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1979 Cordoba with T-Tops

Av8rleo

Active Member
Local time
9:16 AM
Joined
Apr 9, 2016
Messages
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Location
Pine Island, MN
The project begins!
This car belongs to my uncle and he originally repainted it when he was in auto body school in 1986. Originally the car was dove gray with a red top. When he repainted it he went to a Black Metallic with a Black Top.
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This has been her home for about the last 5 years. The lean burn had gotten to the point where it just didn't run good enough to take it out driving. Last fall when we tried to move it the lean burn had finally completely crapped and the car wouldn't even start.

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First time in the sunshine in quite and while and she definitely needs a bath!

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After the bath and into the shop here is the before picture... I wonder how much of this garbage I can make go away...
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The engine is coming out!
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Need to pick up the rebuilt block and start swapping out the parts that we're gonna keep...
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With the engine and tranny dropped now it's time to clean, clean, clean. Don't have the picture but dropped the passenger side metal fender well, drivers side needs a little love from where it was repaired in '86 from a battery rusting through. Apparently someone thought it would be a good idea to weld it to the radiator support.

Then I'll start prepping the under hood area and most of the suspension for a fresh coat of satin black paint!

I'll post more as the project continues!
 
I like it.
 
Yea I owned a 79 Cordoba with T tops until the springs went through the trunk. I drove the car forever before that happened.
 
mid day update...
One step forward, five back...
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Dug into the battery tray fender liner issue today and we weren't happy with what we found.... So, off comes the entire nose of the care, it will make it much easier to fix the rust that was there and will also allow us to sandblast and prep what we need to without having to worry about damaging anything!
 
I would like to see some pictures of it with the t tops removed I've never seen one before
 
Been a long few days but here we go...
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Here's the before picture, not too bad for 37 years. After '86 it never saw Winter so in reality only 7 years of rust to take off plus whatever has "grown" from moisture in storage.

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Didn't take time to take a lot of before pictures. Kind of regretting that at the moment. But it was 85 degrees and I just wanted to get after it!
All told, about 6 hours of sand blasting and 12 bags of sand to do the frame, wheel liners and other parts.

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Got everything taped and bagged off. Ran the DA around everywhere I could to feather out the edges from sand blasting, took a wire wheel to the brake booster to get some flaking paint off. Cleaned the entire firewall with Fin-L-Wash and then took a scuff pad to everywhere I couldn't get the DA into.

All ready for etch priming.

I'll post more when there is something significant, but for now... Off to relax on the Harley!
 
Here we go, frame and parts primed and painted today!
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Just starting the etch primer.
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Etch priming nearly done.
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Black primer done.
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Working on the black basecoat.
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Applying the clearcoat.
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Clearcoat complete! We used a duller for everything below about midline on the firewall and then normal gloss clear for everything about that and the mounts for the fenders and the radiator support.

This week the transmission goes off to get gone through and then we start reassembly!
 
I'll post this in the appropriate places as well but if anyone has a line on places where I can find either new (feel free to laugh) or good used inner fender liners it would be much appreciated. Want to look at the cost of buy versus fix...
 
iam really diggin this build saw one in a magazine back in 1980 someone stuck a hemi in it was bad ***
 
I remember reading about the ability to put a Hemi in these when I was in college... my fear was twisting the frame since it is a T-top... ladders would have helped with that but I'm trying to keep it as "originalish" as possible!

Thanks for the compliment, I'm really diggin doing this!
 
Sadly not much progress to report for right now... Still trying to run down inner fenders. Found some in Alabama they wanted $300 a piece, another set in Arizona for $150 a piece. My uncle still thinks he wants to find them cheaper, his car his rules so I keep hunting.

Do those prices sound pretty reasonable?
 
The arizona prices sound good considering they are not easily found but shipping will be expensive. I know its more money and not sure if they have the same inner fenders but there is a 77 Cordoba that has been posted on my local craigslist for that past 2+ years. Its a full car and he has been asking 1950 for it but given the time its been on there, you may be able to haggle a very good price and have a full parts car, if its interchangeable that is.

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/5577571137.html
 
Update.... Fired the guy who was supposed to be working on he engine, got tired of a different excuse each week. Went to pick it up and it was still in pieces! So much for being ready to paint. There is an off chance the new guy will have it done by the end of this week!
 
I feel your pain!
A Spiniker White, '79 Magnum, '00/5.9/727/9-1/4/3.55's,
Hooked Super Comp headers, RPM intake and 650 Thunder.
I also had an issue where the rear bolt to secure the K frame became loose. I had to open up the frame rail and deal with the rust and non secured flat but the attaching screw went into for the am frame. All is better (for) now......
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Nice car. I always want to build one of these as a luxury sleeper.
 
I always wanted to find one with the 400 in it for a sleeper. I don't recall which years had that engine.
All years except 1979. No big block option that year for anything. (Except truck IIRC)
I have a '78 P code 400 from a doba. It is a low compression dog. The potential is there for much power or a HELL OF A LOT! But in stock form, you'll get spanked by a late 80's Honda on 3 cylinders.
 
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