Project 1975 Ford Granada Coupe - Lots & lots of tinkering

[TripleRich]

On 1/23/2020 at 9:08 PM, Asimo said:

Do car makers do this as well or is it just necessary for restoration perfection?

Years ago cars were polished in the factory by hand...

Today paint has become a real science and car companies do everything they can to get the best possible finish in the fastest time.  New cars do still suffer from imperfections and orange peel, some much more than others.

23 hours ago, Parky said:

Quick question though - what sort of paint did you use?  2k with a clear coat on top?

There are basically 3 types of car paint...

Solid - Colour & gloss in one product

Metallic - The colour goes on in whats called base coat.  This has a matt or satin finish to it and needs coats of lacquer to complete.  

Pearl - Similar to metallic but instead the lacquer is not completely clear and contains other stuff.  This paint can have several stages in it and is hard to get right.

From a restoration perspective I have to use whatever system the car was painted with originally if I want to use the original colour.  Carnival red is a solid colour which worked out great for me as it's the easiest to paint & polish! 

 

Edit - These types of paint are now mostly used with water based paint systems.  The older solvent based 2K is slowly disappearing.  We're allowed to still use the 2K system as it's restoration work and we use a small quantity per year compared to a normal body shop.

[TripleRich]

Another decent chunk of progress made today.  The main parts of the car have now been flat & polished.  I still have the scuttle, valences & door shuts to do but they can be done any time.

The front wing was the first to tackle.  It's come up very well and most of the imperfections have now gone.

Door in 1200 & polished.  I also did the rear quarter,  about 4 - 5 hours to do these 3 panels.

With that done I can continue to work on the trim.  Started off with the mouldings for the front & rear wings.  All the clips & hardware are new and the mouldings have been cleaned and the insides waxed.

Next are the wheel arch trims which are very hard to find for these cars.  Each corner of the car requires a particular shape so there are 4 part numbers for these trims.  If you see one for sale it's very hard to tell which arch it's for.  Owners can spend a lot of time & money to get a full new set.  I have a mix of new & very good used ones.  Again the previous owner’s parts hunting are paying off big time.

I've fitted quite a few of these and they aren't much fun.  The fit is quite poor & years of storage cause them to become misshapen.  Takes a bit of work to get them to fit properly.  I've screwed them on so I can remove & clean the arch in future.  Originally they were pop riveted.

Fitted the mouldings for the front wings in the same way as the rear.  The door requires a different type of clip which should arrive in the post next week.

Fitted the correct style of mirror to the passenger side.  This would have been an option when new.  I've fitted one as it's very much needed in a LHD car!

Very pleased.  I hope to get the doors done next time.

 

 

[High Jetter]

Stunning.

[PhilA]

On 1/24/2020 at 1:15 PM, TripleRich said:

Today paint has become a real science and car companies do everything they can to get the best possible finish in the fastest time.  New cars do still suffer from imperfections and orange peel, some much more than others.

Yeah, the sides of my Jeep have about the same orange peel as what you determined wasn't good enough, and it rolled out the door like that to be sold. You are going for Better Than New, for sure. Ford would have gone bankrupt if they spent the time, care and effort you have on this car.

--Phil

[TripleRich]

Got quite a bit done yesterday.  The exterior of the car is pretty much complete (except the wipers) and all the glass is finally safe back where it belongs.

Started off fitting some new clips & the final moulding to the doors.  I've also fitted the mirror which has been cleaned, polished and checked for correct operation.  The hardware inside the door which holds the mirror in place is also new.

Next I cleaned out, lubricated & waxed the window regulators.  I also gave the glass a thorough clean and fitted all the various parts to the doors.  The window channel rubbers are new and a slight upgrade over the originals.  Both windows go up and down very nicely.  After fitting all that I put some new clips in for the door capping.

Cleaned the chromes and fitted a new weather strip to each one.  They are then pushed into place being careful not to scratch the paint.  The small plastic feet fitted to both ends of the trim are also there which is nice as they are often missing.

