set them on the chassis to check for alignment of the body mount holes prior to wrestling the panels into the car.









I removed the panels and set the body back on the chassis to use as a jig.


















I fabricated a temporary sub frame to keep the door spacing solid since the floor and rockers would be completely replaced I wanted to be sure the door jam spacing remained the same.









Then I cut out the old outer rocker and replaced it









I removed some of the floor for clearance to get to the rocker easily









Line up of the door jam to the rocker









More to come.....


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*More*

The inside of the drivers side cowl was pretty gone so I cut it out and rebuilt it.


















Once the cowl was complete I was able to pre-assemble the inner rockers to the floor panel and then slide the floor panel into place. I had to have the body off the carat this point. In the last couple months the body has been on and off the chassis a dozen times. The gantry crane and chain fall have been extremely handy for checking and double checking body mount alignment and panel fits.









Once the floor was tacked in I moved on to the trunk floor. It's the Buick trunk floor and needed to be cut off the back few inches. Notice the custom built panel to make the Buick floor a Pontiac one. I had to do this because mine was shot. (The custom built panel is now for sale http://www.thorsspeedshop.com/store/p9/1964_GTO/LEMANS/TEMPEST_TRUNK_TO_TAIL_PANEL_EXTENSION.html)









I welded in to the cut off Buick Floor;









Then I reassembled the rear end tail pieces and trim to check fit and form;









With the trunk in and tacked and the rear panel figured out (painfully), I removed the quarter panel;


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

I started the quarter panel process by trimming the excess off of the new panel. I used the new panel then to mark the cut line on the existing quarter panel. I'm glad I did because when I cut the existing quarter panel the crown of the body line sank a 1/2" in center near the roof post. Looking down the crown of the quarter panel it no longer arched but actually looked flat, I used the pre-cut quarter panel to re-arch it. I had to pull the crown of the existing quarter up to the butt welded joint in the new quarter panel.


















Butt welded joint:









Then I did the otherside:









Currently I'm finish welding a few things and making dust. I'm glad to get a post out again. Sorry for delays... I'm pushing hard to get to paint. I'll keep posting and try to get into the routine again... 

-Thor


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

WOW...I'd say all the pics make up for the delay. NICE work !!!! It all looks VERY familiar... Isn't that cowl/rocker/floor area a treat ? I obtained donor pieces for both sides of mine. I haven't gotten around to installing my trunk floor. The only difference is I have a Pontiac specific floor to avoid cutting but I have to replace the tail panel at the same time. You're very brave to cut into the quarter like that and especially to make it fit that well as a butt seam.
I started doing restoration work as a job this winter and have rebuilt nearly the entire back half of a '66 Mustang. It's nice to make a little income doing this but I don't have time for my own cars now...

I'd guess you will be ready for paint this summer at the rate you are going.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Too Many Projects,

Thanks for the compliments. I've never done any body work like this before but I have done quite a bit of fabrication work. I really want the replaced quarters to be hidden, so I'll be filling the inside of the quarters too and a butt weld is the way to do it. I wanted a Pontiac specific floor but they don't make one for '64.

I don't mind doing this as a hobby, but you're brave to take it on as a job. Someday's I wouldn't have the patience under the pressure of a customer wanting it done quickly and under a budget.

I'm hoping to be to paint in May.

-Thor


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## twinjracing (Aug 28, 2010)

Looks good keep up thegood work.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Motivated Progress*

Hey All!

Progress is happening! Slow but happening. The Hot Rod Power Tour starts a couple hours from here and is heading with a few miles of the house on day three so I have been preparing the '65 GTO to make it to at the first three to four stops. I'm done with the prep workon the '65 and have been back on the Tempest. I needed to see how it fit for fun so I threw some fenders and a spare hood on it:










It is coming along. I've been working on the detail welding and pieces needed to finish out the metal work. I've also been doing some body work, going back and forth as I get sick of one or the other...:rofl:

-Thor :seeya


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

Looking great Thor.


