Collateral Damage- My 70 Chevelle site build

[camcojb]

I've got a clutch! :cheering:

[WSSix]

Congrats! It sure is pretty.

[jarhead]

Looking forward to the first burn out video :king:

[camcojb]

Working on the cold side plumbing. Got the top tube from the intercooler to the throttle body tacked together, and figured out the turbo to intercooler line, just missing a couple of mandrel bends. Should be here this week along with the downpipe pieces.

[warhawkchevelle]

That looks awesome!

[Dave95z28]

Looks great. Any specific reason you chose A2W versus a big 5-6" thick A2A intercooler?

Dave

[camcojb]

Looks great. Any specific reason you chose A2W versus a big 5-6" thick A2A intercooler?

Dave

That's one reason. Even a 3" intercooler requires completely re-configuring the hood latch on a 70 Chevelle. Plus I didn't want to have the intercooler heating up the air into the radiator. All the factory supercharged LSA's, LT4/LT5, etc. use a liquid to air setup and they are fine. Plus I have the Holley alky injection system under boost, so the air temps should be fine.

[camcojb]

Got the turbo to intercooler line fitted and tacked up today. Not visible from the front of the car. Somewhat near the exhaust crossover, but if the Zybar exhaust coating (https://zycoat.com/collections/zybar) works like they claim (90% radiant heat reduction) then I'm good to go. If not, I have plenty of Thermotec wrap (https://www.thermotec.com/product/exhaust-insulating-wrap-50-foot-1800-degree-f-thermo-tec) for the exhaust.

Tomorrow I'm starting on the downpipe and exhaust.

[214Chevy]

Nice Jody...looks good.

[Spiffav8]

This is looking so good! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[camcojb]

downpipe started, need more parts... :lol:

[camcojb]

more progress

[Che70velle]

Looking good Jody. Progress is progress. Baby steps brother!

[protour]

Looks great Jody!

If your flex joint in the downpipe is the newer vibrant style with the pipe liner inside, make sure the joint is installed straight throughout the exhaust building process. We had an odd noise on a new build and it was that inner line of the flex was rattling against the bellow.

[JB400]

Looks like one spark plug is going to be easy to get to.:headscratch:

[camcojb]

Looks like one spark plug is going to be easy to get to.:headscratch:

Super easy from underneath. :thumbsup:

[camcojb]

3.5" downpipe, split to dual 3" exhaust. Pretty happy with how it's fitting, good ground clearance. Progress pics...

[jarhead]

Jody,
Have you selected your seats yet? I think I read somewhere you are tall, I am 6'6". I was curious what you are considering?

Thanks!

[camcojb]

Jody,
Have you selected your seats yet? I think I read somewhere you are tall, I am 6'6". I was curious what you are considering?

Thanks!

I'm 6'5" myself. I went with the TMI Pro Series Sport seats. Should be here in a couple of weeks. The last couple of cars I've done I modded the seat brackets to drop them down (cut the raised sections). Very simple and gave me all the head clearance I needed. Plus the sliders still work.

I'll have to try them out as-is when they get here and I'll let you guys know.

[camcojb]

Little bit more progress. Pics make the pipes looks closer than they are. Mounted the blow off valve between the turbo and intercooler, to give extra protection to the intercooler. Exhaust is no lower than the oil pan.

[camcojb]

Part of my TMI order is here, Fedex is still trying to locate the seats/brackets lol. I'm very happy with TMI's work, looks clean but not total street rod.

[214Chevy]

Wow!! Those are very nice Jody.

[waynieZ]

They make nice parts,That dash pad looks sweet.

[camcojb]

For whatever reason, this wastegate pipe was a struggle. :shakehead: Finally got all the angles right, and can move onto something else.

[warhawkchevelle]

Supernice!

What kind of flexjoints are you using?

A buddy has struggled with those and ended up going solid pipe, but it was on the crossover-pipe from driverside.

[Spiffav8]

That's looking incredible.

[camcojb]

Supernice!

What kind of flexjoints are you using?

A buddy has struggled with those and ended up going solid pipe, but it was on the crossover-pipe from driverside.

On the exhaust pressure side I went with a double slip connector from Burns Stainless. On the downpipe and wastegate pipe I have the Vibrant ones, but made sure they didn't have any bends as set up, the inner liner can vibrate if bent. I didn't use a flex joint on my last build and by the time a few heat cycles had occurred I had to pry the pipe to line it up to the wastegate when assembling.

[camcojb]

Welded and bent up some exhaust hangers. Rods came from Amazon, rod bender from Eastwood. Will drill the bracket holes on final assembly. Will have to custom fab the pipes over the axle, the Magnaflow kit won't clear the Roadster Shop chassis.

[WSSix]

That's going to be loud when you put your foot into it. I dig it, lol :thumbsup:

[camcojb]

That's going to be loud when you put your foot into it. I dig it, lol :thumbsup:

I hope not lol. I almost went with the 2.5" exhaust but chickened out. The turbo tames the exhaust some. If not I see resonators in the future... :lol:

[camcojb]

Few more pics

[sru1436]

Looks awesome!

[zz430droptop67rs]

Jody, maybe I missed it, but how are you bending your stainless tubing?

Looks fantastic.

[camcojb]

Jody, maybe I missed it, but how are you bending your stainless tubing?

Looks fantastic.

If you're talking about the exhaust, I started with a Magnaflow kit for the Chevelle, and then cut/modified from there. The downpipe, radiator hoses, and cold side tubing is all pieced together from mandrel bent 90's and 45's, along with straight tubing. I do not have a bender for that size tubing, just for the fuel lines.

[protour]

If you're talking about the exhaust, I started with a Magnaflow kit for the Chevelle, and then cut/modified from there. The downpipe, radiator hoses, and cold side tubing is all pieced together from mandrel bent 90's and 45's, along with straight tubing. I do not have a bender for that size tubing, just for the fuel lines.
Are you going over or under the axle for the tail pipes?

[thedugan]

Jody mentioned in Post278 he is going over the axle.

Will have to custom fab the pipes over the axle, the Magnaflow kit won't clear the Roadster Shop chassis.

[camcojb]

Are you going over or under the axle for the tail pipes?

Under would be MUCH easier, just haven't wrapped my head around doing that... I know several are doing that now and they say it works fine. :hairpullout: Still waiting on the gas tank before I can finalize that part.

[camcojb]

Well, over it is. :thumbsup: I'm getting better at slicing and dicing... :lol: It will hit the bumpstop before it hits the pipe.

[dontlifttoshift]

When building tailpipes I always remove the springs from the coil overs. It makes it easier to verify clearances with travel.

[camcojb]

When building tailpipes I always remove the springs from the coil overs. It makes it easier to verify clearances with travel.

Good idea, I did that to check my tire/wheel clearance in the rear.

[andrewb70]

Why dual exhaust, other than to have two tailpipes?

Andrew

[camcojb]

Why dual exhaust, other than to have two tailpipes?

Andrew

To have two tailpipes... :lol:

[camcojb]

Tweaked some of the piping and got it so none of the exhaust is below the trans level, should be good enough. Gas tank should ship next week so I can finish the tailpipes and fuel lines, then the body comes off for hopefully bodywork, and the chassis can be powdercoated and final assembly done.

[camcojb]

TMI Sport seats showed up today. Feel great sitting on the ground... :lol:

[jarhead]

WOW those are going to be comfy!

[waynieZ]

I was thinking of a set for my car, but I’m not 6’ tall but I am a wide body. So fitting in performance seats is challenge. Those are gonna look so sweet in your car.

[camcojb]

So I bolted the sliders and brackets on the drivers seat, and installed it in the car. I'm 6'5" tall and I still have 3" of head clearance, and I don't have to tilt the seats back to gain the headroom. Normally I have to mod the seat brackets to get them low enough for me, but the TMI units are lower right out of the box.

Seats are super comfortable, and feel like they'll hold me in place very well. Super happy with the TMI stuff. :thumbsup:

[waynieZ]

Sweet! They look nice.

[Musclerodz]

So I bolted the sliders and brackets on the drivers seat, and installed it in the car. I'm 6'5" tall and I still have 3" of head clearance, and I don't have to tilt the seats back to gain the headroom. Normally I have to mod the seat brackets to get them low enough for me, but the TMI units are lower right out of the box.

Seats are super comfortable, and feel like they'll hold me in place very well. Super happy with the TMI stuff. :thumbsup:
TMI seats looks nice and fit nice, I wish they were a tad softer. All the ones I have installed have been on the extra firm side for me.

[camcojb]

TMI seats looks nice and fit nice, I wish they were a tad softer. All the ones I have installed have been on the extra firm side for me.

