Saturday, August 18, 2007

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Prepped and coated hood is installed.  If the car turned heads before, it really does now.  The hood really compliments the lines of the '85 to '90 TA body style (less so on the later "Batmobile" / Banshee style Firebirds).  Whether or not I keep it on the TA is another matter for discussion.  I'll probably repaint it, put the decal on it, then hang it from my garage wall behind where I park the TA and switch back to the flat hood for shows and casual cruising.  Four bolts and the deed is done / the switch is complete.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Unpacked the '83 power bulge hood and began to prep it.  A cusp brush and power drill makes short work of the surface rust.  Black primer and rust converter goes on next.  I'll order a replacement '83 hood insulation mat to complete the installation in a few weeks.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

The power bulge hood arrives.  It is black and, save for some rust on the underside, in near perfect condition.  It is also gloss black, the same shade as my car and the paint is very, very good (with one ugly mark where the paint wrinkles for about an inch and a half near a crease).  Here are some pictures of the hood being shipped, being cleaned up then installed on the '86 TA.  I'll still get it stripped and repainted when I paint the ground effects, going back with a standard factory OEM style louvered bird decal for the scoop (in light gold).

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Thursday, August 2, 2007

The correctly matched (F/R) set of 1986 factory 16x8 wheels arrived and are in great shape.  Since these wheels are the aluminum finish with black paint in the vents (the way I wanted the other wheels to be painted), I won't have to do anything but clean them up a bit, slap new rubber on them and mount them on the car.  Thanks again, Richard, for your help in this project crunch.