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## ChiefPontiac66 (Jul 12, 2012)

Great job! Any updates?


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Update: welding 100%*

Hey All,

I've been cranking through the project and continually making progress. Not a whole lot of pictures to take showing new things. I have finished all of the welding and have moved on to smoothing of the quarter panels. As expected they picked up a wave following welding and I have been massaging that back out. The tail section is finished. I go out and work on it about 3-4 nights a week and then on Saturdays. It been really hot here lately so that slowed progress the last week or so. Real soon I will be ready for another coat of primer over the whole thing and then black on the firewall and body. Once that is complete I'll roll right into hi-build primer. Shooting to have everything ready for paint in September with a completion date before the Hot Rod Power Tour 2013... :willy:

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Pictures*

Hey,

Finally took some pictures and uploaded them. I'm done welding and making a ton of dust. The paint booth looks more neon green than white.










Block sanding and filling of both quarters:









Seam Sealed the firewall and other places:


















Got the inner fender to quarter filler pieces made and in:


















Finished converting the Buick floor that Goodmark sells to a Pontiac, This area was all rusted... 









And a shot of the inner rocker, floor bracing and floor, everything in this picture is new steel.









Hope you enjoyed, thanks for looking.

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Making It Flat*

More Progress:

A while back I started smoothing out the new quarters with rage gold lightweight filler and it ended up looking like this:










It still had a little wave to it over the length of the quarter and I was using too short of a block. So I skimmed over it with an evercoat easy sand polyester to level and smooth it and I bought a 30" Durablock sanding block from Eastwoods... :cool










Smoothing it down went extremely well, there is a very thin and in most places near-clear layer of easy sand that filled in any sanding scratches and overall is leaving a nice flat and smooth quarter.










That's all for now, wish I could have gotten a better pic of the quarter with it being flat, I'll try during wet sanding. I'm moving on to high fill primer next. 


Also, progress will pause for this weekend while Chief and I venture to Ohio to partake in the Tri-Power Nationals.... Any one going? I have a list of parts I need from AMES/swap meet. 

-Thor

:cheers


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

I will be at the Nationals for the most part of Saturday. This will be my first time in attendance. Can't wait.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Makin' er flat*

So Guys and Gals;

Pontiac Tri-Power Nationals were great! I found a ton of parts I needed in the parts swap meet and what I needed new I purchased from Ames (free shipping :cool). The highlights include a stainless steel gas tank, stainless straps, a used but in great shape air box - to - defrost vent ducting, tempest 1/4 panel extensions (mine are good but the price was right), and a couple pieces of rear window reveal trim that were in rough shape on mine (had a hole drilled in one). Also bought lower door hinges!


The body is smoothing out nicely, as you can see it looks like a leopard!









Hi-fill primer will be coming very soon followed by wet sanding and then paint!!!

arty:

Thanks for the views and comments! 

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*97% of the way to high fill*

Hey ALL,

The day is coming this week when the Pontiac will change color once again. I am planning on shooting 2 part epoxy on the inside, in the trunk area, and under the car, then planning on shooting the underhood/body black on the firewall and whole underside and finish it off with multiple coats of hi build primer after that. Getting really excited to spray some paint, it's been a long time..

Here's how it looked today, I had to put it back on the chassis to fit a body mount that wasn't lining up that I forgot about and I also wanted to confirm the shift fit through the whole and was centered since I guestimated with a tape measure (it did fit)










I also put on my new air cleaner:









Next come painted valve covers.... 

Thanks for Looking!

-Thor


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Coming along nicely, sir. 

Bear


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Looking great! Can't wait to see some color on there!


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for the Comments! I'm hoping to paint in September.

