The 14 Car Performance Therapy Project Rushforths, Baers, Yokohamas, and more

[NOT A TA]

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/pt_winnerswhats_hot9image.jpg

As some of you know, I won the grand prize in the Performance Therapy Online Photo Contest a while back with a photo my bud John Hendrick took at the Sebring road race track. Some of the prizes awarded included a Set of Yokohama tires, a set of Rushforth wheels, and a set of Baer brakes which are going on my 70 Firebird.

I'm going to try to provide a lot of information in this thread that may help others learn about these products and installation and since many on this forum have much more experience than I do, feel free to chime in and tell me if there's a better way to do certain things if you know of one. DISCLAIMER : I am not an expert in suspensions, Tires, Wheels, or Brakes but will try to offer information based on my previous experiences (including mistakes lol) and what I learn along the way installing these products.

My old Yokohamas were worn out so that worked out perfect. I'd been holding off for a few years on bigger brakes because that required bigger wheels AND tires! The combined expense was out of my budget so I just kept running the stock style single piston front/drum rear brake setup with 17" wheels and some sticky Yokohama AO32 tires. I had a lot of problems keeping brakes on the car at road courses and kept making improvements with braided lines etc. until I got to the point of running a dedicated set of track brakes using race pads and custom made race shoes with one set of rotors and drums and a completely different set of pads, rotors, shoes, and drums for the street. I've been switching everything and replacing the fluid before and after every track event. The rotors got so hot on track I would crystalize them and have to get new ones before the next track event.

So after checking all of my possible options for wheel and tire sizing and talking to Jay at Rushforth about available wheel sizes, I decided on 18" X 10" wheels all around and the newer version of the Yokohama DOT R tires I had before. They are the AO48 in 285 and 295 18's. The 285's up front are going to be a little tighter fit than the 275s I had and will reduce the turning radius a little but I think on track they'll be great in the corners. 295's on the rear will be no problem since I had 315's before and they just rubbed a tiny bit, only on track at full tilt when I hit a corner curb too hard and the rear moved the leaf spring setup enough to touch (they were really stuffed in there close). So the 295's will give me a little extra room which eliminates the immediate need for some type of panhard bar or other device I'd been considering to limit rear movement.

Before Todd at Baer passed away he really hooked me up with some killer brakes! I talked to him about what I did with my car and explained that although the car's pretty and photographic, I'm more about function and that I'd rather have brakes that worked well on track than something pretty. I'm no brake engineer so I left it up to him and he went way out of his way, and beyond the call, to hook me up with a set of 14" slotted rotors (all around) with their 6P 6 piston calipers, parking brakes, and an adjustable proportioning valve for the rears. To top it off they sent them in their "Nickle" finish!

I've been daily driving The 14 Car on the street and no track days in a while so there's no numbers etc. on it now, but here's a "before" pic. I can't order the wheels until I get the brakes installed so I can measure for the backspacing required. I'll keep updating as I progress with the install.

http://www.baer.com/products/calipers/index.php
http://www.rushforthwheels.com/
http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/advan_a048.aspx

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Firebird/14less008.jpg

[NOT A TA]

Tires are the limiting factor to any suspension upgrades that increase the handling capabilities of the car since the contact patch, compound, tread pattern, and casing design combine to provide the connection of the vehicle to the pavement. For a car like mine that gets used on road tracks we use a wide, soft compound tire, that has big tread blocks. It is a type of tire designed for track days on full size road courses that is still barely streetable and carries a DOT # so it's legal. These are road track tires which require a certain amount of heat in them to function at their best so the first lap or two on track brings the tires up to temperature. Tires designed for auto-X are different and do not require the warm up that road track tires do. Our first couple laps is like a drag car warming up slicks to get them sticky.

A wide tire gives a bigger footprint and with the larger contact patch comes increased traction. At 285 mm front and 295mm rear these tires are almost a foot wide, about double what the stock factory tires were! Double the width, double the grip = double the FUN!!

These Yokohamas have a treadwear rating of 60 which is very low and indicates a soft compound so you wouldn't expect to get a lot of street miles out of them. I don't care about longevity. Chances are, the tires will start to dry and loose their grip in a 3-4 years before I wear them out anyway. At least thats what happened with my last set and 6 years is max tire life. Yokohama makes these AO48 tires in 2 different types. One for lightweight cars and one for heavier cars like mine. The difference in construction helps keep the tires in the optimum heat range for the rubber compound to provide the most grip. If I ran the tires designed for the lightweight cars on mine, the tires would overheat, and become "greasy" by the middle of a track session. Tire life would be greatly reduced.

The tread design on these tires is designed to channel water in rain if necessary (road course track days do not stop for rain) and keep the tire DOT legal. The large blocks provide a very stable connection to the pavement. The taller and narrower the tread blocks are, the more the blocks can move (squirm) and on road tracks cars with tires like that are limited by the tires.

The rounded casing design of these tires provides a good contact patch and smooth transition from full braking to cornering loads and again when rolling back into the throttle through the turn with a predictable feel. Tires like these don't squeal around corners so the driver has to pay more attention to how the car "feels" through the steering wheel and seat of the pants.

http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/advan_a048.aspx

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/002-1.jpg

[NOT A TA]

Before I won the contest I'd been trying to just have as much fun as I could while retaining an original type single piston front disc/rear drum brake system. Of course I keep replacing the calipers, wheel cylinders, master cylinder etc. and I installed braided flex lines to replace the stock rubber ones. I tried a number of different pads and shoes over the years and the most recent and best setup was having Porterfield race pads on the front with custom made Raybestos race shoes in the rear. I kept dedicated street pads, shoes, drums, and rotors and swapped everything and bled the brakes before and after every track day. A lot of work, but the race setup worked so much better on track than stock stuff it was worth it. The biggest drawback was that I would get the rotors so hot on track because of the race pads that I'd crystalize them and have to junk them after a track weekend. Now I'm going big time!

As mentioned in my first post, I talked to Todd at Baer for a while one afternoon. After discussing what I do with the car and my personal opinions on things like aesthetics. He came up with the brake package you see below. There's a few reasons for the way I got certain things that I think might be interesting to others considering big brake upgrades. I told Todd I didn't care what color the calipers were so they sent me Nickle plated!

Although the car's pretty and photographic, I am more concerned with the function, performance, and simplicity of things for The 14 Car than I am about the "look". If a couple sponges rubbing on a balsa wood disc would stop the car faster I'd be fine with that, no matter how silly it looked. So given that attitude, some things that the more show oriented guys get in a brake package I have no yearning desire for. Zinc wash rotor coating is a good example. My brakes are going to be used to their limit and so the wheels, spindles, calipers etc. get covered with brake dust at every track event. I clean everything often but I don't need the "show" look of the zinc. Drilled rotors are another type of option that I don't really need. There's a lot of opinions about drilling rotors that I'm not going to go into here, but for me, I'm good with slotted or solid rotors.

The big rotors are a lot of rotating mass and they will require more power to get them up to speed out of every turn. (read, slow my car down) That mass is also what helps dissipate all the heat generated while slowing the car repeatedly on track. Now, while you might think that the car accelerating slower out of corners will make the lap times higher, the ability to stay at full speed on the other end of the straight longer before braking more than makes up for the slower corner exit acceleration. As an example if I was going 140 MPH at the end of a straight I'd cover a lot of ground in a short period of time. If I can start braking a hundred feet later than I did with the old brakes the loss of time getting up to speed is more than made up for by the time saved traveling at full speed for an extra hundred feet!

The rotors are a 2 piece design and the calipers are BAER 6P asphalt track 6 piston design with BOTH brake pads moving! (inside joke). The fronts come on a dedicated spindle for the 2nd gen F bodies and the rears are designed to work on the Ford style Moser tapered bearing housing ends I have on my 10 bolt GM rear. These calipers use a modern Corvette design pad so replacements are readily available in different compounds.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/021.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005.jpg

The rear brakes are also 14" rotors with the 6P calipers and include the park brake that fits into the center section of the 2 piece rotors. There will also be an adjustable proportioning valve I'm hoping to mount within reach while driving to fine tune the amount of work the rear brakes do.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/024.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/028.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/032.jpg

[NOT A TA]

I decided a while back that since I'll have the car out of commission for a while I'm going to expand on the project of brakes, wheels, and tires. I've been saying I was going to do several other things to the car and so I'm going to take the opportunity to do everything at once. On top of the brakes, wheels tires I'll attempt the following. We'll see how it goes, and hope I don't slide down the slippery slope too far!

1. Replace core support. Mine was rusted out when I bought the car 20 years ago. None were available repro or used, so I fabricated a new bottom section so the radiator wouldn't fall on the ground (literally). I got a good used one from Arizona Rust Free about 6-7 years ago but never put it in. So the plan is to strip, paint, and install it.

2. Replace hood. My hoods not a real TA hood, just a stock hood with a hole cut in it. A guy in an Alfa Romeo lost an engine at Palm Beach International just as I was about to pull out to pass him. Some chemical from his engine damaged the paint on my hood and shaker scoop. So now's the time to paint and install the new hood. I bought a nice TA hood maybe 10-12 years ago but never installed it because I'd need to paint it. I'll have the paint out for.......

3. Repaint front spoiler. I hit a chunk of 2 X 4 that flipped up on a highway south of New Orleans while on vacation that took a chunk of paint out of the spoiler. Then I started going fast enough on track so the air pressure was folding the center of the spoiler straight down which the paint didn't like so it started peeling. If you've seen pics of my car with stickers on the front spoiler it was to hide the peeling paint ! LOL

4. Spoiler extension and splitter. Aerodynamic benefit and the supports will keep the stock spoiler from flexing so much at speed. Another thing I've been saying I'll get to. Since I'll have everything apart and be painting, now's the time. I've been working on a design, will try to make it a reality.

5. Custom front valance. Already have a spare valance to work with that's better than the one on my car. Gotta design in mind, will try to make it a reality.

6. Rear diffuser. Again I have a design in mind and will see how it works out.

7. Install NOS Hooker side pipes. I bought a set of side pipes a couple years ago to replace the ones on my car. The ones on my car are limiting performance because they are not headers to side pipes, but regular exhaust manifolds with custom bent exhaust tubing to the side pipes which have a fake "header" section on the front of them. They look cool (to me) but limit the engines performance to reach my speed goals. Drawback is the new pipes are black and so the "look" of the car will need to change. I'm considering a couple options.

8. Install foilers. Foilers are wheel well flares like the ones TAs come with but they fit behind each wheel. I bought a set about 10 years ago but never painted them or installed. Since I'll already have the paint out..... However there may be a glitch in the installation because the new side exit headers that came with the sidepipes may interfere with the front ones, we'll see.

9. Install trunk filler panel and trunk lid. Again, parts I bought long ago and never installed. My current deck lid is a stock non TA one I drilled holes in to install a spoiler and I have a better filler panel to use now.

10. Put the car on a diet! I added 200 lbs. of roll cage and adding a spoiler extension, splitter, and diffuser will add more. I would like to figure out some ways of getting that back out of the car. It weighed about 3500 lbs before the safety equipment install and I'd like to get back near that weight if possible. So while I've got the car torn apart I'm going to look for some places to do some automotive liposuction.

So I started the project by getting out the core support and stripping it. Gave it a good scraping to remove undercoating, wire brushed the big stuff off, wire wheeled it to get most of the heavy remaining deposits, and then sandblasted it with an Eastwood outdoor style blaster and wire wheeled it some more. I'll sand it before more work is done to it. I'm going to add some metal to stiffen it up where it attaches to the sub frame.

The 14 Car is a sort of streetfighter/G-machine, NOT a show car. So since there's a very real possibility I may ball the car up eventually I'm not trying to make things "perfect". For parts like the core support here's no smoothing/filling etc. getting done. The hours invested would be wasted if I make it look like piece of crumpled aluminum foil by smacking a tire wall or something.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-001F.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-003F.jpg

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http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-006F.jpg

[NOT A TA]

Paint day for the core support after waiting through a week of wind. I used some Chassis Saver which is a single stage rust encapsulating type of paint by Magnet Paint.

Here's my high tech mixing station! I use a HVLP jamb gun for jobs like this. The biggest hassle is making a way to hang the gun so the cup stays upright. READ DIRECTIONS (and follow them) for any type of paint.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-001F-1.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-005F-1.jpg

Here's my spacious booth complete with a tropical theme. Banana, Plantain, Papaya, Mango, Avacado, Yuca (Cassava), Areca Palm, and Almond background.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-003F-1.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-007F.jpg

[NOT A TA]

Before tearing the car apart I wanted to make some patterns for the spoiler extension and splitter I'm going to fabricate. Once the car is up off the ground it will be difficult to check ground clearance etc.

I placed a piece of cardboard about 3" off the ground under the front end and used a plumb bob to create an outline roughly the same as the nose of the car. From what I've read, the ideal splitter lines up with the front of the car. So I figured I'd use that as a starting point and shorten if I feel like it later.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-019F.jpg

With the height and outline done I made a piece approximately the size I'll need for the spoiler extension.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-020F.jpg

Test fitted the foilers for the back of the rear wheel openings. It's going to take some time to fit them nicely. Not sure if I'll be able to use the ones behind the front wheels because the side exit headers may be too close. We'll see.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-022F.jpg


So after shuffling cars around to make the garage available without being crowded I've started taking things apart. I swapped out the 2.41 rear I normally use for street, road courses and Land speed racing for the 3.73 rear I use for drags. Then stuck the Mickey Thompson ET Streets on there so if I need to roll the car around while I'm working on the rear to install the Baers I'll be able to. I need to upgrade the rear axles to 1/2" wheel studs to match the front so the axles have to come out anyway so I can line everything up nice and straight in a drill press. I figured I might as well just pull the whole rear to make it easier to work on.

1st thing, get the car in the garage ALONE!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-031F.jpg

I work alone so swapping rears is a little tricky. First thing was battery disconnect and suck the fluid out of the master cylinder since all the brakes are coming out. Then remove the swaybar brackets, brakes, and disconnect the brake line flex hose and park brake cables. Then remove one shock and lower plate and swing the other lower shock plate out of the way. I carefully jack the rear while balancing it and shift it to the side without the shock, tip it down then shift it back the other direction by rolling the jack. This way I don't need to remove the springs.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-001F-2.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005-1.jpg

After swapping rears and removing front wheels so I can work on swapping the spindles.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007.jpg

[89 RS]

Good stuff man, keep us posted. Looking forward to seeing the new stuff and how everything turns out for ya.:thumbsup:

[NOT A TA]

I was stuffing a lot of tire in stock wheelwells up front with the 275's on 9.5" rims and now I'm going to try 285's on a 10", so backspacing is important. I could touch the swaybar with the tires at full lock and it rubbed the powdercoating off. I'm concerned about backspacing when ordering the new wheels so I haven't ordered them because I was afraid if the new brake combo moved the wheel flange out I'd be in big trouble. So I figured better to install the new brakes and spindles and measure before ordering. I will loose some more turning radius and plan on installing limiters on the lower control arms. The types of driving I do with this car don't require extremely sharp turns.

With the original spindle and rotor still in place I used a straight edge to put some tape markers on the car and floor so I could line up the new combo and see if there was a difference.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-001F-3.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-002F-2.jpg

The first step involved in swapping out the spindle assemblies is removing the brake lines at the frame mounts where the flex tubes end. Since I replaced the flex lines with braided about a bit over a year ago I figured everything should come apart easy, right? WRONG! LOL The passenger side gave me a hassle so I did what anyone irritated would do, yup, I got a big pair of linesmans pliers and cut the hardline. AHAHAHA. I make new brake lines all the time so no big deal. Just would have been nice not to have to make that one from the line lock solenoid over to the passengers side since it was fairly new.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-004F-3.jpg

So after making quick work of the stubborn brake line I moved on to removing the spindles with everything attached. The Baers come all set up on a new spindle so all thats necessary to swap the setups is loosening, separating, and then unbolting the tie rod end and upper/lower ball joints. After putting the new assembly in place I checked my tape marks and was pleasantly surprised to find no change in the wheel flange position so I can easily calculate backspacing for the new Rushforth wheels based on the old wheels.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-005F-3.jpg

Because I'm concerned about weight I weighed the stock vs. Baer spindle assemblies fully loaded. I got out the bathroom scale and picked up one of each and weighed myself and a piece to be sure I was in the accurate range of a bath scale. I was shocked to find that the new ones were actually LIGHTER than the smaller stock rotor size ones! In disbelief I then piled both old ones on the scale then both new ones. Sure enough! The Baer assemblies with giant rotors are about 1-1 1/2 lbs LESS than stock for each assembly! While the rotating mass is heavier because of the much bigger rotor the overall unsprung weight is lower so in theory there would be some slight handling improvement and a beneficial loss of front end weight helping the front/rear weight bias.

[NOT A TA]

As I mentioned in my last post the 275 17's would hit the Hotchkis sway bar at full lock. The new 285 18 Yokohama tire is 10mm wider and will be on a 1/2" wider rim. The "extra" tire has to go to the inside because I was already at the limit on the outside and moving the tire out at all would result in the tire rubbing the fender lip under max compression.

Having the tire hit the swaybar could potentially be very dangerous. As an example, if I was on track and trying to control a situation where some or all of the wheels were at their limit of adhesion and a front tire contacted the swaybar it might cause that wheel to skid. That would be BAD! Lets say the rear end got loose in a corner and I was trying to correct by steering into the slide. The inner front tire (with less weight on it and therefore less grip) would contact the swaybar possibly locking up that wheel, then I'd probably be 4 wheels off before I even knew what happened!

So here's the rub.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-001F-4.jpg

Below is the stock limiter that the spindle bumps into at the end of it's turning radius. The one on the left side limits left turns (right wheel hitting swaybar) and vice versa for the right.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-002F-3.jpg

I decided to drill and tap the stock limiter for a 5/16" bolt or threaded rod and use that as a variable adjuster so I can retain as much turning radius as possible. Once the new Rushforth/Yokohama combination is in place I'll adjust the turning radius limiters and lock the adjusters (probably spot weld) so they can't move or loosen up and fall out. "Why 5/16" bolts?" you might ask. Well, 1/4" might bend, and 3/8" would be hard to drill and tap due to the geometry of the stock limiters, also this is a pre metric car so no metric stuff if possible.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-003F-3.jpg

Pics below show an Allen head bolt in screwed into the limiter but I haven't decided what will be used for sure yet. The final pic is looking down from the top so you can see how the spindle travel is limited.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-005F-4.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-006F-2.jpg

[rlpj68]

I like where you are going with your set-up keeping it cost friendly(even though you have gotten some good parts "donated", wish i was so lucky), keep up the post to let us know how it works out. Good luck and good job..

[NOT A TA]

I'd prefer chrome, but thats probably not going to happen since the new ones I have are black and chroming them would be expensive.. Black pipes will make the car look like it's higher off the ground so I probably won't leave them black. It's an optical illusion. Those who were around in the 70's may remember the flat black rocker panel trend, I did it to my 68 Camaro and it instantly looked like it was higher off the ground. As you can see in the pic in my first post my car is not really very low at all as it is compared with the current drop & tuck trend in the PT community. I've even been told I have too much "gap" above the tire. I care more about performance and it seems fine as is on track and at the same time the sidepipes make it appear lower than it actually is because the bottom of them is lower than the rockers. The effect is noticable more in person than in pics so I'm thinking about painting them.

Because I care more about performance I'm giving up the chrome pipes even though I really like the look of them. As you can see below the front section is just a faux header with only one of the tubes flowing exhaust. When I originally installed them I had the stock 350 2V engine with a single stock exhaust system. So upgrading to actual "dual" exhaust was a big step up ! AHAHAHA Even using stock exhaust manifolds! Since then I installed a bigger engine which is limited by the exhaust and the small (575 CFM) carb I've been using with the chrome setup. Car runs great and drivability is good. Throttle response is great but I'm leaving a lot of available power unused because the engine is kind of corked up.

The chrome pipes are great for an around town cruise night car and I've run high 13's at the strip and up to 140 MPH on road courses and at land speed races, so for what I was doing before they were fine. Now that I've got all the safety equipment in place to run up near 200 MPH I'll be building for more power eventually and the new full headers will be necessary. You just can't easily push enough air through stock Pontiac D port exhaust manifolds to make 600-700 HP.

So anyway, here's my old setup. The front and rear sidepipe sections were NOS pieces when I installed them but were from 2 different sets. They were different diameters. I had aluminum spacer collars made close to size by a bud in a machine shop then hand sanded them to an interference fit. I had a local exhaust shop bend up the sections that run from the faux header sections to the stock exhaust manifolds. I fabricated some T shaped mounting brackets that get bolted to the pinch weld at the bottom of the rockers. I used sway bar end link bushings to mount the pipes to the brackets so the engine movement and flex of the car over uneven roads etc. wouldn't crack the pipes.

I'll have to determine a good way to mount the new ones which are longer and heavier. I may try the same style brackets to the pinchweld.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-032F.jpg

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[70rs]

Good progress John.
I never knew the old pipes were set up like that. I just assumed you had full headers running to them. This should open things up quite a bit huh?

[NOT A TA]

Good progress John.
I never knew the old pipes were set up like that. I just assumed you had full headers running to them. This should open things up quite a bit huh?

Yes sir! More power!! .......well, in theory anyway. hehe

To replace the core support on this car everything from the firewall forward has to come off except one fender. On most old cars that's not too bad of a job but the early 2nd gen birds with a front spoiler have a lot of pieces and LOTS of bolts! So a couple hours here and there over the past couple days when I had time and it's all off. Since I will be pulling the engine/trans and running lots of new brake lines etc I figured there was no good reason to leave one fender in place so I just took everything off.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/014-5.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/021.jpg

In previous posts you saw the new (to me) core support. These early 2nd gen Firebirds were notorious for rusted out core supports. The wide openings under the bumper with no grills allowed leaves, papers etc. to fly in and hit the radiator then drop when the car stopped only to slowly rot there because there was no place for the debris to get out. It just sat wet from rain and washing on the lower part that holds up the radiator. The core support was the worst part on my car when I bought it, and remained the worst until today, while pretty much everything else on the car was reconditioned/replaced.

