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

[birdsandbees]

I will just be cleaning up my existing gauges, although I did order a repro tic toc clock and tach in case I need it. Remember mine having issues, but it could have just been wiring. I also ordered a set of gauge face decals when I was ordering my new 'Bee trunk stripe from PCG the other day in case I need them. What I don't use will either go back into my spares or be offered for sale here.

[tan top]

 

[1970Moparmann]

Great progress!

[birdsandbees]

Thanks !

Todays progress..

Found a spot broken in my dash frame, between the cluster and radio area. TIG'd it up and ground smooth again.

Thanks to Troy's post this morning on his 'Bird resurrection I built a quick couple of brackets to hold my dash for refurbishment. Just screwed the posts to the table. My dash pads are in great shape, but letting go in spots, so I tugged..pulled and contact cemented them back in place.

Paint is pretty good on the top, but rust on both ends so may as well do it right. Lower section showing rust. Chrysler never even primed these, one quick shot of satin black.

[birdsandbees]

Ash tray area dash pad has shrunk, pulled away, deformed so it's not square with the tray. I made a wood block and jammed it in and then reglued the back. I don't expect it to come back 100% but hopefully it looks a bit better on final assembly.

[birdsandbees]

 

[birdsandbees]

Also broke the law and pulled my VIN tag. With over 75,000 avex rivets in my shop there is no way I'm paying $50 US for a pair of flower head rivets to put the tag back on after repaint of the dash. Took my time (probably 30 minutes per rivet) and just reshaped the stems back until I could pull them through the dash. Will steal a couple new mandrels out of my rivet stock when it comes time to put the tag back on.

[birdsandbees]

Received a few shots this morning from the restoration shop, as my metal begins to be replaced on the jig rack. They had just started putting the car on the rack on Tuesday morning so this is just a few days work.

Up front both inner fenders and splash shields are being done, top cowl (vs fixing the windshield edge rot) and either the complete or a partial right frame rail replacement due to the rear K frame bolt area being pretty much cracked off. Once that is done, the complete floor is being replaced firewall to bumper, including wheel wells.

Seeing some very nice metal work here with the S shaped insert on the firewall. Was the only place that it media blasted thru, where crap sat in the corner of the splash shield area.

I'm going over on Wednesday to see her in person and of all things on my birthday bringing my account up to date!  

[birdsandbees]

Did the $65 paint quest yesterday, to see what matched the old hidden out of sunlight spots on my dash assembly the closest.

Rust Check Flat Black won.. not what I expected. Duplicolor Trim Paint is a close second, duplicolour semi gloss is way too dark a black and Krylon Satin and Semi-gloss same deal.

I'm going to let the Rust Check Flat and Duplicolor Trim Paint cure for a few days and see what scratches / mars the easiest and go with the other. In the mean time I'll be doing corporate tax returns..  

[crj1968]

A removed VIN tag !!     

Can't wait to see this car completed !!   

[birdsandbees]

Dropped by today to check things out. Metal is moving right along, but I have a feeling that's gone to come to a screeching halt by weeks end with no over axle pan (B/O), no passenger door sill (lost in shipment) and I decided we should be putting rear rails in in conjunction with the new rear leaf spring brackets and AMD is showing the left rear rail out of stock. Oh well, it'll get done when it gets done.

[b5blue]

Happy Birthday and good luck!  Your moving this all along at a remarkable pace!! 

[birdsandbees]

Thanks!

I got lucky and beat a 1 year wait to get into the restoration shop because they had a lull in the action (and the owner is the sledding buddy of one of my long time customers / friends). He's kicking himself now I think, with over 7 Ferrari's suddenly in the shop, a 68 Cuda, Eleanor Mustang build and a few others. Luckily the custom Eleanor build was able to come off the jig rack last week to get mine on it. He has one dedicated metal man that does all this kind of metal work and they leave him alone in a building strictly to himself without distraction.

The stuff I'm doing, I try to put in at least 4 or 5 hours a day to keep my mind moving forward.

[birdsandbees]

Got my brand new seat belt set today... nice for 600 bucks   My original 46 and 47 year old belt ends, in both cars, aren't this crusty! Guess they pack some nice salt air in every sealed assembly bag!

[green69rt]

Been following your thread and noticed that you're replacing the torsion bar cross member.  Take a hard look at the sockets for the TBs.  I replaced the same with a AMD piece and found that the sockets were not parallel.  I found out when I put the torsion bars in and let the LCA end hang loose (not inserted in the LCA socket.)    You could see them hang at different angles.  Hope yours are better than mine.

[birdsandbees]

Thanks will have a good look next time I'm over... actually I'll ask the guys on Tuesday morning (long weekend here) to see if they are indexed identically, but of course clocked opposite. I am having them weld some channel inside the beam to the TB "shaft" so there is no way it can let go in my life time.

[Dino]

Very nice work and happy birthday!   

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Dino... AMD has no rear B Body frame rails available, but I was able to get a pair that were in stock from Classics in California this afternoon, they ship tomorrow.

Still haven't heard back from the seat belt vendor, but I'm sure not eating these pieces of crap.

[birdsandbees]

Lynch Road must have been running to capacity when my car was built. Scheduled build date on my fender tag is Feb 25th, 1969. My left exhaust manifold was cast on Feb 27th and my engine pad "E 383  2 28 HP" was stamped on Feb 28th. Just a tidbit for those that question casting / stamp dates on correct restorations.   I know that they are all original and this is the numbers matching engine that came in the car.

[birdsandbees]

Got my dash frame cleaned up and painted today. Ended up going with the Duplicolor Trim Black (CTP700000) on the outside and used up the can of Rust Check flat black on the back side. I started out with the dash pad taped off, thinking I was just going to blast the outer ends and a bit of the bolt flange, but that quickly escalated  . As I blasted I continued to see brown under the black as I worked further and further inbound.. so it was all rusty even though it looked quite good. I ended up removing the dash pad and blasted off the remaining bit. Blasted the rust out of the back side and sprayed it with the Rust Check flat. Then scuffed the front with 320, cleaned up and sprayed with the Duplicolor Trim Black. It should dry a bit duller than the pictures, or so I sure hope!  

Started to pull my engine accessories off, in between paint coats on the dash, so I can get the engine ready for blast and paint as well.

[birdsandbees]

 

[birdsandbees]

 

[birdsandbees]

Kept the heat up in the shop last night for the paint to set up and it dulled down really nice. Happy with how close it came out to original.. now to resist temptation to start assembly too soon and let the paint cure instead. Cleaned, prepped and painted my glove box hinge / spring assembly as well.

[Dino]

If you can set it in the sun for a few hours the paint will be baked. Let it cool down and you can start assembly.   

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Dino.. lots of other things to work on while I wait and it's about 85 in the shop with the stove stoked so won't take long anyhow. Hung the glove box hinge to bake!