 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Progress Reports 2009: June • July • August • September • October • November • December The two guys who are now working on our car are Nick and Nick. What cool guys. They are both in the advanced class and asked to work on the Pontiac. David and I talked with them quite a bit when we were at Wyotech on December 20th checking on the interior's progress. Nick (in the photo on the left) loves the cars of the 40's and 50's and wants to open up his own restoration shop but he's not crazy about the upholstery part. I suggested that maybe Nick could hire Nick (on the right) to work for him. Apparently, this wasn't the best suggestion. David told me later that Nick #2's face got a weird 'no way' look on it. I then asked the Nick #2 what he wanted to do once he got out of school. He also wants to open a restoration shop BUT he wants to do the whole thing including the upholstery. David piped up...'maybe you two should have shops across the street from one another.' This got a smile out of both the guys. Nick and Nick are both wonderful young men. It was encouraging to hear their entrepreneurial spirit. The sewing part is going slow and sure with only minor glitches. When we came to check it all out, the guys had the four door panels sewn. They explained the process of gluing, drying, sewing and stretching and then showed us the mistake that they had made on their first try at sewing the pleats to the rest of the door panel. It bubbled so that it will now be scrapped and hopefully they can use parts of it for something else. As to the completion of this stage of the project...stay tuned! All we can say is that the Pontiac is in good hands. NOVEMBER
Another development is that I was talking to Vince about SEMA. He and his upholstery business, SeatWorks, will have a classic car on display at SEMA. He generally has a car on display at most of the major car events in and around Sacramento. I asked Vince if he would like to come up to Grass Valley and maybe talk with our club. He said he would. So, after the first of the year, we're going to coordinate a time and place! Hey, the interior of the Pontiac might even be done by then!! The old saying goes that 'good things come to he (or she) who waits'. Ok...I'm waiting! OCTOBER 2011
In the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to 'round up' the parts so that when the car does come back we'd know where to find them. Engine/transmission at Larry's - Check! Inner fender wells and radiator – my garage - Check! Hood and fenders being used as wall art in Rick and Margie's garage - Check and Check! Guess we'll have to wait and see if there's anything missing. Ron O. came over and we photographed and inventoried all the extra parts so that they can be sold. He says that I don't need any of those parts but then I talked with a Pontiac guy at the car show who suggested strongly that I keep them. Not sure what to do now. I sure would of loved to have driven our Pontiac on the Fall Color Cruise...I can see it now. Hmmph! Well, they say patience is a virtue. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER – No story [TOP] JULY 2011
Vince from Wyotech reports that the pattern is all drawn up on the seats and door panels. He would like for David and I to come down to Wyotech the week of August 8th to check it out and to pick out fabrics for the upholstery. We will also take the door speakers down with us as they will install those when they put the door panels together. The engine is coming along. Mike has the carbureator built. The exhaust manifold has been coated and baked. SOB (Bob Madsen) brought the linkage over to Larry. Larry's is making the bushings for the throttle linkage. The transmission is still at Mel's Transmission. Once the transmission is done, Larry will put the spark plugs in the engine. While there's not a lot to report this month, there's still a lot that's happening. It's coming along wonderfully, so stay tuned. JUNE 2011
SOB, Ron, David and I drove down to Wyotech and met up with Vince. He took us on a tour of the work done so far. It looked great! We also got to meet a couple of the students who have been working on the car...Ashley and Rosario. They were both very nice 'kids' (in their mid-20s) and talked with us about the car and about themselves. Both Ashley and Rosario were moving onto thei next step of their education as the semester was ending on Friday.
After talking with Vince, the timing on the project is up-in-the-air. It all depends on the students. As he is only allowing his top students to work on the car, the project could take just weeks to months. Stay tuned.
