T-bird body work progress

[theterminator93]

Originally posted 1/15/12
Well, today I took a trip down to the shop where the T-bird is getting some work done and snapped some "posterity" pics. Here's a list of the work I'm having done:

1) Repair the passenger side rocker (rust and damage)
2) Repair the driver side rocker (rust)
3) Replace the passenger door (damage)
4) Remove any rust
5) New E9 (two stage) paint

Onto the pictures!

 

[theterminator93]

Looks like your moving up in the world aren't ya Brandon? Nice rims, new paint, rust free, plus this engine your gonna build! I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

But it looks like you need bigger brakes to go along with all these other upgrades

Lol, maybe someday. So far the PBRs have done well, but I have been considering the 13" brakes since I bought the rims.

 

[theterminator93]

Wow i cant wait to see the after pics!! What motor r u building?

After I get the car back from the body work, it's going for a built 2004 GT transmission and a 10" 3500 stall converter. Then next winter I'm going to take the stock shortblock and rotating assembly and put Nick's stage 2 PI heads and stage 2P cams on it. That goes alongside ported exhaust manifolds, underdrive pulleys and dyno tuning by Don Lasota. I'm expecting ~290 RWHP and a very nice street toy.

BTW for those interested, here's the pics of the damage, as it was delivered to the shop:

 

[theterminator93]

Nice plans dude

Can I get your opinion on the PBRs? Since you have 4 wheel disk to start do you think youd be happy with PBRs on A dd as the upgrade? I had the base brake set up drums in rear etc. But I havent driven a PBR equiped bird all I know is what I read here. I did a mark8 disk swap in the rear. I loved the improvement. I dont think I want to go to 13" disks though its not like this is a show car race car. For DD duties do you think the PBRs with SS lines would be more than enough for you, do they feel like they dont give enough stopping? I just dont know for sure if I want to go PBRs or Cobras because of the rim clearance and price that come with the 13"ers vs the cheaper but very capable PBRs. Anotehr member who has cobras on the front says its way overkill, more than whats needed, its more for show. I plan on a 300+ hp car all street so brakes gotta get upgraded of course just dont want to spend so much without at first getting peoples thoughts on both set ups. So before I do anything I am still getting opinions, my fronts still have tons of life anyway.

Thanks for posting the pics you have quite the bird project, its going to end up looking fantastic. I wish I could spend on the looks mine looks terrible buts it only paint and very minor dings.

Nice to see B I admire bodywork techs , the dust would drive me nuts.

Wow, nice restore Brandon! Good job.....

My big thing is I want to get a nice garage build so I can build my stuff without waiting for room at the shop. There is NEVER going to be time for me to build anything at the shop, so this garage thing is getting more of a necessity than ever.

At least I've got quite a stock pile of mod parts going. I just picked up a pair of 98 Cobra cams yesterday for the LSC - even with Nick's budget cams available, I have to save money at least for the next 20 months or so.

Your car is looking great Brandon, very impressive!

Splattered, I've used both on my car and will say while both are significantly better than the stock brakes, the Cobras really are night and day over the mustang PBR especially when you push them. For a DD with stock 15" wheels PBRs are fine and will A-B with some spirited dring in between just fine... But when you have the wheels to clear them, are willing to spend the extra couple bucks on the rotors(which isn't much compared to the [strike]placebo effect[/strike] drilled/slotted rotors people like to buy for their stock brakes) It's well worth it to have the capabilities.

FWIW my total investment in my Cobra brakes was under $130 using rebuilt calipers and used take off rotors.

Just to be clear, the cobra brakes need 18" rims, hub swap and rotors, or drilled rotors; right?

17" wheels, otherwise yes

I see it's coming along Brandon..You should have just threw the stock wheels on there when you dropped it off to them though..Hopefully they don't damage those nice wheels..

Just seeing it all tore apart like that..Has to make you cringe..

I remember seeing pics of all the rust on your car..Also the damage that it had..

You make us Thunderbird owners proud..Only a proud Thunderbird owner woud sink that much $$$ into bringing it back to original..



It looks like they are doing a pretty good job of prepping it..You know that really determines how good your paint job is gonna come out..