Many, many years ago I made a sheet metal section from frame rail to frame rail to support the radiator and eventually found a pretty good core support to replace the original with. BUT, I knew how big a job it was to replace and procrastinated, year, after year, after year. AHAHAHA So here's the pics of the rusty one. Due to rust the only thing connecting the top and bottom is the latch support bracket which will be refurbished and moved onto the new core support.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/016-3.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/015-4.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/017-4.jpg

[NOT A TA]

I pull engines fairly often and I don't like a big mess. The first thing I do is go to the local appliance store and get a large box from a refridgerator to cut up and lay under the car. If one piece gets all soaked with a fluid I've still got 3 more to make another mess! Siphoning certain fluids is another thing I do to keep things clean and neat. Most (but not all) radiator petcocks are not in a place that's both easy to reach and they don't usually pour the fluid in an open enough area to easily collect the fluid without it running all over suspension/steering components or the frame or core support creating multiple waterfalls under the car. So I siphon the radiator. Then I remove one end of the lower hose to drain the rest of the fluid into a bucket without the geyser that happens if the system is full. Then there's usually only a small amount of fluid that spills out when I pull the engine from whats left in the block. On this car I did this before removing the sheetmetal knowing I'd need the fluid out eventually.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/MVC-024F-1.jpg

Next is the Automatic transmission. Lots of stock trannys require dropping the pan to drain the fluid and it can make a big mess real fast if things go wrong. So I siphon the trans fluid out of the dipstick filler tube opening after removing the filler tube. Then the trans can be removed without dropping the pan and just refilled after reinstalling if there's no need to get into the trans.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006-2.jpg

With the fluids taken care of (no need to drain oil in this case) I support the trans with a jack and hook up the engine hoist with the chains just snug so the engine and trans can't fall and then remove the bolts holding the engine and trans together, the bolts holding the flexplate to the torque convertor, and the trans crossmember bolts. A slight tweak with a prybar between engine and trans housing slides the trans back far enough to remove the engine. Then remove the engine mount bolts and out she comes!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007-1.jpg

[NOT A TA]

With the engine out I moved the trans forward to clear the crossmember, removed the torque convertor, and dropped the trans down and moved it out of the way. I've got a T-400 that will be replacing the T-350 and I'm giving the 350 to a bud who needs one for a late 2nd gen TA with a mild Pontiac 400 he's building for his wife. He's a hardcore Ford guy and it's killing him to build the TA she wants AHAHAHA. Wait till the wife feels the tires chirp when it hit's second with the shift kit and the stock stall convertor!

So engine and trans out with no big muss or fuss other than a couple little drips of trans fluid on the cardboard from removing the torque convertor.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012.jpg

Once the trans was down and safely out of the way it was time to get the engine on a stand. For you guys reading to get tips, here's a few. Remember, engines are heavy. Keep yourself out of positions where if something goes wrong you could be be pinched against a solid object (including floor). Pick up all tools etc. and get them out of the way before putting the engine on a stand. Clean work area is a safer work area!
1. Don't forget to remove flexplate before putting an engine on a stand.
2. When choosing a stand for a big heavy engine with accessories like this one DO NOT use a stand with only one wheel in the front, they're more "tippy" and you'd be amazed how quick an engine can flip and crash (I've seen it happen). Use a stand with double front wheels for any big heavy engines.
3. Check the bolts you're going to use to bolt the engine to the stand (no, the bellhousing bolts will not work) to be sure the shank of the bolts will not protrude and bottom out on the block. Space the bolts with washers if necessary.
4. Bolt the stand adapter to the block while the engine is hanging with the bolts loose. Then center the part that slides into the engine stand. Tighten up all the bolts. DO NOT overtighten, nothing trying to pull the engine off the stand.
5. Pick up the stand itself, and slide it on the adapter. Insert the pin that keeps the engine from being able to rotate on the stand.
6. Gently lower with attached stand.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001-4.jpg

So with the engine and trans out and safe it was time to pick and move the car so I can get another one back in the garage also while I work on all the parts. I decided to try and combine two great ideas. Wheel cribs and wheel castors. It actually worked very well and is suprisingly stable.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002-1.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004-1.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003-2.jpg

[NOT A TA]

While most of you were watching football and eating leftover turkey sandwiches Thanksgiving night I went over to the machine shop to drill out my rear axles for 1/2" wheel studs. The race classes I plan on running in require 1/2" studs so that's what I asked Baer to send my set ready for. The fronts were already installed in the new assemblies. I called Baer tach support to be sure I got the same style ones for my Moser axles. Don't want the hassles others have gone through with different thread size or appearance of front vs. rear studs.The gentleman on the tech line that day conferred with a bud at ARP and they decided which studs I needed which I then ordered. The steps below are the old school way of doing this and modern machines can do this much more quickly but if you've got access to a big drill press like I do and want to do it yourself, here's how.

At the machine shop there's a big ole freestanding drill press that's rarely used. Many years ago the shop owner made an adapter to allow drilling out axle flanges which he told me about when I asked about drilling mine. Neither looked like they've been used in 10 years and I've been there 3 and haven't seen anyone use them. Anyway since I knew they were available I figured I'd use them.

First step drag out the press and shim it at the bottom so the drill bit would be straight up and down. I used a small square and a level on the drill bit at 2 sides 90 degrees apart. Shimmed the press at the floor with wood shingles till the drill bit was square with the world.

Next I set the table adapter that would support the axle flange so it too would be flat and square with the world. The table adapter has a couple holes in it that allow offsetting the axle shaft so the hole that needs to be drilled can be lined up with the drill bit.

First step is taking out the "little" 7/16" studs. Support axle flange on a vice and plink them out with a big hammer.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006-3.jpg

Next set up the axle on the press adapter and install a bit the size of the original holes (7/16" in my case) in the chuck. Then double check the axle flange and bit to be sure they are square to each other. Because I'm reusing the axle bearings I had to use apacers to support the axle flange because the bearings wouldn't fit through the axle hole in the table adapter. For each hole the 7/16" bit gets lowered and lined up through a hole to be drilled and then the flange is clamped in place. To be sure the hole is lined up perfectly with the bit after clamping, release the bit, then lower it again and make sure it slides cleanly through the hole.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001-6.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002-3.jpg

With an intermediate sized bit the hole is opened up. Go gentle at the touch off and check the cut to be sure the bit is centered. Use cutting oil to lube the bit. After the intermediate hole is finished repeate the process using the final bit which should be sized for a 10 thousandths interference fit.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003-4.jpg

Once all the holes are drilled use a flat file on the flange to clean off the burrs from drilling. Then Install the new studs by supporting the axle flange on a vice and using the big hammer to plink them in. If you did everything right the studs should all be parallel. Check out the size difference in the studs in the bottom pic! I'll put a spot of weld on each stud when I get a minute during the next couple days, it was late by the time I finished so I figured I'd do that later.
.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008-3.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005-5.jpg

[NOT A TA]

So, after a year I'm finally updating this thread. I've been busy working on other peoples projects and some of my own other projects however it's time to get some work done on my bird and get it back together! The only part of the prizes I hadn't ordered yet were the Rushforth wheels.

I decided that figuring out the backspacing I think will work for the new wheels and ordering them would give me incentive. So I ordered 18 X 10's with 6" backspacing up front and 5.5 backspacing in the rear. The 285/295 tires are Yokohama AO 48's which are a DOT legal race compound tire designed for track day use. I expected a wait time of 8-10 weeks which is not unusual for custom wheels and figured I'd use the time to start working on the car. Imagine my surprise when I got a tracking # within a week! I better get moving!

For those who've never bought custom aftermarket wheels like these Rushforth Night Trains there are other options besides the backspacing. You can get different finishes/colors, regular or hidden valve stems, exposed or hidden hardware etc.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/NightTrain1s_medium.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009-1.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008-4.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006-4.jpg

[NOT A TA]

I was working on the rear axle doing the rear disc install (more on that later) and then our weather here turned to the time of year where it's the best time to do bodywork so I shelved everything else temporarily to concentrate on the bodywork portion of the project.

I'm replacing several pieces on my car with "better" ones than I could find (or afford) when I first painted the car 20 years ago. I collected these pieces over 20 years and am finally painting them since the cars apart anyway.

1st up is a deck lid. The one on my car now was the original esprit lid without spoiler which isn't as straight as I'd like. I had drilled holes and mounted pieces from 3 different spoilers on the car at the time. I parted a 76? TA back in the 90's and saved the deck lid and spoiler for use now. Spoiler will be modified. I didn't completely strip the inside of the trunk because it's a lot of work few will ever see and not being in the sun the paint isn't cracked. I did strip the edge and smoothed a dew dents.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/002-43.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/005-Copy-1.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002-7.jpg

The trunk filler on my car wasn't as good as the one on the parted car so it came along for the ride and got stripped as well.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/007-18.jpg

The hood on my car was originally a stock flat hood someone did a nice job of cutting a shaker hole in before I ever had it. I bought a stock TA hood long ago and have kept it waiting for paint. Because my job involves a lot of underhood restoration projects and customers will want a peek at my own car I'm kinda forced to do a nicer job than I would normally do to a car that might get stuffed into a tire wall at a track. So I stripped and smoothed the complete inside and outside of the hood. I've got over 20 hours in it so far!

The hood was media blasted and primed before I bought it a long time ago so I wanted to start with bare metal. While using a DA to strip it I mark all the high and low spots so I don't miss any then sand out the paint before hammer/dolly work and thin filler.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008-7.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010-4.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010-5.jpg

[syborg tt]

John

Glad to see your updating the car. I have always loved this car.

[OLDFLM]

I know you've been busy working on other people's cars...
Glad to see you are back on the bird my friend!! :thumbsup:

How did that GTM turn out btw? :unibrow:

[NOT A TA]

Living close to the Atlantic we get an ocean breeze most days. Since it was calm today I took the opportunity to spray some primer on pieces that were ready for some paint.

My high tech mixing station.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002-11.jpg

My fabulous tropical spray booth. Yes, I need to mow the lawn (weeds) but it's bodywork season!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001-13.jpg

Some neighborhood quacks stopped by to offer assistance (beg for food). While some guys have a shop dog or cat the ducks have decided it's fun to stop by my house get a bread snack and check out whatever I'm working on. They'll stand in front of the garage if the doors open but not come in, however if I'm outside they get underfoot and sometimes get banished like they did today ahahaha.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003-12.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004-6.jpg

All primed inside and out with high build sandable primer. Ya ya I know "Whats that Fox body notch trunklid doing in the mix?" It snuck in and will be painted white.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008-9.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007-7.jpg

[NOT A TA]

I decided to modify a rear spoiler with the hope of increasing downforce. I will be making a front spoiler extension & splitter so hopefully this will balance it out a bit. I'm adding fiberglass to a stock rear 3 piece spoiler to make it about 1" - 1 1/4" taller.

So far I've got about 80 bucks in materials and it looks like it'll work. I used some roofing flashing to make a sort of mold on one side of the spoiler to support the fiberglass & resin.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011-5.jpg

After building up one side with several layers of fiberglass I removed the flashing and added several layers to the other side.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001-14.jpg

Then sanded with an air tool with rough twist lock 3" pads to create the curves and zip off the excess.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001-15.jpg

After another coat of fiberglass resin and another rough sanding *I'll smooth out the surface with a skim coat of bondo and prep for paint.

[NOT A TA]

Got sidetracked from the bird project for a few months but I'm working on it again. The rear spoiler is roughed in and will get finish work done later while mounted to the car. I started working on the front bumper I'll be using. I want a bumper without the jack hole slots for a cleaner look.

Starting with a core I bought many years ago I soda blasted it to get off most of the old primer & paint that someone put on it. Then mounted it to my "whatdayacallit" body/paint contraption while bolted to a board to make it easy to work on. This way I can spin the bumper to work on top/bottom and the part doesn't keep flexing like they do when trying to work on regular bodywork stands.

There was a section that had lifted from the metal core which happens to many of the 70-73 bumpers. So I drilled holes in the affected area, scraped inside to loosen rust/dirt etc. and then blew out the junk with an air hose. Then pumped panel bond into the void through the holes and clamped overnight.

After the panel bond was dry I ground off the paint sticks and excess panel bond and used 3M flexible parts repair material to fill the voids and other bumps cuts etc. on the bumper.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps0838a368.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps0838a368.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps11e70764.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps11e70764.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zps6574a6e0.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zps6574a6e0.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps8a5a1b8c.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps8a5a1b8c.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zps14ef0d44.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zps14ef0d44.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Jack hole slot removal. Prep slots by roughing up and chamfering the rubber around the slots with dremel tool. Panel bonded a thin piece of aluminum to inside of bumper, let dry. Filled slots 1/2 way with panel bond , let dry. rough up panel bond and use #M flexible part repair material, let dry. Sand & fill with 3M till smooth.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsb43d4531.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsb43d4531.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps7ce23a63.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps7ce23a63.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsd7403a9c.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsd7403a9c.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Another thing that annoys me about the early 2nd gen front bumpers is the strip across the bottom where the grill supports attach. It's ugly and is seen from the front so I painted that section of my other bumper flat black in an attempt to make it disappear in the shadow. For this bumper I've cut it off and will make new lower supports for the grills.

I've got 2 front splash pans and am currently working on the one that was on the car before stripping, doing some metal work, and prepping for paint as it was stock. The other one will be modified later to see if an idea I have will work.

I Also stripped the center section of the front spoiler for paint prep. Over the past 20 years it had gotten a few bumps & bruises and seen a lot of flexing at high speed events from air pressure. The angle of the spoiler would be straight down over about 125 MPH and the repeated flexing caused paint cracking/peeling problems. I will be adding reinforcements to prevent the flexing in the future..

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsc606e175.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsc606e175.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsd4ec4e80.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsd4ec4e80.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/017_zpsd9e7df22.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/017_zpsd9e7df22.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps9a3b0729.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps9a3b0729.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps58c5216a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps58c5216a.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

I'd installed 1/2" wheel studs in the rear axles a while back so while working on body panels I also got everything together to install the Baer discs on the rear. I had Moser tapered axles with Moser Ford style housing ends for drum brake application welded to a 8.5" GM housing so switching to disc brakes with an internal drum parking brake in the rotor hats is an unusual swap.

It turned out to be a bit of a puzzle to figure out how to actually assemble and required some minor fabrication to make it all work. Rather than explain I'll just post pics since it's unlikely very many people will be in the same situation since most people do the disc upgrade at the time they install axles etc. and wouldn't be in my situation since they'd get housing ends welded on for disc brake applications.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/018_zps7554f435.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/018_zps7554f435.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/030_zps01efbb1e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/030_zps01efbb1e.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps65b147e5.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps65b147e5.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

Like the progress John! Looking forward to seeing this one back on the track!

[Ron in SoCal]

John are you going to run one caliper facing forward and one rearward?

Love your work, as usual :cheers:

[OOCustoms]

Awesome to see that your sticking with the side pipes. Years ago when I started building my 74 nova and I bought a set of full header side pipes like the ones your converting to. Although that project never went much farther and life got in the way, I cant wait to finish it one day and still incorporate the side pipes I have for it. Its the only 70-80s muscle car style I still love. I do want to possibly recess them into the rockers and raise them to adapt to the pro touring style. I cant wait to see yours complete with those pipes. Its gonna sound wicked! are you gonna run slip in mufflers? how bout some spark plugs in the tips to shoot flames???? LOL

[GregWeld]

Nice to see you back at it John!


You're doing some good stuff there buddy!

[NOT A TA]

John are you going to run one caliper facing forward and one rearward?

Love your work, as usual :cheers:

Yes, well probably ahahaha. There's a couple reasons I want to try it that way. Stagered shocks, rear end swaps, etc. and if it works out OK I'll flip the bleeder up to the top.

[NOT A TA]

Awesome to see that your sticking with the side pipes. Years ago when I started building my 74 nova and I bought a set of full header side pipes like the ones your converting to. Although that project never went much farther and life got in the way, I cant wait to finish it one day and still incorporate the side pipes I have for it. Its the only 70-80s muscle car style I still love. I do want to possibly recess them into the rockers and raise them to adapt to the pro touring style. I cant wait to see yours complete with those pipes. Its gonna sound wicked! are you gonna run slip in mufflers? how bout some spark plugs in the tips to shoot flames???? LOL

The slip in mufflers that came with the old Hooker sidepipes are really restrictive. I'm thinking of trying the spiral inserts. http://www.spiralturbobaffles.com/

[NOT A TA]

Nice to see you back at it John!


You're doing some good stuff there buddy!


I've been working on it but customers cars come first (travelling car builder) and then when I get home it's tough to get motivated to work on my own car ahahaha. I'll post some more updates of things and bring the thread up to where I am now. A few of others projects I've been building came to a point where my services aren't needed much and I've got a little free time so I'm working on my own car more this week.

Here's a few of the current builds I've got to a point where I get a break while the cars go to paint or interior shops etc. I work on a lot of donk/box/bubble big wheel cars but here's a few pics of builds I like more.

69 Camaro full resto-stripped to unibody PT car ZZ383 , Tremec 5 speed, 12 bolt, DSE stage 3, Vintage air, AAW, Wilwood, etc. Owner did the bodywork and some other things while I did mechanical/electrical/plumbing etc. It's been a little over a year since we started. Time for paint!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Brads%2069%20Camaro/002_zpse64603d0.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Brads%2069%20Camaro/002_zpse64603d0.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Brads%2069%20Camaro/009_zps6e4616aa.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Brads%2069%20Camaro/009_zps6e4616aa.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Brads%2069%20Camaro/004_zps70927767.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Brads%2069%20Camaro/004_zps70927767.jpg.html)


89 IROC clone. Just finished up driveline install and it's off to paint.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/customer%20cars/003_zps02222b6e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/customer%20cars/003_zps02222b6e.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/customer%20cars/003_zpsf1f41818.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/customer%20cars/003_zpsf1f41818.jpg.html)


71 Impala cruiser. Just finished installing all the replated exterior chrome and it's headed for interior.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/customer%20cars/007_zps78ba0d17.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/customer%20cars/007_zps78ba0d17.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Back in the beginning of this thread I mentioned i was going to reinforce the core support where the body mounts attach. They typically get rusty & soft on the early 2nd gen bird core supports. The one I'm using is one of the best I've seen but it had started rusting there like they all do. I decided to make a sheet metal patch panel for above & below the original sheetmetal and plug weld them in to make the piece stronger than the original.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps7adc7e0b.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps7adc7e0b.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps507db74a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps507db74a.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsc58cb16e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsc58cb16e.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps98496a76.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps98496a76.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zps772685d0.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zps772685d0.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpse2863372.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpse2863372.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsc3f78119.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsc3f78119.jpg.html)

[clill]

Need more pics of that 71 Impala...

[NOT A TA]

Need more pics of that 71 Impala...

I'll take some for ya Charlie.

When it comes to projects, scope creep is inevitable. We start out thinking "I'll just do this and this" and before ya know it you've gone waaay beyond what you planned. In my case I had the front end off and drive line out with new body panels needing paint that would never match the 20+ year old paint from when I first did the car. And, since I'm gonna put solid body mounts in to replace the polys I installed years ago anyway......... I figured, Just get it over with and do the whole damn car!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpse4c3375f.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpse4c3375f.jpg.html)

[RodZZilla]

I
71 Impala cruiser. Just finished installing all the replated exterior chrome and it's headed for interior.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/customer%20cars/007_zps78ba0d17.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/customer%20cars/007_zps78ba0d17.jpg.html)

Sweet! My first car was a 71 Impala Custom. 400 SB. Could bury the speedo with ease. Probably a good thing I still don't own it. :D

[carbuff]

I figured, Just get it over with and do the whole damn car!

Woah, that was unexpected! I presume you're going back with the same paint color/scheme?

[NOT A TA]

Woah, that was unexpected! I presume you're going back with the same paint color/scheme?

Will be the same color red but I might change up the look a bit.

[carbuff]

Glad to hear it! As one of the primary cars which pushed me to choose a Firebird instead of a Camaro for this project, I'd hate to see it change too much. :)

[NOT A TA]

While stripping the body for new paint ( I didn't strip to metal the first time 20 years ago) we found a couple previous repairs. Among them was a dent that was filled with bondo instead of pulling it out. The dent was in a spot where you can't get to the inside of the sheet metal and whoever did the work must not have had access to a stud gun. So for those who never saw one or saw one used here's how it works.

This is a stud gun which is sort of a 110V spot welder that attaches a stud to the body. The stud is loaded into the gun, pressed to the body, pull the trigger, and the tip of the stud glows red welding itself to the body.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsc81da338.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsc81da338.jpg.html)

There's a couple sizes of the studs but even the small ones will burn through most modern cars because the metal is much thinner than the old cars so the guns aren't used much by collision shops any more.The studs shown are the larger size which work great on old cars.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsf8099d18.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsf8099d18.jpg.html)

My buddy Jeff shows how the tool that pulls the studs works. He's been a body man all his life so he's got the technique down from working on cars like mine since they were new. Jeff's helping me do the car as part of a trade deal. So he's doing the exterior bodywork & paint which is really going to speed up my project since I can do the subframe, underside, and other things while he's making the car straight. We do jobs together and it works out well.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsbf3b229a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsbf3b229a.jpg.html)

[Steve Chryssos]

It's so nice to see the 14 car getting pampered and showered with gifts. And I love of your tips. :thumbsup:

[NOT A TA]

Thanks Steve!

Since I've recruited Jeff to pick up and continue from where I was on the exterior bodywork I've been stripping the underside and doing other things. I never trimmed the rear wheel lips or rolled them before and since now's the best time to do it I cut them and Jeff rolled them so they're tucked out of the way. They'll be epoxied and seam sealed to keep anything out of the rolled section. Jeff's got the outside of the doors in primer and is working on making the roof & quarters straight by skim coating & blocking some areas.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpse623e5d5.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpse623e5d5.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpse7589bbd.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpse7589bbd.jpg.html)

[OLDFLM]

Looking good John! :thumbsup:

[NOT A TA]

Looking good John! :thumbsup:


Thanks Ty!

It's more humid here in South FL than most parts of the country even this time of year. So as soon as a panel is ready for primer it gets shot to prevent rust.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsc4686b66.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsc4686b66.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

I wanted to trim and roll the wheel well lips not only to create more side clearance for wide tires but also to allow more suspensiion travel and to allow the possibility of dropping the car a little. I know I was right at the limits before hitting with the 315 tires I had before. I'll be doing the Adams mod during this project which will drop the car a small amount and I may drop it a little lower than that before I'm done. So trimming and rolling the lips now before paint is just the right time to do it.

As seen in my previous post I trimmed about half of the wheel lip off in the center directly above the rear wheels and tapered off to nothing several inches above the body line. This way no one will notice when looking at the car from the sides because the wheel well lip looks stock. You can only tell if down really low looking up. Filled the gutter created by rolling the lip with panel bond to add strength and prevent debris from getting in there and holding water IF the car ever gets wet. Then I primed the wheel wells so I can move on to getting the rest of the underside stripped to bare metal without having the sheet metal get rusty from humidity.

