60 Nomad Slow Progress, I Need a Push or Jump Start

Discussion in 'Station Wagon Projects' started by 60 Nomad, Jul 8, 2010.

  1. 60 Nomad

    60 Nomad Active Member

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    We have had this 60 Nomad for about 30 years and I started to restore it about 5 years ago. I have been doing all the work myself so the progress has been slow. I have been slacking for the last couple of years and really need to get back on track. I thought that if maybe I posted some pictures it might get me motivated and back in gear.
    The original motor in the car was a 348, this is the before pic
    DSC00151.jpg
    After pic #1
    DSC02097.jpg
    After Pic #2
    DSC02102.jpg
    The floor boards were rusted through so I bought a welder and replaced all 4 of them myself. Before pic
    DSC02207.jpg
    After pic
    DSC04700.jpg
     
  2. 60 Nomad

    60 Nomad Active Member

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    Tailgate

    The tailgate skin was rusted out. I found a new one, took the tailgate apart clean and painted the inside and replaced the outside skin.

    DSC05993.jpg

    DSC06668.jpg

    P1010003a.jpg
     
  3. 60 Nomad

    60 Nomad Active Member

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    Lots of work left to do

    My Avatar is the same car. It has Tinted Glass, Power Steering, Power Brakes, Factory in Dash A/C and a 348 Engine. All this makes it a really nice cruising car. I hope to get back to work and get this in A1 Shape.

    All the glass is out and it's going to be fun trying to find and put everything back together.

    DSC07184.jpg

    DSC07186.jpg
     
  4. 60 Nomad

    60 Nomad Active Member

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    Here are some old pictures

    This is when we first pulled the car out of the woods.
    Untitled-1.jpg


    And this is after we finished the car in about 1985
    I check the date and it was taken in 1982.
    Untitled-2.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2010
  5. HandyAndy

    HandyAndy Well-Known Member

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    :cussing:Git yer lazy butt out there and get to work!!:whip:


    There, how was that? ;)
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2010
  6. snooterbuckets

    snooterbuckets Well-Known Member

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    Factory in dash air in 1960? Wow, that's rare I would think. How about throwing a pic of it; I'd like to see what they looked like back then as I thought all the ac's until the mid sixties or so, hung under the dash. Obviously, I was wrong.

    60, I don't want to be rude and please don't take this the wrong way, but what the heck happened between 1985 and today? It looks like she was minted out in 1985; not so much today!
     
  7. VTWAGONLOVER

    VTWAGONLOVER Well-Known Member

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    I love 60 Chevys. I had a '60 Bel Air that I built back in 1990. I think it lives somewhere in L.I. now... I sure do miss her!!! Get that wagon done, you'll be glad you did!!!(y)
     
  8. 60 Nomad

    60 Nomad Active Member

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    Well it was my brothers 1st car and he needed one for long distance work and didn't have a gararge so over the years it took back seat. He was buying a house at the time didn't have the money to keep it nice. It's hard to keep a car real nice without a garage. So I bought it from him and now it's garage kept :). It had a padded dash too, but it was cracked up so we took it off and painted the dash. I see from the pics I just copied it was 1982 so roughly 30 years since it was done. Here is a picture take in 82 of the dash. You can see the left duct in the dash, had one on the right and the small register in the middle under the dash. I put out some cold, cold air too.

    1982 14.jpg
     
  9. gpd294

    gpd294 Well-Known Member

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    I can't believe you lost steam. You have done an amazing job on her. That engine looks like a model. Excellent, just excellent. :dance:
     
  10. wixom61

    wixom61 Well-Known Member

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    Gorgeous!
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    60 Nomad, your '60 Nomad is amazing! You'll get your MOJO back. :burnout:

    We love projects, so do something to move this project along, and post some pics of what you've done. :camera: Posting your progress is a great way to spur yourself forward to get this fantastic wagon back on the road. :2_thumbs_up_-_anima

    David :)
     
  11. Stormin' Norman

    Stormin' Norman Well-Known Member

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    My dad had a 60 Chevy sedan, Biscayne IIRC. It never had anything like that dash or moldings! :thumbs2:

    What's left to do, besides bodywork? Frame, trans, glass, interior? Any mods planned? :confused:
     
  12. 60 Nomad

    60 Nomad Active Member

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    That is what I'm hoping for. I wanted to finish it up in 2010 for it's 50th anniversary but due to my mother having some health problems and lack of funds I stopped working on it. I should have kept on doing the little inexpensive things that need to be done but I didn't. I'm ready to pick back up on it now, as soon as the 100 degree weather gets out of here that is. Thanks for the positive comments.

