# simple projects



## Rowdygto (Oct 11, 2008)

hello folks, Im lookin to rework all my emblems on my 66 convertable. Anyone have suggestions so I do it rite the first time?
Also, have the 2 grill incerts (black/gray) to refinish and need some ideas on paint... hoping to find a quality paint in a raddle can.. Thanks Rowdy:


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Hey Rowdy, i used a piece of closed sell packing foam to stick the emblems too while color filling as they are very fragile when off the car that way you wont snap the bridges. Also if they do break they can be saved with JB Weld ..... I then cleaned them up with 000 steel wool and a tooth brush. For the color any good enamel will do (rustoleum in the can thinned with a little mineral spirits). If you know any nurses have them get you a variety of syringes. set your foam block on a level surface load the syringe with thinned paint and fill the depressions to the level you want color (pool it). leave it over night to dry as the solvents dry out the enamel will lay down in the recess and you will not have to mask or spray anything. The process is actually called Cloisonne and its how they color fill pins and badges. 
These are the original badges to my car after done this way. Grilles will be Argent Silver, and 40 degree gloss black (satin) and will require masking. spray silver first then mask to the edge of the grill and spray black.

black










Silver










Two color


----------



## Rowdygto (Oct 11, 2008)

Instg8ter, You rock... thanks for the insight, the syringe is an awesome idea. I was worried about breaking them, Im sure the foam will help. 
Thanks again for the tips... 
PS... nice Tempest. Rowdy


----------



## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Nice looking emblems!


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

no problem Rowdy always happy to help....thanks guys, i am very proud to have done her all myself. I myself like seeing original restored (pot metal is very hard and expensive to chrome) trim on 45 year old car even if the chrome has a little pepper on it. I think its part of the patina of the antique (if you had an original Colt revolver do you know what plating it would do to the value...) once polished with a bit of 2000 rubbing compound the specks will not be seen until you are right up on it.


----------



## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Another great idea from "The Instg8ter"! Thanks for the useful tip!


----------



## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

When restoring my grille emblem I used testors paint. The color was an exact match I used a small model car paint brush and dabbed the paint into the emblem the paint flowed without brushing, it dried perfectly. #0000 steel wool on the chrome while using metal polish shined it up nicely. To save yourself some $$ go to a hobby shop and see if the color testors matches yours for 1.89 or so, it may work for you too.


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

:agree...Good idea Rook, beats buying a pint of rusto...enamel is enamel. the nice thing with the syringe is that as long as its level you wont have to worry if you have a shaky hand on the edges as your allowing the liquid paint to fill to level and give you a perfect line around the edges. The GTO badges are a bit bigger, but on my badges there was a whole lot of edges and curves in the "Tempest" and the "custom" was tiny. The ones on the car are actually a silver fill on chrome, thats how they were from the factory, got an extra set and thought the black would look good, but the silver popped better against the blue. and the "326" is the coolest motor badge they had with the checker flag.. been kicking around a pinstripe in silver or red....what do you guys think?


----------



## Rowdygto (Oct 11, 2008)

Thanks to all for the advice... I also plan on restoring the dash of my 66. Its not in bad shape. I bought the wood kit. but need some insight on how to re-do the chrome around the outside and gages. Is there a spray chrome? Also want to freshin up the gage face's and lens.. 
Thank you all on the GTO forum for keeping me moving on my project. Im blessed to be in such good company.


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

geeteeohguy said:


> Another great idea from "The Instg8ter"! Thanks for the useful tip!


Wow, no kidding! I wish I'd known about this process before I put the Beast back together. The two GTO emblems on the front fenders are a "bear" to get on and off with the fenders hung, but I might have to do it anyway.

Bear


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

ok the hardest part on the dash is getting all your knobs off....there are old posts regarding the process and GeeTee is the master i am sure he can help, if i remember on the headlight switch there is a small button on the cylinder in back of the dash, the ignition you need a paperclip in the small hole in front to pull the cylinder , lighter unscrews.....or something like that ....lol, been a while and it took me 3 nights to do before i asked about it on here. as for the trim rings there is a guy on E-bay that sells polished alum. rings that you can glue on that look nice i just took a small brush and chrome paint and did mine by hand, do it before you put the wood on and it will not matter if you overbrush the outside edge as the wood wil cover it.. The original process was to chrome the whole panel and then they sprayed in the background so it would be very expensive and time consuming to do it back as it was originally done. 

Rowdy be careful with the gauge faces after 45 years the screen print ink (thats how i know most of this stuff, ran print shops in Big Three country for 15 years) is brittle and have heard of people wiping them and having the print powder right off, i would just blow them off with air and bag them until ready to put back behind glass.

Bear for those hard to reach badges instead of speed nuts i used plastic wall anchors with a dab of silicon in them that way if you ever need to get them off you can reach in and twist off with your fingers, i know it's not "correct", but i like efficient over correct in most circumstances and "correct" on the Tempest flew the coupe a long time ago...


----------



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Instg8ter said:


> ... i know it's not "correct", but i like efficient over correct in most circumstances and "correct" on the Tempest flew the coupe a long time ago...


Likewise on the Beast. :cheers I built it to be true to the original spirit of the GTO idea, not to be a literal exact recreation.

That's a great idea on the fasteners too. I need to start remembering to check with you before I undertake things - man, you're a wealth of cool ideas.

Bear


----------



## Rowdygto (Oct 11, 2008)

Thanks.. Ive learned more tricks in the last week than i did all last year....
I figured the dash would be a great "Rainy Day" project..... If it ever rains again in CA.

I picked uo a decent DuelGate shifter that came out of a 68. I see tons of guys using the 67 for the 3 speed swap. Can i use the 68 and still maintain my original console? Or should i keep looking for a 67 shifter. Im having a guy rebuild a nice 400 but not sure what stall to use with my 389 tri power. Any suggestions?
Again... thanks to all for the advice. Rowdy
PS. I cant figure out how to get pix of my Goat on this site.... Heck...im still trying to get my cell phone figured out. Talk soon


----------



## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

as long as you have the shift gate trim plate you should be able to use yoru console, may require a little fitting, i used a B&M ratchet shifter (his and hers without the hers) and it fit fine once i made mount blocks to raise it to the right level for the console. Next project is to make a Ribbed Shifter trim bezel insert from an old console top i have so the ribbing continues over the trim bezel.


----------

