13 Easy Winter Projects - Pontiac Tech

Lead Photo Of Troy Allison And His '71judge By Patrick Hill
It's cold, it's gray, it's winter. The holidays have passed, football season is ending, and you have some downtime on your hands. In between shoveling the driveway and running your daily driver through the car wash in the hopes of removing caustic road sludge, you can complete some easy projects on your Pontiac to ensure it looks and runs better than ever come spring. Here are 13 that can be done in a garage or ventilated work area, most of which don't take a lot of tools or time. Many of the products presented are from Eastwood because it caters to the DIY restorer, but there are a few performance enhancements from Pertronix as well. Get to work-spring is coming fast.

Rust Never Sleeps
Few things in the vintage automotive hobby are more satisfying than watching rust disappear. Eastwood's acid-free Rust Dissolver does what its name implies to ferrous oxide and other oxide coatings. It's safe for engine parts and chrome, and won't harm rubber, seals, vinyl, soft metals, or plastic. Keep the part wet to keep the product working-that's why dipping is recommended. It can take overnight to remove the rust, but it will leave the metal and firmly adhering plated coatings in good condition.

Fast Etch is an acid-based rust dissolver that leaves a zinc-phosphate coating, which is ready for top coating; it even resists the re-formation of rust prior to painting. It can be purchased in a gel form, which makes it easier to strip larger parts that can't be dipped. Fast Etch works more quickly than Rust Dissolver but can weaken the base metal if the product is left on it too long, so it should be inspected every 30 minutes. Don't let the product dry on the metal as the white film it will leave is not the desired result. Keep the metal wet until the steel has a uniform, gray appearance. Eastwood's PRE can be used to neutralize the Fast Etch prior to painting.

Both products can be saved and reused, but potency will deteriorate. Each one is temperature-sensitive, working faster in warmer temps like 70-100 degrees. Another plus is both products are virtually odor-free.

Moment Of Clarity
The plastic lenses on all models, plastic rear windows on convertibles, and late-model Pontiacs with yellowing headlight lenses can be cleared up using Eastwood's Clear Plastic Restoration Kit. It comes with polishing compound, a 3-inch foam hook-faced backing pad with a 1/4-inch mandrel, a 3-inch blue foam pad, and a 3-inch felt pad.

To begin, clean the lens thoroughly with soap and water, and rinse well. Mount the backing pad to a drill via the mandrel and attach the white-felt pad. Apply the compound to the pad with the provided mixing stick and polish the plastic in a slow, methodical manner, overlapping your work as you proceed. Mist the area with water from a spray bottle to keep it moist during polishing. Next, clean the area with water; then attach the foam pad and repeat the entire process. Finally, wipe it clean with a soft cloth.

Rattle-Can Resto
There are various components on your Pontiac that will benefit from spray-can refreshing. Sand with 320-grit paper or scuff the part with a Scotch-Brite pad to prepare it for paint, and use PRE to remove residual contaminants. You can use Self-Etching Primer under any of these paints to enhance adhesion by acid-etching the surface of bare iron, steel, stainless steel, and aluminum; then paint the part with the product that either most closely resembles its stock look, or get creative. AlumaBlast replicates fresh cast-aluminum surfaces; Spray Gray bare cast-iron; Detail Gray rough cast-aluminum and machined steel surfaces; and Silver Cad replicates the bluish silver tone of silver cad plating. Got a lot to paint? The Eastwood trigger handle reduces hand strain.