I've been too darned busy to start a thread here. I picked the car up on April 19, but because of other projects it sat in the trailer for about 6 weeks before I could start working on it. Now that I have a bit of time I hope to get some pictures up for the masses.
Here's the car when I picked it up at hurricane
Tom
Piles of parts awaiting assembly.
More parts.
Finally out of the trailer and ready for bodywork.
First thing was to remove all the aluminum panels. I wrote on the back sides of all the panels. I not only marked their location, which would be fairly obvious upon reinstallation, but the ORDER in which they went on so as not to overlap something incorrectly.
Body filler in the seam areas. Turns out the seams were better than I thought and I ended up sanding out most of the filler that I had added there.
Made a pattern and traced it out for moving the side vents forward 4".
Filled the vent with fiberglass mat.
Cut new opening and smoothed things out.
Hood filled on edges and gapped. I did the same to the doors and trunk before removing the body to start on the mechanicals.
Took the body off the frame. My wife and I were able to lift the body off with ease.
I ordered the ceramic coating option on the headers and sidepipes, but asked for them to be delivered uncoated so I could test fit everything first. As it turns out they fit fine so off they came and they went back to Hurricane so they could have the coating applied.
All the battery cables, E-brake cables, fuel line and brake lines are in. I added a driveshaft safety loop and it's ready to have the cockpit tub permanently installed now.
Aluminum panels are reinstalled onto the cockpit tub and it is on for good. The steering shafts are mounted, the throttle cable is routed, and the master cylinders are mounted up. The brake lines are not properly secured yet.
The engine compartment is starting to look like it's supposed to now. The aluminum inner fenders are mounted, the master cylinder reservoirs are mounted, the radiator and hoses are in and engine accessories are starting to land in their proper places.
The master cylinders are finally looking like they're supposed to.
I finally got a good start on the wiring today.
It dawned on me that all the pictures have the bargain basement wheels on the car. Those are my toss around and don't care if they get dinged up set. When the car hits the road it'll have the Vintage knockoffs.
Hi Tom,
Boy, that looks fantastic!!! I just love the big blocks in these cars. Your really moving along. You'll be firing it up before you know it. I'm glad you are finally able to get some pics posted. I've been checking out your progress on the Photobucket site that you linked to at one time, but posting here is much better. Keep up the good work and keep the pics coming. Again, she really looks good, your doing a great job!!!!
Mike
Looks great Tom!!! The build seems to be coming along nicely and quickly I might add.
On your hood. What did you use as a filler. It looks like two different products?
Cheers,
Yeah, I started with Auto Body Pro lightweight filler in blue then switched to Dynatron lightweight gold. I'm going back to the blue stuff for the finish. There's actually some Bondo brand with reinforcing fiberglass under a few places like the leading top edges of the doors that needed a little more build. I just can't come to grips with spending $50.00 a gal. on the Evercoat.
Tom
$50.00 gal on Evercoat? I'm 3 qts into it... Well 2 actually as 2 that were 50% empty were donated to me... I paid $30 for that 1 qt... I wish I could get it locally for $50 a gallon :-)
Thanks for the info on the hood!!
Cheers,
I guess I've gotten a good deal. I paid $36.00 for a gallon of Evercoat Rage Gold at the local auto paint supplier's store. The Rage Extreme was ~$38.00 a gallon but they didn't have it in stock.
Mike
Got a good start on the dashboard wiring and installation today.
And the ugly side...
I put the headlamps on their own relays and used a Painless Wiring adjustable fan controller.
Tom, lookin' good! Hey, what's the purpose of separate relays for the headlights?
Matt
QuoteTom, lookin' good! Hey, what's the purpose of separate relays for the headlights?
Matt
It takes all the high current out of the headlamp switch and puts it in the relay pack instead. That way the only load the headlamp switch sees is that small amount necessary to activate the relays. I've got a separate 12-gauge wire coming off the battery junction on the starter solenoid going directly to the relays so there's no chance of any voltage loss to the headlamps. It's one of those things that isn't always necessary, but a good idea. I think just about all modern cars run headlamp relays. I opted for a two-pack approach so the high and low beams run off their own relays.
Tom
No more pix 'till mid-August.
See y'all. We're heading out to NM in a few days and we're getting ready for an invasion of 50+ neighbors for July 4th so the build is on hold 'till we get back from NM.
So be gentle with me when you notice that my progress has "slowed" a bit. ;D
Happy Independence Day to y'all.
Tom
Hey Tom,
Hope you have a safe and enjoyable trip. Maybe it will give me a little time to catch up...........LOL ;D ;D ;D.
Talk to you when you get back.
Mike
I'm such a liar! I made it into the garage yesterday and decided to terminate the battery cables and install the trunk pan. NOW I'm done for a few weeks. ;)
Tom
Hi Tom,
LOL.......I see you couldn't stay away from it for a day, looks like 5 weeks is gonna be tough!!!
Have a good trip!!!
Mike
LOL Nice Tom!!! Soon enough we'll have you going to meetings over your Hurricane addition... lol :-)
Looks great as usual though!!
