Project WidowMaker - The Build Thread

[The WidowMaker]

i posted this on a couple other forums about 6 months ago and had issues imbedding pics here, now that i got the issue sorted i figured i'd throw the project up here as well.

About 3 years ago I decided to embark on this journey; build the baddest garage built p-t car that my skills and wallet would allow without farming out any work. “Skills” is a relative term for me since I’m a self taught 27 year old, married, father of two boys (2 1/2 years and 7 months). I’ve never had any official training, and while most who do everything on their own have an automotive background, I work for the Orange County Fire Authority as a professional firefighter. My job does require a vast mechanical knowledge, but that still doesn’t help me fabricate or paint. This has been a great learning experience so far and I can guarantee this; if its not done right the first time, I won’t stop until its perfect.

A little history; I originally bought the car when I was 16 and used it as my daily driver for both high school and college. I street raced the crap out of it, got a few tickets including an exhibition of speed for doing a massive burnout in front of a bus of cheerleaders, was yelled at a few times, then decided to grow up. Seeing the carnage that I see now makes me feel lucky to be alive and I feel like an old man every time I want to yell at some idiot kid doing the same things that I used to do.

Over the years, I built a new motor, rebuilt the trans and rear end, and took on numerous other projects. But, the car never felt complete and every time I attempted to change something about it, it ruined something I had done before. There were plans along the way for a new paint job, interior and a big block, but time passed and the money wasn’t there. It wasn’t until I had a stable career, the funds and had bought a house, that I finally decided to do it once and to do it right.

Below you will find the specs, pics and progress from my chevelle build. The car has come along way in the last 3 years and it still has a long way to go. The whole story isn’t in complete order and some pics may show things that haven’t been talked about, but you should be all caught up by the end.

Have fun reading, and I welcome any and all critiques and criticisms. It’s the only way I know how to learn.

-Build Specs-


-Motor-

- Wegner or Mast 416
- Autokraft Oil Pan & Motor Mounts
- Wegner Pulley System
- Edelbrock Stepped Headers
- Custom 304 Stainless Steel Full Length Exhaust with X Pipe
- PRC Radiator with Dual Fans and Oil Cooler

-Suspension & Steering-

- ATS Billet Aluminum Spindles and Steering Arms (I got these a while ago)
- SC&C Front Upper Control Arms
- Global West Front LCA’s
- Varishock Coilover Rear Shocks
- Custom Parallel 4 Link Rear Suspension
- Custom Upper & Lower Rear Control Arms with Johnny Joints
- Custom Watts Link Axle Locator
- Currie Enterprises Performance Axles
- Custom ½ Height Body Bushings
- Tom Lee 670 Steering Box
- Ididit’s New Collapsible Steering Column (not just a collapsible shaft)


- Drivetrain -

- Tremec T56 Magnum 6 Speed Transmission
- McLeod Bellhousing
- McLeod Billet Steel Flywheel
- McLeod RXT Twin Clutch
- Somebody’s Hydraulic T/O Bearing
- Denny’s Drive Shaft
- 1350 U- Joints

- Wheels & Brakes -

- 19x9.5 / 20x10.5 Rushforth Wheels 3 piece
- 275/35/19 and 315/35/20 Nitto NT05 Tires
- 14” 6 Piston Kore 3 Front Brakes
- 13.5” 4 Piston Kore 3 Rear Brakes
- DBA Slotted Rotors
- Wilwood Pedals and Triple Master Cylinders


- The Extra’s -

- ISIS Mutiplex Wiring System
- Vintage Air A/C
- Ring Bros Hood Hinges
- Ring Bros Hood Adjusters
- Ring Bros Door Strikers

Special thanks to the following:

Jason Rushforth – Wheels And Rendering

Jon Henderson @ Driverzinc - Numerous Parts And The Rushforth Wheels and Nitto tires. This guy knows his stuff and has been EXTREMELY patient with me.

Tobin @ Kore3.com – C6 Z06 Brake Kit Including the Parking Brake and the ability to pick his brain.

Frank - all the time, knowledge and parts hes supplied

Mark @ SC&C – I’ve had many LONG conversations with him, but he supplied the ATS stuff along with the LEE box and SPC arms

[The WidowMaker]

These are a couple of before pictures. Although I took tons of pics to remember where parts went, I made the mistake of not taking enough overall pics. Here are a few that I have.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/FT104Project.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1762.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1818.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/Picture011.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

The first thing I did was start to repair and replace the ugly sheet metal. Having a vinyl top killed the metal on this car. I started by cutting out all of the bad parts, and welding in a bunch of patch panels. When I was good and satisfied with a job well done, and a lot of time invested, I cut off the panels and put on two new quarters (you’ll start to see a theme forming). Here are some pics of the original repairs, and then of the new quarters.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/Picture003.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/Picture004.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/Picture006.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/Picture4004.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0462.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/CopyofIMG_0115.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

These are some pics from when I thought I was done with the frame. I built a temporary booth in my back yard with 3 positive pressure fans and filters on the intake and exhaust sides. I used all of SPI products, other than the PPG gray paint. The red is called “SPI Red”. I shot all my primers, including the feather fill with an Astro gun with 1.5 and 2.0 tips. I used a SATA 3000 RP digital for all the base and clear. This was my first time shooting automotive paint, and my first time shooting anything this large. Other than small wood lacquer projects, I had no experience with a gun.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1892.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1907.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2470.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2877.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

Here are some of the frame rebuild pics. A few things have led to the almost complete rebuild, but the ride height was the main item. I really couldn’t drop the car to where I wanted without a major overhaul, so after spending all that time painting the frame, it got cut and ground back up.

So a “few” things happened in order to make the ride height happen. The first issue was that the short springs I put in the rear just weren’t short enough. In order to get it to a good ride height, it took 600 lbs in the trunk. At this point, the springs were almost compressed, and the top and bottom perches weren’t lining up (the top and bottom perches were perpendicular to the ground, but they were about 3” off fore and aft from each other). So, I decided that if I had to get rid of the stock spring perches, I would convert to coilovers in the rear.

In addition to the issues with the springs, the geometry of the stock suspension went to crap at the lowered ride height. My antisquat was through the roof, and I had introduced roll steer with the angle of the lca’s in addition to raising my RRCH even further. So I designed some new axle brackets that did a few things; first they allowed multiple height adjustments for the lca to change anti squat and roll steer, plus they also adapted the Chris Alston’s chassis works shock mounts with ride height adjustment for the coilovers. 40 hours of Corel Draw (a lot of different ideas) and $200 in waterjetting later, this solved both the geometry and the shock issues.

The other issue with the stock suspension was the converging upper control arms. To eliminate the binding associated with this suspension, I fabbed up some new uca’s and mounted them parallel with the frame centerline. They also have adjustments in height at the front and rear for antisquat, and they are of course adjustable for pinion angle adjustments. Since the UCA’s no longer controlled side to side axle migration, I built a watts link. I looked into a phb before I considered the watts, but packaging was still a nightmare and there were other inherent issues with it as well. One of those issues became apparent while talking with Mark. He had a customer that kept ripping his phb mounts off the frame. He wasn’t breaking the welds, he was tearing the frame itself. In addition to that, if the frame didn’t have a crossmember, it was likely that the side with the frame mount for the bar would actually get sucked in during hard cornering. So since I needed a crossmember to keep all of that from happening (plus I needed one for the coilovers anyways), the only difference between the two systems was the cradle. After doing a whole bunch of mockup and searching for ideas, I ended up with something that resembles the lat dynamics 3 link setup.


http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4690.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4691.jpg

SIZE=3]http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4592.jpg[/SIZE]

Once all the welding was done on the housing, I shipped it off (well, actually I drove it) to Currie to have it narrowed and have 9” ends welded on. They gave it back to me set up with new axles, straightened and with the gears setup.

[tones2SS]

Looks really good. You're doing a great job. Gotta love those '70 Chevelles.
Keep us posted.:thumbsup:

[waynieZ]

Nice work it looks great.

[The WidowMaker]

As I began to get more and more work done on the frame, I couldn’t help but notice all of its flex. With the frame on the rotisserie and one sides rotation locked, I could take the other side and actually twist the frame a good amount. WAY more than I had ever thought possible with such little effort. So I started to look into it. I found that most people consider the chevelle a unibody with a complete frame. Meaning, that the body supplies most of the resistance to twist. To remedy this I started to look into what the aftermarket was doing. The first was that nothing comes with c channel anymore, so away it went and now the center section is boxed. The next thing is the inner webbing. Most will argue that a third dimension is needed in order to combat the twist, and only a roll cage will do this, not the webbing. But from my testing of the twist on the rotisserie, I found that it again greatly reduced after I had already welded the c-channel and while only having the webbing tacked in. Was it worth it? I don’t really know. It added weight, but it also added another crossmember, and that in it self helps with the twist. It will also GREATLY help if I’m t-boned and the car hitting me actually contacts the frame, not just the body.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6522.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6518.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6519.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6520.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6523.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6538.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

Next are some shots of the swaybars. I got all of my parts from speedway, and they are great to work with. I figured my rates using the free trial of the suspension analyzer program. It spit out some numbers based on my inputs. They are a starting point and will be swapped out for other bars if needed. The rear bar mounts to the frame, and the adjustable links then mount to the axle. It still needs the corners of the axle mounts rounded, and I’m going to machine some more out of the arms. They were about a foot longer, but were cut to fit the limited space. They are way too beefy for the job they are doing.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6516.jpg

The front bar required custom pillow blocks and delrin bushings to be made. It took me a little while, but aluminum and delrin are easy to work with. The speedway arms also have to be bent to fit the around the tires, frame and springs. For me, a simple ~30* bend was all that was necessary. The arms will attach to the global west lowers via a custom little mount and have adjustability for different rates (that project to come next week since my endlinks were special ordered). The endlinks are qa1 xm series rod ends with a built in stud.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6221.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6231.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6232.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

The motor was originally going to be mounted with the frame stands in the stock location. But after looking at all the room behind the heads, it got moved back. It doesn’t really help with weight distribution very much (moving a battery is way more advantageous), but it looks a little better. I then ran into the issue with both the header to ground clearance, and the tie rod to autokraft pan. In order to solve both of these problems, I actually lifted the motor within the chassis. Automatically this will make you think that the cog was raised, but by raising the motor 1”, I was able to lower the front of the car 1 more inch. This left the cam height to ground the same, but lowered everything else. It also cleared up my tie rod issue.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6531.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6534.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

Then the work started on the body. Again because of the dropped height, raised motor, and proper drive shaft angles, I had to make multiple changes. I thought that I was going to be able to get away with cutting a little out of the tranny tunnel for the tremec, but it turned out to be a whole lot more than that. I started by cutting out the entire tranny tunnel, and fabbing up a new piece that fit over the tranny once the proper angles were established. I then welded it in, and continued by cutting out the entire driveshaft tunnel. The driveshaft was about 1” away from the stock tunnel at ride height, so it was raised a good amount. I was originally going to leave it all spot welded, but I ended up solid welding it with all the welds ground down and finished. I was amazed at how much more rigid the floor was with the added height of the tunnel acting as a backbone.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_3655.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4284.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4285.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_5963.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_5968.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_5966.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_5677.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

The next items to be addressed were the tubs. At ride height, not only did I not have enough vertical clearance, but the tires were starting to come into contact with the first lip of the tubs (see pic). I’m not sure what the purpose of this was, but it would have required the tires to be sucked in with a lot of clearance to the quarters, and I hate this look. I cut them out completely and fabbed up some new pieces. I used a wood form to create a 1” radius on the edges which I think gives them a better appearance. They also fit tight to the quarters, and do not just go straight up from the wheel lip. This gave me gobs of extra room over what the stock tubs offered. I probably have over 50 hours in these, but they were well worth it.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4615.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4731.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4728.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4815.jpg
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http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4803.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_4699.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_5424.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_5426.jpg

[lil427z]

looks like car porn to me . :lateral: :cheers: :woot:
rick k:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

After getting all the floor work done, minus the trunk (still to come), I started on the firewall. I wanted a shaved firewall from the start, so that’s what I did. I used a piece of 16ga and cut it out to fit. It’s welded around the entire outside, along with all the little plug welds. It really rattled until I welded up the plugs, so I’m glad I drilled all those holes to start. It’s a solid THUD now. I will have to modify the area around the master cylinders. I originally welded it so that it flowed with the existing portion of the firewall, but this will most likely end up flat like the rest in order to mount the 3 M/C’s. I also wish I had access to a really good bead roller to put some character in this piece, but it is what it is with the tools I have on hand. I had used the cheap HF bead roller to make the rear seat piece, but there was no way it was doing more than 20 ga.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6339.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6346.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

I also cut off most of the lip around the cowl and welded in some ¼” rod. This cleaned it up a bunch. It was wavy and the overlapping pieces were uneven in stock form. Now it is nice and smooth. Its amazing how little things really can clean an area up. This is going to need a lot of work prior to paint, but it was about 2 hours to this point. Making the top smooth will be easy, but making the firewall transition into this will require a few hours of welding, grinding, sanding, filling…………
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6502.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6547.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

here are a couple of pictures of the trans crossmember. as i said before, i built a drop out center section thats about 3/4" wider than the trans on either side. since im doing a custom exhaust, i'll place here are a couple of pictures of the trans crossmember. as i said before, i built a drop out center section thats about 3/4" wider than the trans on either side. since im doing a custom exhaust, i'll place the X far enough back that i wont have to drop the exhaust or struggle with the crossmember when i need to get the tranny out. hopefully that wont happen, but it will make it easier if it does.
the crossmember is about 1/4" from the floor since i wanted to make sure that my 220 lbs wont make the floor touch it.

also, the side pieces are just tacked in since i will remove them to notch them for the exhaust and do some final welding. i plan on welding a strap on each side to thicken the tabs that the bolts go though. i had to cut more away than i thought, so it will be cheap insurance.
do you like my spacers? it needed WAY shorter bolts than i thought......
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6709.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6711.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6714.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

i have a few days off this week and ballistic fab sent me the end links, so i decided to get the sway bar done. i ran into a little snag though. at full lock and slightly before full compression there is a bind between the steering arm and end link. i cant ever think of a scenario where this would be possible, but either way i want it gone.

the issue starts with the fact that i got the rod ends with studs installed. i did this since it eliminated the number of parts required, but it positions the rod end further from the mounting hole. although the clearance required between the outside of the studded rod end and mounting hole, and the head of a bolt on a non studded rod end and the mounting hole are the same, thats not where the arms are coming into contact. i need to remove the studs tomorrow and install with bolts. this will get rid of the bind.

here are a couple of pics at full lock. i dont see how i would ever have this much compession at this point, even going over a speed bump or a driveway approach.

this is ride height with the spindle straight forward

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6746.jpg

still straight but you can see the space the stud offsets the joint.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6747.jpg

and bind. you cant see it, but the contact is at the base of the joints head. i can lengthen it even more if necessary. a bolt wouldnt contact, and it would give me over 1/4" more clearance.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6753.jpg

i also need to finalize the lowers point once i get the upper situated. ive already moved it a few times as you can see from all the tacks.

more to come tomorrow.