Here's pics of the rolled lip, shiny clean 43 year old wheelwell, and 1st coat primer.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps94bef662.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps94bef662.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsfba38290.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsfba38290.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps909c5955.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps909c5955.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsf4e3c46e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsf4e3c46e.jpg.html)

Meanwhile Jeffs been getting the quarters in primer and now he's skimming a few places on the roof. A couple small patches were used on the passenger side quarter to fix soft spots that could have eventually become a problem years down the road and the drivers side only needed a very small repair (size of a nickel) in the corner right behind the wheel. For original 1970 quarters on a car that was originally a DD up North it doesn't get much better!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps75f169c7.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps75f169c7.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps815a6460.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps815a6460.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Jeff's done with getting the unibody & door exterior surfaces stripped, straightened, skimmed, etc. and is on to the prime & block stage. I'm still stripping the underneath and areas like the tail panel to shiny metal then priming. Yes, the firewall will be modified.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zps4fdd8d13.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zps4fdd8d13.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps11db0484.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps11db0484.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps44e6eded.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps44e6eded.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zps2b2bbc6f.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zps2b2bbc6f.jpg.html)

[ArisESQ]

Love what you're doing with it. This is one of my favorite cars on here.
:cheers:

[LS7 Z/28]

Looks great, your project is coming along nicely!

Where are you at in South Florida? I lived in Miami for a year and that was about all I needed. I Loved the weather but I don't speak spanish so it was tough for me to get used to being there.

[NOT A TA]

Thanks guys. I'm in Delray Beach Casey.

[NOT A TA]

The body & door exterior is in primer ready for final blocking. I moved on to stripping the trunk channel area and found an old rust repair the PO had done with fiberglass at the base of the rear window (never leaked) which will require removing the window to repair with metal. I'm having a glass guy who showed up at a couple jobs I've been on come by & pop it out then return for install when I'm ready. Not too expensive and I don't want to risk the piece.

Since Jeff had the body in primer and I was waiting on glass removal we pushed the car out of the way to work on other things. I moved to the gas tank. The inside of the tank is perfectly clean with not a speck of rust but like many northern cars this one had been backed into frozen snow mounds denting the tank. So the stud gun got called back into action and worked great to get the dents out. Then a skim coat of filler to smooth out the surface followed with prime & block and it'll look perfect when painted. Since I'm going to fabricate a diffuser that will allow the tank to be seen if someone peaks under there I wanted it nice.

You can see one of the dents in this old pic, others are more subtle and flat black hides them.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Firebird/MVC-015F.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Firebird/MVC-015F.jpg.html)



Cleaned enough to use the stud gun and pull the dents.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps106a9234.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps106a9234.jpg.html)

Studs ground off, high spots hammered and cleaned for filler.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsbada5bcc.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsbada5bcc.jpg.html)

Starting skim coat.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps01e4ddc8.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps01e4ddc8.jpg.html)

While I was messing with the tank Jeff started on the front fender we knew would need some work. I'd gotten the fenders from a bud back when I painted the car the first time 20+ years ago and one was an early fender without the core support brace provision that had some rust issues. I'd done some repairs but without a welder at the time I was limited. Fast forward to now and we decided to take the fender apart from the inner support to make repairs.

After getting started and thinking about the best thing to do I remembered a bud had a couple late 2nd gen bird fenders he didn't need and couldn't sell stored in his warehouse so I went to look for them (ya I have a key). I thought we could cut up the Formula fenders to get the metal sections needed to fix my fender. When I got there there were no regular fenders BUT there was a really nice rust free early 2nd gen left TA fender by itself and I just happened to need a left! I talked to my bud (OK,begged) and he gave me the fender. There's a little dent in it by the side marker light but we can fix that right up in a lot less time than doing metal work on my old fender.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zps62a92e60.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zps62a92e60.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps1047b9a1.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps1047b9a1.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps7fde2b1b.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps7fde2b1b.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

After getting the tank in primer we got to work on the front fenders. I sandblasted the insides of them and Jeff stripped the outsides with sanders and did some hammer & dolly work before skim coating a couple spots. After a little post blasting prep work on the insides they were ready to get the insides in primer. It was sooo nice to work with rust free fenders!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/020_zpsa90ce6fe.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/020_zpsa90ce6fe.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

With no rust repair work needed on either fender bodywork on the outside of the fenders is now roughed in and they're in primer. We'll wait to do finish bodywork till the car is partially reassembled so we can check door/fender gaps etc. and do final blocking.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpse3b0f51a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpse3b0f51a.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zps2e7e0796.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zps2e7e0796.jpg.html)

I decided to smooth the subframe so all seams and joints are now fully welded and I'm in the process of grinding all the welds.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps7f09df6c.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps7f09df6c.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

I have 2 front valance panels. This one is going to remain stock and be a backup in case the modified one doesn't work out the way I want. It had some rust hidden under old bodywork so I welded in some patch panels and then sandblasted it along with some other parts. Next they all got some prep work & primer.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps58c5216a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps58c5216a.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps1c3f14bd.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps1c3f14bd.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps19012278.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps19012278.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zps07b155cd.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zps07b155cd.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Door bottoms of most cars built when this one was usually don't hold up well as many of you know. I can't tell you how many cars I've seen with fully rusted out bottoms and they're a pain to replace the metal in because of the curves & folds. Luckily, although mine had some rust they were repairable without having to replace metal. The passenger side door is usually worse than the drivers and mine's no exception so I'm using that to show how to do a door that's got some rust but is still structurally sound without welding all new metal in.

In this case there's no visible rust in the interior of the door, if there was, new metal would have been installed. When I painted the car 20+ years ago the outside rust was there and I cleaned it with wire brushes/wheels, etc. and put rust converter on it before paint. Granted the car has rarely gotten wet since the first time but the rust had not popped through the paint or progressed. This time it's getting a better repair because I have a blaster.

Sandblast edge of door & get the rusty parts really good. Blow out all send & debris and then coat all the rusty areas with panel bond, let sit 24 hours. Because this isn't a place where the panel bond would get hot from exhaust or rapidly change temperature by heat from the sun it makes a great filler to seal the pits and stop new rust from forming after blasting. Inside will be sealed later.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zps9310f123.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zps9310f123.jpg.html)

Sand down panel bond till it's just filling the rust pits and open up the drain slots, and gasket holes. Then skim coat with regular filler, sand, and prep for primer.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zps2d964c22.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zps2d964c22.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsb8af8f19.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsb8af8f19.jpg.html)

[protour73]

Awesome work as always John!! :thumbsup:

Keep going man, Loooooong time no talk!!

[NOT A TA]

I've been cleaning the underside to clean shiny metal a section at a time and shooting it with epoxy primer. With a little luck I'll finish cleaning the middle floor section and have it in primer over the weekend.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsdba2adb7.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsdba2adb7.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsf41d62c8.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsf41d62c8.jpg.html)

[Vince@Meanstreets]

looking good john!!

[WSSix]

x2 you're going serious with it this time. Keep up the great work!

[Ron Sutton]

Nice progress John. Keep up the great work !

[carbuff]

Ditto all of the above. A lot of work's gone in that. Nice progress! :thumbsup:

[NOT A TA]

Thanks guys!

Ron, I'd like to discuss my brake system with you. Will send a PM.


Meanwhile, I'm making progress, need to remove interior to finish the last sections. Found a little rust on the passengers rear seat pan I'll take care of and need access to the bolt heads for the sway bar supports that attach to the floor pan.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsa5e82711.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsa5e82711.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps03cb2c47.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps03cb2c47.jpg.html)

[Jay Hilliard]

You are doing excellent work John. Keep the pics coming.

[NOT A TA]

A couple years ago I had trouble logging on to the forum and didn't bring this thread up to date once I got the issue figured out. Then as time went by I got farther and farther ahead of where I'd stopped posting updates so I'm going to do some catch up and bring the thread up to date over the next few days starting with this. Some of you may have seen updates on the Trans Am forum or others but since this forum is where I learned of the contest I won that started this project I want to follow through here till the car's back on track.

Finished up the floor pan and moved on to the cowl and firewall area. Had a small rust spot on the drivers side of the cowl so I made a patch piece for it. Since it's not visible once the fender is on it just has to be functional. Once the sides were in primer I moved on to stripping the firewall and cowl after removing all the wiring, windshield wiper system, steering column and pretty much everything under the dash. Will be smoothing the firewall a bit.

I'm eliminating the heat/AC under dash parts to save some weight. I'd removed the under hood part of the AC system and switched to heater functions only when I lived in New England but being in FL now there's no need for heat either so out it all goes!

I'm sooo tempted to leave the bottom in white, ya know, because race car!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsb0b83b2d.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsb0b83b2d.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpse2d5e3ed.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpse2d5e3ed.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsfeaa6d33.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsfeaa6d33.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsf59da55b.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsf59da55b.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps22cd5194.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps22cd5194.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsb7768996.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsb7768996.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

2nd gen F bodies are known for poor cowl drainage. They suffer more if the car sits out in the weather for extended periods without moving like mine did. Puddles form on the top of the cowl by the ends and GM made a nice place for a little pond to form inside the cowl right above the brake pedal. About 10 years ago I fixed the inside pond part and on the top I had cleaned what I could get to (with the fenders still on the car)and used rust converter followed by some bondo to fill pits and semi gloss black paint. Since the car doesn't get wet it's been fine but this time I can do a better repair since the fenders are off.

Although both ends on top of the cowl had pitting and some rust through the drivers side was worse due to the cowl tag holding water under it so I'm showing the repair on that side but I did make a similar panel for the pass side. Since they rust from the top down due to the puddling we're seeing the worst of it. Replacing the entire top of the cowl can be done however in this case I didn't feel it was justified. The center of the top of the cowl is in great condition and this is more of a track car that is street driven so strength and fire protection are my goals on the cowl/firewall area. I could cut and weld new metal in the ends but I felt this would be stronger and easier.

The top of the cowl had already been wire wheeled and the center section primed to prevent rust. The raised area around the fender mount was thin so I cut it out around the fender mount then wire wheeled the area to clean metal.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsa1d392ec.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsa1d392ec.jpg.html)

Made a pattern out of paper, transferred to sheet metal and started bending, hammer/dolly, etc. into shape. Made the raised area for the fender mount with a big impact socket and a die handle with a BFH. It's humid here in So FL so everything rusts as you can tell by the sheet metal. Not to worry though it gets cleaned up well on both sides before final install.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpse413a3bc.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpse413a3bc.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsf9aa66d7.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsf9aa66d7.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps85af685d.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps85af685d.jpg.html)

Once the panel is shaped the edges are finished and it gets cleaned. Then it gets marked where the soft areas are in the original panel and screwed into place staying out of the soft areas. Then the screws are removed.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps7493d0da.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps7493d0da.jpg.html)

Next a thin layer of panel bond is spread on the area where the panel will go. Bonding the panel onto the existing panel is much stronger than replacing the original metal with a single layer regardless of whether it was bonded or welded in place. The panel bond over such a wide area is stronger than mig or spot welding without the warping problems. For those who avoid panel bond because they don't want to buy the expensive double barrel caulk gun you can push the 2 parts out evenly (without a mixing tip on) with a piece of pipe if you remove the back of the label so you can evenly move the plungers so you have equal parts. Then mix like bondo and spread where you need it with a plastic bondo spreader.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zpsd99e032e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zpsd99e032e.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zps671d6b96.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zps671d6b96.jpg.html)

Once the panel is in place install the fender mount bolt with wide washer on it and screw the panel on, then do a finger smear around the edges with the panel bond that squishes out which will seal it so no water can get under. Make sure the drain hole is open and that the panel bond will keep water from getting between the panels there also. Because the fender mount is high there's no need to have that bolt hole sheet metal sealed (and you do not want a washer bonded there!)unless you're gonna throw the car outside for 10-20 years.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zps9f687867.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zps9f687867.jpg.html)

Once the panel bond has set remove screws and fill the little screw holes with panel bond. A piece of tape underneath will keep it from dropping through till it sets. After the panel bond is fully cured (24 hours) sand the panel bond and apply a little plastic filler then sand. With the repaired area done prep the whole area surrounding the repair and prime. Before priming I used a large drift and a BFH to make some spot weld looking dimples along the cowl lip so it'd resemble the original part in the center.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsa3c0dc89.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsa3c0dc89.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsb960c757.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsb960c757.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsf04ab582.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsf04ab582.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

With no heat/AC anymore I want to close up the firewall openings to slow a fire should one ever occur in the engine compartment. So I made up a couple panels for the large openings, spot welded them in place, sealed edges with panel bond, and smoothed the larger area. Also made a small panel to cover some extra holes I'd made previously for wiring, gauge senders etc. .

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsf36e899a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsf36e899a.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps290453d9.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps290453d9.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps376ccb68.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps376ccb68.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps3b6a6af5.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps3b6a6af5.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Prepped the underside and firewall areas with 320 grit paper and red Scotch Brite pads then shot it with PPG Delstar single stage acrylic enamel.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsecb0173d.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsecb0173d.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpse8280b2b.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpse8280b2b.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zps7d1703ce.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zps7d1703ce.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

While I was waiting for the paint to fully cure so I could mask it off to keep the daily dust from other projects off it I did the Adams Mod by modifying the front rear spring mounting pockets and installed spherical spring eye bushings.

A while back I had the opportunity to chat with Harry Quackenboss. While the name may not be familiar to many, he was one of the young engineers who worked with Herb Adams building the SCCA 64 Tempest Grey Ghost car and continued as Adams SCCA chassis engineer through the Firebird days then as chassis engineer on the Adams NASCAR team when they fielded a Pontiac Grand Am at Daytona. Harry then became Chief engineer at Delorean when John left GM and started the Delorean Motor Company. Anyway, I've digressed. I told Harry about my car sent pics and explained my plans for it. Including, (as some of you may have guessed) the Adams Mod (raising the front mounting hole for the of F body leaf springs) which he was involved in coming up with back in the day during the SCCA Trans Am series. I wanted to know if this was still considered a good idea and would it work well with a spherical front leaf spring which I'd considered. His answer was yes both work and they will work well together for my use of the car. So I thought what better recommendation could I possibly get? So that was my project this past week.

The Adams mod required windowing the spring pocket and the spherical bushing requires a little bigger window because the spring eye can pivot. I decided to reinforce the spring pocket by doubling/tripling up the sheet metal on the sides and across the rear by making some pieces I panel bonded to the pocket. I'll epoxy prime the pockets and paint red before installing in the car.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps142c62c7.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps142c62c7.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps9858ac54.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps9858ac54.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps2099115e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps2099115e.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps82a9ab2d.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps82a9ab2d.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsfed4996f.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsfed4996f.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps240413a6.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps240413a6.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsdb57b81c.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsdb57b81c.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

I took the drivers door off a couple weeks ago and it's been raining so frequently here during our south FL rainy season that I haven't had time to set up my makeshift outdoor sandblast booth which usually allows me to reclaim about 1/2 the blast media. I really wanted to get the drivers door edges done and in primer so I just blasted it with some previously reclaimed media and accepted the loss to keep things moving along. Outside of door was sanded to bare metal previously like the rest of the body exterior. I don't use the blaster on large sheetmetal that might warp. Then I did some rust pit repair on the bottom of the door, stripped the door jambs, got both in primer & rehung the door just to get it out of my way.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsb404a60e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsb404a60e.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps326a9d4a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps326a9d4a.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsb97b5219.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsb97b5219.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsfe639fe3.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsfe639fe3.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps2bd6c412.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps2bd6c412.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

A while back I straightened & smoothed the fuel tank and once in epoxy primer I tucked it away. Normally I'm not a body color fuel tank kind of guy but I have a plan of using the fuel tank as the roof of the diffuser and if my plan works out hopefully it'll look pretty cool, if not I'll paint it black or tank tone. So I gave it a coat of high build primer, sanded smooth and shot it.

Since I've gotten carried away with the underside I figured I might as well make the rear spring pockets I modified look pretty too!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpscec9bdb6.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpscec9bdb6.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsbd8978b5.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsbd8978b5.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps69333bc9.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps69333bc9.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

I've been working on stripping a lot of the small body parts that have to be painted. Some get media blasted and some sanded bare. When I get sick of stripping I recondition a part I can install or have ready for install when the time is right.

With the cowl painted I removed the windshield and reconditioned the inner cowl, wiper motor, and wiper transmission. Since I didn't relocate the wiper motor to make a fully smoothed firewall I decided to jazz it up a bit with custom paint and made a flat cap for the washer pump since I don't need windshield squirters and I really don't like the look of the white plastic (usually yellowed) piece with the hose nipples.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps506f8190.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps506f8190.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps129afeb9.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps129afeb9.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps8e8908f3.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps8e8908f3.jpg.html)

One of the things I'd wanted to do while doing the safety upgrade project several years ago was to block off the trunk area from the back seat in case of fire. These cars were designed with several large holes in the seat support and package tray and a back seat made with burlap. So I made some panels for the large openings and spot welded them in, the smaller openings are also being covered with metal. The idea here is to slow a fire down as much as possible without getting carried away fabricating a new rear firewall. I will retain rear shelf speakers but will make them removable to be replaced with steel plates for track days, races, etc.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpscb3e1395.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpscb3e1395.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsb9c14080.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsb9c14080.jpg.html)

I'd removed the stock padding/sound deadener on the firewall behind the dash when I was closing off the AC opening and blower opening and I wanted something to provide a heat barrier that isn't easily flamable. I decided to cover the firewall with Thermo Tec Cool It aluminized heat barrier and ordered it from Ron Sutton Race Technology. It's a thin adhesive backed lightweight material designed for radiant heat applications. http://www.thermotec.com/products/13500-adhesive-backed-heat-barrier.html When it arrived I tested pieces of it for flamability and heat resistance when stuck to sheet metal and it seemed to work well so I installed it on the firewall, toe panels, and front of the transmission tunnel.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps7652c2e2.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps7652c2e2.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsc2b42cfa.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsc2b42cfa.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zps40e3a177.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zps40e3a177.jpg.html)

I media blasted the park brake mechanism and gas pedal then installed Modo Innovations pedal pads.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsb78751bc.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsb78751bc.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

My donor car arrived today. If all goes well I'll be using the subframe out of it for my car.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps4758ecd7.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps4758ecd7.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsd09626b3.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsd09626b3.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps4773be7d.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps4773be7d.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

A while back I cleaned the subframe I took out of my car. Then I started checking alignment of the mounting points and found that the lower control mounting points on one side didn't line up as well as I would have liked. Soooo, I brought the subframe to a buddys body shop and mounted it up on a frame rack to tweak it a little with help and guidance from an experienced bodyman who straightens frames damaged in collisions in a production shop. We chained down the frame and started bending things a little at a time getting the LCA mounting holes lined up better until..... Oooooops! We kinked a rail. So after searching around and not finding a good used subframe for sale locally (new aftermarket out of my budget) I made a deal with a buddy of mine.

My bud wants to build a 78 TA for his wife and has a 81 Formula with a good unibody and a 78 TA with rusty back half from being in the Northeast early in it's life. I made a deal with him to take his cars and swap the front of his 78 to the rear of the 81 and he'll finish the tail panel swap later himself so it will look like a 78 TA. I get the leftover front subframe in exchange for the work swapping things enough for it to roll away (on a trailer) in one piece. This will save him a lot of work trying to do rust repair on the 78 unibody.

I began by having the 81 Formula dropped off to strip to the unibody. Stripped it, checked the subframe I'll be keeping then started cleaning the frame while waiting for the 78 to arrive. The 81 was a rear disc car so I'll be selling off the rear end and disc/disc specific components as a package.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps1dc09474.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps1dc09474.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps494b3482.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps494b3482.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsc4deae9e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsc4deae9e.jpg.html)

Once the 78 arrived I started taking it apart enough to roll the unibody away from the subframe. Once it's separated I'll join the two halves. I plan on leaving the front of the 78 as complete as possible with the engine, trans etc. all in place. I've disconnected the driveshaft, shift cable, backdrive, speedometer cable and am working on the steering column now. I only have a couple hours a day after regular work so it'll take a few days to complete the swap.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps2f52a7bf.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps2f52a7bf.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps8d81b1cb.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps8d81b1cb.jpg.html)

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[NOT A TA]

Although the LCA mounts were off a bit on my original subframe they certainly weren't out enough to be worth going through all the effort moving cars and labor swapping to get another frame! The LCA alignment was only off roughly 3/8". If I'd known we'd damage the frame I would have left it alone and used it as it was ( car drove fine and no binding of control arm) OR I would have stopped trying to make it perfect when we were within 1/8-1/4". Hindsight is 20/20 ahahaha.... live and learn!

I finished up the body swap over the weekend and the owner picked up the car with his trailer while the white shell met up with it at the owners shop via a rollback flatbed. Then (maybe eventually) the owner will swap the interior etc. from the white shell to the new car. Also he wanted the fenders left off for bodywork.

Whenever possible I have someone watch when I do weird stuff just in case something goes wrong or I need a hand. I had my bud Jeff hang out a few minutes while I moved the body into position and bolted the subframe to the new body. People ask how I do these kinds of swaps by myself so I had him shoot a quick video of moving the body onto the frame. Body was within 1/4 " alignment with the subframe at the end of the video and all bolted up in about 15 minutes.

Very short video. No it's not speeded up or edited video, thats real time. Just over a minute up the driveway and ready to bolt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-XA4JM20W8&feature=youtu.be

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps1e5440ba.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps1e5440ba.jpg.html)

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[Mikael A]

Nice work John #14 is coming out great.

[WSSix]

glad to know work hadn't slowed on the car, John. You're doing great work. Keep it up!

[NOT A TA]

I've been working on figuring out the differences between the early and late 2nd gen frames so hopefully I'll be able to modify the 80 frame so it's suitable for the 70. It's better to use a 70-74 frame for cars built during those years or a 75 - 81 frame for cars built 75 and later. I looked for an early frame for quite a while locally without finding one so I'm trying the later style with mods. Meanwhile I've been prepping the top and bottom of the rear shelf area for paint. The inner filler panel between the rear window and deck lid on 2nd gens usually get rusty and need replacement. This one had surface rust but was only rusted through in one small area so I cleaned the whole area, used some panel bond to fill pits, put in some new metal where it was rusted through, and skim coated the whole area with filler. Will seal it up with epoxy primer.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsbca3cfef.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsbca3cfef.jpg.html)

My adjustable G-braces made by PRO-TOURING F-BODY under the Gen-II Racing Products label arrived. I got them from a member on a forum that purchased them and decided against the install. The spherical front spring eye bushings I showed in previous posts were from the same company and I also purchased them from a member on a forum. I'm planning on using PTFB solid body mounts. I was running Poly body mount bushings previously with bolt in frame connectors because thats what was available many years ago when I first built the car but now I'll use the PTFB solid mounts.

These G-braces triangulate the firewall with the subframe attaching at the upper control arm. I'll be making additional braces to work with these to stiffen them up more.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zps23917251.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zps23917251.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[NOT A TA]

I shot some epoxy primer and then some high build primer on the inner filler panel and then did some prep work on the underside of the filler panel as well as the rear seat firewall I'd welded the panels in. Then I shot them with some red epoxy primer that kinda resembles the original primer which will show in the trunk in some areas after splatter paint gets applied giving the trunk a somewhat stock appearance. I know it seems silly "restoring" the trunk area appearance of such a modified car but it's what I want. I even have a reproduction trunk mat I use unless the cars getting raced or tracked.

I made a panel to cover the rectangular opening in the package tray I haven't installed yet and am still considering options to cover the speaker holes during track/race events to complete the firewall between trunk and passenger compartment.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps8f73693a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps8f73693a.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsed71a34b.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsed71a34b.jpg.html)

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[NOT A TA]

Rushforth wheels and Yokohama tires were both prizes I won in the contest that got me started with this project. I've gotten a lot of questions on why I'm switching to the different size wheels and tires for the new combo, so I'll try to explain it as well as I can in this post.

My old wheel/tire combo was 17 X 9.5 with 275 40 tires in front and 17 X 11 with 315 35 rears. The tires were Yokohama AO32's which are DOT R tires and while street legal they are meant for track day road course use. They were offered in soft compound for lightweight cars (imports) and a harder compound for heavier cars (like my 3500 lb. bird). I was very happy with the 17's however I found out that the possibilities for improving my braking system (stock with braided flex lines and Porterfield race pads/shoes) was very limited due to the rim design and diameter. Sure, I could switch to a 4 piston caliper in front and an entry level 4 piston rear disc setup but I'd probably end up spending a bunch of money with a marginal bang for the buck improvement in braking over the optimized stock setup.

The prizes for the contest included a set of Baer brakes. I called Baer and spoke with Todd (RIP) for quite a while about tracks, brakes, and other things while he questioned me about my use of the car. At the end of our conversation he recommended and offered to send me their 14" 6 piston front brakes with spindles and matching 14" rears along with a rear bias valve. This was waay beyond what I'd even hoped I would receive as a "give away" prize in a contest.

The Baers certainly wouldn't fit in my old 17" wheels and with wheels and tires also on the list of prizes I started considering what to get. A discussion with Jay at Rushforth confirmed that I'd need to go up to at least 18" wheels to fit the Baers and he informed me that the wheels could be any one of their models with whatever options I wanted up to 10" wide for the prize. The offer of any wheel custom made to order was great and like the Baers was above and beyond what I thought would be awarded as a "give away" wheel in a contest. He also said if I wanted them wider than 10" I could just pay the difference to get the hoops widened which was a great offer but not in my budget so at that point I was looking at a 10" max width wheel with a minimum diameter of 18"

Having researched and followed discussions (debates) on the performance of wheels over 15" for years I decided 18's would be good if I could get tires to go with them and I'd prefer not to go up to 19-20". Seems like 17-18 is the sweet spot for most of us with PT type cars and unless you have ungodly power the increased MOI of larger diameter wheel/tire combos might actually reduce lap times. Yokohama had stopped producing the AO 32's I ran previously and released the AO 48 which is a newer version of the DOT R tire with a slightly different tread pattern. AO 48's are not available in a 275 or 315 width in 18" but are available in a 285 and 295 width which are ideal widths for a 10" wide rim. I'd experienced a slight rub under certain conditions on track with 315's out back anyway and had been considering trying some type of panhard bar or watts link but really had no desire to do that unless it became necessary. So with a 10" rim limit and a narrower tire I wouldn't have that problem anymore with the right backspacing.

A 10" front wheel with a 285 is too wide for most 2nd gens with stock turning radius and typical inner wheels/suspension/steering. Since I don't really need the turning radius tight enough for parking lots at the mall I decided I'd rather have wider front tires and limit the turning radius. The old 275 17's rubbed my swaybar at full lock so I knew the 285's would require some type of modification for safety.

I also needed to keep in mind the overall diameter because I didn't want to raise the whole car off the ground or have the tire hit the inner fender during bump. This meant I needed to pick a tire under 26" tall and the 285/295 30 18's from Yokohama are just under 25" which is pretty short for a PT car but fits my desire to keep the car low and have suspension travel, everything is a compromise. Performance comes before looks for me so although a bigger diameter tire would fill the wheel well better I think I'll like the tires I've chosen.

The final decision was 285 30 18 up front and 295 30 18 rear tires on polished 18 X 10 Rushforth Night Train rims with no rivets and when I got them the search for an installer started. When going to a tire installer I had to explain that the front and rear rims look very similar but have different backspacing. The tires are directional so each wheel/tire combination can only be used on one corner of the car once assembled so when they're done I'll have RF, LF, RR, LR. The tires are marked for match mounting to reduce the amount of stick on wheel weights they need to use so they need to line up the tire in the proper place on the rim before mounting while making sure they have the rotating direction and tire size correct for that wheel. I got the deer in the headlights look at most shops, and that was before I would even ask about road force balancing.

I finally found a shop that said they could install the tires on the wheels properly. The fit was very very tight and they (and I) realized they were out of their league after they only got the tire half way on the rim with it rotated so the match mounting mark was way off, so I stopped them and took the wheel without even allowing them to try and remove the tire for fear they'd damage the wheel, tire, or both. I then proceeded from tire place to tire place (15-20) asking if they had the proper equipment and could correctly mount the tires with no success. I stopped by the local Porsche race shop hoping they might be able to do them but instead they recommended AMF tire in Boca Raton saying AMF mounted the slicks on big fat race wheels for the Porsche's all the time. So off to AMF I went and even with the rim and tire bead all lubed up the machine wasn't wasn't powerful enough to get the tires on without the additional weight of a large heavy man on a long tire lever to help the machine. Ya, they were really tight. Once the tires were on the rims they balanced up fine.

After they were mounted and balanced I washed them of all the glop from mounting and polished them up for the beauty shots. I'd be nice if the car was ready for them but they're getting bagged and set aside till I start mocking things up and need them. Now if I could just remember where I put the center caps!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps087c0b5c.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps087c0b5c.jpg.html)

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http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/023_zpsf9c9a93c.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/023_zpsf9c9a93c.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/025_zps51b55fb2.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/025_zps51b55fb2.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Window channel repairs. I'm waiting on weld in trim clip studs to repair the rear one so here's the front repair I needed to make. I have a new (well 20 years ago ahahaha) headliner it the car which is perfect and I don't want to damage or try to replace it with the roll cage in the way. So welding is something I wanted to avoid above the headliner plus welding creates the possibility of warping the roof skin in that area.

To get started the leftover urethane was scraped off with a scraper that holds razor blades using a plastic razor blade. If you've never seen them they are the same size as a single edge razor but without the very sharp edge, great for scraping stuff you don't want scratched (like paint) and don't dig in and snap like metal blades which is why I use them for scraping urethane window sealer. After scraping wax and grease remover with a bunch of rags will remove the remaining urethane then small wire wheels are used to remove the paint as well as any rust.

I found a small rusted area around one of the trim studs and several of the studs were missing. Now I know why the trim kept lifting over 100 MPH and had to be paped down! I'll clean off places to spot weld the new studs when they arrive.

To fix the rust the area was cleaned well with a wire wheel. Then a carbide bit (like you'd use porting heads) was used to "thin" the sheet metal where the rust was taking it back to clean metal. Then that area was carefully dimpled in a little and a piece of sheet metal bonded in with 3M 8115. Once dry the panel bond was sanded flush and a little plastic filler skim coated on, sanded, and then the window channel epoxy primed.

The findings after cleaning the channel were rust around a stud and a few missing? I had used one of the screw in repair studs when I painted the car 20+ years ago where the small hole is left of the rust area but that one along with a couple others were MIA after removing the trim and window.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps154539bc.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps154539bc.jpg.html)

The rusted area after wire wheel cleaning marked to make a patch panel.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps2b28294c.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps2b28294c.jpg.html)

Patch piece and the area ground down for the patch.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps01ea9ecd.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps01ea9ecd.jpg.html)

Patch installed with panel bond.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsa431cf6c.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsa431cf6c.jpg.html)

Extra panel bond removed.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps4ea10d66.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps4ea10d66.jpg.html)

Plastic filler smoothed and the channel epoxy primed.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps66f8ca7e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps66f8ca7e.jpg.html)

While doing the channel I also fixed some pitting in the lower corner of both sides that's common on 2nd gen F bodies. No new metal needed so pits were cleaned, panel bonded, smoothed, primed. Rear window channel needs more metal repair than the front did, will post when I get the studs I need to do it.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zps6963fae1.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zps6963fae1.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsd425b85e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsd425b85e.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Sometimes a little mistake can add a lot of work and additional scope creep. Grrrr

A while back, I'd taken part of the dash out while removing the HVAC system and smoothing the firewall. While doing so I used some masking tape to protect the dash from scratches while removing the gauge panel fascia. I've done this several times in the past 20+ years since I originally dyed the dash. By sticking the tape to clothing several times before applying it the stickiness is reduced and the tape can be carefully removed within a few days without removing the vinyl dye. Well, I didn't remove the tape right away this time and am paying the price.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps7bdb902a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps7bdb902a.jpg.html)

Stripping and redying the dash in the car with the cage in the way would make it very difficult so I figured , remove the dash right? I'd asked the cage builder at the fabrication shop to leave enough room to get the dash out so that if/when a new dash was needed and reproductions were available I could replace the original. Good plan but the dash wouldn't come out without hacking away part of the dash structure and cutting back the metal where the upper dash mounts.

Now although I got the dash out I had to remove the vent mounting area on the left side for clearance. That requires me to make a new gauge panel as well as doing the repairs necessary and strip/dye the dash before reinstalling it.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpse58cde6f.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpse58cde6f.jpg.html)

Then scope creep took over once again. I figured since I've gone that far and no longer have to protect the dash I'd might as well remove the rear carpet, do the floor, and shoot the cage with a gun. I had a deadline to make a track day when I was reassembling the car after the cage install several years ago and didn't have time to strip and paint the floors. Also with the windshield, rear window, headliner, dash, door panels, etc. in the car I couldn't mask everything well enough and have access to shoot the cage so I painted it with a brush. So nows the time and I'm stripping the floor as well as sanding the cage. The only things left in the car are the headliner, shifter, brake pedal, and wires. Had I known I'd get this deep I would have taken everything out from the start and saved a lot of time and materials trying to keep things masked off.

By the way, it really sucks trying to work in a caged car. My car evolved over time rather than being a ground up build originally. If you're gonna get a cage, strip and paint the interior first.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zps301955a6.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zps301955a6.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Floor stripped to bare metal and painted with Chassis Saver.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsff64e4f9.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsff64e4f9.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

My dash dye story was about a small mistake that cost me big. This one will hopefully prevent some of you from making a mistake I see too often.

While prepping cars for paint people have a tendency to concentrate their efforts on the exterior. Spending hours on panel alignment to get the best gaps, sculpting perfect body lines, and spending many hours block sanding to make the car straight. Meanwhile the door, hood, and trunk openings get little or no attention other than maybe a quick once over before paint. I've seen lots of cars with beautiful exterior paint and when opening a door, trunk, or hood there's bondo globs, grinder marks, wire wheel gouges, 80 grit sand scratches, rust pits, and dents that have been painted body color. I think of the openings as a transition zone which shouldn't attract attention between the gorgeous exterior and an inviting interior, engine compartment, or trunk.

My tip is to treat the areas you see when opening things as well as you would the exterior. Yes, I know it's a lot of tedious work and it doesn't look like you accomplish much for the time spent but it will greatly improve the overall quality of the paint job.The edges of the hood and front fenders should be treated like the exterior even if your engine compartment looks like crap now. You may do an engine compartment makeover later and wish you'd spent more time on the prep work there.

To be sure you're doing the areas that are seen, put the associated pieces in position so you can see the areas that will show when the car is painted. Then treat those areas to the same care you would an exterior panel.

You can see in the pics below how much of the trunk jamb needs to be done nicely. Yes it is a real pain to smooth and sand the hinge pocket area with the welded in bracket in place, but do it. Note the vertical area between the filler panel and trunk lip that goes all the way across between the hinge areas. It gets missed a lot on 2nd gens because people don't realize it's seen. I did the whole area under the filler panel pretty nice but you won't see most of it so if patience isn't your thing concentrate on the areas that are seen. Seam sealer will be used around the bracket where it's welded to the body. I'm getting all the jamb areas in final primer which will be sanded again before sealer and paint.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps84fcdc34.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps84fcdc34.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpse31431f9.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpse31431f9.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zps344bff0f.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zps344bff0f.jpg.html)

For the door jambs get your interior door panel and set it in place for the visual. There's a raised rib between the inner panel and door gasket that shows body color when everythings assembled so be sure to work past that rib to about where the interior panel clips pop in. The hinge end of the door isn't as critical just keep in mind what you can see when the door's open.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps7f1be6d7.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps7f1be6d7.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpse6e85992.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpse6e85992.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Most 2nd gen F bodies need rear window channel repairs at some point because of a lousy drainage design. I never knew until taking the car apart this time but mine was repaired by the previous owner with fiberglass in the 70's. I didn't remove the rear window the first time I painted my car 25 years ago but with it out this time I noticed the fiberglass matting and started digging with wire wheels and grinder discs exposing some areas that had rusted through and thin metal with pitting in surrounding sections.Luckily the rusted parts had not extended beyond the part covered by the trim before the previous owner had glassed it over preserving it.

Welding in new metal would require welding over the headliner and risking warping the exterior sheet metal so I chose to add new metal by bonding it in with panel bond. I DO NOT recommend this type of repair if the rust extends to the exterior surface because there is a high probability of ghosting and other surface anomalies occurring after painting the car. This happens because of the different expansion/contraction rates of single thickness sheet metal vs. double thickness sheet metal, and the panel bond itself. If the rust extended to the exterior I would have made a new channel and butt welded it in place.

For this repair I wire wheeled the window channel to remove all rust and cut out the thin rusted sections of the channel with a cut off wheel. Removed paint on the backside with sandpaper rolls on a tapered mandrel attached to a long reach die grinder to get up in the little channel inside the quarter. Welded trim studs in sheet metal measured to line up in the centers of the holes I'd made, then cut and ground the patch panels to fit. Dimpled the panels where the trim rivets that will be used for trim clips are being retained after panel install (extras are used to hold patch panels while drying). Bend twist panels to fit tight to the back of the original window channel. Finger smear panel bond on backside of channel and locate panel into position. Pull the panel tight using the trim rivets to pull on. Used old bondo spreaders with a slot cut and additional spreaders used as a wedge to keep panels tight while drying. Used carbide grinding tip on die grinder to remove unneeded trim rivets. Ground off excess panel bond and then added a layer of panel bond over the repaired section including all pitted areas. Ground down panel bond with 36 grit wheel and hand sanded to make sure the panel bond was slightly lower than the metal. Finger smear bondo over the whole section. Sanded bondo smooth and epoxy primed, ready for high build primer and finish sanding. Backside will be brush painted with epoxy primer to cover any bare metal of the sanded metal and patches.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsc46a69e8.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsc46a69e8.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps043a021c.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps043a021c.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsb4dc4855.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsb4dc4855.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsaeb28cff.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsaeb28cff.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zps36d1b640.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zps36d1b640.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsd98e29d4.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsd98e29d4.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps3515bee7.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps3515bee7.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps1921610f.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps1921610f.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps2a6d3e5d.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps2a6d3e5d.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

I like the look of gutted race car interiors with their spartan "all business" look. I also like the look of well done complete interiors. My car's kind of in between with carpeting, headliner, and a stock looking dash while also having a full cage, Kirkeys, fire systems, etc. I Removed the heating system leaving the defroster vents wide open and you can see the dash wiring, heat shield, etc. through the openings and also through the speaker grill since there's no speaker there. So I decided to cut out the raised area around the defroster openings and smooth the dash top with a solid panel that will be bonded to the original metal between the dash pad and the windshield. When completed and painted it should look stock but without openings.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsd7eb5235.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsd7eb5235.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps8d035484.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps8d035484.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps5a249ca2.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps5a249ca2.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zps770bb7c8.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zps770bb7c8.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zpsf5b4c986.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zpsf5b4c986.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/020_zps575a5317.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/020_zps575a5317.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[NOT A TA]

After making the opening for the VIN I roughed up both surfaces to be bonded with 36 grit and modified a bondo spreader to spread the panel bond evenly in cornrows like you would installing bathroom tile .

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsbb6fdb06.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsbb6fdb06.jpg.html)

I used a few clamps to press the pieces together and hold them for 24 hours. The top of the dash being covered is concave and there's compound curves on the ends so I formed the panel as well as I could before bonding and clamped it well.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zps7380ae1f.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zps7380ae1f.jpg.html)

Filed off the extra 1/16" overhang I'd left around the edges of the aluminum panel and cleaned out the original spot welds on the angled part. Then scuffed the whole area with 180 on a palm sander and primed. Followed that with a skim coat of filler and blocked it out with 180. Will prime and block again before final paint.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps0dcace39.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps0dcace39.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps8a6932d3.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps8a6932d3.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

2nd gen F body doors are long and heavy. Worn out hinge bushings and pins are common now that they're 35-45 years old. Mine were in good condition still because it was a low mileage car (42,000) when I got it and painted it the first time. Even now at 45 YO only the drivers side hinges showed slight wear when lifting up on the rear of the door. However I figured now's the time to replace them so there's no need to do it once painted and take a risk of scratching/chipping something. The original lower hinge bushings are plastic (really GM?) so no telling when they might split and fall out. Might be the day after paint. I'm sure there's a ton of How To's on hinge repair around the web so I'll skip the instructional rhetoric and just show a couple pics some might gain tips from.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zps9d0099f9.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zps9d0099f9.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zpsa7829aa7.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zpsa7829aa7.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps718024a8.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps718024a8.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zps01d4abb0.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zps01d4abb0.jpg.html)

With the hinges replaced it was time to get the doors on and aligned. I was then reminded of the door gap anomaly on the drivers side of almost every early 2nd gen Firebird I've seen. It appears that the door skin wasn't shaped quite right to the fender curve above the door handle part. Welding a piece of rod to the edge of the door and filing/smoothing to create the curve didn't seem like a good use of time to me so I used a little filler in the rear quarter door jamb to even the gap a bit and then did some filing, sanding, priming, etc. to get the gaps on both doors good enough for me on this car. Are they perfect? No, but they're acceptable to me and probably better overall than when the car was new. After final priming/blocking they will be a little better than you see in the pics below.

Yes, I know the horizontal body line is off in the pics below. Previous blocking was done with the door just roughly in place with the old hinge bushings. It'll be straight after some more blocking and final priming/blocking.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zps33e2a952.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zps33e2a952.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zpscbe4b77a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zpscbe4b77a.jpg.html)

Since this was an AC car and I've removed the HVAC the vacuum operated fresh air air duct on the passengers kick panel is no longer functional. I will be blocking off the upper cowl where air is supplied to increase downforce so there won't be anything to feed the duct. I'm also trying to recover the 200 lbs. I added with the roll cage so every little bit helps. The vent duct housing/door/vacuum canister assembly probably weighs a couple lbs. more than the aluminum panels I made to seal off the duct opening and it will get seam sealed when installed so I won't get any wind whistles etc. Drivers side duct opening was sealed by the factory with seam sealer to the plastic kick panel and is getting sealed with an aluminum panel also to increase fire protection. I know the aluminum isn't as much of a fire block as steel but risk of fire entering there is low and so I just figured the aluminum would be better than plastic.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsa7a9e2e8.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsa7a9e2e8.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

The early 2nd gen Trans Ams had cool looking front air dam fender flares from the factory. Most got smashed eventually on tall curbs, steep driveways and other road hazards so they usually need some repair and both of my front wheel flares were cracked in the usual locations. They were cracked when I got them 20+ years ago and I used some type of epoxy to "fix" them as well as I could with what was available to me at the time. They lasted probably 10 or so years before the cracks reappeared. Now we have other methods available so here's my 21st century repair.

Sanded the flares down to plastic. Hot stapled the cracked areas. Clipped staples off and ground down the stubs below finish level. Applied adhesion promoter and then 3M hard plastic repair material and let cure 24 hours. Sand plastic repair material and prime, fill nicks, then sand/prime till ready for sealer.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps7df52f53.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps7df52f53.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Plastics/004_zps2ef7da4b.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Plastics/004_zps2ef7da4b.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps430344ae.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps430344ae.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsdf141f83.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsdf141f83.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsb003df13.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsb003df13.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps18ca3516.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps18ca3516.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps267cd5c9.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps267cd5c9.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps6d358dcf.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps6d358dcf.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsb6e018a6.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsb6e018a6.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Once most of the wheel flares were in final primer I moved on to some of the (many) other exterior pieces that needed to be prepped for body color. Early 2nd gen TA's have a lot of small parts that get paint and is why shops want more to paint them than many other cars from the late 60's -early 70's. On top of that, the first time I painted a lot of the parts that were chrome from the factory and now they all needed to be strripped and prepped as well. The fiberglass rear panel needed some structural repairs as well.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpszojhbuml.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpszojhbuml.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsgtdqglus.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsgtdqglus.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps8r1qqmue.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps8r1qqmue.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsn6c15xuf.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsn6c15xuf.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps7zdggbck.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps7zdggbck.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Although I seem to be adding more weight than I'm getting rid of during this project I keep looking for things to put on a diet. The AC equipped 2nd gens had a vacuum operated fresh air duct in the passengers kick panel. Since I blocked off the openings in the sheet metal behind the kick panels I cut out the plastic duct and eliminated it along with the vacuum diaphragm etc. then made an oval plastic block off panel similar to the factory one on the drivers side and attached it with plastic adhesive saving a couple lbs.

