1973 Torino Tribute Restoration

Thank you Guys very much! It has been a long journey. She may have been towed to the shop, but I really hope to drive her home when done. I just noticed that I didn't add the photo where my wife is giving the tow truck driver the thumbs up to take the Torino away. I'll add that later.

I would like the title to this thread changed as well. I tried changing it before, but I couldn't figure it out. Stefan, if you could do this for me that would be great!

I do plan on swinging by the shop every now and again to take photos of what they do.

Thanks again Guys! I appreciate all the advice, kind words, etc throughout this experience.

Norm, notice the woodgrain on the back airdam? Fit like a glove!

 

It does add a little class, eh? Thanks for pointing it out. Glad I had it to send.

 

wow, GPD...you are going to see a lot more thumbs up when you drive that wagon down the road! It looks factory fresh! What are we going to do without you popping in periodically with your newest updates?? After you get in and drive that beauty you will probably forget all about us. All I can say and HAVE been saying is....NICE JOB! You should be very proud.

 

Oh , I won't be going anywhere. At my rate I'll be here at least another 3 yrs...

 

Happy Wife!

Here is the Mrs giving the thumbs up as the wagon was relieving space in the garage. I'll remind her later when she wants to borrow the wagon for her outings. And you are ??? who, AGAIN???

 

Hey Guys, your wish and mine, is Stefan's command. Thank you very much Stefan for changing the title to my thread. Now the newbees can see my thread and hopefully enjoy it for what it really is, A tribute restoration of my Dad's 1973 Torino wagon. Thanks again guys for all the support!

 

sagin 73 wagin Thanks for the reply. My rear panels are not in great shape and im doing some modifications to them so i can cover them. I don't know how bad your panels are but if u sand them down and spray bulldog adhesion promoter u can paint them or cover them with vinyl. The stuff works like magic. Also the rust. I used the stuff called Por 15 black it works great to turn rust back into steel. i have tailights and a intake for 2v heads left. if u have any other ?s leave a message and i will reply. Thanks for the message

 

Sagin 73

Thanks for the reply, Sagin 73...Your wagon is sooo California! Thanks for sharing with the forum...I LOVE it!!! Any and all photos would be appreciated :banana:

 

Engine removal

Here comes the fun stuff! I stopped by the mechanic shop and the engine is out. The firewall is a dirty mess as is the sheet metal (valve covers, oil pan, etc.) I am saving a few bucks by doing some of the labor intense cleaning and painting myself. I just wish the engine compartment didn't look so much like Medusa. What's with all the hoses going everywhere? I asked that he remove all the unecessary smog stuff and whatever else he can to make things a lil easier and less busy. I found out my oil pan has a rust hole so I need to look for another one now. The rest I think is gonna be ok. I plan on swinging by the shop and taking the long block to the engine builder sometime next week and start cleaning up that engine compartment and parts as well. Here are few photos:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=zovqivs.c0aeeld4&x=0&h=1&y=szb56j&localeid=en_US

Any ideas as to the best way to get all this stuff cleaned I'm open ears.

 

Geeze, gpd....you have the exterior all done now so you are going to have to be very careful when cleaning the compartment and during the engine R&R, etc. I guess I wouldn't recommend high pressure washers as an option. I guess the best bet would be Simple Green and elbow grease at this juncture. Or the degreaser of your choice used CAREFULLY. I don't know why, but, I thought the engine was done already...or at least out and compartment done. I would probably get right in the compartment and use the cleaners one area at a time. As nice as the exterior is now...take your time and get ALL the grime out of there and shine it up good. Use the proper primers and paints on the engine and use multiple coats.
Yes...you need to get rid of all that smog junk. Are you building up the engine at all?

 

If you have a good compressor, a tool with wire cupped brushes will work well.
I go from dremel sized up to larger ones.
Aircraft grade paint stripper. Lots of cheap wire brushes from the dollar store.
Scotch-brite type pads. Soap and water. Box of latex gloves.

You'd be amazed at how much grease and crap can be left on what might appear to be a cleaned surface. I get degreaser and de-waxer from my local autobody supply house.
And you have to use it the right way.
Always use a clean lint-free cloth folded up so you can flip and fold it as it gets dirty.
Saturate the cloth and always wipe in one direction.
The surface will be clean when the cloth is after you wipe with it.


Oh and some extra-strength Tylenol. Or whatever.

 

Thanks for the tips. Yes, I will be careful because some of these degreasers can damage the paint and I especially don't want that to happen.

I'm just going for a stock rebuild in order to keep cost down.
Cost down? Oh I make myself laugh!!!!

 

The Honda guys, when they do their engine swaps, SWEAR by WD-40 and a soft to medium bristled paintbrush. Then rinse when all the grunge is gone and use a spray wax and let fully dry before loading in the other engine.

I'm going to try that on my own car sometime. Which by the way, was thirty times as dirty as yours under the hood, thanks to rear main seal leakage, but under the grunge, I bet the white paint is gorgeous!

Are you going to recolor the firewall Windveil Blue or go black? It's been a big debate what's correct over at GTS.org!

 

Since I claim I am on budget, snicker snicker, (out the window of course) I think I am gonna go with just semi-gloss black to keep it simple. Although I have heard that I can possibly get the windveil blue color in a spray can. I still need to look into that. I hope your move was uneventful. I also read that your transmission is installed and the 4dr is ready to roll again. I hope it runs as good as you hoped! :2_thumbs_up_-_anima