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View Full Version : Restoring/Converting 1987 Daytona Pacifica to 90 Shelby Clone



dan_j_b
05-25-2009, 11:50 PM
I have had this Daytona for a little over a year and I have been wanting to restore it ever since. I decided that this spring would be ideal weather to start the project.

Since I got the car I have upgraded to 16" pumpers, full TII setup from a chrysler TC, roller cam, swing valve ported to 2.5", custom cal runnign about 19psi, ported exhaust manifold, 2.5" mandrel bent turbo back with high flow cat and magnaflow muffler, A555, short throw shifter I made myself, relocated battery to passenger side.

My idea was to not only repaint the car, but to also change it from a Pacifica to a newer shelby-style car. This includes welding shut 16 half-inch holes and several rivet holes behind the rubber mouldings and the center spoiler mount hole, replacing bumpers, ground effects, hood and spoiler. I used a spare fender for the filler pieces for all of the holes. I also decided to shave the antenna while I was at it

Throughout the winter, I started collecting the parts necessary for the conversion. I got the rear bumper, ground effects and rear spoiler from a red '90 ES and the front bumper and hood from a red '89 Shelby.

On top of all this, I will be doing the famous "$50 Paint Job" (not including prep work). For those of you that haven't heard of this procedure, it basically consists of rolling on thinned-out rustoleum paint with a special 4" roller in about 8 coats while wet sanding in between, pollishing when done. Here is an encyclopedia of a thread to read on it if you have the time $50 Paint Job (http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=2331682&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1). I will be doing this on the metal panels and spray it onto the ground effects and bumpers since they have too much detail and tight spaces to be wet sanded.

And by the way, I have next to no experience doing body work, prep or paint so with a little help from my friends, this will be a great learning experience for me and anyone else who wants to make their car look better than new, but stay on a small budget.

I started on this about 2 months ago. Here is what I have so far.

Here are some pictures of it when I got it

http://i41.tinypic.com/2irpzrb.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/t5sx85.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/24vmexv.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/31485lh.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/4r9mrq.jpg

dan_j_b
05-25-2009, 11:51 PM
Here it is after the tear-down

http://i41.tinypic.com/2hq4i6h.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2dhh7yv.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/1ph2cj.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/ejwpvo.jpg

Sample of what the upper half looked like

http://i39.tinypic.com/2dmb4a0.jpg

Here is an early shot of the chopped antenna

http://i40.tinypic.com/34o9hkp.jpg

Here is the only rust I had to cut out on the passenger footwell area on a factory seam

http://i40.tinypic.com/smqctf.jpg

Here is a shot of a couple of the 16 half-inch holes I had to weld up from the moulding

http://i40.tinypic.com/343nfrn.jpg

This is right after we pulled the biggest dents out

http://i44.tinypic.com/2u7qe5h.jpg

This door took the most work of anything. Aside from the dent where the broken off mirror hit and several door dings, etc, the entire length of the lower half where it was covered up from the factory was rippled badly. I figure it was this way from the factory and the guys on the assembly line decided to just put it on a Pacifica where it would be covered up.

http://i42.tinypic.com/2d1v1xz.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/2ev4ww6.jpg

Fenders ready for primer

http://i43.tinypic.com/2gxnq5i.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/sauo91.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2n99tg1.jpg

Driver side rear quarter ready for primer.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2vdo9z9.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/eaftye.jpg

Passenger side 1 coat of primer

http://i39.tinypic.com/vg51f5.jpg

Hatch with center hole welded shut since the Shelby one only mounts on the ends ready for primer

http://i42.tinypic.com/2gwrrq1.jpg

Shelby hood ready for primer. Interestingly, this hood was originally black and to black it shall return

http://i40.tinypic.com/2d9epa8.jpg

Hood and hatch in primer

http://i39.tinypic.com/oaynie.jpg

CoolV300C
05-26-2009, 06:41 AM
Lots of work here so far. Keep posting your progress! Looks good!

