http://www.v8tvshow.com - Our latest project car - a 1969 Pontiac Firebird named "Routy" - has finally entered the building. It has been patiently waiting in storage in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin, and owner Steve Prouty finally got a break in the weather and hauled it to the V8TV shop. The car is in pretty good shape, we don't anticipate any major panel replacement or real surprises, but we'll see when we get into the project. Here's the intro video with the car, and the other "goodies" Steve brought down from America's Dairyland.
1965 Chevelle Quarter Panel Install Pt. 1 V8TV
http://www.v8tvshow.com - PART 1 - Quarter panels are one of the most rust and dent-prone parts of musclecars, and our 1965 Chevelle had some of each. Mostly dents. Thankfully, OPGI came out with new reproduction full quarter panels for 1965 Chevelles. In this video, we show you how to remove your old panel and install the new. Also applies to other GM A Bodies like Skylarks, Cutlasses, GTOs and others.
1969 Pontiac Firebird Project: Body Media Blasted V8TV
The moment of truth...our project 1969 Pontiac Firebird "Routy" came home from the media blaster. We had the interior, underside, trunk, and firewall of the body tub blasted, along with stacks of smaller parts like the inner fender wells, the radiator core support, and all the bumper brackets. We also had the complete subframe and suspension parts blasted, but that's a different story. This time, we're taking a closer look at the condition of the body. This car had many previous repairs, and it's not really fair for us to point out the details of previous work, but we think it's important to illustrate what we found and to make some observations on what we're starting with.
1969 Firebird "Routy" Trunk Floor Replacement Video V8TV
http://www.v8tvshow.com - The trunk floor area in our 1969 Pontiac Firebird "Routy" was looking pretty rough, so we elected to use an assortment of repair panels from Classic Industries to replace the rust and previous damage repairs. The process went pretty smoothly, and we were able to butt-weld and plug weld the new pieces in leaving a factory appearance with no evidence we were ever there. A coat of Eastwood Epoxy Primer will help keep them rust free for good.
1969 Firebird Routy Currie Rear Axle & Baer Brake Install Video V8TV
http://www.v8tvshow.com - We're building this car to have awesome drivability, and we wanted to use components that could stand up to some occasional punishment. It's no secret that the Currie 9+ rear axle systems are up to the challenge. We already had the Boyd's Junk Yard Dog wheels and Nitto 555 tires, so we worked backwards and fit the rear axle to the car and wheels. In this case, we used a custom narrowed Currie housing loaded with a Nodular iron center section, 3.25:1 gears, a Detroit Truetrac differential, and 31 spline Currie axles. The Truetrac is a nice piece because it offers smooth, quiet operation, and locks automatically when needed. Once it was painted and installed, we added a Baer Track 13" rear disc brake kit. In front, we again used a Baer Track kit with 13" rotors and dual piston calipers for awesome stopping power. An Eastwood powder coated CPP master cylinder and stainless brake lines from Classic Industries round out the system.
1969 Pontiac Firebird 400 - Suzy Q
Mike took his 69 Firebird out for one last ride on August 1, 2009.
Ten days later it was shipping from New Jersey heading to Norway.
He sold it to a collector in Norway where there is a big interest in the American Muscle Car.
Long live his Firebird - Suzy Q!
1969 Pontiac Firebird Project Teardown V8TV
http://www.v8tvshow.com - Tearing down muclecars to their bare bones can be a big mess. Luckily for us, this phase of our project 1969 Pontiac Firebird named "Routy" went pretty well. Since the car was already mostly disassembled, it came apart fast, and we didn't have to change the name to "Rusty". Now that the car is blown apart and on the Autotwirler rotisserie, it's next stop is the media blaster where the piece-parts and underside will all be stripped of the flaky paint and undercoating residue. Then we'll know the real truth.. if this car is as clean as it claims to be, or if there are any secrets hiding under the primer.
1965 Chevelle Paint Spray Video V8TV
http://www.v8tvshow.com - All the sanding and preparation work is finally complete, and we were ready to spray the DuPont BMW Estoril Blue on our 1965 Chevelle. After all the primer was wetsanded to a 600 grit finish, body technician Nathan Newberry wiped the surface down with wax & grease remover and sprayed the body with DuPont Hot Seal sealer to create a barrier between the basecoat color and the primer. Next came the DuPont Chroma Premiere basecoat. Nathan sprayed several coats to completely cover the body shell, then we masked the outside surfaces and sprayed clear on the door jambs and areas that could not be cleared once the car is reassembled. Next up were the doors, fenders, hood, deck lid, hinges, etc. All were checked with the 3M SunGun for accuracy. We're going to assemble the car in basecoat and clear it assembled... stay tuned for that one!
1969 Trans Am Barn Find - Part 2
This is the follow up to the 1969 Trans Am Barn Find Video. Here is the car after a cleanup and complete going through. I now drive the car as much as possible. UPDATE: The car has been sold and now lives with its new owner in the Midwest.
Flawless 1969 Pontiac Firebird 400
Dave Armstrong, the master GM mechanic who keeps my Fiero on the road, did a frame-up restoration on this flawless, award-winning 1969 Pontiac Firebird 400. (Quick, all you old-timers. What were the names of the other Firebird models available that year? No peeking.)
I'm always amazed at his ability to find NOS parts that aren't even being made anymore by anyone, especially GM.
Dave takes this car to Pontiac shows during the summer; don't miss the opportunity to see it up close and personal. This video doesn't do it justice.
If you have a GM car (or any other car or truck, for that matter), and you live in the Chicago area, take it to him. Ace Muffler, 7157 W. Irving Park Rd., near Harlem/Irving Plaza. (773)282-1444. How good is he? When he replaced the Iron Duke in my Fiero, his years of experience allowed him to take the old one out through the top instead of dropping the rear suspension and drivetrain, as Pontiac recommended. Yes, he knows his business.
And anyone who would take a car like this into Chicago evening rush-hour traffic is either very brave or knows that he could build another one just like it, which he could;) That lap-dissolve at 3:16 was necessitated by a very rude, very obscene comment and hand gesture by the female passenger in that Toyota Yaris. Pure jealousy, that's all that was.
That Firebird 400 V8 sound is music. If you have stereo speakers on your computer, turn them up.
He's also restoring a '69 Pontiac Ventura, which I shot video of and will be uploading later on.
Firebird Restoration
This is a slideshow of my 1969 Firebird convertible I restored myself.
