Print Page - And so it begins....

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 08, 2011, 08:47:00 AM

My new class project....

http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/album.php?albumid=33 :D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: 50tbrd88 on February 08, 2011, 11:03:18 AM

I love a good paint job thread! Good luck man...its going to be changed to a red color, right?

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 08, 2011, 12:03:48 PM

Lets just say, "some" of it will be red....lol.:D;)

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 10, 2011, 05:33:19 PM

Got the new doors on, started stripping the lights.:D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 10, 2011, 05:36:35 PM

more...

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: flylear45 on February 11, 2011, 10:03:00 AM

Cool, an inspiration thread! Doors were rusty along the bottoms on the original doors?

EDIT

Yeah, now I see it. Yuck.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 11, 2011, 10:56:27 AM

Yea, the bottoms were pretty much nonexistant......lol. flow through ventilation!!! :D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: vinnietbird on February 11, 2011, 12:47:04 PM

Awesome !!! How come I didn't see this before? When did you get the Bird? I see the body work in progress, what's after that?

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 11, 2011, 12:59:20 PM

Quote from: vinnietbird;352622

Awesome !!! How come I didn't see this before? When did you get the Bird? I see the body work in progress, what's after that?

I actually sold my SHO to buy the Tbird, it's been about a year and a half now. Try and get the body work done, and everything smoothed out. Then a special paint job I have been contemplating.:D The Tbird is originally from Georgia, only been in Mi. for 6 yrs.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: 50tbrd88 on February 11, 2011, 02:02:56 PM

We need more info on this "special paint job"!! lol

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 11, 2011, 09:22:57 PM

Quote from: 50tbrd88;352630

We need more info on this "special paint job"!! lol

Patience grasshopper.....lol.;)

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: 1Bad88tbird on February 12, 2011, 05:38:49 AM

If it's the same color of the piece you painted before it's going to look great.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 12, 2011, 07:21:45 AM

Thanks, let's just say that's part of it.;)

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 14, 2011, 10:24:40 PM

Got the TC bumper on, and started sanding the front end.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 14, 2011, 10:27:07 PM

Poor girl, she looks so lonely.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: 1Bad88tbird on February 15, 2011, 05:39:16 AM

Wow, you're really moving along quickly with it. I don't think she looks lonely she has company right next to her.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 15, 2011, 06:12:15 AM

Quote from: 1Bad88tbird;352972

Wow, you're really moving along quickly with it. I don't think she looks lonely she has company right next to her.

Thanks. :D Kinda tricky trying to do this on a non-existent budget...lol.
Maybe it's just me that is lonely, missing my Tbird...lol.:hick:

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: vinnietbird on February 15, 2011, 06:45:25 AM

When you're not working on the car, what do you do for a living?

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 15, 2011, 06:57:45 AM

Quote from: vinnietbird;352978

When you're not working on the car, what do you do for a living?

Up until Jan. 2008, I was a diesetter at a plastic injection molding plant, automotive supplier. After the shop closed, I found a job at the local Walmart, :mullet:just to make some money at least. A couple months later I was notified that seeing how the shop closed, that I was eligible to go to school to be retrained. So I've been hanging out at the Walmart, and going to school to get my associates degree in autobody So hopefully someday I will be working in the autobody field.:D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: vinnietbird on February 15, 2011, 07:18:03 AM

Sweet !!! I hope you get to do that and make uber dollars. In the meantime,I'm sure the Bird is happy about your decision.LOL.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: flylear45 on February 15, 2011, 07:21:01 AM

Looking good! Is that a crack in the 'glass on the upper nose?

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 15, 2011, 07:23:37 AM

Quote from: flylear45;352981

Looking good! Is that a crack in the 'glass on the upper nose?

If you mean in the middle, no just primer showing through after sanding.:D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 15, 2011, 07:34:59 AM

Quote from: vinnietbird;352980

Sweet !!! I hope you get to do that and make uber dollars. In the meantime,I'm sure the Bird is happy about your decision.LOL.

Thanks Vinnie!! :D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: flylear45 on February 15, 2011, 08:39:26 AM

Quote from: cougarman;352983

If you mean in the middle, no just primer showing through after sanding.:D

Yeah, that's what I was seeing.

This is going to be me in a couple months! (Except my hair will be full of silver dust. LOL)

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 15, 2011, 09:08:42 AM

Quote from: flylear45;352992

Yeah, that's what I was seeing.

