1962 Bel Air Bubble Top 409 Project

[CASHguzzler409]

Thanks Gav, I give most all the credit to my partner and friend, he's the one with all the talent, and its fun to watch and learn how the process goes.
This is our last car were going to restore, so we are trying to make it the best one. Each day we work on it, me only about 3 or 4 hrs, but Barry works
on it from 9-3 or 4, everyday, so progress is always moving. Can't wait to get our 409 out of the machine shop and set it into the frame, now that will
be some kind of thrill. Looks like your a long ways from Seattle, well... a long ways from everything. lol take care and thanks for the post.

 

[blkblk63ss]

Look's like barry is going to have a big bill for you!!!!!Just kidding !! It's looking good!!!!!

 

[409fanatic]

Restored an Old race car. I think 3 posts down from yours. Butch's Fleetmaster. Looks pretty much like what you are doing..Can't but love the 409's.

 

[CASHguzzler409]

Just read through your post's, its like a treasure hunt, these old cars. Your car is beautiful and the story is wonderful as well. Are you going to race it , or show it.? Great job of restoring something from our youthful past. I have wondered how to find the original owners myself, we have the cowl tag ,and the
vin tag on the door. And I guess I could call the person I bought it from. Well, continue on with your fun project. stan

 

[409fanatic]

Hi Stan. I can only tell you how I did it but I did have a little help by having a characteristic on the car that I never changed or got rid of and that was a pinstriped dash. The dash was pinstriped along with a little pinstriped farmer with a straw hat chasing a front engine dragster with a pitch fork. So as the car looked totally different the way I had it vs the way it looked in the 60's the pinstriped dash looked the same. Thanks to the 348-409 site I posted pictures of the car along with the dash and a fellow named Glenn seen it and called and said it use to be his car but not before it sat on the site for 2 years first. So yeah, by chasing down it's ancestors like you are thinking or any quirky little deal about the car just post it. It could be a fender that had a lot of filler or anything. You never know who is looking I guess. I will see if I can find the picture of the dash. To this day the dash has not been touched for 53 years. We have shown the car at 3 ISCA events and it looks like it is going in the World of Speed museum coming next year when the museum is built in Wilsonville Or.Keep up the good work, keep us posted and never say never. These pictures were before we restored for it still has the MSD on the floor in the cabin.Butch

 

[blkblk63ss]

Hey butch , interesting history on your car.... Are you just showing it for a while in the musuem ????? You mentioned a fox tail duster?????? where do you get it . I guess i better throw my california duster away if i intend to dust my black car in the future.

 

[409fanatic]

Thanks on the story. I think ALL these old cars have quite a story especially the 348's & 409's and it would be especially nice if they could talk. Unfortunately they can't but fortunately there has been some data on some of these and what really brings them to life is what we read in magazines about the early 50's and 60's racing (drag and NASCAR) & thanks to the publishers and writers for doing so & for us listening to stories of the old fogies that lived in that era which really brings them back to life also. What the CASHguzzler is doing and so many others on here are doing is setting the 348's and 409's up for generations to come so hopefully they will never be forgot. People like Phil and Cecil and Dan just to name 3 and a whole list of others that help out with the restorations and parts makes it pretty nice. If you need to know something I know at least these three have the answers.
As far as fox tails all that I can tell you is what I have been advised to do on ours. Mick Jenkins of So Cal painted ours and he is the second time winner of the AMBR (America's Most Beautiful Roadster) and he told me to use a fox tail. You can pick them up at Wally World in the cleaning supply for floors curtains what have you. He told me if it is just dust on the car blow it off with an air hose. Then take the fox tail. You can make a swipe with it them bounce it on your other hand to shake the dust loose and then just keep swiping and bouncing. The California duster he said collects dust and then it after while they will start scratching. Then use a clean soft rag with a detailer when done dusting and spray just a little on your rag and swipe in straight lines.Now those micro fiber rags you buy at Wally World or Costco and those places are actually pretty rough. If you go to like Auto Zone they got some that is smoother than a babies butt and they will make the others feel like sand paper. Another note is to wash the car minimally for water washes dirt down in hard to get areas you can not get back out but a blow gun will. That is all I know. Not a professor on this AT ALL. Never been around this stuff till I met the previous owners of our old hot rod that is friends with all these people like Jenkins. And Glenn and Mickey are the same as Mick. Usually not a protectionist here at all. I just bought an old car that had a 409 in it almost 40 years ago and went racing hoping I could find 4 people in a row that that was worse on the lights than I was. But any way I am sure others have their way of doing it and maybe better but this is just what I was taught. By the way, the 63's are way cool. Had one in 1972. A 340 hp 4 speed.
Tony Thacker and Ron Huegli that is putting in the Worlds of Speed,seen our car at the Grand Nationals in Pomona and ever sense been in contact with us. Mainly I think because of the west coast racing history. Nothing finalized but it sure looks like it is going in but anyway you look at it I sure like to see a racing museum go in Oregon.. Butch

 

[wrench]

I've been searching for old photos of my car from the 60's since I got it in the 70's. Never had any luck. It was a local car called 'The Pied Piper'. The only pics I have of it are the ones after I got it.

