My 71 Build

[Kilgon]

Wow, way beyond my skills,  Well done  ::thumb::

Don't sell yourself short.  Just take your time and do some research first.  Watch videos and read about it.  Then take the plunge!  That is how you learn.  You be surprised what you can do if you give it a try.  Plus all the money you can save by doing it yourself vs paying someone you can use for more goodies for the car.  

 

[Kilgon]

Update - This is more of a journal of my build then an actual real time as in the past since the car has been done for some months now.  I figure I would go ahead and continue it so I will have a written record and also for any of you that like to follow the builds.

Dec 2018 

I got the instrument cluster pulled and the dash out of the car. The weather is starting to get really cold so I will push to get the dash striped and painted while I can.  Will take the steering column, heater box and the instrument cluster to my basement workshop where it is warm and go through them there. 

I also notice that the wiring has been hacked in several areas so I will need to figure out what it went to.



Dash soaking in stripper.  Paint came off fairly easy.



I was able to get a couple coats of primer on it.  Getting to cold to do anymore out in the garage.  Will drag it back down stairs for the rest of the winter.



I don't have a picture but the lens is scratch and has a gouge in it.  I have order the Novus 7100 plastic polish kit.  I also plan on replacing the dash lights with led's.



I will be replacing the alt gauge with a voltmeter.  Seen a thread on it on the site and will go that route.



This is where Midlife services comes in handy.  I should have sent to him but I ended up going through it myself.



Cleaning and checking everything out.  Have a new seal kit for the heater box and components. 



I couldn't believe the amount of dirt in the fan.  I pulled it apart and gave it a  good cleaning and lube. 

 

This is the defroster duct. Casualty of welding when I was doing the cowl.  Actually had a small fire.  Talk about a  chicken running around with it's head off!  I heated it up and was able to get it pulled back out.  I then  took some fiberglass cloth and resin and made a patch.  It worked out well.

More to come.

 

[timachone]

Thank you - I like your updates! 

Resto-Threads are inspiring for me and my own restauration! 

That makes me confident I will take it, too, and gives some really good input for some projects on the resto! 

I am looking forward  :thumb:

 

[tony-muscle]

Great work. I always weld with a water spray bottle next to me just in case. I once was welding the floors in my car and weld dripped over the cardboard I had underneath which resulted in flames. I used the water to quickly extinguish these flames. Very handy "trick" that was passed to me by a friend that had never welded. However, water may not the best to use if the flames are coming from a liquid since it could extend the liquid and thus extending the flames.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Welding and also grinding or cutting with a zip wheel can set a fire easily. I have a separate work room that i weld in. It has 1/2" drywall all around and tile on the floor. I keep a 5 gallon bucket of water marked WATER / FIRE with a lid on but not snapped on each side. I also have several fire extinguishers. A dry chemical extinguisher makes such a mess. I also take used water bottles fill them with water and take a razor blade and cut a slit in the screwed on lid. Makes a good squirt bottle for sanding or fire. It is too late to go looking for something once a fire is going. I do not keep any paint or flammable liquids in the room and I toss all used towels out each day as part of my shut down. There is also a hose long enough to reach anywhere in the shop hooked to a frost proof faucet.
One of our members lost his first car to fire and he had a garden hose and could not control it. He was cutting with plasma and went across the steel fuel line under the car and boom.
A local guy here needed to cut a chain so he ran home and went into his garage attached to his home. He used an air grinder and zip wheel cut the chain and he took off to the job site. A tiny spark from the grinder had hit some cardboard and did catch fire. Pretty much destroyed the home and his $90,000 camaro and a chevy II he had spent a fortune on.
I keep a welding blanket that I hang when grinding that produces sparks or i take it out side. I also turn off my compressor at the end of the day and I turn off at the breaker box. I had a switch fail once and the compressor kicked on and the points stuck. The compressor ran until it blew the safety pressure valve. It was before the new shop and the compressor was 10' from my bedroom when it happened. I ran out and had to turn off at the breaker since the switch had welded. It was a made in USA compressor and switch not China.
When you go back with your heater box put a piece of the box wire between the cowl and the box to keep critters out. Snakes and mice love the cowl and heater box. My foam kit came with a two piece seal for cowl so I put between the pieces of foam.

 

[timachone]

Great work. I always weld with a water spray bottle next to me just in case. I once was welding the floors in my car and weld dripped over the cardboard I had underneath which resulted in flames. I used the water to quickly extinguish these flames. Very handy "trick" that was passed to me by a friend that had never welded. However, water may not the best to use if the flames are coming from a liquid since it could extend the liquid and thus extending the flames.

That reminds me of my friend Oli and me as we welded the rear quarters with the rest of the car together. There was some cardboard/paint mask paper around the car to protect it from sanding dust. I was on the other side of the car as him and worked on the metal with some machine, it was very loud, he was welding. Suddenly I regognized him dancing, fidgeting and struggeling. I looked over and he was fighting flames with his feet until the fire died. That looked so funny we immediately laughed so hard, I have still a big smile now, too, thinking of it. But, we also knew that we battled some serious danger and it could have been much worse ended... A big fire could begin small but extending very fast. After that I am a bit more concerned of safety and have a look on a lot more things before welding, grinding and heating  :salute: