Fitzy's GP is back!

[64 kiwi boni]

Do what I am going to do mate !!! ….…….

….….

……

…..

nothing ! 

[Fitzy]

On this occasion, I like the way you think. I don't mind faded patchy paint, but a crappy bumper just spoils the front of the car because it is so big and makes such a statement. Mind you, if I sit behind the steering wheel, I can't see it ergo there IS no problem.

Speaking of steering wheels, my reward for spending time under my mower cursing & grunting turned up today - the new steering wheel! It looks like a quality unit (and so it should be considering the cost) but I am a little surprised at the thickness of the woodrim. It is way thicker than a proper 60s vintage wheel but I'll gladly put up with it. I had a choice of slots or holes in the spokes and went with the slots. If I had a GTO, it'd be the holes. The GP is more of a hybrid luxo sports variant, so no use pretending it's a muscle car,  hence the 'softer' look of the slots.

One of tomorrow's jobs will be to fit that wheel. Just need a carby and the car may go again.

[Fitzy]

Being a Rockauto customer I receive their monthly newsletter. This is an excerpt from last month's version: if you're having a shit day, this should improve your mood. This happened to me on my old Fairlane. I forgot to reattach the battery hold down: battery acid EVERYWHERE!

[JUSTA6]

Check into powdercoat, but don't mess with it until you find out what HE needs to do to prep it.  Same would be for chrome work.  You may Justa end up making these guys MUCH more work.

[64 kiwi boni]

11 hours ago, Fitzy said:

On this occasion, I like the way you think. I don't mind faded patchy paint, but a crappy bumper just spoils the front of the car because it is so big and makes such a statement. Mind you, if I sit behind the steering wheel, I can't see it ergo there IS no problem.

Speaking of steering wheels, my reward for spending time under my mower cursing & grunting turned up today - the new steering wheel! It looks like a quality unit (and so it should be considering the cost) but I am a little surprised at the thickness of the woodrim. It is way thicker than a proper 60s vintage wheel but I'll gladly put up with it. I had a choice of slots or holes in the spokes and went with the slots. If I had a GTO, it'd be the holes. The GP is more of a hybrid luxo sports variant, so no use pretending it's a muscle car,  hence the 'softer' look of the slots.

One of tomorrow's jobs will be to fit that wheel. Just need a carby and the car may go again.

wow! that arrive quick !! great service !!

cant wait to see what it looks like on the 65 !!

i see its a grant... i hope the horn button mount works correct ! my grant on the camaro is a nightmare with how they designed the way the dome button presses onto the backing plate, dumb thing doesnt stay in place and pops off !!

10 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Being a Rockauto customer I receive their monthly newsletter. This is an excerpt from last month's version: if you're having a shit day, this should improve your mood. This happened to me on my old Fairlane. I forgot to reattach the battery hold down: battery acid EVERYWHERE!

oh i read this the other day too !! what a mess battery acid would make !!!!

Edited January 11, 2023 by 64 kiwi boni

[Fitzy]

8 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

Check into powdercoat, but don't mess with it until you find out what HE needs to do to prep it.  Same would be for chrome work.  You may Justa end up making these guys MUCH more work.

That's a very good point. I might throw myself at the powdercoater again, burst into tears and demand that he helps me out.

[Wrongway]

The problem with polishing the metal and clear coating bro is that the metal will have no "tooth" for the clear to bite on to. Your clearcoat will eventually peal off. Normally in patches and look like crap. If you sand it and then clear it you'll see the scratches. Rechrome, powder coat as Justa suggested or paint them bro.

[64 kiwi boni]

21 minutes ago, Wrongway said:

The problem with polishing the metal and clear coating bro is that the metal will have no "tooth" for the clear to bite on to. Your clearcoat will eventually peal off. Normally in patches and look like crap. If you sand it and then clear it you'll see the scratches. Rechrome, powder coat as Justa suggested or paint them bro.

or......

.......

......do what i am going to do .........

leave them as they are 

i had my local sign shop give me a quote for a chrome wrap... it was $1211.00nzd  for justA the front bumper !

it had to be smooth and flat, flake free

[Wrongway]

Well I ended up getting a good, clean, straight front bumper in those parts I got from New York. Now I justa have to figure out the rear bumper. Once again, I'm watching you too. 👀 Why does that scare me so much?  

Edited January 12, 2023 by Wrongway

[Fitzy]

Yes, the steering wheel turned up in no time at all. Why does stuff from around the world arrive quicker than stuff from within Australia? Probably for the same reason why we have crap phone & internet whilst 'developing' nations have lightning fast reliable data.

Thanks to the boys for chiming in with comments re bumper and they all make sense. I'm going to do what Kiwi suggested and do nothing!

Applied an initial coat of satin varnish to the wheel. Another coat tomorrow and that should do it.

Edited January 12, 2023 by Fitzy
Forgot something

[Fitzy]

Hey Ringo: it's asking me if I'm tired of these ads. Let me be abundantly clear, I want as many of these ads as you can cram down my throat.

Apparently she's 46. What - grams of coke a day?

[64 kiwi boni]

21 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Hey Ringo: it's asking me if I'm tired of these ads. Let me be abundantly clear, I want as many of these ads as you can cram down my throat.

