Restoring #97-00012

[JDMJNKY]

Where are you lads finding these amazing body shops...sheesh! That type of paint work in SO.CA costs more than the car. Mesmerized man.

[Dc2-ProductionS]

So it's been a while since I've been able to update. I have had a TON of stuff going on and the caR had to take a back seat for a little bit. An EXTREMELY busy 3 months at work jumbling a few projects that luckily have turned out to be my biggest sales to date, but man have they drained my brain! I have also been renovating the house we bought last year with my wife, trying to get as much done before the Winter time comes. And since we found out in August that we have a baby on the way in April, I had to knock a few things out before I could get back to the caR. #ExcitedDad

So back to the old giRl.... We got it back from paint and body and she looks fantastic. Few little spots that need to be addressed before final buffing/compound and such but nothing major. One set back we have had though is the parts that we had powdercoated have been exposed to moisture before we were able to clear coat them.... This resulted in the open bare metal surfaces for some open connection points to get surface rust on them. After looking at them for a while, I decided to remove everything on the caR again and get everything re-powdercoated and cleared. The OEM parts that I got brand new are all good and cleared from factory, but parts I got refinished like the subframe, control arms, upper arms, etc all need to be cleaned, re-coated and clear coated. It sucks, it's money out the window, and it was stupid of me to let this happen. But we are making it right, and it will be 100% in no time.





Since everything has now been removed and the underside of the car cleaned from shop dust, we were able to get started putting the dash harnesses back in and together and placed bits in their homes. I cleaned the F out of the door wiring rubber. all the little dirt and grime that gets in all the little ridges of the flex zones..... Grrrr....





After I got those done, I started working on the heater core and other vents that will go behind the dash. Everything cleaned up quite well! Alllll the tiny little cracks and crevices can drive ya nuts though!! I need to get some new foam to put on the vent seams, some new snap clips, and I think these will be ready to go back together! Surprisingly the insides didn't become a mouse hotel. Everything looked great on the internals.









Next up on the list to tackle is the brake lines. I'm taking the plunge and getting these things done. After that, the train should be rolling along well. Body shop already has the doors, hood, bumpers, hatch and fenders all sprayed and wrapped up waiting for me to bring heR back so stay tuned.

Re-Powdercoat, Clear coat, and brake lines.....then the train starts chuggin again.... Stay tuned.

[DC231]

i totally know what you mean about cleaning the crevices on the heater and ac components.. ive tackled this with my heater box and ac box and blower housing.. i found some good stuff at home depot to cut all new custom foam seals. i did every single foam seal on all the little doors and everything inside all the components and where they meet the chassis. it came out super good but i did use an extra adhesive to be sure the stuck well. i replaced the white foam pieces inside the black ac box and all the seals where the 3 components meet up as well.. i would be interested in seeing how yours comes out and what you use to make the seals.. i cant wait to see how well mine works hear in florida.

[Stin1]

What did you use to clean the flex joints? They look new. Out here they get dried out or soft and melted from the heat.

[Dc2-ProductionS]

i totally know what you mean about cleaning the crevices on the heater and ac components.. ive tackled this with my heater box and ac box and blower housing.. i found some good stuff at home depot to cut all new custom foam seals. i did every single foam seal on all the little doors and everything inside all the components and where they meet the chassis. it came out super good but i did use an extra adhesive to be sure the stuck well. i replaced the white foam pieces inside the black ac box and all the seals where the 3 components meet up as well.. i would be interested in seeing how yours comes out and what you use to make the seals.. i cant wait to see how well mine works hear in florida.

Thats awesome. Glad to hear it doesn't sound like too tough of a tackle. Ill be getting into this soon.

What did you use to clean the flex joints? They look new. Out here they get dried out or soft and melted from the heat.

The parts that connect to the doors? They had some overspray on them from when we did the floor on the interior, so I used a watered down brake cleaner solution and a minimal abrasion scuff pad. Then just soapy solution and tons of little picks and towels. lol They look really fresh.

I think I'm going to start cleaning up the engine harness soon also. Get that looking 100% mint. Clean up all the connections and grease everything like new. Can also check continuity on all the lines while im at it. Would hate to get everything together and then be chasing an old messed up line from 20+ years ago.... Dont forget I had an alarm and sound system in there from the F&F era so I got some tinkering to do with all kinds of wiring.

[JDMJNKY]

Looks amazing man!

[Dave7CDMTYPER]

That's crazy that you got surface rust just from moisture. Is that common in that situation without clear coat or is it an East coast thing and somehow salt blew in the door or something? Yea, I love living in socal without that rust yo.

Btw, did you ever find the seam welds?

[coolhandluke]

Re-reading this thread always inspires me. Thank you for the updates.

[Vtecwreck]

For the second time, the suspension looks great! As for the car, it looks great-er! I like seeing it like this. This process is identical to that of a model car build. It’s all coming together nicely! I’m sure you’re all types of busy with everything going on, best of luck with it all. I’ll be on standby for updates!

[Sp00nFedFilms]

Just reread for the second time. Such a great build. Any updates?