Build Thread-85 Cutlass Brougham-New Pics Added!
- Thread starter 85 Cutlass Brougham
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I have lot s of pics that are not posted. Sadly, the stuff I do tonight will not be photographed as they won't come out. I need to get the dash in by morning as it is supposed to rain tomorrow morning and the windows are down. Yeah, I rolled them down when I got to work swapping out the dash to cool the car down, not thinking of the consequences. I will try to take pics tomorrow when I put the gauges and wood grain panels in. Depending on how far I get tomorrow, I may pull the front clip to finally finish sealing the firewall from rain water. The stupid A/C box has a small leak, so I plan to strip caulk the whole thing.
Got the dash in, then had to pull it back out a bit when I noticed that I forgot to put those little corner trim pieces back in first. So, I found them and cleaned them up only to notice that they looked a little ragged. I found my pint of SEM vinyl dye that I had had mixed to match the interior years ago and it was still good. So, I sprayed them, my rear package shelf, one of the headliner trims (it was gray) and the Concert Sound II speaker grilles (they too were gray). This was done in 2 stages: one this afternoon and one at 1:30 AM while listening to my neighbors band practice in their back yard. They actually sound pretty good, so they got to enjoy the sounds of my air compressor and paint fumes and I got to enjoy their music. I wish they would stop soon as it's kinda loud (and they're getting drunk and not sounding so good...), but it gives me an excuse to go back outside and assemble more dash pieces. In a way, my neighborhood is like a really cool storage warehouse place with people building all sorts of cool stuff. No crime, nice people for the most part and no one messes with you or calls the cops unless you really cross the line.
Tonight I put the gauge cluster in. I got every gauge but the temp gauge to work, and I figure that is due to the 305 Grand Prix engine harness I used possibly not having a temp sender wire on it, so I will have to pull a wire from the extra harnesses I have and add it in the proper location if that is true. I need to do the same for the oil pressure warning light as well. I also ran the wires for the front speakers and installed the crossovers. I used some industrial strength Velcro to attach them to the HVAC box behind the dash. one is behind the radio and one behind the glove box.
Today is my day off, so I plan to pull apart the entire front clip, seal the firewall, paint the framing of the front clip satin black, install the new radiator, install the new overflow and washer bottles and possibly hook up the A/C lines. If I have time after that I will put the big power cable in to run the amps in the trunk.
Today is my day off, so I plan to pull apart the entire front clip, seal the firewall, paint the framing of the front clip satin black, install the new radiator, install the new overflow and washer bottles and possibly hook up the A/C lines. If I have time after that I will put the big power cable in to run the amps in the trunk.
Today I pulled the entire front clip apart to paint under the hood, and try to seal the water leaks that are still present in the firewall. I also finally sealed and bolted in the dust boots for the power door locks, windows and speakers. Then I installed my rebuilt and painted upper hinge on the driver's door, and realigned the door. I still have to try and see if I have another bulkhead connector so that I can add a pin to the engine harness for the temp gauge sender. It seems that there is no place in the wiring for a oil pressure idiot light from the factory, which has me puzzled. If it never came with one, I think I will add one to the harness and cluster at a later time as I do not want to be without one. I also would like to use a RPM activated switch to light one of the idiot lights (either wait or check engine) as a shift light. I still have to buy and run my main power cable for the stereo before I can put the front end back together. I will probably run it through the block off plate I made for the hole the computer harness used to come through, and cover the cable itself in black convo tubing. The fuse block will also be painted satin black so that it blends in with the engine bay better.
All I got done today is verification that the car still leaks water around the column. It will have to come out of the car tomorrow and get sealed before I can move on any further.
Here are some pics I took recently.
Newly organized garage on mirror paint day:
Vinyl dye time for package shelf and side of dash panels:
Newly painted inner fenders. They are painted Krylon Satin Black:
The car as it sits with the front clip removed:
New dash installed with Rally Gauge Cluster:
The dash is waiting on the woodgrain panels until the car is fully functional. They are not easy to get out without the potential of damaging something, so I see no point in installing them until the last minute. As for why the door brace is Ford blue, I didn't want to waste my black paint on an unseen item. So, I did what I usually do when painting a covered area, I paint it with leftover paint I have no other use for. The Blue has been sitting in the garage for about 6 years now as it was left over from a 302 I put in a Mustang. I liked Blue, but my other friend liked gray better, so we did part of the engine in blue, part of it gray. The engine was going into a car for someone else as a charity job, so we had a little fun. He had no right to complain about it because it was free.
Tomorrow is my day off, so I am planning to start at the junkyard to try and get a headliner,. I'll end it painting the steering column and replacing the rusty shifter stalk with a clean one a neighbor gave me with the remains of a Cutlass column he stripped for parts for his 1973 Camaro. I also need a new wiper switch, but don't have the money for it right now. That will have to wait until I replace the steering wheel down the line. Once I can get the firewall sealed good and tight, I will put down the carpet, finish the stereo, and finish the wiring so I can put the front clip back on and be done with the car for a while. Although the car does run and drive right now, it really needs more mechanical work before I can actually use it. I need new plugs, wires, and preferably a new distributor too. Plus, it needs an alignment and a set of used tires for the front that are not heavily dry rotted. I hope to do all that by the end of the year. For now, I will be happy to have the car complete before school starts. I am getting a roommate in a day or two, so I need the space that this stuff takes up.
Newly organized garage on mirror paint day:
Vinyl dye time for package shelf and side of dash panels:
Newly painted inner fenders. They are painted Krylon Satin Black:
The car as it sits with the front clip removed:
New dash installed with Rally Gauge Cluster:
The dash is waiting on the woodgrain panels until the car is fully functional. They are not easy to get out without the potential of damaging something, so I see no point in installing them until the last minute. As for why the door brace is Ford blue, I didn't want to waste my black paint on an unseen item. So, I did what I usually do when painting a covered area, I paint it with leftover paint I have no other use for. The Blue has been sitting in the garage for about 6 years now as it was left over from a 302 I put in a Mustang. I liked Blue, but my other friend liked gray better, so we did part of the engine in blue, part of it gray. The engine was going into a car for someone else as a charity job, so we had a little fun. He had no right to complain about it because it was free.
Tomorrow is my day off, so I am planning to start at the junkyard to try and get a headliner,. I'll end it painting the steering column and replacing the rusty shifter stalk with a clean one a neighbor gave me with the remains of a Cutlass column he stripped for parts for his 1973 Camaro. I also need a new wiper switch, but don't have the money for it right now. That will have to wait until I replace the steering wheel down the line. Once I can get the firewall sealed good and tight, I will put down the carpet, finish the stereo, and finish the wiring so I can put the front clip back on and be done with the car for a while. Although the car does run and drive right now, it really needs more mechanical work before I can actually use it. I need new plugs, wires, and preferably a new distributor too. Plus, it needs an alignment and a set of used tires for the front that are not heavily dry rotted. I hope to do all that by the end of the year. For now, I will be happy to have the car complete before school starts. I am getting a roommate in a day or two, so I need the space that this stuff takes up.
They are the delay wipers and the switch is inside the steering column. I also have (well... am working on...) cruise control and the car has a tilt column too. If you can help, I appreciate it. There are so many damn little details on this car that it is taking forever to finish it!
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