You need to gain some weight... :lol: They are firm, but not too much so IMO. Actually feels good on my lower back.

[Musclerodz]

You need to gain some weight... :lol: They are firm, but not too much so IMO. Actually feels good on my lower back.
:lol: No thank you. Been there done that. Getting to old to carry around excess baggage.

[camcojb]

Working on remote coil mounts today. I originally was using some ADE remote mounts that bolt to the rear of the cylinder head. Worked perfect until I decided to slide the engine further back and lost my firewall clearance... :hitaxeonthehead: Picked up some Holley remote coil mounts (https://www.holley.com/products/ls_power/ls_ignition_products/coil_brackets/parts/561-129). These can be mounted anywhere. I wanted for them to be hidden so opted to mount them on the frame rails.

I built some spacers to gain the clearance needed for the coils to clear the frame, and machined a recess on the bottom to sit over the nutserts I installed in the frame, so the spacers would sit flat. Next up is to build the plug wires to fit.

[WSSix]

That's going to make plugs and plug wire changes a breeze. Looks great, Jody.

[clill]

I think he is actually enjoying this......

[camcojb]

I bought some universal LS wires from Taylor. These come with ceramic plug boots, rated to 2000*F. I will be adding some plug wire sleeves from Thermotec for additional protection.

One tip I wanted to throw out for those who assemble their own plug wires. Even with soapy water or grease it can be a struggle getting the wires pushed through the boots before adding the terminals. Mc Kay makes a brake assembly lube which is far superior for assembling rubber to rubber, o-rings in cylinders, etc. One bottle will last for a long time, I've had this same small bottle for 15+ years. It only takes a drop or two, and really speeds up assembly time.

[Vegas69]

Beautiful work!

[zz430droptop67rs]

https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=76620&stc=1&d=1636673386

Liking those wires Jody, plus every time I see the welds from Roadster Shop I go "wow".

[camcojb]

Crossing some small items off my list while I wait on parts. Tweaked the 1/2" stainless hard lines and built a rear muffler hanger that bolts to the chassis; that way nothing is supported by the body itself. Finally got to use my rod bender from Eastwood... :thumbsup:

[Steve68]

Clean work there Jody,

My those are some big mufflers you have there,

I sourced some quiet turbos mufflers long ago, now the companies long gone,

[jarhead]

So I bolted the sliders and brackets on the drivers seat, and installed it in the car. I'm 6'5" tall and I still have 3" of head clearance, and I don't have to tilt the seats back to gain the headroom. Normally I have to mod the seat brackets to get them low enough for me, but the TMI units are lower right out of the box.

Seats are super comfortable, and feel like they'll hold me in place very well. Super happy with the TMI stuff. :thumbsup:

Jody,
What material is on the TMI seats?
Thanks!

[camcojb]

Jody,
What material is on the TMI seats?
Thanks!

I went with the factory black vinyl.

[camcojb]

Decided to re-do the front steam line to the water pump, little cleaner routing.

[camcojb]

But the main thing I needed arrived today... my stainless tank from Rock Valley Antique Auto Parts (https://www.rockvalleyantiqueautoparts.com/ndex.htm). Really nice, bolts into my Roadster Shop chassis, and set up for the Aeromotive dual Phantom stealth pumps. Now I can finish the exhaust pipes at the back and get the exhaust welded up. Hopefully the car can go in and get the dents knocked out, and the chassis can head to the powder coaters and then re-assembled.

[Ricochet]

Looking great!! [emoji1303] Rock Valley makes nice stuff.

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[DWC]

Very nice! Quite a lot of meat in the rear…:yes:

Daniel

[qnitro]

man this is going to be nice...

[waynieZ]

It looks like a nice setup, I like the cap on the fill pipe. I’m looking forward to seeing the exhaust when it’s done.

[syborg tt]

Holy **** Jody are you killing it.

I so can’t wait to see your next post. Better yet I can’t wait to see the car I’m person.


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[214Chevy]

This is one sweet build Jody.

[camcojb]

Not much progress lately as I still have home projects going on. But I have a dilemma. I was set on trying to match a color of a new El Camino I got to use for a few weeks in high school. The owner said he custom ordered it in a Cadillac color which I believe to be Nutmeg Firemist metallic. I found a Yenko nova in that color and the pics looked exactly like what I remember.

https://lateral-g.net/images/nutmeg%20nova.jpg

Since then I've come across this same car outside, and the color is quite different, and not at all what I'm going for.

https://www.americanmusclecarmuseum.com/files/cars/1969-chevrolet-nova-yenko_4917.jpg

https://www.americanmusclecarmuseum.com/files/cars/thumbs/1969-chevrolet-nova-yenko-4.jpg

Maybe it's just me but outside it looks darker and more copper-tinted. I've been searching brownish colors for a month and can't find anything like that inside pic. I sorta like this Mercedes color; I know it's different than my original choice but I like it, should look good with the black stripes:

https://benzblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/24152823/2012-GL450-Dakota-Brown-Side.jpg

So I'm now starting to re-think the color choice, and leaning towards something safer like a medium to dark grey. My first choice is still brown, I just love it, but the shade has to be right.

[dhutton]

Are you thinking of burnished brown?

https://fuelcurve.com/gary-goodin-1969-camaro-z-28/

Don

[camcojb]

Like it on the Camaros, but not so much on the bigger Chevelle.

[garickman]

Is this brown too dark?

https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1256945/1969-chevrolet-camaro-for-sale-in-seekonk-massachusetts-02771

[camcojb]

Is this brown too dark?

https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1256945/1969-chevrolet-camaro-for-sale-in-seekonk-massachusetts-02771

Thanks Greg, good looking car but not my color.

[blowngasr]

Oh..oh…here we go! This color, that color, just so you know Curtis holds the record with 27 test panels!!🥳😂🥳😂..could be more.🤔. Jim.

[JB400]

Dodge had a similar colour called T6 bronze

[camcojb]

Oh..oh…here we go! This color, that color, just so you know Curtis holds the record with 27 test panels!!🥳😂🥳😂..could be more.🤔. Jim.

Find my color Jim! :bow:

[fleet]

How’s this Jody?

https://i.postimg.cc/9FwBx9Jv/EBCB1318-BF63-4-F96-A15-D-2-A47-C50-C9-C04.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[AMSOILGUY]

Hopefully this takes you to a 2012 brown legacy.
https://file.kelleybluebookimages.com/kbb/base/house/2012/2012-Subaru-Legacy-FrontSide_SULEG111_505x375.jpg

[camcojb]

Dodge had a similar colour called T6 bronze

Never seen that color before, thanks!

[camcojb]

How’s this Jody?

https://i.postimg.cc/9FwBx9Jv/EBCB1318-BF63-4-F96-A15-D-2-A47-C50-C9-C04.jpg (https://postimages.cc/)

I like that color, darker than I originally was thinking but looks good.

[protour]

LOL this is exactly what terrifies me about painting my car. You had me searching brown colors and man do they change when light hits them. I did come across this color that may be of interest based on reading your replies to others. This is the only suggestion I'll offer as Im sure you'll be tired of the replies coming in haha.

[camcojb]

LOL this is exactly what terrifies me about painting my car. You had me searching brown colors and man do they change when light hits them. I did come across this color that may be of interest based on reading your replies to others. This is the only suggestion I'll offer as Im sure you'll be tired of the replies coming in haha.

I really like that one, at least at that angle. Picking a car color is as bad as choosing wheels... :lol:

[Flash68]

Picking paint has to be brutal for you. I like your idea of going brown though on that big beauty.

[ScotI]

I really like that one, at least at that angle. Picking a car color is as bad as choosing wheels... :lol:

Well..... You can always let GM pick the color for you & paint it back the OG color. The code is right there for you :lol:

[Musclerodz]

toyota 4u2, golden umber its more golden brown like the porsche. nothing like what you see on computer screen. I used it and Audi teakbraun on a 38 coupe. The audi color is probably way darker than you want.

[camcojb]

Thanks Mike!

[camcojb]

Well..... You can always let GM pick the color for you & paint it back the OG color. The code is right there for you :lol:

I actually considered it, Autumn Gold...

http://www.skunkriverrestorations.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_9639-1024x768.jpg

[fleet]

From the ‘dark side’ of rodding…
:BlahBlah::BlahBlah:

https://i.postimg.cc/x8bBj0bs/33-FD5656-0723-4668-9-A36-D4475-C6-BED4-B.jpg (https://postimg.cc/kRqTfPs8)

[kwhizz]

Metallic Burgandy !!!!!!!!

