G-Body Buck Regal Build, Checking Glass and Trim Off the List

(Marc)>> You're watching Powernation!

(Tommy)>> Today on Detroit Muscle we get Street Regal in the shop for a final push before sending it to the upholstery shop.

(Marc)>> We'll give you some tips on painting different types of metal and the right way to install door glass and trim.

(Tommy)>> We also head out to help an artist with a classic work horse in another Driveway Rescue. [ MUSIC ] [ engines revving ] [ MUSIC ]

(Marc)>> Hey everybody welcome to Detroit Muscle. We're back on our '80's Buick Regal project and I'm excited about that because this thing is getting really close to being finished.

(Tommy)>> You know the popularity of the mid-'80's GM's, the G-bodies, is pretty much through the roof and I'm okay with that because they've got a sweet spot in my heart.

(Marc)>> Yeah and I know you paint me as a Ford guy but I love especially the Buick version of the G-bodies. There's just something about them, and it may just be our generation. So we wanted to take this car and set the bar with it, and I think we did that. Full chassis, LS-3 connect and cruise, big brakes, big wheels, the list goes on and on but my favorite part of this build would have to be that shiny red paint that Tommy sprayed on.

(Tommy)>> Now we did have to massage the body just a bit to get the reflection that we've got, and you know we've come a long ways. With our solid foundation set it was finally time for us to start assembling all of our shiny pieces. Now usually this is the most fun part of the stage of building a car because the car is starting to take shape, but one thing is for sure you have to be careful. You don't want to damage all your hard work.

(Marc)>> Well the next big thing on this car is gonna be obviously the interior but before we can drop this thing at the interior shop to get that done we've got to put all the glass in it, especially this door glass here because you've got to have that one before you can put the door panels on.

(Tommy)>> Plus we're also knocking down all that bright work, the shiny chrome. So I've got a few pieces I need to paint. I guess I need to go get in the booth.

(Marc)>> Well I'm gonna go dig out that door glass and the other stuff if you didn't break it.

(Tommy)>> I can't promise nothing. Well I got my first round of parts here in the booth. They're all prepped out and we're pretty much ready to start spraying. Now I've got three different situations set up in here and you may run into these if you're planning to do some painting yourself. First let's talk about this hood. The primer that is on here is the e-d-p coating. It's electronically deposited primer. Now they put this stuff on here to cut down on corrosion and to prep it out pretty much all you have to do is clean it first, scuff it, and then re-clean, and you're ready to start spraying. Now back here on the spoiler it's a little bit different. The primer that's on our spoiler is something we sprayed on here at the shop, and I've got two different types. The first round was a polyester. That's this orange or pumpkin colored stuff that you can see coming through, and after I sanded that real well I came back and sprayed some urethane on it to smooth out my scratches. Now when I started sanding on it I got a little bit thin with that urethane. So to paint this piece I'm gonna have to seal it to go on to the paint process. Last but not least are these two pieces of trim that we've got hung up. Now you've probably heard war stories of people trying to paint chrome and not having much success, and more than likely what they did was just take paint, spray the chrome, and it didn't stick. So what really needs to happen is you need to spray on a tie coat like this epoxy primer that I've already applied, and the reason for that is because the adhesion properties of the primer is much more significant than of paint. Now I need to mix up some sealer for my spoiler back there, and then we can spray on that black. [ MUSIC ] [ spray gun hissing ] [ MUSIC ]

(Tommy)>> Now we've all heard of metallic color settling in the can. Well really truthfully flat and semi-gloss colors do the same thing. So it's crucial that the color is mixed thoroughly. So putting it on a paint shaker is the optimal way to mix this stuff up. now you can do it with a stick but it just takes longer to do, and if you wind up not mixing it enough what you'll run into is whenever you apply the color there will be shiny and dull spots and a real inconsistent reflection. So make sure you mix it correctly. [ MUSIC ] With our paint off the shaker it's time to get to spraying. What we're using is Summit Racing's single stage hot rod satin black. Now when spraying this stuff I'm gonna put on about two coats. All of them's gonna have about a 50 percent overlap, and make sure that you select the right reducer for whatever temperature you're spraying. Sometimes with these trim pieces it can be a little tricky to make sure you get all the nooks and crannies. Pay attention cause you don't want to come out of here and have missed a spot. Now for this spoiler it turned out pretty slick considering all these was flat metal just a while back. Well that laid out pretty nice. We just need to let it dry and cure out so that we can handle it and then we can put it on the car.

