1978 Pontiac sunbird safari wagon 2.5

[sportriderok]

Since this is your creation, I say do the one that speaks to you. I prefer the all chrome personally, because the black insert is so close to the default "used car dress-up" everyone used back then. Either way, it's gonna be sweet!

[Vegavulture]

Just comin along great, jealous as well, I get this when I come home, "could you park it around back so no one thinks it belongs to us"
I'm excited too to see the paint on her.
Well done Larry

[lleelduo]

Some over the winter projects I have been working on. I took off all the brite trim and striped the anodizing off. I cut the quarter window top moldings to clear the window appliques. The same was done for the door window frame scallop moldings. I fit the lower belt moldings from a hatchback to clear the door applique. and sent them all to be polished. I drilled and fitted the quarter appliques for a matching "SAFARI" emblem that are the same as the factory one on the rear of the car. I used Wolfgang Metalwerk Sealant on the bare aluminum to protect it from tarnishing. It is an acrylic wipe on sealer applied similar to car wax. I will let you know how it lasts. Now I need to shorten the window fuzzies 1 1/2 inch and reinstall them on the belt moldings. I have ordered OER vinyl paint to match the interior, to paint the trim panels that go inside the quarter windows and finish off the look of the inside. The bumpers have been sent to be polished and clear gloss powder coated. That is the next project. I hope to have the car home from storage in about 2 weeks and work can begin again in earnest.

[waybad]

I thought I asked already but I guess I forgot to hit post,,LOL who did the polishing on the trim? looks great!!

[lleelduo]

Extreme metal works in Florida. www.exmetalworks.com

[waybad]

Thanks Larry,
I seen I asked on FB.. LOL this getting old thing,, isn't all what it's cracked up to be!! I guess it beats the permanent dirt nap!!
Tinker

[lleelduo]

Happy EASTER! Spring is here, And my car is out of storage! I can start striping every thing off to get ready for the body shop!

[lleelduo]

I bought a Astre grill off ebay over the winter. The original grills have a vertical grill sections that I don't like I have repainted the Astre grill and some extra headlamp bezels in black for the Formula look. I will try to restore the original grills to put back in later. My wife likes the look of these better. I will see what to do when the original is done. By the way I used the park lamps and park lamp bezels for a 1973 Chevy Nova. same lamp and got the bezels from OER and glued them on to replace the bad chrome on the plastic.

[lleelduo]

Striping everything off for the body work to begin. Now I am getting itchy to get that started. I am going to take a weeks vacation and spend it at my friends body shop and do a lot of the grunt sanding. Oh Boy!

[Monza Harry]

Larry I would put the "old" wheels back on with some Poop tires for the cars "Spa" time, body and paint environment is NO PLACE for nice wheels or tires made of "unobtanium" Just a thought to keep that nice looking combo Safe! Harry P.S. That grill turned out Nice!

[lleelduo]

The Sunbird has the optional B83 rocker moldings. Different than the Vega molding it is a single aluminum molding that runs bellow the door from wheel to wheel. They are in bad shape in my car. I tried to find NOS moldings PT# 500555, but none were to be found. I began to look at alternatives. 1967-68 firebird used a similar molding. These moldings are available as a reproduction at a reasonable price. I ordered a set. The are about 1/2" wider than the original, and about 10" longer. but mount in the same manner. There is plenty of depth on the rocker, so the added width is not a problem. I cut the new molding to the correct length, adding 1/4" to the end to finish the molding off. I notched the upper and lower edges of the molding for clearance. Then using a set of modified duck bill vice-grips as a "folding break", I reformed the molding end. I then marked and drilled the end retaining screw hole. using a taper headed wood screw as a template I counter sunk the hole. A small bracket is used on the back of the molding to keep the molding from crushing in when the end mounting screw is installed. I just transferred this from the repro molding by giving it a slight twist to remove it and then epoxy it to the shortened molding.

[lleelduo]

The bumpers have been a source of lots of thought. I got a set of deluxe bumpers with moldings to upgrade the look of the car. they needed refurbishing as the anodizing had gone bad. I was not having much luck finding someone to redo them at a reasonable price. One estimate was $1,200 for both bumpers, that's almost as much as I paid for the whole car!
I finally found a shop that would strip the anodizing, polish the aluminum, and clear powder coat them. The cost was better and they look good. I blasted all the brackets and bumper black painted the molding to refresh it. They will look fine.

[zeke]

Clear powder coat eh? cool! Car should look great with the new bling additions!

[lleelduo]

TO THE BODY SHOP IN THE MORNING! It will be 2 years since I bought the car on the 4th of july weekend. I have done everything I can in advance of the body work. Dustin Kelly at kelly,s b/s is letting me spend a week of my vacation from work doing a lot of the grunt sanding. This will save me a TON of money. Wish I had a place to do some of this work at home but it,s not in the cards.

[lleelduo]

I spent a week striping, sanding, and grinding. No big suprises though. The entire exterior is striped. The roof had paint about a1/16th of an inch thick! What a@#%& job to get it all off. a little rust on the right rear "C" pillar and on the cowl. Pulled the windshield an all the other glass out. Some work needs done around the windshield but minor. The body shop I have it at. let me do what I could. They are taking over from here. Dustin said he wants the rest of the body and paint work done by the 11th of July.