69 Firebird Convertible build

[Lidpainter]

My 69 Firebird. One of the few 350 HO convertibles. Original Carousel Red, 4 speed car. Had it for 2 or 3 years and been building/rebuilding ever since. Power drivers seat, fold down rear, front discs, tilt. Had the stereo/ 8 track but that’s all long gone.

[Ringo64]

Nice. What are the plans for it?

[Lidpainter]

16 minutes ago, Ringo64 said:

Nice. What are the plans for it?

Going to try to bring it back to more or less what it was new. Car came from previous owner with the 400 hood and 400 engine. It’s going to be a driver so I’m not super concerned about originality. Just want it to look factory-like so just running steelies, dog dish caps and red lines.

Edited March 3, 2021 by Lidpainter

[Lidpainter]

[65gtotrips]

Nice👍 Looks like you’re making honest progress...unlike my ‘65 Goat, (she’s been sitting at 85% complete for 5 years now) 🥺🥵😤

[64 kiwi boni]

2 hours ago, Lidpainter said:

Welcome John, you have done a great job, keep up the pictures and let us all know what your thoughts are on the next stage

 Clearly your way past paint and on the assembly, part of the build, but whats the back story, why did you have to add metal to the door edge? 

[Frosty]

Welcome John. Your car looks great. Keep up the good work.

I see you're from Michigan. Several of us here on FP are as well. What side of the state are you on? West? East? SE Michigan/Detroit Metro? Da Yoop?

Edited March 3, 2021 by Frosty

[Lidpainter]

3 minutes ago, Frosty said:

Welcome John. Your car looks great. Keep up the good work.

I see you're from Michigan. Several of us here on FP are as well. What side of the state are you on? West? East? SE Michigan/Detroit Metro? Da Yoop?

Thank you. I am way down in the southeast corner near Toledo. 

[Frosty]

So I would guess we are talking Adrian, Blissfield, Dundee, Erie, Temperance, Monroe area then?

That's cool. I live up near Flint. Indymanjoe is near Milford, and JustA6 lives in Clarkston. When he can get across the border, notallthere, lives in Sarnia Ontario.

When its not COVID outside, there are three SE Michigan Pontiac-Buick-GMC car shows held between June and September. We try to get together at those at a minimum, and then there's the Woodward Dream Cruise in August. We'd love to meet you at one or all of these events in the future.

[Lidpainter]

I’m in temperance. I usually just say southeast corner of the state because when I say Temperance, the usual response is “Where’s that?”. 

[Frosty]

I understand completely. You are pretty much on top of Ohio at that point.

I've driven the US-23/I-75 corridors enough to know where Temperance and Lambertville are - between US23/223 and US24/Telegraph Road. Can't say I know my way around, but I've I do know where it is.

Again, welcome aboard.

[Lidpainter]

[indymanjoe]

Welcome to the site! You sure make it look easy! Any car shows you go to down there? I would be happy to head down with the Lemans this summer and meet up.

On 3/2/2021 at 11:43 PM, 64 kiwi boni said:

Welcome John, you have done a great job, keep up the pictures and let us all know what your thoughts are on the next stage

 Clearly your way past paint and on the assembly, part of the build, but whats the back story, why did you have to add metal to the door edge? 

He is looking for todays gaps on an old car. First thing i noticed was how nice and even they are.

[Lidpainter]

7 hours ago, indymanjoe said:

Welcome to the site! You sure make it look easy! Any car shows you go to down there? I would be happy to head down with the Lemans this summer and meet up.

He is looking for todays gaps on an old car. First thing i noticed was how nice and even they are.

Yes. I’m trying to gap all the panels at 3/8” all around. The peak at the front/center of the doors have made that a challenge. I was able to get the gap I wanted at the rear of the driver’s door with a lot of trial and error adjustments but the rear of the passenger door required that I add 1/8” to the edge. Not every gap on the car will be perfect but I’m making an effort. You could probably walk through some of the gaps when I got the car. 😀

Edited March 4, 2021 by Lidpainter

[Lidpainter]

[JUSTA6]

Nothin better than new parts N gettin them on.  Thankz for sharing the pic's.   We need more of this round here!  Dream Cruise this year?

Edited August 9, 2021 by JUSTA6

[Lidpainter]

1 hour ago, JUSTA6 said:

Nothin better than new parts N gettin them on.  Thankz for sharing the pic's.   We need more of this round here!  Dream Cruise this year?

No Dream Cruise this year. Not with this car. Too much left to do and it has not been on the road since the mid-1980s so I’d like to take it for some short trips before I trust it even though most is new and/or rebuilt. 

[Lidpainter]

[Frosty]

Looking good Lidpainter. What's next?

[Lidpainter]

3 minutes ago, Frosty said:

Looking good Lidpainter. What's next?

Thanks. I need to loosen up everything around the rad support and bumper assembly to align everything properly.  Then, sadly, I may have to repaint the hood. There used to be hood pins in it and the paint is bubbling where the welds are. Can’t be from rust so I’m thinking that it’s some kind of reaction to the weld but I’ve never seen that happen before. I’ll wait until spring to deal with it. I still have the seats to reupholster and also need to get it running. Everything other than the panel alignment will probably happen in spring of ‘22.

 

[Frosty]

Could the bubbling of the hood be caused from electrolysis from dissimilar metals between the hood and the weld material (e.g. aluminum against steel)?

[Lidpainter]

35 minutes ago, Frosty said:

Could the bubbling of the hood be caused from electrolysis from dissimilar metals between the hood and the weld material (e.g. aluminum against steel)?

It’s the same wire and metal I have always used to patch with. It’s some kind of reaction but I’m stumped as to what is going on.

[Frosty]

Check the make up of the welding wire. Perhaps it has some sort of tin, copper, etc. that is causing the reaction.

[Lidpainter]

Thanks. I’ll investigate that when I get home. I used to same wire, from the same spool to weld up the door gaps and did not get any reaction there. 

[64 kiwi boni]

33 minutes ago, Lidpainter said:

Thanks. I’ll investigate that when I get home. I used to same wire, from the same spool to weld up the door gaps and did not get any reaction there. 

lidpainter, did you use  a mig? gas or flux core wire ?

and once welded, did you grind the weld or buff it with a wire wheel ?

Edited September 14, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni