72 TA : New Project

[njsteve]

I'm short on projects at the moment so I decided to tackle to original busted-up shaker so I have a spare eventually.

As you may recall the original was damaged in the carb fire and the edge was run over during the prior owner's rush to get the fire put out. I had my body guy strip it but when he found it was so damaged I told him to stop the work on it.

The basic shaker domes are interchangeable from 71 to 76 (1970 had a thin edge version) but were modified depending upon the year it was used. From 70 to 72 they had a flapper valve that would be activated by two solenoids but starting in 73 the flapper was cancelled and a riveted cover and frame took their place in the rear opening.

Here's my busted original:




Here it is with the mounting flange set on it. These were riveted to the shakers in a process that usually caused stress cracks in the fiberglass. The 70-72 mounting falnges have a two stud mounting system that attaches to the air cleaner with two wing nuts. The 73-76 units used a large ring that used a single screw to retain it to the air cleaner.

[njsteve]

I found a 76 shaker dome on ebay for $70. I got it rather cheaply, since nobody wanted it because the metal mounting flange was unuseable as it was rusted with holes in it. The fiberglass, though was in remarkably nice shape with only one rivet stress crack and a small edge of the lip missing.

[njsteve]

Removing the rusted late model base plate flange was rather easy. There are a dozen or so rivets and I gently used a drill to cut the bottom of the rivet off, allowing the base plate to be removed.







The remaining portion of the rivet can then be popped out of the hole with the tip of a pencil.

[mockingbird812]

Nicely done Mac! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

Hey, I gotta do something while we have this blizzard snowing us in. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Just finished playing Stratego with the boy. He wanted that game for Christmas. It's amazing how things come full circle. I remember playing that game decades ago. I even remember the TV commercial. Turns out his 4th grade teacher taught the kids how to play the game. I had to go to four different Target stores on Christmas Eve to find it. It was sold out everywhere! I had no idea it was so trendy and back in style!

[mockingbird812]

I played that game daily during breaks in 5th grade. Its the BEST!!!!

[njsteve]

Primed the shaker today and epoxied in the flapper door. More sanding on the schedule for tomorrow.

[VIPERICH]

as stated before your talent is amazing.ive read your t/a thread many many times and still go back and look at it over and over.i love the blue and white.my first real car was a 1975 t/a 400 4 speed.grey with red interior.the first night i got it i loaded it up with my buddies and went cruising.after a few hours of tearing it up i thought darn this car spins the tires to easy lol i blew the clutch the first night i had it.the look on the guys face that i bought it from was priceless the next day when he saw it coming back to his shop the next day on a flatbed.
i painted the car white and painted the honeycombs white too.darn i loved that car.when my camaro gets done i may look for a t/a project.funny thing is smokey and the bandit was on yesterday and the sound of burt revving that bad boy up flying down the highway gave me goosebumps.well sorry for the long winded poor grammer read but i know you can decipher it.hats off bro

[njsteve]

Viperich, thanks for the good words! We still have my grandmother's 75 Firebird that she bought new from Ruckles Pontiac in Yonkers, NY in 1975. Unrestored other than a paint job 20 years ago. I let my daughter, who was named after my grandmother (her great-grandmother) take it out for her first drive when she turned 15. Neat family heirloom.

[njsteve]

Almost done! Got the final layer of primer on and the detail work on the seam where the trap door mounts.