[TOP] MAY 2011
A group of us caravaned down with the trailered Pontiac to the Wyotech Car Show in South Sacramento. While Steve Olsen and Dave Rawcliffe went to register for the show, SOB, David (my hubby) and I drove behind the school to the backside of the Upholstery department and met up with Vince Delgado, the instructor, to drop the Pontiac off. After the Pontiac was unloaded from the trailer, David got behind the wheel and the group of guys that were there with Vince pushed the car into the Upholstery facility. For the most part, this went off without a hitch but with no brakes or steering, manpower became the way to move the car. Luckily, the man-brakes worked before the car almost got 'steered' into the wall. (No name dropping here as to the person in charge of steering). Anyway, the car made it in one piece and is now 'stopped' and awaiting it's next phase. The plan now is for Vince to get some of his second semester students to work on the project. As soon as that team is determined, they will work up some designs for the interior. At that point, David and I will go back down to Wyotech and meet with Vince and the students to go over the ideas they have and also choose the fabrics. Because of the way the semesters run at the school, the project could take anywhere from 6 - 12 weeks to complete. As Vince says though, he'd like to get it done as quickly as possible. Once the interior is completed, the Pontiac will be trailered back home and then it gets ready for the engine. Speaking of that... The Pontiac's Engine The 347cu in poncho motor is back on the engine stand. At this point, it is basically a long block with heads, valvetrain, front drive pulleys, water pump, fuel pump, fliter housing and pan attached and painted – looking pretty good. My old pal, Norval Griffin, owed me a couple of favors and did a marvelous job rebuilding the cyl heads. Dan Granholm and Tyler Mcsweeney (Geared Up Drive Train) "offered" to help clean up parts – thank God – and my old buddy, Tom Thompson helped to tear the grease ball down. (check out the before and after picture of the engine on the club website under Pontiac Project Progress) Next up is to fab the a/c mount, alt mount and plumb for a pcv valve. APRIL 2011
Now flash forward 23 months and check out the dash, the center console, the exterior, ok, the whole oo-la-la package. Now, when we review this project and all the extra steps we took with it that we hadn't planned, we know it's been done right. With everything that we've done, if we have just 'dressed it up' and put it on the road, there would have been major problems down the road. As it sits now, there's nothing wrong with the car, in fact, it's almost as good as new and in some cases, better than when it rolled off the assembly line. We can be rest assured that it will be a safe and beautiful classic car to drive for years to come. The car heads over to Wyotech on May 7 to get the interior done. MARCH 2011 Spring has sprung...Ok, I'm redeeming myself from last month regarding no photos. Some really cool and exciting pictures this time. Wait until you see them!! SOB, Bill R.n and I met up on a Friday morning at Bob's garage. Personally, I hadn't seen the car in a couple of weeks. My heart did a big flip-flop when I saw it! The dash was almost entirely put back together!! Ok, I thought I was gonna cry. It looks so beautiful. Then I looked in the back seat. That sobered me immediately. The old seat was looking pretty pathetic. It was a great reality check though in how far this project has come.
The new front seat console that SOB designed and is putting together is awesome and will house not only the radio but the front air vents, the a/c and heater controls, and ...drum roll please... cup holders. In the essence of 'what if', the console is being designed so that the front plate will be easily removed so that if you need to work on the wiring, replace a part, et cetera...viola!...piece of cake! Ok, I'm impressed. They had me at cup holder. The engine for the beast is at Larry E.'s shop (C&L Enterprise) and currently the heads are done. Now that Larry is doing well after his surgery, he's ready to get the engine ready. The million dollar question right now is the transmission but our collective fingers are crossed that there won't be any problems. At this point, we're not sure if the engine will be installed prior to the car going to Wyotech for the interior. We're still waiting to hear about when the car is going down to Wyotech but its anticipated to be around the end of April. Will keep you posted as we hope to get a group together to trailer the car there. That's all for this month!
Well, the wiring has been replaced from headlight to taillight. It's been quite the challenge comparing the '57 factory wiring against the kit wiring to make sure that all the little parts that need power are hooked in. The fuse panel is all set so that all the necessary lights will work (fingers, toes, any other appendage crossed for luck). In some instances, SOB is following his own patented method of operation with the appropriate acronym S.W.A.G. (scientific wild-ass guess) to make sure that it all works as designed or by his own creation.
