86 Regal T

[aminga]

OK, I thought I might start a project threads even though my project has been going on for about 6 years now. This is an 86 Regal T-type, Purchased new in 1986, Daily Driven to college by myself for 7 years. Daily driven by my wife after that as a grocery getter. In 2003 she had a little accident in it so we decided to retire it to play car status and buy her something else. It's been what I call a driving restoration. Work on it over the winter then put it back together and drive it during the summer.

It's been painted, Suspension rebuilt, all the good upgrades (except the turbo) new 2004R (Still have the original).

This winter it's getting a rebuild (roller cam, Alky, ISAC, and a new TA-49). Since it's out I'm going to clean up under the hood quite a bit including powdercoating everything that will come off and fit in my oven

Here's step 1. Doghouse, Front accessory Drive and Crank sensor bracket in Eastwood Bare Metal clear (satin)

The parts were baked at 450 degrees for an hour or so to burn off the oil (and heat the garage) and then blasted.

The dog house ribs were polished with 320 emory and Tripoli compound to give them a little bling. Then coated.

More later.

 

[Bruce Urie]

That's really excellent work there, Aminga. You're giving me some ideas here, so please keep us posted and more pictures of your progress.

If I baked car stuff in my wife's oven (and believe me, I'd like to) I'd be sleeping in the garage for about a month. Not too bad, sleeping next to my GN or Vette, but, really, really cold out there. (18 degrees) The bathroom in the garage is heated, and our garage cat sleeps in a little bed there, but my sleeping on the toilet seat sitting up hurts my butt after a few hours.

Anyway, very nice work there. Those parts look just great.

Bruce '87 Grand National

 

[aminga]

That's really excellent work there, Aminga. You're giving me some ideas here, so please keep us posted and more pictures of your progress.

If I baked car stuff in my wife's oven (and believe me, I'd like to) I'd be sleeping in the garage for about a month. Not too bad, sleeping next to my GN or Vette, but, really, really cold out there. (18 degrees) The bathroom in the garage is heated, and our garage cat sleeps in a little bed there, but my sleeping on the toilet seat sitting up hurts my butt after a few hours.

Anyway, very nice work there. Those parts look just great.

Bruce '87 Grand National

I have an oven in my garage.

 

[rmar]

Looks good Alan........:biggrin:

I am thinking about breaking the worlds record for the longest loaf of bread in my oven.........:biggrin:

 

[aminga]

Looks good Alan........:biggrin:

I am thinking about breaking the worlds record for the longest loaf of bread in my oven.........:biggrin:

You cheat though.

I'm staring at this lower intake and thinking it's going to be a Faraday nightmare.

 

[rmar]

They are not bad, but can out gas quite a bit. ( preheat)
Do the faraday areas first, plug injector holes and intake side,top is optional.IMO

 

[JOHNDEEREGN]

This is an 86 Regal T-type, Purchased new in 1986, Daily Driven to college by myself for 7 years.

I finally found somebody that took longer to get through school than me:biggrin:

J/K looks good bud!

I don't have a Ph. D on my business card though

 

[aminga]

I finally found somebody that took longer to get through school than me:biggrin:

Yea but I got 3 degrees. :tongue:

Ok it actually took 12 years But while working on the Ph. D. I worked full time for the last 3 years and got married :biggrin:

 

[aminga]

They are not bad, but can out gas quite a bit. ( preheat)
Do the faraday areas first, plug injector holes and intake side,top is optional.IMO

I've already baked it for 2 hours at 450. Makes the old finish give up easier in the blaster too.

 

[rmar]

Turn it over, it's done on that side.......

Your just trying to heat the garage.

 

[aminga]

Turn it over, it's done on that side.......

Your just trying to heat the garage.

Yes.

Got the Belt tensioner coated today. There didn't look like there were any parts that heat could hurt. Seems to survived

 

[rmar]

Where is my intake pic.......?

 

[charlief1]

LOL Are you planning on doing any porting Al? If so send me a PM. I might be able to help you with it.

