Remember, when putting on componets like the headlight buckets, valance, bumper, etc, to make the fit loose, do the adjustments, then tighten down. It may take several attempts to get it straight and square. I've always heard a dollar bill is used in the reflection test. Good if you can read the numbers closest to the paint, better if you can read both sets of numbers, best if you can read an 8X10 sheet of FSM.

Bonzi Lon

Remember, when putting on componets like the headlight buckets, valance, bumper, etc, to make the fit loose, do the adjustments, then tighten down. It may take several attempts to get it straight and square.

Bonzi Lon

Thanks for the tip Bonzi. One part of me wants to get it assembled ASAP; the other side says take your time. I will make sure everything fits well before I tighten everything. The hood especially. I will need to remove that to put the engine back in.

Got my transmission back yesterday. Shop said it was in good shape and just needed new seals.

Almost had a catastrophe with the weather stripping. Everyone is out. Was fortunate that Black dragon still had a set. It arrives on Thursday.

I should get the final small rubber peices on Friday from MSA. Also need to hop on over to CDM and get the paint for the back panel. A friend of mine has a graphite composite rear panel. Looks pretty sweet. Will have to get one of those some day. Looks like it costs a pretty penny though.

Anyway, looking forward to the weekend...Love the pics of the yellow.

Spent most of the day prepping parts for when the body returns. You know you have too much time on your hands when you plate the horn. :paranoid:

Spent most of the day prepping parts for when the body returns. You know you have too much time on your hands when you plate the horn. :paranoid:

Plating looks good, when do I bring my box of parts over? . Can't wait to see this car back together.

Picked up the Car from Lance's Maaco today and it looks great. I threw a picture of the car in the shop and Lance in here. Now the assembly work. Been at it for over 4 hours now and doesn't look like much has been done. Will work on it a bit more tonite and then some tomorrow. Will post pics as I go.

Will probably play in the engine bay tomorrow. I love the color. It grabs your attention.

How is the quality of the paint and finish? How much did Lance charged? Reason why i ask is that i may bring my rx7 project for paint and also my 240z when it is time.

How is the quality of the paint and finish? How much did Lance charged? Reason why i ask is that i may bring my rx7 project for paint and also my 240z when it is time.

The paint and finish look great. I am really happy with the exterior finish and shine. Very smooth with a nice gloss. Beautiful color.

The cost was pretty reasonable. I got a quote from one other Maaco (high), but didn't quote any small independant shops. The total cost out the door after tax was $1950. That is roughly $1400 for the top of the line signature urethane pant job, two stage paint with clear coat finish. $200 for painting the engine bay and door jams and $300 for the final finish and polish. Tax on the paint is about $50.

All in all, it is pretty much what I was looking for. I have only found one run (on the side of the rear spoiler) and I can probably buff that out. The exterior is near perfect, the door jams and rear hatch were done well. The engine bay paint seems to be a little thin in some areas, but decent. It won't be noticable once I put all the stuff back in.

The only negative was the tape job. A couple of the wire harnesses have some serious paint on them, and the fuel and brake lines got some overspray. Also, the underside of the engine bay box beam was not sprayed, but it's not a very serious thing. Few people will see that as it's on the underside of the car. I may see about touching that up later.

Overall, I am really thrilled with the work that was done for the price. I didn't want to put $10K into a car that will never be worth that much, but I wanted something that looked awesome. For under $2K, it is very nice. I will do the same exact thing with my '73 about 6 months from now. Onlly it will be the oriinal 901 silver.

Hope that helps.

Rich

I love the glow of this paint job. The exterior paint just looks incredible.

Won't get much done during the week, But I am happy with the progress. Used scotch brite to shine up the brake and fuel lines. Sprayed with clear coat spray for high temp environment to prevent/slow rust. Got the elec harness cleaned up, re-taped actually, and a few more items in. I am hoping to get the fuel tank in on Tuesday night.

Checked around and $140 is the cheapest I can find to get my windshield and rear glass put in. May try this myself this weekend.

Absolutely beautiful - can't wait to see her when she's finished!!

That paint does POP! Now the real fun part of this puzzle, putting it back together, then apart to put something in or adjust, its all in the tweeking. At least you have a mighty fine helper. The bumpers may be light weight, but get real heavy with a 1 person install.

That $140 is WAY cheap for front and rear glass. If you have never done it or watched how it was done, your odds of breaking one go way up. And you want to install 2? Usually, if the installer breaks, he buys a replacement. For the price, maybe this professional would be worth it. Dad was always saying, don't spend $20 to save $10.

This is just my opinion. What do the others have to say?

Bonzi Lon

Pay the bucks to have an "expert" install the glass. Maybe you can learn some tricks for next time!

Does the installer guarantee the install if he breaks the glass?

I watched an installer check for leaks by using shaving cream on the exterior and using air pressure from the inside on my '96 Dodge Pickup. We ended up bending my door a bit!

Search here for opinions on whether to put the trim on 1st or after the gasket install. Escalon and Geezer have had some discussions as have others.

BTW, I have enjoyed your posts on this re-build. I wished that I lived near that Maaco shop. We had one in Connecticut that was like that. They had better facilities than most "good" shops at the time and some shops used them for final painting!