This one just came back from the media blaster. You never know whats hiding under that paint. This owner just got the bad news. Needs new quarters, rear body panel and roof. At least he is going to know what he has now. Whoever did this resto before REALLY liked bondo and didnt care at all about corrosion protection. Looks like Frankenstein welded it together. Parts are on order. I will post progress.
Our newest project-1968 SS Camaro
- Thread starter WH0DAMAN
- Start date
pumpgasdrags
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- Oct 31, 2007
- Messages
- 5
Geez. Looked like a pretty decent car when painted. But like you said, at least he knows what he's dealing with now.
Yah, thats what we thought also. But there were some things that just didnt look right. Stripping it down confirmed our suspision. Thick bondo. Whoever did the work on this was not a professional. They installed new quarter panel skins on the vehicle and went cheap. The proper install is a belt cut through the sail panel and all the way into the lock pillar. This is how the factory ones were done. Their method was to also not completely remove the old quarter panel and just lay it over the top of the old one in some areas. The height differences were then made up with good old bondo and some poor quality welding. With replacing the roof, quarters, outer wheel houses and rear body panel he is getting a vehicle that will last without question. Not to mention that unlike the factory in 1968, we will actually corrosion protect the vehicle.
davestlouis
Well-known member
A belt-cut on a quarter panel can be OK if done well, but you can't just hack the thing and hide your mistakes with mud...although we've all seen some shiny paint hiding really bad bodywork.
pumpgasdrags
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- Oct 31, 2007
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- 5
I was doing bodywork on my camaro and found about 1/4" worth of bondo all along the roof by the rear window. There was plenty more that i found later down the road. It was bad but I learned a lot working on the car and had fun doing it.
I'm glad you had fun. Nothing like a job well done.
hamburglar
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- Joined
- Mar 10, 2008
- Messages
- 523
Holy cow...
Actually, I'm kind of suprised that an SS350 hardtop is worth the money the owner is going to put into it. It always seemed to me that big block cars and/or convertibles are about the same cost to go through, so why spend the money on the SBC cars (Z/28s excepted due to the fan club).
Any estimate on the total bill?
Actually, I'm kind of suprised that an SS350 hardtop is worth the money the owner is going to put into it. It always seemed to me that big block cars and/or convertibles are about the same cost to go through, so why spend the money on the SBC cars (Z/28s excepted due to the fan club).
Any estimate on the total bill?
I havent figured it all out yet but I am guessing around $15-20K. Paint materials being around $3-4K of the bill. Spendy stuff. This customer likes specific kinds of cars. We have done a SS 70 El Camino and a SS Malibu for him already. This camaro is going to have custom interior as well. Not much stock left and thats how he likes them. He is specific and has the $ so...why not.
e-tek
Well-known member
Just for conversation: Save for the heavy welding near the top of the Qtr-jamb, what I can see doesn't look THAT bad - especially if you know it was done by an amateur! Hard to tell, but doesn't look like too much was overlapped and I've seen acceptable overlaps whereby a little filler makes it an invisible repair. It would be nice if all amateurs could go right to the factory joints, but that makes a heck of a lot more work (especially getting into the trunk rail, sail & t/l panels) - as you know!
That thing looked pretty (very) good - again, from what we can see in those pics. Any photos of the tell-tale signs - bubbling, lifting, etc? The owner MUST have $$$ - again from what we can see, it looks show!
Can't wait to see how much BETTER it turns out. Will you post detailed photo's?
Cheers!
That thing looked pretty (very) good - again, from what we can see in those pics. Any photos of the tell-tale signs - bubbling, lifting, etc? The owner MUST have $$$ - again from what we can see, it looks show!
Can't wait to see how much BETTER it turns out. Will you post detailed photo's?
Cheers!
I'll get some more photos. There are quite a few blown welds. If you look down into the lock pillars it gets real nasty. Very bad weld quality. They also welded the rear body panel solid to the quarters. No seam and again, bad welds. Roof came off another car and had just about a micron of thickness left to it. The rust looks like it was treated but there wasnt much metal left afterword. By replacing the full quarters this will be a much better repair. I do plan on taking photos on each step which should make it interesting. Talk to you soon
ddawg16
Well-known member
Oh the memories....oh the memories.....
