January 2010
30 posts
Project Driver floor - 1/28/10
Shop busy today putting in driver floorpan, despite the customer hanging around…
Johnny is welding up new section on the driver’s rocker. Again, great luck for this 1977 Celica!! Once we had the rocker open, the inside was all still paint. Even the backside of the piece that is getting replaced!! All tacked in, Johnny will make this so you can’t even tell it was patched.
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Project Cancer found - 1/26/10
So we were just going to clean up some surface rust around where the gas pedal use to mount to the floor…
But like anything else, once we started digging some, the cancer turned up. Now all of this was covered in a sound deading tar mat, so it was not obvious, even from underneath. Most the underside still had undercoating all over it, so nothing showing there yet either. As they said at...
Project Door handle rescue - 1/26/10
Previous post I described my little accident with the exterior door handles. Little browsing past bookmarks and I called Toyz Unlimited and YotaParts, and both these guys had exterior door handles. No idea what they look like yet, but I paid my $50 to each of them, and very happy to do so. More when the door handles arrive.
Project Door handles - 1/23/10
So weeks ago I managed to figure out a way to compress the spring on the door handle so that I could take them apart.
Want to have them rechromed, and to do that they need to be completely disassembled. Chrome places do no disassembly work. So here is the right side one with a few vice grips in place. Two on the spring to hold it, and the one on the pin being pulled out to separate the...
Project Interior - 1/20/10
Went to the interior shop today and picked out all the colors. Seat and door panel color with insert color. A carpet color. Leather color for steering wheel wrap. Something for a trunk mat. Checked availability on everything, shop is off to the races with all of it.
Project Mirrors - 1/19/10
I really would like to rechrome the plastic housing on the original mirrors and keep them on the car. But all attempts to get them apart have failed.
I broke down and bought new replacement mirrors, but after opening the box, not too happy with the quality & appearance. They have big ugly ball joint showing for adjusting them, and just kind cheezy looking. So I sent an email yesterday to...
Project Still Painting - 1/18/10
Painting never ends, just like the cleaning. Seems more stuff is piling up faster than I am painting it.
Welcome to my office. Coffee, desk and a chair. I just love my desk work. Fluorescent lighting and all. No meetings though, no email, no status updates, or project schedules to keep. Does it get any better? Where is my admin? “Hold all my calls.”
Project Cleaning starts - 1/16/10
Cleaning is major part of restoration for me. I am not a metal fabrication guy. Cannot weld to save my life, and leave most the body work to the shop. I do all the rest though, and lots of cleaning is part of it. So here is my elaborate setup. Big bucket, hot water, soap, toothbrush and some small rag washcloth.
Some of the first stuff out of the box are interior parts, and boy they are...
Project Late Holidays? - 1/15/10
First box of stuff from ToyHead today!! Weighs a ton, and in a postal service flat rate box. Ingenious!
Ordered a whole pile of things from Rick, and this is first to arrive.
First out are the new poly bushings for the rear end. Going to have to run down and compare those right away with the old ones and see what’s up there. And of course, chase name on the package to see where they...
Project Toyhead Auto Rescues! - 1/14/10
Rick at ToyHead Auto Restoration has saved me on the issues with rebuilding the rear end. Not sure where this guy is finding the stuff, cause no one else can find it! He just emailed me back, and not only has ring & pinion gears, but wrote me up order with everything I need to rebuild the rear end. Rick rules! I would either be looking at using duct tape on the existing rear end, or...
Project Restoration buddy - 1/14/10
So you want to restore a vintage car. Figure you buy some new parts, get the car painted at a shop and then put all the cool new stuff on the newly painted car. Boy, have I got some news for you…
Let me introduce you to your best buddy during a restoration. Hope you get along well, because if you want to do a real restoration, and clean up everything, nuts, bolts, widgets and gadgets,...
Project Shift boot - 1/14/10
Found a nice generic shift boot replacement. This is the one on the floorboard, under the nice looking one in the interior. Very nearly perfect line up to the old one. Where did I find it? Amazon.com!!! Go figure.
Project Shop photos - 1/14/10
By the looks of the pile of tools, they are either very busy working in the car, or else just need a place to store all the tools.
Actually things are moving along very very nicely. These guys just do not mess around. None of that take your car in, then it just sits there for a month before they get started. Somehow they multitask your car right in with the other projects in the shop.
Got...
Project Spare tire well - 1/13/10
Remember that spare tire well that just had some surface rust. Broken stud in the hold down mount? Well they cleaned up the area at the shop.
And it turns out to be a little more than just surface stuff. Some daylight showing up.
Yes, those white spots are daylight showing through from the bottom. See the larger hole in the center? Here is zoom on it.
Ok, so that is not to pretty, but like...
Project Paint pile - 1/12/10
Meanwhile, the pile of parts at home in my garage continues to grow, and remember, two sides to everything, three coats of paint, 12 hours between coats. Plus wipe down with brake cleaner, and some scraping and such on nearly every one. I love doing it, tunes cranked, I usually only stop when I realize I am exhausted.
Project Back at the shop - 1/12/10
Meanwhile back at RMR Restorations, things are steaming along. At this stage, things seem to be a little out of my control sometimes, the train has left the station.
