65 GTO

[DanStokes]

Glad the lungs are working better for you. Continued good luck on that front.

Dan

[hiroshima1320]

I just read this from the beginning, all I can say is Damn. I am a body man and I fix mangled cars every day and restore at least a couple dozen old cars a year and I wouldn't have touched this this thing if I was getting paid $50 an hour to do it, and charged for actual hours. I'm sure that up close, I could spot imperfections, but from your photos, it is beautiful. I would love to have a 65-66 GTO, but ones nice enough to restore are, as you know, rare. I can give you some tips and tricks on getting your body work arrow straight, if you like.

[Thumpin455]

I just read this from the beginning, all I can say is Damn. I am a body man and I fix mangled cars every day and restore at least a couple dozen old cars a year and I wouldn't have touched this this thing if I was getting paid $50 an hour to do it, and charged for actual hours. I'm sure that up close, I could spot imperfections, but from your photos, it is beautiful. I would love to have a 65-66 GTO, but ones nice enough to restore are, as you know, rare. I can give you some tips and tricks on getting your body work arrow straight, if you like.

Feel free to expound upon your experience in making things arrow straight as my methods are somewhat lacking of late. Also, thank you so very much for the kind words, it means quite a lot to someone who has only been doing body work since 2006.

[mlcraven]

This winter put the lungs first man. BTW, by the time you pass 50 the aches and pains are old hat (trying to be encouraging here ).

[hiroshima1320]

Most of the actual theory, you already have. Professional body men "feel" a panel for high and low spots. This takes time, and years of practice. I have found that if you cannot feel a dent with your bare hand, a regular shop rag or old t shirt between your hand and the panel helps you feel the highs and lows better. After that you have to rely on your eyes. Always use a self etching primer first, directly to bare metal, it prevents lifting, like you get with por15 it high build on bare metal. Another thing is NEVER spray real paint over anything that came out of a rattle can. It WILL lift, usually after you think you're out of the woods. If you're starting with bare metal, etch-prime it and then use a cheap high build primer. Block sand that with the longest sanding block you can find, a straight piece of wood or metal with a foam pad glued to it will work too, just make sure its perfectly straight and smooth. Work diagonally at about 45*, downward, with light pressure. Press too hard and you will stretch the metal. This goes for body work too. Sand at that angle and move up about 6 inches after every couple strokes, until you are at the edge of the panel. Reverse direction. Move down to about a 50% overlap of your last sanding pass, repeat. This should show your highs and lows. Straighten the metal to the best of your ability without causing oil can. Apply body filler as needed, with as wide a spreader as the low spot will allow. I have found that if you use a drywall taping knife it will spread your filler flatter, making less work sanding it flat. Use 36 grit paper to sand the filler before it has fully hardened, to get it into rough shape. Sand further with the 36 grit once it has fully hardened. Apply a second coat, sand with 36 grit only when its semi cured. Switch to 80 grit. Again, as long a block as possible. Sand a little, feel it, sand more, until it feels flat. Use dry guide coat, switch to 150 grit. If it looks uniform the whole time, apply finishing glaze (super thin, you're only filling pinholes and sand scratches) if not repeat adding filler and sanding as necessary. Never try to shape filler with 80 grit. If at any point you feel a line, a dip or bump with your hand or fingernail, you Will see it in the paint. After filling and glaze, a coat of high build, again cheap stuff is fine, polyester won't shrink, but requires a dedicated gun, polyurethane works, but will shrink and show scratches after a while, block it again as described before if any spots come right through the primer or you have untouched primer an bare metal on either side, back to body work and repeat. Usually another coat of primer is not enough. Don't be afraid to prime then block one panel and fix anything you missed on that panel. You can block the next while your filler is drying. Hope this helps. Other than a few tips to make it easier, the only thing you're missing is practice.

[mlcraven]

Gawd I hate body work, but the thing I have most of is time...

[DanStokes]

I've started a number of folks on doing body work and I find the hardest thing to teach is when to leave it alone. Difficult to know when close enough is good enough.

Instead of a guide coat I spray every other coat of primer in a different color (like light gray and dark gray). Shows up errors quickly.

Lots of great tips on here, for sure.

Dan

[Thumpin455]

Its not "correct" but what on this car is? Painted the engine, added the valve covers from the 70, and had these silly T bolts laying around so I put them on it. Somewhere the alternator spacer was misplaced, its floating around here, but otherwise its getting ready to go back together and have a first start.