And I think your "loaf" is big enough Ronnie. LOL It aint about world records after all.

 

[aminga]

Flash back to the early 90's. Here's a photo of the car in it's daily driver form.

Very few that I have.

In 2003 the car was involved in collision. It was a near total (the body shop said the car was valued at $3000 and was totaled). Lawrence Conley helped me prove the value and we wound up doing a fixed price settlement so that it could be repaired without the salvage title. Since I became "unemployed" about that time I did a lot of the work myself prep work myself and scouted good used parts and wound up with enough to paint the whole car.

The only regret is I wish I had taken the rear quarter windows out.

I put in all of the body bracing, relocated the evap and chromed some of the underhood parts, rebuilt the windows. Replaced the weatherstrip dewsweeps. (Metrosoft, another regret)

At the time there weren't any good radiator baffles out there so I made my own from an old innertube. It worked OK but didn't look so nice.

 

[scot w.]

Looks nice Alan, Keep up the nice work!

Scot W.

 

[aminga]

Winter of 2004/2005 was time to rebuild the suspension.

New PST Poly Bushings
ATR Sway Bar
New Brakes
Rebuilt the front end, tie rods
Eibach Pro Kit Springs and Bilstein shocks.

The Rear end got sprayed with Chassis Black

Before

After

Epoxy coated the Brake Drums

Boxed the rear control arms and powdercoated all of the control arms with chassis black

And I took my first attempt at restoring T-wheels. I used a spray on clear that yellowed pretty quickly

 

[phillyturbosix]

Looking great Alan! Keep up the good work! It will all pay off in the end when it's all done!

The ONLY way to go is powder coating. It will last years and look good. When I first had my 87 rebuilt I spray painted everything. Intake, Valve covers, dog house, etc,etc. It lasted maybe 2 years and started the colors started looking dull and turning yellow. I tore it all apart and powder coated everything and years later it looks like I did it yesterday!

I know some of you guys are kidding but if you use an oven for powder coating the oven can NEVER be used again to cook in. That stuff gives off some major toxins so the oven is no longer good for cooking no matter how much you clean it.

I used a coating called sterling silver on my 87's engine bay...

On my 86 GN I used a gray more like the factory color. All the black is also powder coated including the intercooler. All done in glossy black. I also used ceramic coating on the turbo shield, entire exhaust, and up pipe....

 

[aminga]

One of the other things I did in 2006 was clean up the rear rub strip. it was good but had the white strip missing in several places. I found that one of those tire paint pens works wonders.

Added the trunk kit then too

 

[aminga]

Other items completed in 2007 was

Redoing the interior. The dash pad had a cracks and splits from Daily driver use and what some places want to restore a padded dash is highway robbery. I found a used pad that had no cracks but was a little faded, and the braces were corroded (was in a junkyard). It's possible to drill the rivets and seperate the metal bracing from the pad and blast it to clean it up.

The redyed dash pad

Redid the console while i was out of it.

Of all the jobs on this car removing that dash pad was the most miserable

 

[aminga]

And this past winter I cleaned up a few things, Redid the wheels again in clear powder for the last time

Added a Monsoon stereo from upgrade to get my CD. Powerloger, scanmaster, a TT 6.0 chip, 60lb injectors and a line lock.

Brian (Gbody parts) fixed me up with these center caps. These are the repro caps with an 83 colored center cap medallion. These are the wheels in gloss clear powder with polished ribs. Documented in the how to section

Added TA headers and a Mini starter after the stockers cracked for the last time.

And fixed a little flaw in the seat. The welt cord broke years ago. Fortunately a neighbor of mine is an upholsterer and was able to fix the drivers seat without replacing all of the upholstery.

Todd Humphries (Black sheep) fabbed up this little IAT extender/bung out off some intercooler piping, sort of a poor man's cold air kit. It keeps the A/C hose from rubbing the filger and Vice Versa

And with that we are up to date with the current project.

it really is a sickness.