Johnny is working away at a little restoration of the emergency brake handle floor mounts. Seems Toyota only attached the emergency brake at two points on the floor instead of four. Very odd in that the floorboard tunnel hole has...
Project Rear end STILL - 1/13/10
Russell Transmission called today and have some issues with the rear end. Whole thing is a bit tired, and no availability on new spider gears. Ring & pinion also needed and bearings. They called Japan they said, and no go. So they put me on the job. Spent a few hours on the web, and the only whiff of parts is good old ToyHeadAuto. Sent Rick an email on the ring & pinion, and see what...
Project Back to it - 1/12/10
Alright, I am getting nothing done. With car at the shop, interior at another shop, and the transmission at still a 3rd location, I’m stretched just keeping up. And it seems the last two nights I spent just on the internet, part searching. Let’s do some real work.
Rehabilitate myself with a little painting. Sandblasted steel undercarriage stuff? POR15. Nuff said.
Engine cross...
Project Interior to the shop - 1/7/10
So busy, forgot this entry. Took all the interior stuff over to American Auto Seat Cover. Sorry no website, just google maps view.
Just like the car, the interior is in surprisingly good shape, but not good enough. Jammed rest of the stuff into the back seat.
And off to the shop. Talked some, and got some ideas going. They have plenty of homework to do. Hoping they can make new seat...
Project Sandblast away - 1/12/10
Bought some donuts and over to the shop again this morning. Dropped off lots of miscellaneous parts yesterday to add to Johnny’s work load.
Car was inside, and Johnny was sandblasting away on the doors and small stuff. Had bunch of the parts done already, ready for me to take home and start painting with POR15. Did sale pitch on this previously. For painting undercarriage stuff, nothing...
Project Back at the shop - 1/9/10
After my stop at Russell Transmission, it was time for a stop back at RMR Restoration to see what they were up to. Trouble no doubt.
Car was in the sandblast booth! Johnny, the main man over there, was just getting ready to have at it. I brought pizza, so got him to take a break for that first.
See, my hood is being put to good use, table for four anyone? Yes, I did bring the pizza. One...
Project Rear end travels - 1/9/10
So the rear end continues to be a nag, so I shipped it off. If it cannot behave, then let it be someone else problem for awhile.
Rear end up on the table all ready for dis-assembly so I can take pumpkin to the transmission shop. For those that are wondering what the pumpkin is, its that center section sticking up in the air. Attached to that section on the inside are the gears that transfer...
Flashback - Feb 1984
Man and his car, February 1984, in my parents driveway. No more wheel skirts, no more spoiler, and I have dumped the Cragar wheels for something a bit more tasteful. Still have those wheels in the basement. Put them back on? Think I’ll have to redo this photo and pose when the car is completed!
Project Bumpers - 1/9/10
Took the bumpers apart today. Rear one has a dimple, front one has fog light holes.
This is the rear bumper. The chrome is just a veneer, and I figure if I can remove it, likely I can get it repaired and rechromed. Alas, it decided to be stubborn. Four of the bolts, turned about three revolutions, then broke off. Bust out the drill and some patience. I hate drilling out studs. Patience,...
Flashback - summer '79
In the summer of 1979, during the summer break from college, I elected to join Southwestern Books, which is definitely not something for everyone, including me!
Its a sales gig, selling books door to door. You have no idea where you will end up. I did it as a challenge, and told myself I would not quit no matter what. I also decided to bring my car. Assigned to Beckley, WV, I started my...
Project Shop gets started - 1/8/10
So stopped over the shop today, and Matt is getting into it. Its always a bit of a trip into the past when you start stripping a car.
As you pull off the paint a story is told of the cars past. Matt and company were trying to guess when the car was last painted by the nature of the primer underneath. Like anything else technology is always changing. Same with paint technology. So the type of...
Project Pesky Rear end - 1/7/10
Remember all those problems I was having getting the rear end out of the car? Well the rear end it seems is going to be a problem child.
I gave up if you recall, and put it on the list for RMRRestorations to handle. I put “drop rear end” on the list of things to do. So they did. Bolts were seized all right so they just took the whiz wheel to them and cut them out. Very good...
Project Shop Bound - 1/5/10
Finally stripped of everything, its time for the body shop.
Just before the ramp truck showed up, I snapped some “before the shop” photos.
Went over to the shop, they had me take some measurements for their dolly, and within the hour they were over my place to pick the car up. I have the immense luxury of living within FIVE miles of http://www.rmrrestorations.com
Great shop,...
Project Windows Out - 1/4/10
Ok, time to tackle disassembly of the doors. Here is passenger door before I started. Window mechanisms can be a challenge. Lots of parts, small amount of space. But this one ended up having a unique 32 year old hidden gift.
Weatherstrip has to come off the door. Most cars simply glue the rubber strip on, but Toyota used little plastic plugs hooked into the rubber gasket, plugged into holes...
Project Wiring Out - 1/3/10
After a week off for family stuff back home, I’m back in the garage again. Clean up the details, whatever has to come out. Thats the dash wiring harness, now lying on the floorboard.
Also pulled out the front to rear harnesses on both sides of the car, and the remains of the engine harness. Anyone want to come by when its time to put that dash harness back in for me?
Pulled the...