(Marc)>> Coming up we dive into installing glass and window trim the right way.

(Marc)>> Well while Tommy's been working on getting those pieces painted I've been busy getting this side assembled with some of the stuff we painted earlier, and I have to say choosing to paint that trim black was the wise choice. I really love the way it makes the red pop, but when you're doing stuff like this, getting the doors assembled and the glass in it, it can be quite tedious and there's actually a certain process you have to do to get it all assembled properly, and I'm gonna show you how to do that on the other side. Well I mentioned there's a process and there's a reason you have to do things in a certain order, especially when we're talking about assembling doors. That's because if you put one thing on before it's supposed to you won't be able to get to the part before it to install it. For instance if you get the glass in you won't be able to get to the hardware to install the exterior door handle, or the lock cylinder, or the mirror. So I went ahead and got those installed. Now the next thing would be normally to install this outer felt, or dew-wipe some people call it, but on the particular car there's actually a trim piece that goes on with that. So if you just put the felt on without the trim you'll have to go back and grab the trim and put it on with it. Let's just say I've learned my lesson on the other side on that one. [ MUSIC ] This door's ready for some glass. When we took the car apart we saved our original door glass and we've decided to reuse it because it's in good shape and the factory glass is a better quality than an aftermarket piece would be, and not to mention it has all the hardware already attached to it. So that saves time. The only thing really wrong with this is it's dirty and it had some tint on it, and when I peeled it off it left all the adhesive behind. So we need to get that off and get it cleaned up, and then we can get this glass in the door. I'm gonna use the glass cleaner as a lubricant to help my blade slide across the glass without scratching it. Another reason is because the glass cleaner kinda liquefies the glue, turns into like a gel, so it's easier to remove. I want to get this while it's still wet otherwise that glue will re-adhere. If you try to scrape it dry the glue just tends to smear and doesn't come up as easily. [ MUSIC ] Well that's pretty much all there is to getting that glue off of there but for the other side we're gonna need a different tool for that. On the outside here if you look at the part of the glass that was never exposed to the outside elements it was just kind of hidden in the door over the years it collected all this dirt and grime that washed down off of the windows. As for the part that was exposed it picks up all kinds of contaminants and it feels really rough, and regular paper towel and glass cleaner won't get that off. I'm gonna be using glass cleaner and double ought steel wool instead of the blade. I know that seems crazy like you're gonna scratch the glass with this but actually you're not going to. Just like when you clean chrome with steel wool it's gonna clean the glass the same way. Here I'll show you. [ MUSIC ] I'm saving this bottom part, the really grimy part, for the end cause I don't want to drag all of that up on the glass that's gonna be exposed. [ MUSIC ] That's better than new. This thing's ready to go in the car. Start up front here. [ MUSIC ] One nice thing about these guides is that when Tommy disassembled the car he marked where they were originally, and that way when we're putting it back together we can start there. Even if we have to adjust we've got a good starting point. Alright let's check this. [ MUSIC ] That looks good. I'm gonna go get that quarter glass. Well now it's time to move on to our quarter glass, and as you can see from the exterior here it's in really good shape. As far as the interior goes I went ahead and cleaned the tint and the glue off, but if you look at the butyl here it's kind of beat up. We could probably salvage that and form new peaks, and it would reseal just fine but it's probably a good idea to go ahead and replace that. We've already got the glass out, the car's real nice, and this stuff's not really that expensive anyway. You can get it at your local parts store. This is five-sixteenths thick and then we've got three-eighths as well, and it looks like this was probably five-sixteenths from the factory. So really all we need to do is get this cleaned up and off of there, get the new stuff on, get it installed. That looks like it'd be hard to remove but it's actually pretty easy. You've just got to work it a little bit at a time. [ MUSIC ] Now's a good time to clean any of this up off the edge here. [ squeaking ] [ MUSIC ]

