My other "little" project

[Dr. Radio]

Thought I'd share. Seems we have some other "car people" here, which is great.

Been working on this (slowly, obviously due to a lot of personal conflicts) since 1998. My Dad ordered this car new in 1969. It is what drove me home from the hospital after I was born and what I drove in high school. By that time, it was not very nice looking. (Read that midwest rust).

This is a 1970 Chevelle Malibu sport coupe. Numbers matching 307/powerglide.

I will say this, sheet metal alignment on old cars stinks! But I guess that is the fun of it. Modern cars fit together so well (gaps, hinges etc. plastic pieces just snap, pop, right together) but they are nothing but electronic toaster boxes on wheels that's don't get a second look driving down the street.

I had to have a friend (former body shop owner) help me realign some front fender hardware as this year was a problem in which Chevrolet had the radiator support sheet metal not quite stamped closely enough to engineering specs so the headlight buckets do not align properly with the headlight extensions (the headlamps aren't perfectly centered in the 'holes' by the time all the hardware and body pieces are in place). It's an attractive design, but a total pain in the you-know-what.

[TC Chris]

Yay for another Chevy! And a family heirloom, too, like mine. It makes 'em more important. Not just cars, but cars with meaning.

Chris Campbell

[Dr. Radio]

Not just cars, but cars with meaning.

Chris Campbell

EXACTLY.

[electra225]

Good for you, Doc! You NEVER see a 307 anymore. You seldom see a 327 which powered millions of Chevys. Family heirlooms make it worth any amount of trouble.

Yeah, there are several members here that have old cars.

[Dr. Radio]

Good for you, Doc! You NEVER see a 307 anymore. You seldom see a 327 which powered millions of Chevys. Family heirlooms make it worth any amount of trouble.

Yeah, there are several members here that have old cars.

Yup, so many badmouth the 307. Of course it is lacking in performance, it was NEVER intended to be a performance engine. It's one tough little reliable engine. If you want cubic engines to play with, get a 350 (which is what most people do after they junk a perfectly good 307). The biggest detriment (besides the lack of cubic inches) is the suffocating cylinder heads with small ports. But again, the engineers never intended on being a fire-breathing dragon. It was base v8 engine replacement for the 283.

But then there was the 302. To the casual observer, a small V-8.....but with some REAL performance.

[electra225]

To rebuild a 327 or even a 350 today, it costs around $5000. One can buy an LS crate motor with the electronics for around $3500. That's why you don't see a 307 or 327 anymore. It has nothing to do with the engine integrity. A 307 is a de-stroked 327. The performance parts that work on a 327 will have similar effect on a 307. The shorter stroke 307 will rev like crazy.

Then there are people who turn their noses up just because somebody told them it was cool to be snooty. We in the console stereo hobby get that a lot. Look on old radio forum at how noses are turned up at polyurethane finishes and things that "the narrative" doesn't support. Enjoy what you have and be proud of it. You have something that was plentiful in the day, but is relatively rare today. You put some of yourself into the project, something to be admired.

[TC Chris]

Look on old radio forum at how noses are turned up at polyurethane finishes and things that "the narrative" doesn't support.

Well.... I redid my Victor RC-45 cabinet in a polyurethane and it has a bit of a plastic look when the light glints on the grain. Maybe it's just the power of suggestion. It was all I could get at the time, back in pre-internet days. It's otherwise OK.

Even longer ago--1977, probably, I refinished an old round oak table that's still my dining table and sometimes a workbench. I chose polyurethane for the durability in the face of moisture and wear. I have not regretted that. I recoated the top once since then with polyurethane from that original can. Still usable.

Chris Campbell

[Firedome]

The 307 was a perfectly fine engine, my M-I-L bought a new '68 Caprice with one and it moved the car quite well (no a/c and minimum emissions controls probably helped) and I had a '69 Camaro with 307 and again it performed well. I've always liked them. The '68 Carpice I had a few years ago had 327 and THM400 and it really moved, better than the 307 of course (again no a/c) but I wouldn't turn down a Chevy with a 307, it's a good solid engine and original is always best imo.
It really makes it special when your own Dad bought your car brand new.

Agree on panel fit, the gaps on my '69 Cutlass are pretty bad compared to new cars, but no way would I trade it for a new one! Coachwork may have been lacking, but GM performance and style were at their best in the late '60s!

[Dr. Radio]

The 307 was a perfectly fine engine, my M-I-L bought a new '68 Caprice with one and it moved the car quite well (no a/c and minimum emissions controls probably helped) and I had a '69 Camaro with 307 and again it performed well. I've always liked them. The '68 Carpice I had a few years ago had 327 and THM400 and it really moved, better than the 307 of course (again no a/c) but I wouldn't turn down a Chevy with a 307, it's a good solid engine and original is always best imo.
It really makes it special when your own Dad bought your car brand new.

Agree on panel fit, the gaps on my '69 Cutlass are pretty bad compared to new cars, but no way would I trade it for a new one! Coachwork may have been lacking, but GM performance and style were at their best in the late '60s!

That's a great looking pillarless hardtop! (Or as Chevrolet division called 4 doors with no post, a "Sports Sedan".

[electra225]

On Buick, the body integrity was better as the price of the car increased. Some of the Skylarks were pretty bad. The Electras and Rivieras were pretty good. The front bumper on Electra was the main thing that got out of kilter. They were massively heavy and were not well-supported on the ends. If you were foolish enough to use the bumper jack, the bumper alignment was destroyed. Of all the cars I worked on, the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham and Packard had body integrity down to a science.

Doc, what color is your Chevelle? I should know the name of that color, but I'm having a senior moment.....

[Dr. Radio]

Doc, what color is your Chevelle? I should know the name of that color, but I'm having a senior moment.....

It's actually wearing a color that isn't factory.

It was ordered with Chevrolet "Autumn Gold". To see a pic of this factory color: https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0509-79408 ... -ss-coupe/

It was too dark for my taste to return it to factory color. In 1990, my Dad had a friend do a repaint job on it. The painter was ahead of his time using base coat/clear coat (which at that time was pretty new to the industry, let alone a do-it-yourselfer). He ended up mixing a much lighter shade of gold. I always liked the color. When I had it painted with additional body work done in 2011, I had body shop mix something very close to what was already on the car. So it's light, metallic gold....my color. The body shop had a computer that "matches" the paint based on the closest hit of an already existing color....what car the color belongs to...I'll never tell.

[TC Chris]

If you were foolish enough to use the bumper jack, the bumper alignment was destroyed.

The person who conceived of the bumper jack for post-1950 cars obviously never used one. After watching bumpers merge into sheet metal as th car went up, I started carrying a scissors jack in the trunk. Safe, efficient, non-damaging.

Chris Campbell

[Firedome]

Olds calls it a Holiday Sedan... that's my ID on classicoldsmobile.com.
Body integrity of my Cutlass, despite the door gaps, is excellent. When the doors are closed, unlike the '71-76 B & C body cars, of which I had '74 (Olds 98), '75 (LeSabre Custom) and '76 (Olds 98) 4 dr hardtops, the center pillar and seats don't shake and quiver when the doors are slammed, and on the road it's tight without groans and squeaks. Lansing-built cars in general were alleged to have been some of the highest quality out of GM at the time.

[William]

My Dad had a 1970 Chevy pickup that had the 307 engine. As I recall, it performed well and did everything he wanted it to do. That was a nice truck. It had class, like all GM vehicles did in those years. Today, all cars and SUV'S look alike to me.

Bill