My new 1988 T/A

[DynoDave]

While we missed Woodward on Friday night, we did have a fun weekend with the T/A.

We had near-perfect fall weather on Saturday and Sunday. Could have used a few more rays of sunshine on Saturday, but it was still quite nice.

Our Pontiac Oakland Club International (POCI) Chapter #16 Michigan Widetrackers held a combined Fall Color Tour and October club meeting on Saturday. We all met at the A&W in Almont as a starting point. Fifteen cars this year, all Pontiacs except for one Chevy, one Buick, and one Saturn.

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While this is far from turn-by-turn accurate, it will give you some idea of the winding route we took to Lexington.

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A few pictures from the drive there.

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We arrived at the lakeside park in Lexington. Fantastic view and colors.

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Not really visible in this photo, there's a great lakes freighter out on the horizon.

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Just enough lens to reach out and see it.

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Back up the hill, members ready the pavilion under two giant pines for our meeting, including laying out donuts and cider.

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Our cars lined up in the parking lot. Just enough space!

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One more peak out across the water during a moment of direct sunshine....

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...and then off to Port Huron and the International Flag Plaza at the foot of the Bluewater bridge.

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Across the way, two of our active club members are waving hello. They have been unable to join us most of this year due to covid, and this event was no different. We miss them as much as they miss us. So we drove down to wave hello.

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Somewhat less scenic, but more high speed and just as colorful, a run across I69 on the way home.

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Since my wife was not able participate in yesterdays tour, she asked for one of her own today. I just captured this one photo.

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A quick stop in the Kroger for a fresh tank of 90 octane alcohol-free gas, and she's back in her bed, hoping this isn't the last drive of the already-too-short season.

[MP81]

Looks like a great time - good route as well. Used to go up to Lexington plenty as a kid, so that view is very much familiar to me - always great! Friends of my parents had a cottage (and later two, right next to each other) right there on the lake, so we'd often go up there for a week or so.

There's a vineyard up there that I've been looking to go to for a while now. It's only about an hour drive - would be damn gorgeous right now!

[DynoDave]

A vineyard? That would be a good weekend trip right about now!

[MP81]

Yup! 3 North Vines. You can see the vines on Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/59...!4d-82.5832763

There's also a Vineyard as of last year about 15 minutes away from us, but they're just about closed for the year, and it's been stupid busy there for the last few weekends due to that (and the weather being so nice).

[DynoDave]

Continuing the conversation about my garage fire from here:

https://www.mifbody.com/forums/forum...33#post1491133

Started wading into this project today.

That ceiling used to be white.

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Look at the underside of that middle cabinet.

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I did get the overhead door opened enough (about an inch) to pass an electric cord outside. Then used a circular saw to section the "plate" of plywood that had nailed over the door to close the hole. Closed the hole well, but did not allow the door to open. Now, theoretically, I can open the overhead door and get the Chrysler out. It has a date at a detail shop next week to get the acidic smoke and soot off, and clean and de-smoke the interior as best they can. It's a start.

I'm not able to open the door more than a foot or so. This made an instant and noticeable difference in the indoor air quality. Oh it still wreaks of course, but it's not as concentrated as when it was all closed up. So I'll get it open again tomorrow and let it air out. Unfortunately, their plywood plate went all the way to the door frame, and I could not cut the last 8" or so with the circular saw. I have one of those rotary cutters, so I'm going to try finishing the cuts with that tomorrow.

Also ordered an ozone generator for out there. Again, until the interior is restored, it won't make huge improvements in air quality, but it can begin the process.

Also have some space in the back garage (where the T/A is stored) where I had 2 face cords of fire wood stored. That wood has now been consumed heating the home for the winter, so I can clean and repurpose that space for stacking clean new totes full of parts, once I start cleaning them.

Have spent the last couple of nights picking up cleaning supplies, gloves, brushes, outfits, buckets, saw horses, etc. Looking at an inexpensive Harbor Freight car garage/tent thingy to put up in the back yard and start a cleaning assembly line.

So slowly but surely, making a touch of progress, and developing a plan.

[MP81]

It's going to be a process - no lie there...but, at least from the pics, it's not as bad as I was thinking...and it could have been so much worse. It's really good that you're dealing with a strong smell of smoke compared to a whole lot of missing garage.

It's still not ideal, by any means, it really sucks.

[farmington]

That smoke smell is something that after you smell it once, you don’t forget it

[DynoDave]

Yeah, the smoke is going to be the toughest thing to get under control. But the restoration company has a great plan in place, so I think we'll be good. Most of what burned by volume was plastic, so nasty, black, acrid smoke.

Didn't do to much for the garage today. Just opened the overhead door about a foot and left it that way all day. Just closed it, and it's a LOT better after airing it out. Still smoky of course, but not quite so overwhelming. So we'll be doing that again for the next few days for sure. Picked up a couple of blades / bits for the H.F. rotozip knockoff so I can finishing cutting the door open. Also picked up a few things for mounting a couple of new smoke detectors.

