65 Fairlane pro-touring build

[HO455]

Will there be clearance for the light socket?
It's hard to tell from my chair here in Oregon. I'm in awe of your work and spend too much time studying the pictures you share.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by HO455

Will there be clearance for the light socket?
It's hard to tell from my chair here in Oregon. I'm in awe of your work and spend too much time studying the pictures you share.

Yes, thankfully it's slender enough to clear the side panel. I don't know what I was thinking when I made the panels. I seem to recall checking the taillights, but I must have been a bit casual about it. The fix will be good enough for who it's for - as they say. The good news is that when the trunk lid is open, a person standing behind the car won't see that area anyway.

A side benefit of doing this is that cutting the openings forces me to address the issue with the black anodizing on the panels. I used a different company for this batch of aluminum and have regretted it ever since. All because they were closer to me and I didn't want to make the trek all the way south of town. Almost as soon as I got them home, the UV light started to fade them. Now when you take them off, you can see the contrast between a covered spot and the uncovered areas exposed to light. I'll either paint them with black epoxy or, more likely, cover them with some 3M black matrix vinyl. As Roseanne Roseanna Danna used to say, "It's always something."

BTW, I like your userid. I've had a lot of Pontiacs over the years - two 69 GTO Judges and a 70 GTO 455, plus Trans Ams, a Grand Prix, a Bonneville and even a 35 2dr sedan. Hope you don't give up on me. This is taking a lot longer than I thought it would.

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[HO455]

Nice! It appears we have quite a few similar interests.

[SCOTI]

Nothin' wrong w/them Pontiacs!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by HO455

Nice! It appears we have guite a few similar interests.

Oh man - deja vu all over again! Sweet!

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Nothin' wrong w/them Pontiacs!

X2!

[Vic1947]

Engine, trans and driveshaft are all out again. It's time to bond the front splash panels in permanently. After removing the drivetrain, there was a lot of dust on everything, so I hit the engine bay with compressed air. Imagine my surprise when big chunks of paint blew off the driver side front frame rail. I'm pretty sure I shot Eastwood Chassis Black over the epoxy primer, but I have no idea why it chose that particular spot to part company with the basecoat. All the rest of it looks fine, but when I do the body work to the splash panels, I'll prep the frame rails, firewall and etc. again. Once I get the panels and rails stripped down pretty well, I'll use different products for the repaint.

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[Vic1947]

Splash panels are glued in. I'll let them cure overnight and then I'll get busy with the air grinder and D/A sander. Supposed to have a little taste of fall tomorrow. Should be nice.

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[Vic1947]

I've achieved a milestone of sorts - the bodywork is finished except for what I find when I block the primer. Primer is next (both polyester and 2K urethane). I also grabbed the panel bonding applicator and glued in the trunk extensions, right and left trunk floor panels, battery mount and the deck lid mounts. I am nothing if not committed at this point. I have a list (because I'm afflicted with CRS) of four other panels that will require bonding adhesive. A couple of them will have to wait until the car comes back from paint, however. I need to up my game - I'm already way behind where I hoped I'd be paint wise.

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[Vic1947]

Boy was I overoptimistic! Bodywork was nowhere near done when I last posted. Blocking uncovered many areas that needed to be revisited. So, all that's done and for the first time in over two years, the little Fairlane is down on all fours. The guys from Graffiti Alley came by last week and gave it the once over. Pointed out some things I could easily do that would save me some billable hours in their shop. I'm getting very close - but unfortunately, they're covered up with work right now.

I have several things that still need to be done such as modifying the front bumper and installing hood pins, etc. I also need to do some fiberglass repair work under the dash (not my favorite thing). So, it's not like I'm vapor locked. I reckon it's better to be making progress here at home as opposed to the car sitting idle at the paint shop. Justin is a pretty straight shooter, so I'm sure he'll get it done. He only has one full time employee, though, and I'd bet every car owner he's dealing with wants to be at the front of the line. We'll just have to see how it goes.

[SCOTI]

I love it!

