Three... two... one... lift off!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,548
Likes: 379
From: Woodinville WA
The vette didn't get any love for 2 1/2 weeks courtesy of a couple kidney stones. The painful adventure ended with a surgery with freakin' laser beams. 
I'm all better now and back in business.
I cleaned the underbody with lacquer thinner. Took care of most of the grease and dirt. A ton of work remains though before it can be painted.
I also started to prep the firewall. Like the floor pans, it was covered with some thick coating:
After lots of scrubbing with lacquer thinner:
Barely started to get to the bare fiberglass in the rear:
Imagine my surprise one day when I stepped into the garage and a giant spider had cocooned the rolling chassis
I thought let's take advantage of this cocoon and put the body back on the chassis. I'll test out some Gulf-themed race liveries to figure out which one I prefer.
That's all for now. Have a great 4th of July!
Thanks for taking a peek.
I'm all better now and back in business.I cleaned the underbody with lacquer thinner. Took care of most of the grease and dirt. A ton of work remains though before it can be painted.
I also started to prep the firewall. Like the floor pans, it was covered with some thick coating:
After lots of scrubbing with lacquer thinner:
Barely started to get to the bare fiberglass in the rear:
Imagine my surprise one day when I stepped into the garage and a giant spider had cocooned the rolling chassis
I thought let's take advantage of this cocoon and put the body back on the chassis. I'll test out some Gulf-themed race liveries to figure out which one I prefer.
That's all for now. Have a great 4th of July!
Thanks for taking a peek.
just a suggestion - load smaller pictures, I have windows and it's already slow as anything
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
Pro
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 586
Likes: 10
From: Alexandria VA
Nice work RBrid, I am so jealous of that work space set up that you have. Will be following to see how things go. Good luck.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
L88 goodies
Thanks for following the adventure Ranger24 & Sig1977. I try to do one baby step per evening. Please tell me if you see anything fishy, plain wrong or stupid about my work.
Made some progress with the scrubbing of the under carpet insulation and glue. A heat gun, a scraper, automotive lacquer thinner, a brush and towels. Those have been my friends lately.
Got a FIA L88 headlights kit to inject a good dose of road racing into the project. The way I currently view the final look in my little dreamy head is:
- FIA L88 headlights.
- Le Mans gas cap.
- White side pipes.
- Sport side mirrors.
- Fender flares. 2" front and 2" rear.
- 1974 fiberglass front bumper.
- 1974 fiberglass rear bumper sans le butt crack.
- Team III's LT-III wheels. Cast finish. 18x10 front. 18x11 rear.
- 2 tone interior. Black and gray.
- A4 Corbeau black leather seats.
- Orange fire extinguisher in front of passenger seat.
- Shark bar with orange 5-point harness seat belts.
- Color scheme close to the original Gulf livery, with dark blue (not the light 3707 Zenith Blue) and 3957 Tangerine orange.
- Medium gray inner fenders, under body & under hood.
- Black chassis
Thoughts?
Thanks for taking a peek.
Made some progress with the scrubbing of the under carpet insulation and glue. A heat gun, a scraper, automotive lacquer thinner, a brush and towels. Those have been my friends lately.
Got a FIA L88 headlights kit to inject a good dose of road racing into the project. The way I currently view the final look in my little dreamy head is:
- FIA L88 headlights.
- Le Mans gas cap.
- White side pipes.
- Sport side mirrors.
- Fender flares. 2" front and 2" rear.
- 1974 fiberglass front bumper.
- 1974 fiberglass rear bumper sans le butt crack.
- Team III's LT-III wheels. Cast finish. 18x10 front. 18x11 rear.
- 2 tone interior. Black and gray.
- A4 Corbeau black leather seats.
- Orange fire extinguisher in front of passenger seat.
- Shark bar with orange 5-point harness seat belts.
- Color scheme close to the original Gulf livery, with dark blue (not the light 3707 Zenith Blue) and 3957 Tangerine orange.
- Medium gray inner fenders, under body & under hood.
- Black chassis
Thoughts?
Thanks for taking a peek.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
Yes, definitely fiberglass front and rear bumpers. I have been debating the glassing-in vs. not glassing-in question for months. I can barely sleep at night because of this 
. Clearly look-wise, to me at least, the seamless glassing-in is way nicer. But then there's DUB's argument against it: if a bumper gets a booboo (when a bumper gets a booboo?), it's real hard to properly blend in a paint fix. To do it right you have to paint the entire front clip or rear clip.
