Rookie's First Restoration Attempt...

I bonded the front bumper tonight.

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I think I might go another route with the front bumper. I'm thinking about cutting it out so its essentially a giant "mouth". Then I can make a solid one piece grill to bolt up behind it.

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My buddy Greg is coming over tomorrow night to start mudding some spots. I'm done playing bodyman tonight.
 
Greg started mudding the fenders tonight.

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While he was doing the fenders, I fabbed up a new impact bar for the front of the car. I wanted it to be concealed due to the fact that I am cutting the bumper open and putting a one piece grill in. I'll post pics of that tomorrow.

Stay tuned!
 
This is the new "concealed" impact bar. I made it in two pieces so that I can install/remove it easily.

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Notice how it mounts EXACTLY like the original one does. Everything from the corners of the bumper to the vacuum bar. This front end it bullet proof now. I was jumping on the car...shaking the crap out of it,tried to get the front end to move a little...it ain't going ANYWHERE now.

For some odd reason, the valance panel "fit" changed. Regardless of why this happened, it had to be fixed. I had to chop the bottom of the bumper in half, push the bottom towards the front of the car, and reglass it in place.

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I took a break from the body and started restoring the door guts.

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Degreased and washed the latches...

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Lately I have been feeling like I am never going to drive this thing...the work just keeps piling up. Kinda hard to stay motivated when its been 4 years of nonstop work...and the new year is only a day away.
 
Oh Bullshit, you over the hump now kid, it's all downhill now....couple shots of paint from whoever knows how, and start bolting parts, done deal....

:bounce:...drive it by spring.....summer at least....

:amazed:
 
mrvette said:
Oh Bullshit, you over the hump now kid, it's all downhill now....couple shots of paint from whoever knows how, and start bolting parts, done deal....

:bounce:...drive it by spring.....summer at least....

:amazed:
Click to expand...

Greg hasn't been helping me that much. I've realized that he isn't as reliable as I thought he was when I met him. No doubt about it though, he is a great guy with massive talent.

Mike is the only one who has stuck with me this entire project, and I can't thank him enough for that. He pretty much taught me everything I know now, which eventually landed me a job restoring cars here in Calgary. I can't put into words how thankful I am for his guidance.

Seriously though. I am working my ass off every night now trying to get this thing on the road...it's just really hard to keeping me motivated when I know I have so many hours left before I even get to turn the key for the first time.
 
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o.k. here's the deal. It's all coming together - you just don't know it.
I've done a few projects like that. No question that you are doing a big one.
Just keep pickin away at individual projects like you're doing. When you are out in the shop and you see something that needs to be done, sometimes in no particular order, just do it and have fun with it.
What I have always found is that all of a sudden - you're done!
You will find that one day all of sudden everything just snapped together and your sittin in the drivers seat with the key goin Holy shit, what did I forget? Go over the list, probably nothin so you start it up and drive it.
No big deal.....
That thought is what kept me going last winter with this simple frame swap on my '65. And that is exactly how it went......

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Here are some more parts sandblasted and painted (how I spent my new years eve).

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You guys are really that excited to see this thing done????
 
Well, yeh, actually, I been messing with cars for over 1/2 a century...never done one all at once the way you are going at it, but have done every aspect of what you got there at one time or other, on some car or other....they all got 4 rubber tires, steering wheel, windshield....with some tricky variations...:clap::clap::shocking:

Just don't go nutz putting that last bolt on, there's always ONE MORE.....

don't ask how I know this.....mmmk??

:yahoo::search:
 
This piece took some patience to refinish. And yes, this is the original one that came with the car...

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NO a/c car then??

I presume astro vents were never included with a/c....

from that I hear, anyway....

:eek:
 
I spent close to 2 hours reading this thread the other night..WOW! To be single again with no kids and able to spend time working on cars...ahhh.
I'm glad I won't be doing any glass work on my 75 project. I was wondering if you bought stock in a sandpaper company ;) I'm sure you went through plenty. It does look good though.
Keep it up, not long now...hopefully
 
that much work and you paint bolt heads? Toss the in a bin, take them to the platers and have them plate the bolts and do a black topcoat. This is what it will look like, a factory finish.

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Twin_Turbo said:
that much work and you paint bolt heads? Toss the in a bin, take them to the platers and have them plate the bolts and do a black topcoat. This is what it will look like, a factory finish.

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Click to expand...

I'd rather spend my limited budget on shop supplies and the bodywork.
 
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