'78 GT - Summer Project Pics

[tjanson]

I've been working on this beauty since the day I finished my last final in June. I bought it back in April or so. Woo... It's been alot of work. Look through all the pics and you'll see a freshly painted GT.
Leaving previous residence:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/towtruck.jpg
Some assorted Before/During shots:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/barnside.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/front1.jpg
The two beauties together; note the GT wheels on the 245. I put on the Dracos with the snows on the GT just for it to roll around on (I had them previously):
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/245and242.jpg
First start since I got it, without a gas tank, with a snowblower tank:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/gascan.jpg
Needed a new tank (this one I pulled at the junkyard, now stripped):
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/gastankbare.jpg
All POR-15'ed up:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/por15gastank.jpg
That old B21F:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/engine2.jpg
Rebuilt and cleaned intake manifold:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/intakeoff.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/intakeinside.jpg
Did some painting, got the TB cover too:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/valvecover.jpg
Crazy sticker; the car also had a "GB" import sticker:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/tim001.jpg
Then I did a ton of other stuff, with pictures on a different camera.... maybe more later
Now for the money shots:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/paintbooth.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/low.jpg
My good friend J. Qian:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/jqian.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~tjanson/Web/rear.jpg
I painted it in one day. That's primer, guidecoat sand, final prep, and 3 coats PPG MTK single stage urethane. I rented the compressor at 8 and finally was done at 11. Since those pics I've put on the emblems and GT wheels, which I also painted (can't wear out the snows, as sick as they look). Before that day I had been bondo-ing / dealing with rust / glazing/ various bodywork for a few weeks.
So here's the list (no labor outsourced!!)
Replaced gas tank
Retrofitted 700 Turbo prepump
Replaced fuel pump
Replaced motormounts
Replaced Radiator
Removed all AC crap except for compressor (next summer, have source for bracket)
Rebuilt/cleaned Intake manifold/TB
Replaced injector seals
Replaced coolant and wiper fluid tanks
Installed new windshield
Replaced timing belt and all others
All that routine maintaince stuff: cap, rotor, plugs, PCV etc.,. Sorry, no engine bay pics yet
Somehow managed to seal up broken heater ducts
Troubleshooted dashwiring that was very screwed up by some senseless previous mechanic or owner
Installed new speakers ('90+ 240 big front speakers, barely fit with window crank, 850 two way rear deck speakers) CD player (Subtle black Blaupunkt)
Generally cleaned everthing
Lots of other random stuff I don't remember....
Woo, so that's my summer - I was either working on the 242 or lifeguarding. I still have a few details (heh, like new brakepads, rotors, but that's non essential) to complete. I love the car. Every little bit. Every time I see it parked I'm like "Damn, that's hot," even when it was in dirty spotty primer. It's a little slow, slower than the '86, but it handles well, and who cares about speed anyways! The car is pimp as far as I'm concerned.
....Now my mom says I have to write a college essay about it... :omg: Better than something about how I'm going to save the world, I guess...

[Hank Scorpio]

wow man looks great!!

[Acid8000]

Damn, that's hot

Dammmmnnn, that's HOT! Thats practically one of my dream Volvo's right thier! I would like to eventually restore a nice 79/80 242GT ONE day. But until then Il just drool over yours :rofl:

Any plans to +T? :badboy:

[tjanson]

Any plans to +T? :badboy:

I've thought about it. No +T though. Maybe in a few years I'll start looking for a parts car with a B21FT or B23FT. I'd save the whole old engine though, I couldn't bear to permanently make it non-stock.

[Brickster151]

Thats a hell of a job you did! Congrats, looks awesome.

[isaac]

You are frickin cool man. That takes some major intrepidity to make your own spray booth and do your own car all by yourself. BTW: How much did the paint cost, and where'd you get it?

[stylngle2003]

very nice work!

sounds like a hell of a way to spend a summer

[Vol242vo]

'78 242's are the best! Looks good... Enjoy the many rides!