I'm leaning toward the seamless bonding. Depending on the stripes' locations, bonding becomes more or less important. I'd rather not cross a bumper seam with a stripe. Call me picky if you want.
I'm glad you're bringing this up - it's an interesting topic to me.
If someone has a 75-79 vette and wants the 73-74 front bumper look (using a new fiberglass bumper), is it easier to start with a 73-74 bumper or a 75-79 bumper? My assumption is that it's easier to just fill the top empty slot with a 73-74 than chopping & glassing a 75-79 to make it look like a 73-74. That is especially true IMO if you glass-in the bumper. Am I wrong? I may have to start a new thread to get to the bottom of this.
. Clearly look-wise, to me at least, the seamless glassing-in is way nicer. But then there's DUB's argument against it: if a bumper gets a booboo (when a bumper gets a booboo?), it's real hard to properly blend in a paint fix. To do it right you have to paint the entire front clip or rear clip.I'm leaning toward the seamless bonding. Depending on the stripes' locations, bonding becomes more or less important. I'd rather not cross a bumper seam with a stripe. Call me picky if you want.
I'm glad you're bringing this up - it's an interesting topic to me.
If someone has a 75-79 vette and wants the 73-74 front bumper look (using a new fiberglass bumper), is it easier to start with a 73-74 bumper or a 75-79 bumper? My assumption is that it's easier to just fill the top empty slot with a 73-74 than chopping & glassing a 75-79 to make it look like a 73-74. That is especially true IMO if you glass-in the bumper. Am I wrong? I may have to start a new thread to get to the bottom of this.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,548
Likes: 379
From: Woodinville WA
Yes, definitely fiberglass front and rear bumpers. I have been debating the glassing-in vs. not glassing-in question for months. I can barely sleep at night because of this . Clearly look-wise, to me at least, the seamless glassing-in is way nicer. But then there's DUB's argument against it: if a bumper gets a booboo (when a bumper gets a booboo?), it's real hard to properly blend in a paint fix. To do it right you have to paint the entire front clip or rear clip.
I'm leaning toward the seamless bonding. Depending on the stripes' locations, bonding becomes more or less important. I'd rather not cross a bumper seam with a stripe. Call me picky if you want.
I'm glad you're bringing this up - it's an interesting topic to me.
If someone has a 75-79 vette and wants the 73-74 front bumper look (using a new fiberglass bumper), is it easier to start with a 73-74 bumper or a 75-79 bumper? My assumption is that it's easier to just fill the top empty slot with a 73-74 than chopping & glassing a 75-79 to make it look like a 73-74. That is especially true IMO if you glass-in the bumper. Am I wrong? I may have to start a new thread to get to the bottom of this.
. Clearly look-wise, to me at least, the seamless glassing-in is way nicer. But then there's DUB's argument against it: if a bumper gets a booboo (when a bumper gets a booboo?), it's real hard to properly blend in a paint fix. To do it right you have to paint the entire front clip or rear clip.I'm leaning toward the seamless bonding. Depending on the stripes' locations, bonding becomes more or less important. I'd rather not cross a bumper seam with a stripe. Call me picky if you want.
I'm glad you're bringing this up - it's an interesting topic to me.
If someone has a 75-79 vette and wants the 73-74 front bumper look (using a new fiberglass bumper), is it easier to start with a 73-74 bumper or a 75-79 bumper? My assumption is that it's easier to just fill the top empty slot with a 73-74 than chopping & glassing a 75-79 to make it look like a 73-74. That is especially true IMO if you glass-in the bumper. Am I wrong? I may have to start a new thread to get to the bottom of this.
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
Interior progress
A new month. A new update.
All the icky stuff in the rear is gone. SuperBuickGuy stopped by the other day and suggested not putting any carpet kit in the car, thus staying true to the road racer theme. I have to agree. I'll finish the interior nicely with epoxy primer + heat & noise deadener + light gray paint.
Stay tuned. Exterior progress coming next...
All the icky stuff in the rear is gone. SuperBuickGuy stopped by the other day and suggested not putting any carpet kit in the car, thus staying true to the road racer theme. I have to agree. I'll finish the interior nicely with epoxy primer + heat & noise deadener + light gray paint.
Stay tuned. Exterior progress coming next...
Last edited by RBrid; Aug 2, 2015 at 10:08 AM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
Exterior Option #1
I have been busy taping paper on the body to visualize some of the ideas I have for the final color scheme.
Here's Option #1.
Notice the stainless kitchen bowl in lieu of the Le Mans gas cap.