[kwhizz]

Metallic Burgundy !!!!!!!!

[ScotI]

I actually considered it, Autumn Gold...

http://www.skunkriverrestorations.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_9639-1024x768.jpg

It's a good looking color & gets you off the hook.

[camcojb]

Metallic Burgandy !!!!!!!!

:shakehead: :lol:

[camcojb]

It's a good looking color & gets you off the hook.

Yeah, but the same guys who like that the car stayed original color would tear me apart for all the mods lol.

[camcojb]

From the ‘dark side’ of rodding…
:BlahBlah::BlahBlah:

https://i.postimg.cc/x8bBj0bs/33-FD5656-0723-4668-9-A36-D4475-C6-BED4-B.jpg (https://postimg.cc/kRqTfPs8)

Cool color.

[fleet]

I believe this is from Martin Bros/Iron Resurrection…

JBV_k0rq9xE

https://youtu.be/JBV_k0rq9xE

[Musclerodz]

This is the teakbraun. Looking for chassis pics which is the golden umber

yd0VhZ3Hh8o

[garickman]

What about the new C8 Corvette color.

https://www.autoblog.com/2021/04/23/2022-chevy-corvette-new-colors/

[ScotI]

Yeah, but the same guys who like that the car stayed original color would tear me apart for all the mods lol.

But we both know the seriously upgraded resto-mod stays in style ad infinitum. Those Roadster Shop builds are drool worthy.

Build it for the one, not the many. It's going to be killer regardless of the color decision & I hope to see it in person some day.

[camcojb]

I'm definitely leaning towards the lighter to medium browns.

[SuperB70]

I'm definitely leaning towards the lighter to medium browns.

Check Audi special option color: Ipanema brown.

I painted my dually with that.

[camcojb]

Check Audi special option color: Ipanema brown.

I painted my dually with that.

Pretty color for sure, but too bright for this old guy lol.

[214Chevy]

Cool color.

This is a very beautiful color on this car.

[WSSix]

BMW Mojave Brown for the E39s? https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-bmw-528it/
There are plenty of pictures of the that wagon all over the internet if you want to see different lighting etc. Brandon is the owner. Goes by RVAE34 almost everywhere.

I'm not sure what Ford calls this color, but I always thought it was a great looking brown. It's got a lot of metallic in it and shines great in the sun. https://colorfulcars.blogspot.com/2013/12/2014-ford-f-250-super-duty-pictures.html

Good luck, Jody

[garickman]

2014 Lamborghini Chocolate Rabbioso

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK_KNVH9z6E

[blowngasr]

I'm definitely leaning towards the lighter to medium browns.

I’m sure Brent can help pick a color!!!!😂😂😂😂

[camcojb]

I’m sure Brent can help pick a color!!!!😂😂😂😂

You're a funny guy. :thumbsup:

[syborg tt]

You could always try the brown from the Ford F-150 Canyon Ranch.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220214/c0ffdc64111b6066917a622294102811.jpg

The color really changed in the Sun.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220214/46645298e944f3df423ece0723c9fdc3.jpg


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[camcojb]

After seeing the black powdercoated Prochargers I decided to try it on the turbo. So far I like it. Might look for a little flatter black for a better match to the intake and valve covers, but it's close.

[camcojb]

I changed my mind on the Mightmouse catch can routing, so now the fitting was on the wrong end of the valve covers. Since I needed the passenger side cover to stay on that side for easy access to the oil fill I was contemplating buying new valve covers. Fortunately I came up with an option I could live with, swapping a #12 ORB plug where the fitting used to be, and drilling the hole up front where it belongs.

[Ketzer]

Probably waaaayyy more blingy than you want.....

https://painthuffer.bigcartel.com/product/sexual-chocolate-house-of-kolor-basecoat

[camcojb]

Probably waaaayyy more blingy than you want.....

https://painthuffer.bigcartel.com/product/sexual-chocolate-house-of-kolor-basecoat

a bit... :lol:

[syborg tt]

Love the black turbo housing.


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[fleet]

https://i.postimg.cc/4y35DfkS/B5-B044-C3-A048-4-DF8-8032-FCD3-CCD2248-E.jpg (https://postimg.cc/5YZLvMtB)

[fleet]

I never considered a brown vehicle before I saw this color on one of these GM/Saab 9X-7’s…seemed like a brown/pewter mix.

https://i.postimg.cc/Z5jrSkjk/D1-B81-BF4-9500-4338-ADA9-FDF97-EC7225-E.jpg (https://postimg.cc/bZDGxBKL)

[214Chevy]

https://i.postimg.cc/4y35DfkS/B5-B044-C3-A048-4-DF8-8032-FCD3-CCD2248-E.jpg (https://postimg.cc/5YZLvMtB)

That GTO is pretty damn sweet...

[camcojb]

That GTO is pretty damn sweet...

Yeah it is.

[Spiffav8]

I’m sure Brent can help pick a color!!!!😂😂😂😂

He probably needs 34 spray outs to confuse him even more. :underchair:

[Ricochet]

He probably needs 34 spray outs to confuse him even more. :underchair:And he'll still change the color... [emoji1787]

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[Ricochet]

I’m sure Brent can help pick a color!!!!😂😂😂😂

You're a funny guy. :thumbsup:

Oh, his is a lot of things - but funny is not at the top of the list!!! LMAO!!

[WSSix]

Back to colors, Alfa Romeo has a brown for their Stelvia SUV. Someone at my work has one. It might be darker than you're wanting but it's a nice shade of brown in my opinion. Similar to the GTO above.

[camcojb]

Back to colors, Alfa Romeo has a brown for their Stelvia SUV. Someone at my work has one. It might be darker than you're wanting but it's a nice shade of brown in my opinion. Similar to the GTO above.

That's a beautiful color. Darker than what I originally pictured in my head, but definitely has me re-thinking things. Thanks!

[Che70velle]

Jody, check out WA441B GM. It’s called Pepperdust Metallic. It’s a medium brown that I wouldn’t hesitate to put on my own Chevelle. I’m jealous of this brown Chevelle stuff. If I could only go back….

[camcojb]

Thanks Scott! :thumbsup:

[camcojb]

Love this Audi teak brown. Definitely darker than what I was planning on, but would be beautiful in the sun with the black SS stripes.

[Ricochet]

Beautiful color, Jody!!! It's different... In a good way! I know lighting plays a huge part in these pics but this was cool also. 77591https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220307/868d28850a2e8143a2213a673856983e.jpg77592

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[camcojb]

Beautiful color, Jody!!! It's different... In a good way! I know lighting plays a huge part in these pics but this was cool also. 77591https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220307/868d28850a2e8143a2213a673856983e.jpg77592

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Very similar, beautiful! Probably can't afford that paint lol.

[WSSix]

Would you want black stripes or something more subtle like a gold or light bronze ghost stripes? I would think the result would be similar to the carbon weave in the Pagani.

[fleet]

More cheap paint…

https://i.postimg.cc/h4kWSB7Q/EBA2-CDB9-761-C-4808-81-BD-74-FCA61661-BE.jpg (https://postimg.cc/ThJH9B0T)

[Musclerodz]

Love this Audi teak brown. Definitely darker than what I was planning on, but would be beautiful in the sun with the black SS stripes.
Same color I painted the 38 Coupe I posted. Lighting will shift the color a bunch. Even looks great in matte clear.

[camcojb]

Same color I painted the 38 Coupe I posted. Lighting will shift the color a bunch. Even looks great in matte clear.

Looks completely different to me.

[Musclerodz]

Looks completely different to me.

It does because that video was shot on a cloudy day. Spray outs are the only real way to judge a color as you know. I used a dark sealer as well, which may also change how the color looks as well.

[camcojb]

Just found a color available on 72 Chevelles. I'm wondering if this was what he had, looks a lot like what I remember. It's been almost 50 years since I drove it, so my memory is definitely not perfect. Paint code 57 Golden Brown. It would be a safe choice as it's a factory color and looks good in all light.

Doesn't look as good as the modern colors, just need to find one in person to check out. Or get Jim to do some spray outs for me lol.

[ScotI]

I think that's your color. GM is helping you make the decision.

[sru1436]

Cool color.

[Vegas69]

I'm not feeling that color. Factory resto, sure, but on a modern build, not so much.

[214Chevy]

Just found a color available on 72 Chevelles. I'm wondering if this was what he had, looks a lot like what I remember. It's been almost 50 years since I drove it, so my memory is definitely not perfect. Paint code 57 Golden Brown. It would be a safe choice as it's a factory color and looks good in all light.

Doesn't look as good as the modern colors, just need to find one in person to check out. Or get Jim to do some spray outs for me lol.