Next topic up, subframe modifications.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsjsiy7enn.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsjsiy7enn.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsoy1oux9l.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsoy1oux9l.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpswudulskn.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpswudulskn.jpg.html)

[WSSix]

I'm enjoying all this detail, John. Thanks for taking the time to write it and post it.

You're very correct about taking your time with the transition areas on a car. I look into jambs and all areas of the car to see how it was painted. It's such a let down to see a great paint job only on the outside of the car.

Good luck!

Oh, and my car's doors don't follow the contour of the quarter panel either. My front fenders at the top don't transition from the hood to door properly as well. I'm not looking forward to making those areas look correct. Luckily, I don't have the folded jambs at the rear of the doors to deal with.

[carbuff]

Great update! Thanx for all of the information...

[NOT A TA]

Thanks guys! I'll continue bringing this thread up to date.

Earlier in this thread I put the front of one bird on the unibody of another to get a subframe to replace mine. There are two basic subframes for 2nd gen F bodies, one pre and one post catalytic converter to accommodate the changes in the floor pans necessary for the different exhaust. I'm attempting to use a frame from the last year of the 2nd gen production run in a first year car so there were also several other changes made by the factory along the way including a switch to metric fasteners. The old thinking was that a late frame doesn't fit in an early car which it doesn't as built by the factory. However as parts for these cars slowly become more scarce others will find themselves in the position I did. Need a different subframe and none available locally (at the time) that are an exact replacement. Since upwards of 200,000 Firebirds were made every year near the end of the run (nevermind Camaros) the late frames are easier to come by and I suspect others will also want to use one to replace an early one so hopefully this will help some folks.

I'm going to show modifications I've made so I can use the late frame as well as some things I've done to make the frame "better" for my application in my opinion. I'll cover each area of the frame in a different post.

My first task was to be sure the used subframe was square and get some measurements to see if I could make this attempt. I used a couple different Tram Gauges to make sure the frame was square and take measurements comparing the original frame with the newer one so I would know what changes I would need to make. The body mounts for the rear of the frame are farther back in the early frames so next I marked where the frame needed to be drilled out using the Tram Gauge to transfer the measurements from the old frame.

This can all be done with my simple telescoping Tram Gauge and a ruler but I also had a new fancy shmancy really long one with measuring and level features a buddy let me try out. If anyone wants one of the basic ones like I have I can get ya one for $100.00 + shipping from a guy I know who makes them. They're powdercoated/stainless construction and function fine.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpswrjxp63y.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpswrjxp63y.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zpsttlb9owz.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zpsttlb9owz.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsqhkt6o02.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsqhkt6o02.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[NOT A TA]

The first step is to drill out the new body mount holes with a 1 1/2" hole saw and then open them up a bit more to 1 5/8" with a carbide bit on a die grinder.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsivkrv5va.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsivkrv5va.jpg.html)

You can see in the pic below that a solid body mount won't sit flat inside the frame because of the sheet metal overlap where the frame is welded together. To fix that problem and strengthen the frame I modified some big washers to be welded in later. a small part of the frame end on one side also had to be trimmed out to allow the subframe connector to slide in later.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002%20-%20Copy_zpsm0krwuaa.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002%20-%20Copy_zpsm0krwuaa.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps1hko6htk.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/009_zps1hko6htk.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsbphm4zyw.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsbphm4zyw.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

The next item on the agenda for this area is the subframe connector fitment. The SFC's I have are old NMW products from the early 90's and aren't nearly as nice or effective as many of the current offerings. However, I already have them and am waaay over budget so they're going back on and I'll modify things so they're as usweful as I can make them.

The SFC's have a sheet metal part that slides into the subframe as seen below. My feeling is that they could be made stiffer by adding a thick keyed washer to help stiffen them, apply even pressure over a wider surface and clamp them square to the inside of the subframe (where I put the modified washers). The subframe and connectors will be mounted to the car then the washers in the connectors will be tack welded in place. Then the connectors removed to fully weld the reinforcing washers into the connectors. The connectors will be bolted in during this build and I expect sometime later down the road I'll install more modern connectors.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004%20-%20Copy_zpszwak3jln.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004%20-%20Copy_zpszwak3jln.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsm0kzhopj.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsm0kzhopj.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsjnn2komp.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsjnn2komp.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsmu3dbzrn.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsmu3dbzrn.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Now you've probably noticed the deep keyhole in the frame that goes far enough to allow the installation of body mounts in the forward location used by the later cars. I didn't like the look of that strength wise while also thinking it would/could allow some twisting of the subframe. So I decided to add some metal to that section of the frame and kinda got carried away. I boxed the whole section figuring I might as well since I had everything out to do it. Someone with a car only used on the street could just make a plate to eliminate the deep keyhole and be more than good but I'm planning on serious power later and use the car for the strip, road tracks, and hope to attempt 200 MPH at land Speed Races. So I decided overkill is better for me.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpstj13vnxo.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpstj13vnxo.jpg.html)

The pieces to box the frame were made with the same thickness steel as the original frame and were cut out on a band saw. Then they were drilled for plug welds in areas I knew would have good frame contact and provide strength. Once fitment was determined I removed the pieces and welded the modified washers into the frame, ground them flat, and welded the box pieces on the frame.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zps253cd05m.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zps253cd05m.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zps1fk3myfh.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zps1fk3myfh.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsmummosfx.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsmummosfx.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpso9fbsv5p.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpso9fbsv5p.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsr6tsgrwv.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsr6tsgrwv.jpg.html)

With the washers welded in and the frame boxed I then drilled out the new top plate where the body bushings fit. I will trim the body mount between the unibody and frame to make up for the added thickness by boxing the frame. Next topic, subframe/cowl body mounts.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zpsnlzvpjs4.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zpsnlzvpjs4.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/017_zpsx3shlwyc.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/017_zpsx3shlwyc.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[NOT A TA]

The body mount brackets welded to the subframe under the cowl have gotten rusty and thin on a lot of 2nd gens over the past 35-45 years. A thick washer modified to fit in the bracket thats plug welded with a couple beads along the sides will stiffen it up. Many of the 2nd gens had no brace for the cowl mount bracket, however WS6 cars had a short brace that attaches to the frame rail and bracket adds strength and some Camaros had a bracket that went from frame rail to body mount bracket to engine crossmember. The frame I'm using was from a WS 6 car so I have the short brackets but I may try the longer Camaro brackets or make my own once the engine is in place and I can check for header clearance.

Frame on the right in the first pic below had a washer welded in previously where the bracket had rusted quite a bit. On the left is my new frame and you can see even though the frame itself has no rust the area where the original body mount was is pitted.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsae2cff17.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsae2cff17.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps0a335d94.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps0a335d94.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps409fbdcb.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps409fbdcb.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsdac51d48.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsdac51d48.jpg.html)

[Panteracer]

John,
Have you every thought of attaching the cage down to the
subframe and subframe connectors??? my connectors and rollbar
are all bolted in but very close to each other.. been thinking of tying
the two together to get things more rigid

Bob

[NOT A TA]

John,
Have you every thought of attaching the cage down to the
subframe and subframe connectors??? my connectors and rollbar
are all bolted in but very close to each other.. been thinking of tying
the two together to get things more rigid

Bob

At the time I had the cage installed I'd considered going through the floor and firewall with the cage. Scope creep had already increased the expense of the safety project by many many thousands of dollars and I was pretty sure my original sub frame was slightly tweaked and would eventually need to come out of the car.

This car kinda evolved slowly over the years after I first got it back around '90 and I didn't do a full restoration initially. Tying the cage into the front and rear frames, adding a knee bar, and a fuel cell with it's own cage may be something I'll do in the future but for now I just want to get back on track. It's been 5 years since I took apart a perfectly good car and I'm regretting taking it apart. It'll be really nice, but I can't have those years back I could have been out enjoying it.

[gofastwclass]

It's been 5 years since I took apart a perfectly good car and I'm regretting taking it apart. It'll be really nice, but I can't have those years back I could have been out enjoying it.


I completely understand about scope creep adding time to a project, I've done the same thing before. Sadly, I also have a friend building a twin turbo Trans Am that will probably never see the pavement because of scope creep.

Ironically the two most fun cars I've ever built were done with a notepad full of notes before a single bolt was turned. I was on a super tight budget and kept the attitude that anything that came up and wasn't part of the original project (while I'm here upgrades, other people's ideas, etc.) would not even be entertained until the next phase. The next phase was only to be thought about after the car was back on the road.


I love the tutorials on how your updating everything, I do the same thing. This helps people understand normal people like us can build cool cars at home if they can't afford a big name shop.

[NOT A TA]

I was on a super tight budget and kept the attitude that anything that came up and wasn't part of the original project (while I'm here upgrades, other people's ideas, etc.) would not even be entertained until the next phase. The next phase was only to be thought about after the car was back on the road.


I love the tutorials on how your updating everything, I do the same thing. This helps people understand normal people like us can build cool cars at home if they can't afford a big name shop.

The current project is the "next phase" for me. It's most of the things I said "next time the car's apart".

I build cars for others so I might not be quite as "normal" as my thread might appear because I usually keep other peoples projects, parts, etc. out of pics. I think the only car I've done for a member here was a 69 Camaro a couple years ago. While his car went from shell to complete in a year or so my car is still apart, like a plumber with a dripping faucet ahahaha.

I had a customer ship down a car almost just like mine a couple weeks ago. It was here for a complete suspension swap, steering replacement, body mounts, frame connectors etc. He wanted me to drive it for a couple hundred miles before shipping it back and was nice enough to give me permission to do some aero testing with it. As you'll see later in the thread my car's getting quite a bit of aero work so testing with his car gave me a good baseline since it's the same ride height, tires, etc. but with the stock body.

Everyone likes pics so here's a couple of those cars then I'll get back to bringing my thread up to date.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Brads%2069%20Camaro/MVC-035F-3.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Brads%2069%20Camaro/MVC-035F-3.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Brads%2069%20Camaro/003_zps02836b24.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Brads%2069%20Camaro/003_zps02836b24.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Brads%2069%20Camaro/NewShoes_zps8309dce6.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Brads%2069%20Camaro/NewShoes_zps8309dce6.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/AERO/20160822_182558_zpslrtvi7sc.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/AERO/20160822_182558_zpslrtvi7sc.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

NOTE: The work done in the post below was done quite a while ago and things have changed since that time. The car is now sponsored by PTFB so the stock arms etc. will all be replaced later in the thread. Also doing this prompted me to start a company that makes sub frame repair/upgrade pieces as well as some other things. So now I sell kits to do things like the LCA reinforcement.
.................................................. .................................................

The lower control arm mounting points holes in the 1st and 2nd gen frames are often worn or damaged. The design really isn't very good IMO. Forces from cornering, bumping parking blocks, hitting potholes, etc. is transferred to the frame through the LCA bolts to the edges of the holes in the sheet metal the frame is stamped out of. Thats not much surface area and making it worse the bolts are shouldered on one side but the other side of each bolt just has the tips of the threads hitting the frame. Since the bolts are hardened steel they deform the holes in the softer metal of the frame ovalizing them. I see it a lot on 2nd gens and since the 1st gens did the same thing I'm surprised the engineers at GM didn't come up with something better for 2nd gens.

Now some of us put stiffer springs, tubular control arms, solid bushings, wider modern sticky tires, and big fat sway bars on the car and then take the car out for spirited driving, auto-X, and even road track use. The force on the thin sheet metal bolt holes in the frame far exceeds what the engineers had in mind. Heck, radial tires weren't even standard on most American cars yet when the suspension was originally designed.

If the LCA mounting holes are ovalized (or you want to reinforce them) a piece of thick steel with a hole drilled in it or a thick washer(s) can be welded to the frame. Welding something to the frame should also reduce flexing theoretically allowing our cool new suspension & tires to perform their best. When possible, I like to use a long piece of all thread rod with nuts through the frame to line up the holes of the washers or metal being welded and hold them tight to the frame to tack weld in place. Then remove the rod and fully weld. If a rod won't slide through all 4 holes on one side because of crossmember interference I'll bolt the control arm in place with the pieces to be welded, tack in place, remove arm and then fully weld.

On the frame I'm currently preparing (81 subframe into a 70) I wanted to strengthen the frame, reduce flex, and reduce wear as much as possible within my budget. To complicate things I want to use my old control arms with the 1/2" bolts in a frame made for the larger diameter metric bolts.

Here's the 2 different bolts I'm aware of, Metric 81 on the left and 1/2" on the right. In the next pic note the shoulder where the frame sits on one side while the other side is on the bolt threads. Really GM? Couldn't think of a better way after seeing it didn't work well for the 1st gens?

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zps35680ae1.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zps35680ae1.jpg.html)


http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpscfb6fda1.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpscfb6fda1.jpg.html)

So here's my plan for the current project where the LCA attaches. This will reduce the holes to 1/2", stiffen the area, and hopefully prevent ovalizing.

1. 1/2" ID 2 1/2" OD body washers 1/8" thick to stiffen the frame. Some are cut and bent to fit and welded into place.

2. 1/2" grade 8 bolts with a shank section about 3 3/8". The long shank section will keep the threaded part from transferring the shear forces to the edge of the frame sheet metal. New tapered thread locknuts will be used for final assembly, regular nuts for mock up etc. are seen in the pics below. Keep in mind kids those factory tapered thread locknuts are considered single use fasteners and should be replaced if removed.

3. 1/2" grade 8 washers welded to each other and welded to the big washers will take the forces that originally went to the edge of the frame sheet metal. This will spread out the force because the combined thickness of the washers is greater than the frame sheet metal. Also, because of the longer shank section both sides will have full contact rather than one side putting the force on the thread tips. With the large washers and 3 of the grade 8's on each side the nuts won't bottom on the shank when tightened. Grade 8 washers are being used because they are made to closer tolerances than cheap washers and fit the bolt shank tighter. I'm aware they'll lose their heat treating when welded.

Since I'm switching from the metric size frame holes to the smaller 1/2" holes there's a slight movement before everything is welded. I'll pull the LCA So any slight change in position will give me a little extra positive castor. I'll do some more weld grinding and polishing before sandblasting so the frame is pretty for body color paint. Next post is upper control arm/shock mount modification.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps92a49c1d.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps92a49c1d.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps9404506a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps9404506a.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps01325c10.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps01325c10.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps0f781465.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps0f781465.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsbma9sjb7.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsbma9sjb7.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpscouruffn.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpscouruffn.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Upper control arm/shock brackets got trimmed where the bracket hangs over the outside of the frame rail then bent to the rail and welded across between the factory welds. The increased stiffness ar added strength advantage is probably debatable but in theory it should be a bit more durable, removes a little weight, and looks cleaner (although you can't see it under stock upper arms).

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zps3wrsxfvx.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zps3wrsxfvx.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps6glorwtv.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps6glorwtv.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[NOT A TA]

The donor 80 bird had taken a punch in the nose at some point in time that had stretched the slotted bumper bracket holes in the sub frame. I put a hydraulic cylinder in the frame and massaged the metal back into place with a BFH. In the first pic you can see the piston in the frame for support behind the hole on the right thats been straightened quite a bit already. Without the support inside the frame the area around the stretched area would cave in if I just started smacking it in with a hammer, it would work, but the bumper brackets might be harder to adjust later.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsqoiatkzg.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsqoiatkzg.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsdbfhd5qz.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsdbfhd5qz.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsqerr0ccd.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsqerr0ccd.jpg.html)


With the frame ready for mock up and the unibody (except splash pan) in the final coat of PPG K38 primer it was time to get the body off the rotisserie and onto some wood cribs. Then I spun the body around to roll the subframe into place, took some measurements, and then set it straight with the body before snugging up the body mount bolts. Next I started hanging suspension parts so I'll have enough weight on the front to get the rear suspension, axle, and wheels installed so that I can use wheel cribs and go-jacks under it. The rotisserie lifts cars much better than lowering them so it's easier for me to just use my jack cribs to get it off. I made some special cribs to fit on top of the go jacks so that I can use the wheel cribs on the go jacks which roll soooo nice. With the car being as stiff as it is because of the cage I've found it's more stable to have the car on 3 stacks when it's not fully loaded with weight especially if I'm going to roll it around. Once it's where I want I take out the go jacks and put it on 4 stacks of cribs.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsh5gex9tt.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsh5gex9tt.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpslgmuztox.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpslgmuztox.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsy5z2ncfh.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsy5z2ncfh.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps0jkwtrv8.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps0jkwtrv8.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[NOT A TA]

After test fitting the subframe to make sure the body mounts lined up properly I cut down the body mounts for the rear of the subframe to make up for the metal I added boxing the frame where the rear body mounts are. The thickness of the metal boxing the frame isn't really thick but this will keep the subframe from tipping up and raising the radiator support.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpslhcjswii.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpslhcjswii.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsn6qweccx.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsn6qweccx.jpg.html)

Once the cut down body mounts were in place I laid out the chassis/suspension components and started mocking up all the components. The plan is to assemble most of the suspension and front end sheetmetal. Then once everything is in place the doors and front end sheetmetal can be aligned and blocked sanded before final primer. Then everything will be taken apart so the subframe and most of the components can be painted. First time it's been back on 4 wheels in a few years!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps9seyfywq.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps9seyfywq.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zpsoljbtu3w.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zpsoljbtu3w.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/018_zps3xqmblpz.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/018_zps3xqmblpz.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zpsre00p9xs.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zpsre00p9xs.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/020_zpsirndmg45.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/020_zpsirndmg45.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/022_zps6vzj1nvk.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/022_zps6vzj1nvk.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[Flash68]

Great thread. Thanks for sharing everything.

[gofastwclass]

The current project is the "next phase" for me. It's most of the things I said "next time the car's apart".

I build cars for others so I might not be quite as "normal" as my thread might appear because I usually keep other peoples projects, parts, etc. out of pics. I think the only car I've done for a member here was a 69 Camaro a couple years ago. While his car went from shell to complete in a year or so my car is still apart, like a plumber with a dripping faucet ahahaha.

I fully understand and I got that impression by something you said earlier. But you're still not a "big shop" if you know what I mean. You're a guy typically working alone, just like me.

I build / update stuff for people from time to time but it isn't a job or business. I'm selective about projects I take on due to space and time limitations. All my work is done in my small detached workshop by me alone.

It's still awesome that you're sharing this how and why stuff. I also share what I know and do, but too many people won't share. The hobby will die if no one shares knowledge. This forum is actually really good about sharing stuff.

I would share my current build, but it isn't the type of car that would really fit in on this forum. It's not a road course / auto cross car, I just want it to handle well if I were to enter an event but it's really a street car with some cool stuff on a 1960's body.

[NOT A TA]

Thanks Flash!

gofastwithclass, Thanks also and you should start a thread about your car. At least post a couple pics and description so folks can see what you've got if they look up your previous posts. I'm curious, whatcha got?

On with updating!!!

[NOT A TA]

While cleaning and prepping the rear swaybar for install I remembered I wanted to post about reuse of locking fasteners.

Lock washers, nylock nuts, tapered thread nuts, and other locking fasteners work best the first time they're used and in many cases are considered single use fasteners. I see far too many instances where people building/rebuilding cars remove and reinstall these types of fasteners over and over to the point the fastener has no locking effect before the car ever hits the road. Then when the car starts being used various things start loosening up.

For a rebuild like this one I lay out all the parts. Then I take one of each locking fastener and tag it as to where it goes and how many I need, go to Fastenal, hardware store, Home Depot or wherever and buy all new fasteners. When I get them, I bag and tag them to be used during final install. It's cheap insurance that I won't be sidelined in the middle of an event or stranded roadside. I don't replace all the hardware, only the locking pieces.

In the last pic you can see there's two nylock nuts on the bottom of the shock absorber. I run two different rear ends, one for drags and one for high speed. I'd swapped the rear a couple times and removed the shocks for clearance (reusing the nylock nut) and then during a track session at Road Atlanta I heard a clunking in the rear. So I got off track and pitted only to discover the nylock nut had backed off. Simple fix once I found another nut and just double nutted it, however it cost me most of a track session so probably a couple hundred bucks in track time when all the expenses of a track day are considered. Been double nutted since but getting new nylock nuts for the bottoms of the shocks now.

When I installed the Hotchkis suspension the first time (long ago) I reused the tapered thread nuts that hold the upper control arms to the frame mounts. Took the car to a shop for alignment then took the car on vacation from CT to FL. When I got to FL I heard a clunk in the front end entering a parking lot. Not only had a nut backed off but the alignment shims were gone! Yay! Got to pay for another alignment. So, learn from my mistakes and don't reuse locking fasteners.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpshz42rzel.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpshz42rzel.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsbdslskp8.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsbdslskp8.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zpsvinh7mgg.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zpsvinh7mgg.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/019_zpsmku9ngc6.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/019_zpsmku9ngc6.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[NOT A TA]

With the subframe and suspension in place so the car could sit on four wheels it was time to start fitting sheet metal. Trunk lid was first up and with some tweaking the new (used) lid lines up nicely. So I moved on to the front end where my first task was to figure out if the 81 subframe would work with the 70 core support.

The later frame mounting holes for the core support are farther apart than on the early frame and the directions for the PTFB solid body mounts say they can't be used with the 70-73 Firebird core supports. BUT, I paid for the solid mounts and I'm using them! I marked and opened up the body mount holes in the subframe to fit the sleeves that come with the PTFB solid mounts. While opening up the holes for the solid mounts I found that the bushings wouldn't sit flat inside the frame rail because of the way the frame is made (like the rear most body mounts) so I welded in some sheet metal pieces I made.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpswiixdh5d.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpswiixdh5d.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpse2qcwf0z.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpse2qcwf0z.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsddqayxpy.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsddqayxpy.jpg.html)

Next used my tram gauge to measure and mark the core support for the new body mount location and larger diameter. Then opened up the holes in the core support for the mounts. I made the holes slightly bigger than necessary to allow a bit of side to side and fore/aft adjustment of the core support.

