Project Poncho: Daily Driven Muscle Car

budget_bandit said:

In reply to RandolphCarter :

i've never tackled aluminum "restoration" like this before.

For a "good enough" effort:

1 can "aircraft stripper' aerosol paint remover

1 pack green scotch Brite pads

1 can Ajax or Comet scouring powder 

Spray on paint stripper and let it work for 45 minutes or so. Rinse off, most of the clearcoat will be gone. Keep the rims wet, sprinkle scouring powder on and scrub away with scotch Brite pads.

You'll end up with a satin or brushed looking result. Should take a few hours at most.

Once the clearcoat is off the rims they'll get cloudy or dull looking over time. You'll need to wax them if you want them to stay shiny.

I didn't bother waxing or polishing mine after my initial efforts.

In reply to budget_bandit :

It's amazing how easy it is to do that and feel like you're going backwards at times.

In reply to RandolphCarter :

I will examine your recipe at the time of cooking!

In reply to NashGTI :

So far i've had the car for a month and i've basically only removed stuff lol

Update: i've owned the car for a month now, and due to unusual circumstances, i've not been able to devote a solid Saturday to working on it until now.

I pulled the trunklid, grille, fenders, and core support in preparation for removing/stripping/painting the subframe. That took some doing, lots of rusted bolts and mismatched hardware.

In preparation for power washing out the inside of the car, i removed all the headliner trim/door panels/etc. Fairly tedious work, again with lots of crusty hardware.

you'll also notice that the rear window has been removed...while removing the interior trim, I bumped into the window and noticed that it was loose. I figured that the sealant was just old/dry/hard so i pulled the window, and discovered a lot more cancer than I was hoping to deal with.

I'm fairly annoyed at the increasing amount of rust repair that is stacking up. All is not lost, i think the cheap and available "rear window trunk panel" will fix most of that on the bottom, and i'll have to so some spot repair at other locations around the window. Still scouring around for a used tank of welding gas to really dig in and get the floor/trunk repaired. Oh well. Onwards

I was having no luck finding a used bottle, so i bit the bullet and bought one from the local shop. At least ensuring no issues getting gas from them down the road. 
 

Paid $300 for a 120cu-ft bottle of 75/25, but each fill is only $45. I'll just have to make room for that in the budget somewhere

I'm too cheap to buy a nice welding cart, and all the cheap ($50) ones dont have swivel rear wheels, which I hate. So i bought a dolly from harbor freight for $17 and made my own cart from scrap lumber.

PS: you were all 100% right. Welding with shielding gas is definitely worth the cost of entry. Progress photos to follow

So i can find it later: 

GM TR-6060 input shaft length: 10.25"

Dodge TR-6060 input shaft length: 11.675"

stock 3rd gen x-body axle width: 60.25" WMS

budget_bandit said:

I was having no luck finding a used bottle, so i bit the bullet and bought one from the local shop. At least ensuring no issues getting gas from them down the road. 
 

Paid $300 for a 120cu-ft bottle of 75/25, but each fill is only $45. I'll just have to make room for that in the budget somewhere

i paid $280 a couple years ago, and that's a pretty good price on refills, so you did pretty well there.

Re: welding cart, please add some diagonal braces so it doesn't collapse when you hit a pebble rolling it across the garage floor.

Re: rear window channel, look up Fitzee's Fabrication on youtube.  he's got a bunch of videos on how to make repair panels for such areas.  he makes them in several pieces rather than trying to bend and stretch in multiple planes.  here's an example:

budget_bandit said:

I'm too cheap to buy a nice welding cart, and all the cheap ($50) ones dont have swivel rear wheels, which I hate. So i bought a dolly from harbor freight for $17 and made my own cart from scrap lumber.

PS: you were all 100% right. Welding with shielding gas is definitely worth the cost of entry. Progress photos to follow

I really like the path you're taking with this project; solid plan.  But please upgrade your welding cart soon. 

That gas bottle is narrow and very top heavy.  A bungey strap won't do anything to keep it upright, and securing it to a lumber riser/cart just isn't good enough for when you hit a bolt while rolling it around your garage.  Use this as an opportunity to build a home made cart using those casters and weld something out of metal, then chain the cylinder to an upright post.