I used to have a 67 Rally Sport Conv.....I would give my left nut to have that car back......Oh, the fun I had with it.....sold it for $1500 back in 79.....
I should go back to Texas and see if I can find the car.....
I used to have a 67 Rally Sport Conv.....I would give my left nut to have that car back......Oh, the fun I had with it.....sold it for $1500 back in 79.....
I should go back to Texas and see if I can find the car.....
Ramblur
Well-known member
swvega
Well-known member
How long ago was this car redone? As i remember there was a time when all you could get for these cars were the short after market 1/4s and all you had was to the edge of door post and top of 1/4. the back at tail lights didnt go to factory seam so when you welded it on you lost that seam. Wheel wells fit like charp to.
Not real sure. He bought it at an auction at Hot August Nights. Apparantly it sold once already and the guy brought it back. He should have known to look into it a bit more.
Man if I had a dollar for everytime I heard that. Thats why the age group of most of the people that we are doing restorations for is the baby boomers. They had one when they were younger and poorer. Now that they have some expendible cash they are getting that car back that they regreted selling. In todays aftermarket world of bolt-ons you can make it as fast as you want as well. Just takes $.
$1500.00
I feel for you man.Here are some in-process photos. Scary. Note the photo of the sail panel. The people who did this before installed a used roof but forgot to weld the splice There was also only one spot weld holding the upper portion of the rear body panel in place. This thing would have been pretty ugly in an accident.
There was also only one spot weld holding the upper portion of the rear body panel in place. This thing would have been pretty ugly in an accident.Attachments
StingRay
Well-known member
After you get all of the **** off of there what's left looks like you can build a car out of it. Too bad it's a 68 I have a set of 67 NOS quarters, door skins and a tail light panel I'm looking to unload.
Yah, whats left is pretty do-able. The customer brought in NOS quarters and rear body panel. Roof is aftermarket but looks pretty nice. It would be nice to replace the doors with NOS but we are going to just repair the old ones.
hidollartoys
Well-known member
WHODA, how do you guys remove the spotwelds. Do you use a plasma? Looks like that in the pic of the strike jam.
No. We just drill them out. Everything else was cut with a die grinder w/a cutoff wheel. Low tech
hidollartoys
Well-known member
Now I dont feel so prehistoric. I do the same and cuss the whole slow prosess. I guess that some things are just that way. No shortcuts. I guess that is why you get payed the big bucks.LOL
LOL. True...so true.
e-tek
Well-known member
Yup - that is some sweet work. OK, not for the actual tech 
- but the quality I mean! I used to think (as did most 20-30 years ago) that you HAD to repair the panels. Now, with the aftermarket boom, cars are routinely skinned and made better than their patched and bondo-smoothed counterparts.
Nice work - looks like the owner will be getting a new car out of it.
- but the quality I mean! I used to think (as did most 20-30 years ago) that you HAD to repair the panels. Now, with the aftermarket boom, cars are routinely skinned and made better than their patched and bondo-smoothed counterparts.Nice work - looks like the owner will be getting a new car out of it.
Fast Orange
Well-known member
As a point of interest,what's the benefit of reworking the original body versus using one of the repop bodies from CARS or whoever it is doing the whole body?If the repop is at all close to the OEM,I would think you could actually built a more sound car from one of them than you can with a sectioned up mess like you're dealing with.It could even be cheaper,depending on how much labor it would save and how much detail work the repop would need.
An aftermarket full body is around $12,000.00 not including shipping. You would then have to switch the electrical, motor, ******, suspension...The way we are re-assembling the vehicle is the way it was assembled at the factory, with the addition of corrosion protection. The inner structure that was not sectioned properly is a pretty easy fix. I wouldnt say that a repop is a more sound option since you dont know how it was put together either. You also dont know if they used corrosion protection when putting it together. Unless the full body is a fiberglass reproduction (witch would definately not be worth a dime) the panels would have had to be welded together piece by piece by somebody. I dont trust a body from China is going to be assembled to our standards. We have seen some pretty scary stuff. On the other hand, if that body was done properly and you were going to mess with the motor and suspension anyway...I would do it. If you are paying somebody to do everything though...it's a toss up.
