'83 Cutlass Cruiser Build Thread

Been debating adding the vinyl woodgrain trim around the car once it's painted. Should I do it?

  • Yes, that wagon needs woodgrain

    Votes: 12 35.3%
  • No, leave that wagon smooth and simple.

    Votes: 22 64.7%

  • Total voters
    34
  • Poll closed .
looking good!
 
Ugh, goddamned CarDomain...
I just had to comb through the whole damn thread updating url's for all my old pictures I had posted before I switched over to just uploading directly to the site... :roll:

Got a little extra time this weekend thanks to the holiday so I'm going to try and take advantage of it the best that I can.
Need to finish cleaning up the roof so I can get started straightening it out.
 
Blake442 said:
Ugh, goddamned CarDomain...
I just had to comb through the whole damn thread updating url's for all my old pictures I had posted before I switched over to just uploading directly to the site... :roll:

Got a little extra time this weekend thanks to the holiday so I'm going to try and take advantage of it the best that I can.
Need to finish cleaning up the roof so I can get started straightening it out.

My cardomain is soooooo jacked up! I need to download all the pictures (like 700), and make a page of something somewhere else. :x
 
Finally got the roof as clean as I can get it.
A quick acid wash to get the little bits left in the pores and it'll be ready to get started.
I need to order up some more materials like sandpaper and such, and I'm going to try using panel bonding adhesive to glue patches underneath the large roof rack holes.



There's two things I'm still undecided on for the finished product...

First being the air-deflector on the rear glass... as of now I'm leaning towards keeping it, though I have a set of wing-less hinges if I decide to leave it off.
Second is whether or not to black out the window frames on the doors and 1/4's or to leave it body color... I'm leaning towards body color...
Opinions??
 

Attachments

  • WP_000670.jpg
    WP_000670.jpg
    450.7 KB · Views: 456
Blake,
I think using panel adhesive to bond a few patches under the large roof rack holes is a good idea. No fussing with grinding welds, etc. Probably much quicker and easier doing it that way.

As for blacked out window frames, it's all a matter of preference. My windows will be tinted, that's why I chose blacked out frames. I think it blends nicely with tinted glass.

Same goes for the air deflector. They look good either way, with or without. I thought I'd try the non-deflector look for a while after many years of having the deflector present. Kind of a change of pace, if you will. You can also change it around at a later time. That's why I held on to mine.
 
Blake442 said:
Finally got the roof as clean as I can get it.
A quick acid wash to get the little bits left in the pores and it'll be ready to get started.
I need to order up some more materials like sandpaper and such, and I'm going to try using panel bonding adhesive to glue patches underneath the large roof rack holes.

Blake, back when I was working regularly at the body shop, we used panel bonding adhesive all the time. I used it to glue my rocker panel and quarter panel patches on my regal. I used The Lord Fusor brand, same stuff we used at the shop, and I have yet to see it fail. We would glue entire quarters and roofs on cars. The Fusor brand is just as strong if not stronger than welds, and you don't have to worry about it rusting out like you would with weld.
 
Make sure you wire wheel as much of the glue out from the top after it cures and apply a light coat of epoxy prime before body filler or you will see the repair through the paint later. I second the use of Fusor, top notch stuff, they also have a complete line that is great. They also have classes geared towards their line I've attended it, and you can learn alot
 
Little more progress to report...

Friday I was all geared up to get started filling the holes in the roof, but my buddies talked me into going to the swap meet with them.
Although I ended up not getting anything done, I did find another donut-spare so now I have a complete set and I took those fancy mags off the front and got the car sitting down nice and low.

Yesterday I actually got something done and welded up the 15 holes from the roof-rack strips along the ribs in the roof.
I didn't use the wire-feed welder, but instead tried using my Uni-Spotter to fill the holes.
Just place a stud over the hole, burn it in about twice as long as you normally would, grind it off and good to go.
I'll make my patches for the 8 big holes for the rack next time and get them glued in place.
 
Tuesday I went out and made my patches for the roof rack holes.
This morning I got them glued in place, so all 23 holes in the roof are officially filled!
I wasn't about to pay $45 for the special gun just to use it for one little tube of adhesive, so I just jammed two 1/4" sockets in the end and that worked lol...

Saturday I'll start laying down some filler.
 

GBodyForum is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Please support GBodyForum Sponsors

Classic Truck Consoles Dixie Restoration Depot UMI Performance

Contact [email protected] for info on becoming a sponsor