So today leaving work I was pretty excited. I picked up a refrigerated air dryer (borrowed from a friend) to try during my planned hi-build priming this evening. However, when I got home it was pointed out to me by Chief that the Olds I drive daily had a trans leak (blew a line), so I spent some time fixing that and changing the oil in that car and therfore have no new pic to put up.... Good news, I only lost a quart out of the trans and didn't burn it up so money will not be spent there and can continue onwards with the Pontiac!

arty:

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*High Fill Post #1*

With the Olds back on the road I got back after the Pontiac tonight. Chief and I sanded the doors, cleaned them up and prepped them for high build. Then we went ahead and sprayed them with some good thick coats of high build primer. 

Two coats on the backside and jams:









4-5 coats on the outside:









Not a very good pic but it was great to get back behind the paint gun after doing so much welding, cutting, grinding, filling and sanding....









Next up: Deck lid and a second left side front fender.... Shortly followed by the whole body!
arty:


Then more sanding.....

Thanks for the views!

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Sniff...Sniff....mmm primer*

Hey All!

So I ordered this at the Tri Power Nationals and it showed up on my front step yesterday! It is awesome looking:









I 2 part epoxied a front fender this evening:









Then I hi fill primered the deck lid:


















It was not a very nice day for painting, humid and raining, but I really wanted to test the new refrigerated air dryer I'm borrowing on a try-before-you-buy basis. It worked great, not a spec of water to be seen in the primer!









Thanks for the views!!

:willy:

-Thor


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Sweet! maybe you could swing by with that drier  looking great!


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## kimbrandner (Aug 17, 2012)

I have a 64 Tempest Custom convertible. You stated that you are not putting the 3 chrome pieces on the lower front fenders. What condition are yours in? Mine are in sad shape. Might be interested in buying them for a reasonable price. Contact me at [email protected].


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Primer-Paint-Blitzkrieg*

Hey Guys and Gals,

Huge progress today on the Pontiac. Yeap, 2:30am, finished cleaning the paint gun 30 minutes ago and am still pretty excited so I figured I'd post some pictures...

This afternoon Chief and I rigged the body off the chassis again:









We two part epoxied the trunk area:


















The Interior area also got two part epoxy:









Looks really nice in all one color:









Then we decided to put the high-fill primer on the exterior surfaces:


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*continued.....*

Then we decided to paint the underside and firewall:




































Tomorrow we'll set the body back on the chassis and start fitting everything and then block sanding!

Kim, I'll double check the condition of mine and email you. From memory I am not re-using them because they were in rough shape but I'll double check.


Thanks for the Views!

Thor


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

Man you guys do some nice work, looking great.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Making Dust*

Hey All,

Thanks for the views and comment. I've really been working hard at making it right, I've been careful not to compromise on quality anywhere. I've also had to extend the original length of the project... With the high build primer on and quickly being taken of by sanding block another couple coats should see that complete. I have taken the whole week after labor day off to work on the car, I'm hoping at a minimum to have the interior painted, trunk painted, inner fenders and core support black, and everything else ready for paint. Maybe it will get painted that week, maybe not. I'm not going to rush it and there is always the weather to wait for.... Every sanding stroke is getting this car closer and closer to the Hot Rod Power Tour in June... (The new goal)

But now some pictures of a still dusty high fill primered car:




















Guide coated and partially blocked quarter...


















Thanks for looking!!

:seeya:

-Thor


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## twinjracing (Aug 28, 2010)

That's looking good. Can't wait to see it in color.

Sent from my MB855 using AutoGuide.Com Free App


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Half way through a 9 stretch...*

HEY!

So I had some vacation in the bank so I took 4 days off this week with Monday being a Holiday I'm left with a full week of Pontiac work!! It has been great to focus on nothing but the Pontiac for 4/5 days now! Check out the progress!

The stainless gas tank I bought from Ames came with a broken solder holding the filler neck in and was not soldered in correctly to fit the car so instead of messing with returns and shipping and packaging I went to a buddy's house and we fixed it:




















I finished the first round of block sanding the interior steel, the whole outside of the car. So I took it apart again and started shooting more high fill on the parts that need it. 



