This is going to be me in a couple months! (Except my hair will be full of silver dust. LOL)

Yea lol, sure is a dusty process......lol.:mullet:

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 22, 2011, 12:15:01 AM

Well not much to report, just lot's of sanding.....lol. will be sraying surfacer pretty soon. Had a snow day for the school Monday, so didn't get to work on it.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: Clayton on February 22, 2011, 07:41:58 AM

looks good. i hope to get mine roughed out in color within the next 2 yrs. gonna go suspention/body/408/then interior work

Ive got my associates in collision and cant find a job to save my life.... so I work a meijer. Keep up the good work my friend looks fantastic

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 22, 2011, 08:45:35 AM

Quote from: 87thunderbirdBlackJack;353597

looks good. i hope to get mine roughed out in color within the next 2 yrs. gonna go suspention/body/408/then interior work

Ive got my associates in collision and cant find a job to save my life.... so I work a meijer. Keep up the good work my friend looks fantastic

Thanks. :D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: Beau on February 22, 2011, 09:21:00 AM

Is that the 'Bird that the windows I traded you are going on? Good project. :)
(Those windows came off of my white V6 Bird...what's with white cars? lol)

Hopefully VERY soon I'll have several updates and improvements to post about for mine, although none as sweet as body or paint lol

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 22, 2011, 09:35:24 AM

Quote from: ThunderbirdSport302;353600

Is that the 'Bird that the windows I traded you are going on? Good project. :)
(Those windows came off of my white V6 Bird...what's with white cars? lol)

Hopefully VERY soon I'll have several updates and improvements to post about for mine, although none as sweet as body or paint lol

Thanks,yes this is the car the windows are going on. The doors I found were off a Cougar, and had the little chrome trim around the window. I kinda like the chrome trim, so I needed some quarter windows to match.:D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 24, 2011, 10:57:26 AM

Drilled the mounting holes for the airdam, temporarily mounted it. Had to drill one hole on each side to mount the TC fender mouldings, not shown.:D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 24, 2011, 11:01:59 AM

Now for the part probably no one here will like.....:shakeass:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Got the wing layed out and mounted. The curve of the wing matches the body line on the quarter.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 24, 2011, 11:04:13 AM

A pic of the LX quarter windows that I got in a trade with Beau (Thanks again), that are replacing the Sport windows.:D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: vinnietbird on February 24, 2011, 11:31:36 AM

I love the work you're doing,but the wing seems too wide. Thunderbirds, in my opinion, don't take spoilers on the trunk as well as Cougars due to the short trunk lid. I'd say prep and paint the spoiler, but don't drill holes in the lid yet. After the holes are drilled, it's done. Be careful not to overload the car with "stuff". It doesn't take very much to go overboard with these Birds.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 24, 2011, 11:40:34 AM

Quote from: cougarman;353805

Now for the part probably no one here will like.....:shakeass:

Got the wing layed out and mounted. The curve of the wing matches the body line on the quarter.

Hence why I wrote this...lol. Sorry Vinnie ;), the wing is staying, the only other stuff that is going on is the rest of the FX package...whoo hooo. :D:D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: flylear45 on February 24, 2011, 12:01:34 PM

Coming along! Interesting body kit. I'm not sure yet, I'll have to see it done to have an opinion. Definitely adds 'weight' to the look of the front end.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: Beau on February 24, 2011, 12:18:55 PM

Love it! :)

Speaking of wings...I came this > < close to snagging a wing off of a Firebird in the junkyard last sunday...didnt get it only because I didnt have a tape measure to "test" it against a tbird trunklid...

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 24, 2011, 12:25:51 PM

Thanks, the wing is just a touch over 58", it's originally for a '69 Mach 1.:D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: vinnietbird on February 24, 2011, 12:55:39 PM

You will need wider wheels and tires to even out the ground effects. Any thoughts on a different rim package?

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on February 24, 2011, 05:24:55 PM

Kinda leaning towards these...:bowdown::D The 14" 8- holes are definately going bye bye.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on March 31, 2011, 01:36:29 PM

Small progress, got the spoiler and some trim pieces in epoxy primer.:D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: tbirdsps on March 31, 2011, 03:04:29 PM

Gee, I need to get to work. I'm thinking strip everything and send the shell to you for the body work. You can handle two class projects....right?

It really doesn't look this good. It's got a sunburn and the clear is peeling bad.

(http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/1835/car008.jpg) (http://img34.imageshack.us/i/car008.jpg/)

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: vinnietbird on March 31, 2011, 04:16:58 PM

Don't wo0rk beyond your means (meaning time, motivation, ability,and reality).Most people who start basically a full strip and build end up quitting and sping it. I advise to get a notebook, make a list of what you want to do, what you NEED, What you WANT, what you have. Then go from there. It works like a blueprint, and helps you actually see the progress on paper when you can't see it on the car (although it is happening), and gives you point of reference and to see goals are being met. Works for me.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: flylear45 on March 31, 2011, 07:53:00 PM

True, true. Easy to get bogged down and really easy to underestimate the time and money required.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: flylear45 on March 31, 2011, 07:55:01 PM

Quote from: cougarman;356838

Small progress, got the spoiler and some trim pieces in epoxy primer.:D

Keep plugging!

