1977 Chevelle Malibu Classic Progress Photo's aka Mali

Mcarlo77 wrote:
I've got a question since you mentioned the POR 15.  Are you (or, has anyone else on here) coated the inside bottom of the doors?  I get some water leakage when it rains and was wondering if that would be a good idea?  Or, is it fine to leave as is as long as the drain holes are open and there isn't any crud laying along the bottom that can hold moisture?

I did it on my Arizona replacement doors while I was doing bodywork.  I also brushed the inside of the fenders when they were off.  Granted it has been driven in the rain only once since 2000, & is almost always inside.(except for a month outside under a cover while my olds was getting painted) so there hasn't been any real "torture" test to see how it holds up.

Mcarlo77 wrote:Lookin' good, Paul!  Feels good to clean up and paint rusty parts, huh?!

I've got a question since you mentioned the POR 15.  Are you (or, has anyone else on here) coated the inside bottom of the doors?  I get some water leakage when it rains and was wondering if that would be a good idea?  Or, is it fine to leave as is as long as the drain holes are open and there isn't any crud laying along the bottom that can hold moisture?

Yes, really easy to do with a brush.  Of course my doors are torn apart and that made it easy.  Just be careful not to plug up the drain holes. Clean them out first by vacuuming (if needed) and use a mild detergent to get the dust/crap out through the drain holes.  If you have compressed air, blow any standing water out and then use a good lint free cloth and some acetone to prep the surface.  let that evaporate (pretty quick actually) and then use the POR 15. Grab a couple of 1.5"-2" throw away "chip brushes", they'll do just fine for application.  

I've learned that if you seal the can back up ASAP and turn it upside-down, the product will not cure in the can.  The longer you leave it exposed to open air, the greater the likelihood is that it will begin to cure- then you're screwed.  That's really all you need to do to keep it "fresh".  I also make a "scoop" out of a plastic cup- 8oz or so, in order to keep from tilting the can and getting sh!t in the grooves.  

Hammer the lid back on ASAP after taking what you need with the cup.  Also have another plastic container handy to place the scoop in and have some acetone handy in case you spill it or get it on you.  Once it cures- THAT's it!  It will take a few days to come off your skin and if you get it on your clothes, it's there for good.  Make sure the recesses for the lid & can are clean and free of any paint before resealing the can-again acetone will work good for this w/ a clean rag.  

Also, the vapors are harmful to your respiratory system, in the open air it's not that bad but in a garage you'll want good ventilation and to invest in a good respirator that is rated for paint/chemical use.  I just bought a new one today for $30.00, well worth the money and I still killed a few brain-cells (well more than on a usual Sat) even with an exhaust fan going in my workshop.  I use the respirator even when I'm outside.  Safety first, man!

Here is a decent shot of the Por15 Metal Prep (formerly called Metal Ready) in action.  This product neutralizes rust and provides a good bonding surface for primers & other coatings to stick to. The control arms were cleaned & degreased as well as brought down to about 75-80% bare metal.  I did not need to blast them and I used the Por15 cleaner/degreaser with a hot water soak to lift out most of the crud that was on the arms (as well as the one spindle I have ready for paint).  Thereafter, I used my trusty low speed drill with small pads of 80 grit to get any remaining crud off.   Then some hand-pad sanding - coarse/medium and then fine to get them uniform for paint.



The lower arms received a base coat of Por-15 followed by Duplicolor Self-etch primer.  I've decided to use POR-15 "Chassis-coat Black" as a hard protective coating. (Using on frame & firewall also).  I decided I really like the Duplicolor engine enamel ultra low gloss and will use that as the finish coat with Duplicolor's "Paint-Shop" matte finish as a clear on all frame/engine bay/suspension stuff.  Hoping to spray the Chassis-coat, finish & clear coats this weekend.

The one upper arm from the last series of pics that was down to bare metal just got the self etch primer as a base, it was in super shape for some reason and really didn't need the Por-15 base-coat.

Wow, that cleaned up really nice!

Thanks.  I got lucky on that LOL.