I shot the core support with Eastwoods underhood ceramic black:









I shot a bunch of other parts with the same (Not shown is the actual underhood, also done in black):









I also took the dash and ash tray to the paint store so they can mix up the interior colors. I found the color codes, but no manufacturer has converted them to modern paint formulations so I am having them custom made. I am sticking with the maroon interior as it is not common and I like it.

My goal by the end of the week:
- Second round of high fill on the whole car
- Interior paint finished (If the paint store calls with the paint...)
- Possibly paint the trunk area since I have that paint on hand :cool

Thanks for the comments and views. I keep moving forward, I'm really excited to see it smoothing out and getting closer and closer to paint. I feel as though paint is a massive milestone in the project and once it gets through paint the feel of the project will change as the end will be much closer... Still enjoying the journey but man I miss driving her...

In between coats of high fill primer I couldn't stop staring at the rest of the car ready to cruise!









-Thor


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Man, looking sweet! Nice to make some uninterrupted progress! Anxiously awaiting color... :thumbup:


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## twinjracing (Aug 28, 2010)

Nice work


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Very nice indeed :cheers

Bear


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

meticulous work, we all know about the staring before closing her up for the night..., once you get color on you will be re-energized for trim and dying to get it on the road....hopefully our Michigan winter wont be on us by then.


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

Thor, That gas door plate reading "Pontiac" and the entire taillight housing is reproduced beautifully by Ames. Comes painted in correct red/black. The Pontiac letters need to be pained white by you though. I bought the whole assembly for my car and it looks perfect. If your existing ones look good then no need, but usually they're pitted.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Sanding........*

Hi All!

Thanks for the views and comments! I've been working on it a ton lately. I put some more high fill primer on the dash, had a few high spots. That should be the last of that. The paint shop called yesterday and had the interior paints finished. They look perfect, I can't wait to spray them on the car. I will spare you all more pictures of gray...boring sanding... The only rewarding part of this is when a section finally has no waves and looks smooth and flat. It just takes forever to get there....:confused

Daveh70,
I have seen the Ames part and agree that it is beautiful. However, it is not the right part...

Ames makes the GTO rear trim:









For one model only, the 'Tempest Custom', a special rear end trim was made that goes from side to side. It is die cast with a polished perimeter and a brushed inner surface:







- file photo off ebay..

Here is what the whole real looks like;









My rear trim was ok... Not perfect and could use some expensive re-chroming and restoration. So, since the beginning of the project I have been scouring swap meets and ebay and have purchased two sets that are in much better shape that will be cleaned, buffed and put on the finished car. I am still looking for perfect rear window reveal trim. The lower piece and the vertical pieces aren't in good shape on mine, lots of dents. They can be fixed but it all takes time..

Thanks again for the views and comments!!!

-Thor

:seeya:


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

That tail panel looks like a pain to restore. Is that a 32 3 window coupe back there? Post a couple of pics, I would like to see that, I have always wanted one.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

68GTO4004SPD,

That whole tail section has been an absolute nightmare. I really screwed up the steel tail panel when I mounted it on a rotisserie. It all caved in... I spent months straightening and fixing it. I was so pissed at my self and the rotisserie, I sold the rotisserie, stop posting (hard to post pictures of beating things back into shape with a hammer) and got mad at it for a while. I figured selling the rotisserie would prevent that from happening again.

The Ford in the background was/is a '34 3 Window, bone stock with a flathead V8. I wish I had more pictures of that car, my brother has some I'll see what I can do. A friend of my brother owns that car and he wanted it fixed up a little and drive-able for a family member's wedding. We got it running and got to enjoy driving it around the block a few times. It made it to the wedding, ran great and then was returned to the barn and has not moved since... I really hope my name is in the running when it is put up for sale. Once this Tempest is finished I want to build a '32 Three Window. 

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Priming and Interior Painting*

Hey all!

I had a successful weekend. Take a look:

Took forever but I cleaned and taped the Pontiac so I could shoot it with more hi-fill:



























And yup that is red over spray! I shot the first of the two interior colors!




