Many people have asked about when the car is going to Wyotech. While it was originally thought that the car would be heading down in February, that's now been revised to probably the end of April. The way that this works is that Vince Delgado, the instructor, wants to put his better 2nd semester students on the project. Right now, though, they have other projects that are taking their time. Diane will be checking with Vince every couple of weeks to see what the status is. It could go sooner or later. The project is still a go though and has the approval of the school administration so patience is the name of this game. One of the things that has come out of this project is a deeper appreciation of the time and passion that goes into restoring these rolling pieces of history. It's one thing to look at a thing and think it's 'a thing of beauty'. It's another to realize that the outside is nothing compared to the inner workings and what has gotten it to it's 'beauty' state...and the 'artists' who have gotten it to it's final stage. Hmmm...but is it ever really done? Stay tuned. I'll let you know. Sorry, no cool photos of the car this month. Snow and timing played a big important factor in that. Next month, the camera will be back at it again. JANUARY 2011
The 'drawings' for the interior got sent off to Vince Delgado, the upholstery instructor at Wyotech and owner of SeatWorks in Sacramento. ( Note: special thanks to Larry Eckman for steering Diane in the right direction as to 'designing' the interior drawings). As of this writing, no date has been set for a preliminary appointment at the school. The car, though, will be ready. The seats were brought down from the storage unit and placed inside the car. (Ok, they look gnarly inside this beautiful beast! Sure shows how far this project has come!) SOB (aka Bob Madsen) has mocked up a cardboard prototype for the center console (right) that will house the stereo and the a/c and heater controls. SOB is making this out of metal, have it spot welded by Don Forster at Metal Works and will have it done before the car goes to Wyotech so it can be covered when they do the rest of the interior. Here's a toast to communication. SOB and Diane were talking about the wiring and where the pedals were positioned...you know... gearhead talk. (I say this tongue-in-cheek with regards to Diane, of course. She just nodded enthusiastically while SOB talked.) Then, SOB pulls out the floor dimmer switch and shows her how it works. Tap it once and the highbeams go on, tap off and they go off. He then asked the million dollar question (ok, actually, it was more of $2.35 but I get ahead of myself). "Where would you like it positioned on the floor?" Ok, the truth be told, Diane's left foot would be totally useless turning off a dimmer switch in the normal floor position. (So, here's the clinking of the glasses and where the $2.35 comes in). It was determined that a toggle would be mounted under the dash - a hole is already there for it - to the left of the steering wheel under the lip of the dash. Toggle on - lights blare. Toggle off - lights tone down to normal and all within flippin' reach. And that, as they say, is how it's done. Clink...cheers! SOB decided that he didn't like the way the wiring looked so, after consultation, he ordered a new wiring kit which he has installed and tucked away. He is working on getting most of the dash wired but this is not detrimental to have it done before the upholstery is done. It turns out that there are some missing light fixtures that haven't turned up but the wiring will all be in place when they're found. So the song goes - For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We'll take a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang syne. If memories of the past year and half of this project are any reflection, this project is filled to the brim! [TOP]
The windows are finally all done and are in great working order. The doors are also nicely balanced and open and shut easily. Bring on the weather...this car can take it!! But we'll leave it garaged right now. Also in the works, is the evaporator unit that will be snuggled in under the dash. One of the design considerations is how to get the new unit to work with the old dash. SOB is going to design a special console that will house the control knobs for the heating and a/c as well as the radio/cd player. He is also designing it to include 2 cup holders. It will fit where the old speaker unit used to sit on the floor in the front seat and curve up to meet the seat. The hope is to have it all constructed before the car goes to Wyotech in February so that the carpeting can cover the unit as well. Yep! You heard right...the car should be going to Wyotech mid-February to get the upholstery done. The interior design has been submitted to Vince Delgado, the instructor at Wyotech, who is in charge of this part of the project. Diane will be going down to the school to meet with the students