Hey guys,
Been ages since I've been to my blog much less posted anything! I just bought a house and got moved in and I'm STILL UNPACKING STUFF... Amazing how much crap you accumilate over time!!!
I also updated the formatting of my blog. Hope it makes it easier to ready and that everyone enjoys it. I see a few of the older posts need tweaked a bit to display correctly but that will be another day...
I promise to post a project update..........
SOON
Stay tuned...........
ZEBRA 3 OUT
9/9/10
2/19/10
Roof brace repair and dash removal
Hey gang,
Been several months since I've updated my blog so I'll try and get things brought up to day. When I posted last, I had the roof skin off my Torino and beginning the interior structure repair. I removed my damaged center roof brace and while I had it out I installed the second Cougar roof brace before also installing the Cougar center brace. Once I had them welded in place, I removed the old damaged "tar paper" insulation and will replace it with some more modern high tech insulation material prior to buttoning up the roof skin.
Speaking of the roof skin, I cleaned off all the old insulation adhesive, scuffed it up with a scotch brite wheel, applied a coat of POR-15 as well as a coat of POR-15 self etching primer in preparation for the finish coat prior to installation.
With the roof bracing installed and the roof skin prepped, I turned my attention to getting the dash panel out of the car detailing. I actually pulled mine just before the Thanksgiving holiday ('09). Since I have to keep my car driveable, I needed to leave the harness intact so I can move the car around the dealership if needed so I might have had to do a bit more that someone who can just unplug the harness from the bulkhead connector??
There is a bolt and a nut on each end of the dash panel that must be removed (I left them barely engaged so the weight of the dash would be supported until I had everything out of the way and was ready to remove the dash from the car) as well as a couple sheet metal brackets and a heavy brace just to the right (passenger side) of the dash center.
I had already removed the dash pad, cluster, glove box & door, HAVC vents, etc so I was that far ahead of the game. Before I started loosening up the mounting hardware, I first removed the HVAC and other electrical controls and the ash tray assembly and pushed/pulled them free of the dash. Again, since I was leaving the harness in the car, there were a few harness hangers that needed to be opened up and the harness freed from. I replaced any hardware that may have been removed to prevent them from getting lost and reminding me where everything went during reassembly.
There are also a couple semi-rigid rubber/plastic harness protector/hangers on the drivers side where the harness goes around the column and then divides for the cluster and the rest of the dash run. The longer piece just below the HVAC control is held on by three screws and the smaller piece below the wiper controls is held on by two screws all of which are threaded into the sheet metal dash reinforcement.
I discovered three cracks in my dash that I needed to protect and keep from making worse. (You can just make them out in the attached pictures) One was across the thin section below the glove box door, another just below the ash tray and the last was just starting below the HVAC controls. There is a sheet metal reinforcement that runs along the bottom of the dash panel. To maintain the structural integrity of the plastic piece, any hardware that was removed that went thru the plastic and threaded into the metal bracket was replaced. This particularly included the glove box door hinge hardware to prevent any further damage to that end of the panel.
With everything removed and the dash panel ready for removal, I pulled the steering wheel and then removed the four fasteners at each end of the dash. With those out, it was a simple matter of pulling the panel forward and removing it from the car. With the panel out of the car, I replaced the hardware at the ends of the dash, the steering wheel and tied the harness up out of the way. With a little patience you should be able to remove your dash without damage and if you are pulling the harness out with the panel, it should be a bit simpler and quicker that my endeavor…??
With the dash removed, it was now time to turn my attention to finally repairing the damage driver's side "C" pillar inner structure. Until the next installment....
ZEBRA 3 OUT
Been several months since I've updated my blog so I'll try and get things brought up to day. When I posted last, I had the roof skin off my Torino and beginning the interior structure repair. I removed my damaged center roof brace and while I had it out I installed the second Cougar roof brace before also installing the Cougar center brace. Once I had them welded in place, I removed the old damaged "tar paper" insulation and will replace it with some more modern high tech insulation material prior to buttoning up the roof skin.
Speaking of the roof skin, I cleaned off all the old insulation adhesive, scuffed it up with a scotch brite wheel, applied a coat of POR-15 as well as a coat of POR-15 self etching primer in preparation for the finish coat prior to installation.
With the roof bracing installed and the roof skin prepped, I turned my attention to getting the dash panel out of the car detailing. I actually pulled mine just before the Thanksgiving holiday ('09). Since I have to keep my car driveable, I needed to leave the harness intact so I can move the car around the dealership if needed so I might have had to do a bit more that someone who can just unplug the harness from the bulkhead connector??
There is a bolt and a nut on each end of the dash panel that must be removed (I left them barely engaged so the weight of the dash would be supported until I had everything out of the way and was ready to remove the dash from the car) as well as a couple sheet metal brackets and a heavy brace just to the right (passenger side) of the dash center.
I had already removed the dash pad, cluster, glove box & door, HAVC vents, etc so I was that far ahead of the game. Before I started loosening up the mounting hardware, I first removed the HVAC and other electrical controls and the ash tray assembly and pushed/pulled them free of the dash. Again, since I was leaving the harness in the car, there were a few harness hangers that needed to be opened up and the harness freed from. I replaced any hardware that may have been removed to prevent them from getting lost and reminding me where everything went during reassembly.
