'83 Cutlass Cruiser Build Thread

[Blake442]

The claims adjustors estimated the damage at over $3800.
Needless to say it was deemed a total loss... My moms car was as well.

Of course I'll be keeping the car, and after my deductible I'll be getting a little over $1800 from the insurance company to fix the car which should cover all the materials I'll need.
The car will come apart for paint this fall.

Before I had the car inspected, I washed it and gave it a once over of my own, and it's not as bad as it seems.
I marked all the hail dents on the roof and hood with a crayon as I felt them by hand since they're so hard to see.
There are a lot, and I'll also have to weld up all the holes from the roof rack.
I'll make a junkyard run in a few weeks and grab that new aluminum hood since mine is junk.
There were a couple dents on the tops of the fenders and one on the tailgate, but otherwise the rest of the sheet metal is unharmed.
All the moldings at the tops of the doors will go in the trash.
I'm still wrestling with the idea of switching to a '78-'79 header panel...
I guess it'll depend on how much they want for everything at the yard when i go get the hood and some other stuff.
The wagon is gonna be looking pretty sharp next spring...

 

[Longroof79]

Blake,
It's good to see there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I think it will all work out just fine. $1800.00 should be able to buy a good amount of materials.
It will all work out in your favor.. :wink:

 

[liquidh8]

Blake, sux they totaled it out. But, you are keeping it so the money can go too good use in fixing it up better. 😀 . That slick sand it awesome stuff, if you plan on doing the bodywork yourself. Good luck keep us posted. BTW, I like the 78-9 header better.

 

[Longroof79]

I have to agree on the earlier single headlight header panel. I think it would better, in my opinion.

 

[Blake442]

Yes, I'll be doing all the work myself.
I plan on gutting and storing as much of the interior and trim as I can at home.
This is just so all my sh*t doesn't get covered in dust while it's apart.
Then I'll drive it out to my friends place where I will be able to work on it.
The car will be completely disassembled but will stay on the frame with some fresh mounts.
I'd like to take care of the front steering and suspension at that time since it'll be easier without the front clip in the way.
He has all the gear for blasting so I'll media blast all the original paint off before starting the body work.
I'll probably start taking the car apart in the next few weeks...

 

[liquidh8]

Good decision I think, getting to work on the car as you receive the money for it. This way you don't spend it on other things. Lol, always happens like that for me. That slicksand is good stuff, but you need a 2.2mm tip for it to spray nice without thinning it.

 

[Longroof79]

Sounds like a good plan, Blake.
Your friend having access to media blast equipment is a big plus. Also being able to bring it somewhere to do the work. Keep us up to date on your progress.

Jim is right about the Slicksand. I've used it with a 2.0 tip, but found that it works better thinned using that tip. At least using a 2.2 tip, you don't have to dilute it which isn't really advised.
It's great stuff, it sands nicely, too.

 

[Blake442]

Ended up getting even more money from the insurance company for the car!
It's been a super busy past few weeks, but now that my responsibilities have dwindled down to normal I can get back to goofing off.
I'll be heading out to the junkyard on Saturday to grab another aluminum hood as well as a '78-'79 header panel and front bumper.
There's several to choose from out there, so i just need to decide which year grills I like better.
Realistically I'll probably just pick whatever is in the best condition...

 

[liquidh8]

I need to find some pictures of the different grills. I don't know what the differences are yet. I think I have the 79. I planned on plasti-dipping mine black.

 

[Longroof79]

Ended up getting even more money from the insurance company for the car!
It's been a super busy past few weeks, but now that my responsibilities have dwindled down to normal I can get back to goofing off.
I'll be heading out to the junkyard on Saturday to grab another aluminum hood as well as a '78-'79 header panel and front bumper.
There's several to choose from out there, so i just need to decide which year grills I like better.
Realistically I'll probably just pick whatever is in the best condition...

Blake, I'm glad to hear that you made out well from the insurance company. I'm sure you'll have it looking good in no time.
Good luck on your hunt for parts. If you run across any clean B-body cars, could you pull a few windshield trim strips for me?
I was able to find a few a while back, but most had dried out and flaky edges. Thanks man!