The New Project: Part Deux!

[njsteve]

I scrubbed the M22 to get the all the engine oil off from the leaky rear main seal. The bellhousing got a scrubbing, too. That took a a day of soaking since the clutch dust combined with the leaking engine oil really soaked into the pores of the aluminum housing.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000643a.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000639.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000642a.jpg


I had to order a new clutch fork since I noticed that one of the clips clips that retains the throw out bearing was broken off.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000652.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000653.jpg

[napa68]

Always enjoyable to watch Steve!

[njsteve]

Thanks! I enjoy the audience participation, too, so feel free to chime in, guys!

BTW, does anyone have a photo of the oil pan baffle that was tack welded in the later model Pontiac oil pans? I need a good photo with a ruler next to it so I can make one out of metal and weld it into the original pan. Pontiac started using the baffle in 1975 give or take a year. It prevents the oil from flowing up toward the front during braking and cornering.

It looks like the one in this photo but this photo is at an angle. If I had an overhead photo with some measurements, I could make an accurate template.

http://www.yenko.net/attachments/usergals/2012/11/full-1359-1511-hppp_0811_09_zjoe_sherman_racingoil_pan.jpg

[njsteve]

I was able to obtain some photos of the factory baffle used in the later 1970s. I made a cardboard template so I can hand make the baffle and weld it in during shop class on Tuesday. I also trial fitted the pan with stunt-baffle on the block with the oil pump and pickup installed. No clearance issues, thankfully.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/CIMG5869-1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12228a.jpg

[njsteve]

I dragged my 12 year old, engine building apprentice out to the garage today (it's about 38 degrees or so at the moment). I had him measure the top and second ring gaps in the cylinders. I had to keep reminding him not to &quot;saw&quot; the feeler gauge but gently see if it passes between the ring ends. Only had to remind him 16 times. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

Top gaps were .016 and second ring gaps were .020 after doing some mix and matching between the cylinders.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12230.jpg

[njsteve]

I ended up getting a McLeod 673-16931 heavy duty clutch fork to replace the stock unit with the broken tab. http://www.jegs.com/i/McLeod/673/16931/10002/-1#

I did have to do a little trimming of the flared out portion on the top edge of the fork to clear the interior bolt mounting boss.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12233.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12234.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12235.jpg

[njsteve]

Back from shop class with the revised oil pan. Took about an hour to fabricate and weld in the baffle. Gotta love those plasma cutters. Man those things cut the labor time into seconds. It took longer to trace the template onto the steel with a magic marker than it did to cut it out with the plasma cutter. Then I used a hammer and an anvil to bend the tabs and form the lip on the interior edges.

It's not too pretty but it fits and clears the oil pump perfectly.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/CIMG5869-1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12239.jpg

[napa68]

Old school thinking! Don't buy it.............................make it!

[njsteve]

It's more like Cheap Old Man Thinking.

Why the heck would I buy a new pan with a baffle for $75 which won't even have the drain plug in the correct spot, when I can use the original pan and build a baffle for free out of scrap sheetmetal and get to play with neat cutting and welding equipment.
<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/headbang.gif

[njsteve]

I got the pistons and rods back today. The crank should be done with balancing tomorrow so we can start the assembly process this weekend.

The machinist said that the rods and pistons were all within a gram of each other and didn't really require any modifications to get them all matched.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12243.jpg

[njsteve]

I have the balancing sheet with the weights. The rods were within 1 gram of each other out of the box: 4 were 758 and 4 were 759, which coincided well with the pistons, 4 of which were 779 and 4 were 778. So he just matched them to all together to come out to the same weight when he mounted the pistons to the rods.

According to the machinist, the new rod and piston combo was 100 grams less than the domed, forged pistons and cast rods that I pulled out of the engine. They had to drill out some material from the crank to lighten it up to match the new pistons and rods.

Everything is home now and we should be assembling this weekend!

[njsteve]

We got the new BOP rear main lip seal in and installed the freshly polished and balanced crank. Now it has to sit overnight per the instructions to let the seal set. The boy did pretty well torquing down the 100 ftlbs on the mains (120 on the rear cap). He's gotten stronger since last year's engine build. :-)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12246.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12248.jpg

[njsteve]

Went out Christmas tree shopping this morning with the family and then we spent the rest of the day assembling the short block.

We made it a family affair: I installed two pistons, the wife installed two and the daughter and son each installed two.

Much arguing over teaching the wife how and why you use a torque wrench. She couldn't seem to understand how/why the thing clicks when the correct amount of turning force is applied and how to set it. Luckily the daughter has an A average in Physics and was able to understand and explain &quot;torque&quot; to her. A most entertaining day.

The daughter keeps asking me to teach her how to drive a manual transmission, so I figure she can help assemble the clutch and install the transmission when the time comes, in order to learn how the clutch works before she melts this one during training. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif

After we got all eight pistons and rods in and Plastigaged each one (.002 oil clearance on all rods and mains), we then cleaned and retorqued it all again. I installed the timing cover, windage tray, oil pump and shaft, and oil pan after checking to make sure the dip stick cleared everything.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12329.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12332.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12334.jpg

[K code Mustang]

I can't believe you actually have help! Denise wont even set foot in the garage (sometimes it's better that way).

[njsteve]

I installed the heads this morning and then the kids put the valvetrain parts on. My son's favorite part was glopping on all the moly paste and red goo antiwear ointment to the cam, lifters, rocker arms, push rods, valve stems, and clothing. If it involves making a mess, he's happy to assist. My daughter on the other hand had just finished her nails and was quite content using the clean breaker bar to turn the engine over while I adjusted each rocker arm.

Normally a Pontiac is a set to 20 ft.lbs. with a non adjustable valvetrain but the shouldered rocker studs were previously replaced with a set of 7/16 x 20 Big Block Chevy studs with no shoulders. That allows for a more precise individual adjustment.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12353.jpg

[mockingbird812]

<span style="font-size: 20pt">Nice job MacGuyver family!</span> <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[olredalert]

----Steve,,,Keep up this training schedule and pretty soon you can just sit there in your chaise lounge with your cooler next to you and point!!!......Bill S

[njsteve]

Versus just standing and yelling now? <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

While the son lost interest and went inside to play his video games after the messy part was done, the daughter stayed around and helped set the valves. She got very good at locating the exact low spot on the cam lobes. I'd watch the lifter on top of the lobe ramp and just tell her &quot;now go 180 degrees&quot; and she would be there. Most excellent.

And she never even chipped a nail! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[VintageMusclecar]

Major kudos to you for getting your children involved in something like this. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif

These will (hopefully) be some of the memories they will be able to cherish later on in life.

[kwhizz]

<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/worship.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/worship.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/youguysrock.gif

[ORIGLS6]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

And she never even chipped a nail! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif
</div></div>



<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[SuperNovaSS]

Looking great Steve! Keep up the good work with the kids.


Jason

[njsteve]

While it was 60 degrees out today I rushed and got the rest of the engine completed so I could get some paint on it. I did spend a good half hour or so priming the oil pump and pumping oil through the engine while constantly turning the engine over by hand to get the lifters filled and oil up to the rockers. The daughter assisted in running the drill...until it started smoking and she ran inside claiming she had homework she had to get done. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif

Here is something some of you Round Port guys might be interested in. Since no one makes the unique 1972-only intake gasket that has the small square heat riser port for the 7F6 cylinder heads, I had to improvise a little.

I ended up using the Felpro 90123 (RAIV, 1971 455HO,1973/4 SD455) large port intake gasket for the intake runner sections and then sectioned in the heat riser portion from the Felpro 90205 1972 455 D-port head intake gasket. This way everything ends up matching what it is supposed to mate with. And since the cast iron heat riser is a separate piece from the aluminum dual plane intake, there are no leakage problems to deal with.

And yes, that small, open, horizontal rectangle above the square heat risser port is supposed to be open to the atmosphere. It is sealed off from the inside of the engine and I believe it was created to allow ambient air in to prevent hot oil from &quot;coking&quot; onto the cylinder head's internal heat riser passages.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12355.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12356.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12360.jpg

[njsteve]

All assembled and wheeled out in to the driveway as the sun was going down.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12362.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12364.jpg

And with the rest of the OEM Paint 1972-only, Robins Egg Blue paint that I had left over from the 72 T/A from a few years back. It was $50 a can back then. I don't even know if they are still in business making this stuff any more?

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12368.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12369.jpg

The wife helped me wheel it back in to the garage, in the dark, where it now sits waiting to go back in the car. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[el hemi]

Steve...thumbs up for involving your kids and wife in the project. You are creating memories. In the end that is what counts. The car may or may not be there but your kids and wife will always remember the time spent in the garage with dad. Great job Steve! Carry on!

[Xplantdad]

I always enjoy reading of your exploits Steve...Enjoys your kids, the grow up FAST <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif

[njsteve]

I got the engine all prepped and ready to go back in. Once it was up on the hoist I called the wife out to assist. She was not amused since the last engine install she helped on was with Gramma's Firebird and the motor mounts in a 1975 Pontiac are super hard to get lined up as compared to the older style used in 1972. That one took two hours of jockeying just to get one motor mount bolt in place.

This engine went in like a dream. I figured out the trick: Move the car to the hoist and not the hoist to the car. I had the engine in the driveway lined up with the center of the transmission tunnel. I then had the wife hold the back of the trans so it wouldn't rotate out of position. I then pushed the car to the engine and while she held the transmission in place, I lowered the engine a couple inches. I'd then push the car forward a few inches and lower the engine again. We repeated this around 10 times and the engine just popped right in.

The whole process took about 30 minutes.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12375.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12382.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12387.jpg

All ready for the rest of the external engine parts. Those are the &quot;stunt&quot; valve covers instead of the newly painted ones.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12398.jpg

[Steve_Hoog]

NJ, isn't this funny? Here I am with my 16 year old this summer studying our first seal of this type install.

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/182104_472445702784215_3582762_n.jpg

[njsteve]

The BOP lip seal, I presume? It works a whole lot better than the leaky rope seals that come in the Felpro gasket set.

Very good to see you training the next generation. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif

[Steve_Hoog]

Yes sir on the seal from Butler, that was my first time to use one as well and I hope I got it right. I let my son torque his motor too with a watchful eye <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif

[Grant Didmon]

Hi Steve,I noticed that you have started slacking it a bit working on the Formula,there must be at least three or four hours out of twenty four,that you are spending sleeping and not working on the car.What's up with that?
I was studying the pictures of the Formula back in 1993,and saw that the owner had already pulled the HO hood signs off the car,and the fender emblems off by then to hide the true identity of the car to on lookers.Also what blew me away,it still has the original 72 deluxe seats in it in 93,and I was told the interior was stolen in 1986,so it happened much later.
Also he took off the roof drip moldings,and then installed them back on much later,as they are on the car when the motor was being done.He still had the wheel well moldings on in 93,and they were all off the car sitting in the garage when I first went to see the car in July 2011,and by the time I bought it,they had disappeared out of the garage.Those were the same tires on the car also as when I bought it,so that is why I bought the new TA's with in two hours of owning the car.
Have a Merry Christmas,
Grant

[njsteve]

Hey Grant!