You're right Jody, it "doesn't look as good." That's because it looks BETTER!! That's the end of all color searching if you ask me. It would only be perfect if you choose that color. It's just so right.

[camcojb]

Thanks guys. Jim did some spray outs for me, so that will help me make the decision.

[JB400]

Did you see this:


https://www.motorious.com/articles/news/barn-find-1970-chevelle-ss/

[camcojb]

Did you see this:


https://www.motorious.com/articles/news/barn-find-1970-chevelle-ss/

I did not, very nice find.

[fleet]

Almost a shade of brown.

In the same vein as the Greg Weld grey imho…

https://i.postimg.cc/RFB25YQt/787565-EB-5507-4531-A619-3-AC221602-C74.jpg (https://postimg.cc/t1BBF2cR)

[WSSix]

Here's another brown to consider, maybe https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2001-bmw-740il-74/

[fleet]

https://i.postimg.cc/mgKw7tKY/51-D9199-D-43-DA-4-C80-AD07-BB0-B11764-B8-B.jpg (https://postimg.cc/k2FKmXJG)
https://i.postimg.cc/0NmCn9qL/FD7-C1-FF3-CB0-A-4-BC4-A028-483-F78-BAF4-D2.jpg (https://postimg.cc/7CH7Y8hV)

[camcojb]

Nice! Reminds me of this one that Brent found.

[sru1436]

https://i.postimg.cc/mgKw7tKY/51-D9199-D-43-DA-4-C80-AD07-BB0-B11764-B8-B.jpg (https://postimg.cc/k2FKmXJG)
https://i.postimg.cc/0NmCn9qL/FD7-C1-FF3-CB0-A-4-BC4-A028-483-F78-BAF4-D2.jpg (https://postimg.cc/7CH7Y8hV)

That looks amazing.

[WSSix]

That's a great shade of brown!

[fleet]

The last 2 pics I saw of it…

https://i.postimg.cc/NjKDy1CG/29-F094-D3-705-B-4777-9982-377-CC6-BAA357.jpg (https://postimg.cc/tsHWwVH8)

https://i.postimg.cc/WbWSb9nf/9833-F61-B-C860-4643-A334-CD369-C4-FDB01.jpg (https://postimg.cc/WhZ05wxM)

[fleet]

Not sure this is the factory brown…wow imho!

https://i.postimg.cc/4NL45YxW/FBCE468-F-042-D-44-C2-B480-9-F30-AEEEE065.jpg (https://postimg.cc/kBSdMX8S)

[camcojb]

Great color Skip!

[WSSix]

I'm pretty sure that Porsche is a rose/pink color. They had a color in that era that was gorgeous and could look brown in the shade. Could just be my monitor this time though, lol.

[fleet]

MBGA!

(aka Make Brown Great Again!)

:P

Seriously though, brown has come a loooooong way imho.

Porsche ‘Anthracite brown metallic’

https://i.postimg.cc/Wz33m2nQ/54055-BBF-8-E22-41-D5-97-F0-854-A1009-C7-F4.jpg (https://postimg.cc/dkbwwcgB)

Not sure what this color is from Jason Graham Hot Rods, for Bob Metranga…

https://i.postimg.cc/C5QKmWrd/62-BFA221-7-A6-B-4-DFC-8-E6-A-31-BC58-AFCD5-F.jpg (https://postimg.cc/N2RY0Pcw)

[214Chevy]

MBGA!

(aka Make Brown Great Again!)

:P

Seriously though, brown has come a loooooong way imho.

Porsche ‘Anthracite brown metallic’

https://i.postimg.cc/Wz33m2nQ/54055-BBF-8-E22-41-D5-97-F0-854-A1009-C7-F4.jpg (https://postimg.cc/dkbwwcgB)


I like the shade of brown on this Porshe. It's pretty sweet...

[Musclerodz]

MBGA!

(aka Make Brown Great Again!)

:P

Seriously though, brown has come a loooooong way imho.

Porsche ‘Anthracite brown metallic’

https://i.postimg.cc/Wz33m2nQ/54055-BBF-8-E22-41-D5-97-F0-854-A1009-C7-F4.jpg (https://postimg.cc/dkbwwcgB)

Not sure what this color is from Jason Graham Hot Rods, for Bob Metranga…

https://i.postimg.cc/C5QKmWrd/62-BFA221-7-A6-B-4-DFC-8-E6-A-31-BC58-AFCD5-F.jpg (https://postimg.cc/N2RY0Pcw)
That truck is a very deep brandywine.

[Ricochet]

I know it's probably too dark for you Jody, I just like everything about that Porsche and color. It just works!

[camcojb]

I know it's probably too dark for you Jody, I just like everything about that Porsche and color. It just works!

It would be beautiful, not my theme color at all, but would be beautiful. Goes with my wheels too. I'm not counting it out at all.

[JB400]

T7 bronze

[camcojb]

That color looks good on those Mopars.

[AMSOILGUY]

Jody,
Its been 4 months since we have heard anything on this Chevelle. You OK?

[camcojb]

Jody,
Its been 4 months since we have heard anything on this Chevelle. You OK?

Jacob,

I'm okay, just a lot going on. Hopefully be back on it soon. :thumbsup:

[camcojb]

Well, got something done lol. I wasn't happy with the original tunnel mod I made for the T56. The normal ones from American Powertrain, Tin Man Fab, Bowler, etc. were all too small overall, so I spliced the Tin Man unit with the rounded piece I was using before. Still have to fit two side pieces, that part should be easy. Top pic is what I had, and the bottom pic is what I ended up with. I like the flat top better.

[waynieZ]

I like what you did, it looks factory.

[camcojb]

More progress

[Spiffav8]

Nice!! A few more small things checked off the list. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Ricochet]

Nice progress!! I know you've been wanting to get those parts of the project done... 👍🏻

[camcojb]

Trans tunnel is pretty much done.

[syborg tt]

Looks really nice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Blown353]

Make sure you have adequate driveshaft clearance to the tunnel with the driveline / u-joint angles properly set and the suspension at full bump travel. It would suck to get the car painted and start assembling and then find you have a clearance problem.

It's probably been 15 years now, but I had to slice out and raise the tunnel on my car from the firewall all the way to under the rear seat to have proper u-joint working angles and good driveshaft clearance at full bump travel, plus a bit more clearance for safety at my low ride height. I know Roadster Shop sets their frames up for low ride heights so it might be an issue on your car as well.

Didn't help I have a 4" driveshaft and was shooting for the absolute minimum working angles on both u-joints (about 0.7 degrees, just enough angle so the needles would spin to avoid flat spotting)-- that meant the transmission tailshaft had to go quite high and also had to angle the rear end "nose up" quite a bit.

Of course, with single and double CV driveshafts now being available you have a potential workaround if you need a little more driveshaft clearance and don't want to cut the entire tunnel out-- you can run increased (and mismatched!) working angles compared to standard u-joints and not have any vibration concerns.

[camcojb]

Make sure you have adequate driveshaft clearance to the tunnel with the driveline / u-joint angles properly set and the suspension at full bump travel. It would suck to get the car painted and start assembling and then find you have a clearance problem.

It's probably been 15 years now, but I had to slice out and raise the tunnel on my car from the firewall all the way to under the rear seat to have proper u-joint working angles and good driveshaft clearance at full bump travel, plus a bit more clearance for safety at my low ride height. I know Roadster Shop sets their frames up for low ride heights so it might be an issue on your car as well.

Didn't help I have a 4" driveshaft and was shooting for the absolute minimum working angles on both u-joints (about 0.7 degrees, just enough angle so the needles would spin to avoid flat spotting)-- that meant the transmission tailshaft had to go quite high and also had to angle the rear end "nose up" quite a bit.

Of course, with single and double CV driveshafts now being available you have a potential workaround if you need a little more driveshaft clearance and don't want to cut the entire tunnel out-- you can run increased (and mismatched!) working angles compared to standard u-joints and not have any vibration concerns.
I know I should do it, but was hoping I could get away without it lol. Roadster Shop does it on all their A bodies. I checked full droop and it clears but it's close. That was with stock height body mounts, RS gives you 1/2 height mounts.

I think painter Jim has a "guy" who can do this for me.

[Blown353]

If RS does the full tunnel replacement to all their builds with their frame, it’s probably needed.

Be sure to leave extra clearance to take into account for the floor flexing downwards a bit if you ever put 4 people in the car.

When I reworked my tunnel I removed the bump stops from the rear axle, pushed the axle all the way up until the axle tubes hit the frame to simulate a worst case scenario, then set 1” high spacer blocks on top of the driveshaft and set the new tunnel sheet metal on top of those spacers to make sure there would be at least 1” of clearance to the driveshaft, and then tack welded it in.