[The WidowMaker]

here are some new pics of the sway bar. i had to add a couple of bends, but i clear through full travel at full lock. i still need to final weld the lower mount, but its pretty much done. next time i'll just spend the $800 on the dse bar.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6812.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6814.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

here are some pics of the brake and clutch setup. 7/8 and 1" for the brakes and 3/4" for the hydraulic t/o bearing. im running the c6 z06 setup from tobin at kore3 and will running without a booster. i have never had manual brakes, but thats how this is going to be set up.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6822.jpg


http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6825.jpg


http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6827.jpg


http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6830.jpg


http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6832.jpg

[89 RS]

Nice work. Look forward to seeing more, keep the updates coming.

[214Chevy]

Watching this one. Love the framework!:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

here are some of the pics of the exhaust parts. i went with the 304 stainless bends made by pypes and available from summit. 4-30* and 2-90* in 3" for the x pipe and 4 combo bends in 2.5" for the tailpipes. i would have been better off getting individual bends for the 2.5" stuff, but i thought the combo bends would provide a little more, or at least the same amount of material to work with, but i was wrong. the individual bends are 24" and the combos are 36", and the combo is the same price as 2 individual bends. go figure.

i also went with the stainless flowmaster 50 series deltas. i ran the 40 deltas previously on the car, and im running a single 50 delta on my silverado with a 5.3 and love/d both. my wife wanted slightly quiter than the 40's, so the 50's were the next choice. i looked into magnaflow and dynomax, but i cant say that i like that sound. i couldnt find one clip where i thought that they sounded good. im not a fan of the original 40 series either, but i love the mellower sound of the deltas.

i still need to puchase the straight pipe, but at 10 bucks a foot im going to hold off a little more until i know what i need.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6853.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

here are the final pics of the swaybar. i added one bend near the end, and i also put the studded rod ends back on. they allow for a lot more misalignment, and since theres now enough room i felt they would be the best option.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6890.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6888.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

heres the pic of the collapsible intermediate shaft setup. the rag joint is from lee for their box, the bottom of the shaft is $19 from cpp, the nickle 3/4 dd shaft is $29 from cpp and the 1"-48 x 3/4 dd nickle u-joint was $49 from cpp.

i called frank today to make sure the rag joint would clear the wegner front drive and got the ok. i know they ran it on the bull run chevelle, but wanted to make sure they didnt modify anything to make it work.

as you can see it clears, but barely. theres probably 3/16-1/4" at the tightest spot which is right in the middle of the rubber portion. its hard to see from the angle of the pic, but the entire nickle portion has TONS of room. the hole in the shaved firewall is as close to stock as i could get it, so this should be the same for others running an ls/edelbrock header setup.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6884.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

i got the pedals and the triple master mounted today. i still need to work on bracing the pedals so i'll have some more pictures in a few days.

the chevelle uses a very good mounting system for both the column and the stock pedals. there is a beefy piece that ties both into the firewall and cowl area making both nice and sturdy. i attempted to use this piece to mount the pedals, but even with most cut away, the pedals didnt sit high enough to clear the column (pedals would clear, but the bias adjuster sits next to the pedal and needed the pedals to sit higher).

so the current plan uses a 3/16" plate on the back of the firewall, along with 3/4 x 1.5" .120 tubing to brace it back to the column mount. this will all take the place of the stock piece. currently, i only have the plate mounted and its sturdy as hell, but i know i will still get some flex. also, since i though i was using the stock mount, i welded the shaved piece around part of the original firewall. since that didnt happen, i had to cut out a section and weld it completely flat. i hope to get the rest done in the next few days.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6900.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6897.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6893.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

i finished the install of the pedals for now. i still need a clutch stop and the brake light switch, but i'll finish that once i get the lines installed and the masters bled.

i took some pics of the install, but you cant really tell what the heck is going on. so, if somebody wants the pics or a description of what i did let me know.

i also decided that although i wanted a flat firewall, a little detail wouldnt be bad. i built this little plate today that will get sandwiched between the masters and firewall. i will have to make a relief cut for the steering column, but im still waiting on ididit and i dont have the mount yet.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6957.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6963.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_6964.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

not much to update. i got the brake and clutch pedals done today. not sure if i will use them or make something else that isnt quite a rectangle. they are still pretty rough, but they will get a little more clean up and a black anodizing. i made them a little bigger than the wilwoods as the blurry pic shows. i have a size 15 shoe, and the wilwoods just felt too small. the will either get screwed on from the back, or welded once i get the contour correct. couldnt have done it without the 1943 Index mill i bought a few months back. it used to make parts for hughes aircraft during the war, now makes parts for my car.

i also shipped the column back to ididit today, and i should have the new column in a couple of weeks. i also bought the front varishock quickset 1's to match the rears. got a good deal over on lat-g.com.
more pics to come

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/CopyofIMG_7121.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/CopyofIMG_7116.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

today i attempted to place the bend in the pedals pads. the wilwood setup has the pedal pads cast into the arm, and there is a pretty good bend in them. my thought was to either screw the new pads in from the back, or to weld them to the existing pad. either way the new pads needed the contour.

i started by using some scraps that i used to get an idea for the design. the first i heated too much, and once i tapped it with a leather mallet, it just mashed and split.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7129.jpg

the second i used a lot less heat, but in an attemp to heat it evenly, it got too soft in a few spots and the vice and vice grips left witness marks.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7131.jpg

the third i started by attaching it at both ends over a piece of pipe. as i heated i tightened the ends down in an attempt to get it to bend. it cracked as well.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7135.jpg

the last one i put it inside the pipe, applied pressure in the middle and then heated the back. the result is below. i think it worked much better since the interior of the pipe worked as an oven to help heat the piece evenly.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7142.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7144.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7147.jpg

im still not sure what to do. since i have to make one more anyways, i have a few options;

make them both flat, cut off the current pad and weld it to the arm

make them curved and do the same as above

make them curved and screw them onto the current pad

or make them curved and weld to the current pad

ive looked at a few different cars and what they have. my wifes lexus has a flat brake pedal, and my silverado is curved to almost the same contour as the pad i made. i guess i need to see what feels most comfortable.

anyone have any suggestions on attachment? any reason tig welding them on would be a bad idea? cant think of any, but id rather ask then cut off the pedal and regret it.

Tim

[The WidowMaker]

just got the ricks tank delivered today!!!! its beautiful to say the least. i needed a custom tank that was shorter in order to clear the watts, and although i wanted to do a dual pump, internal surge tank, this should be more than adequate for spirited driving and autocrossing. hector sold me on the new design which includes an internal sump and check balls (last we spoke this was going to be a regular option). there is one checkball on each side, and one at the back. the sump is sealed on the front, back, bottom and sides, with the top 1/4" open to allow fuel to flow back into the tank when the sump is full. it also has an internal bosch pump with -8 fittings which will be more than i need for now.

i cant wait to get this tank installed and get some pictures taken. once all is said and done and i can show that it fits well, this will be an option for anyone needing a tank for a chevelle with a watts.

and i have to say thanks to hector and the guys. the quality is amazing, and the service is second to none.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7226.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7227.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7229.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7231.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

i got the new column from ididit last week, and it too is a piece of art. the upper portion of this column will be different on the production version (to match the original), but i didnt need that with the proposed dash. they had to rework their design a little in order to place the mounts in the correct place without disrupting the collapsible feature. but all works and i will have some install pics shortly.
also, the trunk floor is out and the new one is almost in. i should have pics by thursday night if it doesnt rain in the next couple of days.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7378.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7380.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7381.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

a little more progress has been made. i started on the trunk last week in an effort to raise the gas tank for a little more clearance. although the ricks tank is no deeper than the stock tank, with my slammed height, i had about 5" of ground clearance. enough, but more would be nice. so i set off to raise the tank 3". on the first mockup of the pieces, i was at 3 3/4", so i said f-it and made it a little more than planned. it is all still really rough and all the welds will be ground for the finished appearance, but i figured id post a real update. also, the pictures really make the surface rust look much worse than it does in person. the bottom is going to get reblasted and expoxied after the exhaust is done, and the inside will get a good sanding in the next couple of weeks, followed by the interior getting por 15 and dynamat. ill have more interior pics to come.

in order to raise the sides, i needed a piece that was curved for the bottom to match the existing outer floor braces, but flat on the top for the new floor. since i wanted a 90* on each side for better mounting, i had to use two pieces. the lower was shrunk to match the curve, and the top is just a 90* done in the brake.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7373.jpg

this is the inside at the start of the tack welding. i left the side mounts long so that the floor can be extended over to the quarters.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7369.jpg

old floor braces tacked in place. they were curved at the back where they rolled and started to go upwards, but i made some relief cuts and made them flat to fit the new floor. if i would have cut the extra off, they wouldnt have been long enough.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7420.jpg

this is a pic with most of the final welding done. who ever has to take this all back apart is going to HATE me. i hated the gm worker for just spot welding everything. but, once finished, it will be nice and smooth. you can also see the front mounts i welded up. 2x2 tube and threaded to accept the front strap bolt.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7478.jpg

i was initially concerned that it wouldnt be ridgid enough, but a tap gets a nice firm sound. a little dynamat on the inside and u-pol on the outside and it wont make a sound.

Tim

[The WidowMaker]

just a couple updates. the trunk floor is now finished and only needs some paint and dynamat to be complete. the floor was raised a total of 3 3/4" and gives me a ton more ground clearance. i still need to attach the rear bumper and work out the fill tube, but i made sure not to raise it high enough to cause an issue.

this is the before pic

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7265.jpg

the after pic

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7527.jpg

this shows the amount of room between the tank and the watts. if you are running the fays2 kit, you will have plenty of room with this tank. although i raised it, i didnt move the tank back any. it would sit in the same spot if i had the stock floor. hector is making some new straps that are a little longer for my mounts.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7531.jpg

this shows how the trunk floor was done. almost all the seams are full welded. the only ones that didnt get a solid bead were the filler panels on the sides. the bottom will be ground smooth before getting a bed liner product, but the top will be covered with upholstery

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7676.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7677.jpg

this is how i mounted the battery. the sheetmetal is reinforced so the bolts dont pull it up. the top bar was just a piece of aluminum and i routed the edges so they are now rounded over. once the bolts are tightened (i dont have them tightened here), the battery doesnt move at all.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7701.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

i mocked up the tires for the last time today and got my measurements to send off to jon. i spent a lot of time making sure the tire was square and centered, and double checked my measurements with a little device i made up. he originally just wanted to know the measurement to the tightest spot and that would have been simple with the old ride height and set of tires since it was just in the middle of the quarter lip. but with the new ride height, and because tires dont have square edges between the sidewall and tread, and the tighest spots were at this radius, it was much easier to just mock the tire up.

so with all that said, i plan to give him the exact spot i want the outside of the tire, and im confident he can take that and figure out where that would place the wheel.

here is a pic of how it will sit

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7648.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

well the inside of the trunk has been coated, and i have the trunk lid aligned and gapped. btwn adding and subtracting a little metal, i have a straight 3/16 gap. now the plan is to make the bumper fit the rear.

here are a couple of pics i threw up on the paint and body forum

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7738.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_7739.jpg

as you can see, its a long way from being "tucked" in nicely. it is acutally hitting the body in the middle (if the car is looked at from the rear), so the sides cant move any further forward. you can kind of see from the second pic that it doesnt follow the contour of the rear sheet metal very well. again its flush in the middle of the deck lid, but sticks out towards the quarters.

it also does the same thing on the vertical gaps as well. the middle of the deck lid contacts the top of the bumper when closed, but the outsides are sitting about 1/2" below the quarters.

so the plan is to start working it from the middle. i'll make some relief cuts that allow the ends to go in and up and see where that gets me. then the plan is to narrow, shave and move the brackets to the proper locations. if i need to add metal to the quarters, that will be done as well.

i have a feeling that this is going to take a while though. the plan is to send the bumper out to be stripped, then get working on it. hopefully i will have it done in a few weeks.

[The WidowMaker]

i paid the final balance on the wheels and tires. i still havent selected the style, but they will be 19x9.5 and 20x10.5 3 piece rushforths. ive added the wildsides back in to the choices, so its between the livewire, rated x and the wildside. i know most people hate the 7 spoke 5 lug combo, but the rendering looks sick and jason being the designer and the guy behind the wheels wouldnt steer me wrong.

the tires will be nitto nt05 275/35/19's up front and 315/35/20's in the rear. i sold my 305/35's since i really wanted a 200 treadwear tire for the autocross stuff. im sure they will change that rule before my car is done though.

i also did a spray out of colors. i shot one red and 6 greys all in the new water based stuff. after all the color comparisons, the red will be mercedes mars red and the grey will be off of a range rover. i brought the samples into the guys at work, and every one of them tossed the range rover grey out in the first round. obviously their vision isnt the same as mine, especially since i hate blue greys. i was going to shoot a few more, but im sticking to my decision for now.

lastly, i got a little work done on the rear bumper. its a real pain in the ass, but progress is being made. i first sliced it in the middle to get the angles corrrect. originally, it was too high and too tight right in the middle, but by slicing it, it took care of this. the issue im having now is the bend right at the last outer foot. it starts to curve about 2" too early and its keeping the bumper from flowing nicely into the quarters.

today, i cut the bumper again in the middle and took out 3/4". this sucked the sides in nicely, but opened up a whole bunch of new problems. so by the time i'm done, its going to look sick, but probably wont be able to be chromed with the amount of work that im needing to do.

here are some pics

bumper and trunk lid flowing nicely
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8061.jpg

you can see here how the bumper curves a little early. it also makes it difficult since the tail light is right below this, meaning that an easy correction would place a bend where the light is. you can also see how the corner of the quarter and the corner of the bumper flow nicely. they no longer do this with the bumper moved in 3/8" per side. although the side flows perfect, this corner is an area thats going to need some serious surgery.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8064.jpg

bumper sticking out before narrowing
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8066.jpg

bumper moved in 3/8". i need to get one at the same angle as the above pic for a better comparison. it really made a HUGE improvement.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8071.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

a little more work on the bumper today. ive been taking a bunch of classes at work, so progress has been slow. its hard to come home after not seeing the family for 3 days and head out to the garage. so not much has been getting done.

but, i got both quarters roughed in to the bumper. both sides needed to be extended out and down to get the gap a little better. i also smoothed the bumper brackets after final welding them to their new size. i started smoothing the welds on the bumper as well, but these pics were taken before i started on that. so...... i need to fill in the slices/gaps on the quarter, finish smoothing the welds, weld the brackets to the bumpers and smooth the bolt holes and then i need to start on the filler panel that mounts to the bottom of the bumper. i figure i have another 10-15 hours before im finished.

im pretty happy with the results. its been such a long time since i started that its hard to tell how much progress has been made. i wish i would have taken a bunch more before pics, but either way its better. i'd say that with the old being a 1 and a perfect being a 10 that this falls into the 6-7 range. there are a few things that i wish were better, but i dont have the time or skills to make them perfect. most obvious is that the ends of the bumper still dont follow the quarter perfect. its only off about 1/8 - 3/16, but i wish it was 0. when i worked the quarters i could have made it 0, but the transition btwn the deck lid and quarter would have been screwed up. i'll get some more pics once i get it all smoothed out.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8294.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8283.jpg

[214Chevy]

Widowmaker, great work on the bumper. That is the one thing I hate about my Chevelle is the bumper-to-quarter gap. It is sooo freaking huge. I was wanting to flush mount my bumper on mine and figured splitting the bumper and shortening the brackets would do it. Thanks for the insight.

