I remember studding many tires like that
We often used either fiberglass or epoxy resin in each stud hole to hold the studs in better.

What did you use for a drill bit or an insertion tool, Ian? Did you ever try vulcanizing agent? I'm thinking that with some of the extras, I could stud the truck's tires for next winter, to get one more year out of them. Not to this quantity or projection, mind you... I want SOME grip on dry pavement!

we actually used a special stud drill to drill the extra holes ... remember this was MANY years ago but I remember it was a hollow drill specially designed for the purpose. To insert the studs again it is a special air operted tire stud gun

That's a serious tool right there...looks like the thingy they use to tag cow's ears or pierce teenagers.

Good piercing is actually done by hand with a surgical needle and forceps.

This is for them naughty ones

Well I haven't done much with this car in a while, but I did pick up a free '69 as a donor for some parts. It's very rusty. It's got a B20 of unknown quality, Craig says it has what is likely to be a B18 head on it, the carbs look pretty original though. M40, cable clutch system, dual split brake system, etc.

The inner fenders look not too bad and this would update the car should I swap them out, but exactly how to do it? My thought is to cut off the frame horns from both cars and transplant them, which might prove more trouble than it's worth but maybe not. We'll see.

So after pulling the engine, transmission, and rear axle, I have begun pulling things apart. Did I mention it's rusty? First signs of trouble (for the stuff I want to keep, anyway) are in the rails under the tops of the fenders. I'm not sure I expected better than this, but it is a mess.



Yoi! That is some stiffening foam right there! After I scraped it out, I was left with this:







And this:



Here's what the fender looked like:





It's all bondo and foam, ladies and gentlemen.

The other side isn't as bad:



You can still see the primer in the channel!





Being that this area is likely just as bad in the 123, I'm not panicking. It's going to have to get fixed anyway, right? The forensics will continue, and as I uncover further sins (or virtues) I will decide on the path to take.

I'd junk those and order a new set. They are easier to replace than repair to be brutally honest. It would take me just as long to repair those as it would to just fit new panels. The set I did for JP took all of 4 hours and they are welded up and perfect. You can then paint and fill the cavities with cavity wax (something I wish I'd done) and you're done forever.

I'd hack the fender inners and the frame horn back of the A-piller stiffener and be done with it.

I'm trying to clip a page from Olof's pricelist but am failing for whatever reason. If you've got a copy, Craig: page 36, fig. 7.16 - is that what you're talking about? I've seen some cheezy replacement panels that go here, and they look like they don't belong. Do these include the box section, fender mounting flange, and everything?

And crawling underneath, the crossmember isn't as far back as I was thinking. Behind the A-pillar stiffeners, it's maybe another 16-18" back. I think I'll put in that sweat equity to make it right. We'll see - that's how far back I'll cut the '69, anyway, and if removing the floor from the frame horn is a huge PITA then I may revise my plan.

First things first: remove the dash & everything back there.

Page 38, part 16 price $78. It's the entire section from the front fender to the "A" pillar as one piece.

Here's the part:

Think about part 17 as well if things are at all sketchy - it's only $48 and takes more time to repair than it is worth. Same goes for the front floor panels, at $83 I wouldn't waste my time bodging something there. Cross member part to A pillar is only $35. I'll put my time into other more important aspects of restoration. Compared to most replacement pressings these are ultra cheap and I've used them all - and all are the correct gauge and fit great. The front inner fender repair sections need a little massage (call me in other words - seriously - there are tricks and I don't have time to write out a how to about some of it as it involves a voodoo rattle and a shrunken head ).

Yep, part #16, and I was totally thinking of getting #17 as well. I've already got those crossmember to A pillar parts from Olof, and the floor in the GT only has a teensy-weensy little hole so it's not worth replacing compared to patching. Then again, I might find more wrong with it once I start stripping it.

Check the condition of the base of the A-pillar. If it is at all rusty, then it will need to be replaced. The floor sections are generally good if the windshield hasn't leaked. Just check the join where the floor, rockers and the A-pillar join. It's a bad area and often looks better than it is.

Thread from the dead, sort of...

I haven't updated this in a while, but nothing's really happened in a while either. Nothing meaningful, anyway. I've found it very difficult to get out into the garage lately, but I've made a deal with myself that come Spring I've got to get moving. In the meantime I've managed to score a lot of parts that'll help me get this thing up and running a LOT sooner than I'd planned - I'm not naming names or pointing fingers, but EVERYTHING's polished. All I have to do now is keep up my end of the bargain, and get the body solid.

In case anyone was wondering what happened to that '69 122, I carefully removed the frame horns. Don't think for a minute that I didn't have fun:


The horns have been sitting in my back yard for a while, right behind the car, sinking into the earth. Craig needed some measurements for his own project which forced me to move them into the garage and start to disassemble them, where they sat (again) for months collecting more dust. This weekend I ended up with some free time and a warm garage and I was able to fool myself into getting something started, so I began ripping spot welds:






I have some grinding to do to clean up the welds, a little more cutting on the rear crossmember area, and some light rust repair on the flanges up near the top of the firewall. Once that’s done I’ll blast the whole clip and prime it, and set it aside for phase 2. Since the blasting will depend on the weather and a day off, it might not come in the next couple of weeks, but I’ve got some garage cleanup that needs to happen first anyway.

Removal of the GT’s horns should be easy – once I unbolt the fenders I just about expect the horns to fall off, but if that doesn’t happen I’ll replace the floors along with the horns, so I don’t have to dick around getting the GTs horns and floors separated without shredding everything. Then it’s only a matter of cutting the welds at the rear crossmember and the spots on the firewall, and removing the fender supports & outer kick panels, but one thing at a time.

Hopefully we start to see a little action now!

Nice Matt! Looking forward to seeing this come together.

More progress, sort of.

Two or three weeks ago I planned on finishing up the cutting & cleanup on the frame, so I went into my garage and turned on the heat. Went out to pick up after Shelby and when I came back in, my old nasty heater was flinging flames out the back. Well, it's all sorted now and I've got a spanky new heater & most of a new chimney, and I'm back in business.

Played hookey from work today to get a few things done. Can anyone guess what I started with?


Yeah, and Consolidated Compressor has gone up. $110 per hour now, but worth every penny.
















Exposed a few flaws with a little more detail but nothing I didn't know about. I've got most of the replacement pieces and I can make the rest, this should be a piece of cake!

Then some DTM primer/sealer:





Excuse me, but I must go. It's beer o' clock.

Looks great Matt! Man, I wish we were able to sandblast like that here locally.

How's the new heater work?