as well... That way they can get the real customer experience. After checking into various possibilities, Diane decided that the upholstery design out of the '55 Pontiac would look pretty cool. Not sure on the fabric choices yet. Vince was going to pull choices and then the decision would be made before February. The goal now is to have the interior done so that the door panels, flooring, headliner, seats, etc. can all be completed without having to take anything apart once it's finished at Wyotech. As a little side note, David and Diane had family here for Christmas. One of the things that they wanted to do was to go see the car. SOB graciously gave them a tour around the car. Diane felt like a proud parent as they oohed and awwwed over the Pontiac...and the car actually sparkled a bit brighter under scrutiny. NOVEMBER 2010
To all of you who have participated in this project in whatever capacity, a heartfelt 'Thanks' and to all of you who have enjoyed watching the progress, 'Thanks' for joining us! Happy Holidays however you celebrate! Pontiacs Rule! Sorry, no photos this month. The photo from "I Love Lucy" - the Ricardos are driving a 1955 Pontiac Star Chief Convertible. For more info on that, click on picture. OCTOBER 2010
An issue came up with the windshield wipers. Ron and Bob applied 28lbs of pressure to the vacuum and they wouldn't work. The wiper arm mechanism...well, let's just say 50 years has taken its toll. A remanufactured vacuum system was going to run about $115. A new electric system and all the switches, etc. would be about $250. Diane opted for the electric. Ron and SOB were relieved. Much better decision for the long run or sure 'wipe' process. Next, the rest of the door glass is going to be put in and Ron is going to put the stainless on the dash. If you come by to check out the progress, don't forget your sunglasses! SEPTEMBER 2010
The car show put a halt on work on the car. Now we're just trying to get it put together enough to set it up for when the weather changes. Dan Fletcher is installing the windshield and back window. Ron worked on the door seals and used chrome paint to spruce them up. The biggest news is the interior. Once the glass is all in, we're going to bring the seats and door panels down from the storage unit and set them inside the car. That way, when WyoTech is ready, we will be too. There's not a lot to report this month. Unfortunately, the green beast didn't sell at the car corral. Got two phone calls, but no takers...darn. The next plan is Craigslist, Swap Shop and Cruisin News. Anyone who wants to buy a rusty (that's an understatement) 57 Pontiac, call Diane. Hey, the engine and the transmission were in good working order when it was running. All it needs is a battery...and oh, some brakes. Stopping is not part of the options right now. There's still quite a bit to do so if you'd like to help, give Ron a call (274-3673) to see what and when they're working on it. All help is appreciated. This is turning out so great and it's definitely been quite the experience! AUGUST 2010
Have you ever thought about car doors...who ever thought up the mechanics that goes into the opening, shutting, locking, unlocking, winding, unwinding? All the different mechanics, gracefully balanced and working together. Well, that's the hope anyway. After many, many (how about one more 'many') hours, the doors are almost done and are doing what they're suppose to do. Steve Matthews from Broken Thunder Body Shop joined the guys one morning. He fit and adjusted the doors, which is a tricky proposition. When the doors are fitted properly, the entire side view of the car looks finished...level. Check out how even the doors look in balance with one another and close with a 'click'. Great job Steve! Be sure to check out the movie on the doors. We're finally to a point where we're ready to start taking parts off of the Super Chief. SOB (Bob M.) trailered the car over to the garage area at his house where the Star Chief is being housed. Ron spent some time trying to get the back bumper off of the Super Chief only to find that parts had been welded. (please refer to the first paragraph...the process of frustration to solution) Coming back the next day, he was able to find a work-around and get the bumper released from the frame. Speaking of 'a lot of work'...have you ever looked at the channel that the window glass slides up and down in? Well, inside that 53 year old window channel use to be this fuzzy material that was 'stapled' in. Have you ever thought about replacing that? The original stuff is pretty old and dirty to say the least and not fuzzy anymore. Well, Ron took mega-hours carving out the old material, then he spent several more hours putting in the new fuzzies and realigning the new clips into the old clips' holes that held it in place. Now if that isn't an exercise in balance and patience! The window channels are now good as new and waiting 'patiently' for the glass to be put back in.