[CG]

You're obviously very highly skilled, Im curious why you dont paint it yourself.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I love it!

Me too! Amazing how different it looks on the floor.

Originally Posted by CG

You're obviously very highly skilled, I'm curious why you don't paint it yourself.

Thanks for the kind words. There are several good reasons stopping me. A big factor is my shop. I have a low ceiling in the basement where the HVAC runs the length of the house. I'd have to rearrange a LOT of stuff to somewhat avoid it. Running a close second is my age. Forty years ago, I owned a custom paint business in Houston. The years since have not been kind to me. My vision is especially problematic, and a good painter needs to be able to see well to do detailed work. Lastly, we're in the middle of our first real cold snap and good paint days are increasingly rare. I've been shooting primer either with the doors open or outside. That's not going to work for much longer. So, as Dirty Harry said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

[scottofksu]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Me too! Amazing how different it looks on the floor.

Thanks for the kind words. There are several good reasons stopping me. A big factor is my shop. I have a low ceiling in the basement where the HVAC runs the length of the house. I'd have to rearrange a LOT of stuff to somewhat avoid it. Running a close second is my age. Forty years ago, I owned a custom paint business in Houston. The years since have not been kind to me. My vision is especially problematic, and a good painter needs to be able to see well to do detailed work. Lastly, we're in the middle of our first real cold snap and good paint days are increasingly rare. I've been shooting primer either with the doors open or outside. That's not going to work for much longer. So, as Dirty Harry said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

I live in Omaha and am originally from the KCK area - about 1.5 hours away - where I visit regularly. I would be happy to come help with the paint! I know very little about painting vehicles but you seem to have forgotten more than I will ever know, but my eyes are still working at 46 and could support in that way. Your build is looking amazing!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by scottofksu

I live in Omaha and am originally from the KCK area - about 1.5 hours away - where I visit regularly. I would be happy to come help with the paint! I know very little about painting vehicles but you seem to have forgotten more than I will ever know, but my eyes are still working at 46 and could support in that way. Your build is looking amazing!

That's very cool of you to offer to help. You're welcome to stop by anytime you're in town. PM me and I'll send you the info. At this point, however, I'm committed to outsourcing the paint job. I have so much time invested in the sheetmetal repair, panel gaps and bodywork that I don't want to risk doing it myself. As I mentioned, there was a time when I'd have jumped in with both feet, but not anymore. The Redfire Metallic color I've picked requires a steady hand also. I did a spray out card with it and it looks best with three wet coats over a light sealer. The gun and the conditions need to be perfect to minimize stripes. Otherwise, you'll end up having to apply additional coats and lose the effect of the light color base. There's a lot of clear in the formula that dilutes the color and metallic. Tricky stuff.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Boy was I overoptimistic! Bodywork was nowhere near done when I last posted. Blocking uncovered many areas that needed to be revisited. So, all that's done and for the first time in over two years, the little Fairlane is down on all fours. The guys from Graffiti Alley came by last week and gave it the once over. Pointed out some things I could easily do that would save me some billable hours in their shop. I'm getting very close - but unfortunately, they're covered up with work right now.

I have several things that still need to be done such as modifying the front bumper and installing hood pins, etc. I also need to do some fiberglass repair work under the dash (not my favorite thing). So, it's not like I'm vapor locked. I reckon it's better to be making progress here at home as opposed to the car sitting idle at the paint shop. Justin is a pretty straight shooter, so I'm sure he'll get it done. He only has one full time employee, though, and I'd bet every car owner he's dealing with wants to be at the front of the line. We'll just have to see how it goes.

Even on the rollers she looks good!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by HO455

Even on the rollers she looks good!

Thanks!! It's finally coming together. I did some more work on the hood. The gaps were looking pretty sad, so I shifted the fenders over toward the passenger side. I then used short strand fiberglass to add a little wedge section to the passenger fender which tuned up the gap very nicely. It's about as ready as it's going to get for the body shop. I was there today, and it looks like it will be another couple of weeks at the earliest before they can work me in. Kinda frustrating. The wife thinks I should look around for another shop, but any place that's even halfway competent is busy. I do have other stuff to work on, so that's a good thing.

