The Final Touches
While there were certain parts of the restoration that stood out more than others, for example, seeing her outside after her fresh coat of bright white paint and seeing the front seats and dash in, this was the best part overall purely in terms of anticipation for the end. Every passing minute meant one step closer to my first drive. Talk about a kid on Christmas! At times the wait was too much. 3+ years came down to these last few touches.
As eager as I was, I also knew that these last few touches and detailing, test runs and procedures had to be done and like all the other steps was simply part of the restoration process. Detailing was done throughout the car, including blacking out the seat backs, dash parts, various bolts and screws throughout including the the panel and moulding screws as well as blacking out the bolts behind the grille and radiator area. All these small meticulous touches really do make a huge difference to the overall appearance.
Test drives were performed. I followed the restoration team, in a separate vehicle, to take Lucy out for her first proper test run. We drove to a place called Woodville which was a 2 hour drive one way. She performed fantastically! There were a couple of minor things needing adjustments however. There was a slight whine in the diff which is normal as it needed to be run in and have the oil changed a few times. The kick-down linkage needed adjustment, the petrol sending float wasn't reading properly and the lower fan belt pulley wasn't aligned 100% correctly. It nothing major but it was still enough to pop the belt off under WOT.
These things are to be expected after full restoration. There'll always be something that is perfect, it's just the nature of the building process. After a 3 year resto, to have such a small and easy to fix list of items is fantastic! Once these "bugs" were addressed within a week or so. This stage albeit fairly quick time wise compared to the other stages, felt like it took forever as every time I popped in to check up, she looked completed and ready to take home. Such a tease haha!
Fenders and front bumper on, hood pins in and engine complete.
Fully restored grille sourced from the U.S.A. Very expensive piece but what a job. This was done by a place called Anobrite. They do it to the factory correct specs, the right shade of black, the correct amount of "ribs" painted and of course, the perfect anodized trim and honey comb insert. Very very pleased with how this came out.
Taillight seals, trunk lid and quarter panel trim mouldings, bumpers on.
Blacking out the last few bolts and items behind the grille.
Getting the bulge hood on and in place.
Everything installed, the hood, bumper, fenders, grille... wohoooo! F#%k yeah!!
The bulge hood from above.
The hood closed and hood pins locked in. The front end is 100% completed.
The amp and CD stacker... haha, yes, obsolete maybe but this was done 15-18 years ago (2020) remember! I have all I need in there. AC/DC, the blues, the Vanishing Point Soundtrack and some custom mix CDs.
The clips for the trunk mat. Easy to remove and wash if needs be.
The electric trunk lock. A very handy upgrade over factory. A very sensible idea, especially if you have a fire extinguisher in there. If you have to put out a fire (you or your own vehicle) you don't want to be bumbling about with keys... just hit the interior switch.
The completed set up complete with full size 15x7" spare wheel and jack.
A few last tuning adjustments...
All emblems are now installed. Such a nice touch.
New factory decals are installed in their correct locations, in this instance the door jamb vin decal with build date and VIN #.
The last few checks underneath.
Closer up...
Looking the business!!
The 2.5" TTI exhaust system complete with X-Pipe. Note the white engine bay just peeking through vs. the black rubber protective compound underneath.
The TTI system is completed by some Dynomax Super Turbo mufflers.
All completed, now out for a test and tuning! Such a great time. Unreal actually.
