Blast From The Past 71

Hello all, so here I'll be posting all my progress with my recently purchased boat tail, I've already put alot of work into it, have well over 160 photos to upload and can't wait to post them. This will be a 60's-70's retro custom project, I've always loved the customized style of years past, but I also plan on keeping alot of the original parts as well to keep some of its value, not that I'd ever sell it.

So a little back story, I was made aware of a 72 riviera boat tail in a local salvage yard near my town of kingman az back in 2012, so I went out and took a look at the car and was ready to buy it but financial burden struck and I unfortunately could not, so a good ten or so years passed and I was surfing YouTube and ran across a video of a late fellow who took a tour of the salvage yard in 2019, so curiosity took hold and I watched to see what was in the yard, when he got to the back lot I spotted the same group of riviera still sitting amongst some old truck beds and it re lit the fire I had for the boat tail, so after a few more years laying low due to covid and losing my mom, I told myself it was now or never and so I went to the yard and sadly I found out that the 72 had sold three years earlier, but then I was told they still had one boat tail left, so I took a look and after about two weeks of wheeling and dealing I finally made the purchase of the boat tail for $2500, now fast forward another week or so and they delivered the rivi to my driveway and from there till now I've spent almost every day and evening working on her and planning out my future with her. And with that, I introduce "Blast From The Past 71"

 

Few pics of when they first delivered her

 

I first started by giving her a nice bath and shoveled out the rat nest in the trunk. Cleaned the engine up a little before it got dark.

 

If you need any parts, contact @oldschool85 on here. He has lots of '71-2 Riv. stuff.

 

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind

 

I sprayed out the rest of the rat nest from the trunk and engine bays and removed all of the content and old lining boards from the trunk.

 

While removing the last of the trunk liner I found some cancer so after a while I plan on having that cut out and patched up. Trunk is other wise in good shape.

 

During the night a critter got into a fight with Mike tyson and clearly we know who lost.
Went to the store and bought a few things to knock out the filth in the cab, new shop vac, car lift, mask and gloves, wire wheels for the trunk and hose nozzle for later. Suited up and started cleaning.

 

Started by removing the rat poop from the carpet floors and removing all the loose dirt and interior parts

 

Thanks, I'm up for the challenge and adventure, beats sitting around at home watching tv

 

While cleaning out the cab I decided to remove the strips that run along the doors.

 

Cleaning up the backs of the Strato seats and it looks like these panels are salvageable, started trying to remove the seats, turned out to be a challenge as one got stuck in the forward position and the other being electric and the car missing its battery ment it would and could not move either way to unbolt the seat. Mean while I popped the seat belt retracter covers off.

 

Worked in to the night so I pulled out my shop light, speedo looks good,brake pedal is not worn, trunks full of interior parts.

 

That's a pretty cool fact, I thought it might of been faded from this az heat.

 

A few key pieces I'm glad were still in the car. Sadly the only other dash cluster piece (radio panel) was damaged I'm guessing by the last owner. Looks grinded on.

 

Here you are

 

By the next day I was able to get a ratchet set and was thus finally able to get the seats un bolted and removed, the seats I can salvage and have re upholstered later

 

Yeah, the piece by the knob is grinded down some and the metal had been pried up in a sharp tear.

 

Interesting.
I'm still waiting on the salvage yard owner to send me the title and vin.