TopDollar69
05-26-2009, 10:50 AM
Dan,

Your Daytona has come a long ways since we saved it from the crusher.

Darkapollo
05-26-2009, 11:54 AM
subscribed :-D

1966 dart wagon
05-27-2009, 02:30 PM
Its great to see you started a thread, now comes to task of having to upload so many dang photos :lol: Keep the pictures coming its great seeing all the progress your making :thumb: dont forget about the bumper pics :D

dan_j_b
07-09-2009, 12:36 AM
Here is what I have gotten done since I last posted



I decided to fill in the cracks and grooves in the spoiler to give it a different look and hide the seam where they joined it together
http://i26.tinypic.com/ak97aq.jpg

http://i30.tinypic.com/1114ger.jpg

Here is the front bumper all done. I filled/shaved the licence plate holder parts. I plan to make a custom removable piece that will mount to the lower front valance piece where I can hide the screw holes.

http://i32.tinypic.com/1264pbc.jpg

Hard to tell, but that is an old licence plate bent to match the curve and glued in as reinforcment to fix the big dips it had there on the outside then coated with rust-proofer.

http://i28.tinypic.com/20qgsxi.jpg

Here is the hood underside ready for paint

http://i32.tinypic.com/jqhr3o.jpg

And done

http://i26.tinypic.com/sw3cd0.jpg

I decided to paint the rest of the underhood area while I was at it

Before

http://i27.tinypic.com/313htnt.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/ndnccl.jpg

After prep(forgot to take pics after paint)

http://i32.tinypic.com/2jbuovs.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/23iyt05.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/123poqo.jpg

Here is a pic of the headlight covers and gas filler cover ready for paint

http://i28.tinypic.com/2saklj8.jpg

And here is the paint I took off of just those 2 headlight covers!

http://i25.tinypic.com/2m4xhyc.jpg

Here are the side mirrors before and after prep

http://i30.tinypic.com/fuql1l.jpg

I had to weld shut 2 of the outside spoiler holes because they have different spacing on the newer one I'm putting on.

http://i29.tinypic.com/1zdm07b.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/2qnp92h.jpg

And I had to put a little filler on this window surround because it was creased from who knows what

http://i30.tinypic.com/24xmava.jpg

And here's the car with the fenders and doors on it. I now have the hatch and hood on but no pics yet. Getting very close to painting time!

http://i28.tinypic.com/2rcl5if.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/6hsvia.jpg

blk86trbo
07-09-2009, 06:01 AM
Hey congrats on the great pics and untold amount of work on your Daytona, I'm eager to see what it looks like with fresh paint!

89ShelbyGuy
07-09-2009, 11:16 AM
I tried that 50 paint job on a spare hood..and man, never again...ever! it does shine but man...orange peel golore....u gotta do it just right....i am curious on how your is going to turn out...keep us posted...looks good so far!

dan_j_b
07-09-2009, 11:20 AM
Yeah I read that if you don't have the surface perfectly clean or if you do the layers too thick, that will happen. I have a spare hood that I will be using as a test piece before I do the car.

89ShelbyGuy
07-09-2009, 01:12 PM
What i didn't like, is it didn't cover worth crap...it was too time consumming for me...good luck with it.

dan_j_b
09-07-2009, 05:58 PM
Here are some pics of what I have been up to since I last posted.

I constructed a cheap paint booth using 2x4s, some plastic, a furnace filter and a box fan. It works pretty well, pulls the sides in quite a bit when the fan is on.

http://i29.tinypic.com/111m8g0.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/10sc68n.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/25i5f1j.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/k4ii47.jpg

I have paintind many coats on the car and done a lot of wet sanding. It is really hard to get this stuff to lay down well without getting orange peel. I think it took about 16 hours to wet sand it smooth again before I could continue painting. There is a fine line between too think and too thin. If its too thick, it will ornage peel. If it is too thin, it runs on the vertical surfaces. I have an HVLP gun I may try spraying some next to see if I get better results.

