Project Walkin Tall 68 Firebird

[jbake]

Growing up my dad was a truck driver and his handle was Walkin Tall. As a kid I thought it was cause he is 6'4" n 330 pounds, wasn't till I got to be a teen that I figured out it was from the Joe Don Baker movie n my dad( and mine) name is Joe Baker. As I got closer to 16 my dad started talking bout his younger days building hot rods, circle track cars and running a machine shop in St Louis. Well my 16 bday dad n I went looking for a good car to teach me how to work in cars. We found a 69 Chevelle 396 ss clone, manual brakes manual steering, and a 4 speed.
Anyway fast forward 17 years n 2 kids to first of the year and dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer the day after I bought my firebird. Well Friday he had his prostate removed and doc thinks they got it all. Well I can't think of a better name than Walkin Tall for my project. This will take a long time dew to the fact I'm only home one day a week. Kids don't grow up to be a truck driver!!
Anyway here is my project.
68 firebird fiberglass front end bumper fenders and a t/a hood. I have a 383 but think this might need a big block. Would love a ls but I have the sb and a bare 454 car block so......
Truturn front with coilovers and ridetech 4 link with coilovers. Brakes r going to be kore 3 brakes front and ls brakes in the rear. Going to tub rear and have a Ford 9" to cut down. Tires r going to be 275/40-17 front n 315/35-17 rear. Tranny will be a t56 magnum thinking 3.50-3.73 area on gears. No clue on rims or paint job yet and in process of figuring out the interior. Soon as I can resize my phone pics I will post what I've got.

[jbake]

Let's try this.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/barn1-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/barn2-1.jpg

Found her in a barn at the end of a gravel road. Old guy said he "fixed" it up some.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/barn2-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/barn4-1.jpg

[jbake]

After getting it home I pulled the mold infested nasty carpet n found his "fix". 1/2 inch ply screwed to floor on driver side and this is pass side.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/firefloor2-1.jpg

Here is the driver side after pulling the ply.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/firefloor1-1.jpg

Well I found that summit had Goodmark floor pans and didn't charge shipping on them so I ordered them up. This is just a quick test fit but they match up perfect with what is left of old floors.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/floortestfit-1.jpg

Here they are out of boxs.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/floorpan-1.jpg

[jbake]

Working only on weekends outside in Missouri during January and February I'm not getting much done. Got the subframe pulled and to the side.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/frontclip-1.jpg

As you can see the car didn't have a windshield in it so I was cleaning up the area to get ready n put a windshield in it and found some white fibers by the vin plate. Well I pulled them and a huge chunk of bondo came out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/dashrust1-1.jpg

[jbake]

So that lead me to start finding where the bondo was n why it was there.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/dashrustout-1.jpg

Yep I found it all. Where the dash and windshield meet it is completely rusted out. Anyone else seen this before? This is ass far as I have got, kind of threw me a curve ball and really don't know what to do now. Any suggestions?????

[LeighP]

You can buy that top panel repro.....best off cleaning u pthe cowl and fitting a new dash top.

[jbake]

You can buy that top panel repro.....best off cleaning u pthe cowl and fitting a new dash top.

Who has the top panel? I've been searching but all I can find is Chevelle and gto top plates.

[rickpaw]

You can get the top dash panel from classic industries.

http://www.classicindustries.com/camaro/parts/body-panels/dash-panels/?y=1968&p=1&sb=0

Good luck. Looks like you have a lot of work ahead.

[jbake]

You can get the top dash panel from classic industries.

http://www.classicindustries.com/camaro/parts/body-panels/dash-panels/?y=1968&p=1&sb=0

Good luck. Looks like you have a lot of work ahead.

Thanks, no idea how I missed that. That was first place i looked. Im looking forward to this headach. Lol

[CruizinKev]

oh wow never seen that before! good luck with the project man! :twothumbs :twothumbs

[jbake]

oh wow never seen that before! good luck with the project man! :twothumbs :twothumbs
Lol ya ur not the only one. They had bondo built up bout 2 inches thick from dash pad all way out to firewall. Took me 3 hours to get it all out of there with a hammer n chisel. Thanks man love them gbody's

[jbake]

Had the rare week day off and it was 80 here today so I dove into pulling rest of interior and pulling that nasty "repair" job the previous owner had done to pass floor.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/passwheelwell-1.jpg

Well after getting rest of interior out I saw this lovely surprise. Where wheel well and truck floor meet is rusted out and around the shock bolts up is rusted out. Was planning on doing a mini tub anyway so that doesn't bother me much, but the area around shock does. I'm going to run the 4 link from ridetech but don't know if there coilover mount to car or there bar.

