Matt Trakker
06-23-2008, 03:11 PM
Hey all, I`ve been a lurking member here for a while now and I`m still trying to get used to the site...so much info here! Looks like a great site.
Anyway, I`ve got 2 vehicles at the moment...the one I want to focus on detailing is my 74 Impala "sport coupe" (lol)- I got this car last September in Maine...it`s from Springfield MA originally. It had 46K original miles on it when I bought it. It`s a largely original car, the 1st owner passed away in 1985ish, his wife used the car for a few years until she could no longer drive. For most of the 90s it sat in a garage until the woman passed away. Her grandson inherited the car with 39K original miles in 1998, and proceeded to add chrome Corvette style repro-Rally wheels with BFGs, replaced all the hoses and other perishable parts, added an Edelbrock intake, Holley 570cfm 4bbl, Pertronix electronic ignition conversion, mechanical temp and oil pressure gauges, and a bunch of other things. The seats were recovered simply because the factory upholstery is pretty abrasive (I had another car just like this one but it was lime green, and that upholstery was uncomfortable as hell).
The people that owned it had no room in the garage for this car and I wound up with it. I actually used it for all of December in a Cameron Diaz movie they filmed here in Boston (they needed 70s cars) hahaha.
The paint is mostly original single-stage... the quarters were repainted after some dents were fixed/popped out and the door bottoms were painted to fix rock chips with surface rust I think. There are no bondo caked rot holes or anything like that in this car!
Since the paint is so old, while it still shines decently there are paint swirls, oxidation, scratches and chips. It still looks pretty good though and I don`t want to sacrifice the originality by repainting the car.
Here`s a few pics for now
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/mattsplorin/Yellow%20Impala/IMG_4128-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/mattsplorin/Yellow%20Impala/IMG_4127-1.jpg
(I don`t like how it sits in the back, I think new springs are in order...)
This is what it looks like underneath, I`ve cleaned the whole car top to bottom since that picture so it`s not all filthy like that anymore.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/mattsplorin/Yellow%20Impala/IMG_4230.jpg
I`ve been trying to keep the car clean but I really need to hone my detailing skills, I don`t want to ruin this car.
I also have a 93 full size Blazer for a DD, as much as I`ve tried to take care of and maintain it, the truck has 213,000 miles on it, so as you can imagine the paint needs some help.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/mattsplorin/blazer/IMG_5033copy.jpg
And lastly my dad has a pretty oxidized 73 Chrysler here I want to clean up for cruise night use, I got this car for him for next to nothing last year and it`s actually fun to drive around in. The paint is still plenty thick and not peeling, and actually shines at some angles, but it definitely needs some work.
Hopefully I can get these toilets looking better with the knowledge this site possesses!!!
:har:
Anyway, I`ve got 2 vehicles at the moment...the one I want to focus on detailing is my 74 Impala "sport coupe" (lol)- I got this car last September in Maine...it`s from Springfield MA originally. It had 46K original miles on it when I bought it. It`s a largely original car, the 1st owner passed away in 1985ish, his wife used the car for a few years until she could no longer drive. For most of the 90s it sat in a garage until the woman passed away. Her grandson inherited the car with 39K original miles in 1998, and proceeded to add chrome Corvette style repro-Rally wheels with BFGs, replaced all the hoses and other perishable parts, added an Edelbrock intake, Holley 570cfm 4bbl, Pertronix electronic ignition conversion, mechanical temp and oil pressure gauges, and a bunch of other things. The seats were recovered simply because the factory upholstery is pretty abrasive (I had another car just like this one but it was lime green, and that upholstery was uncomfortable as hell).
The people that owned it had no room in the garage for this car and I wound up with it. I actually used it for all of December in a Cameron Diaz movie they filmed here in Boston (they needed 70s cars) hahaha.
The paint is mostly original single-stage... the quarters were repainted after some dents were fixed/popped out and the door bottoms were painted to fix rock chips with surface rust I think. There are no bondo caked rot holes or anything like that in this car!
Since the paint is so old, while it still shines decently there are paint swirls, oxidation, scratches and chips. It still looks pretty good though and I don`t want to sacrifice the originality by repainting the car.
Here`s a few pics for now
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/mattsplorin/Yellow%20Impala/IMG_4128-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/mattsplorin/Yellow%20Impala/IMG_4127-1.jpg
(I don`t like how it sits in the back, I think new springs are in order...)
This is what it looks like underneath, I`ve cleaned the whole car top to bottom since that picture so it`s not all filthy like that anymore.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/mattsplorin/Yellow%20Impala/IMG_4230.jpg
I`ve been trying to keep the car clean but I really need to hone my detailing skills, I don`t want to ruin this car.
I also have a 93 full size Blazer for a DD, as much as I`ve tried to take care of and maintain it, the truck has 213,000 miles on it, so as you can imagine the paint needs some help.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/mattsplorin/blazer/IMG_5033copy.jpg
And lastly my dad has a pretty oxidized 73 Chrysler here I want to clean up for cruise night use, I got this car for him for next to nothing last year and it`s actually fun to drive around in. The paint is still plenty thick and not peeling, and actually shines at some angles, but it definitely needs some work.
Hopefully I can get these toilets looking better with the knowledge this site possesses!!!
:har: