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Project Orangasm

169K views 728 replies 55 participants last post by  Smitty68 
#1 ·
Hello everyone. I've been around the site now for about 5 years. I just want to say again, "Thank You!" to everyone on here providing all the great information and help to me and everyone else.
I bought the Camaro off of E-bay 5 years ago. "Just needs paint." Pictures can be deceiving. The more I tore it apart, the more that needed to be replaced. Heck, the shift rods were welded to the side cover!! By starting this thread I'm hoping to commit to getting the body work and paint done by the end of summer. So once again, I will not be at HAN with the car. Next year for sure!! lol I've heard that one before.
As for the name , just a play on the word. I hope it doesn't get booted but I'll understand. The final color of the project will be... you guessed it, orange. HOK tangelo to be exact with a platinum or white bumble bee.
When I'm done, I'll be able to say that I did it myself. Of course with the help of many cyber friends. I'll be posting pics now that I've figured out how to downsize them all. Let the games begin....

Practice on the mailbox!

Robert
 

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#3 ·
Here's some pics of the quarter panel where expected some damage. The damage was not bad at all compared to all of the mud that was thrown on. A friend had a nail gun and brought it over and we already started on the minor dent that was covered with gobs of mud. The wheel well is a different story. Ideas for this? This is the only problem with the entire quarter (to my surprise).
My friend conviced me to take the windows out and am I glad he did. The rear wasn't bad. The front on the other hand you can see in the pics. I'm going to cut out the lower section and just replace the 2 inch section I cut out... hopefully. I'll see more when I cut it out. I'm sure I'll be using some Rust Mort underneath the section I cut out. I'll let you know later today. Maybe I'll wait an hour or two and see if anyone has any other ideas on this section. Thanks.
 

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#4 ·
Thanks Nevin.
There is from what I've counted 4 paint jobs on this thing. Therefore I will be taking it down to bare metal. Combination of chemical and the handy Norton stripper wheel that I saw someone else use to strip his entire car. I think he used about 6 wheels. At $10 a wheel, that's not too bad.

Robert
 
#5 ·
Came home from work and got some cutting done on the front cowl area under the window I removed. WOW! It looks pretty bad. Chunks of rust kept falling out as I was cutting. There are no holes going into the interior comparment. I believe a little wire brush and some rust mort, maybe por-15, then weld it back up.
The rear window channel cleaned up nicely. Some rust mort on the rust after the wire brush. Looks good. Hopefully this rust mort does as it states. Here are some pics. Any better ideas or thoughts are welcomed.

Robert
 

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#6 ·
Hey Rob I am having a deja vu. My car was as bad as yours or worse. I used the 3M disks probably about 10 and stripped the entire car in a few days. It was not pretty. My car was a basket case rust wise, not as bad as some others I have seen but pretty bad. I know what you mean though I thought my car was pretty solid until I took it apart. My car was so rusted! How rusted was it? It was so rusted that the subframe bolts were fused to the body making it next to impossible to remove. There we no longer bolts, just one big fused mess. Your car looks a lot better from the pictures I have seen. Keep it up looks like you are doing a great job. Just use Todds thread as a guide 6781, he has pretty well built a car from scratch right before our eyes as well as several other excellent builders. Just ask and you shall receive...
 
#13 ·
#8 · (Edited)
Thanks Mike. Yea, I've seen some pretty bad looking stuff on here and they have turned them into some real beauties. I'll check out the thread.

Scott, I thought about that. The piece was only $90 but then I would probably pay as much in shipping since it's shipped "double oversize". I think the shipping on my fender was more than the fender! I'll have a better idea when I get it cleaned up. I might just have to go pick up the peice myself.

There seems to be a piece of foam or thick gasket material between the dash and the body where I'm cutting. Any ideas? Hard to tell with what the rust has done to it. Thanks.

Robert
 
#10 ·
I've got new molding and new clips. This is exactly why I'm scared ****less to pull all the existing stuff off and reset the windshield.
 
#11 ·
Great pic George. I'm glad mine doesn't look quite that bad... yet! My seam sealer was definately looking worse than yours though.

Scared yes. But feel better when all the cancer has been removed. Go for it. We can all go through it together.

Robert
 
#12 ·
Haven't been working on her for awhile. Grabbed some free ride-a-longs at the Buttonwillow Track out here in Cali. Wow, I'm hooked on time trials. What a rush. Just a lil' more motivation for me to get back out in the garage to work on her! Here's what I found...
Looking for some suggestions.... please. The rest of the quarter is good besides that 1/4" of bondo you see in the pic! What skim coat? lol I've already popped a few dents out of the quarter on the other side so this one should be just as easy. But I'm lost with the wheel well cancer. Patches? Hose a bunch of Rust Seal inside then shape with All Metal?
Going through the quarter window, I'll be hosing the inside with Rust Seal no matter what. Do they have patches for just the wheel well area? I've seen the larger ones that come in three panels for the wheel area.
 