I don't blame you for going up there and checking out their work either..You drop in on them unannounced and you can see exactly what they're doing to your baby..

When my Thunderbird got repainted..I checked on it all the time while they were working on it..Not getting in anybody's way of course..


You would be crazy to drive your Thunderbird in the Winter..Now that you've done all this work to it..I doubt you would though..



It looks like they removed the Body Cladding/Trim..If you can get them to weld over all those little holes where the Cladding was..

I think it would look alot cleaner without the Cladding/Trim and Emblems..



Even though I don't like the color red..I can't wait to see how this turns out!


Good Luck!






Rayo...

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm very eager to see how it turns out. When I saw the amount of rust still in the fore inner rocker area I was somewhat surprised to see he hadn't taken care of it, but he says he's waiting on a new fender before he tackles all that. He's been doing body work in the same shop for the past 32 years and I've seen some of his previous work, so I'm confident I'll get something I'll be proud of. My idea was, "If I'm going to get body work done now, go all out - take out all the rust and make it look better than factory". My original budget was about 3k, but it sounds like it's going to run closer to 4, which after seeing the work that's being done, I'm more than happy to ensure things are done right.

Splattered - yes, the PBRs were definitely a great improvement over stock. As a daily driver (which is what this car is) they're great. Going from the T-bird to the Cougar every fall is a bit of a shock - the V8 to the V6 is quite a difference in its own, but the handling, braking etc. just makes the Cougar seem like a granny car in comparison.

Rayo - yeah, after I bought the Cougar in '10 and put the exhaust and the POR-15 on the Bird, the car was officially retired from winter driving service. It was so "rust free" (by salt belt standards) that I didn't have the heart to drive it into the ground after all the work I'd put into it. I don't plan on "smoothing" the body on the car though, I'm content with all the molding/cladding/etc. I'm fairly conservative with looks. The wheels alone finish the look for me. I have to admit though, when I walked into the garage and saw the car there, I didn't recognize the car at first!

 

[theterminator93]

Congrats on getting the work done, I think you made the right decision. Thanks for the dollar figures as well. I am looking at similar work in the near future.

Well, because of the rust near the fuel filler neck, he had to drop the gas tank so he could cut/weld new metal in place. Perfect time for a fuel pump upgrade!

New door is on, rocker panels are finished, new fender is cut in, all the little dents and scrapes are filled, and we're almost ready for paint!




It's truly amazing - the difference between the color it was new/will be, and the color it is/was before the work.

Soon... very soon...

 

[theterminator93]

It's coming along..That's sweet he had to drop the gas tank..Did you change the Fuel Pump yet?..







Rayo...

It looks good, that looks like progress. Is this a buddy doing the work or what? Keep posting more pics!

Yep, I dropped off the Walbro 190 kit from SCP when I drove down this afternoon for pics. I left SCP's instructions for changing the pump with them, so they'll change the pump before they put the tank and exhaust back up.

The guy doing the work is an old acquaintance of my dad's from when he used to deliver parts. I don't know him personally, but so far it seems like the work he's doing is good and he's been doing body/auto work since '79.

He also mentioned it needed a new driver's door handle, which didn't surprise me since I repaired it once a couple years ago. I was able to find NOS 96/97 handles on ebay for under $30 so I figured I'd give them a whirl. Considering the terrible luck finding good used handles...

I figure 2, maybe 3 more weeks until it's done.

 

[theterminator93]

Looking good. I like seeing paint work done by removing everything in the way instead of just masking around it. The only other thing I would have them do is remove the 1/4 glass. By doing that, there will be no tape lines anywhere on the car, and that means not only a cleaner job, but one less place for adhesion problems down the road.

Yep, when I was there last week we did talk about taking out the 1/4 windows to prevent there being a tape line at the molding. When I was there this afternoon he said he was just about ready to take out the windows.

 

[theterminator93]

Looking good.

Very nice body work. Also would have been a great time for a fiberglass hood!!

lookin good can't wait to see it all finished!

Instea dof green with envy Ill say Im red with envy LOL looks like its going to be fine with its done.

LOL thanks guys.