[tones2SS]

Dude, KILLER build. You're doing a great job.
Please keep us posted.:thumbsup: :cheers:

[The WidowMaker]

thanks for all the comments. its been a few years worth of work, with most of it happening in the last 2. i hope to be on the road in the summer of 2012. the motor, paint and interior are going to be the holdups.

[The WidowMaker]

That is the one thing I hate about my Chevelle is the bumper-to-quarter gap. It is sooo freaking huge. I was wanting to flush mount my bumper on mine and figured splitting the bumper and shortening the brackets would do it.

i just went to the goodguys show in costa mesa and its insane how poorly these bumper fit. hopefully this will end up looking like i wanted.

[The WidowMaker]

the wheel purchase is DONE!!!

i have to give a big thanks to jon at driverz inc and jason rushforth. ive bugged the crap out of them for the two years since i put my deposit down (no, im not kidding its really been two years) and they are both awesome to work with.

the wheels are going to be 3 piece stepped lip, brushed outers, grey centers and 19x9.5 fronts and 20x11 rears. the stepped lip gives me the same centers as a 18/19 combo and the hoops are a little lighter as well. i also decided to go back to the original 275/35 front to match the sidewalls a little better with the 315/35 rear.

the style? well i'll keep that a secret until i have some pictures. i want people to keep reading my thread so i can get help and advice, and i don't want anyone putting me on their "banned" list. once you see them, i hope you all agree that they fit the car.

[The WidowMaker]

the plan is to have the frame at the blasters sometime in july and have it painted and assembled by the end of july. because i have to notch the frame a little to clear the 315's i wanted to push forward with the wheel order so i have them to know what needs to be clearanced. i also have to get the exhaust done since it needs to run through a crossmember and another has to be notched as well. in addition, i had never bent up the bars that go between the mid crossmember and the upper control arm crossmember and those have to be welded in. so, i borrowed a coworkers tubing bender and got those done. while i had it, i also rebuilt the tranny crossmember.

the original idea was that i wanted something that tucked up tight for exhaust clearance and didnt require the removal of the exhaust to drop the tranny. but since i was going to have to notch the outer "wings" anyways and i didnt like the amount of meat left for the tabs that sandwiched the drop out piece i just fabbed a new one.

the old was 1.5"x3" .120 wall tube with 1.5" dom in the middle. the new is a double 1" .120 wall all the way across. because there is no hinged joint in the bends, its acutally much stronger than the old one. and since its so small, i think i might still be able to get away with not dropping the exhaust. if i do, the v band clamps will make that pretty simple.

here are some pics. clearance is 1/4" to the floor, and the floor doesnt give when i am sitting in the drivers seat.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8429.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8433.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8430.jpg

[tones2SS]

Keep up the great work man.
Can't wait to see those "secret" wheels!!!:unibrow: :thumbsup:

[waynieZ]

Nice work on the crossmember it looks like it has plenty of room for the exhaust. you did a nice job tucking the tank up there out of the way too.

[The WidowMaker]

Can't wait to see those "secret" wheels!!!

hopefully in 6 weeks i'll have some good pics!

[buickfunnycar.com]

Great job on the bumper...looks awesome!:thumbsup:
Can't wait to see the new secret wheels...:_paranoid

[The WidowMaker]

first, a small update on the wheels. i narrowed my rear more than i thought which left 4.25" bs on an 11" wheel. i do have a 1.5" pad for the z06 brakes but that still left a large lip. since it isnt a stocked size and would take a while to get, plus the fact that it was costing more since its really not that popular right now, i decided to change to the smooth lip wheels. hopefully only a few more weeks. jason is also looking into some extra programming to get the wheels lightened from the rear of the center. my fingers are crossed.

[The WidowMaker]

i need to get the exhaust done so i can get the frame to the blasters and get it all in paint by the end of the summer. its taken a lot longer than expected, and my few hours in the garage at a time goes by really fast.

i started with a mix of 3" and 2.5" tubing and transitions from columbia river, and bends from pypes all in 304 stainless. i spent some time polishing all the stuff from CR since it didnt come done. overall, im pretty happy with all the pieces i purchased.

now the issues...... i had debated whether to keep the donut gasketed joint from the edelbrock headers, or cut it off at the collector and do v-bands. im glad i left it alone, but i hope it doesnt leak. assembling and disassembling has really done a number on the gasket. i hope to get some more before its put together for the final time.

issue two.... don't make a 16ga stainless exhaust your first tig project ever. i practiced a little before the tacks, but fitment has to be dead nuts perfect or i blow a hole. and i do mean PERFECT! and i still havent figured out how to fill a damn hole. some pieces are tacked without issue, especially those done on the bench, but it seems that if i blow in one there are a few more holes before it sticks. im still tacking everything together, so hopefully i can practice a little more and maybe the back purge will help things a little. i am AMAZED at how well a tig tack holds though. 2 tacks on a piece and i cant break it apart. i have to knick the tack with a grinding wheel to make it work.

issue three..... maybe i dont understand the mandrel bending process, but i was hoping that if i cut a piece in the middle of a bend that it would be the same size as a piece cut from any other random part of any other tube. its not! the bent piece is smaller and that has led to some fun issues. its not a huge difference, but the extreme ones are about 1/16" different. that means when joined, one has a ring exposed all the way around the joint. i have a feeling these are going to be fun to final weld.

i could talk for hours on the "experience" i have had so far. if you see something, i probably have an answer for it, but id rather not bore you with any more babble. here are the pics of where i am now.

flex joints so that the rest can be solid/poly mounted.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8487.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8495.jpg

there is more room here than it appears. this was all complicated by flowmaster not having the muffler in a offset in/out. no hangers are in place yet, so its resting on the holes in the mid crossmember. this is the easy side though. the watts link is 6" higher on the other side. its going to be interesting to say the least.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8492.jpg

i have it coming under the frame behind the tire now. i just need to decide where to run it, and whether it will come out under or through the rear bumper lower valance.

[tones2SS]

You're doing a great job on the car. Keep it up!:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

Keep it up!

i hope to have some more pics in the next few days. i need to notch the watts/shock crossmember, so its going to take some time.

[The WidowMaker]

so i had some decisions to make on the mufflers. the wife wanted it quieter than before, but i still wanted it to sound good. i ended up buying the stainless 50 series deltas back in december when bing was giving 20% off ebay purchases. ever since then i have somewhat regretted not going with the 40 deltas like i had before. i figured that the bigger motor and larger piping would make it louder, but that the increased insulation, carpet and x-pipe would mellow it out a little. a wash? im not sure.

since i had to open one up (i'll get to that later) and i had already polished them and couldnt return them, i had three choices. leave them as is, weld up the resonator chamber in each muffler essentially making it just a longer 40, or removing the extra 4" and making a 40 series. i ended up just leaving them as is, but if i want it louder after its been on the road, i will take the full 4" out at that time.

then there was the other issue (the part i said i would get to). flowmaster only makes one part number per style (inlet/outlet) of muffler. so, if you need two mufflers with offset inlets that are next to each other (our chevelles), one muffler has to be flipped over. when you flip a flowmaster, you get the ugly case seam. and since i was polishing them, that wouldnt work. below are the pics of what i ended up doing. cut the end off and grind away their weld until the stamped plug end was back to normal. then just flip, reinsert and reweld. now i have a matched set.......

here you can see the inlet side of the muffler. the small hole to the right is the inlet to the resonator chamber. that is what i had planned to weld up.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8935.jpg

here it is flipped and rewelded. i cant get any good pics of the welds. they just look blurry.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8949.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

here are the rest of the exhaust pics. about 100 hours later and i never imagined it taking this long. but i am damn happy to be done.... well somewhat. i need to learn how to tig with filler a little better so i can attach the hangers that are just tacked on.

like i said before, an average of a B/B+ on weld appearance. some are D's mainly on the right rear tailpipe since i did it first, but there are a few A's as well. did i heat it too much and lose the stainless properties? only time will tell. i have a pretty good rainbow effect, and the haz isnt too wide, so i hope im fine.

the first two show how the frame was cut to allow the exhaust to sit up higher. i would have loved to have made them go through the frame for a little more rigidity, but i would have needed another two vband clamps to make it work and the hole for those flanges needs to be pretty big. i also got the mounts from the roadster shop. im hoping i dont end up melting the ones closer to the motor.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8965.jpg

the exhaust will exit through the valance below the bumper. i have some transitions to make the tips 3" and i plan to make them slightly oval. that work will come once the frames done and the bumper gets completed.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8968.jpg

here you can see the tight spot. if i would have welded the watts connector on at more of an angle and given myself another 1" of clearance, i would have saved a few days work. this was a TOTAL PAIN IN THE ASS!!!!! the watts crossmember had to be notched to make it work. this was another time where changing build plans bit me in the ass. i never expected to have the car so low that 1/4" of travel mattered. the rear never went this low when i set up the watts since it wasnt until after that i notched the fram.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8967.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8975.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8976.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8981.jpg

[tones2SS]

WOW!!! You are doing a great job on this car. The welds look really good to me. Keep up the great work and keep us posted. I can't wait to see this bad boy complete!:thumbsup: :cheers:

[The WidowMaker]

i can't wait either. the body will get pulled off next week so i can start finishing up the frame prior to paint. i hope to have it all nice and pretty in one month.

[tones2SS]

Very cool man!:thumbsup: :cheers:

[The WidowMaker]

today was the first of 10 work days to get the frame off to the blaster. i actually made a timeline, and if i stick to it, i will have frame paint pics on the 31st of this month.

today the body got pulled and put on stands in the garage. i then had to pull the motor and trans and get the frame up on the rotisserie. i also started to weld up the rear section of the frame that was notched for the exhaust.

so, 1 day down and 9 to go. and im currently on schedule!!!! days 2-5 will come at the end of next week on my 4 day. i work a few shifts with a damn wedding in between.

[tones2SS]

Very cool. I will be on the lookout for the updates. Have fun man!:cheers:

[The WidowMaker]

here are a few pics from today. i got both sides fully notched and cleaned up in the rear. i had planned on welding up the 4" holes in the mid cross, but that will be tomorrow morning.

you can also see how much having the body on the jack stands and the frame on the rotisserie screws up the garage. if its the other way around, the body can hover on the rotisserie almost above the frame and take up a ton less room. i cant wait until the frame is on the ground for good!!!!

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0161.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0159.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0160.jpg

[ANVIL1]

I have to say, I'm really impressed especially since it's your first build. Nice work!

[tones2SS]

Looks awesome! Good job!:thumbsup: :cheers:

[waynieZ]

Very nice work!

[coolwelder62]

Wow!!!Really nice fabrication work.Can't wait to see more.:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

i got a little more done today. unfortunately the watts crossmember had to be notched for exhaust clearance. if i would have known how low i was going to make it sit i would have welded the attachment points on the 12 bolt at a different angle. at the time i set it up, the rearend was hitting the frame at the end of its travel and there was still plenty of room for the exhaust.

so, the rear cross was notched and i got it smoothed today. i also finished the mid cross through holes, finished welding up the trans mounting points, took care of the droop stops to keep the front uca's from hitting the frame when jacking up the front end and also ground all the paint and filler out of the frame seams so i can weld them up more than the factory did. i never did it the first time, but i'm going to take the time now.

also, my wheels are supposed to be dropped off tomorrow morning!!!! i plan to take them out to jon for tires some time in the afternoon.

check out a pic of how some of the factory seams look??????? did they put a roll of 70s6 in a flux machine, or just run out of gas???

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0174.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

another small update.

i got the frame seams mostly ground out and welded. i will do some more once its completely disassembled.

i also checked the watts one last time and it came up perfectly centered. the old tires were off 1/4" as they rotate, so lesson learned on using them for measuring. the new wheels and tires are pretty perfect, so i used them to center and no changes are needed.

i moved the shocks over about 3/4" to allow for more exhaust and watts clearance. its pretty amazing how that little change can affect the spring rates. before i could get the frame to sit on the axle, and now the lowest i can get it is about 1" from the axle. i went from about 8-10* to 4* on my shock angles.

i do need to narrow the frame, so that is the next job to be completed on tuesday. then its just little stuff like welding the control arms, cutting off the ears on the 12 bolt...........

more to come!

[tones2SS]

I'll be on the lookout man!:thumbsup: :cheers:

[Nick.V70]

The exhaust is beautiful!!!! :bow:

Can I drop mine off:lol:

[Thomo5150]

Nice work, I love the trans tunnel its given me some idea's for my project. keep up the good work......

[The WidowMaker]

the frame got narrowed today. its not as pretty as i would like since it should have been done the first time and the notch reinforcement complicated things. but, it is done.

i have a whole list of stuff to do tomorrow and then i wont be back on it until next wednesday. i promised the wife i would take friday off from the car, and i leave saturday for a boys trip to vegas. i just hope im still married when i come back.........

heres a couple teaser wheel pics to hold you over. this is about .5" above ride height at the rear, and really high at the front. it still measures higher than i wanted, but the wheel is also 28.5" tall! they also sit in a tad more than i would like, but theres nothing more i could do at this ride height. at full compression they are pretty dang tight to the outside of my tubs, and my tubs have about a 1/16" gap to the quarter at this spot. wheels are rushforths with nitto nto5 315/35/20's. centers are custom matched to the code i gave them which will be the color on the frame in a couple of weeks.

i'll get some real pics once the frame is painted and assembled.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9148.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9163.jpg

[torino420]

Looks SICK!

[BritishGreen68]

this is a killer build man, finally someone going LOW around here:D :thumbsup:

[bonecrrusher]

http://www.4thletter.net/damnnn.gif

DAMNNNNNNNNNNNN!

[tones2SS]

Looks killer man! You're doing a great job on it. Should be a killer machine when complete!:thumbsup: :cheers:

[Nick.V70]

the frame got narrowed today. its not as pretty as i would like since it should have been done the first time and the notch reinforcement complicated things. but, it is done.

i have a whole list of stuff to do tomorrow and then i wont be back on it until next wednesday. i promised the wife i would take friday off from the car, and i leave saturday for a boys trip to vegas. i just hope im still married when i come back.........

