What a good idea - restoring your number plates. I have a pair of black & gold period correct CA plates and their condition mimicks the rest of the car BUT yours are gonna look awesome once complete. Be sure to take a pic.

15 hours ago, Fitzy said:

What a good idea - restoring your number plates. I have a pair of black & gold period correct CA plates and their condition mimicks the rest of the car BUT yours are gonna look awesome once complete. Be sure to take a pic.

Those actually looks better then mine did 😄.

Just have to talk my daughter in to painting the letters/numbers.

It's been a while, but have slowly picking away at it.

Water test didn't go so well, still leaking at the right kick panel/ Inlet from the evaporator, going to ha to remove the entire heater box again 😞 but I think I will have to wait until later want to get the car running first and put a few miles on on it so I will be leaving the new carpet out for now 

Trunk also leak but will try to slot the adjustment holes a bit more to see if it will be enough.

Wife and kids have been cleaning the seats and door panels, turned out pretty good for being the original ones.

Made these little metal washers to reinforce the door panels where the clips goes and also need to glue the edges before I try to reinstall them.

Got the center console cleaned up and put back together.

Got the day off tomorrow so I'm going down to get the car registered, we are so spoiled here just need to get proof of insurance and pay the fees for registration and it's done, easy.

Nice interior Andy 

Door panels installed ,the reinforcement job I did for the clips worked great, also had to reglue the edges that had come loose.

One front seat done and installed.

My daughter tried to paint the numbers on the license plates but it didn't work out so I got ahold of a buddy that got a pinstriper friend so he is going to see if he can fix them, straightened the plates out the best I could but still not great but will have to do.

Got the car registered but without plates I can't go anywhere yet.

Your idea of reinforcing the door panels is excellent. I got modern plastic push clips and installed them into the cardboard and the whole thing just snapped into place. You're so lucky to have such a nice condition interior, although why manufacturers offered white is beyond me. Sure - it looks really nice and gives a feeling of spaciousness but life will ensure stains and grime will take their toll. The number plate also looks great - that yellow is a perfect match. Perhaps masking tape and a scalpel around the edges? I'd like to know how they make them at the factory (or prison!) That is, how they manage to paint the background black and the raised letters yellow. In the same way, how do they print speedo calibrations on the gauge face?

4 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Your idea of reinforcing the door panels is excellent. I got modern plastic push clips and installed them into the cardboard and the whole thing just snapped into place. You're so lucky to have such a nice condition interior, although why manufacturers offered white is beyond me. Sure - it looks really nice and gives a feeling of spaciousness but life will ensure stains and grime will take their toll. The number plate also looks great - that yellow is a perfect match. Perhaps masking tape and a scalpel around the edges? I'd like to know how they make them at the factory (or prison!) That is, how they manage to paint the background black and the raised letters yellow. In the same way, how do they print speedo calibrations on the gauge face?

The door panels worked out great,i had all the factory metal clips and they snapped right on.

The yellow didn't quite come out right on the plates the color is good but it got a little messy so I'm on to plan B,  a friend of a friend is a pinstriper are going to do the letters/ numbers so today I sanded them down and sprayed them all black again, basically this is all I'm waiting for in order to start driving it.

Agree that white is dumb  but it looks good , I been told it's called parchment in Pontiac lingo😆

i really like the white Andy 

white and chrome looks soooooo clean 

Did a quick and dirty alignment, will have to do for now until I can take it to a shop.

So the trunk seal that came without the car that I installed didn't work out,was leaking so I got a sofseal brand one that I installed instead and it is better,no leak from trunk lid now but it is still leaking from the corner of the back window.

Not sure if it's the seal or a rust hole,will probably just fill it with black silicone.

The trunk lock was apparently ripped out of there by an angry ex wife of the previous owner or at least that's how the story goes so I had to do some welding and body work on that area to get the lock cylinder to fit and work.

Dropped the plates of for the pinstriper, we'll have to see how much that's going to run, almost time to go to the donut shop in Huntington Beach.

 

https://www.lacar.comdonut-derelicts-huntington-beach/

getting close Andy 

last time i was at hunting beach i got a ticket for parking in the wrongway spot !!! dumb arse tourist !!!

