Project TV 2M8O

8/23/20

08/23/20 update....

A little update from the guys this week... they have started metal working the front fenders, closing up a few emblem holes...

and adding a patch to the areas behind the wheel openings to fill the holes left by cutting out some rust...

and the hood is awaiting it's second coat of mud.

They also got the 5 rims for the wagon worked, primed and painted.

Once they have cured out, clearcoated and a bit of buffing and polish, they will be ready for some new rubber!

Well the black ABS cement DID NOT adhere to the grille as I was lead to believe, so I did a little web surfing and came across a product on Eastwood called Plastex Rigid Plastic Repair. Sounded like what I was looking for, so I went to youtube to see the stuff in action. Found a couple videos and one was an actual plastic grille repair, so I was reading thru some of the comments and one of the reviewers said you could do the same type repairs using baking soda and super glue (cyanoacrylate or CA for short) for a LOT LESS than what the kits cost! A bit more surfing and came across several posts about how easily and soundly baking soda and super glue (CA) repaired plastics.... one was even by the MythBusters and how they used this stuff all the time!

So when my wife and I went to the grocery store this morning, I popped in CVS and bought a package of Scotch brand liquid super glue. (The liquid is preferred over the gel because you want it to wick quickly into the baking soda.)

Once we were back home (and the groceries unloaded!) I headed out to the garage to clean off the ABS cement, beveled the edges of the cracks and reprep the grille for another attempt at repairing it.

The first area I tested was the longest crack along the top of the grille. I applied a piece of clear packing tape to the underside to act as a retainer for the baking powder as shown in one of the videos...

applied the baking soda...

packed it down into the crack with a small flat screwdriver and leveled it a bit and then began applying drops of the CA to the soda.

I watched it slowly began to wick into the soda and once all the soda was saturated and the CA was uniform in color, I took a paper towel and wicked off the excess CA (and the paper towel actually began to smoke due to the exothermic reaction of the CA!). Once I had the excess removed, I couldn't believe how quickly the stuff had set and how strong the first repair made the grille feel.

I then proceeded to do the same steps along all the surfaces of the crack...

The grill now feels VERY SOLID! I'll let everything set up overnight and then dress the visible surfaces smooth so I can then move on to cleaning the grille really good and get it repainted and ready for reassembly.

More to come....

ZEBRA 3 OUT

8/9/20

08/09/20 Update....

Well the guys have started working the hood as the body primer cures out....

Once they have it all blocked out, they'll jump onto the doors and fenders.

Saturday, I went over to the dealership and pulled out all the various bits to the dash and started stripping the dash in preparation for repairing a couple cracks and then repainting it satin black, detailing out the highlights and then reassembling it in preparation for it's final install....

I left the metal dash reinforcements in place to keep the dash plastic supported until I'm ready to do the repairs.

When I left, I brought the grill home to work on in the evenings after work.

They guys are making good headway and don't want them waiting on me for anything!

More to come...

ZEBRA 3 OUT

8/1/20

08/01/20 Update...

Met the guys at the dealership this morning so they could drop off my driver's seat, the wire harnesses and some tools I left in the car and they picked up the wagon wheels to paint the centers for me. I met them back at their shop to eyeball the Tomato and they have been busy! Got her taped up and the build coat of primer and the guide coat applied to the body and deck lid...

While it's curing out, they'll start working the doors, fenders, hood, header panel and headlight buckets.

I came back to the house to work some more on the garage so I can start bringing some of the odd projects I need to get wrapped up home and taken care of....

Moving right along now!

STAY TUNED!

ZEBRA 3 OUT

7/26/20

07/25/20 Update....

WOW, two updates in a month... been a while since I've been able to do that!! LOL

The weekend of the 18th I had to go up to the Cleveland for an EMG and doctor's appointment at the Cleveland Clinic, so I didn't get a chance to work on anything Torino related. But on my way back from the appointment on Monday I got a text from the upholstery shop that they had my rear seat finished, so as we headed home from Cleveland on Tuesday, I swung by and picked it up.....

While it's not 100% to my liking, it better than it was...

since it's the back seat and not too many people will be up close and personal with it, it will suffice until I have the interior redone in leather at a later date. Have learned to go over EVERYTHING with a fine tooth comb before accepting and paying for a completed project!!!

So this weekend, I took the seat over to the dealership and dropped it off and while I was there, I took my grille down to the wash rack, washed it good (lots of nooks and crannies in that egg crate grille!!) and then took it apart for repairing and detailing.

I have one crack to the top center that had been repaired unsuccessfully in the past that I must readdress before getting too far along it its restoration, so I added a couple layers of masking tape to try and keep the grille together so the crack wouldn't advance any further until I can get it repaired...

So until next time...

ZEBRA 3 OUT

7/11/20

07/11/20 Update....

WOW, been almost two months without an update!! Hasn't really been anything Torino related to report, but the power at the bodyshop has been restored and they are in the process of excavating the area behind the facility to expand it rearward to install a new paint booth and additional work area, but Mother Nature hasn't been cooperating very much so things are taking longer than planned.

I went over to the dealership this morning and marked the holes in the front bumper reinforcement to see which areas could be cut away to reduce a bit of it's weight.....

and also messed a bit on my front bumper pushbar over-rider style bumper guards....

I then moved the bumper reinforcement off the worktop and went and grabbed my dash out of the parts storage room to start cleaning it up to paint and restore. Had a car in the wash rack, so I just set the dash on the bench until next weekend when I'll pull off the remaining electrical components and get it into the bay and wash it off really well. Did notice a couple cracks in the lower edge that I'll need to address and looks like I also have a couple holes on the lower edge to fill as well....