I've also salvaged & fitted the metal window guides that clip into the window frame.  There is one per side and most cars have these missing.  They rotted very quickly when new and this is the first Mk1 I've seen with them fitted.  They were very rusty so I've cleaned them up and repainted them.  Plenty of wax too.

All this has been done to both doors.  They can now be waxed and have the cards fitted.

I've tweaked the door alignment slightly and got things as close as I can.  Very happy with the result, most of the important bits all line up and those that don't are close enough.  I'll continue back inside the car next time.  A few more weeks and I can focus on mechanical stuff again.  I like to build a car in this order if possible.  Its much easier being able to do all the fussy trim, engine bay & interior work without things like the engine & wheels in the way.

[ETCHY]

That is simply stunning - really well done.

[Rod/b]

It’s so nice seeing this come together 

[TripleRich]

With the outside of the car now mostly complete I've moved back inside and under the bonnet.  The build is going quite well and I'm not too far from finishing the interior.

First job was to wax the doors.  I'm waxing the entire car as I go along, certainly don't want the bloody thing rusting again!

 

With the doors waxed I made up some new moisture barriers.

Gave the door cards a serious clean along with various other bits.  Fitted them in place and cleaned again.  Very pleased with the cards, they are in excellent condition and are now safe back where they belong.

I'm also fitting various bits in the engine bay.  One large item that needed doing was the power steering reservoir.  Took it back to bare metal, primed, painted and fitted.  I've done this to lots of other bits but haven't photographed everything.  The throttle, clutch and speedo cable are now fitted along with the oil pressure line that runs to the gauge. 

Bonnet seal has also been cleaned and refitted.

Lots of small parts and cleaning to build up the rest of the dashboard.  Much of this is fragile plastic so great care has to be taken whilst trying to persuade it all to fit properly.  I've fitted an original spec radio and wired it to the cars stock single speaker.  I'm installing a decent sound system elsewhere that will be hidden.  That way the stock setup can be shown/experienced in all its 70s glory.  I've thrown the wheel on too to see how things are going to look.  This is an optional sports wheel that was part of the S pack for Granada.  It needs a good clean and some paintwork before it goes on properly.

Hundreds of small parts are being fitted along the way.  Much of them are new and anything that shows any signs of wear is being cleaned, painted, repaired and tested.  Here is just a small selection of the parts bins...

 I

I've fitted various other interior parts such as rear view mirror, interior lights, centre console, lighter, switchgear, etc.  Lots more bits to do but its progressing quite nicely towards my target of being roadworthy for the summer. 

[timolloyd]

Your care and patience is amazing.

[dollywobbler]

The thread that just keeps on giving. Marvellous.

[ProgRocker]

My parents had a diamond white R reg 2000 L saloon in the early-mid 1980s, the interior shots are conjoring up a few memories: the black vinyl, the quartz clock right at the bottom in the centre console, the ashtray lid (always in use!) and the 4 speed gearbox.

[supermellowman]

Having been hospitalised for a little while now, I’ve just completed a read through this thread. Your dedication, enthusiasm, skills and amazing resourcefulness are an inspiration. Looking forward to seeing it completed. It seems so close now.

[TripleRich]

Made some good progress with the interior over the past two weekends.  It's now starting to look quite smart in there.  

First job was to finish cavity waxing the car.  I pulled out the sound deadening and went nuts with the lance.  Everywhere that went rusty is now protected.

Next are some more speakers.  Like everybody else I would like to have more than one speaker in the car.  The problem is finding a place the works for the extra speakers.  I'm not very musical but one speaker under the dashboard isn't great.

I can't stand the sight of speakers in what was totally original trim, so I've made these little brackets to hold some speakers behind the rear cards.  The card will muffle the sound a bit but its the only option.  I'll be hiding two more speakers under the dashboard.

Now for the rear cards.  Excellent condition under all the dirt apart from one spot where somebody rammed a screw through one.  Apart from that I'm very pleased with them, not bad for a 45 year old bit of cardboard.  I replaced the damaged ashtray housing with a new one.  The ashtrays themselves will be repainted when I get time as all the silver has come off them.

