BUILD THREAD Project Olds Cool (Recognition!!)

Rktpwrd

Builder of Cool Shjt
Supporting Member
Feb 2, 2015
4,152
23,829
113
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
You really do produce some incredible work. I have no skill in the body and paint area of our hobby and could only hope to produce a similar caliber of work/skill on the mechanical end where I play. My hat is off to you sir.

Thank you very much!
I can also pull wrenches with the best of them (in fact my day job depends on it), but it’s when I get into the fabrication and problem solving that sometimes accompanies it that I truly thrive.

I’ve been watching and following your build and posts as well, you’ve got it hands down over me there. I’m just not as good with or up to speed on the newer electronics and computers as you guys are.

Thanks for commenting on the build, and welcome to the thread! I look forward to hearing from you more in the future.
:)

D

as always, top shelf job on things the average person wouldn't justify. glad to see things are moving a little smoother, now that the big jobs are done. I had a bit of a setback on the GP lately, but seeing your progress is giving me the energy to brush it off and dive back in...

again, beautiful work, and look forward to the next updates!:friday:
Darin

Thanks Darin, much obliged man.

You’re absolutely right, I tend to focus on the littlest details that most guys probably wouldn’t bother with, but meh! That’s just how I roll, and I’m ok with it. Besides, it’s satisfying to just let my OCD side eat once in a while, something I rarely get to do at work.
And yeah man, it feels great to finally be able to make some noticeable headway on this old girl!

I hope you’re able to shrug off your setback and overcome my friend! I’m still waiting for that build thread you’ve been threatening for 2 years now...
;)

Donovan, you are a paint and body work machine. Looks great as always

Thanks Mike!
Your donated taillight has been repaired and found it’s way onto the car, it looks so much better already having at least one side that isn’t cracked...
I’ll be pulling it off to give it the wet sand and polish treatment before I’m done, but that’s a pretty low priority at this point.
Thanks again for your contribution to the build and your generosity!

Lookin killer Donovan.

Thanks Robert!

I love the flush mount marker lights. Glad to see you making so much progress. I'm looking forward to future updates that I'll probably be days late on catching just like the last few. Lol

I appreciate the approval Chris, thanks man.

It does seem to be a pretty popular modification with you guys! I noticed you were a bit behind in keeping up with the updates, but no worries buddy. It’ll still be here when you’ve got time to read through it and catch up.
Do I have to text you each time I do an update?
:LOL:

Thanks for the comments guys, I really enjoy hearing what you all have to say each time.
Stay tuned, a recap of the weekend’s progress coming up...

D.
 
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Rktpwrd

Builder of Cool Shjt
Supporting Member
Feb 2, 2015
4,152
23,829
113
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Well, the weekend has passed, and it was a pleasantly productive one. So let’s get y’all up to speed on what was accomplished shall we?

After giving the newest freshly painted parts a day or two to dry, I was ready to start some reassembly of the back end of the car. But first, I prepped and masked the outsides of the reverse lights and gave them a much needed shot of paint:

3DB58D95-5840-426B-9069-3DBE38BB829A.jpeg


B792CB85-E321-4EBF-8F78-2A68E422E5A1.jpeg


Knowing that the end goal was ultimately to ger the painted center piece installed, I figured I’d better start from the ground up first.
Literally.

After blowing the layer of body filler dust off the back bumper, I man handled it up onto the stand. Man that b**ch is heavy! I had forgotten just how much these things weigh...

The goal was to get the bumperettes removed, something that I’ve never liked on our cars. As expected, the bolts were rusted solid, so rather than fight them, the grinder came out and made short work of them.

The bumper just after the bumperettes went “bye-bye”:

C4D1F2DE-BEE3-4362-9152-9966E1B2F4A8.jpeg


Also as expected, there was a slight difference in the finish on the chrome underneath where they sat, but not terrible...

D1CC5E06-1F55-4B5C-AB96-0095D3C0B2F8.jpeg


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...but this was also before I tried anything to see if it would polish up. The removal of the bumperettes left two small holes behind in the impact strip, but I can live with those for the time being. I may even have the proper impact strip without holes in it in my shed, but it’s currently inaccessible till the 4’ snowdrift that’s between me and it melts. I certainly like the leftover holes much better than the bumperettes.