[jbake]

Well after that I figured is just go ahead n see what was covered up by repair job.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/passout-1.jpg

Yep just as I thought a big hole with rust everywhere. Imagine that! I was sooooo shocked I went and had a few cold ones. Guess next step is to get seat braces out and start cutting rust out n prep for the new floor pans. Wife and I are having some house work done and if there is enough money left I'm going to order the 4 link from ridetech. If not I'm going to get a new dash panel and new glass kit. Anyone know where I can get new glass at that is tinted but not the green that factory did but a real dark tint???

[gtalum01]

Sure this is different everywhere but I have the glass out of mine and I got a quote from Novus here ins Georgia, installed front and back with new trim screws installed for $364.00 tinted, now if you look at Yearone and Rick's Camaro it gets a little pricey for some sets but that is for a pretty serious restoration too so to each his own. Good Luck!

[MyFriendScott]

Instead of replacing the dash top panel with a repop, look at this as an opportunity to go with what ever dash you want. :) Cut out the rest of it and it's a blank canvas waiting to become a work of art.

[jbake]

There is 2 local glass shops near me and nether of them can get any of the glass. I need windshield both door glass and both quarter glass. Only thing I have is the rear window.

[jbake]

Instead of replacing the dash top panel with a repop, look at this as an opportunity to go with what ever dash you want. :) Cut out the rest of it and it's a blank canvas waiting to become a work of art.

I would love 2 put a different dash in her, but have no idea where to start with that. I have seen on here some have swapped in a new gto dash n those are way to much. There like 900+ and no way my budget (or wife) would stand that. I have made a dash for a circle track car but wasn't full dash or very nice. Just big enough for 4 gauges.

[jbake]

I've been working slowly but surely on the rust bucket. I did get the rear end and springs pulled. The front spring pocket bolts where rusted bad enough that I just got the grinder out in cut the bolt heads off. All except the pass side front bolt. A previous owner had broke the bolt and instead of fixing it correctly they just welded it to the floor. When I got to remove the rear bolts from the swing shackles the pass side was new but had no rubber in it. The driver side frame rail is rusted from bout half way in wheel well to very end. And the driver side spring had the top 2 leaves busted at the rear end housing and at the front spring eye. Everywhere I look I find more and more rust. Buddy with a MIG was suppose to come over sat and we start working on a jig to square everything up as we replace, but he meet a girl sat night n never showed up. Hope this weekend I can get him over n I can get some pics for ya all.

[Protour_Pinto]

Seeing your car does not make me miss living in Ontario/Detroit. We on the west coast are so spoiled when it comes to rust repair. Have you budgeted the rust repairs against a new Shell?

[jbake]

Ya I've looked at a new shell vs repair. It be bout half as much long as I do the work and I quit finding rust. All this rust has taken a big hit on budget and timeline. But who on here hasn't had that problem yet.

[rfalker1]

u really are working hard on that car.. ?? and good luck with the rust from a fellow Missourian!!

[jbake]

If i had better pics of her u could see I've got a lot done with the little time off I have anymore. Went from 6 days on the road to 21 days on the road. Come on down to the lake and we can sit n talk about all the work we could get done over a few cold ones.

[rfalker1]

If i had better pics of her u could see I've got a lot done with the little time off I have anymore. Went from 6 days on the road to 21 days on the road. Come on down to the lake and we can sit n talk about all the work we could get done over a few cold ones.

Might have to take you up on that this summer. But currently i am out of the country and maybe if my car is finished I can drive her down there!! 21 days on the road is a lot!!!

[jbake]

Wow didn't realise its been almost 4 months sense last post. Sense then everything been put on hold. Wife had a heart attack and not been back to work sense, contractor working on my house tore out a major chunk of wall that was holding up the roof over the bedroom and the roof fell in, contractor took off no sign or word from him sense, my mother had ovarian cancer, she just started kemo. Got fired/quit my job but went to work for same company just different division. Had 9 friends/family members die and my stepdaughter quit collage left her husband and moved in with my wife n my 2 boys and I. Not much work on car, I got all the rust found and pass side floor pan tacked into place. Was doing that when roof crashed into master bedroom. I hope everyone is doing good out there. I'm still here from time to time, just never have time to do anything to talk about. Lol god bless

[instro84]

hang in there, i hope everything works out with you and the family, i know how how that can be my projects been goin on about 5 yrs now

[jbake]

Thanks. I'll get going on her again soon as the doctors and ins company agree wtf to do for my wife. One doc wants to go in a repair a valve another wants to do a pacemaker n the ins company is just dragging there feet with it all.

[jbake]

I haven't touched the bird n over a year now. Life keeps getting in way! Lol Wife is doing better after A LOT of meds. Couple weeks ago they found a lump in her breast but turned out to be scare tissue from an infection years ago. Mom won he battle with cancer, dad still fighting his prostate cancer. Stepdaughter moved out but mother-in-law moved in2 weeks later. So for now my bird is sitting in storage and I've decided to pt my 84 monte until money is available to get herdone 100% right. Oldest son graduates in May and mother-in-law moovmoving after thanksgiving so hope in year or so ill have body done n ready to start going back together.