I also shot all the little interior pieces and trim parts with paint, as well as both front fenders with more high fill. It was a successful weekend. I will need to do some touch up in two places on the inside.....runs.... 

Anyways, next I get to spray the second color on the dash and then on to more sanding... Hopefully this time around gets it perfect.... :cool It would be really nice to see some color on it soon. I keep looking at FambeauHO's '68 project thinking mine will get to the reassembly stage soon!! 

Thanks for the views and comments!

-Thor :seeya:


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Man that is gonna be sweet! Can't wait to see some color on the exterior!


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*2nd Interior Color*

Hey!

So with the first color looking good on the lower portion of the dash, what can one do but tape it off and spray the top half..





































:willy:

Pretty stoked about how the dash turned out. I got super lucky though! I had just finished cleaning the gun when the storm that was blowing by took out the power! It would have really sucked if I was in the middle of painting and the power quit! The power came on a little bit ago and I went out to look at it and it looks sweet! I'll get some better pictures tomorrow without the tape on.

Thanks for the comments & views!!

-Thor


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

You'll get that car so nice you won't want to drive it. It'll be in a museum somewhere...


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Untaped*

As promised, some better pictures of the untaped inside! 






























Tonight I took the night off from 'working' on the car to put together an Ames order for all the pieces that I need to trial fit prior to paint. Such as rocker molding clips, reveal molding clips, rubber bumpers and lots of other small little pieces I needed. (they all add up fast though!!  )

Too Many Projects,

Thanks! It will not be perfect and I fully intend to drive it. If I build it, I will drive it. 

-Thor


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*A Ford?*

Well I was tired tonight, so I didn't do any work on the Pontiac. The weather was nice so Chief and I took the '65 GTO for a cruise to the beach with the dog. I do have some pictures from Chief of the '34 Ford seen in the background of one of the early restoration pictures:























































Flathead!









I got to drive this car, it was pretty awesome. I definitely want a 32,33, or 34 Ford 3 window in the future. The coolest thing on this car were the side windows. You roll them up and down like normal windows, but when you rolled them all the way up you can go 1/2 turn beyond fully closed with the crank and the window slides back about an inch creating a vent for smoking or nice breeze. The engineering work to figure that out is amazing, I was so tempted to remove a door panel to figure out how it worked....

Sorry about posting a Ford on the Pontiac GTO Forum, but I do like other cars than just Pontiacs... Though there are a ton of Pontiacs around here.

I think this car would look great with '50s style steel wheels and belted tires, no fenders, a 2.5" chop in the back 3" in the front. Lower it a few inches to really get that highboy look and it'd be perfect! (I'd probably feel bad about doing that to this nice of one though....)

-Thor

:seeya


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Disaster*

Hey Guys and Gals...

Do any of you have dogs that hang around your shops/garages? We have two. Axel and Katy. They've snook their way into some pictures throughout the restoration... Well today we had a first. After spending countless hours cleaning, sanding, and prepping the trunk it was time for lunch and a supply run, so off to the local Mcdonalds and Car Quest we went. There was a thunderstorm so we left Katy in the barn...alone. We came back to this:










She freaked out over the storm, climbed up on the maroon hood in the background, knocked it down, it must have hit the faucet on the wall. The barn filled with water and flooded out the drain, filled the whole thing including the paint booth with water. It was 2-3" deep in the worst spots!

She also climbed through the back window of the freshly taped off car trying to do who knows what!









Gotta say, I could have lived life without that wasted cleanup time... 

So by the time it was dark I had returned to were I was at noon (with a freshly cleaned paint booth). I shot the rear window and package tray with the same flat maroon as the top part of the dash. Learned I missed this while studying my brothers car.









Cleaned and prepped the trunk:


















Do you know what the worse thing on the whole car is to paint??? (I know)

ITS THE TRUNK!!! Painting it blows!



























