My *early 71* Project-No.2

[jerry]

Introduction/Explanation:

I know the danger of starting a new project in the middle of completing my on-going *late 71* Project, but the decision has been made that i will put my Malaga 71 up for sale when I complete it. Of course I will have to put some miles and smiles on before listing it.

anyhow, recent events at the homestead necessitate a paring down of cars so if i'm gonna try to sell my Malaga 71, I'll need another car to drive. I towed this non-running car home about 2 years ago with the intension of salvaging parts but i soon realized it was an unmolested, nearly original car and were it not for a lowlife, it almost arrived with its original 'blue plates'.

it was sold to me with original engine which apparently died. i have a very nice 'loaner' engine to install in the meantime, with 02ti spec bathtub pistons and 121T head.

i intend this car to be a ROLLING restoration/rehab. i will not likely do the complete bare-metal repaint. my intension is to repaint the engine bay, nose and front wheel wells while the engine and suspension is out. any surface rust will be addressed as necessary with no deadline to paint the whole car.

[jerry]

a couple more photos.

the front suspension was recently removed, sand blasted and repainted. it's awaiting reassembly. i'll probably leave the 4spd transmission in the interest of ease of reassembly. i'm gonna bite the bullet and move the battery to the rear because i really like how it opens up the engine bay.

Update 9/25/12: the engine shown below has turned out to be in excellent condition with 175psi across all four pistons. i installed a Schrick 292 camshaft and new valve stem seals. it has a 1979 casting 121 Ti head. and the engine has high compression 'bath-tub' pistons. Absolutely no smoke on accel or decel. I'm very pleased.

i will keep the original number's matching engine block with this car, but i don't know whether i'll ever go through the time and expense to reinstall it. i'd be hard-pressed to match this engine!

[jc4me2]

Hey there, could you give me some info on the products you are shooting, as well as the gun? I too am planning an engine comp repaint and was planning on just sanding it down and using the aerosol touch up paint. Would it really be prudent to shoot it with a gun? I have a good compressor and am willing to learn, I just wasn't sure that it would be worth the added cost.

Any help or advice would be great. Thanks, Jordan

[jerry]

Hey there, could you give me some info on the products you are shooting, as well as the gun? I too am planning an engine comp repaint and was planning on just sanding it down and using the aerosol touch up paint. Would it really be prudent to shoot it with a gun? I have a good compressor and am willing to learn, I just wasn't sure that it would be worth the added cost.

Any help or advice would be great. Thanks, Jordan

my first choice for sealing CLEAN bare metal is epoxy sealer from DuPont. unfortunately i used mine all up so i used my off-brand 2 part (typically referred to as 2K) high build primer/sealer with extra reducer added to thin it up. i go over everything with a wax/silicone/oil remover prior to paint. this step is essential to avoid fisheyes and bonding issues.

i will likely use a 2-stage paint to finish the job. i will likely use a ready-made color that is closest to original. colormatching in stages is not easy so i want a catalog color.

i use a gravity feed SATA gun for primer. it is a great gun and i like it. i use an ACCUSPRAY gun for everything else. it is also nice but is on the big side and difficult to reach some areas sometimes. my ACCUSPRAY runs off a turbine blower but i have an air compressor version too. i use the Turbine sprayer when i want to do quick jobs without powering up my small compressor. i have two water filters on my compressor and a disposable dessicator at the end of the hose. very important to eliminate moisture.

i spent a fair bit on my sprayers and other bits but i figured i'd be doing at least a couple cars.

what's best for you depends on what you want for your car. i considered spray cans for the engine bay and i'm sure it would look fine if done with care, but i figured since i already had the equipment, why skimp.

[Armond]

Jerry,

I have a 30 gallon air compressor just sitting in my garage taking space. You can use it if needed. Just let me know.

AP

[73_02]

I have a question about your sand blaster, is it one of the harbor fright ones or something a little better. I`m planning on doing lots of blasting to the 72.

Collecting parts already.

[jerry]

thanks for the offer Armond. so far my compressor is holding up, especially since i'm not planning a whole car repaint with this current car. it's a paint as i go project.

as for the pressure pot blaster, i bought it used off Craigslist but i'm sure it's a harbor freight type. for the most part, THE biggest issue is keeping the air supply DRY, DRY, DRY. i have two water filters and the 2nd one really helped. i also use the mini-one at the end of the hose.

i got 30 minutes of absolutely the BEST flow and use out of this blaster yesterday. the air was dry and it was the first time i've used it since last summer. i was really impressed. however, after a while the flow started to be hindered and an occasional shake was necessary. fortunately, i was able to accomplish most of what i needed within the 30 minute timeframe.

btw, i bought one of those pistol gun small blasters and tried it for one load before putting it away. WAY TOO SLOW.

these blasters are great but be prepared to sweep sand and vacuum the heck out of your car.

