1967 Pontiac Lemans budget build - episode one - introduction

Episode one, introduction.

Episode two, trunk panel install part one.

Episode three, trunk panel install part two.

Episode four, door rust repair.

Episode five, tail light panel and rear crossmember.

Episode six, passenger quarter panel.

Episode seven, driver's quarter panel.

Episode eight, floor pan and rockers, part one.

Episode nine, floor pan and rockers, part two.

Episode ten, frame repair and prep, body drop.

Episode eleven, radiator core support and miscellaneous rust repair.

Episode twelve, trunk repair and more miscellaneous rust repair.

Episode thirteen, fender and inner fender repair.

Episode fourteen, panel prep and block and prime.

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Today, April 1 2023 commences the beginning of work on my 1967 Pontiac Lemans budget build. 

I've had the car for about 2 years, trying really hard to not keep it. I really didn't want to build another one since I already spent more than 10 years building this 1967 Camaro:

But as is so often the case with these things, I succumbed to peer pressure. A couple of cigar buddies razzed me about the car. They said I had the time, the money, the skills, the tools, and the shop. So, they asked, what's stopping me? 

I lacked the motivation.

It's a lot of work. And it takes a lot of time. And it doesn't always go well. There's always hidden damage. Replacement parts don't always fit. It is always harder and takes longer. If building a car was only like it is on TV with Chip Foose, well, that would be different. But building a car at home without a lift and without thousands of dollars of state-of-the-art tools is not easy. 

In addition, the kind of repairs needed for this particular car are major structural issues. Such repairs are not for the faint of heart, and probably beyond most peoples' abilities. At times I thought it was beyond mine. Further, it's a fine line between successfully repairing the car and ruining it, so installing one panel crooked could make the car junk. 

And, there's always the question as to whether the car should be rebuilt at all. Will it really be worth it?

Ignoring my own advice, I went ahead with the project. My objective was to build the car to a standard where a future owner could be confident there is no covered-up damage or shortcuts taken. I wasn't able to match every nuance of how the car was originally constructed since significant parts of it were simply gone, but all my work was with metal and welding, not chicken wire and inch thick bondo.

Here's several "before" photos:

As you can see, the car was rough. But it was cheap. So cheap my wife thought I should buy it.

I intended to quickly flip the car and not keep it, but the rust and the body damage was too intimidating to prospective purchasers. No one wanted it.

So I decided to carefully line out a build agenda with a view to selling it as a car with the major problems solved. I would build it in stages, and at each point I would offer it for sale. My reasoning was that if the car's major problems were solved it would be a great starting point for a person who wanted to build the car. They would get to start where the fun stuff begins.

I don't know its history at all, but it was certainly a real looker when bought new with its black interior, Tyrol blue paint, and 326 v8 with a floor shift. It's an attractive design, a car which anyone would be proud to own back in the late 60s. But, it's a shame that it fell into disrepair. Maybe it was treasured at the beginning, but the faded paint, numerous dents and crashes, and the cruddy carpet means this car reached a point when its owner simply didn't care.

So sad.

So ours is a noble task, to return the car to its former glory and make any future owner proud to own it. We are doing God's work, with Jesus' help.

Inventory

So, what did I start with? A titled body shell, basically. Here's the list:

• A good hood
• A repairable trunk lid
• A repairable drivers door
• An unrepairable passenger door
• An unrepairable driver fender
• A repairable passenger fender
• A good frame
• All the front suspension
• An intact rear axle and suspension
• A repairable radiator core support
• A pair of repairable front inner fenders
• Repairable rear wheel houses
• Good roof, package tray, and rear seat brace structure
• A good upper cowl structure with some rust, and a good firewall
• All the side glass and window risers for both the doors as well as the back seat
• Both door latch mechanisms
• The rear glass
• Inner and outer heater box
• About half of the bright trim
  

What do I need to buy?

• Passenger door 
• Driver fender 
• Grill and headlights
• Steering
• Dash, complete
• Interior, complete
• Engine and Trans
• Wheels and tires
• Brakes/shocks
• Cowl grill panel
• Wiper motor and mechanism
• Wiring
• exhaust
• rubber parts
• Pedal assembly
• Lock package
• Windshield
• Body mounts
• Various exterior trim pieces
• Taillights
• A thousand other little parts

What parts of the body need repair/replacement?

• Quarter skins - replace
• Rockers - replace
• Passenger door - replace
• Driver fender - replace
• Floor panel - replace
• Trunk panel - replace
• Taillight panel - replace
• Radiator core support - repair
• Various small rust through spots - repair
• Front inner fenders - repair

The Plan

What am I going to build? Not a restoration, because it's just a garden variety Lemans, and really too rough and incomplete for that to make sense. Plus, they made a little over 75,000 of them in 1967, so they are by no means rare. But I do want to retain as much of the original feel as possible, which means no shaved door handles or mini tubs, no leather interior, no bags, and no billet aluminum pieces.

So it will be generally stock-appearing, maybe a GTO clone, with a few of the emblems shaved off. It will certainly be lowered 2 inches and have a nice set of wheels and tires. Essentially, like my Camaro pictured above.