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I was out in the garage finishng up the prep for the start-up tomorrow. All that's left is to prime the oiling system one last time, put in the distributor and turn the key.

I'll update everyone tomorrow. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif

[Igosplut]

Reading through this thread I remembered a friend having a (I believe) 72 ram air Firebird. It was black with a white interior, 455-4 speed, and looked just like yours. It was bought new here, and a local couple used it for everyday transportation up until the late 70s. It had been painted once, so I don't know if black was the original color but I would believe so. By the time we got our hands on it, it was on its 5th or so motor, and was pretty rusted. Here's a picture of us flat-towing it to put yet another engine in (and the picture makes it look closed than the vehicles were to each other....

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g183/Igosplut/DavePfirebird.jpg

[njsteve]

Hard to tell what year, 71, 72 or even a 73. It has a blacked out grill though the grills are supposed to be silver on a Formula. I think I can faintly see wide grill blocks that would be 73 grills. The 72 grills have a definite honeycomb with no horizontal bars. The 71 grills have a fine square block pattern.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/DavePfirebird1.jpg

1971:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/KGrHqRi4E6IEnB4uBOwuhRncG60_3.jpg

1972:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC11676a.jpg

and 1973:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/Bg6qOw2kKGrHqQOKjYEr0g5g6dBLHd1I9lw_3.jpg

Also I notice it does not have a nose emblem on top of the beak which only the 70s' and 71 Formulas had. 72s and 73s did not have the emblem.

[njsteve]

I tried to get the engine running yesterday but it turns out the Delco battery (which had a 1995 date on it) didn't want to play. It had 12.7 volts, but had no cold cranking amps remaining. This was even after I had it boosted with a charger and booster cables to my truck. And to think, the battery worked fine before I rebuilt the engine. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif Typical! It also didn't help that it was 40 degrees out.

Oil pump was primed for several minutes. Distributor is installed correctly. I was able to get the timing light working to get the timing adjusted properly while cranking for a second or two (with the wife behind the wheel). Oil pressure was immediately right up there at 60 psi. Spark plugs are sparking. It just doesn't seem to be enough voltage to ignite the fuel with the HEI. So it ended up flooding the plugs. I switched plugs and it did the same thing. I looked in the spark plug hole and could see the fuel pooling in the valve reliefs on top of the pistons. So I left the plugs out and let it &quot;air out&quot; overnight.

So I ordered a reproduction R89 800 CCA dry cell battery which should be here Wednesday.
http://restorationbattery.com/gmproducts.html

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12400.jpg

[napa68]

Lookin GREAT Steve!

[jannes_z-28]

It must be that new crank seal you put in and it creates more drag.

Looking good <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif


Jan

[Igosplut]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hard to tell what year, 71, 72 or even a 73.


Also I notice it does not have a nose emblem on top of the beak which only the 70s' and 71 Formulas had. 72s and 73s did not have the emblem.
</div></div>

You hit that one. I had gotten a ticket in that car (and had my license suspended for it) and I looked to see if I still had it (the description read &quot; Vehicle entering Rt6 allowing rear tires to make noise, and rear of vehicle to fishtail&quot;). It was a 73. Hard to believe that the rear of the car was so rotted out for being seven years old, but that's the Cape for ya.

Nice job BTW, Oh and better check the oil for gas contamination if you fouled two sets of plugs.....

[mockingbird812]

Hey MacGuyver, it's Wednesday already! Dju get that battery?!!!! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/laugh.gif

[njsteve]

Got the battery. Still no luck in getting it to start. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/mad.gif

Got oil pressure, got spark, got fuel, got valves moving and adjusted properly. Distributor is not 180 off. Swapped distributor parts from Grammas Firebird with no improvement.

Barely get a pop or two in the exhaust, no matter where the timing is set at.

Not happy at the moment.

Too damn cold to get an engine running.

[njsteve]

I hooked up both a cannister coolant heater and the magnetic oil pan heater. The engine was at 180 degrees. Still no start.

I had my old time mechanic buddy come over and troubleshoot tonight. We backed off on the rocker arm adjustment, just in case they were too tight. No luck.

Things we learned:
1) Only getting 130 PSI on a compression test.
2) Engine cranks slow with the spark plugs in. It cranks really fast with the plugs removed.
3) No vacuum into the engine. You put your hands over the carb and there is no suction when you crank the engine over. In fact gas pops out of the top of the carb.
4) We pulled the carb and cranked the engine and there is still no suction into the engine.
5) The balancer timing mark matches TDC on cylinder #1.
6) The distributor is set correctly to TDC on cylinder # 1.
7) Intake manifold is sealed up tight with no gaps.
8) Cylinders 1,3,5 and 7 have carbon fouled plugs. 2,4,6 and 8 look much cleaner.
9) Full 12 volts to the HEI unit with the key in the run position. Around 9 volts when cranking due to starter load.
10) Pulled starter today and had it tested - OK.


Possibilities:
1) Timing chain installed incorrectly (even though I rechecked the marks on the crank and timing gear several times before sealing the timing cover.)
2) The Edelbrock (Cloyes) timing set had the indicator marks mis-stamped.
3) The Melling SP-7 Camshaft ground wrong.

Any other suggestions?

[VintageMusclecar]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">.....
Things we learned:
1) Only getting 130 PSI on a compression test.....

Possibilities:
1) Timing chain installed incorrectly (even though I rechecked the marks on the crank and timing gear several times before sealing the timing cover.)
2) The Edelbrock (Cloyes) timing set had the indicator marks mis-stamped.
3) The Melling SP-7 Camshaft ground wrong.

Any other suggestions? </div></div>

Did you install the timing set &quot;dot to dot&quot; or did you degree the cam in?

Is it hitting 130 PSI on all 8 holes?

[Jim69Z]

Are the timing marks dot to dot or from 12 to 12 on a Pontiac?

[njsteve]

Dot to dot (12 and 6) and 12 to 12 are the same, only 180 of rotation from each other. We tried swapping distributor 180 degrees with no improvement. I did not degree the cam in.

[VintageMusclecar]

Dot to dot (crank at 12:00 cam at 6:00) puts #6 @ TDC ready to fire. Rotate the crank 1 turn puts the cam at 12:00 and puts #1 @ TDC ready to fire (cam rotates at 1/2 crank speed)

*edit* Steve posted while I was making the above post

[VintageMusclecar]

I would get the degree wheel out at this point to verify the cam timing.

[njsteve]

Ive never degreed a cam. I imagine doing one in the car with the heads on would also be twice as hard.

Any degree-ologists nearby, here in Jersey who can lend a hand? Ill happily pay for the beer...after the degreeing is done.

[VintageMusclecar]

It's really not that hard. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif

All you'll need to do is mount the degree wheel to the balancer, verify TDC, remove the rockers on #1 and make a set-up to mount a dial indicator on #1 intake pushrod.

Do you have a degree wheel and a dial indicator?

[VintageMusclecar]

Follow-up to the above post:

HERE (http://www.cranecams.com/uploads/instructions/803_.pdf) are the easiest, clearest instructions I know of on how to degree a camshaft.

[njsteve]

I ordered up a degree wheel kit. Should be here tomorrow.

[njsteve]

Latest update:

I pulled the timing cover and after a few false starts thinking that the gear set was marked wrong. I discovered the problem.

Even though the marks lined up perfectly at 12 and 6 o'clock positions and 12 and 12 o'clock positions when rotated through the cycle, I noticed that when either position was set, and I slid the balancer back on, the TDC mark on the balancer was in the 7 o'clock position for either the #1 or #6 cylinder firing position.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/timing3.jpg


And when I moved the balancer to the TDC position this is what the gears looked like:


http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/timing1.jpg


I know what you're thinking: <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/hmmm.gif Nope, the balancer didn't spin on its hub.



I took me an hour of comparing old gears and new and then going back to my old trusty manual....

Turns out that I installed the lower sprocket when the crankshaft keyway was in the 10 o'clock position. That's about 4 hours too early. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/timing4.jpg

The crank sprocket should be installed when the keyway is in the 2 o'clock position, other the cam is waaaaay out of time and the #1 piston is about an inch below TDC.

DOH!
http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/HomerSimpson2Thumb.gif

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/timing5.jpg


Back to garage to put things back together....again.


Sometimes when things go together too easily - it means you must have done something wrong.

Hey, come to think of it, I believe the wife put that sprocket on. Yeah, That's gotta be it.

[mockingbird812]

Way to stick with it. Lets hear that 'bird purrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[Xplantdad]

Glad you figured it out Steve! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/headbang.gif

[VintageMusclecar]

I figured that's where you'd find the problem. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif

Just to cover the obvious since you mentioned it was slow/difficult to turn over--were there any signs of mechanical binding? (i.e. bent pushrods/valves)

If you need any help with degreeing the cam, give me a shout.

[njsteve]

Never any signs of binding or hitting. Thanks to the 8.4 to 1 pistons!

So now I have a cam degreeing set that my wife will be wrapping for a Christmas gift (for me).

[K code Mustang]

I knew you would figure it out, didn't doubt it for a minute.

[njsteve]

Well, that makes one of us that was sure. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[njsteve]

Eureka!

Got everything back together this morning after correcting the crank gear fiasco. I hooked up the oil pan heater and the coolant heater and got the block temp up to 180 degrees. I cleaned up a set of the fouled plugs and threw them back in. Set the distributor by eye and crossed my fingers.

I turned the key and the car instantly started. I then sat there for 15 minutes running the cam in at 1700 to 2000 rpm. Shut her off, and checked for leaks. Thankfully none were found, especially in the rear main seal area and the front of the pan where the timing cover had to be removed.

I then drained all the start up 10W30 oil and additives (Lucas Break-in additive, STP and all the red cam lube and moly paste), and checked the magnetic drain plug. Nothing whatsoever on the magnet. Very clean. I refilled it with 5 quarts of 5W30 and Lucas break-in additive. I then let it cool down to ambient temperature. Once it cooled off, The son and I went out for a ring-setting drive.

I did 10 sets of 30 to 50 mph second gear full throttle runs. After each run up the rpms I would let it pull itself down in gear, back to 30 mph. Then I drove a few miles more to my buddy's garage to give him the good news and went back home after the 11 mile round trip.

She runs nice! Once the weather clears up I will play with the timing so more, but she feels very strong right now and not a even hint of pinging.