Makes for lots of driveshaft room (and the tall vertical walls of the new tunnel section actually help to stiffen the floor in bending from front to back) but it does make the carpeting job a bit more difficult as you can no longer use a standard Chevelle carpet kit. I used a standard Chevelle carpet kit for the sides but had to have a local upholstery shop do the tunnel carpet, they cut matching material and sewed welting on the ends where the tunnel portion met the floor portion.

Also had to rework the rear seat lower frame and springs in the center to accommodate the raised tunnel. It still looks stock over the tunnel, but I wouldn't want to sit there anymore... LOL

[4cefed]

You car is awesome, great work!

[raustinss]

If the floor is flexing to the point its a problem with hitting the driveshaft you have many other issues . 4 people in a car shouldn't "move" the floor more than 1/16 ..1/8 inch max

[Vegas69]

If the floor is flexing to the point its a problem with hitting the driveshaft you have many other issues . 4 people in a car shouldn't "move" the floor more than 1/16 ..1/8 inch max

Under load, I could see it being more....

[Blown353]

The floor will flex a bit with more passengers in the car, and flex more over bumps and under load. I agree that no way it should move 1”, but what I was trying to say is leaving extra clearance for the driveshaft is much better than not leaving enough… replacing the tunnel is not a job you want to do twice.

It’s also a good idea to leave some extra room just in case you ever change the transmission or rear end later and things have to be adjusted a bit for proper u-joint working angles (different transmission length, different rear end style with a different pinion height relative to the axle centerline, etc.)

[Che70velle]

My Chevelle is low, but not un-driveable low. I had the family in the car a couple years ago, my 16 yr old son in the back…now 18…and we hit a bump coming off a bridge here in N. Ga. The driveshaft kissed, and I mean just barely smooched the rear tunnel/floor crossmember. It left a faint mark on the driveshaft that only went about half a revolution, so it was sure enough just a faint smooch.
Got it on the lift that evening and expected it to be a re-paint of the driveshaft. It wasn’t bad at all. I put two turns in my adjustable rear coil overs, and we never had that happen again. It’s close back there at ride height…very close. I wish I had cut that all out Jody and fabbed it all the way back, by re-doing all the crossmembers, but I did like your doing yours and only opened it up enough to get my T56 mag in. My front u-joint sits directly under the front crossmember and to get my angles right, the 1350 joint misses the crossmember by maybe 1/8”. It’s all very close. I run a custom HW 3” driveshaft because I’d have to raise the car up some with a bigger but stronger 3.5” driveshaft.

[Blown353]

My Chevelle is low, but not un-driveable low. I had the family in the car a couple years ago, my 16 yr old son in the back…now 18…and we hit a bump coming off a bridge here in N. Ga. The driveshaft kissed, and I mean just barely smooched the rear tunnel/floor crossmember. It left a faint mark on the driveshaft that only went about half a revolution, so it was sure enough just a faint smooch.
Got it on the lift that evening and expected it to be a re-paint of the driveshaft. It wasn’t bad at all. I put two turns in my adjustable rear coil overs, and we never had that happen again. It’s close back there at ride height…very close. I wish I had cut that all out Jody and fabbed it all the way back, by re-doing all the crossmembers, but I did like your doing yours and only opened it up enough to get my T56 mag in. My front u-joint sits directly under the front crossmember and to get my angles right, the 1350 joint misses the crossmember by maybe 1/8”. It’s all very close. I run a custom HW 3” driveshaft because I’d have to raise the car up some with a bigger but stronger 3.5” driveshaft.

My car was fairly low, and before I sliced my floor my u-joint working angles were nearly 5 degrees with the transmission as high as it would go with the front yoke almost rubbing the tunnel and the rear end pinion angle adjusted as best as possible. Vibration at freeway speed was terrible to the point the mirrors were useless, I trashed the slip yoke bushing in the tailshaft in only a few thousand miles, and the rear balance weight on the driveshaft (4") would frequently "stripe" the floor over bumps with just me in the car.

My half ass fix for a little while was to take a hammer to the floor for a bit more clearance where the driveshaft was rubbing and also add the El Camino / station wagon bump stop spacers to the rear end which raise the bump stops about an inch. That stopped the driveshaft hitting the floor, but losing an inch of bump travel meant the car would hit the bump stops constantly over any little road imperfection. That made for very, very unpredictable behavior in turns over bumps when the bump stop hit the frame making the spring rate effectively go sky high resulting in instant oversteer... yikes.

After slicing the floor u-joint working angles were down to 0.7 degrees; zero vibration even at well above triple digit speeds and no more driveshaft clearance issues or rapid wear of the tailshaft bushing. I was able to remove the rear bump stop extenders and actually shave the rear bump stops down to get additional bump travel out of the rear suspension (that snowballed into having to rework and raise the tailpipes... worth it though.)

Also, regarding extra passengers in the car... this is an area where keeping the conventional springs in the rear of the car (if you have the factory frame) is an advantage compared to coilovers... because you can easily run air lift bags inside the springs and an onboard compressor to quickly accommodate the extra weight in the car. If it's just you or one passenger in the car, leave only 1-2 psi in them to maintain their shape and not alter your ride height or spring rate. If you put 4 people in the car or put a bunch of weight in the trunk, add some air to the bags via the remote control without leaving the driver's seat and keep your ride height where it should be and stay off the bump stops. That's something not easily done with coilovers unless you crawl under the car to adjust the spring seats. I can't take credit for the air lift bag idea... Mark Savitske from SC&C gave me that tip during one of our many long phone calls over the years. It was one of those "duh... why didn't I think of that?" moments when he mentioned adding the airbags to deal with extra passengers.

I've also installed the air lift bags and compressor on a friend's 70 Chevelle that's also rather low; it used to have frequent driveshaft to floor contact with 2 or more people in the car. Now he can now put 4 people in the car and a big ice chest in the trunk with no issues.

Even though I'm converting the front suspension on my car to coilovers and doing frame mods for them, I'm sticking with conventional springs in the rear just so I can install the air lift bags and compressor even though I've sliced out the floor and driveshaft clearance is no longer a concern for me... it's just a very convenient solution when it comes to putting 4 people in the car or a bunch of heavy stuff in the trunk. Since most of my friends decided to omit AC in their cars for reasons of simplicity or performance and I'm the only one who installed AC in my car (because it was my daily driver for many years) during the summer my friends often decide to ride with me so they don't roast. I guess riding in my car is cheaper and easier than adding AC to their cars...:rofl:

[frankherman]

One of the best thing in these car's are their hidden wipers. I loved to have these cars.

[gnx7]

What a great build! I recently went thru the driveshaft tunnel pain.... where my 4" alum driveshaft was rubbing under small bumps...... and under a big compression bump would've been BAD. So the rest had to be cut out and fabbed up for better clearance. You have done just about everything else... so you may as well cut that out too before doing carpet etc.

What kind of power are you shooting for? That RXT 1200HD is what I'm running and it will hold up to well over 1000rwhp in our heavy cars.
I missed it.. what gears are you running out back?

[camcojb]

What a great build! I recently went thru the driveshaft tunnel pain.... where my 4" alum driveshaft was rubbing under small bumps...... and under a big compression bump would've been BAD. So the rest had to be cut out and fabbed up for better clearance. You have done just about everything else... so you may as well cut that out too before doing carpet etc.

What kind of power are you shooting for? That RXT 1200HD is what I'm running and it will hold up to well over 1000rwhp in our heavy cars.
I missed it.. what gears are you running out back?

Yeah, I've decided to have the tunnel raised, much easier to do now. Plus I'm going back with the reduced height body mounts that RS provides with the chassis, which pretty much will make it a requirement.

This is just a street car that I plan to drive a lot. Maybe 800-900 rwhp max. I went with 3.50 gears and aluminum 3rd member from Currie.

[kwhizz]

Jody.........As you know it's more fun to "Drive" them rather than "Owning" them !!!..........LOL

[Rucumn]

Jody,

A friend of mine built that '50 chevy truck. The paint color is Canyon Beige & it is a Mercedes color!

[camcojb]

Jody,

A friend of mine built that '50 chevy truck. The paint color is Canyon Beige & it is a Mercedes color!

Thanks!! Jim's gonna have to do a few sprayouts for sure, picking colors is tough.

[camcojb]

Jody.........As you know it's more fun to "Drive" them rather than "Owning" them !!!..........LOL

True Ken. And I plan to drive this one a lot.