[Vic1947]

Marking time until the paint shop gives me the call. Drew up a dash layout in my little CAD program and exported it as a .dxf for uploading to Send Cut Send. I'll have them cut it out of aluminum sheet. The dash itself needed to be prepped, which meant adding sheetmetal around the perimeter, filling in the ash tray opening and cutting out the existing structure where it interferes with the backs of the gauges and etc.

I also patched the underside of the cowl where there were some rusted spots. I took the easy way out and used short strand fiberglass filler rather than cloth and resin. A lot less messy and just as effective.

Old man winter is making his presence known. Cold today and 2-4" of snow for tomorrow. I'm really regretting squandering all the fall days I could have been spraying epoxy, primer, undercoat and whatnot. Oh well, this won't last forever.

Next on the agenda is mocking up the Vintage Air evaporator - which will probably entail mods to the underside of the cowl on the passenger side. I much prefer to have as much of the a/c suitcase hidden as possible. Will post photos as it progresses.

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[Vic1947]

The paint shop is saying they hope to get me in next week. I'm betting it will be after the first of the year, but that will work if they stay on it until it's done. I keep busy with small stuff. Had to use the porta-power my buddy, Jay, gave me. The inner panel behind the driver door was pulled out about 1/2" and there was no other way to fix it. Worked great, though.

I ordered some replacement defroster ducts. The originals disintegrated and all I could find were for early Mustangs. I adapted them to the opening in the dash and with the cover on it, no one will ever know. Now I just need to make a mounting plate for a pair of 4" 3-way speakers.

The instrument panel from Send Cut Send arrived. I polished the laser cut surfaces and deburred all the holes. I now need to mark the recess where it fits and install the rivet nuts. I also need to figure out how to best attach the NAV/audio unit.

It was in the upper 50's on Tuesday, so I managed to get a bunch of parts in epoxy primer. No shortage of items on the punch list.

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[Vic1947]

The Vintage Air installation is coming along. I had to remove a considerable part of the inner cowl to make enough room for the lines and the duct hoses. I'll box the open end of it just so it looks a bit better. (Because, you know, there will be people crawling around under the dash to see if I did.)

I made a mounting plate with four welded studs that will attach to the brackets that came on the evaporator. I then prepped the backside of the firewall and used 3M panel adhesive to attach the panel to it. Prop rods and magnets are holding it place. Once it sets up thoroughly, it will be easy to install the evaporator. Still have to decide how to do the lines. I'll probably use grommets on the heater hoses, but it may be better to use bulkhead adapters for the refrigerant lines. I'll have to sort all that when it gets back from the paint shop as I'll have better access with the fender off. Plus, I need to have the engine back in.

[Vic1947]

Now you see it... Now you don't!

No sooner had I parked the Fairlane in the "storage" spot in the shop than Graffiti Alley called and said they were ready for it. Contacted a rollback service on Monday to transport it to its temporary abode. Justin and Larry already have it blown apart and are working on getting it in epoxy primer. Hopefully they can devote enough time to it to make some real progress. Their shop is full. Fingers crossed!

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[SCOTI]

2026 is starting off HOT! Looking forward to seeing the progress.

[Ol Blue K20]

Hopefully a quick turnaround.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

2026 is starting off HOT! Looking forward to seeing the progress.

Me too! Justin is a pretty good communicator, so I should have some progress pictures to post moving forward.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Hopefully a quick turnaround.

Thanks, Dale, I hope so too. I'm cautiously optimistic that I've done enough of the grunt work that he can get the final blocking done and move on to shooting the color. We'll see.

Speaking of color - here's the spray out card with the GM Redfire BC/CC and the matching engine cover. Photo doesn't do it justice - looks really nice in person.

[SCOTI]

Nice combo.

[joesscamaro]

Hopefully, they can knock your car out and get it back to you soon. The color combo looks great!