Next I turned to the sill trims and seat belts.  These are unique to the coupe and are not easy to find.  I only have the originals which were not looking good.  After a lot of cleaning, polishing and painting I've managed to get them looking reasonable.  A little nod to the state the car was in when I started.  The seat belts still work correctly and the webbing is actually quite good.

Excited with my nearly finished interior I fished out the back seat.  The seats are not great and the front seats will have to go and be reupholstered.  The back seat isn't as bad and really the only issue is the covers have become very saggy.  I'll see what I can do with it next week.  For now I've chucked it in and for the first time been able to have a sit in the car.  These are proper seats, the ones that swallow you and don't let you out, very comfy.

The seat and carpet will be cleaned as much as possible.  From what I can tell the car was used as family transport when it lived in Germany.  All the seats are worn and the carpet in the rear has been worn out by shoes.  Dad bought some mats for the front as the carpet is much better there but he didn't bother with the back,  Cool to think this was a family car, odd they picked a coupe but it's just as spacious inside as the saloon.

I'll finish up the dash and fit the black screen post trims next week.

[danthecapriman]

Fantastic! 

You really can not beat an old, black vinyl interior can you!? Absolutely lovely.

[TripleRich]

I love it!  So many of these had brown or beige interiors.  I'm all for the brown but the black just looks better.

Could be worse....

 

[junkyarddog]

I don't know,

I like that green!

[danthecapriman]

1 minute ago, junkyarddog said:

I don't know,

I like that green!

Me too! I think there was red available too, certainly was on the Capri range. My old mk2 Granny was all blue inside, lovely. It’s grey interiors I’m not keen on.

[TripleRich]

There was a red but I have a feeling it was only on earlier cars.  The Consul L Decor certainly had a redish interior.

The beige is probably the worst.  Not because of the colour but more due to how it ages/fades over time.  The beige steering wheels can go almost white.  Doesn't look good.  Not a fan of the grey interior on Mk2 Granny either.

 

[danthecapriman]

1 minute ago, TripleRich said:

There was a red but I have a feeling it was only on earlier cars.  The Consul L Decor certainly had a redish interior.

The beige is probably the worst.  Not because of the colour but more due to how it ages/fades over time.  The beige steering wheels can go almost white.  Doesn't look good.  Not a fan of the grey interior on Mk2 Granny either.

 

The grey interiors on all cars just look depressing and dull to me. It’s one of the worst things about cars of the 90’s onwards, most had horrible grey boring interiors!

My Volvo has a beige interior, which I love, but it’s done exactly what you say. Some bits of the dash have faded to a much paler beige and the carpet has done the same in certain areas where they’d obviously been sat in the sun longer than other bits had. 

[Richard_FM]

Vauxhall used to be good for matching the interior & exterior colours of their cars.

The early Mk2 Cavalier were the last models to do this before they realised it was cheaper to keep the interiors one set of colours.

[TripleRich]

I've been hard at work as usual on the car over the past two weekends.  Focusing on the electrics before I complete the dash.  Lots of cleaning connections, checking for damage & making repairs.  I've also continued to clean, paint & fit various items in the engine bay.  I've also fitted a bluetooth amp under the dash which allows me to listen to music using my phone and the hidden speakers.  The car looks like its totally stock inside which is just what I was after.

After all that I connected a battery for the first time in about 15 - 20 years.  After fixing a problem with the wiper motor & fog lamp wiring everything is working as it should.

After taking those pictures I noticed I'd reversed main & dip beam which is easily corrected by swapping the wires over on the relay box in the engine bay.  Indicators & hazards still retain the correct type of relay which sounds lovely.

The wipers are also working properly with all two of the speeds.  There is no flick wipe or intermittent due to the car only having one basic stalk which also works the indicators, high beams and flasher.  A triangle of doom is also present!  I believe the correct Bosch blades are fitted and the arms are genuine Ford so I expect it was always like that.  Sorry @dollywobbler

Inside I've fitted the A post trims which complete the black on black look.

Outside I've adjusted the bonnet so it shuts properly.