Well, I finally got back to work last week after a week or seven out of state. I'm basically done with the mechanicals and have a running go-cart. Now I need to get back ont the bodywork to get it LOOKING like a car. Here's how it sits today.
Tom
Another view.
And lastly...
Tom,
I am planing to do my FE motor and I know that you built yours, can you tell me what do you put in ?
Thanks and Regards
Alfredo
It's a 428. It started life as an irrigation pump engine and I picked it up for, gulp, $500.00! Of course, it saw a rebuild. I know there's a guy in S-W Kansas that advertises having three or four of these engines for sale on the Club Cobra site every few months. I think he asks $750.00 for his.
Tom
SSWWEEEET!!!! Looking good ;D
Phil
Tom,
Make sure your shoulder harness bolts will come out with the body on. I had to do mine a little different, so I'm not sure if yours will be a problem or not. Just checking,....
Brad
Good call!
I need to note something here, as I've had a few off-line inquiries;
Hurricane HAS modified their molds since I got my body just a few months ago. The side vents are now properly located as they come out of the mold so that's one step that will not have to be mady by the builder. I also understand that they have modified the door opening so there is a sill, which bulders before me have modified on their own.
It seems that the bodies now will need even less work than they did just a few shrt months ago.
Tom
I had the body back on this morning for a quick trial fit. I hadn't had it on with the sidepipes in place and wanted to make sure I had the proper clearances before starting the final bodywork. But no worry. All was fine.
Another angle.
Body is back off again and I've run out of excuses to not start the final bodywork and wrap this build up.
Just when I thought I was out of excuses to not get back on the bodywork. the UPS guy shows up today with my tires! So a quick mount and cleaning and I have the REAL wheels on the car! These are the knockoff/pin drive adapters that Hurricane sells with the Vintage Wheels.
Here's the overall with the new wheels on.
Closeup of the right rear wheel.
Closeup of the right front wheel.
Looks good Tom... really good!
If you're too busy with your build and need someone to "air-out" your red Corvette, just have it shipped to AZ and I'll take it from there! ;)
Larry
Tom,
I really like the black side pipes I will put in mine the same color.
What size is the rear tire ? I need to buy a set of tires.
Alfredo
Rear tires are 295/50-15 and fronts are 235/60-15.
Thanks Tom
Look'in good Tom!!!! I like your choice of tires and wheels. They look great.
Mike
Tom, Are those knock-off spinners left hand thread?
Yep. The left handers go on the right side of the car and two right handers go on the left side. At least I hope that's the case, 'cause that's where they are now. ;D
Tom, I'm glad you posted those pics of your wheels. I've been cutting the lugs and preliminarly mounting the adapters and I think I've got 'em on the wrong sides! :o
I thought the "R" meant right side. But now that I think about it, it does make sense to swith them so the spinning inertia tends to tighten rather than loosen the spinners.
Matt
I spent about five hours filling and sanding today. I've probably got another two hours of that before I'm ready for primer.
And the other side.
Tom,
It doesnt look as if you had to do much body work at all. Just at the parting lines. Looking at my kit and comparing it to yours, it looks as if I'll have the same. You say you'll have about 6 hrs of body work before you primer. That's great....
Phil
Well, I DID have a few days worth of gapping and leveling doors/hood/trunk before I ever took the body off the car. There's only a slight bit of wavyness on the tops of the fenders that'll be taken care of with high build primer, a skim of glazing putty, and blocking. I'm definitely on the downhill side, but still have a lot more sweat to pour out.
But today I think I'm taking the day off to head to the Goodguys show in KC. :)
Hey Guys,
Sorry I haven't posted any "public" pic's for a while. I finally got the body in primer a few days ago. I blocked it out today and filled some minor pin holes. Here's a few new pix.
Since the weather is cooling down, I don't think I am going to make the final-paint window before it's too cold to do so. So the new plan is to put it in black epoxy primer so I can assemble, register and D-R-I-V-E it through the winter! Unless something changes drastically, I'll be painting is next Spring.
Another view
Hi Tom,
It sure is looking good. I'm thinking of doing the same as you. Just get it primed and a coat of epoxy for the winter. Its the same deal with the temp. here, I'm afraid of losing the nice weather before I'm ready to paint and I don't want to rush things. I'm curious as to your plans. Are you planning on completely assembling the car and registering/driving it, then disassemble and remove the body next spring for paint or are you planning on painting it with the body in place on the chassis, just removing the panels etc? Again, its looking really good, you've done a fine job.
Mike
Body will come back off for paint. It's easy enough and I figure a few hours to have it stripped off. It'll take longer than that just to mask things off and I NEVER get everything masked properly.
Thanks Tom.
Thats kind of what I was thinking too. You'd probably spend more time masking than you would removing the body. Your right, it seems that no matter how well you mask things off you'll always get some over spray on something.
Mike
Body ready for (hopefully) final blocking. The first block sanding turned up only a few minor imperfections. I was pleased with the outcome of my bodywork, although it was very slow going due to my amatuer skills.
