I transited Seattle without incident (always counts as a miracle in my book) and visited the Restoration Shop this last Monday. I sat with the owner who runs that half of the business. One of the body shop employees also sat in. We first inspected Ricky, and I took a few pictures. However, the clear coat is taking a while to cure and is not ready to wet sand, so while it is a beautiful color ( I forgot how gorgeous Cordovan Maroon is), it's not ready for movie star pics. The body shop manager explained how the frame connectors would be welded to the sub-frame when they were mated, and showed me the fishplate brackets that came with the connectors. A strong frame for this big block!

Ahh, when is an SS-396 REALLY an SS-396? This question seems to occupy a fair amount of space in this 1st Gen forum. When Ricky was going through tear-down and rear quarter panel/inner fender replacement, the rear tailpan between the tail-light cutouts was taken to bare metal. Ricky went to them with a base coat/clear coat paint job, done right over the factory paint in areas not damaged in the collision. Bear in mind that Ricky was only 10 years old or so when I bought him, and I don't know how much earlier the collision happened, so the factory paint was probably in good shape at that time, where the body wasn't crumpled. Since the wreck happened in the front, the rear tailpan was new paint over original. The body guy was very clear that as he sanded through the surface base/clear layers, he hit factory black there, and only there, which left him confused. He's a Ford guy (I've forgiven him that) and was not sufficiently a Camaro fan to know then that '68 SS-396's were unique in having the tailpan painted semi-gloss black. He did some research to find this out, and so the incident remains quite clear in his memory. Just another factor pointing to Ricky having started his life as an SS-396. Refer back to my discussion of this earlier in this novel on page 4, dated 12-20-2021 at 3:15pm (post 38).

Next we walked over to the Restoration Shop to check out the sub-frame assembly. They wanted to point out that they heard my dissatisfaction with the headers needing to be hammered on to provide clearance for the power steering box, and investigation revealed they had been given headers for a 'manual steering box' vehicle. So, they wanted me to see the 396 with NEW Hooker headers that re-routed the #5 cylinder to avoid the steering box completely, and so solved the problem. That is listening to your customer!!! So, here is the new look:

During my sit-down with the owner, I presented my task list to him for his review and correction, just to provide me with a general understanding of the remaining tasks and their order. He made a surprisingly small number of notes, and the body shop guy only made one. I felt somewhat validated as he added no additional tasks to the list, and just said this seemed fairly complete. But, (and it's a big 'but') this list is almost overwhelming. Lots of water has to flow under this bridge before I get my car back. I promised I would revise my list and give him a copy, and when I do that, I'll try and post it here as a pdf in case anyone is interested.

All in all, a great trip, and while Ricky is taking a long time to be re-born, it will all be worth it the first time I fire the engine, take a moment to savor the sound of Big Block Fury, shift into 1st, and let out the clutch!

 

Would be nice to see your list. Helps me and other on what to expect and reminders on what needs to be completed. As I would hope and expect others to point out items on my car that I've missed, I try to help others without disrespect. Among your punch list to the owner, make sure he includes the clutch fork boot on the bellhousing.

 

No problem re posting the lit, assuming I am able to upload a pdf file. If it goes OK, a little background to promote understanding of what a frame-up restoration can entail:
1) The business lives in two buildings, a Restoration Center and a Body Shop
2) A reminder that an INCREDIBLE amount of work has been accomplished to date, but my task list is focused on the present, with a view toward the future. Therefore, it assumes Ricky is what he is, not what he was. Understand he was 'rode hard and hung up wet', full of damage and rust but also full of great potential to become a Wonderful Experience.
3) This work began in January 2021, but this is a small shop with multiple projects, and I made it very clear that I preferred 'do it right' over 'do it fast'.