(Marc)>> Well I'm cutting off a couple of little pieces here that I'm actually gonna put around those studs so water doesn't get in through the stud holes into the car. Alright now we can get this thing in the car. [ MUSIC ] Well that's all there is to that. Now we do have a few more things we need to do, and we've got our glass guy coming to put a new windshield and back glass in it here shortly, but after that we can ship it off to the upholstery shop. Now this goes to show you if you take your time, do things in the right order, you'll end up with a nice product and I'm happy with how this one turned out.

(Tommy)>> We're always trying to increase our vehicle's performance and some of those upgrades can be a little bit pricey. One quick, easy, and affordable way to increase your vehicle's output is with a tuner like this one from SCT. The X-4 performance programmer gives you high performance dyno proven tunes that increases horsepower and torque. It can also hold up to 10 custom tunes and it allows you to data log your engine's performance as well as read and clear diagnostic trouble codes. So if you're looking for an easy and affordable way to get the most out of your ride check out the X-4 from SCT. We'll help an artist get his first car up and running.

(Marc)>> Brian Tull is a professional artist but by the looks of his car you might think a starving one, but he fetches top dollar for his photo realistic paints that he's done all over the country.

(Tommy)>> His '70 Chevelle is a living piece of abstract art all in its own, and has been part of his life for 30 years.

(Brian)>> My dad got it in 1990. I was 15, 16. He restored it and it was my first car in high school in '91. He painted it black with white stripes, and my wife and I were high school sweethearts. We've been married 22 years and she's known it as long as I have. It's a fun car. I drive it all the time.

(Tommy)>> This classic muscle car over the years has become more of a workhorse than a cruiser.

(Brian)>> I'm usually painting at home but if I get public art murals it's my work vehicle. I load it full of paint, materials, supplies, and drive it.

(Marc)>> His thoughts over the years have changed about the car but he does have a few plans in mind.

(Brian)>> I loved that it was something different. It used to be pretty, and shiny, and black. I wanted to restore it again but now that I've come to like the Mad Max beater muscle car look. I don't have to wash it every day or wax. It is what it is. It's just honest good dependable car but a cool muscle car.

(Tommy)>> So we headed out with a van full of parts from Rock Auto dot com and some tools lending Brian a hand to keep his beastly muscle car on the road. [ MUSIC ]

(Marc)>> You must be Brian.

(Brian)>> I am!

(Marc)>> And this must be your Chevelle? That is awesome!

(Brian)>> Thanks!

(Tommy)>> It's a killer looking ride for sure. Is it a big block car?

(Brian)>> Yeah, 454!

(Tommy)>> 454!

(Marc)>> Man you've got a lot going on here and I love every single detail. So what's going on with it?

(Brian)>> It needs a little tune up. It's a daily driver. I've kinda neglected the maintenance over 10 years.

(Tommy)>> Over 10 years, so there's more than one thing probably to do?

(Brian)>> I check the oil occasionally and just go.

(Marc)>> Check it out. Oh yeah, these hoses are telling on you Brian. 02/08 of '06.

(Brian)>> I said about 10 years.

(Tommy)>> I guess you could say that was a new hose when he bought it.

(Brian)>> It still works.

(Tommy)>> It could use a good cleaning but by the looks of things it definitely could use a tune-up, but it's just big block Chevy. So that isn't no big deal at all. Well you want to get dirty?

(Marc)>> Let's do it. I want to dig under here and see this carburetor. Oh, look at that, Edelbrock. Spark plug wires look like they're about as old as those hoses and they're getting really soft. So that's a good sign that they're pretty old. Good idea to replace them.

(Tommy)>> I guess I should have grabbed some tools. I've got some parts here but...

(Marc)>> Alright I'll go get the tools.

(Tommy)>> Sorry buddy.

(Marc)>> It's alright. [ MUSIC ] Well I think I got all the tools we need.

