Introducing........RAT’S NEST

[Postsedan]

I agree....go back to the original color....and sticker her up just as she was.....you could easy duplicate everything with today`s Vinyl Wraps.

Dan

[R68GTO]

I have yet to research high quality vinyl vendors....if anyone has a good reference, let me know.
Mostly worked on the floor pans again today. In the process removed the fuel line and clips. I believe the fuel line is not original, but it looks like the frame clips are? Can anyone confirm? Also have a question on the floor pan finish. A lot of restorations have black floorpans with body colored overspray. I'm not really finding that. Mostly a gray/blue primer with some body color overspray. Found some areas with black primer and even a little reddish primer. Car was painted twice after it left Norwood so who knows for sure, but the pans sure don't look like they've been messed with except for maybe the very outer edges from post-factory overspray - definitely seems to be some black from 1978. BTW...check out the Hurst Super Shifter floorpan mod....it's almost as nice as the factory torch-job!
Thoughts and opinions needed!

[jer]

As far as the bottomside paint, you really have to clean and do a little archeological analysis, which I think you're doing a fine job of. Use your best judgement when it comes to back logging the layers of paint.
The fuel line clips, they're oem. They should have a bluish color once you clean them. Looks they're in survivor condition
Nice ride and thanx for the ride-along!!

[R68GTO]

More floorpan work done this weekend. Added a couple of shots showing an area (rear trunk pan) representing what the underside looked like before I touched it, then after a heat gun/plastic scraper, then wiping with mineral spirits. Once I get most of the underside through these steps, I'll go back through it all with some "KrudKutter" degreaser which will clean it up a little further. Couple things I noticed was that the reinforcement plates on the trunk pan (rear seat area) was mostly black primer under the crud whereas the insides of the rear frame rails were mostly that bluish/grey primer. The horizontal surface of the trunk pan is more whitish primer with some body color overspray on the ribs that face toward the outside of the car. Also included a shot of the outside edge of the trunk pan that hangs below the rear frame rail - it really got a strong shot of body color overspray. I'm anxious to get back out there and see why the outside of the rear frame rail looks like!

[R68GTO]

Another day of scraping - went after the outer frame rail on the driver side. Couple of pics showing the progress from start to cleaned. That area got a direct shot of LB also. You can really see how the frame rail caused the gradual fading of the LB on the side of the trunk pan. Also took some acetone to the top of the firewall just to see the original LB below that gloss black - yep, there it is! And finally, I think I found a "factory error" from the assembly line. The driver side rear quarter window track mounting stud has never had a nut applied to it. There are no marks in the primer on the inner panel and the stud is equally rusted throughout. The other side by contrast has a glob of "dum-dum" over the entire stud/nut - at least I am assuming there is a nut under there!

[Kurt S]

That the original speedo cable.

[R68GTO]

Thanks for responding and confirming Kurt, I appreciate it. Learning something every day on this car!

[R68GTO]

Did some cleanup work on the front subframe and suspension today. Passenger side is what it looked like before cleaning, driver side after degreasing. Found a few paint dabs on the suspension. Looks like all my hard brake lines and clips are original. Lower brake hoses have been replaced as have the calipers and ball joints. Splash shields look original and I took a shot of where the firewall blackout never made it from the overhang on the cowl. Took the homemade engine torque bracket off the subframe for the first time in about 48 years. They stacked the washers up on one side so the bolt didn't hit the lower a-arm. BB engine stands are original.

[R68GTO]

Did a little "laundry" this weekend. I thought my seat belts were pretty clean to start with but it took two cycles of soaking in a bucket of dishwashing soap/hot water, scrubbing with a bristle brush to get them clean. After the 1st cycle, the water was black, after the 2nd cycle it just had a hint of grey. Did a final rinse and hang to dry! Tags came out like new I was surprised to see some tags yellow, some white. The yellow ones were on the buckle assembly for the shoulder belts. All the other floor-mounted belts had white tags. Still need to check my roof-mounted shoulder belts.

[Copo_Cartel]

You have a great winter time project going. Thanks for sharing your progress .