Now Complete Restoration / Pulling my 1969 'Bee down for strip and paint

[birdsandbees]

Scatter shield bolted in place.

Pressed off the old and installed a new throw out bearing.

Used a dolly cart to get the trans over to where I needed it one handed and managed to get it on blocks and move the engine back to it to mate them.

[birdsandbees]

Re-uniting drive train to K frame!

It's a wonderful day in the neighbourhood !   

[Dino]

OH YEAH!   

[tan top]

   nice     , looking  good     

[birdsandbees]

Thanks guys! Thinking I might be going overboard with daily details, but hoping it will help someone along later!  

Arm hurting today, after wrestling that transmission, so not much accomplished.

New trans output seal installed, got the original Hurst shifter out of it's box for inspection (bought it from "ernies" here) last year. Zero slop in it, but was missing a x bolt in the handle socket (that luckily I had one on a spare worn out unit I've had for 35+ years, along with the rectangular washer / plate and nut). Quick clean in Evaporust and a relube and it should be good. Even the shifter linkage bushings look tight. Will know when I bolt it in place and set the throws.

Yes I know that's not the full length rubber yolk seal that would have come with the trans in '69.. as I found an NOS one for only $129.99 US vs the $9.99 Cdn for the one I installed. I think they'll both hold the oil back the same!


Some nice new NOS aircraft bolts painted up pretty and backed by CAD washers and nytrol nuts for the lower scatter shield. Will coat the nut side in RPM for insurance when the paint has cured nice enough to tighten the bolts up.

[birdsandbees]

Todays work... checked the reverse switch on my numbers match trans. NFG. New one ordered so I have before I install and fill with oil.

Starter is less than pretty after 28 years since it was probably installed, so I tore it down (without breaking anything) and have the housing in degrease and steel parts in Evaporust.

Will paint the magnet housing and backing plate.. and clear coat the aluminum housing (as I did for the steering box) after I media blast both.

[lukedukem]

Have you decided on wheels. i saw the first post of your car on the lift you have those snowflake wheels, are you staying with them?
No paint pics yet?

Luke

[birdsandbees]

The honeycombs are probably going back on. I like them.. bought them with my hard earned money in 1979 when I was 17.. making $2.15 an hour.  

Had some magnums lined up from a fellow here but shipping was going to kill the bank.

Will clean up the honeycombs and see how they look with the new paint. Considering the tires on them were bought in '89 I probably need new anyhow... so they'll go on, we'll see where I'm at and possibly go with some new magnums and some reproduction red lines.

As for paint... don't raise my blood pressure any higher! It's in final primer... I'm going over tomorrow to supervise or spray the correct sound deadener pattern on the inner rear quarters and paint should start on Friday. $5800 worth of paint ordered yesterday.. and he thinks we'll be a bit short by the time we do underneath and in the trunk.

[birdsandbees]

10 inches of snow and then pouring rain... not much accomplished today other than 5.5 hours of plowing snow, but I did get the starter parts blasted, clear coat on the brush plate, clear anti tarnish (same stuff I used on steering box) on the aluminum housing and the magnet case primed and painted black.

[birdsandbees]

Caught the owner hard at work this afternoon! Gonna have to get him a Dodge sign for the wall so they remember what a real car is like.. not them short little European things they can push through in a 1/4 the time!  

On the home stretch.. in the booth by Friday afternoon so he can start shooting colour on Monday morning... and shoot .. and shoot for a couple of weeks.  

Poor lad sanding out my hood webs has bandaids on every fingertip. Told him not to bleed on it as it's a blue car, not a red one like the last one out of the booth.

Everything is in final primer (other than the hood underside) and blocked out, just about ready for the booth. 5 grand worth of paint and supplies delivered today so he's ready to go at it.

Did I tell you it's gonna be BLUE!! 

[birdsandbees]

 

[green69rt]

5K!!!!  OMG

[birdsandbees]

5K!!!!  OMG

Well those are Canadian Dollars!   MSRP is $475 / gallon US + all the additives and clear coat... and we may be short about a gallon and painting the bottom of the car last to see where we're at and not run out on top. I noticed the can label says quart.. they are gallons, 4 of them at this point. Also requires a coloured base coat first, so the blue comes out the colour it's supposed to.

[birdsandbees]

Starter all finished up and test run today. Shifter all cleaned up, RPM'd, mechanism cleaned and lubed and installed to the transmission. Set all the linkages up and threw it through the gears. I think it's the best shifter I've ever had on the car... bought here used from "ernie". ZERO slop.. works perfect.

