Author Topic: Popbumper's '76 wagon - update (Read 80609 times)

78txpony · « **Reply #60 on:** May 12, 2009, 01:13:11 PM »

Quote from: popbumper on May 12, 2009, 12:55:15 PM

What's next, Rob? Retrofit of factory A/C :hypno:?
Chris

It sounds like you want that A/C box again... $:-\$

Do they make medicine for these types of disorders??

phils toys · « **Reply #61 on:** May 12, 2009, 04:28:29 PM »

Popbumper,
Keep posting the progress even though i do not respond i do keep up and as of right now my car does not need any major work it is nice to have the info avable when and if i ever need it.
phil

Carolina Boy · « **Reply #62 on:** May 12, 2009, 04:41:31 PM »

I know all the guys and gals appricate you as much as I do. Your pict-history is going to help me while I resto-mod my car since I have to start all over again. Your posts have inspared me to do every little detail part the right way, and make it look good too!!!
Keep up the good work and I hope mine will look and fuction as good as yours.

popbumper · « **Reply #63 on:** May 12, 2009, 04:43:19 PM »

Thanks guys, it means a lot. I hope it's worth the effort, tere will be a LOT more before all is said and done.

Chris

popbumper · « **Reply #64 on:** June 10, 2009, 09:31:44 PM »

Update for 6/10/09

Been almost a year since I bought my car. While it seems like there still is a LOT to do, I have also accomplished much. Floors are solid, entire brake system is new, gas tank is repaired/restored/lined, front suspension has been completely stripped out and restored, interior has been stripped, all rear bumper hardware has been sandblasted and painted, front bumper hardware is removed in readiness for restoration, some interior panels have been restored, dash pad has been restored, and rally wheels have been obtained and restored.

Replacement dash and power brake booster have also been purchased.

Wow! Still busy at it, though as the days get hotter, the work slows.

On tap for tonite? Front end restoration (non-suspension) and cowl leak fix. See next posts.

Chris

popbumper · « **Reply #65 on:** June 10, 2009, 09:38:56 PM »

First up? COWL HOLE. This bugger really has annoyed me for a year, why I did not fix it first is beyond me; I guess I let it overwhelm me when I got the car.

PROBLEM: EVERY time it rained (meaning, ALL WINTER AND SPRING), I had to sponge off my floor pans, which would collect up to an inch of water.

1st pic: The hole, close up, after wire wheeling. Where this hole is presented an unusual challenge for welding, so I went the "soft repair" route.

2nd pic: Two layers of POR-15 fiberglass were laid up over the hole and allowed to dry. NOT SHOWN: Aftre it dried, I covered the entire area with POR-15 PUTTY, and sanded everyhing smooth, creating a rock hard barrier.

3rd pic: The completed repair. IT RAINED HARD TONITE AND THERE WAS ZERO WATER IN THE CAR AFTERWARDS. Hooray!!

popbumper · « **Reply #66 on:** June 10, 2009, 09:46:51 PM »

Second up? Inner fender (wheel side) restoration

Having completed the suspension restore/rebuild, I needed to address the ailing inner fender surfaces (those hidden by the fender), including the cowl drains, the edge where the fender meets the inner lip, and beneath the plastic insert.

Pic 1: Exposed inner fender, showing the clean suspension but incomplete/old undercoating, and rusty vent tube/surfaces around the drains

Pic 2: In process - here the painting has begun (POR-15), after surface rust has been exposed and addressed with a wire wheel.

Pic 3: "Complete" - you can see where I have >not< yet added the POR-15 putty to the cowl patch. Once complete and sanded, everything got another coat of POR-15. Even the inside of the cowl was thoroughly cleaned, and a POR-15 "dauber" was used to coat the inner cowl. No more rust, and water flows easily. Also note the complete refreshening of the undercoating, the "restoration" of the gas tank vent tube, and the removal of the old charcoal canister.

Carolina Boy · « **Reply #67 on:** June 10, 2009, 10:21:14 PM »

I HAVE TO GET SOME OF THAT POR-15!!!

I am jealous that your car looks so good and it ain't even finished!

popbumper · « **Reply #68 on:** June 10, 2009, 11:27:59 PM »

Just imagine what it will look like DONE

.

Man, this is a LONG process but I must do everything right...

Get some POR-15. If you don't soon, you're going to see a can show up at your doorstep. All I need is an address.....