Could I please be put on the call list if you don't make it back married and the car is for sale:lol:.

heres a couple teaser wheel pics to hold you over. this is about .5" above ride height at the rear, and really high at the front. it still measures higher than i wanted, but the wheel is also 28.5" tall! they also sit in a tad more than i would like, but theres nothing more i could do at this ride height. at full compression they are pretty dang tight to the outside of my tubs, and my tubs have about a 1/16" gap to the quarter at this spot. wheels are rushforths with nitto nto5 315/35/20's. centers are custom matched to the code i gave them which will be the color on the frame in a couple of weeks.

So that is ride height? What is the center axle to fender lip spec if you don't mind me asking?


i'll get some real pics once the frame is painted and assembled.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9148.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9163.jpg


I love the Rushforth FAT LIP!!!!!:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

i could have got you a measurement a few days ago, but it wont be back on the frame until after paint. it is pretty damn low though. im about 2.5-3" from the axle hitting the frame, and thats after notching for an extra 2".

[ScotI]

Very nice! So to confirm, those are 20x10.5's w/315/35's?

[The WidowMaker]

20x11 with the nt05 315/35/20

[ScotI]

20x11 with the nt05 315/35/20

I've had 20x10's under my g-body Malibu & might be able to squeeze an xtra .500 each side :unibrow: .

[The WidowMaker]

i ended up taking 3/4" out of the frame so that i would have the full 3/4" inside clearance that i wanted. i only have about 1/4" at full compression on the outside.

[ScotI]

i ended up taking 3/4" out of the frame so that i would have the full 3/4" inside clearance that i wanted. i only have about 1/4" at full compression on the outside.

I would most definitely need to upgrade to a Watts set-up. Those a-bodies are a little bigger & the 20's work well in the rear. On my G-body, the 20's looked pretty big (w/a 295-40-20)..... so much so that I was considering limiting the car to a 18 or 19" max diameter rear wheel.

I'm looking forward to your progress!

[Nick.V70]

20x11 with the nt05 315/35/20

I hate you!!! :lol: :cheers:

[Nick.V70]

What did you end up going on BS?

[The WidowMaker]

4.25 bs, but im running a 1.5" pad for the z06 brakes which pushes the spokes out a little more.

[Nick.V70]

Thanks for the specs. Keep those pics coming!!:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

well i got back from vegas and im still alive..... and married. we went to the rehab pool on sunday and some guy actually died while we were in the pool. we didnt find out until the next day, but another group of medic firefighters (one was a friend of my buddy) actually tried to help and were told to leave. one actually got thrown out because he was irate that nobody was performing cpr on this kid. pretty friggin crazy and there will be a HUGE lawsuit to come.

i took today off from the car, but tomorrow is day 11 of what is now 12 prep days. im going to take the frame down to the blasters on monday morning and try to have it in epoxy sometime in the afternoon. if all goes well i should have it all finished in paint by a week from saturday. stay tuned!!!

[The WidowMaker]

so i borrowed a buddys trailer and when i get off tomorrow morning the frame is going to the blasters!!!!!!! i plan to put a couple coats of epoxy on it tomorrow night. i work tuesday and then there will be a 3 day thrash to get it all done. the only part that wont get painted with the others is the rear housing. i figure i'll leave that for maybe saturday or sunday since theres a lot of prep left on it and theres still 33 suspension parts to paint on friday.

pics of primer tomorrow night!!!

i just hope the wind and paint cooperates...........

[tones2SS]

Very cool. Will be on the lookout.:_paranoid

[The WidowMaker]

a couple of epoxy pics for you guys. $250 to blast the frame and a few parts that i was too lazy to clean up again.

tomorrow i work, wed it gets filler and slick sand, thurs (burning some sick time) it gets sealer, paint and a nice satin clear. friday i will get the parts all painted up.

more pics to come!!!!

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9312.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9311.jpg

[tones2SS]

Looks great man!:cheers:

[The WidowMaker]

today i got all the filler work and the slick sand done. tomorrow i need to finish doing the final sanding and some pinhole work. tomorrow night it should be in fresh paint!!!!

[tones2SS]

tomorrow night it should be in fresh paint!!!!

:woot: :cheers:
Very cool.

[Swain]

looks good.


:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

looks good.


sorry for lagging on the steering wheel. my mind should be a little clearer next week and i'll give you a call. how did the tires end up working out?

[The WidowMaker]

well its done. at least the frame. it turned out ok although i had hoped for a little better. i could have used another two coats of slicksand to smooth it out a little more, but like the wife keeps saying, nobody is going to see the damn thing. i did have two areas i really wanted to nail; the outside of the rails that are seen under the rockers of the body, and the top of the rails in the engine compartment. id give the sides an 8 and the engine compartment about a 6. there is one area where the seam show a little on the tops of both engine compartment rails. again, another coat of slicksand would have cured it but i was over it. it looks good. overall it was much better than last time. i spent a lot more time with the blocking this time.

after painting all the parts tomorrow im going to take a couple weeks off from the car. i plan to get all my bolts and anything else thats now gold zinc together and get everything done in either black cad or black zinc. i should have it back together by the end of the month.

here are a couple pics.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9398.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9395.jpg

[waynieZ]

Thats going to look great in the car. Nice work.

[tones2SS]

Thats going to look great in the car. Nice work.

^^What Wayne said!
Good job man.:cheers:

[The WidowMaker]

so most of the parts got painted today. i was hoping to get the rear housing done as well, but there was just no time to prep it. the plan is to prep it tomorrow and shoot it sunday morning. im also going to paint the alternator and the a/c pump. i had planned on shooting them the grey, but i may change my mind and shoot them black. we'll have to see.

the parts actually came out better than expected. i didnt do much in the way of prep, so you can tell if a parts sand cast. i'll call it character......... i did the same thing last time and was happy.

i can't wait to get all the bolts together, coated and then assemble it all again.

here are some pics. i stole the reds watts arms from penny, but really i needed something to make them visible and draw attention to the suspension. that is also the same red that is going on the outside of the car.

oh and as you can see in the last pic, i need to cut the shrubs and mow the friggin lawn! or so my wife tells me........


http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9404.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9416.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9418.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

i got the rear cleaned up and sanded today, so it will get color and clear tomorrow. then comes a short break.

i was organizing pics and looked back to 3 years ago. the pics look familiar, but a lot has changed. can you say deja vu? i actually dont have many of those suspension pieces left either. most of it was new and then was sold............

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1897.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1888_1.jpg

[tones2SS]

Looking good man. Keep it up!:thumbsup: :cheers:

[The WidowMaker]

the rear got sprayed the other day and looks really good. the plan is to start getting the bolts together tomorrow and then send them out to have them coated sometime soon. hopefully i can start reassembly in the next couple weeks!!!

[The WidowMaker]

so i got all the bolts together and sent them off to Fabian (1badchevelle) to have them all coated black. i also sent the broken down johhny joints and all the rear brake brackets and everything together totaled 52lbs!!!! there wont be any gold zinc left when its done! i cant wait to get everything back and get it all reassembled. i also cant wait to find a bolt sitting somewhere that i forgot to send :-( ......

Tim

[ScotI]

so i got all the bolts together and sent them off to Fabian (1badchevelle) to have them all coated black. i also sent the broken down johhny joints and all the rear brake brackets and everything together totaled 52lbs!!!! there wont be any gold zinc left when its done! i cant wait to get everything back and get it all reassembled. i also cant wait to find a bolt sitting somewhere that i forgot to send :-( ......

Tim
This would be my luck as well :) .

[The WidowMaker]

well it was my luck. i remembered the bolts for the tranny crossmember, but forgot the bolts to bolt the tranny to that crossmember.......... sweet.....

[1badchevelle]

well it was my luck. i remembered the bolts for the tranny crossmember, but forgot the bolts to bolt the tranny to that crossmember.......... sweet.....

What size are they? If I have some I will get them out tomorrow.

[The WidowMaker]

Fabian, im actually at work and have no idea of the size. i'll wait to find more before i bug you over a few bolts. thanks though. youre awesome!!!

[The WidowMaker]

got a call today, and the bolts are going to be done on monday!!! it sucks that im working a 72 starting tomorrow and then im in a class m-f. i dont think the wife is going to be too happy if i sneak out to the garage to start putting it back together.

i also ordered up the power windows from mike at musclerodz. after hearing all the bad stories with the electric life stuff, i went with a set up from nu-relic. they are supposed to be way better and no need to open the door to get the window up that last 1/4". i bought them without the harness and i plan to get some billet switches and make my own harness. the plan is to put all the controls in the center console, but i need to figure out the layout with the vintage air controller, power door lock switches, window switches, start button, head unit, cup holders..........

im also debating on what to do about the radiator and it will be next months purchase. since the plan is to run the mast 416, their pcm controls the fans so there is no need for a special harness. therefore i can pick up a ron davis for 1060 or a prc for 800 both with dual 16" spal fans. 260 is a ton of money that can be used elsewhere, but i really want the welds that RD is famous for. everyone says that the prc are just as pretty, but i havent seen one in person.

if i still have any money left to my name, november will be stereo month. im going to get the amps, speakers and subs now, and wait on the head unit until the car is done. they seem to be changing really quickly and i dont want another regret. im undecided between the infinity kappas, infinity kappa perfects, alpine spx or focal vr's for the speakers. amps will most likely be the infinity kappa 1 and 4, and the 10" sub will match the speakers. i still need to do a bunch of research, but i do have time.

maybe i'll have a couple pictures tuesday night????

[tones2SS]

Very cool. Sucks you can't work on the car for a while, but at least you got some things that will keep you busy thinking about.:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

just another small update. i got all the bolts and various parts back.... all i can say is wow. they look killer. i havent had time to sort through the 500+ pieces, but i hope to get them organized tomorrow night and start assembly on sunday. i included pics of the spc upper arms. i still need to install the bjs, but the black/grey combo is KILLER. i am almost thinking i now need to paint it black.......

i also got the speakers today. cartoys is giving 10% off already killer prices on this set. front and rear will both get the components, and i still need a couple amps and a 10" sub.

here are a few pics. more to come on sunday!!!!

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9774.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9777.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9779.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9782.jpg

[Swain]

sorry for lagging on the steering wheel. my mind should be a little clearer next week and i'll give you a call. how did the tires end up working out?


The tires fit perfect but I decided to go back to 18's. I want the car to be low as possible. The steering wheel should be done soon just waiting on them to be cut.

[tones2SS]

Very cool.:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

i got all the front suspension assembled today. i didnt finish until almost dark, so i'll get some better pics tomorrow. i still need to brush the tie rod connectors and figure out what to do with the sway bar heims to get rid of the gold zinc. i also need to feel out the red bump stops a little more. they look really out of place now, and if they dont tie together a little better as it comes back together i will replace them with some black ones.

the rear suspension should be mostly done tomorrow. im also still waiting to get the wheels back. i didnt like the color even though i gave them the code, so they are being stripped and reshot. i should be getting them back in a couple weeks.

i hope to have the frame under the body sometime in the next week. i need to work a couple areas including the raised fuel filler neck relief before i drop it on.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9881.jpg

[tones2SS]

That does look great. I agree with the color on the bump stops as well.

[The WidowMaker]

i have a feeling theyll have to go.......

i spent a few hours getting the rear control arms together late last night. i definately heated them up pretty good when welding. too bad i dont have 3/4 lh or 1" taps. tight, but they went together.

i should have it mostly back together tonight.

[waynieZ]

Nice work, it looks great. I think the black would look better too. Nice progress.

[The WidowMaker]

so its on the ground now. ive assembled this thing countless times, but i ran into some more snags that need to be worked out.

first, i hate the speedway adjusters. im going to be making some permanent spacers that register on the spring od, not the id. but since those arent done i reused the speedway ones and didnt tack them to the springs like i did last time. so, one doesnt want to sit flat and is hitting the top of the shock. not a huge deal for the shock since there isnt any weight, but it wont sit like its supposed to. so, now i need to research the new spacers and will be making those in the next few weeks.

next, i never fully assembled the rear brake kit from kore3 since the rotor wont sit inside my 15" wheels. this time, i decided to put the parking brake on even though i wasnt using the rotors. i started to read the directions and found that the 1.5" T bolts that currie supplied wont be long enough. so i need to use the 2" bolts from the kit, but, BIG but, there is only 1.5" between the axle tube flange and the lower control arm braket (because i narrowed so much) for one bolt per side. so, all i need to do is flip a bolt around and put it in from the outside. but (another but, its a trend), since the t-bolts head is the same width as the shank on two of its sides it fits in the correct location. a hex head bolts head is larger than that of the shank and needs to be ground down on one side. so i now have 3 bolts solved. the 4th that comes in backwards needs the nut ground. this just makes me uncomfortable because i will end up making the nut pretty thin. i have some ideas, i just need to work them out.

also, i spec'd a bearing from currie and ordered my kore3 kit at the same time. tobin sent the right kit, currie put in the wrong bearing. luckly for me, currie put in the set20 tapered bearing which seems to perform the best in a non floater application so it actually works out better. but it means that the recess that is milled on the kore 3 brackets for the set20 is not there because i wasnt supposed to be getting that bearing and there is about .090 too much preload space. tobin is taking care of me though. im shipping the brackets back and hes going to get them milled. i would have just swapped mine out, but they are now coated black.

finally, i need to take the axles back to currie to have them drill the access hole to allow me to get a socket on the axle retaining bolts. its a pain without the parking brake in place, and its supposed to be nearly impossible with it on. it seems that this should have been done in the first place since they knew i was running a drum in hat style parking brake.

here are some pics though. i havent heard back about the wheels, but i hope to have them soon.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9942.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9944.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9946.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9947.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9950.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9953.jpg

[Tiger]

You are doing some beautiful work there!

one Q. Are you using vband clamps on your exhaust?

[tones2SS]

It's always something man.:willy:
Good luck with the rest. You are doing a great job! Keep it up.:thumbsup: :cheers:

[Nick.V70]

Tim, whats up with a couple more front sway bars and billet frame mounts....:unibrow:

[The WidowMaker]

Are you using vband clamps on your exhaust?

im using the stock edelbrock flange on the headers, but im using v-bands right before they go through the crossmember in the pictures.

Tim, whats up with a couple more front sway bars and billet frame mounts....

ha, i'll get you some good pics and let you have the fun this time. if i were to do it over, i would use the stock mounting holes. dse pulled this off, i didnt. i have a feeling that their delrin bushing is either clearanced to let the mounting bolt spacing be tighter, or their bushing doesnt go all the way through allowing the bolt to be placed where it needs to be. i made some mounts for mine and welded them in the place of the factory holes. not a bolt in deal for most people.

[7TSS]

Wow!! That frame looks like a work of art. :hail: Nice color combination.

So do you have a color picked out for the body yet? Also, did you need to do any clearancing to fit the SPC uca's?

[The WidowMaker]

So do you have a color picked out for the body yet? Also, did you need to do any clearancing to fit the SPC uca's?

body color is supposed to be mercedes mars red, but i'm loving the black/grey combo. the uppers needed the ears cut off the mount, and i actually cut some more off this time in addition to what i had done the last time. although it did clear it was close and im NOT!!! painting again.

