My Project...1968 Bel Air Wagon

Hey guys,
Got the passenger floor pan cut out and cleaned up.
Made a patch for the toe board area and got the pan tacked in.
I'm hoping to have the pan fully welded tonight and everything POR'd and sealed by the end of the of the weekend.

 

Got the floor pan fully welded, etched, POR'd today. Still need to seal the seams and then POR'd over the sealer again. I hate POR. What a mess it can be.

Also go the seats vinyl painted. Wasn't on my list of things to do but managed to get most of it done. Ran out of vinyl paint and Autozone wont have any until tomorrow. I was amazed at how quick the stuff worked and how nice it looks.

 

IT's coming right along Wicked. Looks like you're doing everything right.

 

This is definitely a very beautiful car. It has me even more excited to get started on mine. I have a 68 Bel Air wagon as well and I love it more than my last wagon. I've had trouble coming up with a paint scheme for mine, but this has definitely gotten me closer to deciding what I want to do as far as a paint job. Once again, sweet wagon.

 

Wow that's wicked, Wicked!

Times like that that you're glad you've got the Boarding House Reach (AKA Long arms).

 

Stormin',
Yep, that's one drawback about the wagon...twice the paint and rust repair as a normal size car.

Wagonz4life, I'd love to see pics of your car if you already done some stuff to it. Did you restore it?

Snooter, thanks! I'm trying. There is so much more to do. This is my first project and luckily its moving pretty well considering I have no shop/garage(carport only).

I got the bikes(Buell and '89 KX250 Dirtbike) sold, so I will hopefully have some more parts on the way soon.
I have a little more rust repair to do(front lower fenders and spare tire well). And I might start minitubbing(should be pretty easy on a wagon, right? ha) while I have the rest of the interior out for color changing.

The goal is a massive(12 inch wide, 335-345 rear tire)wheel in the rear. Currently I think a 10-11 wheel would fit fine but might rub a little under axle articulation.

I am also keeping my eyes out for a good deal on a LSX engine and tranny. I may do a 5.3 and 4L60E to start with and then go to the T56 later on. The 5.3 and 4L60E will definitely be a huge improvement and have the performance and fuel efficiency I need. The goal is still a T56, but a LS1 and T56 is quite a few bucks more than a 5.3 and auto.

 

Those floor pans and seats are looking good. I remember doing the same thing on my floors and interior pieces. You're right, that POR-15 stuff can be messy, but what I liked about it was it went on thick. I guess that is one of the keys of durability. I used the same for my steel wheels after a thorough cleaning and Metal Ready. They came out looking like new and at a fraction on the cost of powder coating. If my front seat wasn't torn I would have used the vinyl paint on them too, but I'm concerned with the front seat matching the back, but the 3rd row seat may still get painted to save a few bucks. We shall see. Keep the photos coming! Everything is looking great!

 

I honestly picked it up just over a week ago and its gonna need some work. Wasn't running when I got it. The body itself is solid and whats left of the engine is good. Took the heads off today and gonna take them in to get cooked down. In the meantime I need to work on the floor just as you have shown here cause theres a good bit of rust. I should at least have it running sometime this summer.

 

Why don't you take it to one of those shops that does invisible mending, for the tear in the seat. Its a pain, but they do a nice job. You'll have to remove it and bring it in, so I'd take a picture and show them what the job is. Some might not have the skills, but they usually do. My mom used those services for her Gown clients, when she altered an expensive gown.

 

Thanks for the tip Norm. I'd just hate to spend a few hundred bucks getting the old vinyl repaired just for it to tear somewhere else down the road. Hopefiully I can find a good upholstery shop to sew up some new vinyl in order to keep everything the same color.

 

What about these guys for sourcing? Trouble is that you do one, you want to do them all!

http://www.smsautofabrics.com/

http://www.originalauto.com/index.htm

 

Got the interior mat down and carpet. Trimmed and glued the carpet and got the seat in this afternoon. The seat is actually more gray than picture lends you to believe.

 

That's wicked, Wicked! A lot done in a short time. Nice work.

Funny about digital pictures online. I wonder why they still can't do colours properly. Apple and Microsoft have been generating colour standards since at least 1988, and its still screwy.

 

Well they looked a little brown on the camera and my computer as well.
I was using the flash. I think without the flash they'd be fine.