Here's some examples of what I might like to end up with:

A definite no for the cowl hood, but I do like the satin finish and the removal of some of the chrome. I like the menacing look. This car has a Lemans grill, but the quarters don't have the Lemans gills. Probably have been replaced.

This is a GTO (or a clone). It has a little more chrome than I want (particularly along the lower edge), but it is clean without being totally shaved. I'm not sure if I like the blacked out grill, though. I might go with the GTO grill, but I'm definitely using my Lemans hood (no scoop or tach). I also like the wheels.

This doesn't have a blacked out grill, but it still has the lower trim that I don't like. This car looks a bit more sedate than the car above for some reason.

And I like this one as well:

As you can tell I'm leaning towards a somewhat stock appearance. No point in redesigning a perfectly good design.

But under the hood it will not be stock. Having endured my first LS swap with the Camaro and living to tell about it (barely), I am now prepared to use my hard-won knowledge to do the same on the Lemans. Since this will be a budget build, the motor and trans will likely be extracted from a donor vehicle, cleaned up, and bolted in. No rebuild, no go-fast goodies (at least for now.) Again for budget purposes, it will likely be a 4.8 or 5.3.

I want the feeling that I'm driving an original car, absent the original car drivability problems. In other words, all the advantages of owning and driving a 1967 Lemans with none of the disadvantages.

Stage One - The Body Shell

I carefully planned the build because I've discovered that mission creep is a real problem. "Gee, since I'm cleaning up the firewall, maybe I should go ahead and get an A/C unit." So I divided up the build into five stages. Gotta keep my eye on the ball.

The objective of Stage One was to create an entirely rust-free body shell, ready for the body work. This is the basic part of the car that holds the passengers, but not including doors, hood/trunk lid, fenders, or frame. I devoted most of my effort to completing this stage. My goal for this stage was six months, but it took a little over seven.

Purchase list:

• three piece trunk pan with braces - Paid $545.00
• Full floor pan with braces - Paid $554.99
• 80% quarter skins - Paid $543.96 pr.
• Taillight panel - Paid $274.99
• Body mounts and bolts - Paid $106.50
• Outer Rockers - Paid $104.99 pr.

Now, I soon realized that I would need to blur the lines between stages in some instances. For example, the passenger door is a stage two item, but I would need to work on it, not only the rust but the stuck door hinge. This was necessary because the body lines and gaps need to be right. The door needs to be adjusted into its right location in order to properly install the quarter panel.

I also did some roughed-in body work, which is a stage three item. But again, it was necessary in order to make sure my metal work would be covered by a minimum thickness of filler. And, I didn't want to leave any exposed bare metal.

Stage Two - The Bolt-ons

The bolt-ons are the doors, hood/trunk lid, fenders, etc. Any sort of sheetmetal that bolts onto the car and needs to be repaired, replaced, and/or aligned for fitment. Here is where gaps are set and the proper operation of moving parts is achieved. 

As detailed above, I was able to reuse some of the panels but I had to replace some as well. And there were some pieces I did not have at all.

Purchase list:

• Replace passenger door: Paid $323.25
• Fender lower patches: Paid $199.00 pr.
• Replace driver fender: Paid $516
• Cowl grill panel: Paid $100
• Glove box door: Paid $31.00

Stage Three - Bodywork 

This stage is in two parts, the rough-in body work that is the smoothing of welds and the initial thin layers of filler (this process is well underway); and the lengthy, highly detailed primer/block sanding process that yields perfectly flat and paint ready panels.

The expense will be for plastic filler, glazing putty, sandpaper, and primer supplies, which might be $350 or so.

Stage Four - Parts Acquisition

Stage four will actually run along side the other stages, as I can afford it and as the opportunities for budget purchases arise. I will be on the lookout for good deals, and grab them even though I might not install them for months. This will include

• Exterior stainless and chrome pieces, like headlight bezels, taillights, door handles and stainless trim.
• Interior pieces like seats, carpet and headliner, and door handles
• Underhood things like wiper motor, radiator, battery tray, and brakes
• Wiring, dash pod, dash pad
• Donor vehicle for engine and transmission
• Chassis items like brakes and brake lines, gas tank, suspension, steering, pedal assembly, exhaust, and shocks

The expense for this stage is difficult to predict, but could be north of $5,000.

Stage Five - Paint, Assembly, Finishes

This final stage could be years away. Depends on my motivation level. It might be a satin black rat rod finish or a glossy paint job, haven't decided. I might want a bunch of new shiny parts or refurbish the old parts. This category is the least-defined and hardest to estimate. This might be north of $5,000 as well.

At this writing I have completed Stage Three. Somewhere in the middle of all this I'm hoping to sell the car. But if it doesn't sell my objective would likely be to make the car a runner. That will require an engine and transmission, radiator, exhaust, wiring, brakes, steering, windshield, and tires among other things. If the car is in primer and actually runs, well, that might be a powerful motivator for a potential purchaser.

Further posts will chronicle the progress of the car. Next up: Episode two, the trunk pan and wheel houses.