Fast Orange
Well-known member
I wasn't aware the repops were built in China.In that case,I too would prefer to go through the work that you're doing.A chinese Camaro is almost blasphemous-I wouldn't take the time or trouble to assemble one. It would be as bad as calling a Street Beast a 34 Ford.
Ok, so I havent updated for awhile so here is where we are today. Panels are all fit and welded in place and bodywork is very close to being done. Vehicle should be in primer next week. Then it's block, block, block.
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06144.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06145.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06146.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06304.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06305.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06306.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06307.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06144.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06145.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06146.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06304.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06305.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06306.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/WH0DAMAN/DSC06307.jpg
n2hcky
Well-known member
I have a 67 I will be beginning it second resto........what do you want for them?
I think you better check that panel gap on the trunk. I don't think they came that good from the factory....
Nice work by the way.
As I owned a 67 SS/RS 32 years ago, I will always have a love for them. Looking back, it was absolutely amazing I never got arrested the way I drove that car.
e-tek
Well-known member
Ok, so I havent updated for awhile so here is where we are today. Panels are all fit and welded in place and bodywork is very close to being done. Vehicle should be in primer next week. Then it's block, block, block.
Hope you don't mind I posted up your images. I hate clicking to open links!!
On subject: Incredible work! That's a car that will forever have you mark of quality on it - and people will thank you!
babzog
Well-known member
Manb, she's turned out real purdy! Nice job!
Wondering (noob question, here we go). What's a "sail panel", "lock pillar" and "belt cut" (as in, when you were discussing the rear quarters, you wrote: "The proper install is a belt cut through the sail panel and all the way into the lock pillar.")? I enjoyed looking through the pics sometimes didn't understand what I was looking at.
Wondering (noob question, here we go). What's a "sail panel", "lock pillar" and "belt cut" (as in, when you were discussing the rear quarters, you wrote: "The proper install is a belt cut through the sail panel and all the way into the lock pillar.")? I enjoyed looking through the pics sometimes didn't understand what I was looking at.
A sail panel is the panel on the car between the backglass and the small windows behind the doors(quarter windows). It's kind of shaped like a sail. The lock pillar is the panel that the rear of the door closes on to. It's attached to the front of the quarter panel and wraps around to the inside of the car. A belt cut is basically a cut through the sail panel. Basically because it is at belt level. The moldings at the bottom of the door windows that are at the same level as the mirror are called belt moldings. That line running down the car that is at belt level is the belt of the car.
There are so many names in this business for the same parts. It can get really confusing if youre not around it all the time.
babzog
Well-known member
Hey, thank you for the simple explanation! I'd wondered if the sail panel was in fact, the part you had described (but never considered it resembling an actual sail, till now anyway).
So what you were describing would have essentially required cutting off the (majority of the) sail panel and roof using a cut from the trunk to the top of the lock pillar (vs the cut halfway up that panel that the PO did).. is that correct?
So what you were describing would have essentially required cutting off the (majority of the) sail panel and roof using a cut from the trunk to the top of the lock pillar (vs the cut halfway up that panel that the PO did).. is that correct?
Basically, the cut would be about 8-12 inches up the sail panel between the backglass and quarter glass. You could also call it a sail panel cut. Thats where the factory seam is on this vehicle and most the cars on the road today.
Jack Burton
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 22, 2009
- Messages
- 105
You skipped the best parts...the retro-fits. BTW...what is a belt-cut?
Isn’t there an outfit out there that sells all the parts needed to build a complete muscle car?
It is almost a kit car, but with OEM style and quality parts.
Obliviously only the real popular ones.
As I understand it they shopped all the replacement parts guys, found out what was missing, sourced out those parts, and then will collect and sell you everything you need to build a factory spec car.
Body parts, interior, drivetrain, even peroid correct screws.
The claim was that some states would even let you title it as a “1968 Mustang” or whatever.
It is almost a kit car, but with OEM style and quality parts.
Obliviously only the real popular ones.
As I understand it they shopped all the replacement parts guys, found out what was missing, sourced out those parts, and then will collect and sell you everything you need to build a factory spec car.
Body parts, interior, drivetrain, even peroid correct screws.
The claim was that some states would even let you title it as a “1968 Mustang” or whatever.