I had poly body mounts previously I installed back in the 90's. At the time I used a 1/2" thickness bushing between the frame and core support as instructed. I always had a lot of shim stacks to get good fender/bumper/hood gaps and so I'm test fitting the body panels with the thick 1" bushing between the frame and core support to see if things fit well with them (if not I'll switch to the 1/2" and test fit again). If the 1" bushing doesn't work out I'll come back and modify this post.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsgh1xetwn.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsgh1xetwn.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsewdhaxqr.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsewdhaxqr.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

]After deciding the solid mounts can and will be used for the core support I enlisted my buddy Jeff to give me a hand installing the fenders etc. and starting to line things up so I can do blocking on the doors, hood, and fenders before the final coat of primer.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpshbyvn0eo.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpshbyvn0eo.jpg.html)

With the sheet metal roughly in place and waiting on some new bolts for the bumper I mounted the tall rear spoiler I'd roughed in a while back so I could sand it in place on the car and get the pieces uniform and contoured nicely.

In the top pic pic (before being installed for sanding) you can see where the fiberglass was added and about how much taller this spoiler will be compared with the original. The idea being to make it fatter than it needs to be, then sand till it looks right to me, then a skim coat of filler and block sand till straight/smooth, then prime/block/prime. I'll also be mounting up my old rear spoiler for the same procedure and will keep it the stock size so I have my choice of regular spoiler or spoiler on steroids for track use. Last pic shows a guide I made to get the spoiler height uniform and curved like the decklid, sticky sandpaper is used on the plywood part.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsyvjyb63p.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsyvjyb63p.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsluiinu5r.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsluiinu5r.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsrbtehd38.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsrbtehd38.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[gofastwclass]

Thanks Flash!

gofastwithclass, Thanks also and you should start a thread about your car. At least post a couple pics and description so folks can see what you've got if they look up your previous posts. I'm curious, whatcha got?

On with updating!!!

In brief it's a 1961 Impala 2 door Sport Coupe (hard top / bubble top) with an LSx swap, big brakes, tubular suspension, lowered and 18" wheels, in the process of a rustoration / update. Lots of fabrication and lots of small one-off custom touches.

The plan is improved handling and ride that will be driven (and beaten on) cross country at any random point with new car reliability.



That is an excellent tip on the fasteners. One of the places to save money on a car is not in fasteners.

The spoiler is looking great. Very nice job getting the height you need and keeping a factory look for the uninitiated.

Your thread is giving me some really good ideas. Thanks again.

[WSSix]

I'm curious to see how the spoiler turns out. That's something I've thought of doing in the future. Thanks for the updates John.

[NOT A TA]

In brief it's a 1961 Impala 2 door Sport Coupe (hard top / bubble top) with an LSx swap, big brakes, tubular suspension, lowered and 18" wheels, in the process of a rustoration / update. Lots of fabrication and lots of small one-off custom touches.

The plan is improved handling and ride that will be driven (and beaten on) cross country at any random point with new car reliability.

Sounds like a cool car and I'm sure others like myself would love to see it. If you don't want to make a project thread then at least add it to the garage built thread with the description you wrote above copied and pasted. I had a very low miles 64 Biscane back in the 90's, not as cool as a bubble top though and was the last of the Chevy X frames.

[NOT A TA]

I'm curious to see how the spoiler turns out. That's something I've thought of doing in the future. Thanks for the updates John.

More on the spoiler!


The rear spoiler is a focal point on a lot of 2nd gen F bodies and very easy to see. Since they're 35-45 years old now most have deformed or been damaged over time. The plastic slowly drying out and shrinking causes them to become wavy and crack. Some are worse than others of course and I'm lucky the two I'm working with were in pretty good condition to start with.

The tall one I'm making was from a 76 and needed some stripped threads repaired and missing studs replaced so I welded some small washers on 1/4" X 20 threaded rod and made several replacement studs (since I couldn't buy any locally). While I was making them I made the threaded part that screws into the spoiler a little bit longer to grab virgin threads at the bottom of the holes. Several drops of fiberglass resin in the holes before installing the new studs carefully and problem solved.

Next issue with spoilers is getting them to line up as well as we'd like. Often we're dealing with used or aftermarket quarters, deck lids, tail panels etc. which may not be the same as original. Our standards for panel alignment and gaps has raised quite a bit over the years since these cars were new and even when new the alignment/gaps weren't all that great from the factory. Here's my way of bringing old rear spoilers back to usable condition with better fitment and gaps than stock. I'm sure others have different ways of accomplishing the same goal and there's more than one right way to do things.

Strip the spoiler with 80 grit and clean old paint, sealers etc off the inside of the spoiler around the mounts and pads it sits on where it meets the body. Then install center section on trunk lid (trunk lid aligned previously). Clean old paint, sealers etc off the inside of the spoiler where it meets the body. If the mounts on the inside of the spoiler have to be modified by grinding a little off so the spoiler sits nice, so be it. Also, the holes in the decklid may need to be ovalized a bit to get the center section where you want it. Once happy with the center section, snug up the nuts on the ends to hold it in place. Then install end caps and see if you can get them lined up pretty well with the center section with the nuts snug. Again, may need to slot holes or modify the inside of the spoiler cap so it sits nice on the fender. Be patient, take your time and shuffle the pieces a little one way or another to get the pieces to sit as nice as possible on the sheetmetal and have the best gaps. If necessary move the center section a little and try again, when satisfied tighten the nuts. Then...

The ends of the caps and center section have often been sanded for previous repaints and the plastic has shrunk and deformed so after 35-45 years they're usually not very flat anyway. Apply a coat of your favorite body filler over the gaps between the end caps and the center section, don't try to fill the entire void, just bridge the gap. Ya, I know, it just seems wrong. Then use a hacksaw to cut a slot centered where you'd like the center of the finished body gap between the center section and end caps to be. Next use a thin file like a saw and cut the gap wider. Then use thicker and thicker files to widen the gap till it looks the way you want. Using the files keeps the slot straight and even because they don't flex much. If you want to move the gap a bit one way or another just apply pressure to the file as you're cutting with it. Once you've got the gap where you like it open the trunk and apply filler to the voids on the ends where the filler used to bridge the gap didn't go. Then close trunk and use the file again, repeat as needed till the ends just have little voids and pinholes in the bondo.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zpsrseyplp2.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zpsrseyplp2.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsyz5ldb0i.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsyz5ldb0i.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsbauskiaw.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsbauskiaw.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps7oabplke.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps7oabplke.jpg.html)

Because the spoiler plastic has shrunk, warped etc. over the years They're not straight anymore. At a minimum they'll need high build primer and block sanding. I'd hoped that would be all I needed to do for the one below but as you can see after some blocking on the one in the pic below I've already cut through the primer to the plastic and haven't even removed the guide coat in the low areas where the mounts hold the spoiler to the car. This was on a spoiler that spent 99% of the last 25 years in a garage since I did the car the first time. I've seen the same pattern before and apparently the mounts pull enough so the spoilers deform as the plastic gets old. The cure is to skim coat the whole spoiler with filler (front and back) then block sand the filler with the spoiler attached to the car so you can have the center section line up with the end caps by sanding across the gap. then prime/block/prime using a guide coat till you're happy.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsx2bi8dxt.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsx2bi8dxt.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps2egplfwe.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps2egplfwe.jpg.html)

Here's my tip for making a uniform edge where the spoiler flows into the decklid. A flat block with sticky sandpaper and a spacer to keep the block on the same angle as you slide across the spoiler. Don't forget tape so you don't mess up the trunk lid.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpswp4brt6e.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpswp4brt6e.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

I've now got both spoilers in final primer and will move on to other things. When I mounted them to do my sanding etc. I mounted the stock spoiler forward and the tall spoiler slightly back so that the stock spoiler would always cover any foot print marks, or fade lines from having the tall one. The tall version is about 1 1/4" taller than stock and mounted to the car in the pics below where it will stay a while so I can admire it while doing other stuff ahahaha.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003-14.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003-14.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsgxhlvwij.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsgxhlvwij.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsumajthan.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsumajthan.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpskqe4qxgc.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpskqe4qxgc.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsziniqqbj.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsziniqqbj.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsw4ehsaak.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsw4ehsaak.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[NOT A TA]

With the spoilers in final primer I moved on to mocking up all the pieces of the tail panel and bumper to get the best fitment, gaps, etc.

I had my bumper welded up to eliminate the bolts and jack slots many many years ago. I took a used bumper (no repros available back then) that still had the mounting brackets attached to it and sent it to a shop where the brackets were tack welded to the bumper, the bolts removed, plates welded over the holes on the backside, and the bolt holes plug welded from the front. Then the bumper was sent for smoothing and rechroming.

The bumper never really fit quite "right" due to the brackets being adjusted for the car it came off of and the ends had the side droop seen so often on 70-73's. So now was the time to fix things. I ended up making spacers and tack welding them to the bumper brackets to even up the gap along the back and modifying bolts and almost all the bolt holes so the ends can be adjusted properly during final assembly.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpslsynj3jd.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpslsynj3jd.jpg.html)

This is the rubber isolator often missing on the center bumper support bracket. Held on by 2 plastic T clips.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpssrlklxql.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpssrlklxql.jpg.html)

Here's a tip for masking off an edge you can't cut easily with a single edge razor. Rub a file on the tape.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps34a8kfbs.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zps34a8kfbs.jpg.html)

You can see the spacers tack welded to the brackets to create an equal gap to the tail panel in the pic below. Car had no previous rear end damage and none of the sheet metal had been replaced and although the bumper itself had been repaired and replated at least once before I ever owned it it's pretty straight. So I have to assume the fit wasn't very good from the factory judging by the thickness of spacers required and other 70-73 birds I've seen and dealt with.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsytnwkopj.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsytnwkopj.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsecqa6mz8.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsecqa6mz8.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsakmbaoex.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsakmbaoex.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Back in the fall Holley introduced a new product at the SEMA show, the Holley Hydramat. It's a product that mounts in the bottom of a fuel tank and if the fuel in the tank touches any part of the Hydramat the fuel will be sucked in even if no gas is touching the rest of the hydramat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfE1v65fNZI

Holley started shipping about a month ago so I ordered one and got it a couple weeks ago so I thought I'd show it here. Will post about it again when I get it set up in the tank. Cost of mine was a couple hundred bucks. Seems expensive but to save the same weight (on track) with lightweight parts would cost more

This looked like a good product for me to try in my stock unbaffled gas tank until I can install a properly mounted and protected fuel cell. It'll allow me to save weight by keeping less fuel in the car on road courses without risking sucking air in high G corners, reduce the pendulum effect of fuel sloshing in the tank, be safer if there's a fire because less fuel in the car, and since it's also a filter I eliminate the canister fuel filter I've been using also saving weight.

I got the magnet kit for mounting the mat in the tank and will need to install submersible fuel line instead of the stock tube and sock strainer in the tank. Holley makes other sizes and shapes of the mat as well as types of mounting setups for tanks made out of other materials.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpslhlre45z.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpslhlre45z.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsu2wxawst.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsu2wxawst.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Back in the 70's when we ran air shocks with big and small tires on F bodies I always noticed the crappy job GM did on the pinchweld under the rear splash pan because the rear of the cars were jacked up. Well those fugly looking pinch welds are still there on most of the cars and haven't gotten any better. They got bent on ice mounds in the north, rusted, repainted without being sanded smooth or stripped, and so most look worse than they did from the factory. I'm going to make a rear diffuser for my car and folks will be looking under there taking pics etc. so I figured now's the time to even it up and make it more presentable and finished looking while getting the whole tail section in final primer.

So I gave myself a guideline and used a 4 1/2" cutoff disc to cut a thin slice off. Then ground it pretty even with a 4" grinder stone, filed it straight, and got rid of the sharp edges.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsualytad3.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsualytad3.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsjloo72dy.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsjloo72dy.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

With the rear of the car in final primer I spun the car around (Go-Jacks are awesome!) and turned my attention to lining up the doors and front end sheet metal. I'd loosely assembled everything to determine if I'd be able to use the 81 subframe, 70 steering, and 70 core support with the solid body mounts. There are differences in the subframe front horns that affect the position of the bumper brackets and steering but with various modifications it looks like I should be able to get everything to fit.

The door hinges were installed bare metal to bare metal at the factory on the 2nd gen F body cars I've worked on. If the area where the hinge mounts is covered in primers/paint it's a lot more difficult to line up the doors because the paint sticks together when the bolts are snugged or tightened. Then if you try to move a hinge just a little while aligning things it usually jumps farther than you want it to move once you get it to pop free.

So I sand down the area on the cowl and door as well as the hinge surfaces to make adjustments easier. Then because I'll be leaving the hinges on the cowl when the doors come off for the cut ins I sanded down the final primer that was already there to 320 for paint because it's easier to sand without the hinges in the way (they'll also get the Scotchbrite scuff before paint).

Once sanded, a little spray lithium grease gets shot inside where the plate slides around in the cowl and door and a thin film of grease where the hinge touches the cowl and door. This allows easier adjustment of the doors and a bit of corrosion protection. Careful attention to keep grease off areas that will be painted is a must and after the hinges are mounted wax and grease remover used all around hinges to remove any possible residue.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpspg0mywq2.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpspg0mywq2.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsurzs3agw.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsurzs3agw.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

I'm currently working on front end assembly/panel alignment and some fender vent aero mods I'll talk about in my next progress post. However I've been wanting to post about this problem unique to 70-73 bird's for years and today's the day!

Soapbox time! 70-73 Firebird front bumper and panel alignment.

I was a car guy teen when these cars were new and been researching/studying the bumper mounting , panel fitment, and the gaps for the past 25-30 years since my stepson got his first 70. Most of the 70-73 front ends on birds I see now have not been assembled/aligned correctly. THE FRONT BUMPER IS NOT SUPPOSED TO TOUCH THE FENDERS.

There is supposed to be a gap. It's wider than people want to see. Nobody likes it, not even the folks at Pontiac liked it when they were new. As you can see in the pics below the marketing people at Pontiac photoshopped (was that a thing then?) the gap between the fender and bumper right out of some of the pics in the 70 brochure because it looks "funny".

I see many beautiful cars where the owners have taken every step they can, buying NOS and correct original pieces for crazy prices just so they know they've got the right stamping's, date codes, etc. only to see the whole front end isn't panel aligned correctly. I feel bad for them because they just don't know. To me it's almost like hearing someone say they've got a "Big Block" Pontiac.

Soon after these cars were built they started getting in accidents etc.requiring bodywork and paint. IF the person took it back to the dealer the shop might have put the bumper back on correctly however many shops might just try to eliminate or reduce the gap if they even knew there was supposed to be a gap. It's been over 45 years since these cars were built and so even a body man who was in his 20's is probably retired even if he was a body man his whole life. So the folks who've been repainting these cars the past 30 years or so probably never even saw these cars new and don't realize the bumper isn't supposed to touch the fender. Most in the restoration/ body repair business now never saw these cars before they started being reassembled wrong so they try to split the differences and make the panel alignment/gaps look as good as they can with the bumper tight to the fender because they never even saw one with the correct gap. The misconception has gone on so long now that the majority of the cars I see now are assembled wrong and look kinda wonky but few realize why. The poor panel alignment is often attributed to the lower quality sheet metal stamping of yesteryear.

The subframe, bumper brackets, and bumper (as a solidly bolted structure) were isolated from the unibody,fenders, core support, splash pan, and core support/latch brackets (again solidly bolted structure) by 8 rubber bushings allowing the 2 sections to move slightly independent of each other. 4 rubber body mounts, 2 rubber core support mounts, and the 2 rubber upper bumper mounts. This allowed movement of the two structures individually and so a gap was needed between the fenders and bumper to prevent the bumper being deformed on uneven surfaces and when the car was jacked up. When the first urethane bumpers arrived on the 69's they put a rubber gasket between the bumper and body and people didn't like it so in 70 they reduced the gap and left it open.

The assembly manual says like up to 3/16" gap but from what I've seen the gap needs to be roughly 3/16" - 1/4" on most of the cars to get everything lined up as well as can be keeping in mind that factory stamping and tolerances of early 70's cars was nothing like today's cars.

In this first page from the brochure you can see that the marketing guys made the gap disappear on the passenger side of the upper image while it is clearly seen on the lower image.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/CCF11062013_0000_zps53db5f97.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/CCF11062013_0000_zps53db5f97.jpg.html)

On the page below you can clearly see the gap, note the front of the hood lines up with the front of the fender.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/CCF11062013_0001_zps200f0ca5.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/CCF11062013_0001_zps200f0ca5.jpg.html)

Apparently the marketing folks figured the gap showed up waaay too much on a white car.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/CCF11062013_0002_zpsd6233dc1.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/CCF11062013_0002_zpsd6233dc1.jpg.html)

Pic below is exaggerated to show how the body lines and fitment get screwed up. Think of it as taking a slice out of a cone and then trying to mate the remaining pieces. The gap needs to be roughly 3/16" - 1/4" on most of the cars to get everything lined up as well as can be keeping in mind that factory stamping and tolerances of early 70's cars was nothing like today's cars. When folks try to have the bumper touch the fender it causes problems aligning the front end sheet metal. Several problems arise and folks try to juggle all the pieces to minimize the affects but the pieces won't line up well so the common thought is "They just didn't make the cars very good back then"

These are the most noticeable effects of trying to have the bumper touch the fender.

1. The hood sticking too far back toward the windshield and sticking up even when the hinges are adjusted to the max trying to lower it.

2. The middle of the hood arches above the fender. Commonly attributed to the "Formy arch" or lousy hood springs. It's actually also caused by the hood being too far back and the arch of the hood not matching the arch of the fender.

3. When the bumper is tight to the fender people pull the fenders in toward the hood trying to get the points on the top of the bumper to line up with the top of the fender. this causes too small of a gap to the hood and often the car gets assembled without the side rubber hood bumpers because they push the hood up causing the mid hood arch to be off even more with the fender.

4. When the fenders are pulled in, the bottoms of the fender get pulled in afterward when trying to get the side of the fender to curve like the side of the bumper. Then the splash pan seems like it's too long.

5. The side body line will be off because when pulling the bumper tight to the fender it also gets raised to have the top of the bumper flush with the top of the fender. So the bumper body line ends up slightly higher than the fender body line. Sometimes this gets "fixed" during bodywork with filling/blocking if the bumper is on the car at the time.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/CCF06182015_0000_zpsqlvmwxjp.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/CCF06182015_0000_zpsqlvmwxjp.jpg.html)

The crude sketches below show how the car is built. The main portion of the car is comprised of the unibody along with all the front sheet metal bolted solidly together (excluding hood because it's on hinges). It includes the fenders, inner fenders, inner fender extensions, core support, latch support, and splash pan. The smaller section includes the subframe, bumper brackets, and bumper (with lights and grills) bolted solidly together with the front suspension and steering attached. A third section is the engine/transmission bolted solidly together and "floating" on rubber mounts over the subframe.

The gap was necessary to allow the two main sections of the car to move a little independent of each other without damaging the sides of the bumper and paint on the leading edge of the fenders.. Even if you use solid body mounts the bumper still needs the gap to get the panel alignment correct because it was designed knowing the gap was necessary and the body lines needed to appear to flow over the gap.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/CCF08252015_0000_zpsd1uncyu6.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/CCF08252015_0000_zpsd1uncyu6.jpg.html)

Came across some pics on another forum that demonstrate how NOT to line up the bumper. This is a classic example of what happens when folks try to have the bumper touch the fender and don't know what they're doing is wrong. As an added bonus it also shows how the more flexible formy hood reacts. Don't worry, I'm not picking on someone's car that's being used like this. It's already apart for restoration.

The bumper below looks like it was installed while the car was on jack stands or a lift and they tried to have the bumper touch the fender. Then when they dropped the car on the ground the result was popping the paint on the drivers side of the bumper and a funny gap on the passengers. The hood was moved back so there would be a gap and the hood corners by the windshield probably got sanded off because they looked funny. The fenders were pulled in toward the hood in front trying to match the bumper causing the raised section of the Formy hood mid fender. Also notice the side body line of the bumper is now too high compared to the fender.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/0321151820_zps2yhvzsnk.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/0321151820_zps2yhvzsnk.jpg.html)

[URL=http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/0321151817_zpsruxsxa1e.jpg.html]http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/0321151817_zpsruxsxa1e.jpg

[NOT A TA]

One of the aero changes I wanted to make involves the fender vents. I'm planning on a splitter and pan under the engine compartment. So I need to evacuate the under hood air that comes through the radiator and reduce high pressure air under the hood that causes lift. Many have experienced the effect called "float" at high speeds (over normal highway speed) in regular cars and some models are worse than others. The 2nd gen TA fender vents help reduce that and I want to maximize the benefit.

So I began by doing some tuft testing on the stock vent with the screen removed to see how it performed. Then I made cardboard modifications to the vents and tested again. I spent more than a day on this process testing various configurations and came up with a couple modified vents that should help keep the air pressure lower under the hood. For a more detailed version of the testing and how the modified vents were made see this thread which just covers my aero mods. http://transamcountry.com/community/index.php?topic=71522.0

The stock TA vent has a hole with surface area about 15 sq. in. The screen in the stock vent blocks off about 5 sq.in. reducing it to 10 sq. in. and creates turbulence as the air tries to exit through it. As I went through the testing process I changed the angle of the leading edge, added wicker bills of varying heights and expanded the opening. The modified vents now have openings about 3 times the sq. in. with steeper leading edge and the design of the housings seem to draw a lot more air from under hood. One set will be used for Land Speed racing type events (less drag) and the one with the wicker at the leading edge will be for road course use (more drag but also more evacuation).

As I mentioned it was a long process and lots of variations were tuft tested. Here's a few pics to show a couple of the differences.

Stock vent with screen removed.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsth3q9sas.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsth3q9sas.jpg.html)

Modified vent below with steeper leading angle and stock opening.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps9hux3vb5.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps9hux3vb5.jpg.html)

Modified vent with wicker and extra slot opening below.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsviry1faw.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsviry1faw.jpg.html)

This version seemed to get the best results for evacuation with reduced turbulence. But it wasn't enough "better" to warrant all the extra effort I'd have to put in to incorporate strakes into my design.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zps4etgb5xy.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zps4etgb5xy.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Here are the designs I came up with and made. Will tuft test in the real world once the car is back on track. Top pic below is process. Then stock vent, LSR vent, and track vent.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/Barefoot%20and%20Track%20Jack%20vents%20002_zpslz3 vt75a.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/Barefoot%20and%20Track%20Jack%20vents%20002_zpslz3 vt75a.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zps6u07qwkc.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zps6u07qwkc.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zpst24ch5dm.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zpst24ch5dm.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsrh4zmoby.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpsrh4zmoby.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/018_zpsywajddeh.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/018_zpsywajddeh.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zpskcm6k7wu.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zpskcm6k7wu.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Moving along with aerodynamic modifications this is the front end treatment.