[qnitro]

man SMALL ASS WORLD.. I hit you up on FB with my RS SPec chassis question LOL

[camcojb]

You'll be very happy with that chassis. I have two of them here at the house, my buddy saw mine and ordered one for himself. He doesn't even have a Chevelle yet lol.

[ScotI]

You'll be very happy with that chassis. I have two of them here at the house, my buddy saw mine and ordered one for himself. He doesn't even have a Chevelle yet lol.

Now that's Pro-Active planning @ its best!

[camcojb]

Now that's Pro-Active planning @ its best!

That or a guy with too much money to spend lol.

[qnitro]

Now that's Pro-Active planning @ its best!

I think we know who hasnt bought the Chevelle now :)

[214Chevy]

That or a guy with too much money to spend lol.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That's my bet... :D :yes:

[camcojb]

It's finished!!!!!!!!!! NOT!!!!!!!!

But this is my color choice. I wanted a rendering that looked like it could be a photo, and Kris Horton has that ability. This isn't the finished product, but looks good enough to post IMO. I know it's not going to be a popular color, but I love browns and this is exactly the memory I had in my head. To me it's subtle, not super flashy which is my preference. Now can Jim match the color lol...

[Goosesdad]

Spray it! Looks bitchen.

[andrewb70]

Jody,

I think the brown looks amazing. You should have Kris model some gold colored wheels. That will make the whole car pop like crazy!

Andrew

[camcojb]

Jody,

I think the brown looks amazing. You should have Kris model some gold colored wheels. That will make the whole car pop like crazy!

Andrew

I'm not buying new wheels .... :lol:

[214Chevy]

That's beautiful Jody. I'm really digging it!!

[andrewb70]

I'm not buying new wheels .... :lol:

I get that, but a rendering would show you what is possible.

Andrew

[fleet]

It's finished!!!!!!!!!! NOT!!!!!!!!

But this is my color choice. I wanted a rendering that looked like it could be a photo, and Kris Horton has that ability. This isn't the finished product, but looks good enough to post IMO. I know it's not going to be a popular color, but I love browns and this is exactly the memory I had in my head. To me it's subtle, not super flashy which is my preference. Now can Jim match the color lol...

I’m brown with envy!

:walkingdog:



Seriously Jody, glad you found a color you like. :thumbsup:

[WSSix]

That's going to look great. I love browns in this range, too. For a while, there where a bunch of brown Panameras running around my area. Loved seeing those cars.

Wheel choice is spot on.

[jarhead]

WOW that rendering looks so real :flashie:

Going to be a sweet ride Jody!

I miss my 72 now, it was a big block Malibu :bang:

[andrewb70]

Jody,

What are you doing for the intercooler?

Andrew

[camcojb]

Jody,

What are you doing for the intercooler?

Andrew

I had a custom A2W built to fit in the drivers front wheelwell. Still haven't bought a pump or cooler yet.

[andrewb70]

Do some searching around, but the Pierburg pumps are very popular. They are OEM quality and are PWM controlled, so they can be run at variable speeds. I bought mine from Tecomotive in Germany. It was delivered in less than a week. Let me know if you have any questions.

As for heat exchanger, I went cheap and I hope I don't regret that decision.

Andrew

[Blown353]

I was planning on using twin ZL1 pumps on my car much like Stielow did on one of his recent builds, but depending on your system backpressure a single Pierburg CWA100-3 or CWA150 might move just as much water as the twin ZL1 pumps while also taking up less space, needing less plumbing, and having the ability to control their speed via PWM input... and it would be cheaper too.

Based on tecomotive's page with the current exchange rate a CWA100-3 with connector kit can be had for about $277 plus shipping, and a CWA150 with connector kit is about $226... that's tempting, I might have to sell my 2x ZL1 pumps and get one of those.

Nice thing about the ZL1 pumps is they're available everywhere though-- dealers, Summit, Jegs, SDPC, etc. The Pierburg pumps do have VAG part numbers though for OEM VW/Audi applications, so they should also be readily available.

[camcojb]

Sounds like the way to go pump-wise, thanks guys.

[camcojb]

Sold our house in California and bought a house in Medford OR to be by family. Dropped the car off Dave May of Genesis Fab in Galt Ca. to raise the driveshaft tunnel before the painter gets the car. Did a great job, super reasonable, and whipped it out on a day!

[WSSix]

Good luck on the move, Jody.

[Vegas69]

Smart move all the way around!!

[Steve68]

Smart move all the way around!!

yeah! What he said! beautiful state, but you have to know when to go,

I went almost 7 times a year for 20 years, still didn't see everything I wanted to

[HEEP]

Fitted the firewall smoothing plate from ABC Performance, fit great. Mounted up the Restomod Air a/c unit inside the car, and the bulkhead on the firewall. Special thanks to Rick at Vintage Air for building me a custom compressor line manifold to clear the turbo and wastegate.

My Inland Empire driveshaft showed up, and I was able to find an SS dash through National Parts Depot that actually uses chrome around the bezels and lettering instead of silver paint. Looks a lot better than other reproduction dashes. Started fitting the Dakota Digital gauges to the new dash.

Is your plan to cut out the original metal of the firewall and weld in the new metal or overlay this?

Thanks, Bill

[camcojb]

I have already mounted the A/C unit inside (used weld studs) so the firewall cover was welded over the top. I did trim the lip around the original A/C section of the firewall so the cover plate laid flat over the top. I actually changed to a different firewall cover that has some bead rolling in it, fit well and looks even better IMO. I don't have any pics but it's this one.

https://modshopinc.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=124&products_id=705&zenid=2826d69jdr7r7krp6jchtjqui1

[andrewb70]

I was planning on using twin ZL1 pumps on my car much like Stielow did on one of his recent builds, but depending on your system backpressure a single Pierburg CWA100-3 or CWA150 might move just as much water as the twin ZL1 pumps while also taking up less space, needing less plumbing, and having the ability to control their speed via PWM input... and it would be cheaper too.

Based on tecomotive's page with the current exchange rate a CWA100-3 with connector kit can be had for about $277 plus shipping, and a CWA150 with connector kit is about $226... that's tempting, I might have to sell my 2x ZL1 pumps and get one of those.

Nice thing about the ZL1 pumps is they're available everywhere though-- dealers, Summit, Jegs, SDPC, etc. The Pierburg pumps do have VAG part numbers though for OEM VW/Audi applications, so they should also be readily available.

I am using a CWA150 pump from Tecomotive. Tobias is very responsive via email in case there are any questions and the pump arrived in less than a week.

Andrew

[zz430droptop67rs]

Jody, I saw this and thought about yours.

[camcojb]

Arrived at the painters. Good luck Jim... :confused18: :lol:

[Ricochet]

Good times await!!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[garickman]

Awesome!

[clill]

How many years ?

[camcojb]

How many years ?

How many years have I been working on it or how many years for paint? :bitchslap:

[Blown353]

Since I'm closer now, I'll pick up the car from Jim's when he finishes with it.

Then I can stick it in the shop right next to my car and they can both sit together unfinished for a few more years. Maybe I'll post pics occasionally. ;)

[camcojb]

Since I'm closer now, I'll pick up the car from Jim's when he finishes with it.

Then I can stick it in the shop right next to my car and they can both sit together unfinished for a few more years. Maybe I'll post pics occasionally. ;)

Will yours ever be finished? :lol:

[Blown353]

Will yours ever be finished? :lol:

...maybe?

Believe it or not, earlier this year I actually did work on my car… modified the frame for eye mount upper and lower coilovers up front, swapped lower control arms for eye mount coilover versions, repaired my ATS spindles that I messed up the upper balljoint tapers in several years ago (had to build a fixture to hold them in the mill so I could bore out the old inserts, then machine new inserts, then use liquid nitrogen to shrink fit them into the spindles-- couldn’t send them to Speedtech for the repairs because they don’t make them like that anymore and no longer have the parts or fixtures to deal with the ball joint inserts), and modified a set of C6 ZR1 SKF X-tracker hubs with the later yellow wire active ABS sensors to fit on the ATS spindles to work with the Continental/Teves MK60 ABS that I’m going to be using.

And of course, right when I’m making progress and finish the front suspension and am ready to pull the frame to box it and build the torque arm for the rear I start getting “those” phone calls… can you put an overdrive transmission and build a new rear end and put rear discs on my El Camino? Can you look at my Corvette that I took somewhere else for an EFI swap and it’s never ran right since and the shop that installed it says nothing is wrong? Can you look at my GTO that has an electrical drain and the Vintage Air doesn’t work anymore since the body shop had the car completely disassembled? Now that I don’t want it to be a race car anymore, can you cut the roll cage out, install a Ridetech coilover setup, install Dakota Digital RTX gauges, and Vintage Air in my Biscayne? So much for having a spot in the shop free to work on the frame.