The unwanted offending pieces...

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With those pesky things gone, I turned my attention to cleaning out the void between the bumper and impact bar on the backside of the assembly. I could see some dirt clumps and rusty bits through some holes back there, so I pulled those out and blew air inside to get the remainder.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that I’d just become a landlord evicting an unwanted tenant...!!!

3C7202C6-866D-4D71-8201-9F919A9E51D5.jpeg


The little b*st*rd must have been stealing insulation from my compressor enclosure, and building himself a nice nest in the bumper while it was stored on the floor.

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I’m sure he’s gone as I found him some months earlier already deceased. Probably of starvation as I don’t keep anything food related in the garage.

Anyways, with that nonsense dealt with, it was time to install it. Once it was mounted up, I took a little lacquer thinner on a microfibre towel, and removed the white painted stripe inside the impact strip. Just a little detail, but I like how it looks better that way. I also took some Mother’s Mag and Aluminum Polish to the entire bumper, but especially where the bumperettes had sat. I think it came up amazingly:

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After working well into the wee hours of the morning, fussing and fretting over every little detail, I had cleaned all the old overspray from the wiring, replaced all the bulbs, reinstalled all the clips, installed the center piece and stay down license plate door, adjusted the taillights and installed the quarter extensions, and even removed and cleaned up the fuel tank sending unit connection and ground.
After it was all together, it looked something like this.
:)

Trunk closed:

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Trunk open:

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Here’s a quick look at the insides of the quarter extensions now that they’re installed:

A08C8E30-5C5B-4969-B778-F6C262A39B17.jpeg


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The next morning, I had to have the big door open to manoeuvre some stuff around, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to snap a couple more quick pics.

By George, it’s starting to look like a car again!!

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The driver’s side of the bumper is a tad low, I’ll have to make a little adjustment and get it moved up. But overall for a first bolt up, I think it looks pretty good!

When Mike came by later that morning, I got him started on finally replacing some of that rust damaged metal in the driver’s side wheel well. It didn’t go as quickly as I thought it would, so there’s gonna be some time to be spent in there. I’ll likely be giving him a hand and working on it during the week as well so we can get it done and move on.

While he was tackling that, I busied myself with a myriad of small jobs, I found a way to support the front of the plastic bumper filler panel directly underneath the rear license plate. I found matching areas on both sides of the filler panel that under lapped the reverse light openings, drilled two small holes for push in Christmas tree clips, and snapped them in. It worked like a charm, no more floppy filler panel when I go to fuel up!
:)

I also did a very thorough job of vacuuming out the trunk, as I’m pretty much entirely done in there now. To fill out the rest of the day yesterday, I spent the remainder stripping all the old paint off the rear bumper filler panels. These are the ones that go between the quarter panels and the rear bumper itself. I’ll get into what an absolute PITA these are in the next update.

One last pic as I wrap things up for now...

583EDE56-FC98-45B5-A848-DD2ABBD8428F.jpeg


Till next time guys, thanks for tuning in!

D.
 
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TURNA

Rocket Powered Basset Hound
Jul 24, 2009
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Socialist NY
Which one will you be going with an oil slick or smoke screen coming out of the holes in the bumper?
 

Rktpwrd

Builder of Cool Shjt
Supporting Member
Feb 2, 2015
4,152
23,829
113
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Which one will you be going with an oil slick or smoke screen coming out of the holes in the bumper?

Definitely the smoke screen. But it’ll be coming off the tires, not outta the holes in the bumper.
:D
 
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liquidh8

Comic Book Super Hero
Nice update!
 
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Martin S.

Greasemonkey
Aug 17, 2017
137
198
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Hamburg, Germany
Awesome work, very well done and nice car.
It´s always interesting to come back to this thread and gives me for my car a lot of ideas.
Go on in this way (y):)
 
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1evilregal

Comic Book Super Hero
Apr 23, 2009
3,056
4,357
113
Greensboro, NC
looks great D! nice to see it coming together!

as soon as I saw the areas under the bumperettes, I thought about mother's... great stuff, and does great on bumpers, even later cutty's that have been neglected for years...
upload_2018-3-7_20-33-47.png

(my 86 cutlass salon that is last on the project list...)
 
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