Here's how she looks at the moment:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/S7007940.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/S7007945.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/S7007942.jpg

And here's how she sounds. Very smooth and quiet until you hit the throttle. (put your mouse on the photo and left click)


http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll140/njstevecars/th_S7007937.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll140/njstevecars/?action=view&amp;current=S7007937.mp4)


Now I have to put Gramma's car back together after borrowing the cap and wires for testing on the Formula. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[njsteve]

I just checked my math and it looks like this engine pull and rebuild took 34 days start to finish, even with the 6 day delay with the crank pully mix-up. Gramma's Firebird took 35 days.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/449019/Gramma_s_Car_the_new_project#Post449019

It's a new, family engine rebuild record! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[Xplantdad]

Nice! I LOVE the sound from the Formula Firebird exhaust!!! (Reminds me of my brothers first car a 1970 Castillian Bronze Formula 400 <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif )

[njsteve]

BTW, here is the contraption that I used to preheat the engine.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12440.jpg

I plumbed the inlet to the 1500 watt coolant heater into the lower heater hose outlet from the water pump. The outlet went to the temp sender on top of the intake, while the other part of the T is connected to the disconnected heater hose. This way the block water was heated up. I tested it with the infra red gun and it read 180 degrees at the intake. The heater core and the radiator water didnt get the heat since the water pump was not circulating the coolant.

I had one of these same coolant heaters plumbed into my diesel Suburban and it would get the fluid real toasty in the winter.

The square thingy is a magnetic oil pan heater. You just stick it to the bottom of the pan and it heats the oil up to 100 degrees or so.

All together the parts cost about $60. Well worth the expense.

[SS427]

You are the man Steve. Sure would like to have someone like you on my payroll!

[njsteve]

LOL. I'll send you a resume. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

BTW, if anyone is interested in the old pistons and rods out of this engine here are the links.

They make great Christmas gifts!

Or Chanukah gifts - one for each night!

Call now operators are standing by!

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthrea..._For#Post509974 (http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/509974/455_Pontiac_TRW_L2394N_030_For#Post509974)

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/509975#Post509975

[njsteve]

I scuffed and painted the top of the radiator support yesterday and then installed the ECS Automotive repro emissions sticker I had in my &quot;decal file&quot;.

ECS made their repro 1972 455HO sticker from my original that I peeled off of the 72 Trans Am a few years ago. It is definitely the most accurate one out there. They are happy to make new stickers from your originals if it is one that they don't have in their inventory. (They even gave me a couple free ones for loaning them my original). <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

http://www.ecsautomotive.com/productdesc.php?co=g&amp;id=11

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12478.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12477.jpg

[StriperSS]

Somewhere I have a photo of another Formula 455 in Vancouver. If I recall correctly, he was a mechanic at Carter Pontiac Buick in Burnaby. I'll hunt for it.

[njsteve]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">LOL. I'll send you a resume. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

BTW, if anyone is interested in the old pistons and rods out of this engine here are the links.

They make great Christmas gifts!

Or Chanukah gifts - one for each night!

Call now operators are standing by!

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthrea..._For#Post509974 (http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/509974/455_Pontiac_TRW_L2394N_030_For#Post509974)

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/509975#Post509975 </div></div>

Both the rods and the pistons have been sold.

[njsteve]

I have been tuning the carb and timing the past few days. I am currently on 74 jets, 43 primary rods and DA secondary rods. She runs very nicely and pulls well up the RPM range.

Does anyone have a spare pair of BE or BL secondary rods they can &quot;loan&quot; me? The magic setup recipe that I had in the T/A was 74 jet, 44 primary rods and BE secondary rods and that car pulled like crazy (same rear gears, same transmission).

I have around 110 miles on the motor now and I am a firm believer in breaking them in like you are going to drive them: hard. She starts at the first turn of the key and idles nicely. I have been doing a lot of my 8 mile test and tune trips over the past week or so when the weather permits.

[njsteve]

Got the heat riser hoses installed for the Ram Air air cleaner. One of the PerformanceYears.com members, &quot;PB&quot; sent me the correct beveled 455HO plastic elbows and original clamps, as well as the heat stove base plate and 90 degree steel eblow. The corrugated hoses I got from Performance Years for $6 each.

This is sure one Rube-Goldberg contraption once all those hoses are hooked up. No wonder everyone who had one of these cars ripped them out and tossed them in the garbage. It takes two people to remove or install the air cleaner now.

I also discovered that if you don't have the correct &quot;thick&quot; 1/4&quot; carb to intake gasket, the air cleaner heat riser elbow on the drivers side will jam up against the valve cover and will hold up that side up, off the carb.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/aircleaner1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/aircleaner2.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/aircleaner3.jpg

[njsteve]

BTW, Here is a tip for the squeeling belt syndrome that Pontiacs have. These cars are very sensitive to belt thickness. If they are running multiple belts on the crank and water pump pulleys, the parallel running belts must all be of the same width or else they will scream at high RPMs.

The problem is due to the fact that they are trying to fight each other for traction while turning the same distance of water pump pulley at the same time. Because the thinner belt is sitting lower in the groove than the thicker belt, the thinner one is technically a longer belt by a few millemeters over the same distance of pulley groove.

Unfortunately, most manufacturers have gone to narrower belts for the old cars. I just bought two new belts for the Formula and had to search a while on rockauto.com for a matching set from Goodyear. Rockauto actually lists the widths for each belt, and they were cheap - around $10 total with shipping. The Goodyears were .44 width which is a little bit more than 14/32. The Gates and Delco belts were .4063 (13/32 width). Napa were the worst - they were around 12/32.

Here is the photo after the new same width belts were installed. As you can see, the inner, alternator belt only rides on about 3 inches of the water pump pully - just enough to create the scream if it is a different width. The power steering belt is what really operates the water pump pulley.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/Untitled.jpg

Compare that with this photo (courtesy of Steve Hoog) showing two different thickness belts on the water pump pully.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/altbelts.jpg

[napa68]

I ran into the same problem with belts on a 69 427 Corvette with A/C, P/S, etc. I had to purchase repro belts to get it right.

BTW, NAPA is the same as Gates.

I love watching for updates. Keep them comming Steve!

Happy New Year!

Tim

[jbsides]

Tim,

When you say NAPA is the same as Gates, do you mean dimensionally? Or does Gates manufacture NAPA belts?

The reason I ask is that I have been having a hard time getting Gates belts. Is there a business relationship between the two?

JB

[njsteve]

I use rockauto.com for all my random tune up stuff. They sell all the various makers' belts. Lots of Delco stuff, too. I even got my gas tank and radiator from them. The shipping was really cheap on their large items, like the gas tank.

[napa68]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jbsides</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Tim,

When you say NAPA is the same as Gates, do you mean dimensionally? Or does Gates manufacture NAPA belts?

The reason I ask is that I have been having a hard time getting Gates belts. Is there a business relationship between the two?

JB </div></div>

The NAPA belts are Gates. Surely, they do not run two separate production lines for the product (especially v belts when you consider the popularity of them today ). Gates does all of the rubber product for NAPA as well as the water pumps.

I also suspect Delco is all Gates as well. Mind you, Delco makes nothing. They are no more than a repackager of product today.

[njsteve]

Did some finagling today and it fits much better.

1) I trimmed around 2 inches off the radiator end of the radiator hose. That pulled the hose bend away from the air cleaner.
2) Added the thicker carb to intake gasket. It's about 1/8&quot; thicker than the previous one.
3) Used a couple of air cleaner to carb gaskets and used a 1/2&quot; section of 5/8&quot; heater hose for the top vent grommet.
4) Rotated the driver's side elbow to fully ride up against the heat riser valve. I also was able to rotate the clamp 180 degrees to fit in behind the heat riser valve.
5) I removed 2 of the 3 washers that I had under the two mounting points of the rear A/C triangle bracket, leaving only one washer to space the bracket up just enough to barely touch the valve cover.
6) I squeezed a permanent dent into the passenger side corrugated hose in the area that it passes over the unique cut out in the A/C triangle bracket.
7) The valve covers are using the correct 1/4&quot; thick 455HO valve cover gaskets so they can clear the oil deflector cages. The regular gasket is 1/8&quot; thick on the D-port 400, 455 engines.

Here are some photos of today's fun:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000069.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000071.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000073.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000068.jpg

[njsteve]

Here is how it sits now, with the bevel on the valve cover.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000076.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000080.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000074.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000079.jpg

[Donnie]

real nice! you need one of those see thru hoods <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[StealthBird]

Looking great Steve! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

I hear ya about trimming the upper radiator hose. The 69's are the same way, and need a good 2&quot;-3&quot; lopped off the end that goes into the radiator.

[njsteve]

Fellow member BRUCE from up in Alaska sent me a pair of BE rods for the Formula. Not only did he send me the rods for free, he cut down a tree, carved out a hand-made, secondary metering rod protection box with his chainsaw and then mailed the entire thing to me. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

Take a look at this contraption!

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000081.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000082.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000083.jpg

Man, you guys sure are inventive up there, North of The Great White North. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif

[njsteve]

I've been doing a little bit of carb tuning the past few days. I ended up using the same recipe of jets, primary and secondary rods that I used in the 1972 T/A project. This recipe was passed along to me from other far more knowledgable people.

The end result is the following for my original 7042273 carb: 74 jets, 44 primary rods and BE secondary rods. The 1972 7042273 carbs were way too lean from the factory and definitely need more fuel than the emissions lean factory setup, if you want them to run right. A lot of it can also be attributed to the fact that gasoline today has 10% ethanol in it which makes for a leaner, fuel mixture. The Formula is running the stock 068 cam, a four speed, and a 3.42 rear gear which is the same driveline I had in the T/A.

I gotta tell you, the car really comes alive with this setup. When you hit the sweet spot in the power band at around 3,000 rpm, the rear tires break loose in first gear, regardless on how angrily your foot is positioned on the gas pedal. I'll post some video when I can figure out how to drive, shift and film at the same time.

I sent the carb to Cliff's High Performance and he did an awesome job. The carb ran great when tested on the &quot;seat of the pants dyno&quot; in the prior mismatched cam/high compression state but once I did the engine overhaul, I noticed the carb was little lean on the top end for my post engine rebuild combination. (since we didn't know what was inside the engine at the time, he tuned it to what he thought best).

Here are the measurements for the combination of parts I had in my tool box at the time:

Jet/Rod...Cruise area...WOT area......Secondary Rod
71/43 = 2.5070..........3.4283..........CR .0550 S (72 T/A 7042273 stock configuration)
73/42 = 2.7999..........3.6545
73/43 = 2.7332..........3.6545
74/47 = 2.5659..........3.7699
74/44 = 2.7803..........3.7699..........BE .0413 S (72 T/A tuned configuration)
74/43 = 2.8486..........3.7699..........BE .0413 S (Formula tuned configuration)
72/39 = 2.8769..........3.5406..........DA .0443 M (Cliff tuned configuration)

At the moment I have the 43 primary rod in the carb and it's a touch richer than it would be with a 44 rod, since it is a new engine I dont want to lean it out too much. If I do my math correctly, the &quot;tuned&quot; setup listed above is around 10% richer than the stock setup which looks like it somehow offsets the 10% ethanol content.