[The WidowMaker]

i got the body on the rotisserie today, but spent the rest of the day cleaning the garage. its amazing how much crap floats in even though i do my work on the driveway.

ive been asked about the exhaust and swaybars here and elsewhere, so i took a couple more pics.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9959.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9964.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9970.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9972.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9980.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9978.jpg

[camcojb]

very nice work............. VERY NICE!

Jody

[xvette]

very nice build , all the hard work pays off at the end , :thumbsup:

[ScotI]

Sweet! Nice detail on everything. The Watts bars are a very nice eye grabbing contrast.

[tones2SS]

Killer build man.
Keep up the great work.:thumbsup:

[SickSpeedMonte]

I love this build! I really like how it's done at home, it's really inspiring me to get going on my car.

[The WidowMaker]

The Watts bars are a very nice eye grabbing contrast.

and tell rupp that he copied me :_paranoid .

i needed to tie the red in, and i love the mechanical aspect of the watts, so i figured id do something similar to BP.

[The WidowMaker]

heres a small update. i sent the rear brake brackets back to Tobin at kore3 and he is taking care of the machining. i also took the axles back to currie to have the holes drilled for access to the flange and they were less than happy with me. they ended up having to install new bearings, and it appears that all of the studs are new as well. they had to chuck them up in the cnc machine and that required removing all of that stuff. my position was that i had told them what brakes i was running, the offset, the housing length, the bolt pattern, the stud size, the register dia, the bearing i wanted etc., all because i was prompted with " what do you need for......". they didnt do that for the access hole, and since i dont buy axles everyday and they sell axles everyday, i figured that they knew what i needed by what i had told them. they took care of me though, so ive got two of the issues for the rear solved. the last should just be a spacer and wont take too much time.

i also finished some work on the firewall and cowl. i welded up all of the seams and ground down what i could. its still going to take a TON of work to get it nice and smooth, but its closer. i also ground down the plug welds from the quarter installation and welded in a notch for the filler neck of the raised tank.

i plan one more day cleaning up some welds and stuff on the bottom, then it will get dropped back on next week.

here are some pics. i threw in one of a recent project for my sons 3rd birthday. its a late '70's AMF model 508 fire engine that i had when i was a kid. i guess i crashed it a few times because it was in pretty bad shape. there are still a bunch of dents i left in it, but i'll call that character. i did fill the hood and smoothed it out a bunch. a lot of time, and this is 1/100th of the chevelle. another reason somebody else is going to do it.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0165.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0163.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0168.jpg

[tones2SS]

Very cool. Hope that takes care of your brake issue.
Nice fire truck!

[The WidowMaker]

so after spending some time and money on the lathe to get the tolerances a little better and to get something to cut with, i finally got the spring spacers cut. i had been using the hss stuff that came with the lathe, but it doesnt compare to the tool holder and carbide indexable inserts. i spent about $70 bucks for a boring bar, another insert holder and 5 ccmt inserts. money well spent.

so, a little background for those that arent aware of the problem. it is becoming more common for chevelle guys to run a short spring and an adjustable spacer on the front of their cars. all is great, except that the tolerances are tight between the spacer and the shock that has to go through the spacers hole. it gets even tighter when guys run shocks that have a larger diameter, ie. my varishocks. so, the solution is to run a spacer that captures the spring on the od, not the id like the current one. i have to give some credit to bochnak on the chevelle forum for the idea, but we have found through pms that our spacers are completely different lengths. i have a feeling that our different lower control arms are to blame.

the initial idea was to make the spacers the same length as the current ones that are mocked up. i know that i still dont have all the weight on the car so its going to sit a little lower, but my tires are 1" taller which will raise the front 1/2". i ended up making these 1/4" taller than my others which should raise the front another 3/8". the lathe isnt going away, so i will fine tune when the time comes. i also plan to make a few thin spacers that will go under the urethane spring isolator on the lca. the global west arms have a really deep bucket, so i can get a bunch of extra height if needed. i have a feeling that my extra 1/4 will come off in the end.

here are a few pics.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0220.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0221.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0222.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

the body went back on the frame today. i plan to get the rear bumper finished and the rear side markers done in the next couple weeks. you can see how much the rear was narrowed with the old wheels on. and thats with them flipped around for more backspace. more to come.....

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0226.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0233.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0235.jpg

[Streetwerkz]

Very nice werk, keep it up!!!

[tones2SS]

Very nice man. Very nice.:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

ive been busy between work, family and the promotional classes that ive been taking. but, i got a little more work done on the bumper. i didnt take a whole bunch of good pics before i started, but i did dig up some that i shot last year at a car show. it really shows how much ive been able to suck it up.

i still need to finish working the sides a little more. if you notice in the first pic of the car at the show, the bumper never followed the quarter in stock form. although i got them much closer, there was no way to make this perfect without a huge amount of work to the bumper, and if i want to get it rechromed it may have been too much. but with the bumper not following the quarter perfectly, it gives the illusion of the gap being off when viewed at certain angles. this is bugging the CRAP out of me. i also started with 1/4" gaps, but decided to close them all up to about 3/16". if you look at the side pic you can see how much black hides gaps. i have since shot the quarter white in that area, and the although the gap looks large, its only 3/16.

the last part will be getting the bottom filler piece fit and making a new "bumper pad". the stock one is rubber, but i plan to do something out of aluminum.

here are some pics of the bumper today and the one i shot at the show.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8310.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_8311.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0306.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0314.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0321.jpg

[tones2SS]

Very nice. Looks much better now.:thumbsup: :cheers:

[61ragtop]

This build makes me want tp rob a bank and rip my car apart again!!!!:hail:

[Musclerodz]

looking great!

[awr68]

Nice progress! You're doing a great job!! :thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

so another 25 hours later (not kidding), the brackets are welded on the bumper and its been off and on and falls back in place. this thing was a PAIN in the ass. the main problem i had was how the brackets mounted to the bumper. since the mounting surface wasnt flat a slight movement twisted the bumper instead of just moving it up or down. since the bumper has dimension to it, and some areas are closer or futher from the axis, a small twist would send some areas +/- .050 out of spec. this caused so many headaches that i was ready to just give up. but, like i said the bumper is DONE. i still need to finish cleaning up the quarters and i still need to fit the lower valance. this was all supposed to be done weeks ago.

like ive said before, i am breaking all of the purchases up and buying stuff in advance. this has screwed me many times and ive sold and repurchased a ton of parts, but if i dont spend it on the car, it gets spent at friggin Target. this month i picked up my single 10" subwoofer and the ISIS inmotion controller. for the sub, and after a ton of research, i picked up a focal 27v2 to go with the focal components. i narrowed it down to a few, but decided to just stick with one brand for the audio. its not a loud sub, but the quality is supposed to be amazing. i'll be building an enclosed box in the coming months.

i also have a little money left to send to mike a musclerodz. ive given him a few deposits which all should add up to a PRC radiator and ac condensor in the near future. i was stressing about the ron davis/prc choice, but ive decided to add an intank engine oil cooler. rd wanted 700 since they cant fit it in a stock tank and it then makes it a tank custom, and PRC wants 85 and says if it needs a custom tank there will be no charge. i think the $615 difference in oil coolers, plus the $260 in base price has made my decision. i really hope prc delivers on their welds. ive seen some really good and some pretty good. rd usually looks machine done.

hopefully i can get the rest of the bumper buttoned up and some new pics soon!

[waynieZ]

It looks great tucked up like that, nice work.

[61ragtop]

so i got all the bolts together and sent them off to Fabian (1badchevelle) to have them all coated black. i also sent the broken down johhny joints and all the rear brake brackets and everything together totaled 52lbs!!!! there wont be any gold zinc left when its done! i cant wait to get everything back and get it all reassembled. i also cant wait to find a bolt sitting somewhere that i forgot to send :-( ......

Tim


What coating did you get done on your bolts ect? You have convinced me to do mine soon! lol:hail:

[coolwelder62]

Awesome project.69-70 chevelle's don't get enough lovin.:thumbsup: Scott

[The WidowMaker]

What coating did you get done on your bolts ect?

here you go. this is all i really know.

Tim at work we use a coating called everlube 6107 gloss or flat black. I had fasteners coated in this for my car.(Link below). I have some bolts I can send you to take a look at. I am sure I can get your bolt coated in this at no charge.

It looks better than zinc and better rust protection.

http://www.metalimprovement.com/coat...cesses.php#cce
btw, just a quick update. its been raining here and i havent been able to roll the car out to work on the rear bumper, so i started on the wiper motor relocation. i wasnt able to come up with a way to make it work with the stock linkage, so im mounting an arm where the old motors arm was and then connecting my new linkage to that to power the wipers. everything is still hidden, but im on my 3rd design. its been fun playing with the mill and the lathe. ive run into a few snags, but i'll have pictures and an explanation when its all done. im not sure how others have done it on the chevelles, but i couldnt come up with any other good ways.

Tim

[70 chevelle]

Where are you relocating it to. I was considering putting mine under the drivers fender. Using the original plate and welding it into the firewall just under the fender. Then taking an original linkage arm,cutting it in half, and welding in the center section from another arm after cutting off the ends.Was this method one of your attempts?

[The WidowMaker]

Where are you relocating it to. I was considering putting mine under the drivers fender. Using the original plate and welding it into the firewall just under the fender. Then taking an original linkage arm,cutting it in half, and welding in the center section from another arm after cutting off the ends.Was this method one of your attempts?


to be honest, im not following your mods of the arm. this is why i hate the internet. we'd be on the same page in 30 seconds if on the phone.

i am moving it to the ds fender. the main problem is that the stock arm travels from the ds towards the center of the car. the easiest fix would have been to extend the arm to the passenger side. but, the arm would need to be really light and very strong and i couldnt figure out a way to do it. plus i want to run the ac lines through that side and didnt want it to all interfere.

i also thought of trying to manipulate the stock arm. but with the severe angles it didnt look possible. the way i have done it doesnt change how the stock arm or wipers function, it just changes how they are powered. it will make more sense with pictures.

Tim

[The WidowMaker]

so here are a few pics of the new wiper setup. its still a work in progress, but now all i really need is the linkage from the wiper motor to my new arm and its done. i have an 18" piece of aluminum hex on order from mcmaster and it should be all i need.

so a little vocabulary to keep it all straight. "arm" is the pitman style arm on the motor and the new arm on the firewall. "linkage" is the stock piece from the wipers to the firewall arm and from the motors arm to the firewall arm.

a little background. i originally thought that the motor only spun 180* and then reversed. its the only way my mind could grasp how the motor could "park" the wipers when turned off. i had thought that when turned off the motor just spun backwards a little more sucking them down. i was wrong. using a method still unclear, the motor spins clockwise 360* and then uses a cam action to make the arm longer when turned off. this is how they are sucked down.

so, the original thought was to just rock the new arm back and forth like i thought that the stock arm went. once i found out that it went in circles it posed a slight problem. the new motor would be providing a lateral force, not a rotational one. meaning, if both arms were the same length there would be an issue getting the new arm to pass both 90 and 270 without ripping something apart. since the stock arm was 2.25" and the dse is closer to 2" (still need to call on that), i decided to make my new arm 2.5". this means that my arm will never be forced to make the full circle and instead will just rock as initially intended.

the other issue was the mounting of both linkages on the new arm. i had a few ideas but settled on this one. i had to do some milling to offset the mounting points and to keep the thickness thick enough to tap, but thin enough to keep the stock linkage from pushing too far towards the windshield. the closer to the windshield it gets the more bind that is introduced. this is currently a sweet spot and there is no bind.

here are the pics. like i said, still needs to be cleaned up.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0410.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0565.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0562.jpg

[tones2SS]

Very nice. :thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

i built arm #3 last night but bored .020 too deep for the bearing seat and the snap ring fits too loose. i dont have enough material to bore another .025 and add a second snap ring, so arm #3 is going in the trash after a couple hours work. i changed some things up a little on this one, but most notably i swapped the side being milled which required a smaller relief and it presents with a solid side when viewed instead of the offset notches that you see now. i also overlapped the area around the notches so its full thickness for .188 instead of being much thinner like the one above.

i did however clean up arm #2 above and it looks much better with the newly radiused corners. since arm #3's main difference was appearance, and since you wont friggin see it anyways, i may not build a #4.

i work the next 48 hours, but plan to get the linkage hooked up on sunday after making a few more small parts. i may also do a short video clip to show how it all works.

Tim

[The WidowMaker]

here is a little video of the new linkage. i am actually making the 4th arm tonight. this will have a little different ratio to get a full sweep on the window. the first few arms assumed that the starting angle and the finishing angle would be the same. since that didnt actually happen, even though the motor was moving the arm 4", it was only moving the stock linkage about 3.75". that .25 was a few inches of the window.

theres one other issue that im working out with a few phone calls, but i hope to have an answer tomorrow.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/th_chevellewiperonline.jpg (http://s858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/?action=view&current=chevellewiperonline.mp4)

[waynieZ]

Do you have enough room to open the groove for the clip and put two to take up the extra room?

[The WidowMaker]

Do you have enough room to open the groove for the clip and put two to take up the extra room?

it was just too thin to take another ~.025 out of the side to add another snap ring. plus, its geometry was different than the 4th one that i made. i have them down to about 2 hours now though :) .

[slipknawt]

Hey Tim what is the measurement at your front crossmember to the ground and your frame rails at center point with your rushforths on.

[The WidowMaker]

Hey Tim what is the measurement at your front crossmember to the ground and your frame rails at center point with your rushforths on.


its hard to get you an accurate measurement since i never mounted the fronts and i dont actually have any of them right now. the plan is about 6" at the bottom/middle of the frame and about 3.5-4" at the crossmember. that put also puts my exhaust and mid crossmember at about 4" as well.

im not really as concerned about the front cross since it sits even with the wheels. although an object in the road is obviously a concern, im more concerned about speed bumps and the exhaust. its tucked up within 1/2" of the floor, so theres nothing more i can do.

this is at about those measurements. i have been toying with the idea of doing a rocker extension, but i think it looks a lot lower with how the wheels are tucked.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9148.jpg

[slipknawt]

Thanks i am in the process of starting to order parts and fabbing 4 link and a watts so i set frame to mimic yours i want the same stance as your car

[The WidowMaker]

i finished ironing out the issues tonight with the remote setup. i ended up making another arm.... yep, number 5. this one takes dse's .550 and turns it into about .280. it keeps the wipers much further down using the delay feature. i called them again and spoke about the difference and they cant give me an answer as to why theirs parks the wipers so much more. either way its done.

oh and about 6 months ago i promised myself that i was done swapping unused parts and losing money. but since the brand new tko is up for sale i guess i didnt keep my promise. i have a couple guys interested and the bell housing is already sold. a t56 magnum will be going in its place.

