Project Olds heads to SEMA and OUSCI 2013

[cmraman]

It's been a whirlwind end of the summer. Back in July, at the Good Guys show in Des Moines, IA, Jimi Day awarded me with a Spirit of the Event award for this years OUSCI. Needless to say, I was completely over come and decided that I needed to take care of a few small issues that arose at the Face Off event at Road America earlier in the summer. Upon returning home, my friends Chad Hill and Kevin Tully from Hot Rod Chassis and Cycle ( remember the Raybestos GTO ) called and said that they wanted to help with prepping the car. We came up with a list, of course you know how that goes... list kept growing.... I had meant to put up a thread before, but work, and constant work on the car just kept me from doing so. So here is what we had accomplished and some other "like to's" will be done once the car comes home from wintering in CA.

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Car arriving at HRCC

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[cmraman]

First order of business was to install an Ididit column, look for the install story in a future issue of Popular Hot Rodding. I fell in love with the Sparco wheel that James Shipka had in OLC after driving it at LS Fest a year ago. So I promptly got one too. And it's perfect. Feels really good and I feel that I have much more leverage over the 14 in wheel that was in the car before.

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[cmraman]

I really dug the '60's trans am vibe of the GTO that the guys at Hot Rod Chassis and Cycle did, and I really needed modern lighting in the car, so I got some Hella H4 conversion for the outboard lights. Now they function as the high/low beam and we got some Wagner Ambers for fog lights for the inboards...

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[cmraman]

I love the Strange S60 that is in the car. It's been beat on hard, and was thinking of a gear change. I decided against the gear change for now, but I felt that it wouldn't hurt to have it gone through. I also wanted to change all the wheel studs for the better ARP's, that I got from Baer. So a few bolts later, it was out. And Strange happens to be in HRCC's back yard so it was great. We had it back in the car in a couple days. Good thing too, I had a brake leak at the proportioning valve, but some of the lines on the rear end were badly crushed, Kevin at HRCC, promptly fabbed up some new lines and we are back in business.

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Back under the car where it belongs... LOL

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[cmraman]

You may have noticed in the lack of a bumper in the last post. VFN Fiberglass is up the street from Hot Rod Chassis and Cycle. Kevin had seen the owner prior and mentioned that the car was there. They were interested in making a mold for their catalog, and Kevin was in a weight shedding mood. So now for you Olds guys, VFN Fiberglass in Addison, IL now has them available. Mention you saw them on Project Olds. They fit really well also.

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ZFN also helped with fitting the stock directionals and cutting a air opening with screen and cut the gas filler along with mounting the rear license plate bracket.

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With a little trimming they fit really well.

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[cmraman]

I had put in a II Much fuel vent in before the Face off at Road America. After a initial test, filling the tank up to the half way to the cap, got on the car hard on the on ramp, not a drop spilled. So when we were working on the car, it looked lonely back there, LOL. Since I had taken the axle out for check up, we went back to II Much for another bulkhead for the diff.

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[cmraman]

The Baer brakes that we have had on the car since we started working on it with PHR, I talked to Baer about a rotor and pad upgrade for the event, knowing it's a heavy braking track. They recommended these bad boys partnered with Hawk HP Plus pads. They really grab well. I also replaced all the studs for longer, beefier ARP's.

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[65_LS1_T56]

Very cool Rob, looking forward to seeing it out in Vegas and at OUSCI.

[rchaskin]

Good Luck Robert!!!

Keep the throttle blades vertical!!!!!!

Randy

[cmraman]

Very cool Rob, looking forward to seeing it out in Vegas and at OUSCI.
Thanks Aaron!!

[DOOM]

Robert this car keeps getting cooler!! Can't wit to see it at SEMA!:cheers:

[cmraman]

Robert this car keeps getting cooler!! Can't wit to see it at SEMA!:cheers:

Thanks man!! Look for it out front at the Optima Car Corral. :cheers:

[cmraman]

Kevin Tully at Hot Rod Chassis was not happy with the rat's nest of wiring behind the dash and the boring sweeper gauge. I removed the dash face and Kevin gutted the wiring. Autometer graciously came on board with what he had planned....

NO TURNING BACK!!!

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We received a full cluster of Ultralite II gauges

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Kevin cut a filler piece and bonded it to the dash face...

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After a little time on the mill, we could mock them up to see the awesomeness...

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Kevin did an amazing job wiring the dash, and I'll post another pic of that later, but here is the finished product...

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[Van B]

Hope you have a blast! My biggest regret is when I had to give up my spot a few years ago.

[youthpastor]

Kevin Tully at Hot Rod Chassis was not happy with the rat's nest of wiring behind the dash and the boring sweeper gauge. I removed the dash face and Kevin gutted the wiring. Autometer graciously came on board with what he had planned....

NO TURNING BACK!!!

https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1383804_4775779852607_1795376159_n.jpg


We received a full cluster of Ultralite II gauges

https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/998948_4694332536475_560895197_n.jpg

Kevin cut a filler piece and bonded it to the dash face...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1382016_4778705245740_1066708328_n.jpg

After a little time on the mill, we could mock them up to see the awesomeness...

https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/994928_4785720781124_1456901469_n.jpg

Kevin did an amazing job wiring the dash, and I'll post another pic of that later, but here is the finished product...

https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-

prn2/1385167_4905405973179_389661161_n.jpg

that dash looks "right" nice job!

[LS7 Z/28]

That Dash looks fantastic, good luck at OUSCI!

[Flash68]

Cool car that isn't a Camaro. :D

And yes that dash came out great. Not easy to meld old with new and pull it off.

[Rick D]

Looks great Robert!!! It's fun updating the old isn't it!!!

[coolwelder62]

Rob,Love all the improvement's.GL @ OUSCI.

[57hemicuda]

Its going to be weird for you being at SEMA and not taking pictures. Car looks good Rob, you should have a blast. You've broken my rule of no major changes before a big event, really bit me last year. Love the car, good luck!