BTW- I posted a pic of the wrong upper arm-lmao.  Oh well they look the same in primer!

Mcarlo77 wrote:Lookin' good, Paul!  Feels good to clean up and paint rusty parts, huh?!

I've got a question since you mentioned the POR 15.  Are you (or, has anyone else on here) coated the inside bottom of the doors?  I get some water leakage when it rains and was wondering if that would be a good idea?  Or, is it fine to leave as is as long as the drain holes are open and there isn't any crud laying along the bottom that can hold moisture?

What I did inside my doors was I cleaned them out really good with a vacuum and a piece of hose taped to the end to really get in the corners then I sprayed chain oil all over the inside down in the corners and it held up good. Was still there when I took the door panel off again a few years later.

Not familiar with chain oil, is it kinda thick & sticky ? Sounds like a good idea.
I've used LPS-3 for years on airplanes & cars, in the doors & quarter panels. I get it in gallon jugs, but it's in spray cans also. It's supposed to be a corrosion inhibitor .......

It is kind of thick . I beleive it has a little rust inhibiter in it too.

Remember what Neil Young said, "Rust Never Sleeps". That's why I use the POR stuff.

All oil by definition is a rust inhibitor because it repels water, but some may have more additives in them, and obviously some last longer than others.

Almost dry; flat enough?

Looks great!

Yeah Paul, really getting there. Its going to be really nice done!

Thanks guys!

I'm sad though, had to cover the car today- they're forecasting snow showers here on Halloween night sometime

I'm glad I got that done before today though. I used a new HVLP gun I got and sprayed the POR Chassis Coat @ only 30 psi. I reduced the coating by 15% with their solvent. They say the lower you can shoot it the flatter it is, I guess it came out OK.

That's really looking great !!

So after a very long break (mostly due to the winter from hell), I am happy to say that I was able to repair my Rochester Q-Jet "M4ME".

It seems after all the hassle that a little rod had disconnected itself from the bottom side and nothing ended up being broken.  There is a little tab that the fast idle cam goes through on it's way inside the carb.  If your primaries don't work and that rod is loose- you have to take off the entire electric choke assembly in order to remove the fast idle assembly.  There is also a small screw that attaches that rod to the primary butterfly assembly.  Once that is off you can turn the carb upside down and the metal tab will fall out so you can reconnect everything.  

You'll need you some tweezers, a good light source and maybe a helper to hold the carb up so you can see what you're doing!  There is barley enough length on the end of the fast idle cam to keep that tab it where it should be.  If you are working on you electric choke- be careful not to remove the fast idle cam assembly behind the chokes housing or you will end up doing this same repair.  What a pain!

There is a spare fast idle cam in this pic just to the top right of the socket wrench if you're curious.

I see what you were doing there !  I've done a bunch of Q-jets, and I'm very familiar with the little tricks to assemble them.  They are my favorite carb for street use. I have one apart on the bench right now.

One good book on those is the one by Cliff Ruggles..."How to rebuild  & modify Q-jet carbs".  Worth the money at a bit over 20 bucks  from Amazon....

Paul, had a hard time with that damn thing too. Good you got it fixed.

Yep. Fun isn't it? My boys heard a few new cuss words this afternoon. My 17 YO was like I never cuss around the house. LOL

Question is now do I just keep it as a spare or sell it? I don't think the new Holley will ever die- or be this hard to mess with.

Hey Paul, looks like your making good progress on your car. Nice job on the frame and firewall. I still have those shocks if you want them.

Hi Kris, Thank you!

Do you still have the same cell # & email I have for you?

Pm sent

Made a little bit of progress.  Been tough to find time this season but I have the control arms done and the uppers installed "loosely". I have to move the ball joint forward slightly in order to have it rest right on the edge of the arm. The bolt holes in the Moog product allows for this slight adjustment.

Curious: why did you need to move it? Did it not line up where the original had been? How will this affect caster?

The originals were right on the front edge of those upper arms. As far forward as was possible. I think shims would fix any caster issues as a result of them being left alone but I am trying to replicate what was there.