Note to self: Order Trunk Mat Kit from AMES ASAP and Ship Next Day Air to hide sins...

Oh well, its just the trunk and I'm gonna use it for chairs, tools, bags and everything else I may need on the road.










Thanks for looking!

-Thor

(PS I fixed the '34 Ford pics on the previous page, I tried posting the pics a different way....)


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Ain't it fun when 'the unexepected' happens?

Very nice work!

Bear


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

That Ford is a nice, original example. If you want a fenderless coupe, buy a fiberglass body and start from there. Aftermarket frame with modern suspension and brakes. You would be changing all that on an original anyway. Not many complete cars left...

I'm quite certain the factory paint had runs in the trunk too. Turn head.....ignore......


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

Thanks for posting pics of the coupe, that is a cool car. Sorry to here about your dog troubles, but you might have missed painting that package tray area if she hadn't ripped the plastic out. lol. Did the 64's not have splatter paint in the trunk? I damn near asphyxiated myself when I painted my trunk with a rattle can. I ended up using my shop vac to suck out the excess spray while I shot the paint. Worked pretty good.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Unlucky and Frustrated....*

Hi All,

I appreciate all the comments and views. The trunk encouragement has helped... I wish the 64's had splatter paint instead of the body color, life would be simpler. So posting has been slow because I took a week off and traveled for fun to Tennessee to visit a friend and his wife, then I went to my least favorite state in the US on business (no names...) but the speed limits are amazingly slow and people drive still drive 5-10 under. The project has also hit a brick wall in terms of progress towards paint, seems like I touch it and make it worse in terms of flat and smooth. I hate body work:

I found a (one of hundreds) low spot on the hood and sprayed a little hi-fill on it with the intent of wet sanding it smooth again:









Hmm.... What's that speck?









Oh, isn't that nice....A moth, now I have a gigantic high spot! What are the odds, of the whole dry car, it lands in the one square foot freshly wet primer..... What a pain. 

That pretty much sums up body work, any one ever buy one of those vinyl wraps for a car????


Till next time, :seeya
-Thor


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

The moth made me laugh. I painted the front half of my '66 Chevelle a year ago and a winged bug with 6 legs landed in the paint and couldn't take off so it started walking. It made it about 1 1/2 inch before the paint set and it was stuck. I still have the tracks of it walking and they end at 6 tiny legs stuck in the paint....:lol:


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

Made me laugh too, at least it wasn't a fly in your topcoat like mine.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Sneak Peek*

Hey All!

Thanks for the views and comments. I was so bummed about that moth but got through it. 68GTO400, that is a real bummer about the fly in your topcoat. Did it buff out okay? 

I have been very busy on the car. So busy I have been neglecting my posts, been burning the midnight oil on the car. And now for some sneak peek pictures of my recent progress.... Lots more coming in the coming weeks! 





































Thats all for now!!! :seeya:

-Thor


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Nice!! Looking good. Bummer about the bug but it'll turn out great!


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

Thor
Nope, there's still marks in the paint along with about 30 other inclusions I have found. Lesson learned, don't let Satin paint your car.


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## 64phil (Nov 23, 2007)

I have been trying to figure out how to remove the Pontiac emblem from the hood of my '64 Tempest since it is not accessible from the back side. Does it just pry off (i.e. no hidden nuts)?

Very nice paint by the way 

Phil


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hey all, thanks for the views and comments!

64Phil,

The front stud on the emblem is a stamped nut that you take off, the rear stud is pressed into a stamped insert. From the bottom of the hood you can put a little leverage on the emblem stud and the hood frame. Here is a picture I took while trying to figure it out as well:










The toughest part was getting it moving, just remember the emblem can be replaced, the hood is a bit more expensive...

-Thor


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

So how much longer before the "teaser" pics become full on disclosure ....:lol:


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## 64phil (Nov 23, 2007)

Thanks very much for the detailed explanation Thor. Now I am less likely to break anything 

Phil



Thor7352 said:


> Hey all, thanks for the views and comments!
> 
> 64Phil,
> 
> ...