The splitter/tray/air dam combination I've got in mind is a bit unusual from those I've seen on other cars.

A. Hinged to allow the splitter to be pushed up if I hit corner curbing or something. Splitter could rise till it hits the stock air dam. I've never whacked the stock air dam and I'll probably only loose maybe 1/2" ground clearance.

B. Two piece splitter/tray so I can have various splitters that stick out more or less with the biggest reaching out as far as the leading edge of the bumper and out as wide as the wickers on the wheel flares.

C. Height adjustable so I can use for street, LSR, Drag strip, road course, or open road with various height air dam extensions.

D. Various air dam extensions that will fold up if the splitter gets pushed up. Probably three versions, small for drag race & street , medium for road tracks, and a deep air dam extension with minimal ground clearance for LSR with no splitter but supported from behind by the tray section.

E. Breakaway provisions so if something bad happens, damage to the car would be minimal and hopefully confined to the splash pan and stock air dam/wheel flares.

F. Cheap/replaceable using as many pieces of scraps left from other projects and junk people gave me as I can. I gathered all the stuff I've been collecting and figured I could make something out of it even if just a prototype. It'll get the scraps out of my way and hopefully save me a few bucks.

While today lots of folks use CAD I still use DIG (Draw In Garage) for projects like this. Here's the basic concept drawing. The tray section the various splitters will be attached to has a smaller footprint than the stock air dam/wheel flare section.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/CCF08312015_0000_zps8uu4aohi.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/CCF08312015_0000_zps8uu4aohi.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsxpirxxyt.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsxpirxxyt.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Based on my less than artistic freehand quick sketch of what I envisioned I got to making stuff. Below are pics of the splitter/air dam combinations I'll be testing. Not sure if there'll be any issues with using cable supports which might allow the splitter to oscillate or bounce. If there are issues I'll install solid splitter supports.

The contraption in it's current configuration adds about 27 lbs to the nose of the car. This includes a lot of hardware weight I'll eliminate if it works as planned. The splitter easily supports my full weight with just 2 of the cables in place. The hinging ability works and so in theory might save me from wrecking it. Front sections of various lengths can be slid into place in just a couple minutes. I started making plastic pieces to mate the original air dam and wheel flares with the splitter and will finish them when I determine the exact heights I'll try the splitter at once the car is assembled and on the ground with full weight. 3/8" plywood is being used for testing the front sections and I may use a different material later if everything functions as I'd like once road tested.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsirxstnu6.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsirxstnu6.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsgsc65mzj.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsgsc65mzj.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsksroqlgy.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsksroqlgy.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps91ms5mvr.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps91ms5mvr.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsxyfgvtln.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsxyfgvtln.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsnqctt6dr.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsnqctt6dr.jpg.html)

[gofastwclass]

Sounds like a cool car and I'm sure others like myself would love to see it. If you don't want to make a project thread then at least add it to the garage built thread with the description you wrote above copied and pasted. I had a very low miles 64 Biscane back in the 90's, not as cool as a bubble top though and was the last of the Chevy X frames.

Thanks. :) Ok, I'll make a quick build topic with some pictures and see if there is any interest.

Very cool.


I like the splitter idea, but I think you will get oscillation with the cable mounts if it doesn't simply get stuck in the up position after a bump gets air under it. From a weight angle, what if you made the final from aluminum, fiberglass or carbon fiber? I think aluminum would be the simplest. With fiberglass being reasonably light, strong, inexpensive and reasonably repairable. I've never worked carbon fiber because I can't make fiberglass pretty enough to show off the weave and never needed that type of weight reduction.

[NOT A TA]

I like the splitter idea, but I think you will get oscillation with the cable mounts if it doesn't simply get stuck in the up position after a bump gets air under it. From a weight angle, what if you made the final from aluminum, fiberglass or carbon fiber? I think aluminum would be the simplest. With fiberglass being reasonably light, strong, inexpensive and reasonably repairable. I've never worked carbon fiber because I can't make fiberglass pretty enough to show off the weave and never needed that type of weight reduction.

I have a test in mind once the car is back on the road to see if the splitter would stay up at speed. After track testing various configurations of the splitter and deciding whether rigid supports are necessary on a size/design I'm happy with I'll make much lighter ones. Since the time I made the splitter I've had the opportunity to do some tuft testing on another car with the same body, ride height, tire sizes etc. I'll discuss more later on in the thread but here's a pic at highway speed, note all the tufts below the grill openings pointing straight down. Leads me to believe there will be enough pressure on the splitter to push it back down if it gets bumped up, but testing will be the best way to find out.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/AERO/20160822_182607_zpsr3kuxkxn.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/AERO/20160822_182607_zpsr3kuxkxn.jpg.html)

[gofastwclass]

I love the R&D you're doing, basically a poor man's wind tunnel. Aero is so important and most people don't even know it exists.

You seriously remind me a lot of how I approach things. You're also letting me know I'm not crazy - or at least I'm not alone in my crazy. Hahaha

Thanks for sharing.

[transam]

Great work and a very nice write up!

[NOT A TA]

Thanks guys!

Moving on to the front brake duct cooling system....

The Baer brakes are large by huge 14" rotors with 6 piston calipers. The rotors are the curved vane type which are designed to move air from the rotor hat through the hollow vanes in the rotor to cool the rotor as long as it's turning. I want to have additional cooling ducts to aid cooling for several reasons.

A. The aero changes I'm making will reduce the air exchange in the wheel wells. So that might contribute to the rotors, pads and calipers heating more than without the aero changes.

B. I'm running 285 front tires on 18" X 10" wheels that just barely clear the calipers. So the calipers and rotors are kind of shrouded by the wheels which might reduce cooling.

C. With the Yokohama AO 48 DOT R sticky tires I can brake harder during threshold braking before lock up than I would be able to with higher tread wear tires so more heat is generated.

D. Keeping the rotors and pads cooler should extend their life.

E The car is is stock bodied with no lightweight fiberglass or carbon fiber and propelled by an iron headed Pontiac engine so at 3500 lbs + it's no featherweight race car, yet I'll treat it like one on track.

Here's the basics of what I've done.

1. Remove the speed sensor mount to open up more space for a 3" brake duct hose.

2. Make backing plate for the rotor hat that has minimal clearance with a tube to attach the hose.

3. To attach the backing plate I used a threaded boss in the spindle (supplied by Baer with their package) and drilled then tapped two bolt holes in the caliper abutment so the backing plate has three bolts holding it.

4. Modified a couple dashboard vent ducts from mid 80's GM trucks so the 3" brake duct hose would fit on them. They're slightly too big for the duct hose stock so a few V cuts and they can be squeezed just enough to get the hoses on.

5. Mounted the duct opening vents in the core support up high right next to the radiator on each side. This is a high pressure area behind the grills which isn't affected by the bow wave at the very front of the bumper or air dam. I'd originally planned on using the park/turn signal openings however a discussion with Ron Sutton about the bow wave influence and the reduction of pressure on the splitter just below the signal opening caused me to change plans.

6. I've built everything using 3" 300 degree brake duct tubing. It's a tight fit by the outer tie rods and sway bar ends snaking a 3" tube in there with such wide wheels/tires. I checked turning radius, suspension travel considerations, and such but I may find that I need to downsize to 2" tubing. So I'm going to test with the 3" and if all's good make a prettier set of backing plates welded instead of riveted. If there's clearance issues I'll move down to 2" ducts and add inline fans.

Here's the pics!

Spindle with speed sensor mount in pic below.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsrjoqy6rx.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsrjoqy6rx.jpg.html)

Speed sensor mount removed (but opposite spindle).

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/022_zpsnfvxbq5d.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/022_zpsnfvxbq5d.jpg.html)

White line in pic below shows how much of the rotor hat is blocked by spindle arms, caliper brackets, and abutments.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zps1aslc5cq.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/013_zps1aslc5cq.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps22ieiyqg.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zps22ieiyqg.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsakcacjs1.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsakcacjs1.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsoydfulit.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsoydfulit.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zpsks4vfsyb.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zpsks4vfsyb.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zps81sxtw1o.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zps81sxtw1o.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsaxq1s3fe.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zpsaxq1s3fe.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsky9bngkj.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsky9bngkj.jpg.html)[/QUOTE]

[NOT A TA]

I wanted to seal off the openings on the top of the cowl where fresh air enters. This will increase air pressure on the top of the cowl so I'll get more down force in conjunction with a new hood to cowl seal which will be installed after final paint. I decided to use a reproduction screen I already had and modify it to seal off the openings. I used 3/32 EPDM rubber sheet and it's held in place with # 10 - 5/8"Phillips pan head screws and nylock nuts with 3/16" body washers to spread out the clamping force. The higher the air pressure, the tighter the seal will be. The car very rarely ever gets wet so I'm not concerned too much with drainage but if I'm on a trip and it rains I'll just pop the screen out.

Here's the pics!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsttzxlneu.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsttzxlneu.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zpsdymqh7os.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/015_zpsdymqh7os.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zpsaqwvw0ce.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zpsaqwvw0ce.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsebvhimkx.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsebvhimkx.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Continuing my efforts to manage under hood airflow and pressure I wanted to seal off the inner fender wells above the frame. The stock inner fenders have a factory installed "splash shield" which helps separate the air in the inner fender from the engine compartment. I wanted to take that a step farther. So I made up some patterns and used 1/8" EPDM rubber sheet to more effective seals. I'm going to be running the modified stock upper control arms for a while after reassembly but plan on eventually switching to upper and lower arms that will allow more positive castor and negative camber so I'll need to reconfigure the seals. With that inn mind I'll be using threaded hardware to hold the seals during assembly after paint now but may use pop rivets to save a little weight when the tubular arms are installed.

Stock splash guard in pic below. Note the gaps to the inner fender well not only around the control arm but also where there was no stock shield between frame and inner fender.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsvv9h3ux2.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsvv9h3ux2.jpg.html)

Pics below show pattern making and the new seals in place.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpshwsa9axw.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zpshwsa9axw.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zpszu3fo1iv.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zpszu3fo1iv.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsdxmtqtsj.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsdxmtqtsj.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsgyzwmeqk.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsgyzwmeqk.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

The inner fender extensions on the 70-73 birds rusted out pretty easily and over the years I've seen a lot of cars missing them completely. It's a part some might just consider part of the crash protection crumple zone or be considered more of a splash guard. However it's also a part that affects aero. Without it the air coming under the front air dam collides with the air in the wheel well and seeks a place to go. I believe that the air will flow through the opening into the area behind the core support.

Twenty five years ago when I first built the car reproductions weren't available and I didn't really have a way to make replacements. I cut off the bottom of one of them because the rust had eaten it all up while the other had rust holes but wasn't as bad. Eventually I got a better (but not great) set off a parts car and planned on installing them.... Ya, never got around to that, and they disappeared along the way. Reproductions are available now, but I have the ability to make them so I did. If it was a customer car I'd have installed repros because of the fabrication labor time, but since it's my car I made them.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps1slxm8yg.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps1slxm8yg.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsct2kaqvr.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsct2kaqvr.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpszbemqha6.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpszbemqha6.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps2wbwxhca.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zps2wbwxhca.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

The core support of the early 2nd gen birds had a lot of gaps on the sides and top as well as large openings for the bumper supports to pass through it. I wanted to seal these areas off to keep the air out which should reduce under hood air pressure and increase the difference in pressure in front/back of the radiator which will help the radiator be most efficient.

Now those of you with early 2nd's might go look at the car and think pffft there's only an inch gap here and there and the holes for the bumper supports. However even though they're not directly open to the front of the car the cavity between the core support and the bumper/splash pan is one of (if not the) highest air pressure areas on the car. So the air is trying to get past the core support through the gaps as fast as it can. This is the same principal of why the brake cooling duct openings are placed in the core support rather than on the splash pan.

So how big are the gaps really? I added them all up, then recalculated thinking I must be wrong but no.... Imagine a hole this big in the core support letting air in!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps0p3djf7f.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004_zps0p3djf7f.jpg.html)

The bottom of the core support is bolted tight to the lower edge of the splash pan sealing it. So the sides, top, and bumper openings are where I needed seals. To seal the sides and bumper holes I used 3/32 EPDM rubber sheet and pop riveted it in place. 3/16" aluminum rivets with 3/16" body washers.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsogxtjqrc.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpsogxtjqrc.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpslkdr0i3b.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpslkdr0i3b.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zpsfeey0euo.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/016_zpsfeey0euo.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps1zv3uuom.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zps1zv3uuom.jpg.html)

To seal the top of the core support I used the same rubber but with plastic push pin fasteners for a more finished factory look. All of the seals will become tighter as air pressure increases forward of the core support with speed.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpspdcspzhy.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpspdcspzhy.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps268td2lo.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zps268td2lo.jpg.html)

[gofastwclass]

Very nice work and documentation.

I agree with your position on airflow and the core support / radiator. I hear far too many cooling complaints from people who go for the complex and overlook the simple (and sometimes inexpensive) in this arena. Most older cars have terrible aero - especially through the radiator. For years I have argued controlling airflow through the radiator is paramount for proper cooling. Anyone who doesn't agree needs to take a quick look at the OEM's. Any vehicle built in the last 10 or more years has excellent flow through the radiator with little or no traditional grille opening. It's not magic (unless you refuse to understand), it's called science.

[NOT A TA]

Yup, being in S. FL I hear it regularly. As you said, it's not magic.

On to bringing this thread up to date......

G braces have been around since Herb Adams & his crew were racing 2nd gens back in the early 70's. The basic brace idea itself was/is a good concept which triangulates the front sub frame to the upper cowl. This reduces deflection of the stock sub frame and stiffens up the overall platform so suspension and steering components can do their job better.

The Pro-Touring F-Body Gen II adjustable G-braces shown here evolved from the simple early braces and are a great product. They're a very stout design with a nice adjustable feature that allows them to be easily installed on most 2nd gen F body's. The braces are actually much stronger than the cars they're being installed in and that is the focus of this post. By modifying the points where the forces transferred by the G-braces act on the cowl, upper control arm mounting bolt, upper control arm mount, and sub frame we can make the G braces function even better when the car is pushed to it's limits.

In my opinion G-braces should only be used on cars with solid body mounts as a minimum, and preferably have sub frame connectors also. Doing any of the modifications discussed in this post without solid body mounts is a waste of time and money (even if you think it looks cool). Additionally, if you're not really pushing the limits of the car at auto-X, hill climbs, or on road race tracks it's doubtful the benefits of most of this additional bracing would be noticed. However I do believe the upper control arm bolt support would be a good addition to any car with any type of G-brace that uses the upper control arm cross shaft mounting bolt as the G-brace lower mounting point.

So here's my list of areas that can use a bit of improvement and what I've done. I hope this helps for those who might want to copy what I've done or come up with better ideas. As with most things the evolution will continue.

Also for those wondering, Dave at PTFB has been kept in the loop while I was designing/prototyping all these things. You can expect a new bolt on center upper G-brace to cowl support to be available from PTFB very soon (edit: available now). Where the ones shown below only fit low valve cover Pontiac set ups the PTFB one's will fit multiple applications for those with tall covers, LS engines etc.

1. Upper cowl where G-braces attach is three pieces of sheet metal spot welded together. The G brace mounts are almost centered on the large air openings on the top of the cowl which are the weakest areas. Also the drivers side G brace is in the area of the cowl recessed for the windshield wiper motor allowing more flex in that section of the spot welded ledge the brace is mounted to.

Improvement 1. A strip of steel plate above and below ledge creating a sandwich and bolted through the pinch welded area. Stiffens the ledge and spreads the force from the brace over a much wider area. Creates a wider thickness for shear forces transferred through the bolts to act on by doubling (or rmore) the thickness of the ledge. Provides a strong section in the center of the cowl ledge where the top of the cowl is stiffer for the additional centered mount triangulation braces I made that do not come with G-braces. The additional braces also provide lateral support. I used bolts but the sandwich plates could be welded in place.

2. Stock upper control arm mount is made of 3/16" steel. It can flex and those of you who've examined them probably noticed that they've deformed over the years a bit around the forward UCA bolt hole from bumping parking blocks, tightening during alignment, or whatever. If your car's apart put a straight edge on the UCA shaft mounting face and you'll see what I'm talking about. The stock UCA bolts were splined for an interference fit. Often on the cars after many years the interference fit has been widened by movement and the splines don't engage tight any more.

Improvement 2. Weld a piece of 1/8" flat plate to the face of the UCA mount. Most of us with track cars are already running a bunch of shims on the front and rear UCA shaft bolts to get as much positive castor and negative camber as we can. The 1/8" plate eliminates one shim front/rear and eliminates one surface where things could slip/move.. The 1/8" welded plate increases the thickness of the mount to 5/16 which is a 66% increase and stiffens the mount. Additionally it gives a thicker more solid base for larger splined UCA shaft mounting studs/bolts.

3. The stock UCA shaft bolts are 1/2" with a small splined base. Their intended use was to clamp the UCA shaft to the mount and accept forces applied in compression and tension. They were not intended to receive shear forces trying to wiggle and tip the bolt. With G-braces the shear forces applied by the braces are at roughly 90 degrees to the bolt AND the force is not at the base where the splines are but away the thickness of the shims and control arm shaft so leverage is involved increasing the possibility of tipping or wiggling the bolt.

Improvement 3. ARP 1/2" studs with a wide spline base to replace stock UCA shaft bolts. The wide base makes the bolt more stable and spreads force over a bigger area. The spline area is also deeper which combined with the additional thickness provided by the 1/8" plate welded to the mount keeps the bolt more stable. The studs are also longer (cut to length later) allowing shims etc. to run a lot of negative camber and distorted thread locking nuts will be used to prevent loosening. The ARP long studs are stronger and also allow space to utilize an additional support for the stud to transfer force to the frame horns ahead of the UCA mounts.

Additional improvement. Adjustable UCA bolt brace between the front UCA bolt/stud and the frame on roughly the same angle as the main tube of the G-brace.. This support transfers loads from the G-brace to the front frame horns reducing the load on the spline section of the UCA bolt by providing additional support on the other side of the G-brace to help prevent tipping or wiggling of the UCA bolt/stud. I feel this is the most beneficial modification and recommend it to anyone using any style of G braces that use the UCA mounting bolt as the lower attachment point.

Pic below is an overview showing everything mocked up but not yet fully adjusted and tightened. The sub frame will need to come out for paint after other modifications are done. The bolts and nuts are all serrated flange locking fasteners excluding the ARP studs & grade 8 nuts used for the UCA shaft mount. On the cowl, the top of the G-braces are fastened with 7/16" bolts and the other bolts (including the additional upper braces) are all 3/8". The lower supports for the UCA bolts are fastened to the frame with serrated flange nuts/bolts.

Edit: Most of the items shown in this post I've been selling on the TA forums etc. and started a business called Lab-14 to sell them and other products. No website yet but soon.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsyyvci1im.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsyyvci1im.jpg.html)

Pic below shows the 1/8" thick plate welded to the UCA shaft mounting surface. Note the thickness where the splines of the stud will hold the bolt more securely.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004%20-%20Copy_zpsqaihegpg.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/004%20-%20Copy_zpsqaihegpg.jpg.html)

Pic below shows the difference between a stock mounting bolt for the UCA shaft and an ARP wheel stud used to replace them. You can see how the wider deeper spline section will support the bolt more rigidly.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpshozi0tbe.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpshozi0tbe.jpg.html)

Pic below shows how the additional upper supports are attached to the PTFB Gen II adjustable G-braces and the angle of the lower support that is attached to the UCA bolt and sub frame.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsqojkvh2v.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/007_zpsqojkvh2v.jpg.html)

Pics below show the drivers side lower support. The unused mount on the steering box has to be cut off to provide clearance for the mounting bolt through the frame. Everything's close but fits. Careful marking of where the frame mounting bolt hole needs to be is critical on the drivers side. Passenger side there's plenty of room.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps0ropnunl.jpg
(http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/012_zps0ropnunl.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsgrgy5mkp.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpsgrgy5mkp.jpg.html)

Pic below shows all the pieces used for the upgrades described that do not come with a set of PTFB Gen II adjustable G-braces.


http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsnih6odon.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/010_zpsnih6odon.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

With everything mocked up and the last welding done to the sub frame I sandblasted it. Followed the blasting by shooting it with epoxy primer then regular high build primer followed by sanding then gloss black acrylic enamel.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsxuklmrhs.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsxuklmrhs.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsakvigpja.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpsakvigpja.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpshdcbzdyw.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/008_zpshdcbzdyw.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsibnike74.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsibnike74.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpspn78b2na.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpspn78b2na.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

When I had the roll cage in my car fabricated 7-8 years ago I removed a lot of the interior, took the car to the fab shop where they built the cage, and then I painted the cage and reassembled the interior. I spent a lot of time trying to mask off the dash, headliner, and other interior bits that hadn't been removed so I could spray the cage. I found it extremely difficult (OK impossible) to get everything masked off and try to figure out a way to spray the cage with the windshield and rear window in the car. It just couldn't be done. So I ended up painting the cage with a brush Using PPG DBI (base coat with activator) then sanding the brush marks smooth, then sanding, then painting, then sanding, and painting again until I had several coats on. The DBI is for use without a clear coat. It came out fine overall but it just didn't look the way I envisioned at the start. There were brush marks and other little things I'd notice that bugged me although probably no one else ever noticed with all the roll cage padding etc. in place.

Since I've got everything out of the car except the headliner (bow type), shifter, and some wires this was the time to spray the cage since the dash windows etc. are all out. So I sanded down the previously applied paint and shot it with the same color PPG Deltron Silver Frost base coat followed by PPG Global Matte clearcoat. For those of you who've never painted a cage, it sucks. I don't remember it being any easier when I was 40 years younger and although I'm still slender and agile, a contortionist I am not. However the cage came out the way I wanted it to the first time and I'm happy with the results.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpscsrxrkno.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/005_zpscsrxrkno.jpg.html)

[syborg tt]

Holy Crap John this car is going to being awesome when it's back together.

I love the detail that you are going to show everything that you are doing.

[Doug1]

Really great work John! Can't wait to see it at the track!!!!

[NOT A TA]

Thanks guys!

I'm finally nearing the end of bodywork and paint prep. Got the doors in final primer which were the last big parts of the steel body panels and am currently sanding all of the small pieces that are in final primer (about 50) to be ready for sealer/paint. There's lots of different materials used in the construction of all the smaller pieces. Cast metal, stamped steel, various types of plastics, fiberglass, and the Endura bumper. The bumper caused me lots of lost time and materials.