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 04, 2011, 11:29:51 PM

Won't be long now...:bowdown: Just have to wait on spray booth.:punchballs:

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarcragar on April 05, 2011, 06:49:24 AM

Lookin' good.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: vinnietbird on April 05, 2011, 06:54:33 AM

Wow, great work. I have to ask, why didn't you pull the antenna off? I have a few ideas for the front of the Sport, but I have to find another front bumper cover....preferably non-TC for my plan.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 05, 2011, 07:27:21 AM

Quote from: vinnietbird;357246

Wow, great work. I have to ask, why didn't you pull the antenna off? I have a few ideas for the front of the Sport, but I have to find another front bumper cover....preferably non-TC for my plan.

It's actually just the shaft of the power antenna, the trim piece is off. I have the stock bumper cover off this car, as I used the TC one.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 05, 2011, 07:27:41 AM

Quote from: cougarcragar;357244

Lookin' good.

Thanks.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: 1Bad88tbird on April 05, 2011, 09:09:50 AM

You're going to have it looking good in time for the car show season at this pace. If you're onto the shows that is.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 05, 2011, 09:14:25 AM

Quote from: 1Bad88tbird;357258

You're going to have it looking good in time for the car show season at this pace. If you're onto the shows that is.

Thanks, we will see don't know if it will be show quality, but it will be way better than it was. After the 5 lug swap and new wheels, I think it will be looking pretty nice. The problem is I'm running out of class days, class ends April 29.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: 1Bad88tbird on April 05, 2011, 09:27:20 AM

Hopefully you'll at least be able to get it painted, then you probably finish it at home.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 05, 2011, 09:29:29 AM

Quote from: 1Bad88tbird;357264

Hopefully you'll at least be able to get it painted, then you probably finish it at home.

Well, that's the plan..lol. I want to get it painted and then if needed reassemble at home, I will at least need to reinstall the lights so I can drive it home at night.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 12, 2011, 08:17:15 AM

Made a little progress, got the epoxy primer on and 2 coats of primer/surfacer.:D

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: vinnietbird on April 12, 2011, 08:31:14 AM

Soooooo close !!!! I can't wait to see it in color !!!

Hey, I have a question....shouldn't you have the header panel off for paint so you can get the whole bumper cover? It only takes a minute to get it off of there.

Either way, I still can't wait.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: vinnietbird on April 12, 2011, 08:31:29 AM

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 12, 2011, 08:40:18 AM

Thanks Vinnie, the header panel is a combination of time and stuck bolts.:D This is my daily driver, so it will be ok. Congrats on your up coming event!!:bowdown:

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: vinnietbird on April 12, 2011, 06:26:58 PM

Thanks a lot. As far as your Bird being a daily driver, My Sport is too. I'm not complaining, I love driving it. If something breaks, I fix it and keep going. At this point, everything has been swapped, so, it's pretty reliable.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 20, 2011, 08:10:05 AM

All wet sanded and ready for paint.:D Going over about 1pm, to shoot color. Wish me luck, little nervous on this one.:hick:

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: tbirdsps on April 20, 2011, 08:30:16 AM

Nice work. I can't wait to see it in color.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: The Shredder on April 20, 2011, 09:47:23 AM

Go Herb! What color are you painting it?

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: 1Bad88tbird on April 20, 2011, 09:58:42 AM

Good luck with it. I'm sure it'll come out nice. It better, you get graded on it don't you? Plus you have to live it unless you decide to redo it.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 20, 2011, 11:16:19 AM

Quote from: The Shredder;358414

Go Herb! What color are you painting it?

You have a PM....shhhh.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 20, 2011, 11:17:19 AM

Quote from: 1Bad88tbird;358415

Good luck with it. I'm sure it'll come out nice. It better, you get graded on it don't you? Plus you have to live it unless you decide to redo it.

Thanks. I'm sure the teacher will like it, pretty well have the class aced right now.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 20, 2011, 02:13:40 PM

Well, schedule conflict with the teacher, no paint today.:punchballs::punchballs:

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: hypostang on April 20, 2011, 04:01:59 PM

Major frown

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: flylear45 on April 21, 2011, 07:21:40 AM

Bummer, at least it's ready to shoot. Lots of work so far and it's looking good.

Good luck on the spray!

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: daminc on April 21, 2011, 07:34:34 AM

today?

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 21, 2011, 07:39:24 AM

Quote from: daminc;358465

today?

Probably be a week or two now.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: daminc on April 21, 2011, 07:40:15 AM

tell him I can't wait that long....lol

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: cougarman on April 21, 2011, 07:43:03 AM

Beleive me, I can't either....lol.

Title: And so it begins....
Post by: 1Bad88tbird on April 21, 2011, 09:15:28 AM

Making you wait a day or two is bad nough, but a couple of weeks just ain't right!!!

Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

General => User Rides => Topic started by: cougarman on February 08, 2011, 08:47:00 AM