I used some old bed frame rails that were free, and cranked it out in a few hours.  Here's a link to the page I built in on as well as a teaser pic:

build thread page with cart

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

heard on the cart. it seemed solid when i used it that same day i made it but i'm sure it could do with some triangulation.

ive been watching fitzee's videos religiously since i have neither the skills nor the equipment to form sheetmetal. he makes it look so easy, though im sure it won't be

In reply to Indy - Guy :

heard on the bungee cord. i noted during use that it wasnt super sturdy, plan is to replace it with chain. i appreciate the concern on the wood cart, but to me it seems strong enough for my casual garage usage. i suppose if i have some accident i will deserve it

When the neck snaps off of a high pressure cylinder it can be a bit more than a casual accident.  Go ahead and Utube it.

To get that get a lower and stiffer chassis I removed the sub-frame mount bushings and welded mine solid to the unibody.  Can't say if I recommend that or not, I was 16 and it was a loud car.

Carry on.

In reply to akylekoz :

i ordered some solid aluminum body bushings. debated between rubber/poly/solid, and did some reading on nova forums and the consensus was rubber/solid was the way to go. most folks with solids said they didnt notice appreciable increases in NVH and it made the car feel more solid, which is what i want. I have a 3rd gen Trans Am that is unibody (though without a removable subframe), and it was so flexible that jacking the car up in the front would pinch the doors closed!

Happy to see you tearing into this project.  It's going to be a learn as you go experience. My son's '73 Nova is in better shape, body and suspension wise, but is sitting under a car cover right now.  The plan is a slightly warmed up LS with a 4l80.   Good luck on this project, I'm fully subscribed.

Well, it's a little ugly, but the driver's side floor is patched! If i wasn't on a strict budget, it would have been worth the $100 for a purchased patch...but doing it from scratch helped me a ton with my fab skills. Should make the repairs around the rear window channel easier...

Ha, solid bushings, I removed mine and bolted the subframe directly for a slight lowering effect.  Some small welds for good measure.  That's how a 16 year old does it.  Swappped hub assemblys from a full sized Buick wagon for bigger front brakes and a pickup rear for width and larger drums in back.

In reply to akylekoz :

I'm planning a disc brake conversion with 68-72 A body parts, should be cheap and let me keep the stock spindles

No pictures, but I spent a while working in the trunk last night. Jeez, i hate spotwelds. Removing the corners of the old trunk pan so the new one would sit correctly is a huge PITA because it's spotwelded to support structure for the gas tank straps, the tail panel, etc so you can't just cut it out. Gotta score it without going thru it and then cut/grind the spotwelds and peel it out. Very tedious.

I'm regretting taking on this project at the current moment. Should have just kept my Harley...

In reply to budget_bandit :

There are definitely moments when motivation gets low on these projects. Especially when you have to make things worse ( temporarily ) to make things better. Gotta eat the elephant one bite at a time. 

As far as the spot welds have you tried a dedicated spot weld cutter?  I have used some good ones with great results. Harbor freight has a cheap one - don't know how good it is but its only 5$ so might be worth a shot. 

3/8 in. Double Sided Rotary Spot Weld Cutter (harborfreight.com)

Small bites, and occasionally walking away for a little while are the way to tackle big projects. I find myself fighting the car and my own head after going too hard for too long. 

Go fishing/flying/berkeleying/something else for a couple weeks. Then cone back with renewed vigor.

budget_bandit said:

I'm regretting taking on this project at the current moment. Should have just kept my Harley...

anyone who has done anything ambitious has been there.  keep your final vision in mind, and know that everyone has underestimated what it takes to get there.  also, finger sander for spot welds.  i learned of this tool from NOHOME.  you wanna see spot weld removal, go check out his MOLVO thread.

finger sander

I'm liking this thread.  In to follow.

In reply to budget_bandit :

also, nice job on the drivers side floor patches. they look solid, and i know how much time and effort goes into that type of work.