When I saw the faded, old color in the pre-auction pictures I couldn’t see it. I didn’t think it was impressive at all!! But after seeing the fresh color sprayed on the roof...I see it! That’s going to be a beautiful car!! You guys are doing a fantastic job, love the updates and pics!!
If you want to see what it should look like when done then check out this thread. http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/69-gs-400-stage-1.335504/ It's very similar, and is a beautiful car. Same interior, steering wheel, and exterior color. Mine will have the 4-speed, factory pinstripes, and the 8G tach will be in the consolette, with the Sun Gauge pod above. Plus it will have the added stripes, Hurst wheels, and red line tires. I am an originality nut, but personally think this Blue Stage 1 looks really nice with the red paint added to the trim. It really sets off the blue color. I also can't believe it is still for sale. I couldn't imagine trying to put that car together for that price. Duane
Duane, that 69 Stage 1 is actually a beautiful car. I’ve never been a step-child fan. Years ago my buddy had a 68 GS and with 15” Buick Rally wheels the car had the right stance. I guess I could say it grows on you. You kindof appreciate certain angles and perspectives when looking at one, rather than trying to take it all in at once. That’s just my take on it. I think you’re right, the red is really gonna “pop” on your Motion car!! Keep the excellent work, updates and pics coming. Loving It!!
Pics from today. First you can see 2 holes punched out and the top decked. The last 2 are from Nick. He is mocking up the body so he can check for fender-door fit once he puts them on. He has the driver side rear quarter blocked, and the jam finish sanded. Duane
Gary did you remove those sockets and blast them or did you get them new? I never could find new ones and was always afraid to try and remove them. Also, did you get new harnesses or did you just clean those up? What white paint did you use? Just a gloss white?
Ken, I can answer to Gary if you want, as long as you feed me. Anyway, I got a nice set of original housings from Mike Schweitzer and cleaned them up. Nothing was new, and nothing was removed or blasted. These were original to his old 69 car. The first thing I did was check for continuity, then I started the cleanup. One of them was a tad bent so I straightened it out. I wire brushed the housings, and used steel wool on the brass sockets. Then I used Lacquer thinner to clean up the wiring/ rubber grommets, and connectors. You would be surprised how a little Lacquer thinner, or Duane spit, can clean things up. Once that was done, I painted the housings to look like they were bare metal. Once dried, I masked it off and painted the white with Gloss White Rustoleum paint. I like the Rustoleum paint because it lasts a long time in that environment. After that I cleared the brass sockets and I was done. I was told by Mike to make sure I put new bulbs in as they are a PITA to replace once installed on the bumper, which I did. I then glued in the original gaskets, as 1 of them had shrunk up a little and put the polished lenses back in. All done. Like Brad says, it's just time and money. In this instance it was time, and no money thanks to Mike. One thing I have done in the past, with a set that had loose sockets, was to clean the socket to housing area up real nice and solder them together. (I used solder wire with the flux in it, just make sure you use some type of flux so it lays down really nice and makes a good contact.) This took care of the problem of an intermittent ground issue that I had. Also, for rear light housings, where they are painted silver on the inside, I shoot them with a "Chrome" paint. Once done and installed on the car the lights are way brighter and look so much better. Just some tricks of the trade. Duane
Can I ask why Nick is painting the top and bottom of the car separate? I know its a vinyl top car but just thought it would have been painted all at once. Paint would match/ mix it once/ buy it once and be done
Nick ordered a pint of color to make sure it was exactly the correct color/tint. It looked a little dark in the can and being that it is a vinyl top car the entire thing did not need to be painted all at once. Therefore, to make it easier to paint the shell, he opted to paint the top first so we could make sure the color was right. If the car did not have a vinyl top all the paint would have been ordered at one time, and everything would have been painted at the same time. I think he was being a little cautious, especially when a pint of paint cost $116.00 (his cost) and I still need 1 Gallon and 2 Quarts to finish the car. Once he is happy with the color, the entire shell (minus the roof) and all the parts will be painted at the same time. Duane
Update from Nick, He now has the entire shell, both doors, and both fenders blocked out. The only parts left to do are the hood, trunk lid, and the 2 pieces at the front grill. He is going to clean up the booth the beginning of next week, and expects to have the entire car painted and cleared by the end of next Friday. Duane
Todd Miller / ToddsGS said he sold you / Nick some bolt kits to try out on the Motion car, even though they are technically for 70-72 models. Are they going to work out okay? He suggested I ask you before I proceed to purchase. Thanks for being the trial horse..
I have not even looked at them yet, but Nick said most of the stuff is the same. I can ask him if he has used a set of these before. Either way I have my needs covered. I have a ton of original interior screws etc already sorted out in sectioned containers from when I had my Interior business going, and have all the originals out of the car as well. Other then some interior screws for the dash cluster, the cars are the same, so how much can actually be different? I can let you know when we get there. Duane
Thanks Jarrod. Nick is putting the doors on the shell right now and will be putting the fenders back on the jig to check for alignment. Finally something is getting bolted to the car, Yea!!! We have 6 weeks from today to get it done. No stress there at all. Duane
That's the ticket. If for some reason you find you need something that is not in the kit, send me a pic and I probably have it. I have been saving these pieces for years, due to all the cars we have parted out, and all the interiors I took out of junked cars for patterns. My buddies and I have always kept all the usable parts that came off the cars we junked. We said we were like the Eskimos and the Whales, we used everything that we could. Duane
You’re moving so fast! Every time I see an update I half expect to see ‘DONE!’ when I click on it. Patrick
