Build Thread: Gp02a0083's 1986 Cutlass

[gp02a0083]

I figured id start a build thread sooner or later since iv'e been on the forum for a few years now. Here is the link to my new member post http://gbodyforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=28659#.UX1lvsrjGVo. I'll start off this thread with the last post I had updating my 86 cutty.

Bumping my old thread with new stuff and i fixed the picture links to the older pictures. I've been hellbent on getting myself in gear and finish the project that my father and I started years ago even without him being with us today. The overall goal / scope has not changed: Re-build it , upgrade it, and keep it looking stock all on a budget and most of all enjoy it.

Just before my father passed away around November 2011 we replaced the front end:

and installed the rear sway bar and GP front brace, well painting them here ( the H/O rear end in the background):

Shortly after I got a olds sport wheel to replace the busted cracked plastic skinny old wheel :
Before:

After:

Around January 2012 I replaced the radiator and hoses due to some leaks. Then i went to a local swap meet to get some door seals and window sweeps in addition to replacing the old worn out monroe's:

Still haven't gotten to installing the seals and sweeps just yet, but the bilstien shocks were worth it, im going to have to get ebiach 1"-1.5" drop springs just to get it to handle a bit better.

Picked up a set of i believe 84 reverse lights and tried some "chrome " paint i found, needless to say it looks silver.

But i found stuff i can make look almost like "chrome", this might work to restore the front headlight bezels and other emblems

So the other day I sent the car off to a local guy to get the headliner and vinyl top replaced. If anyone in the central NJ area needs an upholstery guy let me know , ill send his contact info your way. I figured this was a good Christmas / new year gift to myself, my father complained that the old top looked like crap compared to the rest of the car. Finally got it done last weekend. I'm gonna take a stab at restoring the emblems using the chrome paint.
Before:

After:

Just need to now find some more trim clips for the top wrap around molding and the side 1/4 molding, if anyone has them or send me in a direction that i can buy them?

 

[gp02a0083]

ok i got to work on the emblems, I needed a decent set that i could sand any flaking chrome off of, got a few from some members here and on CL. It was really tedious restoring the emblems with a chrome paint i found and blacking out the rest. The brougham emblems I found, I wasn't going to try making a brushed aluminum look with paint. Some 3M 2x sided emblem adhesive and they were good to go.

I'll get some pictures later of them installed on the car.

Finally got around to installing the roof rail seals,door seals and outer window sweeps. The driver side went together really easy and required little adjustment of the window and door. The passenger side was worse and needed the door to be re-aligned. Being i didn't want to mess up the paint I decided to remove the fender so I had more room to work with. I ended up re-aligning the whole front end to get decent gaps. Extra work, but even gaps look much better.

Cleaned the channel up, removed the old glue, (only other decent shot of the headliner that was redone with the vinyl top):

Im not that happy with the soft seal / Metro brand stuff, the molds are close in shape but the EPDM they use could use a bit more work. The corner seam is denser than the rest, good for wear, but horrible when new and aligning the window

Took a look inside the doors being i was sending the upper door panels to the upholstery guy to get redone. Was surprised to find very little rust in the bottom being the outer window felts were shot. It took a while but I removed the rust and treated it with the POR-15 prep and then the black Por-15 paint.

Put a new sheet of plastic taped to use as a water barrier and re installed the panels and door seals

If anyone wants to replace their window sweeps , make sure you got a lot of vise grips lol. I wanted the strips to seal well using the 3M yellow weatherstripping adhesive. Good tip when using this stuff, warm it up in a cup of hot water. It will allow it to tack up a little faster and easier to apply.

 

[565bbchevy]

Your Cutlass looks really clean and the vinyl top came out nice but I personally think the top looks better without the emblems.

 

[gp02a0083]

Found a pretty good set of Bezel that are in really good shape for a really good price at the swap meet.

NOS Drivers grille i got , cant find a really good passenger side grille yet, so im leaving the old set on the car for now.

Removing the old roof trim clips, got all new ones and spares for the whole thing and 3 sets of those hard to find lower door chrome clips.

Hood alignment

Door /Fender gap , got it a bit closer than in this picture. I always have to keep in mind this fender is not original its an aftermarket one back from 2003. Alignment is always difficult on aftermarket sheet metal.

Finally i got the car back together last week and started polishing it. I always wash the car first then use a good wax with a clay bar. Then I polish the whole thing with a wool pad and turtle wax medium / heavy cut compound , followed up by mother's Sealer /Glaze with a good foam pad to remove the swirls and fine scratches. Then waxed with McGuire's tech wax 2.0. Just before shows I use Formula 113 X bead wax, stuff works really good. You barely need to wash the car after this. The plastic was to keep the new vinyl top clean from any wax or compound and the rest of the car clean from bugs and dirt in between the days i can't work on it.

 

[gp02a0083]

Your Cutlass looks really clean and the vinyl top came out nice but I personally think the top looks better without the emblems.

thanks 565bchevy, I wanted to put the emblems back on. It just looked like something was missing in that spot. I'm really happy with the job done on the top. Al (upholstery guy) and I discussed on having the rear stitch on the seam. I think it looks better rather than how it was with the material before. He went the extra mile to paint the vinyl top trim and locate a place that had the EXACT material for the upper door panels. That's the look I wanted to go for , cleaned up and removed some of the stuff and leave a little bit , like semi-sport i guess?

 

[gp02a0083]

finally got my spare tires out of storage and used them to get my 8.5 rear into the garage. I lucked out that its a 3.73 , but i will have to get a eaton carrier to replace the open one it has. The gears are mint and do not show signs of mesh wear at all. I started by soaking it with super clean to remove all the old grime and wire brushed it to remove any scale that accumulated while it stat outside. I'm going to add some welds to the lower control arm and spring perches to add a little bit of strength, then paint the whole thing with Por-15. I'm gonna add stainless steel lines and new brake cylinders , aluminum drums and brake hardware. I'm deciding at this point to replace the rear flex line to a braided one at the point. I'll thrown in a new cover to make fluid swaps easier and look better.

 

[1evilregal]

beautiful car, and coming along nicley! my cutlass I just picked up could almost be your car's twin (if it wasn't looking like something the cat coughed up at the moment... lol) a few minor differences, but hopefully mine'll look half as good as yours! 8)

 

[littlerascle59]

Nice

 

[gp02a0083]

Thanks guys, I'm sure quite a few guys are going in the direction I am with this car. Keep it clean, build it up better and have it look stock. Still got a long way to go. I have been reading on the turbo buick forums and on this site about the S10 wheel cylinder upgrade. I've been seeing back and forth about the brakes locking up easily , can anyone who has done this swap give any input on this subject? Otherwise i was going to just replace most of the parts with the stock ones.

 

[GT_80]

I love reading build threads! Seeing the work your upholsterer did on the door panels, makes me want to take a crack at my own... Maybe even my seat covers...