The rear quarter panels have alot of rust, but all of it is below the chrome line and behind the wheel well.
So I don't need all of this:
Posted on 01/13/2007 3:06:28 PM PST by djf
OK I drove by it three days in a row. Finally, the snow stopped an I was able to read the 4sale sign.
It was a freakin steal. So now it's in my driveway. No pics (yet)
But my question is this: What could/should a fellow do when he's restoring a car? This one is in VERY good shape, I could easily put in on ebay and sell it in hours for much more than I paid.
Is there anything in particular that a guy SHOULDN'T do during a restoration?
The car is:
1966 Chev Impala 327 four door.
Any and all experience/tips with restorations appreciated!!
Thnx! If it ever stops raining here mebbe I’ll try it, doesn’t sound like a major deal, coupla hours...
I’m just not sure how to set the timing. Guess I’ll have to read up on it.
Yay! New headliner sittin on my living room floor.
Now I just have to figure out how to do all that rod stuff!
(it’s winter, so I’m working the inside)
I was just thinking bout you the other day!.......
Slowly makin progress.
Need to order two more items: Patch panels for the right and left rear quarter panels and about 7 yards of windlace.
Believe it or not, after that, it’s pretty much back to being 98% stock.
Swapped the AC fittings and filled it with r134 to try it, I figred if it ddin’t work, but stayed pressurized, it’d be worth fixing. So far, about 3 months later, it’s still pressurized. Actually, the compressor output end gets hot when the AC is on, but there’s no activity on the dehumidifier window, so I’m thinkin it just needs to have a good vacuum cleaning.
Besides the headliner and qp’s, I need to pull the rear window and do some metal work before it get repainted.
Funny how some people think because they seem to think scratching it is major damage.
Would be alot worse IMO if they just swiped one of the hubcaps. Forty plus years old. All original. And in superb shape!
Here where I work, the owner of the company, now retired, is an antique car enthusiast and restorer. He uses the back of the company building for his projects. Currently, he and his son, retired also, are putting the finishing touches on a 1936 Ford Phaeton open air (no windows) convertible. He has friends that come by and help and to get help also. A friend of his came by the other day to get some help installing a modern solid state voltage regulator on his 1939 Ford Standard coupe. I told him it really looked great for a car that was 68 years old. He said, "It should. It's only got 38,000 miles on it!" I said, "You mean on the rebuilt engine?". "No, the whole car!" he replied. This car of his is literally "the little old ladies car". It was bought new in 1939 by two sisters in rural Colorado. They drove it sparingly and when they got too old to drive safely, sold it to the man who owned the farm next door, in the 1960's. He kept it 20 years and only put 2000 miles on it. Then in 1980 he sold it to this guy I was talking to and he's only put about 3000 miles on it since then. This car still has the original spare tire in the trunk. The interior and engine compartment look brand new. The engine purrs like a kitten and the whole car is still shiny and new, not a single rust spot anywhere, even under the car. Man, I just hope one day I can find a little gem like this, hopefully a 1964 Mustang in someone's barn that has been stored for 40 years.........
Listen to politicalwit.
New windlace in. New headliner in. Still a bit loose, I’m gonna let it set a few days and get used to the shape before I stretch it and do anything permanent!
Coming along very, very nicely.
I have the new rear quarterpanels, but it’s way, way more metal than I need to replace. So I’ll probably cut them down. A good friend of mine is an expert welder so he can tell me exactly where and how much.
Really, what politicalwit said.
Also, don’t get cute with it. Keep it 100% original.
When I got it, there was one part missing. Only one part.
The overhead rear view mirror.
The bracket was there, but the mirror gone, so I ordered another.
Other than that - everything is original (but the guy I got it from put a new block in it a couple years back, so I think it has a 350 in it, not an original 327).
She runs like a top - and she ain’t your mommas Toyota, that’s fur shur!
I love driving it.
By original I don’t mean originally in the vehicle when it was on the show room floor, what I mean is that any part you replace or redo be to exact specs of the orignal part. So in the case of you rear view mirror, find one that was the original equipment in the vehicle.
The thing I see a lot is someone takes a beautiful classic car and “pimp” it out. Breaks my heart.
I use these guys. They’re very good, and will ask questions, they don’t want you to put something on that doesn’t match the original model.
http://www.impalaparts.com/Store/index.php
Very nice site. Ok, last request from me is that you post pics.
Here is a picture of one off the 'Net, but this one is in "excellent condition" as compared to the one that is here....
Question time!!
I finally got fed up with the rear light situation. The sockets were rusty and crumbling, the wiring looked like it was more tape than wire.
So I hit the parts store, got wire, bulbs, and sockets. But here’s the problem.
There is a flat ribbon cable type that comes from underneath the dash, under the floor and rear seat, into the trunk. It has six leads.
I had a good idea what they were but just to get things straight I hit it with the volmeter. I would expect more than six, buts thats not the problem. After metering and reading here is what I discovered.
One is the lead for primary running lights.
One is the backup lights.
One doubles as the brake lights/turn signal for the left.
One doubles as the brake lights/turn signal for the right.
One is the gas gauge sending unit... and
last one, I ain’t got a clue! Tried everything. Thought it might be just a hot power line but no dice. It might be a switched ground (switched for what?) I really don’t want to start digging under the dash..
Ideas? So far I got all the new wires, bulbs, and sockets back in except the backup light, which will happen later today. ALL CONTACTS soldered and taped! Took about 80 bucks and 5 hours.
Gimme ten nice days of hot weather and I will have the rear quarter panel patches in!
Tag light?..................
That’s what I was thinkin but nothing I do in the car with the engine on or off seems to give me any power to it.
And I got all the wiring and harnessing built, but still don’t have a tag light. I’m gonna hook it up off the running lights.
The wire may not go to anything at all. It may just be there to add strength or to a future add-on accessory. Many of the products we make here where I work have wires in cable bundles that don’t do anything, they’re just there, usually because the cables we buy have more wires than we need for the job that we use them for. Maybe a rear window defroster or a trunk light was an option on that car way back when............
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