1973 Convertible Project: Engine Bay Restoration

Steve McMahan · Dec 1, 2024

Thanks @Hemikiller.

Well, with the exception of those hidden frame rail compartments, I’m complete with the floor pan and rear of the car. Put the POR-15 on and now will wait 2 days for it to cure.

Next is the engine compartment. I want to weld up the holes I won’t be using, mostly on the passenger side. My 87 TBird driveline has most of the components on the drivers side. The fun never ends.

Steve McMahan · Dec 6, 2024

Well, 5 days of work and I finally got the engine compartment cleaned out. I don’t think I’ve been this tired in a long time.

tpj71mach · Dec 7, 2024

Wow, the engine bay looks great! That is a lot of work, I am sure your pretty worn out after all of that cleaning, sanding and prepping.

Hemikiller · Dec 8, 2024

That's a good kind of tired though...

Steve McMahan · Dec 8, 2024

I’m starting to feel old

Steve McMahan · Tuesday at 9:27 PM

Well, I posted these elsewhere, but to keep the thread going, here are the pics of the front wheel well’s restoration efforts. It was a grind off the old, brush on POR15, and then spray an underbody coat.

After the holidays, I’ll be back to it. I’ve got to apply the same process to the engine compartment front clip (if I’m calling it by the correct name). That area consisting of the top of the “frame rails” and lower members. I want to define the distinction of the front frame part from the engine compartment. Does it sound like I’ve got it right?

California 72 · Wednesday at 8:45 AM

Steve McMahan said:
Well, 5 days of work and I finally got the engine compartment cleaned out. I don’t think I’ve been this tired in a long time.

View attachment 95783 View attachment 95784

For a moment, I almost had to go to the garage to make sure my car was still there. Then I thought, well maybe if it's gone, it will reappear completed. Right.

Saw all the work on the underside and I need to stop looking at everyone else's work. It's a silent "guilt-trip" forcing me into putting more effort into things. Always planned for this to be our "fun car" too but spending that amount of time on the underside sounds more like masochist mechanic, not to be confused with "Manic Mechanic". I think ~~we're gonna need a bigger boat~~, I mean better creeper. Media blasting was the first choice but with an attached garage, it's becoming more a hassle with dust infiltrating the house, even with the car tented. Maybe it's time to try the contour tool for this. The wire wheels can get a little painful in an open area so not sure of the confined space between the floor and car.
Nice work!

Steve McMahan · Wednesday at 12:10 PM

It definitely was a marathon, not a sprint. And I did do the layers of protection from the wire wheel pieces. That’s why the winter was a good time. I was very warm, but not too bad. And, for me, there is an optimal distance between the creeper and the car, for minimal arm and shoulder pain. But, it took me so long because I knew I couldn’t do like 8 hours if it in one day. So 4 hours over more days. One benefit I discovered, I’m able to put my socks on easier; improved mobility.

But, I’m not done. So, the journey continues.

tpj71mach · Thursday at 5:47 AM

California 72 said:
For a moment, I almost had to go to the garage to make sure my car was still there. Then I thought, well maybe if it's gone, it will reappear completed. Right.

Saw all the work on the underside and I need to stop looking at everyone else's work. It's a silent "guilt-trip" forcing me into putting more effort into things. Always planned for this to be our "fun car" too but spending that amount of time on the underside sounds more like masochist mechanic, not to be confused with "Manic Mechanic". I think ~~we're gonna need a bigger boat~~, I mean better creeper. Media blasting was the first choice but with an attached garage, it's becoming more a hassle with dust infiltrating the house, even with the car tented. Maybe it's time to try the contour tool for this. The wire wheels can get a little painful in an open area so not sure of the confined space between the floor and car.
Nice work!

I media blasted and epoxy primered, and painted the bottom of my 80 Z28 in my attached garage and it was not something I would recommend. I tented the car and also taped plastic over the door to the house. The plastic over the door did work to keep the mess in the garage and out of the house but the tent only contained the large debris. Everything in the garage was covered with the fine dust. It took weeks to clean up the mess, and I decided that I am not going to do that again, haha.

Steve McMahan · Thursday at 10:49 AM

But wow, it came out nice @tpj71mach . As I did my removal, I tried to clean up each day. I still had to use the leaf blower to get the grime off everything else except the floor.

tpj71mach · Thursday at 11:10 AM

Steve McMahan said:
But wow, it came out nice @tpj71mach . As I did my removal, I tried to clean up each day. I still had to use the leaf blower to get the grime off everything else except the floor.

You are absolutely right the leaf blower did a great job of getting most of the fine dust off of the lights and fans and shelves for me.
Ever since I was in my early twenties, I have had a running gag list of the top 5 stupid things I have done. When I media blasted the bottom of the car my wife drove in, not aware I was working in the garage, opened the garage door and this huge cloud of dust emerged. She looked at me in my paint suit and respirator through the cloud and all she said was "this has to be towards the top of your list, don't you think?" She was right, it still remains number two on my list, LOL

This time around I stripped my Mustang down to an empty shell and trailered to a guy and let him media blast it inside and out and then I sprayed the body with gray epoxy primer and the bottom and engine bay in black epoxy primer and then brought it back home. No muss no fuss, at least I can learn from my mistakes, haha.

Steve McMahan · Thursday at 11:45 AM

I think I hid my question regarding what others have done in the underbody coat transition to engine compartment satin black finish. In the engine compartment, front clip area, where did the undercoating end and the engine compartment paint begin? I know not everyone is a fan of undercoating. Thanks.

CJ miller · Thursday at 4:48 PM

fine line between the underslip and the bottom of the dress. Love that there is a woman who keeps track of the top 5.. I personally have stopped counting and went with# Accept the things you can not change."

California 72 · Thursday at 10:15 PM

Steve McMahan said:
But wow, it came out nice @tpj71mach . As I did my removal, I tried to clean up each day. I still had to use the leaf blower to get the grime off everything else except the floor.

Leaf blower. I tried that and I spent the afternoon cleaning up everything it blew off the shelves. I should've done the cabinets when I threatened myself with installing them last year. Had them in the cart online and for some reason, I just couldn't hit the buy button. Oh wait, I remember why now, the money went to the vert. Said to myself, maybe in the fall but then some maniac with a full toolbox decided to tear down the Mustang and the next thing I know, the engine's out and at the machine shop. So much for cabinets in the fall.
Anyhow, the crud on the floor pans will be removed somehow and the same for the remainder of the car. We're now on a vision quest.

California 72 · Thursday at 10:28 PM

tpj71mach said:
I media blasted and epoxy primered, and painted the bottom of my 80 Z28 in my attached garage and it was not something I would recommend. I tented the car and also taped plastic over the door to the house. The plastic over the door did work to keep the mess in the garage and out of the house but the tent only contained the large debris. Everything in the garage was covered with the fine dust. It took weeks to clean up the mess, and I decided that I am not going to do that again, haha.

I see the car is on a rotisserie. When I started this, I would've laughed at the idea since it was just a front steering/suspension rework being done.
Now, two years later, I'm almost thinking it's not a bad idea but if I brought one of those home, with the 3 other stoopid things I've done just this week, the car would not be what's on the rotisserie.

Top 5 of yours, huh. I mean no disrespect but, amateur. Maybe that's something I shouldn't brag about.

1973 Convertible Project: Engine Bay Restoration

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