I will say that the process would be much easier if I was painting the car a light color that would hide the imperfections. My goal is to have the paint perfectly flat and smooth what I'm done so its just going to take a lot of time and work, but at least its cheap.

Orange peel on door, fender sanded and ready for next coat
http://i32.tinypic.com/dnetcz.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/24fiqo9.jpg

WickedShelby88
09-11-2009, 12:34 AM
What kind of roller are you using? A foam roller might make quite a difference in how smooth it lays on. Amazing progress. you have definitely spent quite a bit of time on that. Either way great to see another daytona get saved. Especially one that wasn't really full of rot at all.

89ShelbyGuy
09-11-2009, 08:47 AM
Man, that brings back memorys...i did it with red..and it sucked...too much work imo....i'd rather just buy red base and clear coat for the 250..and have a much better/stronger finish.

looks like what i had....your going to have to fill up those spots you missed on the fender (orange peel)...it will show up when you buff it. the compound wont fill it...

blk86trbo
09-11-2009, 10:05 AM
Heck just call it wrinkle black and be done with it!

J/K, good luck with how it goes :thumb:

dan_j_b
09-11-2009, 04:08 PM
I did some tests with an HVLP spray gun and found that if I mix the rustoleum 3.5:1 with paint thinner, it sprays out nice with little orange peel and no runs so I plan on trying this next on the car. this will also allow me to spray out the final coat with the bumpers and ground fx on the car to ensure a good color match.

WickedShelby88 - I have been using a 4" high density foam roller.

89ShelbyGuy - unless you are referring to the slight vertical line near the door, that is just the previous layer showing through. It is smooth, so the next coat will cover it up.

J&H Ryan
09-17-2009, 10:00 PM
All that prep work to use rustoleum? I got a quart of nason paint for $50. Of course the hardener was $25 and the reducer $8 or vice versa, and then theres clear, but you could have done one stage. I can't talk, my paint job is hardly perfect, but I did mine in a barn...

dan_j_b
09-18-2009, 09:24 AM
The guys that have used this paint say it is much tougher and durable than any single stage paint. And it is far easier to touch up chips and scratches later than with a base/clear job.

WickedShelby88
09-19-2009, 09:19 AM
To each is own. A lot of old school guys used to use lacquer but you had to keep on it for it to stay shiny. Didn't last worth a damn in the sun compared to base/clear. Dark colors absorb a lot of the light so hopefully even though the paint may hold up it doesn't fade on you too much.

TurboII
09-19-2009, 10:55 AM
its coming out nice. trial and error.... keep it up and it'll come out great!

87DaytonaPac
09-22-2009, 08:33 PM
Been working on a Shelby clone conversion myself: 87 Pacifica to 89 Shelby. Mine looked just like yours same color and all. Good look on the paint. Just take your time and it should look good. I paid 4k for my paint job and it looks like crap. I wished I would have done it myself but as I've got 4 years in this resto I just wanted it done already!

Any way, good luck on your project. Keep at it, it'll be well worth it when its done. These are very sharp cars IMHO.

Stinkbox
09-23-2009, 12:14 AM
I will NEVER do this paint method ever again. I sprayed a car with rustoleum. So much orange peel. Took hrs and hrs to wet sand it out and the best part is while wet sanding out the orange peel I broke through on just about every line and corner. Looks great wet sanded and buffed for about 2 weeks then it starts to fade. You have to re-buff it about every 3 months and guess what, your gonna end up burning through the paint at some point. I guess its cool if you want your car to be 1 fresh color and are on a college budget but Im telling you I learned my lesson. Never again!

JohnnyIroc
09-23-2009, 12:35 AM
awesome work keep us updated

1966 dart wagon
10-16-2009, 10:46 PM
POST UP SOME PICS DAN! :lol: The car looks good, show it off:eyebrows:

dan_j_b
10-20-2009, 11:34 AM
I should have the rest of the pics up late tonight. I have the exterior complete and have to finish the interior tonight and it should be road ready. I am going to wait until next spring to do the final wet sand and buff. Good chance it will get a couple rock chips this winter that will need to be fixed anyway. There are a couple small runs and one sag at the top of the ps B-pillar, otherwise it looks every bit as good as any factory paint job you'll ever see.