[tjanson]

You are frickin cool man. That takes some major intrepidity to make your own spray booth and do your own car all by yourself. BTW: How much did the paint cost, and where'd you get it?
Heh, thanks. I got the paint at a local auto body supplier. I just looked in the phone book under "Auto Body Supplies" and there were 5 different places. It cost me about $200 for a gallon of paint, a gallon of reducer, quart of hardener, 3 quarts primer and its hardener. Without the primer I think it was about $150. That's the cheapest stuff you can get. The paint it far from perfect however- being a first time sprayer, I have some drips and sags, and a few tack rag varnish fingerprints on the primer that showed through. Painting is a massive amount of work, thumbs up to all the body/ paint pros, they have alot of patience and skill.

[Geoff240Ti]

You are frickin cool man. That takes some major intrepidity to make your own spray booth and do your own car all by yourself.

I couldn't agree more.. I give major respect to anyone who takes on something like that, with such great results! Who cares if it's not a $5000 paint job, you did it all yourself! That's more then alot of people can say. Awesome work!

[stylngle2003]

plus, now that you have experienced painting a car, you could do it over again for considerably less cost (i mean, touch up the car, perfect it) and continually work on your skills. who knows....you may even get the opportuninty to paint somoene elses car for money?

[VFL83]

That makes me want to sell my 744 and buy a 242gt this dude is selling here in town for $750obo.

[cst805]

Very nice work man! I commend your efforts. My GT has that same tourist and diplomat sales sticker on it, wonder what thats all about? any performance plans for that beauty?

[Slobodan]

aah man, You just reminded me how much I want to paint my '79 GT. I need to do alot of body work to it yet. I think I should also grab a new flat hood. mine is dented badly. In my opinion you should do some N/A engine mods to it. make it quicker the cheap way. You can do alot to that engine to make it haul! :)

[Crazychopstick]

Good work man. Mad props. What kind of experience did you have on painting before? research?

[240Psycho]

I give you 2 thumbs up for restoring a 242 gt

you get another 2 for getting a gt when you already have a 240

you get another 2 for painting your own car.

The farthest i EVER got when it came to restoring a car was the primer.

Good Job and dont stop.

[Vercetti]

That is a very nice car. Those rims add a nice touch to it also!

[blkaplan]

great work, maybe you should transfer this to the projects area.

[yorkbrick]

looks great,
FYI I have a ton of GT parts if you need anything. IE door panels, instur. cluster, red dash inserts, others.
let me know

[kahlua240]

those are funky mud flaps.. i like em!

[tjanson]

Good work man. Mad props. What kind of experience did you have on painting before? research?

Thanks, man. I considered myself a good rattle-can spray painter before this :lol: .I had no experience really, just kept reading stuff online and the book from the library.

[tjanson]

aah man, You just reminded me how much I want to paint my '79 GT. I need to do alot of body work to it yet. I think I should also grab a new flat hood. mine is dented badly. In my opinion you should do some N/A engine mods to it. make it quicker the cheap way. You can do alot to that engine to make it haul! :)
Yeah, I think I might eventually swap in a K cam, put in an e-fan (though I dig the yellow metal fan), maybe some cheapo glasspacks (I could delete the cat... but I won't), maybe some different intake arrangement... The AC compressor will definitely be coming out sometime next year.
Funny thing is, the car has actually gotten faster now that I've driven it a bit - now about the same as the '86 245.
The other idea is to buy a turbo parts car... but N/A is seducing me...

[JonnyScorch]

Hey man, the GT looks KILLER.. i'm attacking the rust on my 80 242 and i was hoping to use the GT flat panels for the spare tire well.. how did you clean yours up? Do you have any close up shots of them?
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=51192

THANKS!!!

[jfs356]

The car looks great - good that you got the before pics to show how far you brought the
car back to its current state - a 242 GT would be a lot of fun, seeing as how they are getting more and more rare...good to paint it original color and not do a color change, looks great in silver...