The New Project: Part Deux!

[njsteve]

I got the rear end all cleaned up and back together with the de-arched springs. Lets hope it sits nicely now. Thanks to FormulaBruce from the Performanceyears website for all the parts he supplied, including a T-bolt for the spring perch, the nicer set of front spring buckets and the rear shackles (I did have to use my original shackle through-bolts as the ones that came with his set were about 1" shorter and didn't have enough thread to clear the rubber bushings. I still have a bunch of correct bolts and brackets and thingies that he has sent that are awaiting the car's return.

Here is the rear and the driveshaft (that I repainted using the same ID stripe pattern that was on my 72 T/A's driveshaft)

[Norwood]

This car is moving along at SUPERSONIC speed compared to the T/A

[njsteve]

It's the Reader's Digest version. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Right now the frame repairs are being done. I am trying to get the car safe and road-worthy once I get the title paperwork in order and actually get some plates. Also, I want the underside finished once and for all. I have a Gardner exhaust on order for the car and it should arrive in a week or so. I do not want to be pulling that system out to do other repairs at a later date.

It was supposed to be a week but looks like it will be at least two weeks...or more.

The passenger side lower area of the three panel sandwich was as we thought: the outer piece was rusty and the inners were pretty good. The problem was that the inner sections were rather mangled from the tie downs used during the transport so the inside section had to be cut out and redone to make it flat again. Here's some photos from earlier in the week.

Here's the bad area prior to trimming:



Here's the section after the outer piece was cut away:



And the mangled bottom of the inner rail/spring bucket that has the tie down holes. They were pulled and ripped out of shape.



He ended up cutting the section out and remaking it so it looks correct once the new section of rail gets welded back over it.



And the portion of the replacement rail that will be used:




He is starting on the rear of the passenger frame rail next (where the tailpipe area was cracked and the rail was thin).

[njsteve]

The guy at the NJ DMV Foreign Title Unit left me a phone message this afternoon saying that the title was &quot;processed&quot; today. Hopefully that means it is being mailed out and not that all my documents were thrown into the &quot;processor&quot; (shredder). We will see in the next day or so. Of course the 4th of July will delay that another couple days... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Grant Didmon]

Happy 4th of July Steve,and it is nice to hear that you might be getting it licensed very Quickly.Here on the &quot;wet&quot; coast,we have just had the 4th dullest June on record,but on Canada day on the first,it was warm and sunny,and Ellen and I got to cruise in the new black convert for a couple of hours.I see you found my first initial on the Formula's rear end,who knew?
Grant

[njsteve]

It's another sign! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

I guess the &quot;E&quot; on my old 72 T/A's rear was for Elvis.

Thank you, Thank you very much!

[mockingbird812]

Stance looks great McGyver!

[njsteve]

I drove the Formula to Newark today to have a friend at a local bodyshop try to remove the acid rain waterspots from the 25 year old enamel paint. He was able to reduce the waterspots a great deal. In the end he had to gently colorsand and buff to get most of them out. You can still see a lot of them but they are not nearly as prominant as they were before. I am not really that concerned since I am eventually going to strip the car and get it repainted but it looks a lot nicer now.

And what do you know, I go to get on the on ramp to I-78 East at my exit this morning and what enters the highway a couple cars ahead of me?



I pulled along side and yes, it was a 1973 Cardinal Red SD455. I wasn't close enough to read the VIN but it sounded nice. We cruised alongside each other for about 4 miles, saluted each other, and then he went south on I-287.




Just when you think you have something unique on the road, someone has to immediately burst your bubble [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

[Xplantdad]

That's cool Steve~!

[njsteve]

To save some $$$ I signed up for the intro to bodywork course at the local poly-tech located at our high school. It's a night course and its filled with old guys who want to hang out and work on their cars in a nice shop environment. I am having quite the fun time. The teacher is a local body shop foreman and is happy to give advice, and supply extra dented fenders to practice on.

He said if you have a project, by all means bring it in. So last Tuesday evening I worked on the scale on the trunk floor. The poly-tech supplies all the materials and air tools to work with. They have a state of the art paint booth and even have a nice sandblasting cabinet.

It is well worth the $400 tuition fee for 12 weeks, every Tuesday night. The only rule is that you have to be able to get whatever you are working on, home at the end of the three hour class. So I drove the Firebird there, worked on it for three hours and headed home at the end of the night (covered in dust, of course).

So here is the trunk. As you may recall, I had previously derusted it and then painted POR15 on the now cleaned scaley spots. Here it is in mid sanding.