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Updated 05-11-2020



PROJECT 442 Picture SERIES





I record the repairs and modifications needed to bring this car back to life. Newest pics are always on top (Click here to see from the beginning)



PROJECT 442: THE BODY BACK ON THE FRAME







Here is the Energy Suspension poly bushings, prelube, and a Body Bolt kit I picked up from Kirban Performance.





The directions were very clear with great illustrations.





Use gloves! If you get the poly bushing prelube on your fingers, it won't come off.





Bushings lubed loaded and ready to go.





There are alignment holes. One at the drivers front and another at the passenger rear. I use a 5/8 round bar to line up the frame.





With the frame lined up, I tighten the body bolts.











Frame and Body back together, the way it should be.





PROJECT 442: PAINTING THE UNDERBODY







With the Cross Member Bracket welds ground down, I prep and paint the underside of the 442.





First I clean the underbody with acetone and a red scotchbrite.





Then it's on to Magnet Paints "Chassis Saver".





And finally two coats of Eastwood's Chassis Black.





This is the final result.







PROJECT 442: CUTTING OUT THE RUST







From inside the trunk: I drill out the spot welds on the passenger side torque box and pull the whole thing.





This is what passed for bodywork in its former life. Yes, that's masking tape and a glob of bondo.... I can't even....





From the underside: Another shot of the torque box removed.





A side by side shot of the old unit and the "New to Me" torque box I got from a GBodyForum member. Thanks TobyP.





The Rear Seat Crossmember was rusted on both ends where it met the rockers. After using the spot weld cutter on the 30 or 40 spot welds I yanked it out.





The crossmember ends fell apart when I got it loose from the floor pan.





Nothing but metal swiss cheese.





I test fit the new Rear Seat Crossmember I picked up from GBodyParts.com.





EDP paint sanded off of crossmember in prep for welding. I hit it with a coat of weld through primer before it gets welded in place.





New crossmember in place with a billion spot welds.





New torque box welded in place on the passenger side.





The driver side metal on the torque box was in good shape, so the capture nut area was cut on three sides and a new cage welded on to hold it in place like the factory. Then it was just welded back.



PROJECT 442: PREP BODY FOR THE ROTISSERIE







I pull the trunk lid.





I pull the Quarter Glass out. No one is repopping these, so I can't afford to break any glass here.





I put in some triangulated bracing to help stiffen the body. I use the striker mounting hole and the upper hinge mounting holes to hold it firmly in place.







A shot of the custom mounts on the rotisserie that bolt to the lower hinge mounting area.





The rear custom mounts that I bolted to the tail light mounting holes. This left the entire floor pan and rockers completely accessible.





Here she is up in the air.





No more crawling on the floor or rust and dirt falling in my face. Best money spent.



PROJECT 442: INTERIOR TEAR DOWN







I pull the front bucket seats and rear seat along with the center console and carpet. Check out how good the floor pans look.

I lucked out there!











I pull the door glass, doors, and Rally Gauge cluster while I'm at it.









PROJECT 442: RUST!! THE BANE OF EVERY BUILD





RUST, THE "R" WORD, CAR CANCER, or whatever you call it, is going to be a part of your project in some way. On a G-Body this will show up in the bottom of the
doors, the quarters, and the rear frame rails and/or the body sheet metal. Mine is
in the rear sheet metal above the frame rails where the body bolts go. The driver
side rear came out OK, but the one in front of that (just behind the rear wheel
well) just spun and had to be cut off. The same bolt on the passenger side also
spun when I tried to take the bolt out and left a gaping rust hole (first picture).
The one behind it (the far rear body bolt) just spun and I had to cut the bolt head
off that one too. Out of 12 bolts only 3 bit the dust...I can live with that (Like I got a choice :-)











PROJECT 442: PAINTING THE CLEANED FRAME





I take the cleaned frame and coat it with Magnet Paint's "Chassis Saver" epoxy paint (this stuff sets up rock hard, so don't get it on any threaded holes). A couple of coats of Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black Satin over top and it's ready to put back together. I then add the new Stainless Brake Line and Proportioning Valve set up for Disc/Disc brakes.

















PROJECT 442: PULLING THE FRAME





I start by disconnecting everything connecting the body to the frame (Master Cylinder, Shifter Cable, etc.) I unbolt the body from the frame and carefully pull the frame out. I strip the frame of brake and fuel lines along with the Fr + Rr Suspension. Then it's hours of sand blasting the frame clean.













PROJECT 442: GET IT HOME AND TEAR IT APART





Begin the Teardown





I start with unbolting the front sheet metal and pulling the drivetrain. I put together an idea of what I want to do, and what I need to do it. I start my parts gathering at this time.









Home Sweet Home





After picking her up, I got to know her well over the next 12 hours straight as I drove home. I spent a week driving around and just enjoying my new ride. it gave me a chance to do a pre-teardown evaluation of electronics and mechanical parts that will remain after the build.







PROJECT 442: I FIND MY 4-4-2





Finding a good starter vehicle: Probably one of the hardest things to do is to be patient enough to wait until that perfect base vehicle comes along. How many times have we bought the first car we saw because the "price was right" only to curse the day we did while adding up the cost of panel and floor pan replacements because there was more rust than car.

The key to success, not to mention just finishing the project, is having a good start. Well, good or bad, I found my car. A bone stock 1987 Olds 442 I found on e-bay. It was a 12 hour drive from where I live, but worth the effort. After looking it over, and a quick test drive, I plopped down a cashiers check for $5845.00 and drove her home.

She is not perfect by any means (there's a little mud in the right quarter panel, interior needs a little work, they even put the "442" decal on the wrong side of the front bumper) but she's all original (except for paint) with no signs of rust (even in the bottom of the doors), and only 76K on the odometer.

I have always liked the G-Body cars (Cutlass, Monte SS, GN, Grand Prix), but I always thought that putting the 442 name on a 15 sec car with a 307 engine was an insult to the history of the 442. This engine was rated at 170 hp @ 4000 rpm, with 250lbs-ft of torque @ 2600 rpm. You'd have trouble driving around a ricer with those numbers. My intention is to do something about that. I intend to tear this car down to the frame and build it up the way GM should have built it: mean and fast. I will keep the exterior stock for the most part, but under the hood will be straight out of 1970 (455, TH400, with a F##D 9 inch rear). All this will be done with hand and air tools using one side of a 2 car garage, and laying on a creeper to do it just like 90% of the people in this hobby have to do. No lift! No exotic parts! And most importantly......... No Millionaire budget! Ever watch those car shows on tv? Ever see what that hot engine build cost? Ever see what that disc brake kit cost? No? You will with mine. Every cent will be tracked, so you can see what your project may cost you. I'll even show you how I plan my build costs, and trim the fat off to make my budget.







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