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## Carms_64 (Nov 11, 2012)

Thor, 

Your car looks great! I've been following this thread for a while, but just joined the forum. I've just been reunited with my Tempest after having it stored in my grandfather's garage for 10 years. I'm hoping to start doing some work soon. Keep up the good posts. They're inspiring me to get my hands dirty.


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## daveh70 (Sep 4, 2008)

Thor, your car is going to look great. Great color on the hood, trunk etc. Suggestion: make sure hood is very secure when latched after your work is done. Mine has cracked a bit where the front latch is near the emblem. It could be from slight hood movement while driving. Getting repaired thru my painter's warranty.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*Paint on*

Hey All,

Its been a bit since I've posted. I've been progressing slowly, typically a couple steps forward then a few backward. Here's how it looks now:














































I did take everyone's advice and buy a new heater core and fan since it was exposed and will save me the misery of taking it all apart again:










Carms64, thanks for the compliments, I'm glad you have found the thread enjoyable!

Dave, I'll make sure I get it clamped down, sorry to hear about the paint issue. Nice the painter is covering it though.

-Thor


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Purty!!! Makes my mouth water.... :cheers

Bear


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Looks great!


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## InjunRAIV (Aug 21, 2013)

!!!

Is that it!?! I need to see the finished product!!


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

InjunRAIV said:


> !!!
> 
> Is that it!?! I need to see the finished product!!


We ALL do..............where are you Thor....:confused


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

*3 Years Later*

...Just kidding that wasn't really the end of the story. I figured being today is exactly three years from the day I started the project I would post and update. 

IT DRIVES!!!! IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!

Here are a few shots of the first drive at the end of August. Of course since it will be fueled often I figured that was as good a place as any to visit. 



















Now some details....

Exhaust Pypes tucked up tight to the rear bumper:









Stainless tank and 2.5" Pypes exhaust:









2.5" Pypes X-Pipe with Street Pro Mufflers (Gives a nice throaty tone without overwhelming the cabin with noise or drone, I really like them).









I was able to score some nice rocker moldings:









Chief had a cool '64 Colorado Plate so I threw that on the front. The front bumper needs rechrome but at least I can drive the car now! I completely stripped and repainted the front grilles. I used Eastwood's ceramic semi black that is super chip resistant. Its the same stuff I used on the bottom of the car, it looks stock in color and sheen but I'm hoping it is much more resistant to bugs and chips. 









Closer:


















I went with the original hubcaps and redlines for now. I owned the redlines already. They are actually '65 rally 1 rims with radial redlines, but I was kind of tired of seeing the rally 1s so I just put the hub caps right over them. Some day this car may get a set of Rocket Racing Booster Rims but for now I'm enjoying the stocker look. 









To be continued...


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

....Continued

I eliminated the 3 bars on the side of the car as well as all of the name plates except for "Pontiac on the grill" The arrowheads and the emblem on the dash. 









The original Seats and door panels went back in it. The door panels are in good shape. The front seat needs to be refoamed and recovered.









I restored the dash. Repainted everything and got it all installed again. My Christmas present last year was a dash tach so now the car has been returned to the as ordered condition:









Back Seat :cool









I installed the headliner myself. It was a bit of a project. Took some patients, lots of clips and some upholstery glue and guts to cut the cloth when you thought you had it right.. I ordered had to special order the headliner from SMS out of Oregon, it fit nicely and the material matched the original perfectly. Believe it or not the Tempest Custom had a special interior different from GTO, Tempest and Lemans.


















Underhood:


















Along with the Pypes exhaust I also installed V-Band Clamps from Summit Racing. They allow for the X-pipe to be removed and I even put some on both sides of the muffler so if I ever want to switch mufflers I could. If I have not added the V-Band Clamps it would have been a pain to remove and service the transmission. 