Still waiting for amazon to deliver the ozone machine.

[DynoDave]

Not surprisingly, this all takes much longer than you would think, or than I would like.

Spent the weekend in the back garage, making space for the Chrysler when it comes back from the detail shop. Fortunately, the T/A, a pair of 4th gen axles with lots of performance goodies, and the Hawks fiberglass rear spoiler are all back there, safe from the fire. Had to do some serious reorganizing to make a spot for that "new small Chrysler" as they called it...it's still a big car. But I think we have that problem licked.

Unfortunately, that took all of our (son and I) time this weekend. I still don't have a clear picture of what the remediation company is and is not going to do for clean-up. The structure estimate came last week, but still waiting on one for the contents. (With $2k in auto parts coverage, and my $500 deductible, my insurance adjuster has instructed them to clean up to $2501.00 in parts ($2k coverage, $500 ded.). That way, the insurance company pays the full $2k toward parts cleanup. But I'm just not sure how far that will take me. Given my choice, I'd have them wrestle with the sheet metal parts, concealed headlamp grill assembly, etc. But I'm guessing they will balk at such large objects. Heck, they may balk at cleaning car parts at all. Just don't know. So that makes it hard for me to progress until I DO know. If I don't get something from them today, I'll be calling them tomorrow.

Tonight we will turn our attention to getting that burnt, cut and patched overhead door cut the rest of the way open, and creating some 2x4 props to hold it open (the springs went soft from the heat). If we can get that done tonight and tomorrow, then we can start pulling things out from on, under, and around the Chrysler. Was supposed to go to detail tomorrow, but can't meet that timing. So that is rescheduled.

My experiments with paper preservation seem to be going well. Last week I took same gas mileage log pages, that were in a magazine rack on the workbench, and sealed them in a large bag with lots of baking soda dusted over them. They came out not smelling as far as I could tell. Yesterday I gave the same treatment to a magazine. It's cover and some pages were blackened on the edge with soot, but again it cleaned up pretty well. I'd say these experiments were a success, and I can move on to large manuals and books, once I get the green light form the remediation company and insurance. That will help me save some books, papers, documents, files, posters, certificates, etc.

[DynoDave]

Small victories,

Today I got the garage door open! Finished the cuts 99.9% of the way through with Mao's knockoff of the RotoZip. Broke the first bit (of course). But had another, and had bought 2 more in prep for this job. For a tool designed to cut sideways, those bits don't like to cut sideways.

Started moving it up, it's creaking and groaning, and wood is popping, and I realize the guy how plated it with plywood first took and shot some long screws at a diagonal tying two sections together. One I was able to get with a saber saw and a hack saw. I could then open the door another section higher, and get the other screw with a screwdriver. Then she opened all the way up. It made some noise, but it didn't come down on me or the car, so I consider that a pretty huge win.

Also has lengthy calls with my adjuster and the remediation company today, and am happy with what I'm hearing thus far.

[MP81]

This is good news!

That all said: Harbor Freight has some healthy discounts right now...maybe ending today...so anything you need...time to buy it today!

[DynoDave]

I am thinking about buying one of those 10x17 car port / tent things, as a work space for cleaning items. But not certain of that yet, so I'll have to hold off for now.

Today's goal is to cut some 2x4s to make sure that door doesn't close once I have it open. Then tonight maybe start pulling a few parts out. Also ye another trip to Menard's for a few more storage tubs. The to Sam's Club to pick up some disposable plastic food handlers gloves. I'll use my leather work gloves to move the contaminated boxes and tubs to the work area, then switch to a set of disposable gloves to handle the parts. That way I don't get the parts dirtier by handling them with the work gloves.

[DynoDave]

Decided against the door props....she's staying open fine on her own. And on the south end of the door, there ain't much door left to prop against!

Picked up a few more cleaning supplies. Insurance and restoration company (Jarvis) have an agreement on the structure. The contents will be an as-you-go deal. Too much to estimate up front. Jarvis project manager assigned yesterday, and he's stopping by to see the place today.

Probably goign to back up the detail appointment on the Chrysler to early next week. That will give me the rest of the week and weekend to get the stuff moved from around the car. I don't want to leave things outside, so I need to be ready to clean and treat them before moving them into the "clean" garage.

[MP81]

Well at least the weather isn't absolutely putrid anymore - I think I saw it going back to meh in a week or two, but at least it shouldn't be nearly as cold.

[DynoDave]

The good(ish) - she's back on the ground, and ready to be towed to the detail shop.

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The bad - That dark stripe on the roof is carbon / soot. The shiny, lighter areas are portions of the roof that were covered.

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The ugly - The interior (which was in nice shape and needed the least amount of work of any part of the car) did NOT escape carbon and soot deposits as I had hoped. This paperwork was sitting on the passenger seat, and you can see the light rectangle on the paper where the envelope was sitting.

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The build sheet, which was on the dash, survived, but was soot covered. Cleaned gently with the dry chemical sponge, then a few day in a ziploc bag with some baking soda, and it should be in decent shape.

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