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#15 ·
As per Scott and Gary's advice I decided to replace the entire dash panel... wasn't so bad with all the spot welds! Glad I did. Thanks.
Question... you can see in the pic where the old panel was. Is the where the new panel should go? I've seen in the searches I've done that those oblong holes were not covered by the panel. Mine were! Are those holes for draining? Wouldn't the seam sealer keep those holes from being drain holes? I know they used a foam type material originally.
Patiently waiting for advice before welding!
 

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#16 ·
Its been a while but I dont remember those holes. I'll dig thru all the pics I did when I did mine and see if I can tell whats what. I'm sure someone else will chime in :) Glad you took the whole dash top off. You will be happier...I was.
 
#17 ·
update...I found a pic of mine and my dash top covered some holes like yours. Mine werent oblong. Maybe different on a 67. Heres a pic. I covered them up just like the factory did...you can see I was trying to see if I could piece mine together too...before someone knocked some sence into me :) Come to think of it now that I'm taking a closer look..makes me wonder if those holes are from me breaking thru with my spot weld bit? Its been a while..
 

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#18 ·
Thanks Gary. I'm assuming you just lined the new one with the "rustbelt" line when you installed it? lol Of course after the rust removal!
What did you use for sealer...a 2 part?

Robert
 
#19 ·
Your right just as the original was sitting the repro fit close to the same. I cleaned everything out and I por15'd everything. I ran a bead of the right stuff sealer underneath except where I cleaned to metal for the plug welds. Then after welding it all ip I sealed it again at the seams. My camaros not gonna see too much rain if I can help it so it should be good for years. I think theres a couple pics in my photobucket album. I remember the sides of the repro had to be messaged a little to fit right to get close enough to tack at the pillar. Keep up the good work!
 
#20 ·
Thanks again Gary. Yes, I saw in a search that someone had to use the tabs from the old panel because the new one didn't have the tabs for the pillar. Luckily for me I had not thrown the old one away! I used some RustSeal on mine. I should head to the paint supply (although expensive) and get some sealer so I can get this buttoned up by the weekend and start on my quarters! :beers:

Robert
 
#23 ·
If they were covered originally, don't worry about it I guess.
If you want, create the same holes in the new panel so water can get down into the cowl. The thing I worry about that though, is I hate having small holes like that in sheet metal because it's tough to prime and paint them enough to protect the metal.. At least it feels that way to me.
Slather some Rust Bullet or POR-15 along there first. Or use rust-converting primer.
 
#24 ·
Need some help once more! Removed subframe to get it cleaned up and powdercoated. Wow, what fun that was removing the front body bushing bolts. I had to go get a longer piece of pipe to convince the years of rust that these bolts were coming out! :yes: The rear ones were easy as I had already replaced those when I installed the SFC's. Now how the heck do I get the E Brake cable out from the frame? What am I missing here? Bigger hammer :) Maybe if I clean the 40+ years of grime I might be able to see something. I know someone has done this... I hope. Thanks.

Robert
 

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#27 ·
Thanks guys. See if I cleaned the dang thing I would I have seen it. I got the one off the other side. Looked just like the pic Al, thanks. Now I feel like an idiot. Well half an idiot. I went back out and had a look at it... grabbed a flashlight and a screwdriver for cleaning. Cleaned it and there was only one clip (the one I removed earlier). Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture? So I try to remove the cable once more and it comes out like butta! I just had to pay attention to the size of the hole. Sheesh. Thanks again. :beers:
Should have it done by Monday or Tuesday.

Robert
 
#28 ·
Here she is... the subframe that is. I will have it reinstalled this weekend after a nice fresh powdercoat. $170!
Question: I'm having the LCA's powdercoated also. Should I remove the existing bushings and then have it powdercoated... I know I should, but I was wondering how difficult it will be to put the Del-u-lum bushings in afterwards. I'm probably over thinking this aren't I? :yes:
I'll have some other stuff powdercoated while we're at it.
I'll get some new UCA's soon... I hope! I'd love to redo the brakes while I'm at it but these will have to wait until we get the wife pregnant.
I'll get to the firewall and clean it up and look for that old post about which holes are needed and which ones are not. Get those welded up and then throw some primer and paint on it.
During a search, I came across the VIN issue. Cut and epoxy in to the new dash panel. Or just drill out the rivets and replace with new rivets? Like it was stated in the old post, you can't see the rose rivets anyway. I have a picture of the VIN along side of the VIN on the cowl. That should be proof enough... not that this thing is going anywhere in my lifetime~!
Thoughts?


Robert
 

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