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

[b5blue]

 

[Charger_Fan]

Got two coats of white on, using the pencil eraser trick. Worked VERY well, but I still have a few pin holes. Going to let it set up for a couple of days and then give it one more shot.

What's the eraser trick? Just sorta dab it on? It looks really great, by the way.

[birdsandbees]

Thanks, one more coat will hopefully fill the little pin holes that opened up as it started setting up.

Was suggested to use a pencil eraser, similar to what I did with the shop towel and flat face cork screw I had. The towel left lint behind, the eraser did not.

Sprayed paint out onto masking paper... dab eraser in.. dab once on bare paper and then dab the letters and line. Each dab gets you about 1/2" down the line or two letters.

[birdsandbees]

One last coat of white today... we'll call it good and move on! 

My complete 383 magnum exhaust system shipped out of Missouri today.. pictures when it arrives, or I'm told I'm allowed to show it still in the jig.

[b5blue]

NICE! Looks like new! 

[birdsandbees]

Another milestone today. Got my "first off" 383 magnum exhaust system, off the FedEx truck, from the lads at ECS. Wish I had the car back to put this on. Will be coating it in their RPM before hand and just happen to have an annealing oven big enough to do so at my disposal.. but I guess you could just start the car and heat up the pipes. Easier to apply before installation though so that's what I'll be doing.

As noted elsewhere I sent David, Steve and Tom at ECS in Missouri down my original 383 magnum head pipes, and my tail pipes that are circa 1979 replacements, and they made templates... set up the bender and necessary quality check fixtures to get it all correct for future buyers.

I need to get over to the resto shop tomorrow or Tuesday (long weekend up here) to get an update, direction on my car and write them another cheque and then the wife and I are off to our Northern fly in camp for the summer. Be back a few times to check in, but the resto isn't going to progress any further until Fall unfortunately on my part. Hopefully the car shell will see paint in July and be ready to bring back home.

[birdsandbees]

Resto shop owners cell shot to me a few minutes ago. Drew making sure the re-lip on the original trunk lid, that I got from oldcarnut, is coming out correct before my 'Bee heads for "body work".

[tan top]

  

[birdsandbees]

Home for 2 days from camp, to cut grass and check the house, so I swung by the resto shop to see progress and grabbed a few pictures. Door shells have been blasted, epoxied, reskined and while doing so lined up on body lines before committing to skin position. Drew has patched paneled the bit of rott on the otherwise good front fenders and put the body lines back properly (in comparison to the CF from 1989's body work). We're close to heading to the next building for final body work, "tweaks and massaging".   Thank god 'cause my wallet is getting dusty.

[hemi-hampton]

Home made metal patch's on original sheet metal is better then any aftermarket, I do it all the time. LEON.

[ralley72]

Any up dates?

Mike

[birdsandbees]

Been away at our camp / cottage all summer and haven't made it back over to the resto shop yet, but I have been sent pictures of the work since my last quick stop on August 9th. ALL metal work is done, door jams cleaned up, hood has been back on along with front fenders, front valance / headlight sockets etc to make sure everything lines up perfect, all dings have been massaged out, trunk lid fitted after some minor repairs and a new rear lip built, all panels blocked and as of 12 days ago it was shot with two coats of epoxy primer after disassembling everything. Hoping that within the month I have the car back in paint, but I know they like to let the primer cure / shrink for sometime so I may be optimistic.

[Dino]

Sweet! I was waiting for this one.   

[b5blue]

"Let the paint cure/shrink"...I've wondered about that time frame myself? I see TV shows where they "do a car in 10 days" and how it will look in a year.

[birdsandbees]

Finally got over to the shop. Everything is fitted, gaps are perfect, from the windshield posts back has been blocked out since the primer coat in my last post and repeated a few times. Fenders and hood gap are set and very even and clean. Fenders still need some work and the hood needs a bit more clean up of pits underneath.

Looks like it's going to be longer than I expected before I get her back, but not surprising. Back to work at my end on suspension rebuild and the dash while I wait for her return.

[tan top]

    looking  good 

[Charger-Bodie]

Looking great

[Lennard]

It's going to be a beauty!

[birdsandbees]

THANKS Guys ! 

[birdsandbees]

Thought I had better get my ass back to work! Was going to start on the front suspension assembly but then decided I should be getting things ready in the order they need to go back in. E brake pedal assembly was about the last thing out.. so it has to go in first.

If you've never bought a bucket of Evaporust... DO IT NOW !! About 4 hours in the bucket, with only a few light scrubs with a small brass brush.

[1970Moparmann]

Never heard of that stuff.   Is this something that you can buy at a store, or have to order?

[birdsandbees]

Seems to be readily available these days. We can get it in Canadian Tire and Princess Auto. The 4 gallon bucket is $75 Cdn and it comes with the dipping basket. A gallon jug is 25 bucks.

[Dino]

You can find it just about anywhere. I love the stuff. Safe on paints as well in case you have something you want to preserve the paint on.

[6spd68]

You can find it just about anywhere. I love the stuff. Safe on paints as well in case you have something you want to preserve the paint on.

I was going to say, it looks like it did absolutely NOTHING to the paint on that pedal arm.  Thanks for the tip 

[birdsandbees]

Nope, it did nothing to the paint... but I did clean, sand and respray in Duplicolor Semi-Gloss black. Currently doing the clutch and brake assembly.

One warning... I soaked my LCA's last night as they had started to rust again since I blasted them 5 months back. The Evaporust sediment stained them black and I had to scrub the crap out of them with scotchbrite to get it off. Going to have to media blast them again before I dip them in Rust Vito.

Time for me to get a new clean bucket of the Evaporust, but thinking the old bucket might be good for making bolts black! LOL