65 GS Post Coupe Restoration (Painting)

[cwmcobra]

Tony, was your Parts Place door handle kit # XP4866Z? That's what I installed on mine and had not problem. Tomorrow I'll head out to the shop to find the originals and try to get a measurement for you.

 

Chuck

[option B9]

   Hi Chuck, Edouard. Yes the number on the box is XP4866Z purchased 10/19/2017. I just checked the right side handle and its also 1 1/2 inches. If you can get the measurements of the original handles I would appreciate it.
  In the last post I forgot to mention that when I dropped of the cowl, the guys asked me to bring in my spray gun so they can check the nozzle orifice size just to make sure I'm not putting too much paint on and making matters worse. I thought that was real thoughtful of them after I explained the situation that I'm in. So today I packed up my detail gun that I use all the time with enamels and my NOS Binks that has yet to see any action and see what they say...I will pass along the information.

     Tony    

[cwmcobra]

3/8" from the end of the rod to the diecast handle. See attached photo.

1/2" for the other side handle. Apparently, there is a bit of tolerance.

Chuck

PS: Mine was purchased 1/6/2017. Pretty amazing that they changed the rod length in that short period. Probably wanted to make it more universal....

[option B9]

   Hi Chuck, Thank You for the Information, I really do appreciate it. I will try to work on them tomorrow. Today I picked up the Paint, Clearcoat, Reducer & the mid- temp activator along with a box of tack cloths. They looked at my spray guns, the small top load detail gun was given the green light. But my NOS Binks had a larger orifice and is good for enamels. So it went back in the cabinet until I start working on the Silver GS next year. Later on I started working on the rear center emblem between the taillights. But then the weather changed and the temperature dropped, my hands were cold and I went inside. Tomorrow the adventure continues.....
                                                          Tony

[cwmcobra]

Glad to help. Keep up the good work!!

Chuck

[Rollaround]

 I received advice from my body man when I did my Special and El camino.  Similar door handles were used on 64 to 72 A body’s. Although they al look alike they’re not, early GTO, 442, Skylark and Chevelle’s had door panels with a minimal upper contour. Later models had doors with a greater contour, not to mention the full size cars. The handle should be horizontal to the ground (flat) when installed. As a result the rods are different lengths for different models and years.
I’m dealing with a similar problem now. I need to push (I think over push) the door handle button to release the latch. I have about 3/16” gap or free travel between the rod and the latch paw assembly. I need to push the button into the recess to release the latch. Prior to reading Chucks reply, I thought I needed a rod 3/8” to 1/2”longer. I think Chuck confirmed my thoughts.
Repo parts being what they are….  My current handles came from The Parts Place (I think) I’ll check the rod lengths on my original handles compare them and report back. Thanks for your thoughts Tony and Chuck.

[schlepcar]

 In the past I have sometimes taken the push button and rod out of the old corroded handle and reinstalled in the new handle. The push button is not the same material and usually still looks great even on old pitted up handle. This is not always a possibility depending on manufacturer of the new handle and if it is a correct match.

[option B9]

   Hi Chuck, Rollaround, Schlepcar  Thanks Chuck, I cut those rods at 1/2 inch with the Dremel tool and had them in within 30 minutes. Installed the taillights and center emblem then moved on to the fender birds and the hood letters, even though my Son was super careful the letter "I" stud broke so another letter "I" will be going out to be plated this week. The GS emblems on the sail panel & trunk went on without a problem. And they look straight too... Friday morning the trunk weatherstrip was installed. I supplied the body shop with a pint of correct lacquer paint to paint the dashboard & upper panels on the interior..Well the screwed that up too !! I tried to polish out the upper door panel, first wet sanded with 2000 paper, then orange rubbing compound, then white polishing compound, lastly the black ebony finishing polish. I was not impressed ! the finish was very grainy like they sprayed it too dry. No way was I going to waste my time trying to polish the whole interior and be unhappy.. So I took out the ash tray ( they only put color on the face, when i popped it open to remove the screws the rest of the housing was still in primer ) and grabbed my Buick paint bulletins binder and went to my local auto body paint supply store again. They suggested a single stage paint, so all I will need to do is spray it on and let dry. I gave them the original paint code and ash tray to match up the color. The shop called this afternoon and I went over to pick it up. The color match is fantastic. Now I need to prep the areas by wet sanding with 2000 grit and clean up the mess ! I have attached several photos...

      Tony 

[Aussie Skylark]

Hi Tony and Other Readers,
I have just finished reading your post's, you sure have been on the wrong end of some bad luck. I admire your strength to continue on with your restoration. My restoration has been stationary for a few months now, you have given me that little piece of encouragement I needed to get things back on track.

I'm in a waiting line for body shop work, have been for about 2 years now. Really hope this is the year my Skylark gets a new coat of paint. I'm lucky I suppose, the owner of the shop I'm booked into is a good friend of mine. I know his work, and also how many cars were in front of mine for him to complete. It's kind of exciting watching cars come and go from his shop, he only does 1 or 2 restorations each year.

Thanks for sharing and inspiring.

Marcus

[elagache]

Thanks Tony for the progress report!

Glad to see that you are finally getting this car back together!

Cheers, Edouard

[cwmcobra]

Good progress, Tony. Sorry about the "speed bumps" you are encountering, but in the end your perseverance will result in even more pride in the finished product. Hope the rest of the project treats you right!

 

Chuck

[schlepcar]

Nice car?.I just wanted to warn you on that single stage paint. You need to cover everything except where you are painting. I like the cheap plastic rolls from Home Depot to avoid tons of taping. That stuffs lingers like the old enamel and will literally stick to anything. If it gets on your fresh paint you will be wet sanding and wheeling all over again. You can prep that dash with 320 dry paper and a green 3m scotch brite pad . Trying to get it smooth with finer paper is an exercise of futility that would take all day. You are also likely to end up with a dash that is too shiny and you may be able to add a flattening agent to the paint to save some of the glare. They were pretty flattened out from the factory to keep sun from reflecting too much.
Good luck and don?t get in a rush between coats.

[option B9]

     Thanks Schlepcar, I have not sprayed single stage automotive paint in years so thanks for the help. I have already purchased 4 rolls of cheap plastic covering from my local hardware store and plan to cover the exterior of the GS before painting. I did not buy the sandpaper yet ! so I will take your advice and get plenty of the 320 dry and scotch brite pads. The paint I had mixed is semi gloss, so too much glare should not be a problem. I'm going to be using my detail gun to spray, so overspray should at a minimum.  I do have a good respirator to protect my lungs. All I need now is time to sand and good weather with very little pollen in the air to spray. Probably late May.

                                                          Any suggestions/comments greatly appreciated.
                             Tony 

[schlepcar]

That is nice that you were able to get that as semi gloss. I did a 65 Malibu once and got it WAY too shiny which was sort of a sore thumb on the job. Right now I?m trying to find the correct color mix for an aqua two tone dash on a 65 Impala SS. It is getting harder to find the correct materials for some of these projects. With that single stage you can get away with spraying it and lightly scotch blighting it the next day if you want it smoother just reduce a final coat . In nice weather you will probably be happy the first time. I used SEM vinyl paint on the plastic surround and dash pads with good results. Keep us posted

[gssizzler]

Looking very nice Tony! The finish line is in sight!