 

[CASHguzzler409]

Nice pictures, they always give one a boost, just when you need one. I assume you still have it?, or I hope you still have it. Well its off to sand more bondo...

 

[wrench]

Yes, but the rust is bad now. I put a scare into my bud's here when I posted a message a few years back about it going to another home. I was just joshing. I moved..... and finally bought a house with a two car garage built on to the house and also a two car garage with workshop in the back yard. She's resting (and rusting) in the back garage.

http://www.348-409.com/forum/threads/sending-my-62-belair-sport-coupe-to-a-new-home.18214/

The wife copied all the pinstriping for future use after restoration but a roof leak destroyed all the papers in her storage place. Now these photo's are all I have.

Someday I'll be able to afford the restoration. The house came first though.

 

[409fanatic]

Neat car. I like it. I like the name "The Pied Piper." I guess every one is behind and the piper and the piper is always in front of the pack. I would of never thought of that for a race car but it sure fits. You know thanks to a computer it sure opened up a lot of different avenues for restoring these old hot rods. If you know for sure where this car ran I would put it on face book for one telling about the car and where it raced and that you were wondering if anyone can give info on it or know someone that might.Look around on it to establish what color it used to be. Even eye ball down the sides. That is what tipped us off for we could see under the old paint that there was lettering one time. If you know the track chase down the track owners or announcers, ask around for some old racers names that raced back then. Put an ad in the paper and on this site like you did is a good one.. Good luck. Like I said it would be great if these old things could talk. You never know who might of tuned it or owned it or what award it might of receive.. Neat car..Rome was not built in a day and have faith. You have a neat car. Butch

 

[wrench]

Believe me, I've done all the things you mentioned (except Facebook) in trying to track info down.

 

[CASHguzzler409]

Hey Wrench do I see bucket seats in your Bubble Top?... Thats one thing I wanted when I went down to look at the new 62's, was bucket seats,
but they said, nope, no can do. Kind of pissed me off, you know being 19 and all, I showed them, I didn't buy one. Dang.....wish I would have.

 

[wrench]

Hey Wrench do I see bucket seats in your Bubble Top?... Thats one thing I wanted when I went down to look at the new 62's, was bucket seats,
but they said, nope, no can do. Kind of pissed me off, you know being 19 and all, I showed them, I didn't buy one. Dang.....wish I would have.

Yes, it had 64 Impala white bucket seats in it when I got it. And that's a whole nuther (albeit funny story) about the seats.......

http://www.348-409.com/forum/threads/fondest-memory-of-your-chevy.8630/#post-74052

 

[CASHguzzler409]

I've always thought about putting bucket seats in ours with the Bel Air cloth pattern, wonder how it would look. ?

 

[DonSSDD]

I've seen pics of a 62BT done with red SS buckets and a Bel Air covering, they looked great. It was a "for sale" car on ebay maybe, I didn't save the pics though.
Don

 

[CASHguzzler409]

We've been doing the body work now for quite a while now, maybe a month or so, and its a lot of work, but were moving along. We have one side almost done and ready for primer, the other side is next. I've taken quite a few pictures of all the work we have done. I didn't really realize how many different steps there
were before spraying the primmer. We have finished with the dura-glass over all the welding, then bondo over that. Now how many hrs do you think we have
put in, just sanding? We kind of feed off each other, one keeps working and so does the other. We filled in all the seams with a sealer, not that its ever going to see the rain, but you got to do it right. Not to interesting at this point, but when we get it into all yellow primer, that'll be a smiley kind of day.

 

[wrench]

Wondering here....is there a definitive guide for the steps to take throughout a complete body off restoration? I mean, like 'Do this first', etc.?

 

[Jim Sullivan]

All that prep is certainly going to pay off when you see how straight and smooth the finish will be.

 

[blkblk63ss]

Actually, these older car's were never that straight and gap's were never that precise from new. So actually a person is improving what was there from new,beside's all the oop's through the year's of wear and tear. Looking good guy's , that will be a nice car!!!!!!