Between the cars that come to my house and the phone calls and visits to about 4 or 5 local shops that get stuck on difficult wiring or EFI issues they can’t figure out is why my car keeps sitting unfinished. It’s not because I don’t have the parts, because a good portion of the game room in the house is FILLED with parts to finish the car… I just spend all my time working on other people’s cars while my car sits neglected.

I keep telling myself after the El Camino and Biscayne are done no more jobs for other people at my shop until my car is running again, but I’ve been saying that for 12 years now because the other cars keep showing up because I can’t say no… and lately I’ve been getting the panic phone calls and texts from people who want last minute stuff done before hot august nights… argh. I can’t win.

I definitely need to get the frame off, modded, and primed/painted before winter rolls around. I don’t want to be doing frame mods in the winter when condensation is an issue, then I have to constantly clean off flash rust before welding, plus priming/painting in the winter when the humidity is up is asking for fisheyes and other paint issues to happen.

Looking forward, debating if I should get a hold of Kurt Urban and have him prep another crankshaft for the LS2 I had him machine for me about 12 years ago and is still unassembled in boxes. The block/heads/rods/pistons/valvetrain are still just fine, but years ago when I was still planning on doing the twin turbos Kurt said stick with a stock LS2 cast crank as it won’t be a problem even up to 1500hp. Now that I switched to the 3 liter Whipple I need to machine a keyway into the crank for the blower drive, and I’m wondering if I should have Kurt machine up a forged crank instead or if the stock cast LS2 crank with a keyway added will be OK. I’m really only worried about the crank snout with the Whipple, everything behind it will be OK as I won’t be making enough power where Kurt said the stock crank becomes an issue. I need to call him and ask. Maybe I should make more progress on the car first, because at this point assembling the engine is WAY down my to do list, LOL

Hoping to be back on my car after all the last minute panic hot august prep issues go away… we’ll see.

[camcojb]

Had no idea you were doing that much work for other people. I don't have your skills but I've always turned down work for money. But being retired now the extra money would help lol.

[clill]

Doesn't sound like "Retired" if you are thinking about doing work for money. Sounds like "Unemployed":bitchslap:

[camcojb]

Doesn't sound like "Retired" if you are thinking about doing work for money. Sounds like "Unemployed":bitchslap:
Very true. We can't all retire like you... :lol:

[Ummgawa]

Really enjoying seeing this one come together Boss.

[Blown353]

Had no idea you were doing that much work for other people. I don't have your skills but I've always turned down work for money. But being retired now the extra money would help lol.

Oh no… don’t go short changing yourself in the skills department. I’ll be the first to admit my own limitations (or try something anyways and then throw it away because I’m not happy with the results)-- I can't do it all even if I try to. Your builds have always been super cool, and I may have borrowed an idea or two (or three) from you along the way.

As far as doing the side jobs, I’m not really going out and soliciting these jobs… they’re usually friends or acquaintances who want help with something. I tell them I don’t have time, then they say “I’ll pay you”, I say I still don’t have time and I need to work on my car, and finally after a few back and forth haggling sessions they say “I’ll pay you this much” and the number finally exceeds some sort of magic threshold and I give in and say “OK, bring it over.”

Even I have my breaking point, LOL

I have learned though to immediately turn away anyone who constantly changes their mind or wants to cut corners, because when their cheap parts they provided or half assed fab ideas that they wanted me to build fails (even when I did it exactly how they wanted it over my objections) they always try to blame you for it. After a couple of those disasters, nowadays if they don’t want to do it the right way with the right parts the first time, I tell them take it somewhere else so they can blame them when it fails. I've got a pretty good feel now who might turn out to be a problem customer, and I politely refer them somewhere else. That's what's nice about doing it on the side, it's not like I have to keep taking customers in to keep the lights on. This just turns into extra fun money (unfortunately it also turns into less time to work on my car.)

The local shops that call me in for help with the problems do have to pay, either money or free parts. I’m not giving those guys free labor while they’re billing the customer for my time too, LOL. Just yesterday I had to go see a local shop with EFI issues after an install, turns out they can't read the instructions for how to wire it up properly and did everything the instructions said NOT to do... no wonder it didn't run right.

The other problem is that once you fix a couple cars that other shops couldn't fix, somehow your number starts getting passed around, and you get calls about all the jobs nobody else wants to touch or wants to put the time in to really find out what’s wrong with it.

Had a friend of a friend with an issue with his wife’s older Bronco last year, at light throttle it was running poorly, smelled super rich, and was constantly fouling spark plugs and popping out the exhaust, but at heavier throttle it was running OK. He took it to two local hot rod shops, who both blamed the EFI tune and charged him for dyno sessions and retuning, and it still had the issue, so they blamed the Holley EFI and told him to send it back to Holley… which also didn’t fix the issues. Turns out the intake manifold was loose and was sucking enough air past the intake gaskets on the bank with the O2 sensor to have lean misfires, so the EFI thought the engine was running super lean and it kept dumping more fuel in it as both of the shops left the Holley closed loop limits at the default +/- 50% max learn values. A little squirt of ether where the intake met the head found the problem immediately and checking the spark waveforms on the oscilloscope confirmed misfires on 3 cylinders, and new intake gaskets fixed the issue, and then I had to fix the tune because both shops added more fuel to try and get the O2 corrections back close to 0%. Never heard if the owner went back to the previous 2 shops to try and recoup some money, they charged him dearly for not fixing a damn thing or properly diagnosing the issue.

A couple years back I had to go through a car with a fine tooth comb that a semi-local shop had for 2 years for a front subframe swap, LS swap, and vintage air install, charged $55k for their work, and gave it back to the owner with a ton of things wrong with it on it both on the fab/assembly side and the EFI tune… the owner sued and got a good chunk of his money back, and I got to fix all the mistakes… so, so many mistakes. I learned a lot about what not to do fixing that car. Did you know that if you don’t safety wire the bolts that hold the rotors to the hats on a Wilwood brake kit like the instructions say that the bolts will back out until they hit the spindle and lock up a front wheel going down the freeway at 70mph? Also, if the car dies every time you step on the brakes or turn the steering wheel while stopped the correct answer is not to tell the customer “it’s just the EFI self learning, it will figure it out and stop dying by the time you get it home.” Uh… no. That “self learning” excuse was even funnier when about 30 minutes prior the shop owner was talking up his EFI guy by saying “he gets flown all over the country to tune for race teams.” Well, maybe the DNF race teams, or more likely the DNQ teams after I've had to fix about a dozen of his tunes over the last couple years because of major driveability issues. Furthermore, the engine and transmission in question was a crate LS3 525 and 4L70, and rather than use the GMPP ECU and TCM that was made for that combo and warrantied by GM they used a Holley HP so they could bill him more money for the Holley, install time, dyno time, and tuning time rather than just using the GMPP ECU and TCM and having it bolt in and go.

On the note of “quality” work from various local hot rod shops (and here's some more tips for your build!) did you know if you leave a large enough hand bent coil of hard brake line between the frame and rear axle it will flex enough that you don’t need a rubber brake hose running between the frame and rear end? The coil of hardline flexes and works just fine! That’s really safe on a tubbed Impala with a blown 468 that you’re planning to drive in hot august nights traffic. Another car built by that same shop had the front suspension fail on the freeway during the very first 10 miles of driving putting it into the center divider, and yet another car from that shop died in the middle of highway 395 during hot august nights a couple years ago because of poor wiring that smoked while driving.

I’ve seen lots of scary stuff on other people’s cars over the last several years. I also wonder how some of these shop owners sleep at night after billing for some of the work I've seen them turn out, not to mention how they stay in business, have a 6 month backlog for more of their "quality" work, and keep getting more customers, LOL



Also, in honor of the new Barbie movie that just came out I took Jim the paint code for "Barbie Corvette Pink" for your car. He agreed it would look much cooler than some flavor of metallic rootbeer brown. He should start spraying next week... you're welcome.

[camcojb]

Also, in honor of the new Barbie movie that just came out I took Jim the paint code for "Barbie Corvette Pink" for your car. He agreed it would look much cooler than some flavor of metallic rootbeer brown. He should start spraying next week... you're welcome.

