BUILD THREAD Project Olds Cool (Recognition!!)

[RabbitHoleSS]

Still rollin’ right along.

Saturday night I got the rest of the car completely tore down, anything that was extraneous, bolted on, or in the way of block sanding the car now was removed and set aside. All the hardware got carefully bagged and tagged so as to keep track of everything and make reassembly easier.

Some of the parts (but not limited to) included:

Front windshield trim
Stainless cowl trim and windshield wipers
Rear window trim
Drip rail trim
“A” pillar trim
Door glass weatherstrip
Door glass weatherstrip channels
Door locks
Door handles
Door belt mouldings
Door mirrors
Front marker lights
Rear marker lights
Rear quarter to bumper filler panels
Trunk lock
Trunk trim along bottom edge
Front bumper
Rear bumper
Taillight bezels
Taillight lenses

...and the list goes on and on.
By the time I was done I had an entire bench full of parts and hardware! No pictures of this, but I did take a couple really short videos and posted them up on my Instagram page. Search for “@rktpwrd5” if you’re into that kinda thing.

Today was supposed to be garage day at Mike’s working on his ‘57 Chevy, but he texted me first thing this morning to say he got called out to work. Bonus for me! So instead I filed my tax return and was pleasantly surprised to be getting more back than last year.
Double bonus!
There should be enough set aside now to purchase the paint, clearcoat, any misc supplies, and a brand new paint gun to lay down that perfect finish.
😊

This afternoon I gave the roof a thorough cleaning and several wipe downs with wax and grease remover in preparation for starting the final block sanding process, then applied some dry guidecoat.

Here we go...!!

View attachment 137862

After a couple hours, I have all of the flat sections of the roof including the AstroRoof insert completely blocked out in 220. Found a couple of areas that will need some minor attention, but no big surprises thankfully.

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View attachment 137863

She’s not quite smooth as glass yet, but it’s the first major step to getting it there. I’ll continue to block the entire car out in 220, then go back and spot prime any areas that need it before moving on to 320.

That’s it for now guys, I’m headed back out there to continue making progress!
Till next time,

D.

What would cause you to have to spot prime? Looks awesome I'd take your primer job on my car anyday. Is there anyway to post videos here. Instagram is way outa my wheelhouse. This has been my favorite build thread and a huge help with the motivation to start my project and the knowledge within has kept me from f'in it up to bad. Ill be kinda disappointed when your done(sorry I know your happy). Lookin forward to the finished product and the relaunch of the juggernaut.

 

[Rktpwrd]

What would cause you to have to spot prime? Looks awesome I'd take your primer job on my car anyday. Is there anyway to post videos here. Instagram is way outa my wheelhouse. This has been my favorite build thread and a huge help with the motivation to start my project and the knowledge within has kept me from f'in it up to bad. Ill be kinda disappointed when your done(sorry I know your happy). Lookin forward to the finished product and the relaunch of the juggernaut.

Any number of reasons would be why it would be necessary to spot prime really. Burn-throughs, missed pinholes in filler underneath, more material needed to make it flat/straight etc. At this stage, the car is 98% straight and smooth. But now is the time to address that last 2%. If any corners are cut here, it’ll show in the end result. You don’t paint over anything other than properly prepped and sanded high build primer or epoxy. So issues like burn throughs to bare metal need to be spot primed so they don’t become an issue after it’s painted.

There’s no way to post videos directly to this site, they have to be uploaded to YouTube first, then the link to it can be posted here. I’ve long since forgotten my google password to be able to post videos there anymore, so I just do them on Instagram now. You’re not really missing much in my crappy videos tho, trust me.
A filmmaker I am not.

I’m flattered that this is your favourite build, but it’s probably just because I’ve already gone through what you’re facing now!
Lol
Seriously though, thanks very much. I appreciate it. Glad I’ve been a source of motivation for ya.

 

[Rktpwrd]

Block sanding progress continues.

To finish off the roof, the thin strips above the windshield and back window were blocked out, as well as the “A” pillars and above the drip rails.

Tonight I got both sail panels done, along with the tops of the quarter panels from the bodyline up all the way back to the taillights.
This all blocked out beautifully which is nice because a lot of bodywork was done in these areas.

This is where the success became less so however. I moved on to the top of the trunk lid and blocked the horizontal surfaces out next.
As you can see, it didn’t go nearly as well.

Lots of highs and lows, the dark grey spots are burn-throughs to the epoxy underneath, and the black areas are completely untouched guide coat.

It figures, this is one of only two panels that I didn’t do any sort of bodywork on. There was no damage, no rust, and no dents. Just an original GM stamping. Goes to show you just how “not straight” these cars really were from the factory. In hindsight, I probably should’ve lightly skimmed and blocked the whole thing in the filler stage, but being in good shape I didn’t think I had to.

Oh well, lesson learned. On to the next!

 

[fleming442]

Bravo!

 

[old80cs]

Too bad about the trunk lid, that stinks. Hope it isn’t that bad to get straightened out.

 

[69hurstolds]

That trunklid is considered to be straight as an arrow from production standards. It's just not up to Rktpwrd Skunkworks' standards. Considering where the car has been and the age, etc., there are some that would kill for that lid.

That being said, it's not horrible. But that's what block sanding is for. 98% of your 2% flaws seem to lie in the trunklid, so once it's done, you'll be golden. The good part is, for Rktpwrd 's skillset, this lid shouldn't pose an issue. Just that it's going to take more time/effort/materials. But it will get there soon!

It deserves its own meme:

 

[Rktpwrd]

Back panel of the trunk lid done tonight, pathetic! Unacceptable!!

Also got both quarter panels done, driver’s side better than the passenger’s.

Little work to be done around the flush mount marker light openings which I anticipated. So no big surprise there.

Also found out why these exhaust tips...

...are called slash cuts and it’s got nothing to do with the style.

I’m trying not to get disappointed with the amount that’s gonna need attention, I just have to keep reminding myself that it’s still about making the car perfectly straight at this point and not about prep for paint.
Not yet anyways.
I just honestly thought it was a little closer than it is.

I guess I really shouldn’t be too discouraged, this is the car that some probably thought was too far gone and that I wouldn’t be able to save.

It’s come a long ways from this.

D.

 

[clean8485]

Its come a VERY long way since that Donovan. Hang in there, and keep up the good work.

 

[Tony1968]

Excellent as always.... Question about the low spots... Is this where you can use spot putty? Or are you going to high build the entire panel such as the whole trunk lid?

 

[old80cs]

Note to self, drop the tailpipe hanger before blocking out rear quarter panels.

In spite of the issues to be dealt with, the panels look great and that rusty old car you saved is gonna look fantastic in paint when you’re through.