The first time I painted the car 25 years ago I used 3M flexible material repair products followed by the old type lacquer primer followed by epoxy primer and top coated with acrylic enamel. Worked great and still looks good on my original bumper. I bought a new (used) bumper about 20 years ago with the intention of modifying when I got around to it, which is during this rebuild. The bumper had several layers of primers and paints over the the original paint. It was all cracked and crappy looking so I blasted and hand sanded it to bare Endura.

I modified the bumper by filling the bumper jack slots and trimming the lower lip and then proceeded to use the modern version of the 3M flexible repair material to repair lifting Endura and make it smooth. Then primed with PPG K-38, blocked, primed, and blocked till it was straight with very little primer on it. Then laid a couple medium wet coats of K-38 reduced for final prime and set the bumper aside to allow materials to shrink back while working on other parts. Knowing the bumper was going to get flexed moving it around off the car while working on it I used a flex agent in the primers to slow down full curing. When final primed I put the bumper in a safe place in the house to allow full curing and shrink back.. A year or so later I pulled it out to mock up all the front end sheet metal on the car and the "final" primer was all cracked.

I asked at my local paint supply store where I buy all my materials and they had no real positive answer as to why the final prime cracked. I'd gone through the same procedures with lots of other flexible parts for this car as well as modern cars and never had the final prime crack. The only difference was the use of a flex agent. SO, it was time to start from scratch.

I stripped off all the primer and repair materials I'd put on the bumper and proceeded to go through the process all over again. Those of you who have sanded Endura bumpers know this is not fun at all because for some weird reason it seems to take twice as long to sand anything on an Endura bumper. This time the bumper was on the car with all the front end sheet metal aligned so I could work it so the panel alignment from bumper to fenders and hood was nice and smooth sanding across the panel gap. I did not use any flex agent in the primers and used PPG Omni primer for the blocking coats to reduce cost a bit then used K-38 reduced for the final prime. It looked perfect, so I set it aside in the house to shrink back and fully cure. I moved on to the G-brace mock up.

Several months later I needed to move the bumper out of the house overnight so I stuck it in the garage. In the morning I went to retrieve the bumper and found the cracked primer you see in the pics below. GRRRRRR! So I put the bumper in the truck and zipped up the street to the paint store. They related that a restoration shop they supply was having the same problems on a GTO Endura bumper. A quick internet search showed that others had similar problems when using the modern high fill primers like the PPG Omni and K-38. The general consensus is not to use a high fill but rather an epoxy primer for blocking sanding etc. on Endura. So I sanded all the primer off by hand then sprayed it with PPG DP48LF epoxy primer the paint store guys gave me for free because they felt bad and knew how much time and materials I already had in the bumper. It's now almost ready for "final?" prime with reduced epoxy primer.

Apparently the thin Lacquer primer and epoxy primer I used 25 years ago was fine but the Endura bumper expansion/contraction rate is different enough from the rate of the high build primer that it causes the cracking? We'll see...... Tough lesson as I now refer to it as the $3,000.00 bumper because I've got over 100 hours in it plus a couple hundred dollars worth of blasting media, panel bond, flexible repair material, and many coats of primer that ended up on the floor. K-38 is 300 bucks a gallon!

So here's the pics. I put some dry guide coat magic dust on the cracks so you can see them in the pics. If it doesn't work out this time I'm gonna buy a fiberglass bumper. Last pic is blocking out the final prime on the shaker scoop, most of the other small pieces are done with blocking and ready for sealer/paint!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsblamvemk.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpsblamvemk.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpspm4av833.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpspm4av833.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpstwy0kgbo.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/001_zpstwy0kgbo.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsm1pnok2w.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsm1pnok2w.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

I'd blocked out the front fenders for final primer and set them aside when I took the front end sheet metal off to work on the engine/trans and G-brace mock up. I didn't want to mask off everything since the cowl and cage are already painted and the fenders were coming off anyway. Finally got around to shooting the last coat of primer on them today. Will start blocking out the final primer on the major body parts for sealer and paint soon.

Meanwhile I've got all the smaller pieces ready for sealer. With all the extra pieces like the multiple sets of fender vents and rear spoilers I've got about 50 small parts that need to be body color.

As if I didn't have enough paint work with body color parts I've also been prepping and painting other parts like the hood hinges, under tray supports, inner fender extensions, etc.


http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsyb9kjxt7.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsyb9kjxt7.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsrwjiohmo.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/011_zpsrwjiohmo.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zpstkugvfzl.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/014_zpstkugvfzl.jpg.html)

[NOT A TA]

Shot some body color on the inside of the fenders today. Then once the paint flashed over I put them in the South Florida natural solar baking area. Will bake them some more tomorrow.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsqtgk4my8.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/003_zpsqtgk4my8.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsx4wbuxvj.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/006_zpsx4wbuxvj.jpg.html)

I've got a lot of small pieces to be painted body color. Almost ready to start shooting sealer on them.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpse75bdh2n.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/002_zpse75bdh2n.jpg.html)

[gofastwclass]

Wow! Sorry about the paint experience on the endura bumper. I had a similar experience tuning my latest engine combination. Turns out my wideband oxygen sensor was slowly failing and skewing the readings ever so slightly.

Excellent progress, hopefully the bumper saga is over. There is nothing I hate more than chasing my tail.

[NOT A TA]

So, with this post I'll finally bring this thread up to date. A lot has happened recently so I've got some catching up to do. The short version is listed below with some quick explanations in the paragraphs that follow.

1. Car still in my own self inflicted paint jail.
2. Started a new company called Lab-14 making pieces to repair and/or strengthen structural parts of sub frames and other parts.
3. The 14 Car is now sponsored by PRO-TOURING F-BODY.COM and is getting all new suspension.

First, paint jail. I've been working on getting the 50 or so smaller pieces as well as the doors, fenders, trunk etc. into final sealer. Only have the body and hood left to block & seal. There's been no big rush to get everything cut in and assembled for paint because I needed to be able to use the sub frame and related parts for mocking up parts for the new company.

Lab-14 (short for Laboratory Fourteen) is my new endeavor. The initial products are low tech, simple things that are used to repair and/or strengthen, the 2nd gen platform. Products for first gens and other platforms will be developed as the company moves forward. Some of the products are items that showed up previously in this thread while others haven't been talked about here yet. I'll write a separate post about the new company and products and go into more detail about the individual parts.

PTFB is now sponsoring the car and so all the old suspension components from various manufacturers are being replaced with PTFB GEN II products. The car will remain a traditional coil/leaf spring car (my decision) and will certainly be a challenge to get set up and tuned with the additional down force created by all the aero modifications I've been making. Since I work building cars for others also, I sold everything that came off of my car to a customer with a 70 TA who wanted them all installed. In addition to the springs, sways, control arms, shocks etc. that came off of my car I also installed on the customer car other new pieces from PTFB including an 800 12:1 box, tie rods and adjusters, Idler arm, ball joints including tall uppers, as well as the PTFB solid body mounts and GEN II frame connectors.

Well, everyone likes pics, so here's a couple of mine and one of the TA that now sports some of my old parts and a bunch of new PTFB goodies.

Digging my way out of paint jail a few pieces at a time.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/20160531_140208_zpslvvccr9h.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/20160531_140208_zpslvvccr9h.jpg.html)

Installing Lab-14 front sway bar mounts. Will talk about them in an upcoming post.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/20160524_161508_zpsxi3rfxfe.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/20160524_161508_zpsxi3rfxfe.jpg.html)

70 TA with a new attitude influenced by a lower altitude. You may notice the white ball looking thing on the hood. It's a Samsung 360 degree 3D virtual reality camera. An amazing piece of equipment that's supposed to be available in the USA now. I've had one at my disposal the past several months and it's amazing. If you try one you'll be hooked. I suspect the 360 VR cameras are going to affect video as much or more than Go Pro's did. http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/gear-vr/?cid=ppc-

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/pauls%20TA/20160814_200055_zpspqzdx90m.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/pauls%20TA/20160814_200055_zpspqzdx90m.jpg.html)

[WSSix]

Great work, John. The car's going to be too nice to race if you're not careful

[gofastwclass]

Great work, John. The car's going to be too nice to race if you're not careful

Is that a challenge? :underchair:

[NOT A TA]

Oh no, it'll get raced!


This is my shameless self promotion post about Laboratory Fourteen "Lab-14", a company I started earlier this year. There's no budget for advertising yet so I can't sponsor any of the forums this thread is posted on so if a mod feels this post isn't appropriate or it conflicts with forum rules just delete it and I won't be offended. I'll get back to the regular project posts after this one.

As mentioned previously I started a new company named Laboratory Fourteen "Lab-14" based primarily on parts to repair and reinforce the 2nd gen F body sub frame and also including some restoration reproduction pieces. I 'd been making "one of" pieces for repairs and builds on other peoples cars and mentioned the pieces I'd made for my car in this project thread (which is on several forums) asking if anyone else wanted them. After selling through PM's and emails for a while making small batches of products I figured I should just form a legal business and expand the product line. I've owned several successful businesses I built from scratch and operated for as long as 25 years before moving South, so I've got some experience. The concept of Lab-14 is simple products based on repairing and reinforcing factory chassis to provide a solid footing for all the modern suspension and tire technology we have available today. To make this concept work I realized it's gotta be cheaper, easier, and quicker to just buy my products than to try and copy them yourselves.

Thanks to all of you who went through PM's and emailing back and forth to purchase products before I finally got the onlne store set up. Here's a link to the store for anyone interested in checking out the products. https://www.lab-14.com/ Most products are for the sub frames and some are G-brace accessories but there's also some restoration sheet metal pieces that have not been reproduced till now.

By offering a number of different things that can all be purchased from one place a person can get everything to beef up a sub frame designed to work together from Lab-14 with just one shipping charge. Saves time driving around buying materials and hardware then trying to find items not available locally online. It's easier because the material choices, pattern making, and metal fabrication work is done, plus all the correct hardware has been figured out and included. You can just order everything in one shot from the online store at WWW.lab-14.com rather than trying to make your own stuff buying metal from here or there then fabricating etc.. and figuring out what hardware is needed then purchasing from multiple places. It's cheaper because you're not spending money driving around trying to source materials and hardware, paying shipping from multiple vendors, and buying materials and hardware you don't need because you can only buy in quantities greater than what is actually needed. After all, most people want to just build the car not spend all their time fabricating, sourcing, etc. It takes long enough to complete projects already.

Since we all like pics, here's a couple pics of products taken during small batch production to get the company going.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Lab%2014%20products/20160911_171109_zpsghev3d22.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Lab%2014%20products/20160911_171109_zpsghev3d22.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Lab%2014%20products/20160911_171551_zpsgoirbyns.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Lab%2014%20products/20160911_171551_zpsgoirbyns.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Lab%2014%20products/20160914_160437_zps6zm1rksw.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Lab%2014%20products/20160914_160437_zps6zm1rksw.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Lab%2014%20products/20160712_094832_zpsfg34sloa.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Lab%2014%20products/20160712_094832_zpsfg34sloa.jpg.html)

[gofastwclass]

Oh no, it'll get raced!

Excellent!


Cool stuff. I wish you well on your new venture.

[Doug1]

I'll have a few pics for you in the next day or so. Have the underneath stuff installed, with the exception of the sway bar braces. Installing the G-Brace add-ons now.

[NOT A TA]

Thanks guys!

Doug, I didn't send you instructions for the upper cowl sandwich plates when I sent the others but they should be up on the website by this weekend.

[Doug1]

Thanks guys!

Doug, I didn't send you instructions for the upper cowl sandwich plates when I sent the others but they should be up on the website by this weekend.

I've got the passenger side drilled out and coated yesterday with sealer. Will be ready for the drivers side soon. Hopefully, I got it right. :-) I used every hole so I'm short a couple of 1" bolts because of that but no biggie. I'm going today to see if the supply house here has shouldered bolts in stainless so I can use those.

[NOT A TA]

I've got the passenger side drilled out and coated yesterday with sealer. Will be ready for the drivers side soon. Hopefully, I got it right. :-) I used every hole so I'm short a couple of 1" bolts because of that but no biggie. I'm going today to see if the supply house here has shouldered bolts in stainless so I can use those.

Narrow plates on passengers side and holes are slightly off center so you can flip them end to end or top & bottom for better fit against the short right angle lip on various cars. Wide ones on drivers side. The one notched for the wiper recess there is only one way it fits. Note bolt pattern for top plate in pic below so it lines up with the notched bottom plate. And be careful not to drop a nut down the side of the cowl. If you're short bolts I fear you tried to put a wide plate on each side. They're designed to get the most support we can without interfering with the stock plastic cowl screen or the 70-76 hood/cowl gasket.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Lab%2014%20products/20161003_153135_zpsxifnihnq.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Lab%2014%20products/20161003_153135_zpsxifnihnq.jpg.html)

[OLDFLM]

Narrow plates on passengers side and holes are slightly off center so you can flip them end to end or top & bottom for better fit against the short right angle lip on various cars. Wide ones on drivers side. The one notched for the wiper recess there is only one way it fits. Note bolt pattern for top plate in pic below so it lines up with the notched bottom plate. And be careful not to drop a nut down the side of the cowl. If you're short bolts I fear you tried to put a wide plate on each side. They're designed to get the most support we can without interfering with the stock plastic cowl screen or the 70-76 hood/cowl gasket.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Lab%2014%20products/20161003_153135_zpsxifnihnq.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Lab%2014%20products/20161003_153135_zpsxifnihnq.jpg.html)

Man, I need these... I still have my orginal (non-adjustable) G-braces.
GREAT products you've developed my friend!! Filling a much needed niche for our cars! :cheers:

[Doug1]

John,

I did just what you suspected. Guess I need to decide if I should use another top plate or fix the holes and go back with your original design.

On another note, do you know what billet hinges would fit with G-Braces?

Doug

[NOT A TA]

John,

I did just what you suspected. Guess I need to decide if I should use another top plate or fix the holes and go back with your original design.

On another note, do you know what billet hinges would fit with G-Braces?

Doug

You can use a drivers side top plate on the passengers if you want. Will make it better as far as strength goes but you'll have the interference issue with the plastic cowl grill if you're using one. Can send another drivers side top plate & the extra hardware you'll need. Call me.

IIRC we put Fesler hinges in Ty's car and he's got the original G-braces he mentioned in his post above so I'd send him a PM and maybe he can give you a solid answer.

[Terryd]

A serious amount of engineering going on here!
Fantastic job. Thanks for sharing. Tons of valuable info and ideas.
Just a great build!

[NOT A TA]

During the past couple months I haven't worked on the Firebird itself as much as I'd have liked to. I've been busy with the Lab-14 stuff and got involved in replacing the trunk pan, trunk drop offs, inner splash pan, frame rails, and torque boxes in my 67 Camaro that started with the intention of a much smaller project replacing the rear springs. However I did do some deflection testing of the 2nd gen sub frame using various parts from PTFB and Lab-14. I also did some baseline tuft testing on the highway for aerodynamics using a customers car with the same body, ride height etc. as my car (with the owners permission of course).

Pic below was taken during deflection testing. The front foot wells and cowl area were filled with a few hundred lbs of weight while the body was supported on wood cribs. A piece of right angle was bolted to the pinch weld on the body and an indicator bolted to the front of the frame horn to note deflection. Solid body mounts were used and I've boxed the rear body mount area of the subframe. I could get almost 3/4" vertical deflection of the sub frame alone when using a floor jack to apply pressure straight up under the frame horns until the body started to lift off the wood cribs. Not sure if more weight in the body would allow even more deflection but I was surprised to see how much frame deflection there was. I would expect similar deflection in the opposite direction would be possible and may test for that when I do some torsional testing. With a combination of the PTFB G-braces and Lab-14 parts vertical deflection was reduced to less than 1/8 " which appeared to be caused by the deflection of the floor pan where the rear body mounts on the sub frame attach under the front seats.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Lab%2014%20products/20160622_183527_zpsjgrgdr4x.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Lab%2014%20products/20160622_183527_zpsjgrgdr4x.jpg.html)

The availability of a car with the same body, ride height, and tire size as a baseline test mule prompted me to do some tuft testing at highway speeds to get a good look at whats going on with the stock body configuration I started this project with. I'll do similar testing after my car's back on the road to see if I can note any differences due to all the aero changes and modifications. I'll post a couple still pics here and if anyone's interested there's some 360 degree VR videos we made I'll put links for . Those with certain phones or other devices may be able to pan around 360 but you'll need a headset to see full 360 3D VR. Sound is mostly wind noise since the 360 camera was out on a stick held out the window at 60-70 MPH so just turn it down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KQA9BzpN50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6pxo5eh7Zw

By being able to put the videos up on the big screen with the projector I can watch small areas or even individual tufts. So for those who always wondered if there is a ram air effect influencing the air for a 2nd gen TA shaker scoop created by the high pressure area at the base of the windshield, the answer is no at up to 70 MPH. I'll test that again with my own car at much higher speeds on track but I doubt there will be any noticeable air being forced into the scoop. If anything there's a possibility air may actually be getting pulled out at high speeds.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/AERO/20160822_182558_zpslrtvi7sc.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/AERO/20160822_182558_zpslrtvi7sc.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/AERO/20160822_182605_zpsfunvhaet.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/AERO/20160822_182605_zpsfunvhaet.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/AERO/20160820_194054_zpscm1tawj2.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/AERO/20160820_194054_zpscm1tawj2.jpg.html)

[WSSix]

Nice to see a quantitative deflection difference. Sure, the testing conditions may not be exact or ideal, but it still proves the parts work.

For what it's worth, I've always heard the shaker scoop on the TAs are too far forward to have any benefit from the low pressure area in front of the windshield. I'd be worried if your testing can show it's pulling air out of the scoop at high speeds.

[gofastwclass]

I love the real world testing. Even if it isn't lab grade testing, it is good enough to get you going in the proper direction.

[NOT A TA]

Nice to see a quantitative deflection difference. Sure, the testing conditions may not be exact or ideal, but it still proves the parts work.

For what it's worth, I've always heard the shaker scoop on the TAs are too far forward to have any benefit from the low pressure area in front of the windshield. I'd be worried if your testing can show it's pulling air out of the scoop at high speeds.

Ya I'd always figured the scoop was way too far forward but wanted proof. Wouldn't surprise me if the scoop pulled air from the engine compartment at high speed right through the air cleaner assembly.

[NOT A TA]

I got side tracked on this Firebird project by working on my 67 Camaro. What started as a small project of replacing the rear springs and shocks quickly developed into cutting out the whole trunk floor, drop offs, frame rails, torque boxes etc. due to rust. I knew the back of the car would eventually need attention because of rust but once I started cutting out the old springs and found the torque boxes rusted out where the spring pockets bolt in I knew I was in much deeper than I wanted to be but reluctantly ordered new sheet metal.

While working on the Camaro as time between customer projects allowed I had a heart attack which stopped progress on both cars completely. Had an operation to install a couple stents in my heart and the docs said I better take it easy for a month to let the heart muscles heal. So the bad news is both car projects came to a temporary halt but the good news is I'm still alive and someone didn't have to come post about my demise in this thread. I've been expecting a heart attack due to my age and family history so it wasn't a surprise. I have older and younger cousins who've had up to 9 stents and others who had quadruple bypass surgery. No disruption to Lab-14 and no shipping delays. All items (including some new ones) are currently in stock www.lab-14.com

I did get a small project done for the Firebird before the heart attack I can share. I blasted and painted the headlight assembly parts which is kinda boring by itself if they're stock but since I have special headlights and protective screens they're a bit different and even if you saw pics of my car before I took it apart for this project you probably didn't see the light modifications so I'll share them now.

About 10 years ago I decided I wanted to use the front parking light/turn signal openings for brake ducts. So I bought some plastic halogen headlights with built in LED park/turn lights from a hot rod supplier. This was back before all the crazy headlight options we have now. The lights themselves required modifying the headlight mounts and wiring, they're not a simple swap. I also wanted to avoid having to put blue tape over my headlights for road track days as required by some tracks and like the look of screens. So I bought some stainless headlight screens made for off road Jeeps and modified them so I could use them on my bird. Then I cut pieces out of some extra stock grills to use in the park/turn openings so they'd appear kinda factory looking.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/20170129_181640_zpsexsgrpxd.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/20170129_181640_zpsexsgrpxd.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/Firebird/MVC-015F-1.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/Firebird/MVC-015F-1.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/026.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/026.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/RAD%20CAPZ%20Wheel%20Nutz/WheelNutzonThe14Carshoot1014.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/RAD%20CAPZ%20Wheel%20Nutz/WheelNutzonThe14Carshoot1014.jpg.html)

[Panteracer]

John,
Glad to hear you are doing ok....
I have found with my back problems it just
takes longer to get things done. That being
said working on the cars and figuring things out
is a therapy for me

Take care and keep working away

Bob-Dreamin Tas

[gofastwclass]

I wondered what happened and missed your updates and fact based logic in your build. Overall I'm glad to see you are still kicking!

Thank you for sharing your creative ideas with us. I'm glad this book isn't finished and I look forward to the next update.

[carbuff]

Also count me as glad to hear you are ok!

Question on the headlights: do you remember any details about the stainless mesh you used, and how you installed it? You mentions that they were from off-road Jeeps, so I'll go hunt for those. I like that look, might consider something like that for TOW...

[WSSix]

Glad to hear you're ok, John. Keep up the good work and take your time recovering.

[Doug1]

John,

Good to hear you are recovering! I had no idea you'd had a heart attack. Glad you are okay.

Doug

[NOT A TA]

Thanks guys! I'm feeling good and started back to work a couple days ago. Self employed with no insurance, so a month of no pay and a stack of medical bills combined with pay as I go office visits to doctors for follow up provided a lot of incentive to get back at it.

Carbuff; the screens are designed to hold the headlight in place like the stock ring with 3 mounting tabs. The issue is that the 3 tabs for the Jeep application don't line up quite where you'd want them on the Firebird buckets in order to have the screen grid horizontal/vertical. So you need to modify the tabs a bit and drill a couple holes in order to make them look nice and straight.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/DSCN4296_zps5vzz1r8p.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/DSCN4296_zps5vzz1r8p.jpg.html)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/NOTATA/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/DSCN4297_zpsnv7cibox.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/The%2014%20Car%20Performance%20Therapy/DSCN4297_zpsnv7cibox.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

Thanx for that John. It's helpful!

On a completely unrelated topic. I googled for some information about 2nd gen subframes the other day and ran across a thread you started a few years ago. TransAm Country I think it was. :thumbsup: