Build Thread-85 Cutlass Brougham-New Pics Added!

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I know i have not said anything in a while but i have been keeping an eye on the progress thread, car looks great, there are alot of us out here excited for you that you are turning the corner and on a downhill slide with this car, looks great

Thanks! I am enjoying this part of the build as it is far easier than body work and paint. My only real problem right now is trying to not work on it. Every waking moment I have it calls to me to make it more complete. I probably put no less than 2 hours a day in it every day, and most days it's more like 5-10 hours. It may not look like I have done much, but there is a difference between just bolting a car together and putting it together with the right attention to detail. There is a staggering amount of trim to be polished (over 50 pieces!!!), and assembled. Plus, I have to seal everything right to avoid water leaks and wind noise. I am hoping to have everything but the A/C box sealed by midnight, Thursday which means I still have to install my freshly restored door wiring harnesses, door windows, paint the inside of the trunk, and then seal the taillights and filler panels to the car. At that point, I guess I could rest as there is little danger of rain water getting in the car in a big way, but knowing me I won't be able to quit.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, I installed the wiring in the doors, greased all the electrical connections with dielectric grease, and greased the tracks in the driver's door with wheel bearing grease. Why only the driver's door? Well, the passenger's side window motor won't work, so now I have to troubleshoot the system. I did put the window in the driver's side though and it works perfectly! Fast up, fast down and smooth. It barely moved before, so I guess it was worth the work. After all, there is nothing worse than power windows that take ages to go up.

Tomorrow I get to: Replace a bad lower control arm in my truck, get a used tire and an alignment for it, and replace a distributor in a 1996 Civic. I also want to fix the passenger's window and finish the trunk off if I have time. Then Friday, I am doing a drive axle and hub assembly in a 1994 Sentra. I am kind of the shitbox master as I repair cheap, older Japanese subcompacts for people I know fairly often. It's an extra source of income that I really need right now!

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Final update of the day: I got the passenger's window to work and greased the tracks, but it is still slow. I have a few extra window motors though, so I will have to go back and swap it out. I also sealed the A/C suitcase to the firewall and cleaned out the trunk when I got home. So, the only thing left to seal the shell from the elements is painting the trunk and installing and sealing the taillights. I need the car tomorrow as a parts runner while my truck is torn down, so I guess I'll be driving it tomorrow afternoon.

 

[85GPLef41]

Congrats!! it feels good to take out your ride out even if its a work in progress. :lol: I enjoy taking mine out every once in awhile. Too bad the engine and trans are out for now. I might Fred flintstone it if i don't get it back together soon.lol Your ride is looking really good keep up the hard work and hope you get it to where you want it! Good luck and enjoy it!!

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I had to drive it tonight to the parts store. I bought the most expensive wrench of my life- $24!!! Anyhow, I painted the trunk today, installed the trim at the back of the hood and permanently installed the passenger's side taillight.

I also had my first quasi kill! A guy on a Harley had raced me from the previous light, but I was in auto-tragic mode, so I lost after the trans did the 3,000 RPM full throttle upshift to third it loves to do (I was in second when I hit it). Well, the next light comes and we are still side by side. This time, I put the column shifter down in 1st. He blips the throttle once or twice, so I figure, what the heck? I roll it out to about 15 MPH, and gun it, leaving him in the dust. I also lost traction as soon as I hit it...lol. Was he actually trying? I am not sure, but it felt nice to avenge my being passed. I REALLY HATE BIKES!!!

 

[Coveted]

just came back to the forum after a leave of absense to get thru winter ect.

read from page 20 on in this build thread.

make sure you get protien when eating just ramen so you dont die.

The car looks awesome man, congrads on finally getting her painted, i know you were swamped.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Don't worry, I still have a burger or two here and there. I just try to cut as much off my budget as possible and do the ramen thing as often as I can. Right now, the two vehicles are digging me deeper and deeper into a hole though as the truck is acting up and the Cutlass needs finishing. Between the two of them, I must have burned through at least $700-800 in the last month.

 

[dan2286]

I personally love the 89 cent cheesy beefy buritos at Taco Bell. I know they are not healthy, but I can eat two of them and actually be full. That doesn't happen with many other 99 cent burgers :lol: Honestly, I think the only fast food I really eat is at Taco Bell, and that might only be around once a week, so it isn't that bad. Mainly it is around once or twice a month.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

One more fun story to tell: Today I was in doing an archeological dig in my garage getting a tire and wheel out to give to a co-worker and I scored a major find! What did I find between two wheels but a Centerforce dual friction clutch disc and pressure plate from a 1984 Camaro Z-28! It seems I got it as a freebie when a friend of mine was told his clutch was bad by a transmission shop that just wanted to sell him a new one. I must have inherited the old one somehow (lots of parts from that car are now on mine as I built most of it). The disc has plenty of material left on it, and while the whole setup is a bit rusty, it should clean up pretty well. So, now all I need for the T-5 swap are the pedals, flywheel, clutch linkage, throw out bearing, pilot bearing and driveshaft. I already have a T-5 yoke on the V6 T-5 a neighbor gave me, so I will use that when I have the driveshaft built. However, I am still debating if I should wait until I find a 8.5 rearend before having the driveshaft made.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Here's my instructions on installing the door window trim and weatherstripping.

You will need the trim, some thin foam rubber self adhesive foam weatherstripping, and some strip caulk. I got the strip caulk from Finishmaster for $16 and the weatherstripping for $3 from Wal Mart.

The first piece you install should be the A pillar trim. It is VERY important to install all the pieces in the proper order as they are meant to build upon each other. Notice the thin black strip of strip caulk and where it is? This is important to keep water from leaking past the drip rail and possibly into the car during a rain storm.

To install the A pillar trim, first hook it on the drip rail on the roof, then rotate it down into position. Starting position is illustrated below:

The A pillar strip is held in place by 3 screws, as illustrated below:

Now you are ready for the drip rail roof molding. Begin by using a piece of the strip caulk along the edge of the roof to seal and secure the molding to the roof.