[The WidowMaker]

since i finished up the wipers, im back to the bumper again. i finished fitting the lower valance piece today. it has about 20 slits in the top where i was able to reform it to fit correctly, and both ends needed some work to line up correctly. i now just need to drill some holes for some bolts and then finish up the cuts in the quarter panels. both sides need some work where the top corners of the bumpers meet the quarters. i'll post some pics when done.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0781.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0783.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0786.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0789.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

and the tremec is still for sale. i had a couple solid buyers, but nobody has sent the funds yet.

if anybody is interested, i'll sell the trans (tko600 .82 od) for $2000 or with the reverse harness, neutral safety wirng, speedo adapter and pilot bushing for $2050. If you add a mount and yoke from summit for $100, you end up with the basic kit that sells for $2395 new. so basically, this is $250 off on a brand new trans.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0793.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0795.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0796.jpg

[tones2SS]

Looks good Tim. Keep up the great work.:thumbsup:

[novaboy7272]

your project is lookin awesome. Keep up the great work. You're given me good ideas for my 69' chevelle. :thumbsup:

[Flash68]

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9148.jpg

Tim, this pic is pretty sweet.

[Cris@JCG]

Tim- Car is looking good!!

[vinz68]

Very cool build!!:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

just a brief update. i finished welding up the quarters today and i also finished up mounting the lower valance to the bumper. i just need to finish grinding the welds and work on the corners a little tomorrow and it should be done.

also, the tko is sold and i plan to purchase the magnum tomorrow. i need a bellhousing as well and since i have a credit with mcleod, i drove down there today to use it towards one of their 8710-00's. while there, i was told that they are redesigning the part and should have the new bell out in a couple months. it will only have the starter pocket on one side and therefore be a little easier to package.

so instead of buying a bell, i ended up swapping out my rst clutch for an rxt. my rst was the first version, and they were actually going to rebuild mine with all the new updated parts for free since its still brand new. after discussing the intentions for the car, they recommended the rxt hands down. with the clutch material of the rst, it has to be rebuilt if you glaze it. the rxt will actually fix itself after a little driving and is meant to take the extra abuse. they are actually in the process of adding a sprung hub to the rxt's, so i was told to bring it back before i installed it and they would update this one as well. i really couldnt believe the customer service and their desire to only have their best product on the road. things would have been slightly different if i was bringing them a used clutch though.

but, i still need a bell. the quicktimes are a little more expensive, but they are lighter and possibly a little smaller as well. im not sure which way im going to go yet.

Tim

[The WidowMaker]

well i wanted to be done with the bumper months ago, and i really thought i would finish it today, but nope. i got the corners finished up and that was about it. now the quarters are done (except a couple tacks underneath the lip that can be seen in the pics), but i need to finish grinding the welds on the bumper and i still need to fill the jack holes. then i have a few more welds to grind on the valance and it should be done. i will make sure a fit the bumper a couple times when blocking the car and make sure the fitment doesnt change very much. there are a couple areas that can be touched up a little. i will also decide how to make the exhaust exit at a later time.

i also took a couple pictures of the newest and final arm on the wipers and another of how it mounts under the fender. i made this arm almost twice as thick where the bearings mount, but the rest is the same. the extra thickness allowed me to retain one bearing with the snap ring, but the second is retained when it is all bolted together. this extra width improved stability at least another 50%. its friggin rock solid now. i still never figured out why the dse cam moves as much as it does, but i came up with my own geometry to work around it.

i also called up summit and ordered the quicktime bellhousing part #rm-8020. i had summit price match the best price which i found using the google shopping site. i friggin love them. it even beat summits pro shop price by 20 bucks.

here are a couple pics.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0799.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0804.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0808.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0809.jpg

[NvrDun71]

Inspiring Build, keep up the great work! Also congrats on the TKO sale, The Magnum will be nice :cheers:

[waynieZ]

Very nice work on the bumper. That looks like stout set up on the wipers.

[tones2SS]

Very nice work on the bumper. That looks like stout set up on the wipers.

^^What Wayne said here. Looks great.
Keep up the great work Tim.:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

thanks guys!

[The WidowMaker]

i finally got the bumper finished! this has been the most difficult project to date, and it will still need a lot of work when i get the car painted. i really wish i could have sucked the "wings" in a little more or extended the quarters as that would have helped with the illusion created by the depth difference. although the gap measures the same all the way across (+/- .010), the gap at the edges appear larger. its friggin killing me! but i think with color the issue will disappear. i debated actually making the sides smaller but the illusion changes depending on shadows. with the sun to the rear of the car everything actually looks as it measures.

i also got the quicktime bellhousing today. i was really suprised to see the block plate, or lack there of. the mcleod is a solid plate with about a 6" dia hole in the center. the quicktime is about a 1" perimeter strip and some more plate that covers the oil pan and thats it. i have a feeling they use the flywheel to keep material from going into the engine, but that doesnt really make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside :noway:. i'll call them tomorrow and see what they say. i saved 14lbs though. 27 vs 41. i have a feeling i'll more than make up for that with the larger magnum.

the radiator also shipped last week. mike at musclerodz is the man. i'll take some pics when it gets here.

im going to spend the next couple days cleaning up the trunk lid a little. the gaps need a little more work and the weather stripping channels need some work as well. then i have to pick up some doors and get the sheet metal all fit.

the new quicktime housing......

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0813.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0814.jpg

[waynieZ]

They make a nice looking bell housing.

[The WidowMaker]

so the radiator shipped out last week and showed up today. a huge thank you for mike at muscle rodz. he was great to work with and his prices are by far the cheapest ive found. for those that have followed, i stressed about the ron davis/prc decision for a long time. i was actually willing to pay the extra money (~$250) for the rd quality welding, but once i decided on an internal oil cooler the decision was made for me. prc was $85 extra and rd was about $800 extra. plus, prc would build whatever i needed for the same charge, and that included welding on the tabs on the side.

im actually really impressed with the welding. could it be nicer? yep. but id still give it an 8.5 out of 10 and considering the linear amount of welding, the quality is VERY good. its going to be a little while before i weld up the mounts for it, but its here and i can mark the purchase off my list.

i also rolled the car out for a few more finished pics of the rear. i now need to decide what im going to do for exhaust. it is set up to exit at the outer black oval, just not sure how im going to do it yet. i was hoping that the area would be flat, but that was wishful thinking. im kicking around some ideas, but i would love to hear some opinions.

oh, and just so you guys can see im not crazy. check out the last few inches of the bumper to quarter on the left side of the car. you can see how just a little is shaded, but that part appears like the gap is larger. the entire sides do that when they are completely shaded and its driving me friggin NUTS. put it in the light and it goes away..........

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0825.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0832.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0837.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0834.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

a question for the metal experts; i picked up my new door shells and am acutally impressed with the rear fit of the drivers side so far (still a lot to go). the gap is really consistent and the profile matches the quarter well. i was prepared to weld an 1/8th" round rod to the edge of the door to assist in working the gap, but found that i only need to take off a little in one area. so, would you prefer to weld a rod the entire length of the door, or just remove some material? doing so will likely split the skin, but i can either mig or tig it back closed and then file to fit.

which would you prefer?

i do have to weld a rod to the bottom. the gap is a little too wide (~.320), although very consistent since its within .015 front to back.

also, what do you guys do to build an edge up to get panels to flow better across the gap (height not width)? would you rather build with a weld bead of tacks, weld a rod or do the work with filler?

btw, there is a whole thread on this that i started, just looking for some more opinions.......

[The WidowMaker]

i finised working the rear gap of the drivers door today. i filed it down until it was perfect yesterday and then went back and welded it all up to make sure it wasnt going to split. today i filed the weld down until it was perfect again. it measures .190-200 all the way down. the quarter makes it hard to measure since it doesnt angle in 90* but i tried to do it as consistent as possible.

i am still pretty amazed at how well it all lined up. you can see in the second pic that the profile matches the quarter very well for having no work. its in about .015 right under the body line and also a little more at the bottom. i plan to work those areas when i get back to the car next week.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0896.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0891.jpg

[64pontiac]

Love the build! Keep it coming

[The WidowMaker]

so i now have both doors on and i have started working the drivers side fender. it lined up decent to start with, but no where close to where i wanted it. so far i have about 5 slices above the body line and about 5 more within the 3 inches below the body line. it still needs some adjusting, but the top half is getting closer. its a total pain in the ass since each small move can make a big change and since every slice requires the fender off, it takes time to get it back where it was.

i also wasted some time adjusting my slices based on how i sighted it. since the gap varies about .050 now, making it sight right and making it follow a straight edge across the gap were two different things. since the gap will eventually get fixed, i had to go back and redo it. still not done, but much closer than when i started.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0916.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

i finished roughing in the door last week and got the hood on earlier this week. i'll finish working the door gap once everything is squared up for good. every small movement changes it just a little, so it would be a complete waste to try to do any more now.

im still struggling with the hood though. im shooting for about .180-.190 gaps and had to make some more adjustments to the tops of the doors and fenders to spread them out just a little and widen the gaps some (another reason im not touching the door gaps till its done). even though i tried to measure and set them correctly when the hood was off, i knew this would happen.

the biggest issue i had was that the passenger side of the hood and the fenders contour were off. by about 3/8"! the front and rear were flush, but the hood sat too high in the middle. i tried bracing it at the front and rear and applying some pressure, but it was going no where. since i dont have my original fenders, and because i cant remember 8 years back to whether they fit this way or not, i had to come up with a plan. i planned to make slices all the way down the inner structure of the hood, but realized that this would take some work to metal finish.

so, instead of butchering the hood, i drilled out 12 of the 14 spot welds that hold the outer fender skin to the inner. i left the front and rear spot welds alone and raised the middle the 3/8 that was needed. i plug welded the holes back up and just need to grind down the welds. its about .020 off in height at the worst spot, but i plan on skimming the gaps anyways, so i figure this is well within spec. i also noticed that when i was done moving the outer skin, a couple reference points now match the drivers side fender. hard to explain, so i'll post up some pics later to explain.

the next step will be to sand off the old paint and the ecoat and start working the width of the gaps. i was surprised at how consitent they are now though. +/- .010 is about what im starting with. i'll see if they get any worse when the old paint is gone.

here are a few pics.

this is the first of the hood after i corrected the high spot. the camera makes the hood look high, but its the angle. it sat about .375" high at the grey spot on the hood.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0990.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0983.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0995.jpg

[War]

Nice work. I can appreciate how long that takes to align and gap everything.:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

Nice work. I can appreciate how long that takes to align and gap everything.


i knew it was going to be a long project, but its INSANE how long it actually takes.....

[waynieZ]

It takes a long time, but that will make all the difference in the finnished car. Excelent work.

[tones2SS]

Keep up the great work Tim.

[The WidowMaker]

a real short update. i got all the paint off the edges of the hood and fenders today. the hood still had the original green underneath with two red paint jobs on top. so, i ended up moving the fenders in another .030 per side once all the paint was gone. the gap looks really straight though, and i plan to work it a little tomorrow.

i also spent some friggin cash last week. i got my switches from watson street works, picked up all my sound deadening from second skin and purchased the tremec magnum. everything should start trickling in this week. ill post up some pics when i get them.

[Vegas69]

Wow, you are doing a killer job man.:thumbsup: Went to the magnum A?

[Nick.V70]

Tim looking great!!
Damn wish I had seen you had that TKO600 for sale:_paranoid I need a tranny..lol

[ModernMuseum]

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_0837.jpg

What is this port for and where does it connect on the motor? I have a smiliar radiator and don't know where to hook it up.

What are the other two ports for? Oil cooler?

[64pontiac]

If its anything like the beecool modules, that port is for the fan relay temperature probe. But someone familiar with a ron davis rad should confirm for you.

[coolwelder62]

Awesome job.Amazing work you are doing.:thumbsup: Scott

[Rybar]

Just went through the entire thread, amazing work for doing it yourself in your own garage. :thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

thanks for the comments guys. i got one side of the hood done and am about 80% done with the other side.

What is this port for and where does it connect on the motor? I have a smiliar radiator and don't know where to hook it up.

What are the other two ports for? Oil cooler?

its for the steam port. i didnt do enough reading before i set this up, but it appears that some guys have a way around running the line from the head to the radiator. id have to find the info, but i think they are tying it into the water pump. if thats the case, i'll just plug it.

the other two are for the internal oil cooler with -10 fittings.

Wow, you are doing a killer job man. Went to the magnum A?

yeah, and i blame you and dave :thumbsup:. by the time i spent the money sending it to liberty i was in magnum territory. i just wish tremec would have had it 3 years ago when i got the tko. i was looking at a modded t56 at the time and those were BUCKS.

im not too worried about fit since my tunnel should be large enough, but im going to have to come up with a new mount on a freshly painted frame.

[Flash68]

yeah, and i blame you and dave :thumbsup:. by the time i spent the money sending it to liberty i was in magnum territory. i just wish tremec would have had it 3 years ago when i got the tko. i was looking at a modded t56 at the time and those were BUCKS.

im not too worried about fit since my tunnel should be large enough, but im going to have to come up with a new mount on a freshly painted frame.

Ha, you're welcome, Tim. :D

Seriously, I think you made a good choice. I think it's a no brainer right now for those who are purpose building for any kind of moderate or serious tracking to go with either the Magnum or be an early RS600 guinea pig.

I'm really anxious to see you out on a track when this is done.

[The WidowMaker]

Seriously, I think you made a good choice. I think it's a no brainer right now for those who are purpose building for any kind of moderate or serious tracking to go with either the Magnum or be an early RS600 guinea pig.

i think the magnum still takes the cake. its a close ratio 5 speed with a useable 6th gear for freeway crusing. on the tko, the .82 would be spinning a little too high, and the 1 to .64 is a pretty big gap.

I'm really anxious to see you out on a track when this is done.

ha, im not :_paranoid . im going to have a TON of driving to do to get comfortable with the power, braking and even the manual trans in this car. its pretty embarassing to say, but ive never had a dd manual car. drove a few and got used to it, but im not really good yet.

[Flash68]

i think the magnum still takes the cake. its a close ratio 5 speed with a useable 6th gear for freeway crusing. on the tko, the .82 would be spinning a little too high, and the 1 to .64 is a pretty big gap.


I would agree. The .68 of the RS600 is a decent trade off, but if you have the room for the T56 as your tunnel should, good call.

ha, im not :_paranoid . im going to have a TON of driving to do to get comfortable with the power, braking and even the manual trans in this car. its pretty embarassing to say, but ive never had a dd manual car. drove a few and got used to it, but im not really good yet.

Ah, one thing I learned recently is don't sell yourself too short til you get out there. You might surprise yourself. :thumbsup:

You're reminding me how much I miss a manual DD!