Ya' know... I am noticing that he filled the "seam" (not really a seam, just a body line) in the lower quarter panel just above where he welded in new metal for the rocker panel. You can see it well in the 3rd pic in the first post; it would be in line with the bottom of the door. I think it looks all right filled in (as you see in the second pic of post 16), but it's not "original" if you know what I mean. I didn't catch if he filled that on the driver's side as well, but I know he had to replace metal there too so I'm guessing he filled it on that side too.

I'm cool with either way, so long as it's the same on both sides.

 

[theterminator93]

Oh yeah, you're right. Closing up that seam actually makes it look better, hopefully he did the drivers' side too. It looks good...

If you're going with electric red you won't even notice the lack of seam anyway, it's dark enough to cover it. Plus with the way the 96/7 cladding is it will probably look better like swanny said

If It was my car though, getting repainted white, I'd be pissed and tell him to chisel a faux seam lol

Is that Electric Red? Honestly the old Laser Red is so faded, I can't tell. All he said was that it's a newer formula for the paint that's a two stage (vs 3 stage) that PPG makes.

 

[theterminator93]

was the laser red paint code e9 in 97?
i remember my 95's was e5 with a tint.


edit: nevermind.......i don't know why i'm thinking e5.....

I thought EG was electric red. Yeah, E9 is laser red. Although in my case, more like laser pink or laser orange...

err I've been talking to ralphp too much lol, I had electric red in mind when I said that

 

[theterminator93]

It's red! It's red!!!!

 

[theterminator93]

Yes it is

Lookin good

Looks great! Why are the wheels & tires off for painting? Didn't want to cover them?

Looking good!...


Are they going to paint the Wheel Wells?









Rayo...

Yea laser red was E9 in 96/7

And electric red is EG

Your car is lookin great dude!

Looks great! I like that the crease line was added back between the quarters/rockers too.

Nah, I don't think he's painting the fenderwells. I assume he pulled the wheels off because he didn't want to bother covering them and/or they were in the way of cutting the corners.

I find it amazing to know that he replaced a chunk of metal from around the fuel filler neck, yet it's impossible to tell - even from the back.

Three more base coats to go before clear, then reassembly. Even without the clear, the finish is like a mirror. Although it needs a new LH door handle...
Depending how quickly I can find a door handle, the car can be done most definitely by the end of the month.

Now, for the fun of it, here are the pictures I took of the car the day I drove it down to the shop.

1) dulled clear, a few poorly matched rust-preventive touch ups


2) rust starting behind the rear driver's rocker


3) rust destroying the rear passenger rocker


4) clear coat and topcoat damaged by UV, faded and peeling ("racing stripes"), dull finish

5) clear coat and topcoat damaged by UV, faded badly, very dull finish



So hopefully the next time I take pictures of this thing, it'll be done! After waiting/saving for this project for nearly 3 years now, I am pumped!

 

[theterminator93]

Maybe you could get him to shoot some Flat Black in your Wheel wells..Figure you're going through the trouble of getting it repainted..Might as well do it right..


I was surprised on how that turned out around the filler neck as well..Looks factory? Minus the rot of course..lol

I can really appreciate the $$$ you put in the Paint Job on your Thunderbird though...I can appreciate it because it's not about what the car is worth monetarily...

More what's it worth to you..


Good job!





Rayo...

Once the front fender liners go in it'll be back to black. But the rears already have a black coating, just spray right over top with any black paint, just to cover the red overspray, don't worry about it sticking because almost no one will see in there.

I don't know why but not all of the pictures are loading for me. (or loading very slowly..) but what I can see looks great! They went all out on this taking all the side trim and even door handles off, props for doing it right.

Mine needs this treatment badly

Holy **** batman! Where is your booth?

-John

Mine needs this treatment badly

Yeah I hear lol.
Great job and glad you didn't junk it. When its done I know you'll feel so much better about it rather than just buying another car and swapping parts. I personally would've done the same. Thats my favorite thing about this club is that some of the people hear are as proud and love their mn12 as much as I do (I've yet to see another nice one in person). Keep up the great work with your whole project as a whole.