Once the weather clears I will play some more.

[njsteve]

Spent the day doing my mid-winter, out of hiberaton, engine start up.

It was a nice day so I got the hemi charger up and running for the first time in a year. She started right up, so I took her out for a slow ride on the 40+ year old bias ply tires that the original owner installed back in the day. Sure rides different than the Firebird. :-)

There's nothing like modern radials on a second gen Firebird. They ride soooo nice!

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000096.jpg

[HemiOrangeTA]

Awesome stuff; very enjoyable to follow. Thanks for the details and pictures/video!!

[njsteve]

I have been hunting down some parts to try to assemble a correct unitized distributor for the car. I recently got one 1973 1112203 off of ebay, a 1974 1112810 from a trade for an old holley carb I wasn't using, and got a rebuilt 1973 1112203 from an auto parts store. I do still need an actual 1972 1112133 in case anyone has a useable core out there.

These contraptions were a standard option on the 455HO Formula and optional on the Trans Am. They were somewhat notorious for glitches, being the first self-contained transistorized ignition developed by Pontiac. In evolutionary terms, if the the later HEI distributor was a modern human, then the Unitized Distributor was a Neanderthal.

The big problem was that the parts were unique and never produced by the aftermarket. The distributor cap, the rotor, the coil, and most of all, the wire set were unique and insanely expensive even back in 1972. The ignition module was housed in the base with wires that connected to the coil pack. The wire set was a molded one piece octopus that required complete replacement as a unit if you burned or broke a single wire. It sold new from the dealer, for several hundred dollars back when a regular points ignition wire set was around $20. So when something happened, the entire distributor was usually tossed and a newer HEI was installed in its place for 1/4 the price.

Here's one assembled:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/KGrHqFqcE88ftRRkBPVVIhBUw60_57.jpg

Here's the three I have now

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000140.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000141.jpg

[njsteve]

The cap is more of a fixture for holding the wire &quot;octopus&quot; and has no internal termainals for the spark plug leads. It has a spring that sits on the top coil terminal and a spring loaded carbon button that is inserted into the center of the bottom of the cap. (the cap on the eft is cracked and missing the carbon button).

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000145.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000144.jpg

The coil pack sits on top of the wire &quot;octopus&quot; and two long screws go through the coil pack, then the wire set and cap and into the distributor base.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000142.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000143.jpg

[njsteve]

And here is the notorious wire set. The eight spark plug wires are permanently molded into the center ring. If there was a problem with one wire...you had a problem with the whole set and had to replace it as a unit. Big $$$

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000146.jpg

Here is a chopped up center ring.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000147.jpg

There is a way to split the center seam of the molded rubber ring with a razor and insert a regular wire set into the terminals. I will be trying that just to see if it will work. Others have done this with good results in the past.

[njsteve]

Using the original 1972 service manual, I went through the diagnosis and testing procedures with an ohm-meter as described in the manual. All three distributors, modules and coils packs tested out fine. The common problem with these distributors was overheating the coil pack and melting the windings until it shorted out. If the coil windings were going, then the module was overworked and failed as well. This usually all happened without warning.

I have a pile of original repair work orders from London Motor Products, the dealer that sold the car new. There are multiple work orders for replacing the distributor or coil pack or some other no-start condition.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000153.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000154.jpg

[njsteve]

Here's the internal module:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000149-2.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000150-1.jpg

[njsteve]

Performed an autopsy on the chopped up spark plug octopus (calimari?)

I initially tried using a hot knife but then just switched to a razor blade. I sliced the seam and then used a combination of Angry Old Man Strength and the razor to peel the top section away. It looks like the factory assembled these units with some type of weatherstrip adhesive/rubber cement. Definitely some tough stuff.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000158.jpg

After slicing and fileting the top off, here is what appeared:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000163.jpg

It is a pretty simple design. The wires have a terminal end with a tip that resembles a Chevy bowtie. The Bowtie inserts through the eight rectangular slots and is preset into the correct position around the circle.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000165.jpg

Here is a close up of the &quot;Bowtie&quot;. It can rotate 360 degrees to any position. There are two styles, 6 of the end-mounted tips and 2 of the side mounted tips. Each wire is stenciled with the number of the cylinder it goes to: 1,3,5, and 7 on one side and 2,4,6 and 8 on the other, preset in the 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 firing order.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000168.jpg

And here is the base with all 8 wires withdrawn. Looks like a reasonably easy swap of the terminal ends onto another set of wires and then reseal the top with a suitable adhesive.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000175.jpg

I will update once the replacement donor wires arrive.

[njsteve]

I spent some time last night soaking the intact set of wires in some purple stuff and them scrubbed them in soapy hot water. They looked pretty good. No cuts or slices anywhere. I was able to pull the spark plug wire boots back to see the spark plug terminals. Now I see why they tossed this wire set. Almost all of the spark plug leads were broken and/or replaced. The original end is a 135 degree bent end. I ordered some replacement terminals from Taylor Wire and will replace them all.

The funny thing was that all I could find was 45 degree terminals...that was until I figured out that one manufacturer's 45 degrees is another manufacturer's 135 degrees. Add 135 and 45 and you get 180. :-)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000183.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000177.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000178.jpg

You can see the silk screened numbers and &quot;Packard TVR Suppression 1Q-73&quot;

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000182.jpg

[mockingbird812]

Sharp Steve. Persistence pays off.

[napa68]

As always..........................I'm impressed!

[jannes_z-28]

From the one you cut apart you could probably make molds off and start fabricating new ones.

Looks like it would be simple to do.


Always interesting to read about your work with details.


Jan

[njsteve]

Just got back from my Tuesday night body shop class at the local polytech high school. My ongoing project is the Formula.

As you may know from following this thread, the car had NOS GM quarters put on it back in the 1980s, when they were still available. Unfortunately, at the time, the trunk drop offs were not available and the body guy did an amazing (though completely incorrect) hand-made version of drop offs. He used the existing trunk portion and then hand-made a flat panel and brazed it to the edges of the inner quarter.

Now that the aftermarket has finally come out with the reproduction trunk drop offs, I decided to replace the hand-made ones myself. (after I got an crazy estimate of several thousand dollars per side to replace them at resto shop).

The wonderful thing about this polytech adult education course is that you pay $400 for 12 weeks (every Tuesday night) and you get to use all their tools and expertise of a professional body man who is teaching the course. It is an amazing time!

Here is the before shot of the handmade boilerplate inner quarter:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000122.jpg

And after I used a cutting wheel to remove the major section and then a grinder to grind the edge of the brazing off, where it mated to the outer edge of the quarter panel.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000129.jpg

Since the far end of the hand made panel was properly welded and mated to the inner quarter structure and matched the flat section of the new repro dropoff exactly, I left that in place and then made mounting flanges from a two-inch section of the prior hand-made drop off.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000186.jpg

Instead of drilling and welding the dropoff in, we decided to use what a lot of modern body shops are using these days: structural panel adhesive. This stuff is amazing. It seals the bare metal and provides corrosion protection between the panels as it bonds them together with an adhesive that is stronger than the steel itself.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000200.jpg

[njsteve]

I made a template out of a couple of manila file folders and then placed it on the the repro dropoff and marked off for cutting. I used a plasma cutter (a really fun tool) and trimmed it down to size until the panel just popped in exactly. These repros fit very well, right out of the box when it comes to aligning with the edges of the GM quarter.

Here's the repro panel being trial fit:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000190.jpg

The adhesive it premixed in the funnel that attaches to the dual cannister and is first applied to the mounting areas and brushed over any bare metal area, as well as any area that is to be a bonding point. Then a liberal amount is squeezed out onto the panel and the panel is put into place. A bunch of vise grips are then used to clamp it in place, but not too tight. You dont want to squeeze out all the adhesive.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000193.jpg

Yeah, I know that's sacriligious to use that clamp on the paint...but the paint is old and bad and I have a piece of cloth under it. This was the only way to get the upper portion held in place. The clamp is pressing on a section of wood across the upper bonding seam. Plus, they are my Grandfather's woodworking clamps from three quarters of a century, ago.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000195.jpg

[njsteve]

It takes 45 minutes for the adhesive to set up. It turns from grey to green when it is cured. I used a heat gun to warm up the panel and that speeded up the process, since I only had three hours for the evening class and there was only an hour left when we started clamping. After several hours it is harder than the steel.

And here is the semi-final result until we do the cosmetic body filler to get rid of any visible seams.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000202.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000205.jpg

Oh, and in case you thought I did this all in one three hour class...I didn't. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif It took two classes, one to remove the old dropoff and the other to trim and install the new one. So, six hours total.

[Xplantdad]

Neat stuff Steve!

[jannes_z-28]

That adhesive sounds great, when I first started to read about this I thought &quot;Is he going to weld there and destroy the paint?&quot;

This stuff must be great!


Jan

[Donnie]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jannes_z-28</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That adhesive sounds great, when I first started to read about this I thought &quot;Is he going to weld there and destroy the paint?&quot;

This stuff must be great!


Jan </div></div>
panel bond adhesive is some good sh!t.

[njsteve]

It is an amazing product. It does what welding can do, without the heat damage to the paint and having to drill and weld up holes which can lead to a starting point for future corrosion.

[firstgenaddict]

I was leery of it when I first heard of it as well.

After the body shop supplier demonstrated the bonding of a seam and actually used frame clamps and a hydraulic press to try and pull the bonded seam apart, the sheet metal ripped before the bonded joint had a chance to fail...
I was amazed...

[njsteve]

I figured I might as well join the twentieth century, technology-wise, now that's it's the twenty-first.

I'm a strict follower of the Automotive Hypocratic Oath: &quot;Above all, do no harm&quot;

Since it's not really a structural part of the body and I didn't want to do more damage to a solid car in an effort to install a correct replacement part, I decided to go the adhesive route. The body guy indicated that there are some adhesives that are useable in conjunction with the assembly line clamping spot welders, so you could have the best of both worlds if you were trying to accurately reproduce the factory &quot;crunched&quot; look of the spot welds at the bottom of the quarters and fender lips, in additon to having total adhesion and corrosion protection.

[jannes_z-28]

They have been gluing real aircraft parts together for a few decades so why not cars?

Jan

[firstgenaddict]

I sold commercial printing &amp; coding/printing equipment for a few years...
A silk screen would be a terribly inefficient way to linearly code something.
The <span style="font-weight: bold">Packard TVR Suppression 1Q73</span> was in all likely hood done in line while the wire was being manufactured, with a rotary letter press, (rubber stamp on a wheel which is inked with either an anilox roller, or some inking system)
http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000182.jpg

The cylinder indications were also done with a rubber stamp (probably not rotary and most likely while the individual wire sets were being put together) although the impression pressure was much higher as indicated by the &quot;halo's around the numbers&quot; where the paint/ink squeezed out.