Underside I've received most of the big stuff back from the blasters.  I've now etch primed & painted some bits like the springs.  The rest is going for powder coating which means I should be able to properly focus on rebuilding the sub frames and mechanical stuff in the coming weeks.

For the past couple of weeks I've been putting this one back together.  Finished the flat & polishing, vinyl roof and most trim work last week.  Should have it ready in the next week or so.  I will be doing something about the scratched windscreen before it leaves.

 

[junkyarddog]

That Gold Ghia is stunning!!

That's what a proper car looks like!

[TripleRich]

Late car, built in 77.  Spent a fair bit of its life in Spain which helped its condition.  Was spotted in a scrapyard there and brought back to the UK.  Was then sold to the current owner who brought it to us over a year ago.  Arrived rotten and bright red, was originally Saturn Gold.  Its had......

• Both rear quarter panels, complete replacement genuine Ford.  Usual rotten arches & C posts that affects the saloons
• All 4 doors have been re-skined, genuine Ford skins.
• A post repairs
• Scuttle repairs
• Front & rear chassis leg repairs
• Rear valence replaced & front one repaired
• Both front wings, originals where shot.  Reproductions fitted due to budget constraints, I've got them to fit quite well
• Loads of small repairs to the floor and other structural components
• Compete repaint to original colour inside & out
• Massive waxoil session
• New headliner & sound deadening
• lots of new & good used trim & interior parts

[Tadhg Tiogar]

....and the thousand-hour barrier is broken....?

[Shite Ron]

8 hours ago, TripleRich said:

The car looks like its totally stock inside which is just what I was after.

Fantastic work and great attention to detail, I really enjoy following your work and look forward to seeing the completed car.

[LoftyvRS]

Lovely craftsmanship in evidence here, keep up the great work, it's a credit to you.

[High Jetter]

^^ +1 Stunning work.

[TripleRich]

I locked myself in the workshop for the weekend.  Got quite a bit done.  At present I'm still working during the week but if the situation worsens we might be sent home.  I wont be able to visit the car during that time so I'm putting extra effort in while I still can.

Started off fitting new bushes to all the suspension components.  Being independent front & rear there are lots of bushes and components.  Some of the bushes are a right pain to get back in but I managed them all in the end.  I'm fitting NOS ford bushes as I have loads of them and they came with the car.  Should have a nice smooth ride with the original rubber bushes.

I then fished out the diff that I'd started working on last year.  I cleaned it out, checked over the condition and changed most of the oil seals.  Finished painted up a few bits, put it all back together and filled with oil.  It should be ok but if I have problems its only 5 bolts to remove it in future.

With most of the parts ready I started to build the sub frames.  I wont be fully tightening the suspension bolts until everything is located in the car and sat on the wheels.  I also need to set up the rear alignment as its adjustable on the inner wishbone bolts near the diff.

Fitted new front sub frame bushes into the chassis legs.  These have to be fitted at the correct orientation making sure the arrows line up with the marks on the chassis legs.

Fitted the rear bump stops and tidied up the stone guard in the arches.

Cleaned up various mechanical bits that couldn't be blasted and painted them.  Continued assembly after they dried fitting new Ford wheel bearings along the way.

Also changed the CV joints on the half shafts and fitted.  Again the new joints are genuine Ford.

 

The rear sub frame is now almost ready to go in the car.  I'll build the front one next and then fit them both to the car on the same day.

Popped into Sainsbury's after on Saturday night.  I was too late...

 

[DSdriver]

On 11/3/2019 at 6:04 PM, TripleRich said:

I would love to see how they did the vinyl in the factory.  From what I can tell the roof they used was an exact fit to the car which meant no cutting required.  Dunno how they would have glued it down quickly though.  The vinyl roof was basically standard equipment on GLs & Ghias.

I saw a pic somewhere of the vinyl clipped into a rectangular frame which was then lowered onto a roof. I've no idea if this is how they were all done but it did seem quite a good method of getting it in the right position.

[Spottedlaurel]

Fantastic work as ever, your knowledge and understaning of these things go together is remarkable.

Were they built this well when new?.........