Hell Freezes Over...Paxtonshelby buys GM

[PaxtonShelby]

@BlksvtCobra01 - here is the thread I promised. Enjoy!

I like just about any kind of car. And the older I get, the more I like big and even odd / less popular / less common cars. Here is a story of mine that started 3+ years ago and will likely go another 10 years before I have time, space, and money to finish it...

From back in the summer of 2015...

Well...it's true...and I'm really stoked about this one! It is the reason for my lack of focus and sleep over the past week.

I've been eyeing this car for a few years. It was sitting outside at the shop where my Dad's cars ('63 R2 Studebaker Avanti & '57 T-Bird) and my In-Laws' cars ('63 Studebaker GT Hawk & '48 Studebaker Commander convertible) were restored. The PO lives in New York and realized he wasn't going to get around to having it restored, so I was able to work out a deal.

Here are some details...the closer you get to the bottom the easier this will get...

2 Doors

4600 pounds

Front bench with center armrest and separately folding seat backs

3 speed automatic

4 barrel carb

Power steering, Power brakes, A/C

425 big block - 385 horsepower

1966 Motor Trend Car of the Year

 

[PaxtonShelby]

Here is Lilly with our project, a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. Lilly, 9 at the time, was having fun controlling the winch to pull the new toy onto the trailer.

 

[PaxtonShelby]

And here she is after a quick pressure washing. She was still filthy, but we were hoping she would clean up pretty well.

 

[Revvv]

Great car, and fun project.

Sent from my [trashcan S5] using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[PaxtonShelby]

She has 53k original miles and still has all her original sheet metal. One below average repaint was done but it was never buffed. It has a lot of imperfections but the car is really straight and is almost completely rust-free. The motor has a knock so I will have it rebuilt. The interior needs lots of love but I think it will clean up pretty well.

Hopefully my girls will prove to be great detailers. I'm going to need their help!

 

[PaxtonShelby]

Here is what she looked like at different times at the shop.

 

[PaxtonShelby]

Inside the car were brand new bumpers still in the box. They are probably worth more than what I paid for the car.

 

[COOL COBRA]

Man that's large for a tudor.

 

[PaxtonShelby]

I brought her home and squeezed her into the garage. Damn she’s a big girl! It is hard to believe just how dirty she was even after a thorough scrubbing.

 

[Revvv]

She has 53k original miles and still has all her original sheet metal. One below average repaint was done but it was never buffed. It has a lot of imperfections but the car is really straight and is almost completely rust-free. The motor has a knock so I will have it rebuilt. The interior needs lots of love but I think it will clean up pretty well.

Hopefully my girls will prove to be great detailers. I'm going to need their help!

I look forward to the build thread.

Sent from my [trashcan S5] using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[PaxtonShelby]

She was originally Dubonnet, which is a gorgeous and rare plum/purplish color. I wish the car hadn’t been repainted. The re-spray is a Maserati color that is similar. I plan on trying to salvage the current color. But the paint is pretty bad.

 

[PaxtonShelby]

I am leaning toward redline radials. The spare - now on the car - is a neat 3-redline tire that ,to me, looks pretty cool. I'd love to find something like this... a company called Diamond Tire can custom make any whitewall / redline you want. Pricey but I might do it when the time comes...

 

[OETKB]

I was a teenage mutant tire buster in high school at Sears as a part time job when radials where still a "brand new thing", and all I can say is changing tires on those muthas was a beeyotch. Heavy as freakin' lead.

 

[PaxtonShelby]

The '66 came with a tiny single bowl master cylinder. In '67 a dual-bowl MC became standard. That's the route I want to go. Now I just need to see if the PB booster is different between '66 and '67. I'm guessing it will be a different booster. In the end, not a big deal since I would be replacing the MC and booster either way. The braking system needs to be top notch on such a big machine!

 

[PaxtonShelby]

From 8/17/15...

Didn't get a ton done tonight, but Lilly and I went thru the filthy trunk and found a bunch of parts. Bumper brackets ( thank God! ), wipers, parking lights, a new CV boot, and lots of other goodies. Swept out a few pounds of dirt and trash, vacuumed the trunk and filled most of a 55 gallon bag with crap. Then we vacuumed the interior ( only found 2 crispy baby mice ) and gave the dash, doors, and seats a quick cleaning with some Aerospace 303. She's still a hot mess, but slow and steady progress is what we are shooting for.

 

[PaxtonShelby]

From 8/22/15...

Last week I had buffed the car with 3M Perfect-it II Rubbing Compound. It helped a little but I had the buffer speed set too slow so results weren't too good.

Today's work started with a medium clay bar. It was the first time I have ever used clay, and holy cow was I impressed! In a few hours the whole car was very very smooth. Lilly helped with the bottoms of the doors. Luckily I found a nice think piece of high-density foam that we could lay on since the garage floor tends to kick my butt these days. Here's a shot of Lilly working hard...

 

[PaxtonShelby]

8/23/15...

Once the clay bar work was done, I started with step #2...

HD Cut Heavy Paint Defect Leveling Cream with a 6" Meguiars microfiber cutting disc. After priming the pad I set the buffer on #4 and got busy. I only got part of a fender done but this stuff sure seems to work well! Hopefully I will have time after the Steeler game tomorrow night to get some more work done.

 

[PaxtonShelby]

More 8/23/15...

I was amazed at how the clay made the paint feel. SO smooth - I was shocked considering how horribly rough the paint felt beforehand, even after the first go-round with the 3M compound.

Tonight I used the HD Cut on the driver front fender, the nose, and half of the hood. I turned the buffer up to 4.5 and have steadily increased pressure and it is working. I've needed to do each section of the hood and nose 2-3 times to get most of the contaminants out. I'm in no hurry and I'll continue to stay at it until the paint is as clear as I can get it.

While I worked the buffer with the HD Cut, Lilly grabbed the clay and worked her way all around the car, catching small areas everywhere that she thought needed some more attention. She has gotten pretty good at it! After she lapped the car, I sicked her on the door jambs. She cleaned them and then hit them with the clay. You GO girl!

This week I hope to finish with the HD Cut on the entire car.

 

[PaxtonShelby]

From 8/29/15...

Sitting here enjoying a Twisted Tea, liking this car more every second I look at it. She has a little gloss now that I have used the HD Cut all over.

 

[PaxtonShelby]

From 9/18/15...

Tonight I tossed a battery in and saw what works and what doesn't. Headlights, brake lights, rear turn signals, wipers, and some interior lights work. Front parking lights aren't installed and it turns out the pieces I have are junk. Horn - nope. Rear parking lights don't work. The PO installed a rubber fuel line from back to front - that has to go. This car also has a return fuel line. It's rubber too. WTF? Rear wheel bearings seem great which surprised me since the car sat out for so long.