Here are a few pictures of the Factory (date coded) Exhaust System for this Project. We (ECS) manufacture all of the components for these Exhaust Systems.
As with any project of this magnitude, there have been a few set backs. We had used an original Rear Sway Bar from another car but after installing it, the appearance was not acceptable. It had too many pits and did not look like a new component. I located an NOS unit and restored it to “like new” condition. The old unit had to be removed which caused the problem of having us to correctly re-blend the Undercoat. Making sure the pattern matched was crucial. We had to take into consideration the exact amount of material to be applied to match the surrounding areas as well as the trajectory that it was originally sprayed. After the NOS unit was bolted into place, we taped off the surrounding areas and sprayed the brackets and Bar Ends. The process went as planed and the repair is undetectable. Here are a few photos of the NOS replacement unit installed and complete.
Here is what an original MSO would have looked like for a vehicle in 1970. All information was fabricated for display/novelty purposes only. This is not an actual State issued MSO for this Concept vehicle.
I originally used a silver paint pen to put the color back on the Dash Barracuda (plastic) Script but didn’t care for the appearance and decided to try something different for an original look. I scanned the plastic emblem on a flatbed scanner and then traced the lettering in an Illustrator program. It was necessary to make an exact computerized drawing so it would fit the letters correctly. From there we downloaded the co-ordinance in our RIP system and our Roland machine cut the pattern in a foil substrate. After removing the excess material, I carefully applied the foil material on top of the cursive lettering on the plastic Barracuda Script. You can’t tell that it has a foil applique and it looks just like a Factory original. It was tedious and time consuming but definitely worth the effort. Here are some progression photos.
Here are a few pictures of the Steering Wheel that will be used on this 4 Door vehicle. On my other restorations, I usually sent the Steering Wheels out to have them refurbished but decided to do this one myself. After researching staining techniques and actual wood grain patterns, here are the results. I was able to replicate the contrasting grain design (and color) with 3 different wood colors. I also came up with a process that works better than the instructions I came across while researching staining procedures. I’ll go into a “step by step” process for how it was done when it is finished but I was able to use alcohol pads impregnated with different stains to obtain a realistic wood grain appearance. The alcohol pads allowed the stain to melt into the plastic surface and they also functioned as a tool to distribute the stain in a very calculated and controlled manner.
The only thing left to do is apply the silver paint that runs around the inner groove of the 3 spoke rubber insert. I will use an Airbrush to complete that part of the Steering Wheel restoration.