[The WidowMaker]

its here!!! i pulled the motor, bolted it up and stabbed it all back in as a unit tonight. i have lots or room still left, so im pretty happy. i knew i would have to change up the mount from the tko, but the ideas that i had hoped would work, wont work. im going to try and borrow a tubing bender and see about making another crossmember. if that doesnt work, i'll cut 4 sides out of some 1/8" flat plate and make something else. i really wish i had a friggin waterjet!!!!

the shifter also threw me for a loop. its acutally clocked/tilted about 5-10* towards the driver. i thought the tranny was sitting a little sideways somehow, but the mount and motor are flat.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1020.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1019.jpg

[214Chevy]

Widow, the half-cocked shifter threw me for a loop too when I mocked mine up as well. I thought something was wrong. I then called Tremec and they said that was the way it was designed. But, before the call, I was stressing, checking all the measurements thinking something had to be wrong. Lol!!!:lol:

[The WidowMaker]

Widow, the half-cocked shifter threw me for a loop too when I mocked mine up as well. I thought something was wrong. I then called Tremec and they said that was the way it was designed. But, before the call, I was stressing, checking all the measurements thinking something had to be wrong. Lol!!!

i found the info on here shortly after posting. they should put a friggin sticker on it that says something like "hey dumb ass, we know".

[The WidowMaker]

i finally got the new trans crossmember finished. i literally spent 10 hours making the damn thing and i have another 5 pieces that didnt quite work. when i made the first, i made the cross, mounted the tabs to it, positioned it, and then tacked it in place. since the front tab was still there, i had to make these pieces fit that tab. much more difficult!

my original idea was to use 100% of the existing tab and not have to weld to the painted frame. but, the magnum positions the mount about 4" back from where the tko was. i wasnt really comfortable building that much angle into the mount. so i had a decision to make. i could either cut off the old tab and weld in a new one, or i leave the original and weld on a much smaller tab to the rear. the first option would have messed up 4" of paint where the old tab was once it was ground off, and it would mess up 4" of paint where i would weld the new one on. the second option only messed up 1 1/4" of paint and won for that reason.

unfortunately i knew going in that the exhaust would have to be reworked slightly. the front section is 3" tubing, but the flex joint is over 4" and is in the way. i was actually surprised that it clears when mounted back up, but i literally have 1/8th. i have to cut the flex out and reweld it back in about 3" forward.

here are some pics.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1052.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1055.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1058.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1060.jpg

[Nick.V70]

Nice, congrats on the tranny... Sounds like a great combo.

[frankv11]

very nice progress
I like the cross member that thing looks good.
what clucth are you going to run?

[tones2SS]

Nice progress Tim.:thumbsup: Keep us posted.

[The WidowMaker]

what clucth are you going to run?


i swapped out my mcleod rst for an rxt a few months back. should stand up to my driving a little better.

[The WidowMaker]

i went to opg and picked up the other door today that had been backordered. got it installed and im pretty happy with the fit. not perfect, but good. im going to finish working the hood and then come back and worry about the gaps.

[The WidowMaker]

i got the passenger side shell lined up. i had previously fit the old door to the new fender and had made a bunch of relief cuts to make it work. i ended up having to do it all over again, but the results are well worth it. i still have about 6" to go on the bottom of the door and then i'll throw the hood back on and keep working it.

also, i contribute pics but very little tech. so.... heres some for you. if you are going with a magnum for your car and you buy the bare trans, the chevy t56 wiring pigtails wont work with the chevy magnum. the reverse solenoid is the same, but the reverse lights are different and the vss is from a ford. i ended up getting the reverse solenoid and light harnesses from Bill Harloe ([email protected]). $24 shipped to my door and the tremec vendors wanted $60 plus shipping. i have sourced the vss for $8 and will be ordering it in a couple days.

heres a pic of the door to fender.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1106.jpg

[Swain]

Looking good I should have came by and watched you do your gaps you seem to have it down pretty well. I still gotta come by and drop that wheel off.

[The WidowMaker]

Looking good I should have came by and watched you do your gaps you seem to have it down pretty well. I still gotta come by and drop that wheel off.

its actually very easy, just insanely time consuming. ive literally taken each fender off about 100 times. let me know when you want to drop by.


i finished up the passenger side fender and remounted the hood today. if its not raining tomorrow i will get the hood gaps complete. if it is raining i plan on remaking the seat brackets to drop the seat another 1 3/4". im also going to get the harness bar bent while i still have the bender. i need to take it back on sunday so ive got to be done.

here is a pic of the harnesses from the source posted above. these are for the reverse solenoid and the reverse lights. the vss will be coming soon.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1118.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

i finished up the hood today and will blow it apart later this week to gap the doors and the fenders. so far i have just got the contours on the door and fenders to match. i now need to go back and weld up the relief cuts and then spend a lot of time evening out the gaps.

i also got the harness bar bent up and the seats lowered. the seats ended up dropping 1 3/4 in the rear and about 3/4 up front. i wanted the base rocked back a little and the new mounts do that really well. my head is now much further from the roof and i think the seats look a lot better in the car as well. i dont like seats that are too tall, and these seem to fit good. as far as the harness bar, the plan is to make it removable and use the permanent stubs to mount my 3 point belts. i would really like to make it so that i dont have to remove the 3pts to mount the bar, but im not thinking its going to work out that way. im VERY concerned with the stubs sticking out past the door panel and becoming an object that a rear seat passenger could strike their head on. i have a few ideas to keep them recessed with very little (<1") exposed. more to come.

i know a lot of guys dont like screwing with safety systems that the oem put in their cars (for very good reasons), but i have every bit of confidence that the plan is extremely over engineered. the amount of weld surface holding the stubs and the strength of the material that its being welded to only reinforce my confidence. one only has to look under the car near the rear seat to find a 1/8" plate on the underside of the sheetmetal that the seatbelts bolt to. this plate spreads the load on the stock sheemetal floor and was suffiicent enough that 4 bolts held 3 bodies. since im already having to do the same thing on my trans tunnel to get the inside bolts for the front seats, im not worried about having to do it for the harness bar.

some may question the belt angle needed to achieve my goals. after a lot of research, ive found that the best angle is 0*. either up or down starts to comprimise the belts ability to do its job, and too far down can compress the spine as well. i have read and been told by a couple different seat belt manufactures and a seat company that anything less than 20* is perfectly acceptable. with my 6'3" frame, im the worst case scenario in my car. my shoulder height with the new seat brackets is 24" from a reference point. the center of the tubing is at about 21.5" and im thinking that i can get the belt at somewhere north of 20". the belt will also mount 16" behind my shoulder. the math shows ~14* for the 4" drop and allows a 5.82" drop before i hit 20*. i think im well within the spec. i had considered the belt slipping off my shoulder due to its lower height, but mockup shows that with the distance behind the shoulder this doesnt even come close to happening.

photobucket is down right now, so i'll post up some pics when i can.

[NvrDun71]

I might have missed it in the thread, but where did you end up picking up the Magnum from?

[The WidowMaker]

I might have missed it in the thread, but where did you end up picking up the Magnum from?


$2634 shipped to my door. i got one of the summit 10% off coupons. they are now only handing them out at shows and the code is a one time use.

[Ron in SoCal]

Best deal going Tim!

[The WidowMaker]

Best deal going Tim!

seriously. i spent a ton of time looking for one of those coupons though.

i didnt get much done today. i started welding up all the relief cuts in the drivers side fender, but some of the welds decided to move a little. i spent the day making it all work again.

here are the pics of the harness bar. i will get better pics once the installation gets a little further.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1133.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1136.jpg

[Ron in SoCal]

.0000005 lookin good, as usual Bro!

[scottysimp7]

I dig the harness bar. Is that custom? cant wait to see more!

[The WidowMaker]

.0000005 lookin good, as usual Bro!

ha. to much time doing what filler could do in 30 seconds. i'll have a better idea of how far i need to go when it comes to the next car.

I dig the harness bar. Is that custom? cant wait to see more!

its a custom deal. im still trying to find new car test criteria and running some numbers to see how much force it needs to withstand. so far ive found numbers of ~1700lbs when 3000lbs is applied to both the chest and the abdomen at the same time. a lot less than i would have expected for a total of 6000lbs. that 6000lbs is what a 200lb driver would see in a crash from 60mph that stops in 3.5' with .5' of belt stretch. 30g's! even hitting a solid wall, the 3.5' would be the front of the car crunching. im not sure a seat belt would save any of us in a crash like this in our old cars.

maybe an engineer can shed some light on the forces.

[The WidowMaker]

well, im still working on the gapping. never in a million years would i have expected it to take this long. if i can keep on my current schedule, ill be done with the sheetmetal in mid may. thats about 2 months behind schedule.

ive been looking into seatbelts some more and i am trying to narrow down my choices. i would really like to just call up morris classics, but he repackages belts into kits that fit our cars. since i dont need a kit, most of the pieces and a lot of money would be wasted. so ive found a few options that are still made in the USA.

what im trying to decide on right now is which buckle im going to choose. i originally wanted a more modern buckle, but after looking at all of the website pics im now leaning towards the chrome "lift latch" style. i would brush the chrome to fit the rest of the car. the problem is that all of the vendors seem to sell the same set, and im not a fan of the male portion of the buckle (see pic). i would either need to fab us some kind of cover, or find a manufacture that has one already done. there is one other choice that is more modern and all black.

what do you guys think?

here is the non retractable version that shows a good pic of the latch. i dont really like the male end. it just seems as if something is missing.
http://www.gotbelts.com/sites/seatbeltpros/uploads/images/products/352115.jpeg

here is one with a cover. not what im looking for, but im not sure why there isnt a cover on the lift latch.
http://www.gotbelts.com/sites/seatbeltpros/uploads/images/products/CH256_Series_Text.JPG

here is what i would consider a more modern latch. it may have the red "push" button that im not a fan of though.
http://www.gotbelts.com/sites/seatbeltpros/uploads/images/products/WSCH511_Series.jpg

[Flash68]

I like that bottom one.. agree it has a much more modern feel to it.

[The WidowMaker]

youre right it does. im still wondering how the lift latch would look brushed though.

the other problem is that the ends are going to be mostly hidden anyways. the fronts will be next to the seat and the rears arent going to be that long.

[The WidowMaker]

well, im still searching for seat belts. from what ive found the main manufacture that everybody else sells is beams in oklahoma. they claim to be made 100% in the USA and hopefully that ends up being true. there do appear to be two different retractors though. one has some "knobs" on either end and the other is smooth. theres a picture of each earlier in the thread. i know for a fact that beams makes the knob version, but i was told today by a reseller that their smooth version is made in oklahoma as well. not sure if its beams or not. this seems to be the same retractor that morris uses as well.

im still havent made up my mind on the buckle. i thought i narrowed it down, but it appears that any style female end can be purchased with a locking style male end. not that i think my mounting won't work, but if for some freak reason something happened with my shoulder harness, i would still at least have a lap belt.

i also struggled with the decision of lap or 3 pts in the rear. the plan is to attempt them with 3 points that mount the retractor below the rear deck. i will need to reinforce the deck and the mounting point for the retractor. since the belt will be traveling up through the sheetmetal, i will need to make something to redirect the belt that wont shear it when force is applied. since the factory has been using 1/4" d-rings, my thought is anything with a radius will work. the plan is to either mount some delrin or aluminum that has a radiused slot. if anybody knows of something already out there, im all ears. ive also been concerned with the angle of the slot. when the belt gets pulled out, it doesnt get pulled straight forward. rather, it gets pulled across the body. im thinking this slot will have to be aimed in the direction of the pull. not a huge deal, just more on my mind. ive also thought about putting some bearings on it and making it swivel. this would allow it to retract and extend correctly and my wifes car has something similar on the B post. i havent thought a lot about how i would make it though.

other than that, progress is still going on with the sheetmetal. im also hoping to pick up my door handles from ring brothers in the next couple days. staci is supposed to be setting up a group purchase and as those that have been following know, im a sucker for a deal.....

[The WidowMaker]

well im way behind on my sheetmetal work. i wanted to be done by now, and that was worst case scenario. im still on the drivers side. its going to be middle june before im done, and its looking like novemeber at the earliest for paint.

i did pick up my door handles from ring brothers. they are currently having a group purchase with 10% off and free shipping. call staci if you want parts!!!

[Nick.V70]

Just purchased or have in your hands....I hope if you have them in hand you would post pics:unibrow:

[The WidowMaker]

Just purchased or have in your hands....I hope if you have them in hand you would post pics

just got them in the mail today. i ended up getting their last set of full sand blasted that they are making. its the perfect platform for paint, so i will either paint them the grey, or sand them to a brushed finish. not quite sure yet.

the wife has the camera tonight, so i will get some pics up on saturday. they look sick!

[The WidowMaker]

i finally finished the drivers side. i will start working the passenger door tomorrow. heres a before and after of the door to fender gap. one area in the middle looks a little tight in the pic, but i dont see it in person and it measures perfect.

also, ring bros door handle pics up tomorrow. i promise!!!

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1426.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1489.jpg

[Ron in SoCal]

Nice work Tim! I have gap envy...:lol:

[The WidowMaker]

Nice work Tim! I have gap envy...

thanks buddy :thumbsup: . when im tired of working, i just remember that i have to keep going to keep you impressed:yes:

[The WidowMaker]

heres the starting point on the passenger door gap and a crappy pic of the door handles. i'll see if i can get a better one.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1518.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1503.jpg

[tones2SS]

Very nice Tim. Those gaps look great.:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

Very nice Tim. Those gaps look great.

Thanks!!!

passenger side door is done. the bottom looks fine in person, but showing up tight in the image.

i started working on the fender to door gap and should be done by early next week.

before
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1518.jpg

after
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1551.jpg

[Ron in SoCal]

Looks real good Tim. Keep goin' Bro...:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

its been a little while since an update. i had a few questions on how ive been gapping, so i plan on posting that up tomorrow night. here are a couple pics of the almost finished passenger fender. i just need to finish the very top where it is flat. i will do that on thursday, mount the hood and start on the fender extensions.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1712.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1706.jpg

[waynieZ]

They look great, nice work.