Balance. This project has all the aspects of life. Problems, pitfalls, rust, aggravations, infirmity balanced with hard work, humor, friendship, solutions, rejuvenation and triumphs. It's not done yet but man, is it pretty! Thank you to everyone who contributed and worked at the yard sale. It was a beautiful day and big success. Special Thanks to Gin and Duke from Gins Little Valley Auto for loaning us their parking lot to hold the yard sale. We will be having another one after the car show as we have some stuff leftover. Details to follow. JULY 2010
The car is painted! (now that's a big piece) There are 4 doors and they're attached where they look like they should go. (more big pieces) The trunk lid has been added. (this is one of the larger pieces) Wow! If seeing this transformation doesn't inspire you, refer back to June 2009...we've come a long way, baby! This car is starting to smile! Ron was inspired and decided to POR15 the trunk. While he was at it, he redid the floorboards. He had a little bit more left so he painted on the rims. Remember those rust ridden rims (try saying that 3 times really fast)? They look pretty good right now and they definitely look better than those rusty counterparts on this gorgeous transformed beast. The guys had a bit of a scare the other day when one of the tires exploded.You may recall, Larry Eckman had submitted an article sometime back about tires, expiration dates and what can happen after about 7 years. Well, these tires were definitely past their fresh date. Luckily, it exploded while it was just sitting there and not when the guys were trying to transport it somewhere! Now, the other three tires are pretty suspect. Ron and Chuck L. have been busy putting the doors back together. It's been slow going but they figure to be 'experts' by the time all four are done. Well, it's getting closer to when all the puzzle pieces need to be brought together. Does anyone remember where all the pieces are? And what goes where? Everyone has their own way of doing a puzzle and not any one way is the absolute right way. The thing to remember is the goal is the same on all sides...put the puzzle together in the best way possible with the fewest extra pieces leftover. The big pieces are the easiest to find...the challenge are all those left and right side parts, little and littler. But, hey, look at this beast! The transformation is incredible. JUNE 2010
The amazing part of this process is just that...the parts. There are so many of them. And they have to be primed, sanded and resanded. Then there's the HOURS of sanding that goes into the large pieces like the trunk lid or the top of the car and what about all those nooks and crannies! Just when you're sick to death with all the sand and your hands look like a relief map, you get to clean everything up and get all the sand and gunk out of all the nooks and crannies of the 'paint booth' so you can paint some of the parts. Oh, and don't forget to clean down the floor too. Here's what makes all that hard work pay off. The coat of paint is sprayed on and viola! It looks like...glass. Does that ever make you smile! Time to pat yourself on the back, call it a day and have a beer! (Ron's words, not mine) To date, the body is done in two colors. The original Kenya Ivory and an alternate color, Chalet Blue - which is actually a 1960 Pontiac color. The Fontaine Irridescent Blue was a special mix (can you say cha-ching?!) Chalet Blue is a nice alternative...it lighter than the Fontaine color and resembles a beautiful sky blue day in Nevada County. But don't take my word for it. Check out the photos, oh, and the short movie clip too. You know, Ron and Rod...it's time to put up your feet, call it a day, and have a cold one. Great job!! Can't wait to see what's next. Oh, and Happy New Year! It's been a year since this journey started and we're still having a good time. A special thanks to all of the craftsmen who have worked on the bodywork and prep work for this project. Because of you, this is turning out better than any of us thought it ever would! MAY 2010
The other big deal (ok, it's all a BIG deal!) is a group of us participated in the Wyotech Car Show on May 8 in West Sacramento. Great show! Bob M. took the Pontiac seats with us and spoke with the upholstery instructor, Vince Delgado. They are going to take the interior of the Pontiac on as a class project! Now that's a great big deal! So, the current status is full speed ahead! Stay tuned...this is one exciting ride! APRIL 2010
February & March 2010
Rod M. is finishing up on the bodywork and it is looking great! What an artist! So much so, that we will be ready to paint prettty soon. We've ordered parts to get the front end put back together. We've rebuilt the control arms for the front suspension and ordered the new pins. You should of seen the upper and lower control arms when we first got them taken apart. To say that they were gunky and nasty (Diane's words) is an understatement. Now, thanks to Richard G, Dave G. and a few others, they're cleaned up and almost as good as new. The brakes are almost done too. Bob (aka SOB) has got the original chromed brake pedal set up with the new braking assemby. It took some fancy 'footwork' to get the old pedal to work with the new assemby but where there's a will (or a Bob), there's a way! All it needs is to be adjusted. So cool! To say that the finish line is in sight may be a bit of a stretch but it's starting to get more exciting as we start thinking about painting and putting this project all back together. Thank goodness we've been taking lots of photos throughout this whole process. Maybe we can even remember what slot A and slot B look like and which goes where. Hopefully, we won't have too many extra pieces when we're done. Don't you just love the challenge? If you want to help out and join the project, contact Ron O. at 274-3673. There's still a lot to do and it's definitely been a fun project so far. Come on by SOB's garage and see what's going on! January 2010
December 2009
Nothing says 'lovin'' to a gearhead like 'car parts'. Hearts raced and eyes widen with excitement and joy...just like seeing all the Christmas presents under the tree on Christmas morning. As we sat in the garage at SOB's (Bob Madsen's) and looked at the various parts, it was like that...albeit a bit on the chilly side. Outside of the opened garage door was SOB's lake that was freezing over. So now, we have all the rubber parts for the car...at a great price too from CPR. (California Pontiac Restoration). It was cheaper than Ron had anticipated. At the Roamin Angel's Christmas Party, Wayne & Alzina D., Bob M. and Thane A. presented Diane B. with the new refurbished steering wheel for the Pontiac in Ivory marbling and and a cleaned up, shiny horn ring. Yes, Santa Claus has been here. Merry Christmas Everyone! November 2009
Now, seeing the underside of the Pontiac being transformed from a 50 year old road warrior with the grit and grime to prove it to a facelift with new floor pans and scrapping that took years of grease and road dirt off. You can actually start to see the new life that's being breathed into this ol' gal. Ron started working on the list of parts that were needed next. He poured through several catalogs and found one company in Santa Ana that sold kits that included all the rubber seals, felting and molding needed at a great price PLUS the guy offered an additional discount! So now, the goodie parts will start arriving the beginning of December. October 2009
After all the rust has been taken care of, Ron O. spent the day painting POR-15 inside the car trunk, floorboards and interior roof. Once painted and dry, the coated metal looked a little like black glass. With the bodywork pretty much done, Rod M. took on the project of painting on the primer. With the solid grey primer paint coating the body, it was starting to look more like a car again. All the front end parts are also complete too. The engine is with Larry E's at C&L Enterprise and he has it taken apart. The next order of business is to start painting and putting the car back together. Now, to just remember the sequence of how things need to go. Hmmm...where is that fairy godmother when you need her. Thank you to everyone who helped and donated to the Project Yard Sale. After the second yard sale, Don D. took everything that was leftover to the Salvation Army. Animal Save had been tried first but they weren't accepting donations. Special thanks to Ginny and Duke for allowing us to hold the yard sale at Gin's Little Valley Auto Care on both weekends. September 2009
The device is called a porto-power and it fixes things from the inside-out. With it, Bob G. and Rod M. took the dent out of the back of the car and the one over the rear wheel well. The porto-power belonged to Bob's dad who owned a body shop. Bob started working at the shop when he was 12. He got to sweep up. Now that's starting from the ground up! The floors are finished with Don F. tack welding the floorpans in place. Most of the bodywork is done, thanks to Rod who is a sculptor with bondo. Rick M., Don D. and Dick S. lent a hand with the sanding. Hey! They even let a girl sand some. It was fun! Also, the radiator has been rebuilt and the gas tank has been boiled and coated inside...like it's brand new, thanks to Larry E. Now the car is being prepped for primer. In the next two weeks, it will be primered and POR-15'ed. It was a good month. We got a lot done.
We've gone further into this than we had planned. This has come as close to a full on restoration as we can without taking the body off the frame. Right now 'she' doesn't even resemble a car. Every nut and bolt are out of her. The glass is out. The doors are gone. Even the front tires are off. Now that it's been soda blasted we're going to clean 'her' up and get 'her' primered. The big puzzle will be putting 'her' back together. Soda Blasting was done by Jake Litchfield. All the nooks and crannies that would of been tough to get at by hand are now nice and cleaned out. Great job Jake! The interior roof will still be sand blasted then covered with POR15 to stop any rust. [TOP]
Currently, the stripping is done and half of the floorboards have been repaired. The fuel tank has been drained and removed but there aren't any plans yet as to whether it will be fixed or replaced. The engine and transmission have been taken out and are now in Larry E.'s capable hands. The next step is to have the body soda blasted. As you look through some of the photos look for the emblem on the front, right windshield. Notice any resemblance to anything? Ron O's comment: "The more we get into this car, the better it looks." The guy that the car was purchased from was right on and truthful about the good condition of this car. For now, work on the car will slow down until after the car show.