Chris

hellfirejim · « **Reply #69 on:** June 11, 2009, 07:15:26 AM »

Chris,
Hang in there on posting. On my thread I rarely get a post from other people but the views are over 10,000 so somebody is watching.

Take some solace in that you are doing it right. That is what I am doing to the best of my ability. I choose to do the mechanical first. Actually I really didn't choose i had no choice... :rolleye: When it is completed then I plan to tackle the body and interior work.

I too have found out the process is taking at least twice what i thought and about twice as exspensive but now i am hooked on as it is refered to as that damn little car. :lol:

Remember we are watching...

jim

smallfryefarm · « **Reply #70 on:** June 11, 2009, 07:53:54 AM »

Man you have got that thing looking sweet. I am a believer in that por 15 its good stuff.
Keep up the good work little at a time. That way you can enjoy it longer.

popbumper · « **Reply #71 on:** June 11, 2009, 08:16:00 AM »

Quote from: hellfirejim on June 11, 2009, 07:15:26 AM

I choose to do the mechanical first. Actually I really didn't choose i had no choice... :rolleye: When it is completed then I plan to tackle the body and interior work.

Thanks Jim. I am doing mechanical at first as well, with a little bit of "misc" thrown in as it presents itself. Wanna make it bulletproof underneath (full chassis rebuild/restore), then motor/eng compartment, then interior, then body (if at all - I may keep it original just for kicks). I agree it's tedious and expensive, but worth it.

Chris

289pinto · « **Reply #72 on:** June 12, 2009, 10:32:28 PM »

Looking good! you seem to be doing a real good job but why would you skimp and fill a rust hole with fiberglass instead of doing it right and welding a patch in it on your cowl?

popbumper · « **Reply #73 on:** June 12, 2009, 11:45:30 PM »

Skimp? Well, let's put it this way. Some guys have the knowledge, facilities, tools, and experiece to weld. I do not. I waited nearly a year to fix this hole, suffering over how to do it right, and finally got tired of sponging rain out of my car and did something about it.

I'm busting my butt to restore this as far as I can without putting it on a rotisserie, or spending $15K. Rather than trying to learn to weld, finding somebody who could, and making the requisite noise in my driveway, I took three hours, fixed it for a few dollars, did it myself, and sealed it adequately.

Given all the time and effort I have put into the car (and what it still needs), I won't suffer over something that's a hassle to fix, and I'm not sorry I did it this way. I wish I could have welded it, but what someone else expects is not always what I can do. As long as my own standards are met, that is what's important.

Chris

289pinto · « **Reply #74 on:** June 13, 2009, 07:22:30 AM »

Wow, no need to get all defensive. I simply seemed liked everything else was looking so good that it didn't meet the standards of the rest of the vehicle. Didn't mean to offend you!

popbumper · « **Reply #75 on:** June 13, 2009, 09:56:34 AM »

No problem, I suppose that particular subject was a sore spot, and the word "skimp" didn't quite hit me right. Thanks for the good words. Some days this restoration gets the best of me.

Chris

Carolina Boy · « **Reply #76 on:** June 13, 2009, 01:22:16 PM »

Hey Pop, Just invite him to the pool! :evil: :lol:

71pintoracer · « **Reply #77 on:** June 13, 2009, 05:43:01 PM »

Excellent job Chris! That cowl and inner fender look better than new. Shame no one will be able to see it after you put the fender back on! :amazed: Thanks for the pics, I know there are a lot of leaky cowls out there, other members will benefit from seeing how you repaired it. Looks good from my end!

Carolina Boy · « **Reply #78 on:** June 13, 2009, 06:01:20 PM »

I have read many a cowl post and never really understood the problem area. Now I do and where to look. Might just be the cause of my floorpan repair area.
Thanks!!!

powderblue76 · « **Reply #79 on:** June 15, 2009, 12:58:57 AM »

Pop,
I'll chime in a give you a giant ATTABOY for your meticulous and thorough detail on both the car and in the documentation.
I have that same annoying leak, and "someday" may be sooner than I thought, thanks to your post.
As an avid welder and fabber, I can't fault you one bit for the cowl fix.
Due to your needing to learn to weld, buy the welder and "stuff", practice...etc ....that fix will last forever, and that is what counts.
Another (right) way to get it done, I like that.
POR15 is the future for me, the Pinto, the '66 Fairlane and the '39 Chevy.
Keep the posts coming, even for the lurkers like me.

blupinto · « **Reply #80 on:** June 15, 2009, 02:31:17 AM »

And just think... that cowl will never rust there again! :tgif: Thank Goodness It's Fixed!

popbumper · « **Reply #81 on:** June 15, 2009, 09:23:16 AM »

I like your definition of TGIF!!

