Restoration of our 62 4 speed Jetfire

[jensenracing77]

I am starting a new thread on our 4 speed car. For anyone looking for previous information refer to this thread… http://oldsjetfire.com/forums/topic/picked-up-a-4-speed-jetfire/

We are finely starting the restoration on this car. This will not be a 1000 point trailer queen when done but it will still be a very high quality restoration. We will be driving this car when it is done. The plan is to reuse as much as I possibly can. I even plan to reuse the original weatherstripping if I can take my time getting it all off without damaging it. I want to just freshen up the engine with new rings, cam, lifters and normal wear items. I do not want to bore the engine and sure hope the cylinders check out good. I only want a stock engine.

For the interior, I am hoping that we can do the car and leave all the original paint on the interior and inside the trunk. I have already detailed interior and dyed the carpeting and is all original. I will not need to spend any money on the interior other than attempting to dye the headliner. My body guy thinks we will be able to dye the headliner without removing it and still retain the pattern. I guess if it don’t work we will have to replace it. The headliner is stained with tobacco tar.

I plan to start disassembly in the next couple weeks and have the body to the body shop before June. My guess is that he will have it close to a year and then the assembly process. I don’t know if I will make it but may try for the 2019 nationals if they are not to far away.

I will post a couple pictures of the condition it is in now. If you are new and want previous information please look at my link above.

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[62cutlassconvert]

My 62 convert is not in as nice shape but I am keeping it a survivor with no repaint. The interior paint was pretty oxidized (convert) with some bubbles here and there. I used a very fine polishing compound by hand and then paste wax and it came up very nicely. Even used Eastwood clear Rust encapsulator on the rear trim panels for the quarter windows after a 1200 grit sanding to remove some surface rust and it came out OK, not restoration quality but it’s a survivor and looks good. Your coupe should come out nice.

[jensenracing77]

Major events have changed our plans and my body guys family’s lives. My body guys shop burned to the ground today. It is a total loss including some beautiful cars. Lucky for me, my car was not there yet. I had already put this car on a temporary hold so I could get the basement cleaned out to make room for the parts from this car. I was going to start pulling it apart next weekend. Now I am just going to have to leave it together because it will be at least another year and likely longer before he is back up and running.

At least him and his family are ok. I believe the house had some damage also but I believe it will be ok. The video in this link is just terrible

http://www.trueoldieswaxi.com/2018/04/01/fire-destroys-home-and-barn-in-western-clay-county/

[JimNoel]

Boy, is that ever a good news/bad news story! Really sorry to hear about your friend/body man’s horrific loss, while it is good to hear that your car wasn’t included in the loss/fire!.

[62cutlassconvert]

Terrible news, but fortunately he and his family are alright. And the Jetfire lives for another day.

[jensenracing77]

I am being told this morning that his Motor Home that he stores in there caught fire. I don’t believe he touched it since Fall. By the time they seen smoke coming from the shop it was to late. I have not talked to him but my fire department buddies are saying this. His Motor Home I believe was nearly new. I will know much better information when I talk to him. I am not putting to much faith in what I am hearing this early and will let things settle before I talk to him.

For now, I may just rework the gas tank and put an exhaust on it and drive it. I just don’t want to hurt it worse by driving it when the suspension grease is all dried out. I can and have added grease but the old stuff is so dry and not coming out that I fear it is not good on it.

Just have to let things sit and decide a little later what I am going to do.

[62cutlassconvert]

I had to disassemble my front control arm bushings and chip the grease out. I could not get them to take new grease at all. So I would be wary of driving it if on injecting new grease it did not displace what was in there and gush out. Ball joints and other grease areas same issue.

[jensenracing77]

I am undecided on my front suspension anyway. They all take grease but you can tell that it only comes out in a spot or two and I am sure it is not getting everywhere it should. I am thinking about changing the front cross member and suspension anyway. The front suspension is pitted really bad in this car. Even thought it is still nice and tight with 44,000 miles, I have another complete front suspension that has little to no pitting and out of a 27,000 mile car. I am a nut when it comes to reusing the original parts when I can but I am likely going to change it all anyway with this better front end.

I just told my wife that I may just disassemble that other front end this summer and restore it and have it ready. I also have some pit free rear control arms from the same car that I could get ready. I have several things I can work on without taking the car apart. I may just do that this year.

I have another project that I can work on also. I have a Jetfire engine and turbo setup that is mostly junk. I am going to pull the internals out of most of it and detail it externally and build a real nice looking display engine. Even have a bad intake manifold for it. It will be made of mostly junk parts but still be useful for a display.

[jensenracing77]

So sad and devastating. I talked to him and he has decided to rebuild and continue the hobby. They have a long road ahead. He said he would like to be back up and running by next winter. I am unsure where this project stands for me but I hope to get it in early after he is going again. Will just have to wait and see. I am going to at least order a muffler for the car and drive it this summer.

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[jensenracing77]

Ryan Brutt is the guy that documented this car as a “barn find” or garage find… He has a series of Muscle Car Barn Finds books and he just sent me a copy of his newest book. It has our 62 4 speed car in it!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/076035359X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_tV7XAb1PHDNMK

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