Yeah I hear lol.
Great job and glad you didn't junk it. When its done I know you'll feel so much better about it rather than just buying another car and swapping parts. I personally would've done the same. Thats my favorite thing about this club is that some of the people hear are as proud and love their mn12 as much as I do (I've yet to see another nice one in person). Keep up the great work with your whole project as a whole.

I proud of what Ive acomplished with my car. She needs alot but has come ALONG way. Scrapping my car was never an option. I knew she would take alot of work before I started

Now the question is...

Put the pin stripe back or leave it with no pin stripe? I like it either way.

This is the best pic I have of it with the pin stripe, for reference...

 

[theterminator93]

Pretty! IMHO, it doesn't need the stripe, but it looks fine with it!

I vote No...You could always add it later if you really miss it..lol






Rayo...

I hate pinstripes

I might have a different opinion on LE stripes though, particularly on that color.

Is it too late to fill the holes left by the Thunderbird script on the trunk? That would be second on my list, after fixing the rust

He don't want anything Smoooooooth...lol


j/k Brandon..







Rayo...

I put the pinstripe in the body line, right below where the stock pinstripe was. I like it better in that location, so I vote yes, but I would change the color from that stock gold to a black or even white, something a bit brighter or more contrast imo.

The only pinstriping I think will look cool on there is the barbed wire one I always see on trucks.

I kinda like the pin stripe kinda adds to the lines of the car. The only thing is it looks like a cream color which might just be the lighting but white would be the way to go.

IS IT DONE YET??

Lol... The pin stripe was silver. Anyway, here's the latest.

I ordered a new driver's door handle new from Ford a couple weeks ago and it arrived Monday, so I drove it down to him then. The only color they had was black, so he needs to paint and finish it before he can put it on the car.

When I was there this Monday, he had finished buffing the clear and had glazed the finish to a niiiiice shine. The bumper covers, trunk lights, side cladding, quarter windows/trim and spoiler had also been reinstalled. He still needed to install the side mirrors, interior door panels, put the trunk badges back on, install the trim around the door windows, and paint/install the drivers door handle. An hour or two, tops.

It will probably be done sometime next week, provided no more insurance claims show up and slow him down. However it sounds like he might go over budget (extra 1/4 panel work, fender, lock sets, drop exhaust/gas tank etc.)... If/how much he goes over my budget limit and what the weather is doing will determine when I get the car back. Believe me, I'm anxious!

 

[theterminator93]

They looked gold to me, just like my car which was red as well lol. Just like every red tbird I've seen, but I guess they might have changed yours or it was an option to have silver. Anyway congrats on all the work, can't wait to see it all done.

LE stripes would look nice on that one.

I ordered a new driver's door handle new from Ford a couple weeks ago and it arrived Monday, so I drove it down to him then. The only color they had was black, so he needs to paint and finish it before he can put it on the car.

How much was it?

After shipping it came in at $53. After I ordered it I found out I could have gotten it for a few bucks less, but I just wanted to get the darned thing ordered so I didn't spend a lot of time shopping around.

 

[theterminator93]

That's not too bad I guess, I've been hunting for 97 handles for ages and they always end up damaged in a bad way by the time I get them off, I may as well buy new at this point.

Yeh, that's what happened to me. I got the driver's side off, but I broke the passenger one getting it off.

Getting the rivets off is easy, it's getting that rod unhooked that's the hard part!

Here here! I was able to pound the pin out and actually pry the handles almost fully out without damage 3 out of the 4 times I tried it but the rod got me every time.

Having the right tools handy helps too but somehow I always am missing the one I really need when I try to pull something lol

Damn you guys want those handles that bad? I could have hooked it up. I can get handles for people. I have thin arms to reach the rod that holds itself to the handle.

Pounding the pin out works, but if you just use a flat head screw driver, shove it behind the handle and whack it with a hammer - it cuts those rivets off clean without damaging the handle at all (they are just aluminum).

Now get the pos rod unhooked and you're done!

All right! Got the call from him over the weekend; the car is done!