[jerry]

a couple photos showing the sealer/primer and textured undercoater applied. i bought the paint this afternoon. i'm gonna go with Ford Wimbeldon White as it is a pretty good color match and since the formula is known it should be easy to match in the future.

the nosepiece and both fenders are replacements. rust-wise they are in very good shape. pity that the nose got 'tapped' at one point because otherwise it is the best i've seen on an unrestored car.

the previous installation of the nosepiece was well done and barely noticeable. however, the fenders will have to be removed at some time to install proper sealer strips at the contact points. presently it's metal to metal contact with a gap. this will be addressed sometime in the future, i hope.

i hope to paint color tomorrow after work.

[jerry]

just finished spraying the engine bay and am i happy. it's nice to know i'm capable of learning. my paint is more uniform in appearance. i can't wait to see it in full sun tomorrow. time to let it sit and cure for a week or so while i get back to work on my other car.

i received my latest box of nuts and bolts from the plater. for some reason i didn't get the yellow-cadmium i asked for. instead i got clear cadmium. they look like nickel plate. i think i'll use these bolts on this white car. should give it a distinctive, subtle look.

[jerry]

not everything goes according to plan. the day started out with my intension to remove the heaterbox, wiper assembly etc., to get access into the air plenum chamber for repaint. the surface rust was unsightly and i figured if i get this painted i can reinstall the stuff after refurbishment and not have to think about it for a long time, if ever.

center console is out. heater box is merely two nuts and the levers. 15 minute job at most. NOT...

the heater trim plates on early dashes are held on by two inaccessible, ridiculously small nuts. one thing led to another and before i knew it, the entire dash was removed, windshield removed, and bottom dash hopelessly damaged in frustration. thankfully, it was in terrible shape and i have a replacement on hand.

anyhow, i am VERY pleased to find that there is not bad rust at all in this area of the car. it's very clean. no metal replacement or welding necessary. that was a nice tradeoff for all the grief i encountered.

i have to really fight the urge to continue pulling things off this car. the goal is to get it ready to return a functioning engine in it and work on it as a running vehicle.

another good feature is the headliner. although it's dirty and in need of a thorough cleaning, if i'm careful it should be good as is.

[jerry]

there is no substitute for painting on bare metal. hoping to wrap this task up in the morning so that i could return to work on my Malaga car, i was dismayed at the appearance of the old paint underneath the new primer.

SOOOO.... off it all came. at least where it's readily visible. the engine bay does not count, btw.

8 hours later i can sit down and document today's effort. a wire wheel on a cheap grinder is a great tool for quickly removing old paint.

i also decided to remove the fuse box so i could get paint there. prior damage was straightened as best as possible. i thought of smoothing it out completely with a dab of bondo but caught myself before i wasted any effort on that. some things just aren't worth the effort and hiding an old crash is not necessary for me in the engine compartment. i call it battle scars and it conveys a sense of history on this car. if it was on the exterior, that would be a different matter.

[73_02]

Hi jerry it looks great, I`m thinkink about doing a few weekends worth of work to my daily driver. Because the 67 is going to take 99% of the time and about 97% of the money for the next few years. Unless I hit the lotto.

[jerry]

a couple of photos to show some movement on this car. i rehabbed the dash. it surely could be better but it's a vast improvement over what it used to look like. i swapped out the bottom piece for one i picked up cheap on eBay awhile ago. no one else bid on it because it was cut out where the console is. to my good fortune, it is not visible at all and the dash was virtually crack free. a well-spent $30 i'd say. spent a couple evening recently rewrapping the harness and cleaning the fusebox.

i'm hoping to install the front windshield soon. i noticed a small tear in my otherwise nice headliner but i will have to live with it for now. i figure i can always remove the windows again someday to replace it.

[jerry]

been way too long since i updated this project, but only because i've been working on my late 71 02 so much. anyway, that car is driveable, so my attention turns to this car.

i'm taking small steps, but forward progress nonetheless. front windshield reinstalled. i'm having a little fitment issues with this non-OEM seal, but i think i might be able to work it out.

i've installed the fireshield pad and am currently reassembling the front suspension. brake lines have been cleaned up and ready for reinstallation.

i'm gonna go with a slightly modified suspension on this car, to include Bilstien struts, ST Springs, 19mm sway bars and urethane bushings (swaybar only).

i will likely install a 5spd and probably a LS differential, since i have a couple lying around. i'm not gonna like what that will do to my speedo calibration, but i'll just have to live with it.

[Armond]

Damn Jerry. You are on a roll....I can hear the grinder on that Malaga Tii in no time.