Paul Masson's 71 Grabber

Hi Paul:
Been following some of these posts . On the Dash Pad being placed ' loose ' over the existing pad .. My friend did
this but he parked in the Sunshine here in Florida a little too long and the dash cover ' warped' somewhat and he now
has to secure it more permanently . Just thought I'd mention this.
Cometized
(Chip)

 

I haven't made it there yet... They were a last-minute purchase, so I already had my original kick panels installed. I am going to leave the OEM ones in for the time being, as I'm trying to get the car done for a show on July 7th-10th here. I will certainly report on the fitment once I do install them.

Thanks Chip! A "hot" day here is about 70*F... I will take it under advisement though, and may end up adhering it later if I suspect it's getting wonky on me.

 

Your steering wheel looks great installed! Glad you like your "new" wheel, Paul.

 

I have a love/hate thing with these project posts. I love the cars and the work, but hate that I keep running out of time, or money to do more.

Looking great by the way.

 

Thank You for the compliment! But I do know exactly where you're coming from @ time and money...

Believe it or not, this project started out as a 'turn-key' car that I bought figuring I put enough money up to buy a 'good' car that I would be saving myself the time to perform a restoration. Well, that was Fall 2012, and I took the windshield out to fix a 'leak' back in January 2013. I haven't driven the car since October 2012. If I have learned ANYTHING, it's that there is no such thing as a turn-key original car. I still think I got a good car, it's just that much better now that I have had to go through the whole thing. Four years and thousands of dollars later, I'll eventually end up with what I wanted--a driveable original paint car that represents what these cars are to me.

Time is the killer, but it's hard to believe that so much time has passed to finally arrive here now.

 

I hear ya Paul, and thx. My car is a bit different. I got mine about 20 years ago now when my wife's grandma failed her eye test. She asked me to promise her I wouldn't turn her car for profit and signed it over. I honestly didn't like the car, and it damn near killed me on the drive home. I had a 2 mile drive home and the brakes failed due to lack of fluid. The brakes were at 50%, but the master had emptied. Long story short she got hit ended up in storage for close to 10 years, and for the past five years she's been my ugly driver.

Grandma has been gone for a little over 9 years, and I'm redoing the car, much to my wife's displeasure sometimes, my way.

Keep posting pics to inspire guys like me.

 

I made some big progress (cosmetically, at least) this weekend. This thing is starting to look like a car again!

 

Movin' fast now...

Get the lower valance on and underside of hood painted and looks like you'll be finished?

 

That's the plan! I just can't leave the underside of the hood the way it is with the engine compartment gleaming underneath it. LOL The factory paint is quite thin and it looks like the battery may have boiled over at some point and the fan helped distribute the battery contents along the front of the hood. I'll mask off the seam all the way around and it shouldn't be too bad of a masking line.

 

Paul,
Looks good. I'm sure you will make the show.

Did non-AC cars get the rubber strip on the core support? I know my '71 170 non-AC did not come with one.

Micah

 

Thanks Micah! I think I'm on track for making the how deadline. I decided to install the rubber on the rad support to help direct airflow through the rad rather than up an over it. My car did not come with it originally.

 

Only the AC cars had the rubber strip from the factory.

 

Some more bread crumbs...

Front valance sans-plate...


License plate and frame installed.

 

Hi Paul. Things are really coming together nicely for you. Looks awesome and your cheeks and arms will surely be sore from smiling and waving so much everytime you drive it. lol

Quick question. I read back a few pages but didn't see where the supplier for the vinyl top was mentioned?

Hoping they might have/can do a red version since my previously "nice condition" factory top sat outside and didn't get protected as much as it should have last winter. Covered it too late.. got hit with snow.. had to wait for the first quick thaw and then uncovered it again too early..got more snow. Wasn't going to worry about making it really nice.. but now it may be a weak point even with a spray can paint job so I'm considering a redo. Any leads are much appreciated.

Thanks,

Greg

 

Thanks Greg! LOL @ arms and cheeks... I wasn't sure what cheeks you were talking about at first...

The vinyl top was purchased through AutoKrafters a couple of years ago. I believe I paid $189.99 plus shipping. The grain and seams are just like the factory ones, but I learned while watching a video from West Coast Classic Cougars that my type of vinyl top that I bought was what they considered to be the low-end version with the glossy vinyl and fuzzy white underneath. The one they installed was the better quality version and appeared to be a more satin finish with a canvas-like backing, just like the original one I took off.

Speaking of original, I carefully removed mine and kept it for reference. This proved invaluable as the guy who did my top didn't know exactly how this particular car had the vinyl trimmed and tucked. We were able to lay the old one out and measure/compare wines marks and old creases.