[njsteve]

Back to the unitized wire set rebuilding.

Received the new wire set for the &quot;octopus&quot; and new spark plug terminal ends for the old wire set.

I got a box of 50 of the spark plug terminal ends and installed eight of them with the correct crimping tool. It's amazing what having the right tool for the right job will do! The angles on these terminals are an exact match to the originals.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000210.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000208.jpg

The new donor wire set I got was from Lectric Limited. No one makes unitized wire sets, so these are for the regular points style ignition. They are date coded 3rd quarter 1971. I removed the tower boots and terminals from each new wire. I then carefully removed the bowtie terminal ends from each of the remnants of the original cut wires from the &quot;octopus&quot; with a small screw driver to pry the edges up and then a needle nosed pliers to bend the tabs.

Once I got the terminals off, I noticed that not only did the original wires have a section of the inner graphite core stripped and folded over to lie against the terminal base, they also had a one inch section of copper wire stuck into the end of each wire and bent over to also form a contact with the terminal. In addition to that, the terminal has an internal barb that pierces the wire and touches the internal graphite wire. I used the new crimping tool to affix each bowtie terminal to the wires. I also use some White Out to number each wire so I knew which is which.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000212.jpg

After getting all the wires matched to length, (the new set has the correct number of long, medium and short wires that match the unitized wires length), I applied a layer of black weatherstrip adhesive to both sides of the octopus and the channels where the wires set. I inserted all the wires and seated the terminals through the octopus. I then installed the octopus on the cap and bolted the coil down on top which created the perfect clamp for the wire set. I also used a bunch of large binder clips and clothes pins to squeeze the outer edges together and will let it sit overnight.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000214.jpg

[jannes_z-28]

Did you check the conductivity and resistance before you clamped it?


Jan

[njsteve]

Yes. There is a slght problem though with checking ohms on carbon cores versus wire core spark plug wires. The old set was very sensitive to how hard you pressed the probe to the wire ends. The new set were very close to each other, resistance-wise.

[njsteve]

Here is the 1112203 (1973) distributor all back together with the new wires and octopus installed.

I checked the resistance of all the plug wires with an ohm meter and they are the same as when they were single wires with the old boot style terminals, so nothing was affected by the transplant.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000222.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000224.jpg


Here's a question for any unitized experts out there:

Both of my coils have this strange &quot;hammertone&quot; black finish on them. Is this how it should look? Or should it be gloss black like the NOS coil packs I have seen.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000225.jpg

[njsteve]

I got a Valentines Day gift from MIDYR up in Ontario who was able to get the Ontario ownership search done through the DMV up there. Thanks Lance! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

You have to have a Canadian driver's license to purchase the search. It costs $20. Also note how it shows the word &quot;VOID&quot; all over the document when you scan or copy it. The actual document has an intricate green watermark that covers the entire page.

Neat stuff! It shows the attorney William Nursey being the listed owner as of January 4, 1973. So it looks like he put it in his own name after only one year and not after the three year lease expired, as I had thought before. Maybe a perk of his position as a partner in the law practice?

I also shows the second owner James Robinson, having purchased it from WIlliam Nursey on July 4, 1985. As the prior research indicates, Robinson put on the NOS quarters and painted the car and then sold it to the late owner in British Columbia. That man's widow then sold it to Grant in 2011, who sold it to me in 2012.

I have tried to locate both gentlemen but have come to a dead end. William Nursey is listed as a General Counsel for London Life Insurance Co. in London Ontario, although the date of that info is several years old. I called their General Counsel's Office and they did not have him listed as an employee. He may have passed on several years ago.

James Robinson's Ontario phone numbers are disconnected from the old Hemmings ad listed previously in this thread as well as numbers from my old paperwork.

http://www.yenko.net/attachments/usergals/2013/02/full-1359-2681-canadian_mot_p_2_edited.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/attachments/usergals/2013/02/full-1359-2682-canadian_mot_p_3_edited.jpg

[mockingbird812]

Documentation............you can never have too much!! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

Congrats Steve!

[njsteve]

Gotta love Canadian records! (and Canadian car-people, too) <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[firstgenaddict]

Steve knowing your quest for rare Pontiacs... I thought you could try to run this one down next... looks like a Black and Blue 73 T/A SD.

http://www.yenko.net/attachments/usergals/2013/02/full-254-2718-tumblr_mgh28w9oo11s1f10do1_1280_crop.jpg

[njsteve]

Its a 1971. You can tell by the little squares in the grills and the seat pattern. Is that a British or Australian license plate?

Nice vintage first generation BFG Radial T/As, Cragars, and black sidepipes.

The chick is vintage late 1970s wth the Dorothy Hamill &quot;Camel&quot; hairdo and the spaghetti strap dress.

BTW, there was one black 73 SD T/A produced. It still exists. Its a rather famous story. The original ordering dealership figured a way to get an SD allocation by making up a story that a longtime customer wanted a black Trans Am and was prepared to buy a black Camaro instead. So when Pontiac gave them the OK to special order a black Trans Am, the dealer just happened to order it with the SD455 engine option. The car was delivered with a red front bumper, and red spoilers/flares since those items were produced in color already. And were supposed to be painted black by the dealer upon arrival. The dealer kept them red.

[njsteve]

I've been doing some more hunting and found some NOS stuff for the unitized project. I located an NOS ignition module, and NOS distributor cap housing and an NOS coil (which is on the way at the moment).

I also found another remanufactured unitized distributor at an online auto parts store and when I opened the box it turned out to actually be a 1972 1112127 (455 non-HO) with a 1K13 date code. So that is as close as I'm going to get to a 1112133 at the moment. And seeing that I only spent about 1/8 of the cost of a 1112133 for it, I was quite happy.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000234.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000231.jpg

Here's the instructions with the NOS control module. It even had the little tube of heat-sync grease still in the box.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000233.jpg

[njsteve]

The NOS coil pack arrived yesterday. There is a slight difference in finish from the original which has a somewhat visible fiberglass grain texture and the slightly glossier NOS piece which is still dated from late 1971. So maybe the gloss gets worn away after the electrical heat from usage.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000241.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000247.jpg

[markinnaples]

Nice finds, and awesome luck on that '72 distributor.

[StealthBird]

A couple years ago, a guy bought a remanufactured distributor from CarQuest for about $65, for his 70 GTO. He checked the numbers, and it was for a 1970 RAIV. He put it on E-Bay, and it sold for over $1,100.

Strange what you find at some of these auto parts stores. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif

[njsteve]

I got the 1112127 unitized distributor back from getting the advance curve set. I installed it today and the car started right up. It actually sounds like its running smoother than with the HEI. The HEI had an old set of wires so it's probably the new wires helping things out.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000291.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000289.jpg

Unfortunately it is snowing outside at the moment so a test drive will have to wait a day or two...

[njsteve]

I've been playing at the Votech class and doing more cutting and welding. It's quite amazing what you can get done in three hours when you have a dropdead time to move it out of the shop and head home when the class is over. I spent one class cutting and trimming the bad section of the upper drop-off that mated up with the outer wheelhouse on the driver's side. The seam between the two panels was soft so I elected to cut the seam out so I had an easier area to weld from (inside the trunk), instead of trying to recreate the mated area underneath the car which is blocked by the frame rail.

Here's the before shot:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/SDC11241.jpg

And after trimming:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000273.jpg

I used the upper portion of the drop off and an extra leftover section of flange and welded them together to pre-form the mated seam between the trunkfloor and the drop off:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000276.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000277.jpg

And here is how the replacement piece fits:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000282.jpg

[njsteve]

The following week, I welded the replacement section in place and then grinded...a lot!

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000287.jpg

I also prepared the second replacement piece out of the aftermarket wheelhouse that I bought to serve as a donor supplier of repair sections. I also had to recreate a small section of the inner wheel house edge that the overlapping &quot;flap&quot; mates to. (All that crusty black stuff is old undercoating and will be scraped out of there soon).

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000305.jpg

And here it is after some minor body work and filler:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000328.jpg

as compared to the opposite untouched side:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000329.jpg

[njsteve]

And after consulting my &quot;before&quot; photos and examining the trunk in my Grandma's '75 Firebird, I spent yesterday using two tubes of seam sealer to replicate the horribly gooped up application of the factory seam sealer. After letting it set overnight, I then used some MEK solvent and a brush and nitrile gloved fingers to replicate the original look as close as possible. No matter what I did it still looked &quot;too nice&quot; to be factory applied. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

Here's Grandma's '75 Firebird trunk:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000314.jpg

and the '72:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000316.jpg

And the driver's side, too:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000315.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000317.jpg

[K code Mustang]

Looks really nice Steve. Instead of you asking me for help with your car, I might be asking you for help with mine!

[njsteve]

Sure, if we can manage it in three hours, at the local high school, at night!

<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

I am trying my best to get all the underbody stuff done myself, so when it comes time to paint, it is just topside stuff, only.

[njsteve]

Is there anyone out there (near me in NJ) who has the equipment to paint the correct spatter paint in my trunk? I dont want to do the spray can method and would much rather get the correct finish done, whether by paying for it or borrowing/renting the equipment.

[njsteve]

I finished up the bodywork and prep on the driver's side trunk drop-off. In order to reproduce the original heavy body shutz sound deadener I used a couple cans of spray-on bedliner instead of undercoating. It worked very well as long as you spray it from at least a foot away to allow it to hit the panel in a dryer state. You don't want to spray it on wet. It will look too smooth at a minimum and will all &quot;landslide&quot; off the panel if it is too wet.

Here is the original drop-off from my 1972 Trans Am that was built a week before the Formula at Norwood:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/innerquarterdriver.jpg

And the finished result:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000344a.jpg

It's a helluva lot better looking than the way it came:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000532.jpg

[njsteve]

I got the trunk finished today. I spent a couple hours soaking the plastic tail lamp housings in PurpleStuff degreaser to remove the fossilized remains of that roofing tar/rustproofing that encased them. I also pulled the tail lamp wiring harness out and masked off the trunk area.

I first used some red oxide primer to spray a small area at the inner, tops of both NOS quarters because they were still in their original black E-coat, instead of red oxide dip primer. I then sprayed the areas that were going to get the trunk speckle paint with dark grey sandable primer. This really helped with the speckle paint coverage. I was able to do the entire trunk with one can of the Eastwood Trunk Paint since the background dark grayish color was already there.

To get the right finish I really stood back a ways to get the spray as dry as possible when it landed. I was spraying from outside of the trunk opening most of the time and I used small one-second bursts with the can until I got enough coverage to resemble the original speckle finish that is still remaining in some areas of the trunk, such as the trunk latch bulkhead. I think it came out reasonably well for a spray can job.

