Olds Progress

sirstude · April 01, 2008, 09:17:21 PM

I have been working pretty hard on the Olds the last few months, and got the engine and trans in it this weekend. Other than the usual troubles, it went pretty well. The serpentine belt was the wrong one, and I had the passenger header on and off a couple of times. I had "adjusted" the header tubes to clear the frame rail before I had them coated. But this summer when I had to lengthen the chassis it cause the header to hit the frame rail again. It was a real tear * to hit those nice coated header with a hammer. Seems to have held up fine though, no chipping where I hit it. When I started this car, I was just going to use chassis black and orange engine paint, you can see where I have gone from that. The spot on the tranny is just a reflection, not a scraped off spot.

Doug

sirstude · April 01, 2008, 09:26:39 PM

More pictures

Charlie Chops 1940 · April 01, 2008, 09:32:11 PM

Looking real nice.

Charlie

kb426 · April 01, 2008, 09:38:44 PM

Just a little out of control. What caused you to deviate from your original plan so much?

phat rat · April 01, 2008, 10:08:03 PM

Looking good Doug

sirstude · April 01, 2008, 10:13:12 PM

Quote from: "kb426"Just a little out of control. What caused you to deviate from your original plan so much?

I hate to say, but I just couldn't help myself. I like that look, and even though I say the next one won't be that way, who knows. That is one of the reasons I have the Vicky for say. I know that it would have to be done to the n'th degree, and I just don't want to go there.

Actually I did manage to not paint the bottom of the car the same color, bed lining did it. I guess that is a small point.

Doug

Charlie Chops 1940 · April 01, 2008, 10:14:50 PM

I know what that's all about. My track roadster was originally be a red primer car. Simple gets out of hand as well.

Charlie

Grandadeo · April 02, 2008, 12:29:00 PM

My '48 Panel was just going to be a get it running and use it for a swap meet/parts chaser. Then I made the mistake of picking at a little bubble over one of the rear wheel wells. Well a total frame off, more $$$ than its worth, and 15 years later it is about 6 months from finishing - if I'd get on the stick and work on it. One of the draw backs of having a big garage is that you can push a project aside and pretend its not there for years on end. Maybe 2008 will be its year.

Lee

HotRodLadyCrusr · April 02, 2008, 01:34:04 PM

WOW, that looks sweet! Keep us updated and check your PM's

enjenjo · April 02, 2008, 03:46:45 PM

I'm having the same dilemma, the engine is ready to go in, but the engine compartment looks pretty tacky to me now. So how far do I go?

HotRodLadyCrusr · April 02, 2008, 04:35:29 PM

I had the same delema, Mike had painted the firwall but that was about it. SO, my decision was to leave it like that or to finish it off. I decided the engine compartment NEEDED to look as nice as possible and "match" the outside styling of the car. We sand and painted the underside of the hood body color and Mike painted the fender wells shiney black and detailed the engine red. Can't say how long it will look spiffy for but at least I'll try to keep it up. Fix the power steering pump leak so that should help abit.

sirstude · April 02, 2008, 04:47:09 PM

The bad thing now is I keep looking at the Impala engine compartment. I purposly did it in dp90 for the 1970's look I was after. I had one in high school and the wife and I dated in it. Anyway, starting to look just a bit scabby, dp90 grey's out, and I am thinking of painting the firewall body color, and the inner fenders hot rod black. The only thing stopping me, is I am afraid that I might get started and then go off the deep end and nto have a car to drive. Tempting to paint the motor and fenders body color too,

I know, I am sick

Doug

Hooley · April 02, 2008, 08:46:13 PM

Doug, The Olds looks good. That DP-90 can be color sanded and buffed. It looks like a gel coat when your done. [DO NOT WAX] I did this to my model A in the 90's it is now fading out.

Hooley

phat rat · April 02, 2008, 11:00:58 PM

11 years ago when the cpe came out it had. Body color matched, inner fender panels, firewall, Cad air cleaner, finned valve covers, power brake booster and master cyl. Now, well the firewall and fender panels are still color matched. The valve covers are low gloss black and sometimes switched for ones with the center polished. The booster and master are low gloss black. The air cleaner top rotates between polished to low gloss black. Can you tell I've gotten away from the hood up show style. Do I keep it clean? Of course. Every winter even the underside is cleaned and worn spots hit with low gloss black as that's what the underside was done with in the beginning. Clean and simple.

purplepickup · April 03, 2008, 01:04:49 PM

Man Doug, that''s looking good!

You'll never regret paying attention to those details now when you can get at things. If you didn't do it now you'd wish you had later. Besides, even if other people don't see some of the stuff, it's a pleasure to work on it later when things are clean.