He did end up going over my budget, but he says he cut me some discounts to bring it in closer to my price range. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, after seeing everything he went through to do the job right with the unexpected additional work, I'm content with the end results. For those interested, the total was $4300. That includes a new fender, metal work on both rockers, metal work in the passenger quarter panel, removing and reinstalling the exhaust and gas tank, installing the fuel pump, a new set of door locks, filling and smoothing any imperfections, and of course the paint prep, finish, reassembly and detailing. I bought the fuel pump, both rockers and the replacement door prior to the work being done for a total of $450.

Unfortunately with all this nonsense snow we had over the weekend, the roads are still wet with salt water and there's no way I'm driving it home in that crap. So, needless to say with 52 degrees and sunny forecast for tomorrow...

 

[theterminator93]

You bring the pics, I'll bring the lotion!! I cant wait to see this!

For all the work they put into the car, that really isn't a bad price. Plus you did it right and took everything off the car instead of just taping it up, so you won't have to worry about paint flaking off or peeling or anything like that, so now the car should look good for another 10+ years, so if you think about it as an investment that way, it doesn't seem too expensive.

Congrats cant wait to see it

Arrighty... here ya go!

The sun was already pretty low by the time I got it home so I wasn't able to get any pictures in ideal lighting conditions except the first couple I took when I got to the shop. I'll take more sometime later. And don't mind the rusty tips... stainless steel replacements are on the list.


I like how in the last pic you can see the reflections of both the Mark VIII and Cougar.

 

[theterminator93]

lookin good!!!!!

looks pretty.

Very Nice! I like the close-up of the 'Thunderbird LX'. That looks really nice! lol

Headlights are killer!

Looks great!!!

You definately need lowering springs now for sure. She would look mean sitting down in the weeds imo.

Oh and some steel wool on the tips should clean them up nicely if done carefully, that or Flitz, Nevrdull. Either of those two products will take those tips back to like new.

Headlights are killer!

I took that one just for you.

The headlights, yeah. I actually just came in from polishing the cloudiness out:


Much better!

Looks great!!!

You definately need lowering springs now for sure. She would look mean sitting down in the weeds imo.

Oh and some steel wool on the tips should clean them up nicely if done carefully, that or Flitz, Nevrdull. Either of those two products will take those tips back to like new.

Neh, I've never been a fan of lowered cars. I think the bird sits low enough as it is; in fact another 1/2" and I wouldn't be able to fit the jack underneath, lol. The tires are about 3/4" shorter than stock, so that doesn't help the illusion of height either. Thanks for the tip about the tips. They were chrome plated aluminum. I have the feeling the chrome has peeled off and is long gone.

 

[theterminator93]

The car looks fantastic!

if they're rusty then they're not aluminum. are they corroded/pitted, or just dirty and cloudy looking?

Great looking Tbird.

I likey! Lookin good brandon!

Nice Brandon

wow.Car came out great.

Man that is sexy! Your car looks so good now, I am thinking about getting projectors for mine!

Neh, I've never been a fan of lowered cars. I think the bird sits low enough as it is; in fact another 1/2" and I wouldn't be able to fit the jack underneath, lol. The tires are about 3/4" shorter than stock, so that doesn't help the illusion of height either. Thanks for the tip about the tips. They were chrome plated aluminum. I have the feeling the chrome has peeled off and is long gone.

I use a small jack to get the front end high enough to slide the big jack in, it's not that bad

Paint looks fantastic but a modest drop would make a helluva difference

Your Thunderbird looks great!

Did you get any orange peel or anything in the paint job?..It looks perfect in the pics..What does your mom and dad think about you painting the Thunderbird?..Do they want it back now!..

Neh, I've never been a fan of lowered cars. I think the bird sits low enough as it is; in fact another 1/2" and I wouldn't be able to fit the jack underneath, lol. The tires are about 3/4" shorter than stock, so that doesn't help the illusion of height either.

It still looks good...Even without being lowered..I was going to go with a big drop on my Sport this Spring, but I'm still undecided...It's not a necessity if you know what I mean..

Thanks for the tip about the tips. They were chrome plated aluminum. I have the feeling the chrome has peeled off and is long gone.

I had that happen to some cheap tips I had on my Sport..I just took em off and threw them away..I think it looks better without them anyways..If your muffler tips have a little bit of a turndown on them...You don't really need chrome tips to look good anyways..

There is such a thing as too much chrome!..