    The frame is done and the underside of the car. I replaced the rocker panels, dog legs, and floor pans but still need to replace part of the rear quarter panels behind the back wheels. So yes, I have body work, glass, interior and lots of other stuff to do. The only mods I have planned are to replace the 2 speed transmission with a 700R4 and maybe upgrade the brakes to disk brakes. I already have the transmission and kit to connect everything up to the 348. It should be a lot more fun cruising with a 4 speed than the 2 speed power glide. It might take me a while but I will get it done.
     
  13. Stormin' Norman

    Stormin' Norman Well-Known Member

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    I tend to over-complicate my car-projects. I'm an engineer (semi-retired), what can I say? Anyway, I did an Excel spreadsheet to do the the full-strip/repaint resto in 2007 to keep me moving. Its our only car, and the engine died just as the first snow came down.

    I didn't start the plan with the car, but with handling and scheduling restoring the parts and tracking that. Right down to the screws, cotter pins and clips. My wife's allergic to dust and chemicals, and we don't have a garage. Also doing some changes in the house, back then, and also now.

    Budgets were a major factor, so the plan helped me organize the major money-sucking tasks for Spring thaw, meanwhile I could prep the details. I used eggboxes to sort clips, screws, bolts, etc. And tobacco tins for stuff that had to stay together or become a hunt-and-pick nightmare.

    One column in my spreadsheet tracked where what was located, another the dollars, if any, and another whether it was needed before or after some other part or time in the process.

    Still took me until July 2008 before I drove it again, from November 2006.

    The trick is that I have everything documented here and on my 'puter, to argue with Insurance adjusters, if anything happens to it.

    I've since modified the interior twice and I'm on Version 3. Another week or so and she'll be struttin' her stuff again.

    Hope that helps you dissect this project into small chunks and keeps you driving it forward. :thumbs2:
     
  14. 60 Nomad

    60 Nomad Active Member

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    That is good advice Norman. I have a lot of things labeled that I thought would be hard to remember but I didn't plan for it to take this long. I'm sure I will have a few problems figuring out how some things go back. Wagons have a lot more pieces than just a regular car. Especially a 4 door with lots of options. If I can get the firewall painted, the engine and transmission in and get the car so I can pull it in and out of the garage by next spring I will be happy. I think the progress would pick up a lot after that.
     
  15. Stormin' Norman

    Stormin' Norman Well-Known Member

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    I use the rainy days (no garage) to fiddle with the small stuff like hardware. Since you've done a down-to-the-bone resto, you've probably got lots of rubber grommets and nylon bits all over the place (I'm still finding some from 2007 :rofl2:), and those sad looking wire clips that hold the connectors into the body. And a bunch that are too sad to use. Most body supply shops will carry the garden-variety bits, but you'll always find the odd one that has to be like the original, so here's a couple sites. Just check if they have a local dealer on their site or email them to find out:

    http://www.auveco.com/

    http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/Shop_by_Manufacturer_s/12.htm

    This site is all about older, hard to find, GM reproduction parts.
    http://www.automobilearchives.com/

    This one too.
    http://www.classicchevroletparts.com/



    Rubber dry rots after a few decades, kind of like old farts, but you might find some that are still decent enough to reuse. Don't soak them in mineral spirits (they bloat and rot faster, just wipe them clean with mineral spirits, not acetone or laquer thinners (they disappear:evilsmile:).

    And for desert, we have an excellent recipe for derusting old nuts, bolts and screws, even metal brackets.

    1 part vinegar, 1 part water, and salt. Usually, I use a gallon of each and two tablespoons of salt. The really crusty brackets might soak for 2 or 3 days. Then wipe of any excess before they dry and rinse in clean water. The residue is like a ghost - rust in waiting. If you don't get it off, even your primer will let rust through again. Its the cheapest rust nuker there is. It makes a light version of hydrochloric acid, which is what most rust removers actually are.

    I soaked my old Emergency Brake Cables in it for 4 days, and they came out super clean. Then I soaked them in transmission fluid for 2 more days, and the moved inside the sleeves like brand new ones. My car is from Mexico and wasn't used to Canadian roadsalt, but the brake cables were in good shape, except they were starting to get stiff. After that I rubbed regular bearing grease into them to keep them that way. Really hard to find replacements. Yours is 19 years older.

    EDIT: One trick I used was styrofoam, to spray the bolts and screws with anti-rust paints or coatings/primer. Just screw them in and paint like a pro. ;) Body molding clips are usually toast after so many years, but some might be useable. Use something like Zero Rust or Por15's Metal Ready on them to coat them.


    Weatherstrips might also be an issue for you, so just look in our Site Directory on the main forum page at the bottom. All the makes are there.

    If all else fails, rattle my cage. :evilsmile::rofl2:

    It would sure be nice to see that bling machine rolling loud and proud!:2_thumbs_up_-_anima
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2010

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