Here's the original post pressure washing photo:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/SDC11254.jpg

And today's results:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000369.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000371.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000370.jpg

[70 Forest Green Zee]

Steve....that trunk turned out excellent! You are quite a craftsman and I enjoy reading your threads and seeing how you tackle particular areas of your restorations. Keep those pics and this thread going....I'm sure many here feel the same!!!

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

I agree 100%, keep the pics and commentary coming.

Ryan

[njsteve]

Thanks guys!

Sometimes I wonder who is reading this stuff or if I am posting for my own entertainment. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif My other thread has over a million-and-a-half views now. It's like it has a life of its own now!

[mockingbird812]

Sharp Mac! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[SuperNovaSS]

I am thoroughly entertained by your threads. I've through about posting similar threads about cleaning original parts but there never seems to be enough time in the day. I am revamping my blasting cabinet in the next month and will try to post results of different types of cleaning that can be done in a media blaster. I have learned a lot from your posts Steve.

Thanks for taking the time,

Jason

[KevinW]

Steve, that is pretty much exactly how I did mine, but I did the black undercoat, since 69s are black and aqua. Not sure about Eastwoods, but my Duplicolor was still very fragile when completely dry. It would rub off easily. I ended up putting many coats (7) of spray can matte clear to get a good protective coat. Kevin

[njsteve]

Actually it seems very tough as the base layer is the primer and only the speckles are from the spray can. It looks very close in finish to the remaining original finish. At the moment I wont be clearing it. I did that on the T/A and it changed the appearance of the finish too much.

[KevinW]

OK <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif

[njsteve]

Look what I found! I was perusing ebay one Sunday morning, a couple weeks ago, right after someone listed this alternator. It's the exact one I needed for my car. I emailed the seller and asked him what he wanted for the alternator. He said $50. I had him send me a paypal invoice and I bought it immediately. It arrived today and I had it tested at the auto parts store and it works fine.

It's a 1101015 80 amp with a 1M14 date code. If I deduce correctly, that is December 14, 1971, perfect for my Jan 11, 1972 shipped car. This is a real oddball piece since they only came on the Firebirds with A/C and electric rear window defogger with the heating elements in the rear glass.

I disassembled it this afternoon and I am soaking the case in the trusty old Purplestuff degreaser at the moment. I found a new front bearing for it in my box of alternator parts and it should be good to go.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000372.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000378.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000376.jpg

[SuperNovaSS]

Nice Score! That does sounds like a rare &quot;bird&quot;.


Jason

[njsteve]

Sure is. I have been hunting for one for a year now. There are hundreds of hits on ebay for the 1101015 part number but they are all for modern cross-referenced, superceded alternators that cover that application. This was the first one I have seen in a year of searching, and luckily it had the right date code as a bonus.

[njsteve]

I got some more of the welding done at the Votech class last week. I finished up the bodywork on the passenger side trunk drop off and the large rust hole in the outer wheel tub. Luckily the rocker panel rail end was fine. As I mentioned before, anywhere that there was a large concentration of body seam sealer/caulking is where the rust occurred. Once that stuff gets old, it acts just like a sponge and holds the water next to the metal until the metal rusts away.

Here's the finished trunk drop off on the pass side:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/righttrunkdropoff.jpg

And here is the before shot of the rust hole in the front of the passenger side wheel well:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/passsidewheelwellb4.jpg

And after I surgically removed the rusty portions and welded in a section of the reproduction outer wheel tub, and finished the body work, seam sealer, and partially undercoated it:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/rightwheelwell.jpg

And for comparison's sake, here is the wheel well from Gramma's 75 Firebird in all its sloppily applied seam sealer glory:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000396.jpg

[69 Post Sedan]

Nice work......as usual. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

Kurt

[Xplantdad]

Great stuff Steve!

[njsteve]

Thanks! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif

All that detail work to make the metal seams look correct, and I then have to cover it in slathered-on goop to make it look sloppy on purpose! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/no.gif

[njsteve]

I put the alternator back together after some parts cleaning. I soaked the case in the Purplestuff for a couple days and scrubbed it with a brass wire scrub brush (something softer than the cast metal case). I then used some 0000 steel wool and Orangestuff hand cleaner and gently scrubbed the outside of the case under really hot water. It turned out great, it has that just tumbled look out of the casting mold.

As for the pulley and fan blade, they turned out to be just dirty. The original silver cad plating on the pully cleaned up nicely. The finish on the back half of the pulley was perfect, the front half, not as nice due to being out in the elements all these years. The fan blade still retained its original grey phosphate finish and just needed some soaking in the Purplestuff degreaser and scrubbing with a plastic scrub brush. After seeing the original finish on the pulley and fan blade, and all the cobwebs inside, it looks like this alternator had never been apart in 42 years, so it retained all its factory hardware after all this time. The only repair needed was a new front bearing and to heli-coil the upper mounting bolt hole which is always stripped out on these cases.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000402.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000404.jpg

And you can even see the part number and date code on it now! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000408.jpg

[njsteve]

I just noticed on the calendar: This is the one year anniversary of me buying this car. Wow what a difference in progress versus the prior project! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[9566 BA]

Steve
everything looks great! Its hard to put back something like seam sealer that is gobbed on or looks messy on a car you are trying to make look nice but thats how they came.

[njsteve]

Finally finished the passenger side wheel tub repairs and slopped the seam sealer on, just like the assembly line did. The best method to reproduce the original application style seemed to be by wearing rubber gloves and applying three parallel lines of the sealer next to each other. Then you smeared it down the entire length of the seam with your index, middle and ring fingers held tightly alongside each other. This seems to duplicate the &quot;triple stripe&quot; application that is on my Gramma's 75 and the other car's I have examples of.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000415.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000414.jpg

So, in the end, the Votech adult education course at the local highschool really paid off. For $400 and 12 weeks of Tuesday night dedication I was able to use their entire body shop and all the associated welding and bodywork equipment, and get expert tutelage on its use. I removed and replaced both trunk drop-offs, repaired the passenger side trunk-to-wheel tub section, and the rocker-to-wheel tub section, and refinished the trunk floor. Sure beats the estimate I got to have the work done (by around $7000). <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[K code Mustang]

And you know the work was done to your satisfaction. Great work as always.

[njsteve]

Thanks, John. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

Now I have to find someone to do the topside. (A man's got to know his limitations...and painting a black car is well beyond mine at the moment). <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

Maybe one more body shop class will do it.......

Great job, very inspiring to try some resto/repair items myself.

Ryan

[Dave Rifkin]

Are you sure it needs to be repainted? Some detailers do what is referred to as &quot;paint correction&quot; and it is a much more involved detailing process that can, in some cases, produce excellent results on the existing paint. It's not cheap but, much cheaper than a respray.

[njsteve]

It deserves a repaint. It is 30 year old enamel and has contaminants from the original application (tiny bumps from water in the air lines), chips, scratches and the entire lower 8 inches of the car including front and rear valances are coated in that darn gravel guard crap that everyone loved to apply back in the 1980s.

I also need to fix a couple cracks in the fiberglass hood near the scoops from incorrect hood closing procedures. These hoods should never be slammed down in the center. They should be gently prssed closed with two hands, one on each scoop. If not done this way, you get a crack alongside each scoop on the centerline of the hood. This hood has those cracks.

[njsteve]

Spent a couple hours at my buddy's garage this morning. We filled up the A/C system with R12 and man does it blow cold. 37 degrees at idle! Ready for summer cruising. I finally used the R12 that a fellow Yenko.net member gave me a year or so ago. Thanks again!

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000435.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/P1000435.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/P1000436.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/P1000436.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

Another evening at the votech body shop class. I forgot to take any before shots but here are a couple after shots. I had to weld up several 1/2&quot; Ziebart rust proofing holes in the doors. The one on the driver's side was right in the middle of where the conformance decal is supposed to be. The original rustproofers must have drilled right through the decal. DUMB! There were also a couple extra 1/4&quot; size holes where they must have tried to install a non-original replacement, power door lock solenoid. The large hex-head screws are the retaining bolts for the power door lock solenoids.


Anyway, here is the result after I reinstalled the door panels and made sure everything still worked:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000456.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000456.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000457.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000457.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

I bought an NOS Formula hood from PerformanceYears site member &quot;The Boss,&quot; (chris) today. Definitely a great guy with some really nice cars! I went out and picked it up this morning. This will be the next project - it needs some (hopefully minor) repair work. It has been sitting in his shed for several years and before that in someone else's parts stash. Its a very nice hood, other than it being the victim of bad storage practices, most likely when it was new. Someone way back when, stood it on the windshield end and both of the fragile fiberglass corners were broken off. Ugh!

I decided to go for this NOS hood, as mine is heavily bowed up in front of the hood hinge area (a common problem with Formula hoods), some of the defroster grills are cracked, and there are stress cracks in my hood that look like they were badly repaired at the scoop bases in the front. Probably from someone closing the hood way too hard, a few hundred times.

Now I can devote less repair effort on a nicer, flatter hood. The hood is made of the same white molded glass material as the spare shaker scoop that I repaired a couple years ago. That shaker coincidentally had a similar sized section of its corner broken off. I used the bondo fiberglass filler gel and it came out really nice.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/99416/113

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000468.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000468.jpg.html)

Driver's side corner:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000469.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000469.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000470.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000470.jpg.html)

Passenger side corner:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000467.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000467.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000466.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000466.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

I brought the hood to the Tuesday evening Votech class and had some fun. I used the Bondo Fiberglass Resin Gel repair compound which is a fiberglass resin mixed with fiberglass powder in it.

I made a tracing of my good hood on the car, locating the template at the last molded alignment bumper about 5 inches from the back of the hood. This way I could align the tracing with the damaged hood in the same spot.

The repair compound works great. I ground down the leading edge of the break by an inch or so so there would be a longer mating seam for the compound. I taped some cardboard underneath to hold the goop and applied it &quot;liberally.&quot; I also used a small piece of fiberglass mat and mushed it into the mixture for added strength.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000486.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000486.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000487.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000487.jpg.html)

I then did like Michelangelo did with his sculpture of David: When asked how he could sculpt something so realistic, he said &quot;I simply remove everything that isn't my subject.&quot; So I followed his guidance and I carved away everything that wasn't the hood. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

Here's is the preliminary view with the stencil underneath. Still have a ways to go.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000494.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000494.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000493.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000493.jpg.html)

After getting to this stage I then used a Dremel tool and ground grooves across the seam area and reapplied the firberglass gel. I will also do this from the top as well so it gives two sepearate layers of &quot;finger joints&quot; above and below the seam, strengthening the bond so it is not just a flat surface to surface bond, but a sandwich of several bonds overlaying each other.