Anyways looks good!





Rayo..

The tips are definitely aluminum, and at first the rust had me stumped. The best I can figure is there's several layers of prep under where the chrome was, and that's what's giving me the copper color. As soon as I can make up my mind, I'll get some stainless turndowns. I guess that's what I get for $10 tips.

But yeah, I'm keeping this one at stock height. At least for the foreseeable future.

There is a very small amount of orange peel in the paint (I didn't have the money to spend on a show-car paint job), but from a short distance it's impossible to tell. It's so minimal I don't even think it'd qualify as "orange peel".

Spent most of the evening installing a new amp and getting the wiring set for that. While I was at it I also put in the fold down seat I had. I've still got a closed vane water pump, my custom cluster and set of underdrive pulleys to go in.

Oh yeah, and when I got to the shop the guy who did the work said he had a couple people ask if the car was for sale.

Now I'm thinking about vanity plates. "RED TBRD" or the like. Will this ever end?

 

[theterminator93]

Very nice. Where did you get the hid upgrade from?

Very nice. You must be pretty darn proud.

It was an ebay deal back in 09; there's a thread about them in the exterior section that's a dozen or so pages long. Unfortunately the manufacturer no longer makes them and nobody makes one small enough to fit in our housings. There are a few close ones, but they all seem to involve cutting.

Oh and Rayo - I noticed that he did shoot some flat back in the rear wheel wells.

 

[theterminator93]

It's coming to the point where the paint job has matured enough that I can wax it now; it's been nearly 3 months since he sprayed the car. There's a good shine to it as it is, but I'm eager to see what a good coat of carnauba will do for the finish. There's rain in the forecast for the next few days so I might get a chance to wax it over this weekend. Once I do I'm sure I'll take a bunch of pictures. The car was a bit dusty when I took the pics after I got it home.

Wow Brandon.

Not sure how I missed this tread.

Most excellent work! Your car is beautiful.

I can't wait to get mine painted your car is a real inspiration. My roof looks a lot worse than yours did.

I hope to see you at Summer Blast or the SC shootout.

+1 I missed the final pictures!

Looks amazing! :zbang:

I don't normally like the stock height on Bird's but I actually like it on yours. I wouldn't change it.

Finally got it waxed up today, but when I went to take pictures I was only able to get one shot off before the camera batteries died.

Turned out rather well, so here it is...

 

[theterminator93]

It's been about a year since the finishing was done, and it's holding up great! I also routinely park next to the father-in-law's almost identical sport. The colors are similar but not quite the same.

 

[White Lincoln]

Very nice! What brand / model of mufflers do you have on your Thunderbird?

 

[theterminator93]

Thanks! They are Dynomax Super Turbos.

 

[Bulldog]

Man, she is looking good! I would feel a lot better had he cleaned and coated to arrest the corrosion before welding over it but that's probably just the Inspector in me.

 

[theterminator93]

Yeah, I wish he had done that too. This was what was found underneath the rockers a few years ago. All he did was beat in the rust and slip new panels over top!




The guy that did the repairs wasn't great... but at least he cleaned up and treated as much as he could.



There was some obvious corrosion making its way up the rear shock mounts but they're still pretty solid. I'm figuring that I'll need to find a good donor chassis to transfer parts onto in the next 3-5 years. But I'm in no hurry. I'd kind of hoped to have been able to take the car down the track again to see if the headers and tune refinements over the years would get me my 100 MPH pass, but I'm not too sure about that with all that corrosion.

 

[Bulldog]

Holy shit!!!! I would just send it, I'm sure it will be fine.

 

[White Lincoln]

Thanks! They are Dynomax Super Turbos.

The look nice slightly showing out the back. I did some digging and found that is the same mufflers I got for mine except they the OEM sized ones with the built-in tip and that is nipped off some.


Unfortunately, they did not fit the OEM exhaust and I had to add reducers, etc to make them work the OEM exhaust. Strange.

 

[Rodeo Joe]

Stock exhaust is 2" and the turbos are 2 1/4.

Joe

 

[theterminator93]

Mine are 2-1/2" in and out. The tips are custom stainless ones I had Trubendz make for me a number of years ago.