There are also a couple semi-rigid rubber/plastic harness protector/hangers on the drivers side where the harness goes around the column and then divides for the cluster and the rest of the dash run. The longer piece just below the HVAC control is held on by three screws and the smaller piece below the wiper controls is held on by two screws all of which are threaded into the sheet metal dash reinforcement.
I discovered three cracks in my dash that I needed to protect and keep from making worse. (You can just make them out in the attached pictures) One was across the thin section below the glove box door, another just below the ash tray and the last was just starting below the HVAC controls. There is a sheet metal reinforcement that runs along the bottom of the dash panel. To maintain the structural integrity of the plastic piece, any hardware that was removed that went thru the plastic and threaded into the metal bracket was replaced. This particularly included the glove box door hinge hardware to prevent any further damage to that end of the panel.
With everything removed and the dash panel ready for removal, I pulled the steering wheel and then removed the four fasteners at each end of the dash. With those out, it was a simple matter of pulling the panel forward and removing it from the car. With the panel out of the car, I replaced the hardware at the ends of the dash, the steering wheel and tied the harness up out of the way. With a little patience you should be able to remove your dash without damage and if you are pulling the harness out with the panel, it should be a bit simpler and quicker that my endeavor…??
With the dash removed, it was now time to turn my attention to finally repairing the damage driver's side "C" pillar inner structure. Until the next installment....
ZEBRA 3 OUT
7/13/09
Odd lots
During the stripping of the roof skin off the Cougar, I also discovered a few pieces that were a bit different than the ones on my Torino that I wanted to use. I snagged the larger vacuum canister that was on top of the drivers side wheel well and also the one mounted to the back portion of the wheel well under the fender. I cut a section out of the upper portion of the driver's side fender to use as material to form a patch panel for the rust hole in the lower section of my passenger side front fender and that's how I gained access to the "hidden" canister.
While I had my arm inside the fender, I noticed that the Cougar had a hard plastic rear fender cap to seal the backside of the fender area at the door hinge post. Once I had the canister out of the way, I dropped my trouble light into the opening to get a better look at the plastic piece. It looked like it was in usable condition, so I removed the attaching hardware and pulled it out to see if it would fit on the backside of the Torino fender. While it didn't follow the contour of the Torino fender exactly, it did line up with the holes and locator tab opening already stamped into the fender structure. I installed it loosely to confirm it would work and then I cut a matching hole in the upper portion of the passenger fender so I could remove that side as well. Here are a few shots of the rigid plastic fender seal and insulation.
Until next installment,
ZEBRA 3 OUT
While I had my arm inside the fender, I noticed that the Cougar had a hard plastic rear fender cap to seal the backside of the fender area at the door hinge post. Once I had the canister out of the way, I dropped my trouble light into the opening to get a better look at the plastic piece. It looked like it was in usable condition, so I removed the attaching hardware and pulled it out to see if it would fit on the backside of the Torino fender. While it didn't follow the contour of the Torino fender exactly, it did line up with the holes and locator tab opening already stamped into the fender structure. I installed it loosely to confirm it would work and then I cut a matching hole in the upper portion of the passenger fender so I could remove that side as well. Here are a few shots of the rigid plastic fender seal and insulation.
Until next installment,
ZEBRA 3 OUT
6/25/09
Popping the top
After learning how to remove a roof skin by stripping the Cougar, I set about popping the top on the Torino. With all my tools at the ready, I was able to get the skin off the 2M8O in a little over 4 hours, working alone. The following shots show the progress and the bare structure once the skin was set off.
The last couple shots show the additional Cougar roof brace set in position. The Cougar's longitudal center brace will also be used to replace my damaged piece.
Stay tuned...MORE TO COME....
ZEBRA 3 OUT
The last couple shots show the additional Cougar roof brace set in position. The Cougar's longitudal center brace will also be used to replace my damaged piece.
Stay tuned...MORE TO COME....
ZEBRA 3 OUT
4/13/09
Skinnin da Cat
As you may remember, my roof had sustained some damage at some point during the life of my car and had been Bondoed over. I discovered all the damage when I stripped the interior and paint from the car and I began a search for a suitable donor. That turned out to be a '76 Cougar XR7 that was in the junkyard of a friend of my best friend. I tried to buy the entire car but they wouldn't part with it so I arranged for them to deliver the carcus to the dealership so I could take my time and pull the skin and inner structure without resorting to a torch or sawzall.
After drilling out what seemed to be a thousand spot welds (more like a hundred... give or take) I was able to lift the roof skin off the Cougar. I also noticed the Cougar had a extra roof brace just aft of the shoulder belt mount, so I also removed that brace along with the inner quarter panel reinforcement. The quarter panel inner structure is a bit different than the Torino's, but I think I can make it work.
Here are some pics of skinnin' da cat....
The last three pics are of the Cougar and Torino roof braces. Next installment I'll pull the roof off the Torino. Until then....
ZEBRA 3 OUT
After drilling out what seemed to be a thousand spot welds (more like a hundred... give or take) I was able to lift the roof skin off the Cougar. I also noticed the Cougar had a extra roof brace just aft of the shoulder belt mount, so I also removed that brace along with the inner quarter panel reinforcement. The quarter panel inner structure is a bit different than the Torino's, but I think I can make it work.
Here are some pics of skinnin' da cat....
The last three pics are of the Cougar and Torino roof braces. Next installment I'll pull the roof off the Torino. Until then....
ZEBRA 3 OUT
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)