(Tommy)>> You got a plug gapping tool?

(Marc)>> Vise grips, duct tape, hammer.

(Tommy)>> That's about all you need on a good Chevrolet. Now before we drop these in we need to set the gap on them to about 44 thousandths. That right there should do it, move on to the next one.

(Marc)>> Oh yeah those things are ready for some barbecue sauce. Looked like he slow cooked them at about 250 for 12 hours.

(Tommy)>> He said it needed a tune-up.

(Marc)>> It sure does. [ MUSIC ]

(Tommy)>> To say this thing needed a tune-up is an understatement. That big ole thing there is gonna flake off. This cap's in really bad shape. [ MUSIC ]

(Marc)>> Plugs are done. [ MUSIC ]

(Tommy)>> Now looking up under the hood of this thing you can tell it's been neglected on the maintenance side of things. So we're gonna go ahead and swap out some of the filters like the fuel filter, this crank case, and you seen that air cleaner come off. We're gonna put a new filter on it.

(Marc)>> I cleaned up that original one. Looks good don't it?

(Tommy)>> Heck yeah!

(Marc)>> Reflection's nice too.

(Tommy)>> From this side it is for sure.

(Marc)>> We address some safety issues on a classic muscle car to get it back on the road.

(Tommy)>> Well after talking with Brian I'm gonna have to take this door panel off cause he's got a bit of a safety issue here on this passenger side door. It doesn't really latch. He said if you close it softly sometimes it will latch. So that's gonna have to be repaired. He's got a family and a little girl that enjoys riding in a Chevelle. I did notice that the roller here's got a little bit of wear on it. So we're gonna have to replace that striker too. [ MUSIC ] There we go. Well I wanted to look here on the inside of the door and see if the rod itself that connects this pivot to the latch had any interference, and it looks like it's actually free and clear. So what I bet's the problem is the latch itself is just simply worn out. we're gonna have to get this glass up so we can get it out. A couple of screws and we'll be good to go. This latch is held in place with these three screws and I sure hope they come out with a phillips screwdriver. If now we're gonna have to get the impact driver and get a little bit more serious with it. Yep that ain't coming out. We gonna have to take a little more serious action. Right now we should be able to get them out, oh yeah! [ MUSIC ] Heck sometimes just doing this, getting that thing out. It's kind of a puzzle piece. [ MUSIC ] Whenever we ordered this stuff from Rock Auto I actually got a few other of those small pieces cause when you get into a job like this that little bity thing, well it can keep you from getting the job done, and it only costs a couple of bucks to have those extra pieces. Even comes with new screws and a clip. Man it goes in there a lot easier than it came out. [ MUSIC ] Now while we've got this thing about half torn down it's an excellent time to inspect the other components. Now I was looking here on our pivot. I wanted to make sure that that spring was nice and tight. You've probably got in an old car before and jiggled the door handle on it and it kinda rattled around. That's normally because that spring is either weak or broken. Ours is in pretty good shape. We'll just lube it up, re-install these parts, and move on. Get my big meat hooks in here. [ MUSIC ] I'm gonna slap this old door handle on here, go ahead and swing my latch, and then pull on this handle and see if it releases, absolutely! That old one didn't do that. Now we're gonna swap out our striker and I'll bet you this old door's gonna work perfectly, and that'll do it. Well Brian we took care of a couple of things that this old sweet ride was in need of.

(Marc)>> And I think you should probably get behind the wheel and take it out on the road here, and make sure that it's in better shape than it was before we got here.

(Brian)>> Sounds good to me.

(Tommy)>> I'm not telling you to do a burnout but I'd definitely watch you doing it. Come on man, get out the way. Gonna get hurt. [ engine starting ] [ engine idling ] [ MUSIC ]

(Brian)>> Cranked up smooth. I barely have to give it gas. The door won't fly open now. So I can take the family around. This is smoother than it was in 1991 when it was new to me. I love it! This will definitely inspire me to take a little bit more care of the Chevelle and get back into it, and maybe fix it up a little bit. Thank you so much.