So a brief recap of what has been accomplished and/or purchased to date, and therefore no longer on this list:
1) Total tear-down to bare metal, with discoveries of major front-end damage and various areas of rust
2) Replacement of both rear quarter panels
3) Replacement of right rear inner fender
4) Replacement of both front fenders
5) Replacement of entire pan from firewall to front of trunk bottom, and including all inside seat supports, with all seams sealed
6) Repair to extensive damage to firewall
7) Creation of 'dish' in firewall to accommodate HEI ignition (distributor clearance)
8) Installation of Frame Extensions bridging rear sub-frame to front sub-frame, creating a fully framed vehicle
9) All remaining surfaces other than the above replacements taken to bare metal
10) All bare metal surfaces sprayed immediately with OSPHO rust conversion compound, followed by buffing away the resulting converted 'microscopic rust' residue
11) All bare metal surfaces then immediately covered by two coats of acid-etch primer
12) Extensive restoration body work to create satisfactory surface for Direct-to-Metal ("DTM") high-solids primer
13) Application of 6 coats of DTM primer, with resulting wet-sanding to achieve surface ready for base coat/clear coat paint
14) Application of 2 coats of sealer, to protect primer from humidity, accidental dents and scratches, and to present consistent background color beneath base coat application
15) Application of truck-bed spray-on liner on underside of vehicle as an undercoat
16) Application of all 3 layers of Lizard Skin Sound Deadener and Insulation, with 3 coats of each layer
17) Total rebuild of 396 Chevy engine, internally balanced, and equipped with fluid dampener at front as a result of internal balance
18) Engine equipped with Edelbrock Performer 2-0 intake manifold, Edelbrock carburetor, roller rockers in fully rebuilt heads, HEI distributor, Hooker Headers, Engine Pro stage 4 cam, and various goodies
19) Muncie M20 was fully checked out by transmission shop to validate rebuild I had done to it years ago, then equipped with new Hurst 'Competition Plus' shifter
20) New front sub-frame, control arms, disc brakes, RedHead power steering box
21) All front end parts powder coated
22) McLeod Super Street Pro clutch, pressure plate and McLeod steel flywheel, all locally balanced by same shop that built the 396
23) New ring and pinion (3.42) with new Eaton "Detroit True-Trac" limited slip differential, fully installed by a rear-end specialty shop
24) All new rear brakes & backing plates, and all new brake lines front and rear, with new master cylinder
25) New fuel tank and lines purchased, awaiting installation

So, a lot has been accomplished before this task list begins...

 

So, I have uploaded the task list after I modified it per the owner's notes. It is a pdf so should be usable, if maybe a bit depressing. Per Project Management standards, these line items would only constitute major task lines in a Gantt chart, and so each might have a number of sub-tasks listed below that would be required to make the major task line show as complete. For instance, I once reviewed the installation/adjustment process for installing the rear-seat window cranks to not only allow proper up-down action, but also to make them seal out wind noise. It was a sobering process, as it sounded anything but easy. At first glance, it sounds so trivial! "La la la, bolt all the stuff in and make the window go up and down..." Apparently, it's not trivial.

Again, you only see a single line here: "Attach front sub-frame". Yet that single line is a topic head for a very complex number of sub-tasks to get it right, and verify that the sub-frame is properly aligned with the body of the car.

Oh, by the way, I've abandoned my original front seat shoulder seat belts and am going with the Morris Classic 3-point seat belts that will allow me to lean forward and reach my radio dials. (www.morrisclassic.com).

Regarding the clutch fork boot, I queried the owner, and he replied that he left it off on purpose, so he can view clutch fork engagement, and that the throw-out bearing is not off-center on either axis, plus view clutch once they are spinning, during tranny/differential break-in with wheels off the ground. He wants to verify, as he put it, that the bearing and/or clutch were not 'Friday afternoon' builds instead of Monday builds... He said that once validated, it only takes a few minutes to install the boot.