Sucks not being able to breathe and do much, but today and yesterday I felt a little better.

[Thumpin455]

Holy smokes, I havent updated this since the end of October.

Despite the holidays taking up most of the time, gotten a few small things done the last few days. Its nice that I can breathe again, almost forgot what it felt like to take a deep breath and not cough up a lung. When you get to this point, most of what you do isnt even worth taking pics of. Got the insulation on the floor, need to cut the carpet or buy a pre-molded one, and still getting the 2.56 rear cleaned up to stuff it under there. No idea about the transmission yet, would be hard to run a 2004R with that gear up here, it would never lock the converter or get in 4th. The Th350 I have has the truck tailshaft so its just as long as a Th400. It doesnt need a Th400, and I want the driveshaft that fits a short 400/2004R for the LeMans. Gotta have something laying around here.

Trying to get the engine wired and all the lines run, thinking about a universal aluminum radiator from Summit, and it still needs the exhaust figured out. Looking at the LeMans it appears I have to cut into the rear window to fix it, so the interior should wait until that is done. The front glass can be made to work with a little persuasion. Still bummed about breaking that windshield. Might have someone else put it in for me, glass is scary stuff... easy to crack and shatter.

Next month I think the hood for this and the 70 will be ordered, along with another 65 quarter. If I have enough left over from this month, maybe a 70 passenger side quarter too since I need one. Trying to save on shipping by getting them all at once.

[jonohull]

I joined just to say "great thread." It has given me hope that I can fix my rust-bucket as well.

[Monk]

'65 Goat one of my favorite body styles.
High school friend's brother had a red one, black interior, Cragars.
It was the bomb.

[Thumpin455]

Ran some lines for it today, the fuel line was being a pain but Dave's hired hand helped me with it. Decided to wait to install the carpet I ordered for it a couple months back until I can fix the glass. Why put it in twice or screw it up while its in there? Yanked the rear end, since its just an open Olds rear that is more than an inch wider than the stock one to put the fuel line in easier.

Then I ordered some parts. UMI control arms for the rear, upper and lower, a Pypes 2.5" exhaust system, and a rebuild kit for a Th350 since I discovered I have one sitting on the floor with the right length tail shaft. I needed a 350 so I could use the LeMans driveshaft instead of the th400 length one, and with 2.56 gears it would never get in fourth around here.

Dave is on a trip for over a week, so I have some time with nice weather, and a helping hand to get it running before he gets back. Tomorrow we will dig in and get some other stuff done. Most of this doesnt show well in pics, so none to add yet. Still want to get the hood for it, but it can wait.

I wonder how long until we get a burnout video of the one wheel peel....

[K.Lewis]

niice transformation! I've been watching this build for awhile, and it's given me inspiration to get my projects started!

[DanStokes]

Todd has a way of making the rest of us look like sloths. But I AM chipping away on mine! I'm really pleased that he saved the GTO - 1st. gen GTOs are getting scarce. I hope to get up to Da UP and meet him one of these days.

Dan

[Thumpin455]

Aawwww thanks guys. Im not sure I will ever attempt anything that is this rusty again, but if you are going to spend the time, it may as well be a GTO. If I can do it, maybe everyone can because I am just an engine and transmission guy. Had to learn to weld and do body work the hard way, just tearing in and doing it.

Dan is welcome any time he can make it to this side of the bridge, as are the rest of ya. In summer we can probably go fishing. Then there are the opportunities for burnouts on the paved back roads.

If you guys only knew how much time goes by without me working on anything you would consider me a sloth. Sometimes its months, and 2010 ended up with me not doing much of anything. Maybe its just how much I get done when I actually go work on it. Things might be picking up because the VA decided to try some new meds to save money, and so far they work better than the old stuff. That means I can walk, stand up, and I even played with one of the dogs out in the snow tonight. It sure would be awesome to get my knees back.

Today I got a present on the big brown truck. Still waiting on the rebuild kit for the th350 I ordered from Summit, but I got the control arms and Pypes system today. Then I ran into town and got the brake parts I needed for the rear and an HEI ignition module, so now I have spares. It would be damn cool to have it running and drivable when Dave gets back from South Carolina, so that is the goal. He will be 68 in May, this thing needs to be done.