Cool or not cool?
Here's Option #1.
Notice the stainless kitchen bowl in lieu of the Le Mans gas cap.
Cool or not cool?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
Exterior Option #2
And here's Option #2. A variation of option #1 - the difference is in the rear only.
Many more pictures can be seen here.
There are a few variations, including a larger meat ball on the rear, and black stripes instead of white. I tend to prefer the white ones, and you?
Thanks for taking a peek.
Many more pictures can be seen here.
There are a few variations, including a larger meat ball on the rear, and black stripes instead of white. I tend to prefer the white ones, and you?
Thanks for taking a peek.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 2,096
Likes: 15
Your work is very good and impressive! When you re-finish your components how do you go about it? Media blast then regular spray paint? Or more elaborate? Because I really like how you get back the original finish on your hardware. Also with your power windows will you be reusing them? I know you will be replacing a few parts for them but do the motors themselves get week over time?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
Your work is very good and impressive! When you re-finish your components how do you go about it? Media blast then regular spray paint? Or more elaborate? Because I really like how you get back the original finish on your hardware. Also with your power windows will you be reusing them? I know you will be replacing a few parts for them but do the motors themselves get week over time?
For the small parts, I have been using these products, plus rust removers which I forgot to include.
I typically clean them with a wire wheel or steel wool, then paint/lacquer thinner, and can paint.
Bolts/nuts also often get the rust removal & black oxide treatments, then thin coats of underhood black can paint. I will have to re-prep a bunch of them because they did not get 100% covered and started to rust.
I plan to reuse both window motors. I believe they do get weak over time but I won't get new ones unless they break down. They're pretty pricy.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
Exterior Option #3
It's been 5 weeks since my last update. Here's what happened in my cave, in multiple posts. I started to mock up this Option #3 but abandoned it pretty quick.
SBG thinks it looks like a catfish.
SBG thinks it looks like a catfish.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
And the winner is...
Well, so far my preference is a variation of Option #2 from my post #151. What I mean is the pattern of Option #2 with the colors from this picture. Notice the black stripe in between the orange and dark blue.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
Naked T-Top
Next was the passenger t-top. It's now down to the bare bones. I'm not planning to put the three stainless steel trims back on. I'll need to repaint the stainless steel weather stripping holder though - I think I'll have to sand blast it to get proper adhesion of the primer.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
Epoxy on the floor
Finally I sprayed the floorboards with epoxy. That light gray is actually the final color I want for the interior steel floor, fiberglass, door jambs, and exterior underbody, wheel wells & engine compartment.
That's it for now. Thanks for taking a peek.
That's it for now. Thanks for taking a peek.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 389
From: Woodinville WA
First fiberglassing done
Time flies... especially when you're doing a lot of sanding, right?
Since the last update I did my first fiberglassing: I wanted to close up some of the firewall holes since I'm doing a few conversions.
- 3sp automatic TH400 --> 5sp manual TKO600,
- OEM A/C --> Vintage Air,
- OEM padding --> Dynamat,
- vacuum headlights --> electric headlights.
So I closed up about 13 holes in total.
I started by tapering the holes on both sides. Then created cardboard disks a bit larger than the holes. Covered one side of those disks with construction aluminum tape. Used the same tape to stick them on the outer side of the firewall. That gave me flat, semi-rigid, non-sticky, surfaces to glass against from the inside. After grinding the resulting glass, I spread some Vette Panel Adhesive and sanded it smooth. The inside is now ready for a first coat of gray epoxy primer.
After that, I'll remove the taped disks on the outside and do the glassing/VPA'ing there.
One baby step every late evening.
Thanks for taking a peek.
Since the last update I did my first fiberglassing: I wanted to close up some of the firewall holes since I'm doing a few conversions.
- 3sp automatic TH400 --> 5sp manual TKO600,
- OEM A/C --> Vintage Air,
- OEM padding --> Dynamat,
- vacuum headlights --> electric headlights.
So I closed up about 13 holes in total.
I started by tapering the holes on both sides. Then created cardboard disks a bit larger than the holes. Covered one side of those disks with construction aluminum tape. Used the same tape to stick them on the outer side of the firewall. That gave me flat, semi-rigid, non-sticky, surfaces to glass against from the inside. After grinding the resulting glass, I spread some Vette Panel Adhesive and sanded it smooth. The inside is now ready for a first coat of gray epoxy primer.
After that, I'll remove the taped disks on the outside and do the glassing/VPA'ing there.
One baby step every late evening.
Thanks for taking a peek.