 

Body is fully painted now. Here are single frames from a high-def video:




Pictures aren't real hi-def as they are single frames. Disregard the variety of colors on the roof pillars, as that area will be covered by vinyl, down to the line of the fender. Color is "indoor lighting" and also influenced by blue tarp around portion of paint area. RIcky will be moving to Restoration Shop on Wednesday to FINALLY become a roller. They will take pics when he is in daylight on the parking lot between the buildings, and we can then see what Cordovan Maroon really looks like!

They are making a slight change to task list order while he is still on rotisserie, by having the headliner and vinyl roof cover installed before front and rear installation allow him to rock and roll. This will minimize risk to fresh paint both inside and out. The Morris front seat belt uppers will be put on with the head liner. I am told the paint job came out "perfect" but it won't be wet sanded and buffed until it finally returns to Body Shop.

One other note of interest to Y2Keglide, concerning the dish that went into the firewall. During my recent visit, I was told that it was NOT because of clearance from distributor cap to firewall becoming less during hard acceleration. They assured me that the motor mounts used (polyurethane inners, I think, for shock isolation) have minimal give and correct geometry for big block. HOWEVER, there was not enough clearance between HEI cap and firewall to allow it to be turned for timing purposes, as the cap fasteners came up against firewall when they turned the distributor. Here is a different picture than the one I posted back when we were discussing this, plus the one I posted at the time:




So, contrary to the red line drawn on the firewall, the dish was done lower, where the fasteners stick out from the cap. Plus the dish was made deep enough to still leave adequate clearance even if proper timing left the extrusion in close contact with the firewall.

 

I've been re-reading page 7 and realized I made the same statement on 1-21 and 2-13, "the body is fully painted". This seems redundant, but I'm actually talking about two complete and separate paint jobs (4 coats of base, 4 coats of clear). So thought it might be worth explaining to anyone scratching their head. The paint job on 1-21 had a couple runs of clear coat, and during wet sanding, the base coat was touched in several places; i.e. they had to sand clear through four coats of clear to eliminate the runs. Painting in winter has its issues. They maintain that when you view a total paint job with this kind of color, a touch up always shows to the discerning eye, so a total repaint followed. This time, I'm told it came out "perfect". Ricky has lots of paint. No rust on this guy...

 

I'm happy to say Ricky is now officially in the Restoration Shop, for a substantial amount of time while he regains his wheels, front inner structure, and minor technicalities like radiator, gas tank, brakes, wire loom, etc. Unfortunately, it was raining when they wheeled across the parking lot, so he had a raincoat on and therefore, no pictures yet. Too bad, but I am assured that when they finally take them, I will be impressed, and pleased.

He is still on rotisserie for a bit, while the headliner and vinyl roof cover gets installed. Apparently the headliner is back-ordered, so we are in "hurry up and wait" mode... I just wanted to make a generic comment about this company. I suspect that most places would have just shot a few covers of clear coat over the small areas where they sanded through to base coat. It speaks powerfully to the integrity of these guys that they would say the same thing my parents taught me: " a job worth doing is worth doing right." So, they didn't screw around with local touch up, they scuffed all maroon areas and re-shot the entire body.



Wow!!! THAT is integrity!

 

Nice,can't wait to see the finished product.

 

Very glad to hear you excited.... always know a car lover when every step in the process is a milestone. Present company included.

 

Excited indeed!!! I drove Ricky Camaro every day for years, but he never had a beautiful interior, he was always 'rode hard and hung up wet' from the day I bought him. He did start out with a fine paint job, but my wolf dogs took care of that when a stupid digger squirrel took up residence in the engine compartment and they all wanted to get acquainted with him. Downhill slide from there... Anyway, I make do for now with this link:

You Tube

although English roads are really narrow!
By the way, I ended up with a spare 327, complete with steel-tube headers and a spare carburetor, as well as a Saginaw 4-speed. Just wondering if anyone out there within driving distance is interested??? Looks like this:


Ran good the day they picked up Ricky to begin this voyage.