Apparently she's 46. What - grams of coke a day?

oh my god Fitzy!!

go back out to your carport and polish that 65 !

Edited January 13, 2023 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

On 1/12/2023 at 5:34 PM, Wrongway said:

The problem with polishing the metal and clear coating bro is that the metal will have no "tooth" for the clear to bite on to. Your clearcoat will eventually peal off. Normally in patches and look like crap. If you sand it and then clear it you'll see the scratches. Rechrome, powder coat as Justa suggested or paint them bro.

i agree with Chad on this mate.. 

[Fitzy]

It's been raining here for days so today the sun came out and steamed us alive - a great day to sit in the GP and fit the new tiller.

The supplied instructions look like they were printed by a 5 year old - come on, Grant. For what they charge for a steering wheel, you reckon they could provide some clear instructions with nicely drawn CAD images and not kindergarten scrawl.

It's a simple enough procedure but of course there was a drama. As I was struggling to get the horn button to clip over the recesses in the fibre cap behind it, Kiwi's words kept echoing through my head, ie. the Grant wheel horn button in his Camaro won't stay in place. Mine wouldn't even go on. After some inventive swearing, I pulled the lot out and examined the horn cap dimples and the recesses in the fibre cap - they sorta lined up, but not as well as they should have. Out with the power drill and I carefully enlarged each recess so as to guarantee successful docking procedure. I also LIGHTLY sanded the fibre ring perimeter so the cap would slide over it smoothly. It worked beautifully until it was time to rotate the horn button so as to make the Pontiac emblem sit upright. God himself could not have made that horn cap rotate, so I GENTLY tapped it around using a small bladed screwdriver and a ball peen hammer. Done! If I drive that car over a cliff, that horn button will stay intact.

I applied 2 coats of urethane sealer with a very light sanding between each coat, then a light cut & polish over that. It matches the walnut dash trim quite nicely and looks pretty good, but I would have preferred a more 'period correct' thin rim wheel but it is what it is. As far as the horn goes, I sidestepped all the crap involved with making the wheel button work and had previously mounted a push button just under the dash to operate the air horn.

 

 

[Wrongway]

It looks great, good job bud!

[64 kiwi boni]

awwwww!!! nice mate !! 

well done it looks cool as !

[Fitzy]

Thanks, boys. I'll get used to it. It'll be nice to have a carby to finish the car.

Hey, wow - I just ranked up to veteran. Looks like I finally got accepted into the Pontiac family. All I had to do was to buy a junker, empty my life savings into it, and curse and sweat and bleed and cry myself to sleep each night. Oh, and to sort mechanical issues at 3am. 😁

Edited January 15, 2023 by Fitzy

[Fitzy]

Here's a challenge for you - does anyone know where I can get a set of accelerator & brake pedal chrome trim pieces? They seem to be available for manual cars, but not autos.

[64 kiwi boni]

2 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Thanks, boys. I'll get used to it. It'll be nice to have a carby to finish the car.

Hey, wow - I just ranked up to veteran. Looks like I finally got accepted into the Pontiac family. All I had to do was to buy a junker, empty my life savings into it, and curse and sweat and bleed and cry myself to sleep each night. Oh, and to sort mechanical issues at 3am. 😁

Walk in the park aye mate ! 

2 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Here's a challenge for you - does anyone know where I can get a set of accelerator & brake pedal chrome trim pieces? They seem to be available for manual cars, but not autos.

Come on … you know we like pictures around here ! What do they look like ?

2 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Hey, wow - I just ranked up to veteran

Ahhhh , you have much still to learn grasshopper 

[Wrongway]

Franks has your brake pedal with trim for $25 bro and a gas pedal for a 64 for $85 (not sure if that's the same as the 65) and a 65 gas pedal with linkage for $135. I didn't see justa the chrome bro.

[Fitzy]

Thanks Wrongway. And for Kiwi, here are some stock images. You'd think that the trim for a Tempest AND a fullsize Poncho would be the same but I want to know for sure before I commit. I would have thought that they'd churn out hundreds of these at a time, but not so.

[Fitzy]

Carby update: 

There is no update. Looks like freight from Jupiter to Earth is   r e e a a a l   slow.

The car has been sitting so long that even it's resident spider has moved on.

[64 kiwi boni]

1 hour ago, Fitzy said:

Carby update: 

There is no update. Looks like freight from Jupiter to Earth is   r e e a a a l   slow.

The car has been sitting so long that even it's resident spider has moved on.

Ten bucks says my seagul with my brand new avs2 strapped under its breast gets to me here in Taupo from the USA before your rebuild pos does 

[Fitzy]

I have no doubt you will be cursing & fiddling before I will. Your seagull vs the might of Australia Post - no contest. Actually, I'm still waiting for confirmation from the carb rebuilder as to when it's finished, THEN I have to grow a beard waiting for Aus Post to get it's shit together.

[64 kiwi boni]

6 hours ago, Fitzy said:

I have no doubt you will be cursing & fiddling before I will. Your seagull vs the might of Australia Post - no contest. Actually, I'm still waiting for confirmation from the carb rebuilder as to when it's finished, THEN I have to grow a beard waiting for Aus Post to get it's shit together.

hahaha