This car is registered to participate and make an attempt at Long Hauling in the 2014 Hot Rod Power Tour. I'm really looking forward to cruising across the country in it and using it for its intended purpose. I have a couple things left that I want to complete this fall/winter before the trip, such as:

Left on the list:
Install the wipers
Install a few fussy pieces of trim
New/rechromed front bumper
Front seat upholstery
Visor upholstery
And the big one: Rebuild the Muncie 4 Speed

239 Days to get the list complete before the HRPT 2014!!

Thanks for the views and comments. You all have been very helpful and encouraging and while I may not always post.... I am always appreciative. 



-Thor


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

That looks awesome!!!


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Yep, fantastic results, especially considering you learned how to do all this as you went. 3 years seems like a long time but you GOT IT DONE !!! Many never finish a job of that magnitude.

Congratulations....arty:

I'm thinking about doing the Power Tour next year since it ends in the Dells, but I'm almost certain I will go from there in '15 to wherever.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks Rukee and Too Many Projects.

The Hot Rod Power Tour is amazing, if you've never been be careful, it can suck you in.. Even if you can't long haul its worth joining for a stop or two to see the sites and have fun. In 2011 and 2012 Chief I did 2 stops then 4 stops respectively. Then in 2013 we Long Hauled from West Michigan to Dallas to Charlotte and back to MI, it was a blast!


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Amen on the long haul. Mrs. Bear and I made the whole trip last year and had a ball. I understand now why people do it year after year after year.

...and....

Holy paint fumes, Batman! That is ONE NICE 64! :cheers


Bear


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

You look like a proud pa pa, that car is freeking awesome, love the hub cap look. 
Too Many Projects now it's your turn to finish your car.


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

68GTO4004Spd said:


> You look like a proud pa pa, that car is freeking awesome, love the hub cap look.
> Too Many Projects now it's your turn to finish your car.


Plan on getting back to it this winter but it won't be "done" for some time. I need to sort out the issue I have with the trunk floor/tail panel to quarters not lining up.

Too many other cars I'm working on at the same time...:willy:


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

BearGFR said:


> Amen on the long haul. Mrs. Bear and I made the whole trip last year and had a ball. I understand now why people do it year after year after year.
> 
> ...and....
> 
> ...


I just noticed you are now a "Super Moderator". 
Congrats...:cheers

There are several people in our Camaro Club that are addicted to the Power Tour. So much so that we changed our annual June car show to a later date so as not to interfere with it....


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

_Outstanding_, Thor. That is one drop-dead-gorgeous car. Way to go!!!


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

geeteeohguy said:


> _Outstanding_, Thor. That is one drop-dead-gorgeous car. Way to go!!!


Jeff, how ya been ??

The color on Thor's car looks very similar to yours.


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## Thor7352 (Oct 11, 2010)

BearGFR said:


> Amen on the long haul. Mrs. Bear and I made the whole trip last year and had a ball. I understand now why people do it year after year after year.
> 
> ...and....
> 
> ...


Thanks! 

What did you drive on the Tour?? I'm sure we must have crossed paths!

So, are you Long Hauling in 2014?


-Thor


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

Thor you have been working on the car too much. Everyone knows that Bear drives the Legendary Black Beast (of Argggg.)


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Thor7352 said:


> Thanks!
> 
> What did you drive on the Tour?? I'm sure we must have crossed paths!
> 
> ...


We were in the black '69. I doubt we'll make the '14 run because we'd have to drive from Dallas to Charlotte just to make the start. I'm not one of those moneybags guys who can afford to have his car shipped to/from the end points and fly the rest of the way 

Bear


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## sim (Sep 28, 2013)

great looking car!


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## rohrt (May 21, 2013)

I hope you make it to the 2014 power tour I want to see your car. 

I sure wont be parking my 64 tempest next to yours.


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## SpeedSLC (May 24, 2015)

Im loving it, all that hard work and dedication and it's a thing of beauty


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## zsowhat (Mar 7, 2016)

*stunning*

cant say enough it is beautiful


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