[The WidowMaker]

i still havent researched the headlights yet, and i probably wont touch the chevelle much in the next couple weeks. life is getting in the way of my hobby again. oh well.

here is a brief "how to" on gapping. it probably isnt perfect, and the experts can feel free to chime in. i must have 200 hours into the doors, fenders and hood so far. i learned that every little change changes something else. and when youre trying to work with .005, you dont need much.

before you start, you will need to make sure that the front end is square since any movement of the front of the fender will either open or close the gap. you also need to make sure that you have the door edges pulled out where you want them and also the contour already needs to match.

this is how it all started. i got the other side done after squaring the front end based on the hood. the other fender was tight to the door in some areas <150, but this one was about .190 at its closest. it was actually over .300 at the bottom.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1670.jpg

this shows how i add to the door. i took some copper tubing, slit it down the middle and beat it flat. i rough contour it to the back of the door and attach it with the vice grips. the vice grips suck it in the rest of the way and leave no gap. this helps greatly in the cleanup of the weld on the back. also, if you look at the top fender bolt you'll see two little pieces of sheetmetal welded to the cowl. the fender mount rests up against these to position the fender quickly. its simple to grind the back of the door since you can open it, not so much with the fenders. youll also see my impact wrech laying there. i just picked it up prior to the sheetmetal project and it has saved me hours. i cant imagine having to use a socket wrench like i used to. 65 bucks brand new on ebay since it didnt have a battery or a case.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1679.jpg

this is how it looks when im done with all the tacks. i would do a series of 5 tacks in a row and then skip to another area. since i had two pieces of copper going, i would do one set up top and then move to the other piece. i usually had two areas per piece of copper (between vice grips) and would do all 4 areas and then let it cool really good. if it was warm when resting my hand on an area before starting it would get cooled before starting. no reason to push too fast and make more work for myself.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1684.jpg

this is what it looks like when all the the tacks are knocked down. i use three tools that work really well for me; an 80 grit flap disc, fiber wheel and a sander conversion with 50 grit. all of this goes on my variable speed grinder which is key. im not sure any of this would work at 15000 rpm. i would knock down the gap with the 50 grit until all the peaks and valleys were gone and i would use the flap disc and fiber wheel to knock down the outside. i used to use just grinding wheels until i found the flap disc. then i used the flap wheels until i found the fiber discs. i dont think im going to find anything else that amazes me like this combo. the flap discs do a good job of quickly knocking down the high spots and they dont gouge like a grinding wheel. then when its close, the fiber disc finishes it off and leave a nice hatch pattern.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1691.jpg

another picture after the first knock down. you can see its no where near perfect, but the major stuff is flat. this is also the time to check how flat the end of the panel is. i had most areas pull in slightly with the heat, so a hammer and dolly knocks the whole edge back out in less than 10 minutes.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1695.jpg

now comes the time consuming part. my ideal spec was .175. my acceptable spec was +/- .005 as long as that wasnt right next to each other. my eyes can easily pick up .010, but not when they are 2 feet apart and the countour of the panel is in play. so i start by using the 50 grit paper on the grinder to get everything to .150. there are some high spots that need more love. then it all goes to .160 the same way. i used two points just to keep from going too far. for the .150 youre working small areas. once at .150 youre most likely running the entire edge to get to .160. youll see some .175 markings, but that was before i found a metal shaving in between my stop at the fender bolt. i used a reference point every time after to make sure the stop was working.


http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1696.jpg

and done. it looks much better in person. the camera has a way of ruining the depth of the panel and making it look tight down at the bottom where it curves back in.

it will also now get coated with gibbs to keep the rust off until it gets painted. before final paint the whole gap will get a coat of filler. its REALLY close, but blocking will make it perfect.

also, the rocker isnt as tight to the door as it looks. its ~.160 but this pic makes it look more like .100.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1703.jpg

another profile pic. i wish i would have taken more in the beginning. i cant believe how far its come. i hope somebody knows of a better way to fix the profile than all the work i did to the back. but its the only way i knew how.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1709.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1712.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1716.jpg

[mrgm]

thanks for that little write up. think that will be the way i will end up doing it.

[HEEP]

Thanks for showing how this is done. I have followed your thread and have been amazed at the gaps. Now you have show the technique.
Thanks.

[Nick.V70]

Tim - looking good man, progress is making me :drool:

Question, so we run the same UCA's and I see on your old frame and UCA you are contacting the frame at full drop, then I see the new updated frame pics and now you installed a drop out bump pad. Did you have problems in that area with the UCA contacting? I wrapped mine with a rag while we had it off and on the lift and I was really surprised it was that way, would have thought SPC would have not had it that way but I also might be over looking something as I don't recall the install sheet, been a while from when I first mounted them. I have bump pads here and I was going to do the same so I don't tear up the adjuster contacting, my car is so low I can't see it touching under normal driving more than when I put it up on the lift and the suspension hangs.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1907.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_9881.jpg

[tones2SS]

Great work Tim. Gaps look good.
Keep us posted.

[The WidowMaker]

Question, so we run the same UCA's and I see on your old frame and UCA you are contacting the frame at full drop, then I see the new updated frame pics and now you installed a drop out bump pad. Did you have problems in that area with the UCA contacting? I wrapped mine with a rag while we had it off and on the lift and I was really surprised it was that way, would have thought SPC would have not had it that way but I also might be over looking something as I don't recall the install sheet, been a while from when I first mounted them. I have bump pads here and I was going to do the same so I don't tear up the adjuster contacting, my car is so low I can't see it touching under normal driving more than when I put it up on the lift and the suspension hangs.



i only did it to keep it from hitting when on a jack or stands. i dont think spc ever designed these for our cars, rather adapted another design. most aftermarket arms kick up before coming back down to the bj. these, not so much..... i used to use a towel as well, but decided that when repainting i would just add the stop.

btw, yours is killer. i wish i was driving mine........

[The WidowMaker]

so...... you know that feeling you get when youre about to make a huge mistake and then you catch yourself. well, i didnt feel it, but i wish i did......

i just got the driveshaft back from dennys after a $115 round trip. i had to have it shortened since the magnum is longer than the tko. dennys is nice enough to supply you with a sheet to make measuring super easy, and it was. and my measurements were spot on. problem was i painted the rear when i did the frame and i sent my yoke off to have it coated. when i got it back i put it on the splines and slid it until it stopped. "stopped" is the key word which should have been replaced by seated. but it didnt get seated until today when i jacked the rear of the car up to put the driveshaft in and noticed that the yoke looked a little funny sticking out like it was. when i measured for the first time for the diagram i had jacked up the front of the car and couldnt actually get my head into a spot to notice.

so..... dennys wants 3/4" slip at ride height and i have 1 1/8" now. i dont think its going to be a huge deal. in fact, i dont think its going to be any deal. it just that little things like this piss me off. my only concern would be less support and extra vibration which is something i really dont want. im going to call tomorrow but i dont expect him to tell me to send it back.

[The WidowMaker]

well i called dennys and they said there would be no issues. they nomally shoot for ~1", so my 1 1/8" isnt too much. he said that if it were 1 5/8" he would worry a little. i never really asked what the issue would be if it were a little shorter. im not sure if it would be a vibration that would ruin the bearings on the output shaft, or if the reduced spline engagement would result in a failure from twisting.

i also started on the fender extensions today. although the first pic is the opposite side, both were about the same. even though it appears the hood could have been shifted back to get a good gap, the angle at the front of the fenders were wrong leading to a crooked gap if the hood was back and the extension was flush on the fender. i welded up the gap along the top and down the side and filed it down to fit. i still need to work the area towards the center of the hood since its about .030 too tight. so far i have about 4 hours in this since it took a lot of twisting and hammering to get it to fit pretty good before working the gap.

heres the first pic. in order to get .175 across the entire gap, it had to be pulled out. i had thought about spliting the extension and tweaking only the hood side out, but decided this would be cleaner.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1973.jpg

heres the second pic. it snugs up a little more, but im holding it in place with one hand and snapping the pic with the other.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1967.jpg


and heres the other project ive been working on. so far i have about 4 hours in this as well. way too much time for how little work it appears, but getting it all set up and repositioning takes a lot of time. plus i can only take about .050 in depth and side bite at a time. it will get recessed in the trans tunnel and it will be held in place with some screws that i havent drilled for yet. its obviously not necessary, but i like playing with the mill. each project shows me how much money i need to invest in good tooling.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1983.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_1978.jpg

[waynieZ]

I just went back and looked through your thread again. You do excelent work.

[The WidowMaker]

the sheetmetal work is done for now. i finally finished up the front fender extensions and the bottom of both doors. ive now started on the bumper. in the next month i hope to get the bumper narrowed, tucked, shaved and the plate area filled in. i also tossed the idea of a turn signal incoporated in the headlight and will instead find a thin light that can be mounted in the stock bumper area. the plan is still to open up the stock hole a little more and put the light behind a honeycomb cover. the rest of the hole thats not taken up by the light can serve as some sort of air inlet later if i choose.

the other plan is to get started on the grille. i had thought about a billet style slat grille, but it really doesnt flow. so my thoughts are a stock shaped grille, but 4 sections of honeycomb instead of the stock slats. plans are a bunch of 3/4" square aluminum stock that will get cut and welded with the honeycomb inset. my only other thought is to remove the horizontal divider, but i'll have to see how it all goes.

[HEEP]

I have planned also to fill the plate area on my front bumper. It has been a long time since my car was together. Can't remember where the hood release came out. Is it right over the plate through the bumper? If so, what are your plans for the release?
Great work by the way.

Thanks,
HEEP

[The WidowMaker]

Can't remember where the hood release came out. Is it right over the plate through the bumper? If so, what are your plans for the release?


yep. right in the area thats getting shaved. i havent mocked up the latch yet, but im thinking an actuator controlled by a button in the cabin and one on the key fob.

[The WidowMaker]

ive placed a few orders in the last week. the first was for glass from auto city. contrary to popular belief, money is tight and needs to be spread out as much as possible. i have a closet full of parts for this reason. so i picked up all the glass this month. price was 750 shipped to my door. i ended up getting all smoked glass other than the front window. i requested the front without the strip up top as well. ive never like it or seemed to notice any difference with it.

i also started picking up the pieces for the front end. the first pieces were some led lights for the turn signals. i bought 2 15 bulb strips, but may order 2 more depending on how bright these are. i also ordered a sheet of aluminum hexagon mesh tonight from grainger and im going to pick up the 3/4 bar tomorrow. im slightly worried that the 20ga aluminum mesh is going to be too fragile, but i'll have to see when it gets here. the only other material i could find was stainless and the smallest sheet i could find was over 200 bucks.

the bumper is also about as far as i can get it for now. i took 3/4" out of the middle and am going to pick up some 14ga to shave the license plate recess when im at the metal shop tomorrow. the brackets were also reworked and are now welded to the bumper. i also decided to reshape the ends of the bumper where it wraps around. the bumper has a nice tight radiused end and the fender has a larger radius. the plan is to make both the same. more to come......

[The WidowMaker]

well i got a little more done today. i started cutting out the license plate recess and bent up a piece to weld back in. i also picked up all the metal for the bumper inserts and the grille. the aluminum weighed 23 lbs for just the inserts. its a shame that all but about 2 lbs is going to end up on the ground.

here are a few pics.

overhang prior to narrowing but after working the bottom to make it more even with the top. the bottom was touching the fender before i started and couldnt be narrowed any more.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2188.jpg


overhang after narrowing
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2196.jpg


profile across the front. it looks good, but cutting the chunk out of the middle moved it a little. ill try and get it back perfect before tacking the piece in.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2192.jpg


bumper prior to cutting
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2199.jpg


giant hole to be filled
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2202.jpg

[The WidowMaker]

i finished up the center of the bumper today. a skim coat of filler when its painted or sprayed with aluminum and it will be good. i plan to work the corners when the grille is finished. i dont want to do those since i have a feeling ill move the bumper a little to fit the grille.

i also called up seat belts plus today and found that they switched suppliers from beams to seat belt solutions last year. a call to them and i found out that the webbing is made in the USA along with assembly and most parts. just little pieces in the retractor are made overseas. im going to finally finish my decision and get the belts this week.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2220.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2227.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2228.jpg

[waynieZ]

Things like that make all the difference. :thumbsup:

[tones2SS]

Very nice Tim. You do great work.
Keep us posted.:thumbsup:

[The WidowMaker]

thanks guys!

the grille material came in and i finished the front pieces for the bumper intakes. they started life as 2 1.5" 8lb chunks and ended at less than a lb. ive got ~10 hours into the 2 pieces. the next two should be easier since there arent as many angles. if the bumper was straight up and down on the front i could have saved half that time.

ill have some pictures up on monday. i also came up with a few new ideas for the grille that will make it easier but more time consuming to fab. i will hit the metal shop again on wednesday.

[Cris@JCG]

Looking good Tim!

We just finished this week rust repair on a 70 Chevelle we are doing here @ the shop.. Gapping this next coming week with body work!

[The WidowMaker]

does anybody have any info on leds? my plan is to use 1" of the 3.5"s in the inserts for for amber led light strips that will function as my forward turn signals. ill then cover that with some sort of prismatic diffuser and then a clear plexiglass. this will all be behind the hexagon mesh. currently im looking at the smd5050's and will run 2 6" strips per light. this will get me 18 leds of ~6 lumens each for ~110 total (2000-2500 mcd 120* conversion). the best info i could find put the stock amber bulb or the white bulb through the amber lense at ~80 lumens. the mesh is only 70% open so it will kill some light. im trying to come up with the best design possible that will get me the most visible forward projection. ive also looked at the side projection strips that would either allow more leds, or possibly building in some sort of reflector behind the leds since they wont take up as much space.

also, any good sources? i found these and they have good reviews, just not really sure. http://www.ledlightsworld.com/smd-50...eds-p-135.html


We just finished this week rust repair on a 70 Chevelle we are doing here @ the shop.. Gapping this next coming week with body work!

i cant wait to see it done. im way behind schedule, but i may be ready by january.

[crazycarguy22]

https://www.diodedynamics.com/catalog/

The owner is extremely knowledgeable and more than willing to help out, I highly recommend giving him a call. I've done business with him before on my Tiburon forum. I'm sure the two of you could figure out something cool.

[The WidowMaker]

i bought the leds last night. i ended up getting them from ledlightsworld.com. i looked into superbrightleds and found a bunch of people unhappy with the length of time they would last. no bad reviews on the other company. they should be here some time early next week.

i taped (literally) in the inserts this afternoon. i could have cut the hole around the existing one, but i wanted them centered in the bumper a little more. i will have to come back and fill in the top. i am also trying to decide how to mount them. the two choices are either a visible fastner from the front, or hide them all in the back. after that, the outside corners need to be rounded and i need to figure out what sort of profile i want on them.

i started on the second piece of the inserts today. i will cut them to size and get them mounted to the first piece on wednesday. i'll have to wait until i get the leds before i hog out the inside.

i also finalized my design for the grille. like anything and everything else, its way more complicated than i initially thought. if you view it from the side its actually tilted ~6.5* forward at the top. i knew this going in but the plan was to build it vertical since i thought the outsides were vertical. turns out the outsides are also tilted forward the same amount, so the grille is getting built with that angle in mind. it now means instead of setting up the mill vertical, i have to mill everything on an angle. i'll take a bunch of pics and let you all know how it goes.

here are some pics of the inserts. there is a little slop to get them straight. still not sure what i want to reference level off of. the bumper on the inside edge of the inserts is taller than 8" further out. this keeps screwing with my eyes and making me think theyre crooked.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2278.jpg

you can see they arent perfectly flush and the top portion of the original hole needs to be filled. the bumper will need a little work until it is.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/chevelle496ci/IMG_2275.jpg

The owner is extremely knowledgeable and more than willing to help out, I highly recommend giving him a call. I've done business with him before on my Tiburon forum. I'm sure the two of you could figure out something cool.


thanks for the info. i checked out the site and there was a bunch of cool stuff.

[Ron in SoCal]

Man Tim - you got skills and a designer brain working in overtime! :thumbsup:

I will say the killer bezel you made and light looks a little bit large on the bumper to my eye. I'm certain it'll turn out great when you get finished with it...:yes: