Projects Putting together my second 64 tempest sedan

I believe they are similar, which will work out because I have a ford 8.8 in my daily driver grand marquis that's howling at the moon lol. I also have an extra 8.8 so I'll probably practice on one of those and then go after the 10 bolt.

 

Great progress on the Pontiac @Fourdoor64. I recently delved into the Pontiac 4dr world with a 61 Catalina.
Hope to see you around Chief

 

That things killer! Definately going to stand out at cruise nights and shows, never see those!

 

Last night I took a break from the V8 car, and brought the six banger tempest in the garage to practice a bit of bodywork. The rust has been coming back in full force since my highschool bondo glass repairs back in 2018. I'm trying to spiff the car up for the Adirondack Nationals in Lake George a few weeks from now, so I figured it's as good a time as any to try something new. It's my first time ever making patches and using a welder for bodywork. It may not be perfect, or the right way to do it, but i feel better about doing this than filling it back up with mud. This car is banged up, rusty, been hit, and overall a driver - not a show car, so I don't mind practicing on it. Still a little work left to do on that patch, but overall I'm happy with it for my first one. Hopefully I have good luck with the other 6,345 patches it needs, I'll be saying my prayers.

 

I've been doing welding/rust repairs for decades and I'd say your work there looks very good, and especially good for a first-time repair.

The blistered area just above your new patches might end up being pinholes by the time you grind that out. Usually if you're making a repair panel, you can make it extra large and include pinholes and some surrounding area, because the back side of that is probably pitted and ready to break through fairly soon. But if you're trying to blend in the original paint in as small of areas as possible, the way you're doing it is probably as good as it gets.

 

Hey thanks! It definately ended up coming out better than I had anticipated (thanks to my trusty grinder lol). I did want to include the upper part with the bubbling, but i was a bit intimidated by the body line in that spot. I may give it a go now that I'm feeling a bit more comfortable with it.

 

Just got back from a camping trip to see the Adirondack Nationals show in Lake George NY. Had a blast with some friends and saw an unbelievable amount of really cool stuff. First time going but we all agreed it'll be a yearly trip from now on. The 6 banger tempest did great as always. No real issues other than a headlight going out. The thing is an absolute dog with the tired 215 mated to 2.56 gears, but it always gets me to and from wherever I'm going without any complaints. Next year I'd like to have a little more fun on the drive though, so back to the V8 one. I'll be working on it this week and hopefully I'll have it done enough to enjoy some fall cruises around new england.

 

Cool! Using an old car the way it should be used! Not sitting in a garage under a cover

 

I love 64's Tempest/Lemans/GTO's! Here mine! Was a 6cyl,now a 68 400/th400.

 

Well she's roadworthy! At least kind of. The car runs great, stays cool, and stops. Did all new hard and soft lines, new wheel cylinders, front shocks, and made a few misc adjustments. The biggest issue is the stock rear gearing. This trans uses a 2.54 first gear ratio. That mixed with the 2.56 rear ratio that's in the car makes an overall first ratio of about 6.5 - not ideal. She takes a whole lot of clutch to get out of the hole. I have a 3.08 Chevy 10 bolt I'm swapping in for the time being (super clean $75 marketplace score). It still won't be great off the line, but it should be a hell of alot easier to get going then it is now. (Overall ratio of 7.8 rather than the 6.5) Ultimately id like to swap to somewhere in the 3.20-3.30s, but after all this work, I'm determined to put some miles on this car. Once I get some 3.20 something's in the car it should be A-OK. Even with that issue, once I'm going the car is a blast. Still scoots pretty good on a 3-2 downshift. It's really cool for me to drive one with a little power and a stick, after just about daily driving my straight 6 auto since 2018. Can't wait to take a few road trips next summer in this thing.

 

A good feeling when it turns into a real driver. My Belair is pretty solid now. I need to do the springs soon and borrow an alignment rack.

 

Made some more progress over the weekend and got the Chevy 3.08 rear end in the car, along with new seals, and rear lines. I won't be sticking with the Chevy 10 bolt forever, but for now it'll get me to the point where I can start off a bit easier than the 2.56s. planning on rebuilding the original BOP 10 bolt since those are a little bit stronger. Other than that I did a few little things like digging into the headlight harness and finding the source of my non functional right blinker. Also got the interior all the way back in the car. I am waiting on my 3r to 1310 combination U-joint and with that I should be able to actually put miles on the car. Hopefully the next post is some pictures of the car in the scenic new England fall.

 

This things a blast