[njsteve]

I can definitely say the repair is pretty strong. I enlisted one of my kids to help me move the hood out of my truck this morning. As I was getting inside the truck, facing the &quot;pointy end&quot; of the hood, when the hood shifted forward. One of newly constucted tips slashed me across the bicep, cutting right through my shirt and leaving one helluva welt across my arm. So I guess it passed the &quot;Slash Test&quot;. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[Xplantdad]

Looking good Steve!

[njsteve]

Since everyone's pet peeve on the 70-72 cars is the wrong style fender support structure on the 73 and up replacement fenders, I decided to convert the passenger side fender that was installed a year or so after this car was originally built. I have an original-owner engine compartment shot that shows the replacement fender in place with the brace mounts sticking out like a sore thumb.

I was able to obtain a donor inner fender support structure from a 70-72 fender thanks to another member of the Performance Years board and brought it all to the final night of the votech class yesterday.

Here is the passenger side fender marked, preliminarily cut and the two spot welds cut, where the incorrect raised brace mount is:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000576.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000576.jpg.html)

and this is the original driver's side fender with the correct flat area in its place:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000577.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000577.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

Here is the donor inner framework that was removed from a 70-72 fender. It is thick heavy gauge steel, not sheet metal.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000573.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000573.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000572.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000572.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

I used a cut-off wheel to carefully trim up to the upper wrap-around area of the fender sheet metal and then went underneath (after removing the inner fender), and cut the remaining portion away. I also used a spot weld cutter to detach the fender flange from the inner brace (the two holes visible in the photo).

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000580.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000580.jpg.html)

Underside view:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000579.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000579.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

I then marked the same sized section from the donor frame and used the cut-off wheel to remove it. After some final trimming, grinding and sandblasting, it primed with weld-through primer and clamped into place.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000584.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000584.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000587.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000587.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

We then welded the topside and underside and ground away the excess.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000589.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000589.jpg.html)

Here is the semi final repair in primer, prior to any final cosmetic bodywork. Now it looks like correct year fender for 1972.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000592.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000592.jpg.html)

Much better than the &quot;sticking out like a sore thumb&quot; 1973-81 replacement fender.

[njsteve]

I got the section painted and reinstalled the inner fender. Here is the finished product. Looks like a 1972 fender once again.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000603.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000603.jpg.html)

As compared to the actual 1972 driver's side fender:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000604.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000604.jpg.html)

[Xplantdad]

Nice!

[mockingbird812]

Great work Steve! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[njsteve]

Some more tinkering on the NOS Formula hood today.

I used a Dremel tool and a file wrapped in sandpaper to reproduce the factory cut outs in the scoops. I formed the rounded edges on both ends by using a Chevy fuel pump push rod wrapped in sandpaper. It was a perfect fit for doing the curved edge areas. It was very difficult to keep the same 1/8&quot; inner edge as the original. The reason is that there are molded-in decorative grates in the scoop area that you have to transect. Some of the edges of the grates remain and some have to go, to maintain a consistent permimeter on the curved inner surface.

Here is the original Ram Air hood cut outs. The metal grates slide into a slot from the underside of the hood and are held in place by two screws.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/05/full-1359-4959-p1000606.jpg

And here is my version on the NOS hood:

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/05/full-1359-4958-p1000610a.jpg

[njsteve]

I finished the other fiberglass repair work on the missing corners by the windshield and the chipped front corners. I also spent a while grinding and fiberglassing the three cracked defroster ribs. I used a Dremel tool to make a deep groove, 9/10ths of the way through cracked area and then used the fiberglass gel repair to fill the trough I made. It worked out nicely. I even trial fitted the press-on stainless steel edge molding. (That was rather nerve wracking as you have to tap it in place with a rubber mallet to seat it fully).

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000619.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000619.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000617.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000617.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000618.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000618.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000621.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000621.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000616.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000616.jpg.html)

[njsteve]

With the help of the wife and daughter I swapped the NOS hood onto the car (that was entertaining to say the least). I then set the hood in the right spot and readjusted all the gaps on the fenders. I noticed that I had both peaks on the hood at too high of an angle so I had to add another 3/8&quot; of an inch of the fiberglass gel to the underside of the tips and then sanded away the top sides until they matched the contours of the fenders, exactly. I then recruited the wife and daughter to once again to pull the hood off so I could do the finish work on the added material on the bottom side. After getting the hood off, they promptly went shopping.

That gave me time finish up the underside and also trial fit the screens into the scoop openings and drill the two mounting screw holes. There are actually built-in bosses that the screws go in to on the inside of the scoop area. There was also a bunch of excess bonding adhesive from the original manufacturing process that had to be ground away so the grills would slide into the factory slots. Dremel time once again.

Once the &quot;hood crew&quot; returned from their shopping spree they assisted in installing the hood back on the car. Here is the finished product before I drop the hood off at the local bodyshop to get it prepped and painted black.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000625.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000625.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000628.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000628.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000627.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000627.jpg.html)

And this is the best part: the hood is dead flat with no bow in the center like all the other 40+ year old hoods out there. Right now I have the original hood sitting on four drums spanned by 2x4s with 30 lbs of weight in the middle to try to flatten the old hood back into shape. We will see what happens.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000629.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000629.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000630.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000630.jpg.html)

[SuperNovaSS]

Steve,

It looks great! Have you considered doing the paint yourself? You have done the tedious work already, why no take the victory lap?

Jason

[napa68]

As always, I really enjoy your work Steve. How bout a Corvette next? <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif

Tim

[njsteve]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SuperNovaSS</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Steve,

It looks great! Have you considered doing the paint yourself? You have done the tedious work already, why no take the victory lap?

Jason </div></div>

The votech classes ended last week so I need to actually have a professional do it. (I am having the shop where my votech instructor works, do it.)

[njsteve]

I drove the car over and dropped the hood off yesterday at the painter's shop. I then went home and bribed the wife and daughter into helping me reinstall the original hood back on the car since there is supposed to be a cruise night this weekend and maybe I'll take it out somewhere for the first time since I bought it. (I have been driving it - almost 600 miles so far, since the engine was finished, but with no particular place to go.)

[njsteve]

Hood in progress. The painter sent me these cell phone shots from earlier this week. He said the hood is much nicer than he thought and only needs minor surface work. (Fingers crossed). The main areas that need smoothing are the seams where the lower part of the scoop joins the upper part, along each side. There was a noticeable bonding seam.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/image6.jpeg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/image6.jpeg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/image5.jpeg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/image5.jpeg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/image1.jpeg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/image1.jpeg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/image.jpeg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/image.jpeg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/image2.jpeg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/image2.jpeg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/image3.jpeg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/image3.jpeg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/image4.jpeg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/image4.jpeg.html)

[njsteve]

Hood in first coat of black primer today.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/photo.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/photo.jpg.html)

[Xplantdad]

Nice...I love Formulas!!

[StealthBird]

Best looking GM hood ever made. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

Steve, are you heading to the POCI show next month?

[njsteve]

There is something more than just vaguely feminine about the shape of the scoops on that hood. Maybe that's why guys like them so much. It's a great view from the driver's seat. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif

I am going to the Performance Years open house this saturday in PA. May go to the TA Nationals in August. Dont know schedule yet, with daughter getting ready to go off to college. That takes precedence.

I also have to teach her how to drive the manual trans in the Formula as I promised, before she heads off to college. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

....and then replace the clutch....

[njsteve]

She's painted! Now awaiting curing, color sanding and buffing.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/photopainted.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/photopainted.jpg.html)

[Xplantdad]

Nice! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/drool.gif

[njsteve]

I think I will just keep bringing him one panel every few weeks and trick him into doing the entire car...or at least from the doors forward. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif

[njsteve]

Just got back from the Performance Years Show in Hatfield, PA. It was about a 100 mile roundtrip. The car ran great and the A/C was blowing cold. 700 miles on the engine as of now.

A local friend of mine brought his Quetzal Gold, 72 455HO, four-speed, A/C equipped, Formula and we caravaned there and back.

The new hood is on and the paint looks much better than the rest of the car...now what do I do?

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000669.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000669.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000670.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000670.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000666.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000666.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/bodywork/P1000671.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/bodywork/P1000671.jpg.html)

[mockingbird812]

Sharp Steve!!!

[njsteve]

BTW, I tried out my new A/C oil spray deflector shroud on the trip today. It worked great. I got tired of the oil spray on the underside of my hood and inner fender from the A6 A/C compressor. Any one who has a GM A/C car knows exactly what I am talking about. The front seal is a terrible design and no matter how many seals you replace or how many compressors you swap out, they all still spray that line of oil all over your engine compartment.

It took me about an hour to make. I used some extra sheetmetal left over from the old trunk drop-off. I bent it to fit and then riveted two pieces of ABS plastic to the ends like mudflaps. I cut out two slots that align with the existing two upper mounting bolts that bolt the compressor to the bracket. All I have to do is loosen the two bolts a couple turns, slide the shroud between the bolt shoulder and the bracket and then tighten with a 7/16 socket on an extension. Once I get to the show I can easily remove it and look all stock and original again. And the best part is that there was no oil on the underside of the hood or the inner fender. It looks like an invention from Baron Von Franken-shroud but it works great!

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000677.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/parts/P1000677.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000678.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/parts/P1000678.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000679.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/parts/P1000679.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000680.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/parts/P1000680.jpg.html)

[Xplantdad]

I need one of those <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif

[njsteve]

I just got a heads up from the Performance Years site. The car took first place in its class (which I can only imagine is the 25 footer, and beyond, paint class).

That was quite the shock! I guess the paint looks so bad, people think it is original. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[njsteve]

Here's a couple shots someone took at the show and posted in the event album on PY:

You can even see the textured &quot;gravel guard&quot; that was applied back in the early 1980s - look at the lower 8 inches of the front fender.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/06/full-1359-5252-img_0203_vi.jpg
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/06/full-1359-5253-img_0204_vi.jpg

[njsteve]

Today's question involves the factory trim clips for the body side moldings. These are the moldings that run along the middle of the fender, door and quarter to deflect other car doors.

I was lucky enough to pick up an NOS fender piece off ebay and it actually had the factory clips in the package! Now I need to find some duplicates for the rest of the car since someone, along the way replaced them with push in plastic clips that don't hold the trim securely enough against the body.

Here's some close ups of the NOS factory clip:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000692.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/parts/P1000692.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000691.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/parts/P1000691.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000690.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/parts/P1000690.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000688.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/parts/P1000688.jpg.html)

The shiny gold clip is close but not close enough to work properly. When mounted into the back of the trim piece, you can see that because the retaining wire is not mounted in the same spot, it moves the stud off of center where it needs to be to mount correctly on the car:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000702.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/parts/P1000702.jpg.html)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/parts/P1000695.jpg (http://s599.photobucket.com/user/nk15268c/media/parts/P1000695.jpg.html)

Does anyone have an idea of where I can get some more of the correct clips?