4 hours ago, Andy H said:

Not sure if it's the seal or a rust hole,will probably just fill it with black silicone.

silicon is our friend 

Got my plates back from the pinstriper and i got the friend price ( it was free)

Do hopefully here after the holidays I'll get some time to go for a ride.

Merry Christmas to all of you out there have a great holiday.

Merry Christmas Andy 

Wow - they look too good to be true.

They look like new.  Will California make you put on new month and year stickers?  I need to get a Louisiana plate done up like these but eBay wants $250.00 and eight weeks.

Rick

4 hours ago, B52bombardier1 said:

They look like new.  Will California make you put on new month and year stickers?  I need to get a Louisiana plate done up like these but eBay wants $250.00 and eight weeks.

Rick

Yes i have to put on month and year sticker on, some people with really nice vintage plates get a small little thing that bolts on top of the plate where they put the year sticker since you have to replace that one every year.

There is license plate restorers out there that does a awesome job but I did this on the cheap and straightened them out the best I could (I'm no body guy 😉)  painted them and just had the pinstriper do the letters/ numbers.

9 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Wow - they look too good to be true.

Not perfect but good enough without spending big bucks 😊

First trip over to my buddy that I got the car from.

Runs ok, still have to break the brakes in some more nuts stops ok so far, wasn't sure how they would feel without power brakes but not bad.o think it's going to be ok.

Speedo not working so I have to look into that and also the trans is shift to early, I'll check and see if it has a adjustable vacuum regulator otherwise I have to get one.

Sits a little low on the back, something else to figure out but first we'll drive it some more.

Hello Andy,

  I think the stance is perfect.  And I wouldn't change a thing.

Rick

Very cool Andy 
the more you drive it the better it will behave, they are a neat ride 

potm February I feel !!!!!!!!!!

16 hours ago, B52bombardier1 said:

Hello Andy,

  I think the stance is perfect.  And I wouldn't change a thing.

Rick

Yes it's ok but gets a little low when you have a few people in the car.

Happy New Year everybody.

So I made it down to donut shop last weekend, took the long way and only drove surface streets, it works pretty good but also got a to do list.

Had to fix the speedometer,it turned out that the gear on the output shaft had come loose and was all worn on the inside and was very loose on the shaft.

Got another one from a local trans shop and installed it, made a mess also, after test drive it works but is of by 5 mph, can be fixed but not a big deal for now.

Adjusted the trans vacuum modulator so that it would shift a little later and it got better but I might take a few more turns on the modulator.

Had a little rubbing on the right rear tire so I cut a 1/4" of the wheel well opening.

It looks like the camber is to much positive so I did a check with my protractor and then added some shims on both sides but the stud is running out of treads so the fix is really to replace at least the top A arm to get more caster so I can remove some of those shims and fix the camber.

Got a new toy ,AF ratio meter, haven't tried it yet but it's going to be interesting, right now as it goes in to the secondaries on the carburetor it bogs a bit, probably going lean so this will prove my theory.

Andy - I know nothing about trans modulators. My trans shifts into second very quickly and there must be some adjustment. I know you can buy adjustable ones but can you fiddle with the factory unit?

4 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Andy - I know nothing about trans modulators. My trans shifts into second very quickly and there must be some adjustment. I know you can buy adjustable ones but can you fiddle with the factory unit?

If you remove the vacuum hose and look inside the tube on mine there is slot where you can use a regular small screwdrive and turn it, in makes it shift later.

What trans do you have? I only know that this work on th 350 and 400.

If you do not have an adjustable one they are not expensive.

fitzy will have a 400

Yes indeedy - TH400. I'm not crawling under the car again - it'll do until I find the inspiration to have a look.

Thanks Andy - I had a look online and there you go: all sorts of articles & how to's.

Made it down to donut shop and back, second time now but this time I took the freeway and for sure I need an overdrive transmission.

Nice company of a hemi cuda and my buddy's Land cruise that was handed down to him from his grandfather.

Also a couple of more cars, not so many Pontiacs today, normally there is a couple of really nice early 60s GPs there also but not today.