Chris

blupinto · « **Reply #82 on:** June 15, 2009, 12:32:49 PM »

78txpony · « **Reply #83 on:** July 08, 2009, 12:33:41 PM »

Well..........

The audience awaits in silence....... .

popbumper · « **Reply #84 on:** July 08, 2009, 01:23:12 PM »

Have new pics of progress, just need to go through the arduous task of resizing them before posting. Lots of progress stuff to report on. Thanks for pushing me, Rob!

Chris

hellfirejim · « **Reply #85 on:** July 08, 2009, 07:20:06 PM »

And the pictures are........... ............

:lol:

jim

popbumper · « **Reply #86 on:** July 11, 2009, 09:23:44 PM »

Update for July 11th 2209

Been over a year now since I picked up the car. Progress is slow at this time of year because, well, it's really HOT out, and like a lot of folks, I don't have storage space or a garage to work in, so the weather is a dictating factor.

WHERE I have had time and the weather has cooperated, I have been involving myself in at least a few areas, including the windshield, dash, and front end bumper area. MUCH remains - I am starting to understand my limitations from financial, time and skill levels, and I believe that my "directive" is changing - more on that later.

Without further adieu, these following pics show shots of the windshield work and dashboard effort. Stay tuned for an article in PINTO TIMES - I have captured the entire process in pictures and will write a feature about the windshield stuff; here's a small snapshot of the effort.

popbumper · « **Reply #87 on:** July 11, 2009, 09:45:06 PM »

WINDSHIELD AREA - if you have been following, I had a hole in my cowl at the driver's windshield corner. This hole allowed water to enetr the cabin, creating rust on the floors. After treating/filling the hole, I needed to look at the windshield gasket as well, because I could see that the damage extended up beneath it.

In pulling the gasket, I found the gasket corner had been bent in towards the dash when installed at the factory, creating a pocket for rainwater to collect in. THis water created some additional problems at the pinchwelds between the cowl and pillar structure. I cleaned these areas up, puttied them, and treated all with POR-15 in preparation for a new gasket, and window trim clips.

Pic 1 - windshield removed
Pic 2 - Wire wheeling at the pinch weld
Pic 3 - perimeter treated with POR-15

popbumper · « **Reply #88 on:** July 11, 2009, 09:54:45 PM »

DASH AREA - with the windshield out, it becomes an easy task to pull the dashboard. Why pull the dash? Well, in my case, at MINIMUM I want to have a car that is mechanically sound, and has a perfect interior - bodywork and repaint can always be last. With the job that the Texas sun did on my interior over 30+ years, the dash deserves a full restoration - and NEEDS it, besides.

A few months back, 78TXPony and I went to a local junkyard and stripped a '78 sedan to almost nothing. I pulled the dash, in hopes of restoring it outside of the car, so that when I pulled my own dash, I could pop a completely rebuilt unit in, which would make things a little bit easier. The two dashes are pretty much identical.

If you have never seen a full dashboard out of a Pinto, enjoy these pics. The dash will be PERFECT when I get done with it.

Pic 1 - Donor dashboard
Pic 2 - Rear of donor dashboard
Pic 3 - Donor dashboard sandblasted

popbumper · « **Reply #89 on:** July 11, 2009, 10:02:05 PM »

MISC STUFF - no trip to the sandblaster is complete without LOTS of parts. In the process of handing over the dash, I also handed over plenty of miscelleneous parts that needed to be done, including the front BUMPER INSERT sitting behind it. Rust had really taken a toll on this piece, pitting it with holes; this unit will be painted with POR-15 and POR-15 chassis black, the same way I treated the rear insert.

This final pic for tonite shows the other stuff that was sandblasted along with the dash and insert, including:

1) Front bumper shocks
2) Gas/brake pedal levers
3) Underdash brake/clutch support
4) Underdash braces
5) Fuse box support
6) Fender to chassis linkages
7) Glove box and hinge
8 Ash tray and ash tray insert
9) Headlamp bucket
10) Rear spring shock brackets
11) Rear spring isolator brackets
12) Front license plate holder

There's lots of painting to do over the next few weeks, and once it starts to cool down, I am going after the dash in the car. Lots of work there - heater box, A/C, harness, lots of maintenance.

Chris

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Author Topic: Popbumper's '76 wagon - update (Read 80609 times)