[VintageMusclecar]

http://www.amkproducts.com/

[njsteve]

I think I found them:
http://stores.restorationspecialties.com/-strse-729/2818-dsh-CLP-%28Package-of-10%29/Detail.bok

[njsteve]

My daughter recently asked for lessons on how to drive a manual transmission. Today was the day for the &quot;road test.&quot;

It was a rather hysterical time. It was as if Mel Brooks directed the whole thing. Everywhere we went some strange animal would pop out. It included two completely unrelated flocks of turkeys with a dozen chicks, deer that climbed up trees, groundhogs, flying squirrels, blind joggers, and a dead skunk.

She actually did very well, only stalled a couple times, and remembered to press in the clutch when she got to a stop, most of the time.

Now it's time to go take the car apart and replace the clutch, again.

Here's a shot of one of the turkey flocks impeding her travel and forcing a down shift.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/06/full-1359-5405-turkeeez.jpg

[njsteve]

I spoke to the guys at Restoration Specialties and they commented that I had the clips installed wrong. The attached wire is supposed to be bent back upon itself to serve as a retaining spring. Once you do that, the shiny replacement clip does in fact work properly. I bought 30 of them and the accompanying nuts.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/06/full-1359-5443-p1000726.jpg

[njsteve]

Took the daughter out on another driving lesson. She did much better. This time it was rabbits. On our 20 mile drive, four different bunnies (well, maybe it could have been the same rabbit stalking us) ran alongside us and then tried to dart out in front of the car.

We even tempted fate and drove past a local ranch where they raise bison and cattle. I fully expected Alex Karris A.K.A. &quot;Mongo&quot; to be blocking the road riding on the back of a Brahma Bull.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/07/full-1359-5508-mongo.png

[njsteve]

Thanks to Tom (Tom406) and Rick (SS427) and the &quot;Pay It Forward&quot; classified section, I have a nice, date code correct 5470409 Delco dual bleeder, master cylinder that just happened to come off of another 1972 Firebird. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/531958/5470409_master_cylinder#Post531958

I took it apart and tried honing it myself but the bore was a bit too pitted. I ended up sending it to Whitepost Restorations to have it sleeved. It was $175. It took about a week. I got it yesterday and I installed it today.

It was not an uneventful day. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif

They say timing is everything. When I took the repro dual bleeder master cylinder off I noticed that the rear reservoir was rather low. Very strange since not a lot leaked out when I removed it. I didn't think much of it at the time. I then bench-bled the new master cylinder and installed it. I then bled all the brakes. Twice, starting at the farthest rear cylinder. I had the car on jack stands so I could get to everything and eventually do a running test.

I started the car to check the brakes with the wheels spinning. I put it in gear. I then stepped on the brakes and the rear wheels kept spinning - no braking at all. Very strange since I just bled the brakes and I thought I bled them enough. The front brakes were holding tight but the rears were not doing much of anything. I bled the rears again and then they worked properly...for a few minutes.

I went and refilled the master cylinder and then tested the brakes again...no rear brakes. Really, very strange now. I thought maybe it was the combination/metering valve had activated but the pin was in the correct neutral position.

So I pulled the rear wheels and the drums and saw that the driver's side rear wheel cylinder had just started leaking inside the drum. Great timing for a complete part failure! Luckily the autoparts store was open and had a pair of rear wheel, brake cylinders in stock so I threw them on and everything works fine now.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/07/full-1359-5529-p1000730.jpg
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/07/full-1359-5530-p1000731.jpg


Thanks again, Tom and Rick. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif I owe you a frosty, cold mug of DOT 3.

[SS427]

Glad it worked out for you Steve. This is where that master cylinder belongs. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[njsteve]

I finally found an R12 recovery machine so I didn't have to waste the 60 ounces of Freon in order to replace the oil-spraying compressor. I found this Rotunda Ford machine on Craigslist 30 miles from my home for $80. It actually works!

It came without any instructions so I hunted and all I could initially find was the EPA reference listing the R12 recovery units approved by the EPA for 1992. So I pulled the side panels off and found that there was a Murray part number, which ended up being a Sun part number originally sold by Snap-On, which lead me to the Snap-On Tech Assistance hotline. I called them and the tech guy was actually quite surprised when he found the 24-page instruction manual on file. He emailed it to me and I was back in business.

The good news was that the contraption was able to fully download all the R12. The bad news was that until the tank gets filled with 5 pounds of R12, it won't allow you to refill from the tank. You can manually route the tank to your car's system but I decided against that and ended up using some spare cans of R12 given to me from one of the guys on the board here. (Thanks again!)

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/08/full-1359-6101-ac_1.jpg
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/08/full-1359-6102-ac2.jpg

BTW, I went to Advanceautoparts.com and ordered a remanufactured A6 compressor. Before hitting the check out button, I always google the phrase &quot;advanceautoparts coupons&quot;. I lucked out this time and found a $50 off a $125 purchase coupon. The compressor was $139 minus the $50, which brought it to $89 with free shipping!

Despite the spewing oil, the system never lost any R12 and was putting out 39 degree air right before we drained it. I installed the new compressor and we vacuumed down the system, installed the R12 and the car is pumping out 37 degree air now.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/08/full-1359-6103-p1000969.jpg
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/08/full-1359-6104-p1000971.jpg

The compressor that was in the car was a new compressor (25 years ago) when the car was put into storage. It turned out that the front bearing had too much play (you could rock the clutch hub side to side about 1/32&quot;). So the wobbling probably took out the seal.

Now I am just waiting for the new compressor decal to arrive and she will be looking good as old.

An added bonus now is that the belts no longer squeal under acceleration from the oil that was getting sprayed on them. Ah, the little pleasures in life...

[mockingbird812]

Very.....<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">cool!</span></span>. Well done Steve. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[njsteve]

Well, it took all of 7 days and 75 miles before the new compressor started seaping oil out of the front seal. At least it is just a small amount. I guess there is no getting around this seapage as has to do with the seal design and how it lubricates the sealing surfaces.

Oh, well...at least it puts out really cold air. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/mad.gif

[njsteve]

In a strange turn of events that began two weeks ago, I ended up with my Grandfather's 1971 Lincoln Town Car Golden Anniversary Edition, which joins my Grandmother's 1975 Firebird that I have had for ten years now. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthrea..._a_L#Post539151 (http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/539151/Oh_Lordy_I_now_own_a_Fordy_a_L#Post539151)

Then one week ago, thanks to a timely tip, I found an 18,000 mile 1973 SD455 Formula here in Jersey and bought it. This left me no room for all the cars I had, so something needed to be offered up for adoption.

I'm a firm believer in Karma and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. One of the PerformanceYears members, &quot;BentwheelBob&quot; tipped me off that the SD455 had just popped up on ebay on Labor Day morning. If it wasn't for him posting that heads up on the board that morning, and me running across it at 9:00 AM and then calling the seller here in Jersey, I wouldn't have the Super Duty I'd always wanted. So I owed Bob a debt that needed to be repaid. And he offhandedly mentioned that if I ever wanted to sell the black car, he would like to be put on the &quot;short list.&quot;

So I gave him a call that night and he said yes (after asking his wife <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif) So the car is now in his garage with a new set of friends.

Here's is Bob's announcement from yesterday:

http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5018348&amp;posted=1#post5018348

[mockingbird812]

<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif Wonderful! (can't read the link here at work) Karma....it's not just for breakfast anymore!

[Xplantdad]

That's great Steve!!!

[njsteve]

BentwheelBob, the gentleman who now owns the black car, had a lift cylinder failure with a brand new lift over the weekend - right next to the black car. Check this out, and how he and his buddies saved the car on the lift:

http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/showthread.php?t=736820&amp;page=14

[Donnie]

from the pics it doesn't look like the post were anchored to the floor.

[twertsy]

On down in the thread he says it wasn't anchored (and the new one isn't either). Wow, not sure I could have remained as calm as he sounds like he stayed.

[Xplantdad]

Yikes!

[jannes_z-28]

If you don't anchor the feet in the floor you have to connect each corner with steel bars so that the feet woun't spread appart.

[Zman1969]

Mike I just went through this whole thread, guess I'm a little late to the party then I read part 3 on the white 73 and I like what your doing! this brings back alot of memories of the 72 Lucerne Trans Am I used to own, WOW good work man! its noice to see what others do to preserve these classics. my hats off to you sir.

[Zman1969]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">All assembled and wheeled out in to the driveway as the sun was going down.

And with the rest of the OEM Paint 1972-only, Robins Egg Blue paint that I had left over from the 72 T/A from a few years back. It was $50 a can back then. I don't even know if they are still in business making this stuff any more?

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/nk15268c/SDC12369.jpg

The wife helped me wheel it back in to the garage, in the dark, where it now sits waiting to go back in the car. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif </div></div>
Oh Steve I had one question were the 72's aluminum intake painted like this? and also thanks for the education in the unitized distributors!

[njsteve]

They were painted blue. The only time you see an unpainted one is when someone wants to display their shiny, cast aluminum finish. The factory painted the engines as complete assemblies.

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

Another great build thread Steve!!!!!

Ryan

[njsteve]

Thanks! Another car I regret selling. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif

[njsteve]

Here's how she looks now in the hands of Bob Bennett who did an amazing job and restoring the car. Awesome!

[njsteve]

Just a reminder:
If you use Google Chrome, there is an add on that fixes the problem and displays the photos.

http://www.yenko.net/forum/showthrea...ghlight=Google

[njsteve]

Looks like the old black car is up for auction at Mecum Indy in July:

https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0520-415017/1972-pontiac-firebird-formula/

[jandron]

I hope the future owner will take of it.

[njsteve]

No sale at $150,000.

https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0520-415017/1972-pontiac-firebird-formula/

[njsteve]

Very strange. Lot S104 has disappeared from the site completely. I wonder if Dana Mecum bought it?

[StealthBird]

It apparently sold after the auction was over.

[njsteve]

I had to do the search in the My Mecum section to find it that result photo. But if you click on it, it says no such page found "404 NOT FOUND". It's the only car that does that on the site.

https://my.mecum.com/my/search?q=S104&size=n_48_n&filters%5B0%5D%5Bfield%5D=auction_end_epoch&filters%5B0%5D%5Bvalues%5D%5B0%5D%5Bto%5D=n_159519 6411_n&filters%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=all&sort-field=run_order&sort-direction=desc

[njsteve]

It's not mine but if anyone is looking for a rare black Formula, here's is the one to get: The Pontiac Motor Division's General Manager Jim McDonald's factory executive car is on ebay now. Here's some info I just posted

https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1579252#post1579252

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125108673033?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110 01%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D201609081050 57%26meid%3Ddb51a36b8f524769a1b5daef0258331d%26pid %3D100675%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D353848052061% 26itm%3D125108673033%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D23 80057&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3Aea0a564f-7a9e-11ec-a7bf-729fbac25c89%7Cparentrq%3A7c0720f517e0a45ac2816a60 ffff04ce%7Ciid%3A1