TopDollar69
10-20-2009, 12:24 PM
Did you get a graphics set yet?

dan_j_b
10-20-2009, 12:36 PM
I've actually had a set from that guy in florida since I started the project, but I will wait until next spring to put them on. Guess I'll have the "murdered out" look for the winter. I got the 90 shelby daytona set minus the lower stripes. The decals are sort of a dark grey so they should be nice and understated.

TopDollar69
10-20-2009, 01:05 PM
Cool, thats going to look sweet. Did you get your new tires mounted yet?

dan_j_b
10-20-2009, 01:12 PM
I am going to wait on the Eagle F1's until I redo the pumpers this winter. They don't work in the snow anyway. I think I"ll go with that set of wheels/tires from that guy off that Z24 Cavalier for the winter. I'll post pics up when I get them.

minigts
10-20-2009, 03:43 PM
Amazing body work, keep it up!!! :thumb:

dan_j_b
10-21-2009, 10:28 AM
Well, its all together! ... but it won't start. Its probably a wire disconnected or something from painting the engine compartment. Last night at 1:30AM I decided to go to bed instead of figure it out, its raining today anyway.

Here are the rest of the pictures:

Taped off for paint:
http://i38.tinypic.com/1s15km.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/25ulcmf.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/o7rk7k.jpg

Painted:
http://i33.tinypic.com/wmff9d.jpg
http://i34.tinypic.com/zivg1y.jpg
(later figured out that bumper was on upside down)
http://i34.tinypic.com/33trvgm.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/2ry4xnk.jpg

Rest of the parts hung up ready for paint:
http://i34.tinypic.com/i3yptf.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/2ebeqyu.jpg

Ready to go on the car:
http://i35.tinypic.com/2q08680.jpg

And here it is!
http://i33.tinypic.com/153qoid.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/2h30j20.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/ngycyc.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/bimc1l.jpg
http://i34.tinypic.com/2s6rdsp.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/68rccy.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/6rsly9.jpg

Close-ups of paint result after spraying without any wetsanding or buffing:
http://i37.tinypic.com/nwfv34.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/2uzr12o.jpg

blk86trbo
10-21-2009, 10:32 AM
Congrats that looks real good!

TopDollar69
10-21-2009, 10:47 AM
Looks pretty good for a garage job. The car has truly come a long ways since you first got it. It's pretty hard to tell that it's not an 89-91 Shelby now.

minigts
10-21-2009, 11:00 AM
Looks pretty good for a garage job. The car has truly come a long ways since you first got it. It's pretty hard to tell that it's not an 89-91 Shelby now.

You're not lying. 5 months and the guy has it fully painted and converted. Will you come to my house to paint my IROC R/T? I have a 20' x 25' bay where you can paint it. :D

84omni
10-21-2009, 11:47 AM
Looks like the parts you got from me turned out good the car looks great.

Jason

JohnnyIroc
10-21-2009, 12:33 PM
Car looks awesome! nice job!

dan_j_b
10-21-2009, 02:13 PM
Yeah they turned out nice, but it took a lot or repair work to get that lower front piece fixed. I should have taken a picture of the backside of it before I put it on. The seatbelt parts were just what I needed, too


Looks like the parts you got from me turned out good the car looks great.

Jason

1966 dart wagon
10-21-2009, 07:16 PM
dam the shelby front end looks awesome! First one ive seen in black and i love it!

Dam rain!:(

dan_j_b
10-25-2009, 11:36 PM
I finally got her back on the road! I turns out it was the ignition switch on the steering column I swapped in that was bad. its always the last thing you check. I"m loving that short throw shifter, I would recomend it to anyone, especially on the extra tall shifters like mine was.