The 1957 Pontiac Star Chief is a 4 door hardtop. It has been in California since 1957 when it was purchased new in Sacramento. Larry E. found the ad for it in Cruisin News. Larry, Wayne D. and Diane drove out to Wilton to see it. After striking a deal on Monday, on Saturday, Wayne, Ron O. and Diane went to pick up the car in Wayne's car trailer. Bob & Nolie M. offered their garage area to house and start work on the car. So far, the entire interior has been stripped and all the rats and spiders killed, and the front end has been removed as well as most of the exterior trim. Ron used 3 cans of oven cleaner to clean the engine. Work has begun to try and get the engine running. It has run but it needs to run consistently. Currently, the next plans are for Jake Litchfield, who is soon to be a part of Lane Rollin's family, to do the soda blasting on the car. There has been a few discussions about painting the car. The decision on the color combo is Fontaine Blue Irridescent for the main body and Kenya Ivory for the top and inserts-stock colors for that year. |
Vince Delgado, the Upholstery instructor at Wyotech, thinks that he finally has a couple of students that he can put onto the interior of the Pontiac. So, now the plan is that the week of November 7th, David and I will be going down to Wyotech to choose the fabric for the seats. To say that I'm excited about the prospect, is an understatement! 
Visualize this...the Pontiac is all done! Ok, now wake up! No, it's not but it was a good dream anyway. The Pontiac is still in various parts and scattered in a couple of different places. The computer drawing to the right is what I think it will look like when it's all done. Ahh, the stuff dreams are made of...at least my dreams.
So, what's happening next? The new semester starts on Monday. Vince was confident that because the class size was fairly large, that he'd be able to pick a couple of the students to work on the Pontiac. He told us that he only utilizes te skills of the top students. Next, he was going to come up with two designs for the upholstery and side door panels. One design consideraation is based on the original designs that I had submitted that went towards the more classic style and another custom design that Vince and the students would come up with. Once the design work is done, then we'll go back and look at fabric to go with the chosen design. 
A little side note: SOB had designed and created a center console for the front seat. This console housed the air conditioner vents and the stereo. It also allowed for space for cupholders. So, the search was on. Finally, on ebay, some gaming table aluminum cups were found. Even after I purchased the cups, I started browsing through cupholders on ebay and found a black rubber configuration out of a Mazda that was the right size as well. I took the two chromed cups and the black rubber cupholders down to Wyotech. After looking at the center console, we decided on the aluminum cups. (see photo above – also pictured are the new plugs and screws.) Vince told us that they could cut the holes for the cupholders.
Things are flying! While trying to get the door switches installed so that when the doors open the courtesy lights come on, the plate holding the button and spring decided not to hold...the door opens and 'POP' the bracket and spring go flying across the garage! Now to gather the parts and see if Riebes will take the ill-fated parts back and exchange for ones that won't 'pop'. Hey, if its not one thing, its another flying one.
This car has been a definite community project. Put together with original and used/new parts many which have been donated including the radio/CD player that came from Dee & Russ Knapp. When they upgraded their stereo system, they donated their old one to the Pontiac Project. (Thank you!) And as you all know, tunes are important to any good cruise, so Diane and Dave went speaker shopping. After finding the speakers that they wanted, Diane went online to see if she could get a better price. With a combination of ebay and amazon, she was able to save about $50! She got 2-6X9s for the back deck and 2-3" speakers for the center console that SOB is building for up front between the seats. Cool, huh? While there's no amplifier, it should sound as good, if not better, than the original system.
Ever have one of those moments the beauty of something causes you to catch your breath? There have been a few of those moments during this project. In this case, lets call it 'sparkle'. The first pieces of stainless were mounted onto the window frame. The photo to the left is the new rubber in place with the crown of shiny stainless. Thanks to Dave G. for his luminous work.
Contents of this site are property of Roamin Angels, Inc. ©2007-2012