40 Ford is PAINTED and re-assembly begins

Bumper brackets got several coats of Eastwood's Extreme Chassis Black. I've found it to be one R                                                                                                                                    

As well, I started measuring and cutting the fender welting, which goes between the fenders and body, which gives these cars a beautifully finished look. It was originally designed to lessen metal-on-metal noise.

               All the parts that were boxed and stored at the end of last winter were pulled out and sorted for re-assembly -

                             Don't forget to check out my website:  www.E-tekRestorations.com 

Lots happening again at the E-tek Rod Shop!

The 40 Ford Rod about to painted:

     A couple of the smaller pieces where painted first to double check the color:  CHECK!

Leonard picked a winner with Stormy Blue Mica -

At the same time, the '68 Camaro is in tear-down mode as we await the quarters and door shells:

Pretty clean for a '68 though...

The rear seat frame was never painted, but although it's rusty, it's still solid.

 A perfect candidate for POR15. When the car goes back together it'll get new Jute and all new upholstery.

Parts - bagged tagged and piling up!

Found this interesting bit under the Left Quarter Trim Panel.....could it be one of those famous factory lineman autographs we've heard so much about? Or did the last restorer do that?

The other thing you'll notice is the damage and slide hammer holes. This is on the INSIDE panel remember - likely meaning the car was in a MAJOR accident at some point.....

The 240Z was SO close to being painted.....then I got sidetracked and changed my MIND on the color.  I was trying my BEST to talk myself into the color I mixed, but I just couldn't do it.  It all happened because I'm so PICKY I had to fix a few more things, then I saw the color for the 40Ford (Leonard picked a winner!) and it didn't help that my 9 year old son HATED the color I mixed!

So here it sits - awaiting a few minor repairs, a door gap adjustment - and a different color.

Don't forget to check out my website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

68 Camaro Restoration

The tear-down starts.....

'68 Camaro Z-28 Restoration - Teardown

A lot of cars look good driving down the road. Most look good in photo's too. Well here's a car a that looks good in both - but the closer one gets, the more one really see's...

Upon removing the trunk lid I noticed that it fit well, so I decided to drill some alignment holes. I don't always do this, but when something fits  it's worth it to keep it that way and save some grief on re-assembly.

On a side note - It's critical to keep storage spaces - especially vehicle storage spaces - DRY. One cannot do enough to ensure that this is the case and I find it's best to use several different methods to ensure that moisture is kept at bay. Unfortunately, the Camaro must have been in a mosit storage space as evidence of water damage can be seen in the trunk floor - which has rust stains from parts that were stored in it.

Hopefully the actual floor under the black paint and sealant isn't too much worse.

The moisture rusted any exposed metal, like these pieces and nuts under the trunk spoiler -

And even the contact screws on the Amp. Lucky, the owner got it out of whatever storage it was in.

Chrome work will need to be redone to match the new paint!

Here's how the first restoration was done.....and if you know what you're looking at, well....nuff said.

But, if you need some help, you're looking inside the trunk, up under the side quarter. ;)   The last hackers just chopped the original quarters off "somewhere in the middle", then stuck re-popped quarters on over top, filling the overlaps with filler. The worst kind of restoration for sure. My Dad used to say he wouldn't let someone like this work on his wheel-barrel!!

 They didn't even TRY to seal the overlaps much less bother to cover the bare welds....

When I removed the trunk lid, I noticed "add-on" weather-stripping used to seal the lid against the trunk rubber. Also not a good sign, so maybe drilling those alignment holes was for naught!

The deconstruction continues.....

1968 Camaro complete restoration

Next up at E-tek Restorations is this red 1968 Camaro with Rally stripes. It had been restored in a pro-street manner, with coil-overs and a stout 383 Stroker with TFI heads, a Demon carb and  headers. Unfortunately, the bodywork was done to a low standard and  - other than a decent shaved firewall job - the rest was showing the signs of improper splicing, poor welds and too much filler.

So the body will be brought up to the same standard as the engine. New full quarters, doors and hinges will be installed. A Vintage Air system will replace the heater that was removed when the firewall was shaved. Upon re-assembly the car will get a completely new interior, with sound and heat insulation.

Upon closer inspection, you can see signs of larger troubles lying under the surface - 

WOW - there a TON of sealer and adhesives under the (painted...) drip rail mouldings!

With the window channel seal removed we can see rust starting on all the fasteners - 

That's it for now. Next up is full dis-assembly and cataloguing of all the various parts before ordering the body panels required for the restoration.


See my website at www.E-tekRestorations.com

E-tek's Real-World Rust Preventative Paint comparison Test

After applying Rust Bullet to those 40 Ford inner fenders, I got to thinking that it'd be a good exercise to compare it to my current go-to rust rust-preventative paint, POR15, which I've previously reviewed on my site, www. E-tekRestorations.com, so a side-by-side long-term (12 month), real-world comparison with the newest rust preventative product in my shop seemed in order!

The substrate being used is an inner door frame support section with fairly even mild to moderate surface rust after being exposed to the elements for a couple of years in my metal bin.

POR15 and Rust Bullet were both brushed onto the test piece, directly over the rust, front and back, as per the manufacturers recommendations: one coat for POR15 and 2 coats for Rust Bullet. 

A clean brush and container was used for each product and the temperature and humidity were within manufacturers recommended ranges for best application. 

I affixed the metal to a white board and labelled everything to record the exercise, then I removed it and have placed it outside, where it will remain for the next 30 days. To test further the resiliency of the products, the test piece will be affixed to the bottom of my work vehicle for the winter season!
I do a lot of driving, in all conditions and in all seasons -  in central Canada - so a more "real-world" test I cannot imagine. The paints will be subjected to temperatures as low as minus 40C/40F, road dirt and grime, road salt mixtures and sand. As both sides of the panel were coated, we'll also get a good idea of exposed vs. protected metal surfaces.

This close-up shot is a little deceiving here but in reality both products looked very similar as they were drying - with similar raised bumps over the surface - which I'm assuming is due to the products outgassing while drying. 

 An hour after application,the two products had a similar sheen, with the POR15 drying slightly more matte (flat) and the Rust Bullet ever so slightly shinier.The differences were negligible though and both closely match the OEM black used by factories on frame and engine compartment components. Should a very specific color be required, both products can be topcoated with other products readily available.

Stay tuned for us attaching the test panel to my daily driver 
and updates throughout the next 12 months!

 TEST RESULTS AVAILABLE NOW! See them HERE!