Other side
Looking good Tom.... Did you get a chance to shoot the hood/doors?
Cheers,
Ryan
No. I'm in a hurry to get the body back on the car and I'm up against the clock. I want to trailer it to NM in a few weeks to title it. I figure on getting everything "Driveable and legal" first. If I have time to shoot & block the swinging panels I'll do it, but they may just get bolted on with a quick primer coat. I still need to do a little work to the back sides of those panels before they're ready for action.
Looks really good Tom!
Larry
Hey Tom,
Its really look'in good.
Mike
After WEEKS of an hour here and an hour there I'm finally ready to prime and block the swinging panels. The hood was my biggest challenge mainly because, well, my bodyworking skills are amateur, at best. Anyway, here's the hood looking like a diseased frisbee ready for its first shot of primer. It probably wouldn't look so bad except I used four different types of filler to level it out. I was experimenting with different brands and liked the way some went on, but not the way they sanded. Others went on with difficulty but sanded well. I finally settled on Evercoat Z-grip (A bit less expensive than the Evercoat Rage) filler and Dynatron glazing putty.
Here's the trunk lid and doors in the same condition.
Looking good Tom.
It looks like you've put in a lot of time in on the hood and trunk lid. A good shot of primer ought to make them look a lot nicer. I went with the Rage filler and love the way it goes on, and it sands beautifully. Your not alone in the amateur body skills dept. This is my first fiberglass body and its been a learning experience for me. Keep up the good work.
Mike
I'm FINALLY in black epoxy. It'll be assembled over the next few days and I have an appointment for 4-wheel alignment tuesday morning.
Here's the first of five pix to bore y'all with. :)
#2
#3
#4
And at last, #5
Wow Tom, that is pretty impressive! Can't wait to see it mounted and in the sunlight.
Larry
And the naked brut looks out upon the curvaceous body that awaits!
Thanks Larry,
Quite frankly though, it looks better in pixels from a thousand miles away!
I only got the body to "Pretty darned straight" stage. Since I was up against a time window I figured I'd not kill myself getting every last sanding scratch and minor wave out. As it sits, it looks good from five feet. But it flunks the 1' test. The final priming and blocking will happen next Spring after I've changed my mind about the final color a few hundred more times! ;D
Wow.. Looks good Tom!! I'm interested to see it in the sun. After shooting more primer this weekend (this time I did it), I have a new appreciation for the work involved in getting it where yours is!!
Cheers,
BTW how are your fenders coming out around the seems? Just the front halfs of the fenders. the back halfs are fine. I'm having a dickens of a time getting those perfectly smooth with no feeling of a ripple, wave etc. Any Tips for that?
Cheers,
QuoteBTW how are your fenders coming out around the seems? Just the front halfs of the fenders. the back halfs are fine. I'm having a dickens of a time getting those perfectly smooth with no feeling of a ripple, wave etc. Any Tips for that?
Cheers,
I was ready to try explosives!
I'm the wrong guy to ask as mine are still a bit wavy. When I sand those areas I roll my strokes from outside the fender to the inside while moving around only about 8" to 10" of the lip. I only make one pass then feel the panel. Another pass then a feel. Makes for slow going, but mine are a LOT closer than when I started.
Wow! It really looks great Tom. What did you think of the S.P. epoxy?
Mike
Looks awesome Tom, very good work !!!!
Alfredo
Body in satin black is back on the car and going together nicely.
Another
Last one.
Tom,
That Looks grrrreat :)
Phil
Man, that looks great Tom. The satin black really looks good on there!!!!
Mike
Tom,
It's looking great. I can't believe all you get done in a single day. You can start to see how the car is going to look and so far it's coming along real nicely. The body looks really good.
Cheers,
All swinging panels are now on! Obviously there are still giblets to attach, but I made it to the alignment shop today and all four wheels are now pointed in the proper direction.
I must admit that I'm again leaning SERIOUSLY toward a final paint job in a satin black. I REALLY like how it looks this way!
QuoteWow! It really looks great Tom. What did you think of the S.P. epoxy?
Mike
Hey Mike,
Sorry I missed your post. I thought it sprayed and flowed very well. I used a 1.5 tip and layed it on pretty heavy. I got ZERO runs and leveled out nicely.
Thanks Tom. I was curious about the epoxy. I've only used their clear and had great results with it.
I agree, the satin black really does look good. I like it too. Your car looks great in that color.
Mike
Tom
You have done a great job on your build.
I like the black.
I'm having a hard time with the color decision, I can't decide for my car.
Just curious, when you took your can to the alignment shop...did you offer specs for alignment or what specs did the shop use to get it lined up?
Bob
I got basic recommendations from Mike Arps.
Off topic for the Build Picture section, but I ended up going with:
FRONT:
Camber: 0o +/- 1/4o.
Caster: 4 1/2 o +/- 1/2o.
Toe: 1/16
Thanks Tom
Yea your right, off topic, sorry. Thanks for reminding me.
Bob