Guess tomorrow I'll do a final media blast on my manifolds and decide if I want to ceramic coat in Cast Iron or Clear and then bake'm.

[green69rt]

5K!!!!  OMG

Well those are Canadian Dollars!   MSRP is $475 / gallon US + all the additives and clear coat... and we may be short about a gallon and painting the bottom of the car last to see where we're at and not run out on top. I noticed the can label says quart.. they are gallons, 4 of them at this point. Also requires a coloured base coat first, so the blue comes out the colour it's supposed to.

Sorry, just my first thought.  Now I'm remembering that I used about 6 quarts of SS color to do the underside, trunk and engine bay (plus catalyst) so 4 gals of color may be what it takes to do the whole car.  Then add clear, it really adds up fast.

[birdsandbees]

Made sure I could get both manifolds in the oven and sitting on just their mounting faces before a final media blast and coating with VHT Ceramic paint.

Tacked the heat riser fully open so there's no chance of me cooking my right bank exhaust valves if it sticks closed.

Back in '79 when I originally installed this scattershield I stripped the threads when the stud bottomed out. Had welded it in and retapped, but forgot to hog it out behind before paint. Oh well... she's done now and I found some paint in the shop to touch up the bare spots.

[birdsandbees]

Got the manifolds blasted one last time and coated in VHT Cast Iron 2000*F paint. In front of the heater and wood stove for the night and then I'll put them in the oven and bake at 250.. then 400 and then 600 for 30 minutes at each temperature tomorrow.

The automotive industry now operates on a "just in time" schedule. I thought that the guys that follow date codes and the worries that go with them would be interested in the "just behind" schedule the industry use to work to! My car fender tag says car was to be built Feb 25th, 1969. My exhaust manifolds weren't even cast until Feb 27th and my engine was built on Feb 28th!

[birdsandbees]

And my wife says I never bake!! Don't do this one in the house... as it was I had both man doors open in the shop and a fan running air through. VHT ceramic bake, 250, then 400, then as high as the oven would go (around 600). 30 minutes each temp with a 30 minute cool off in between.

Also pulled a left and right cyl head bolt to install an often missed spark plug wire bracket, installed my new plugs and 5 new exhaust studs. Ready for exhaust manifold installation when they cool off.

[hemi-hampton]

Also requires a coloured base coat first, so the blue comes out the colour it's supposed to.


Curious what color base coat is going under the blue color??? LEON.

[birdsandbees]

Will get that for you when I'm back over, probably Wednesday, Leon. Suspect it's just a sealer / primer coat of a specific tint..

I also read that right on HOKolors website, most of their paints have a base coat first based on final colour and then colour coat and then clear coat.

BTW.. turns out the "aircraft paint" on my engine is as you suspected, it's just PPG Delfleet Evolution Poly..  

..at least I know guys are still reading my "off model" post here ! 

[birdsandbees]

Tried a fair number of different things to try and clean my alternator casting today, without tearing it apart and media blasting. Tried the MAAS I used on the heater control.. useless... Cameo.. useless.. aluminum wheel cleaner.. nope... FINALLY found a use for WD-40, as it certainly isn't a "lubricant" by any stretch of the imagination, but it sure is a good cleaner!!! WD-40 and scrub with a tooth brush for close to 3 hours, followed up by a rag soaked in carb cleaner. I think it came up pretty spiffy!

Exhaust manifolds in place with proper hardware for the first time since '79 when the correct stuff got tossed during a header installation.

Glad I used Cast Iron VHT and not clear on my manifolds. The heat bake turned the heat riser plate black that I had cleared. Gives it a good look though..

Need to bolt my starter on, carb in place and plug wires and I can move on to rebuilding the rear axle assembly.

[Dino]

You sure have patience!

Very nice work as always. 

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Dirk! The weird part is I usual don't and never have. Kind of a spiritual thing goin on I think... 

[Dino]

Thanks Dirk! The weird part is I usual don't and never have. Kind of a spiritual thing goin on I think... 

Maybe it's the whole "aging wisely and slowing down to take your time" thing. You know, that happens when you get to be in your late 40s.   

[birdsandbees]

Think it has more to do with the past 6 years or so and learning to sit quietly in a hospital room corner. Got to the point I didn't even need a magazine.

I think it's just Jen looking down  over my shoulder and making sure I'm getting it right! 

.. and yah.. I'll be 55 in March!