:lol:

[Ketzer]

I have learned though to immediately turn away anyone who constantly changes their mind or wants to cut corners, because when their cheap parts they provided or half assed fab ideas that they wanted me to build fails (even when I did it exactly how they wanted it over my objections) they always try to blame you for it. After a couple of those disasters, nowadays if they don’t want to do it the right way with the right parts the first time, I tell them take it somewhere else so they can blame them when it fails. I've got a pretty good feel now who might turn out to be a problem customer, and I politely refer them somewhere else. That's what's nice about doing it on the side, it's not like I have to keep taking customers in to keep the lights on. This just turns into extra fun money (unfortunately it also turns into less time to work on my car.)



This is exactly why I don't work on other peoples projects...

Jeff-

[camcojb]

This is exactly why I don't work on other peoples projects...

Jeff-
Yep, same for me. I help good friends but have never taken the next step to take on jobs for people I don't know, though there's been a lot of opportunities. 35 years of being self-employed in both retail and service has taught me a lot about customers... :lol:

[WSSix]

35 years of being self-employed in both retail and service has taught me a lot about customers... :lol:

The general population is out of their damn minds. It's a little scary when you consider you have to share the world with them.

Did you finally decide on a color, Jody? I'm guessing you'll keep it close to the vest if you have?

[Blown353]

This is exactly why I don't work on other peoples projects...

Jeff-

Yep. That's a good policy, and one I stuck to for many years until I found a few people who wanted it done correctly and aren't worried about schedule or pinching pennies. Those people in turn referred their friends with the same attitude.

I'm very, very picky about what I'll work on, and honestly it really boils down to the person rather than the car.

Cars are everywhere (and nearly all of them need work of some sort) but good customers who understand what it's going to cost to do it right and how much time it's going to take are rare IMO, especially when I'm only doing it in the evenings after work and on weekends. I'm not doing this 8-10 hours a day as a full time job so they have to be cool with the wait.

A good example of finding the right customer was a few years back when a friend's father in law came over with a laundry list of stuff he wanted done to a 69 Camaro he had recently purchased. It was basically turning a nice mostly stock resto into a more PT kind of car. I looked the list of wants and desired parts over and said probably about $100k for parts and labor and figure about 9 months to do it. He blew up and told me I was out of my damn mind (using some extra 4 letter words) and I said that's fine, go get some estimates from other shops. Cheapest estimate he got was $170k, and when he came back apologizing I said thanks but no thanks. After the blow up over the initial estimate I knew he's not the kind of person I'd want to work with; even though the money would have been good it would not have been worth the headaches. He never ended up doing anything to the car and sold it about a year later.

Given the choice between working on an absolute heap for a really cool owner who says "whatever it takes, I'm not in a rush", and working on a really nice high dollar car that's owned by someone who wants it yesterday and is already bitching about the price or wait time before I've even agreed to work on it, I'll take the heap with the cool owner every time.

Yep, same for me. I help good friends but have never taken the next step to take on jobs for people I don't know, though there's been a lot of opportunities. 35 years of being self-employed in both retail and service has taught me a lot about customers... :lol:

The customer is not always right, I know that. :lol:

I get enough phone calls I probably could quit my day job and start doing this stuff full time, but I do NOT want to do it full time... because sometimes you just need to tell someone no and walk away. If I was doing this for my day job there is eventually going to be a time I'd have to accept jobs I didn't want to do or take a job from a problem customer just to keep the income coming in-- and that's something I don't want to have to do. Being a side job I only take on what I want to work on, and I like it that way.

I do really need to get back to working on and finish my car, it's been off the road way too long. I have nearly everything needed to assemble it other than AN fittings/lines, ABS harness, new wiring harness, intercooler heat exchanger, clutch/flywheel, and I might change my mind on gauges (thinking rather than using the custom dash insert with Stack ST700 tach and gauges that I put together about 10 years ago, I might change to Dakota Digital HDX gauges plus a Holley 7" screen in a center console.) Might also sell my new in box Vintage Air Gen IV underdash box and upgrade to a Gen V box when they're available for the Chevelles.

Lots of mockup/fab/assembly to do though.

And no, still no plans for bodywork/paint. :lol:

[dhutton]

I started doing work for others when I retired from engineering 8 years ago at 58. It has been a positive experience. I have a handful of customers that I build for, some as many as 5 cars. I manage expectations and promise only nice driver quality, a promise less hopefully deliver more strategy. Have had a couple of cars win awards at Goodguys and another at LS Fest. Some are full builds, some are painted rollers with suspension installed. I’ve also learned to tell when a customer is going to be trouble and when to say no. I don’t take any money up front and I don’t try to make money on parts. I only work on one car at a time. These are two areas where I think guys get into trouble.

Don

[camcojb]

The general population is out of their damn minds. It's a little scary when you consider you have to share the world with them.

Did you finally decide on a color, Jody? I'm guessing you'll keep it close to the vest if you have?

I have not picked the actual shade yet, hoping some spray-outs from Jim will make the decision.

[fleet]

I have not picked the actual shade yet, hoping some spray-outs from Jim will make the decision.


It’ll be one of the biggest, most gut wrenching decisions since …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decision_(TV_program)

:eek:

:P


https://i.postimg.cc/kGXz0sFK/IMG-2414.jpg (https://postimg.cc/R6ygfcYZ)

[Ricochet]

I have not picked the actual shade yet, hoping some spray-outs from Jim will make the decision.

The struggle is real!! So glad I'm finally past that stage... 😉 Whatever you chose.. It will be stunning..

[clill]

WTF !!!!!!

[clill]

13 plus years. I'm gonna be dead before it's done......

[camcojb]

Well, unless I put it together as-is I'm stuck. Maybe I can borrow one of your painters??!!

[clill]

Jim ???

[camcojb]

Jim ???

Yeah Jim is the only one I can afford plus he does a very nice job. But he's had my car at his house for a year or more and I don't believe anything has been done at this point. Not blaming him, he's got a lot of stuff going on right now. But it's been 13 years since I had a running car so I'm anxious to get something going. Maybe I can talk myself into just putting it together as is. It would be fun to drive but I don't know if I could get over the looks lol.

[fleet]

Yeah Jim is the only one I can afford plus he does a very nice job. But he's had my car at his house for a year or more and I don't believe anything has been done at this point. Not blaming him, he's got a lot of stuff going on right now. But it's been 13 years since I had a running car so I'm anxious to get something going. Maybe I can talk myself into just putting it together as is. It would be fun to drive but I don't know if I could get over the looks lol.

Still better than livin’ in an upside down van…down by the river!

:wow:

https://i.postimg.cc/jSrVsZTY/IMG-6926.jpg (https://postimages.cc/)

https://i.postimg.cc/B6Ft1mjc/IMG_6925.jpg (https://postimg.cc/7GxqFMMf)

[thedugan]

Still better than livin’ in an upside down van…down by the river!

:wow:

https://i.postimg.cc/jSrVsZTY/IMG-6926.jpg (https://postimages.cc/)

https://i.postimg.cc/B6Ft1mjc/IMG_6925.jpg (https://postimg.cc/7GxqFMMf)

Because I had to know what the hell this thing was.

https://laughingsquid.com/gmc-van-that-is-driven-upside-down-and-backwards/

Incredible.

[clill]

I kinda remember you painting way back when........

[camcojb]

I kinda remember you painting way back when........

Absolutely, and I could do that (though it would be harder to do in my current space lol). But I'd never get the bodywork good enough for me, that's over my ability.

[Blown353]

Jim is only about 15 minutes away from me, I can go pick up your car. I have bondo and rattle cans standing by. Some of the rattle cans might even have brown left in them, and if not I have some brown latex and a roller that I used on the house last weekend. Depending on how fast you want it back on the road I might even mask it off first.



13 years isn't a long enough wait anyways. My car has been down since November of 2008... It's been disassembled for so long I actually had to look up when the engine got hurt, and now that I've typed out November of 2008 I honestly can't believe I've let it sit for this long. I should probably start working on it again, LOL

[dhutton]

Absolutely, and I could do that (though it would be harder to do in my current space lol). But I'd never get the bodywork good enough for me, that's over my ability.

Your problem is you have to keep up with the Lillards… :)

Don

[Ketzer]

Yeah Jim is the only one I can afford plus he does a very nice job. But he's had my car at his house for a year or more and I don't believe anything has been done at this point. Not blaming him, he's got a lot of stuff going on right now. But it's been 13 years since I had a running car so I'm anxious to get something going. Maybe I can talk myself into just putting it together as is. It would be fun to drive but I don't know if I could get over the looks lol.

My project has been painted since May of last year...was initially waiting for my wet-sand guy, then I became the wet-sand guy. Now I'm waiting on my buff guy and hoping I don't have to do that as well...


Jeff-

[camcojb]

Your problem is you have to keep up with the Lillards… :)

Don

I learned nearly 25 years ago that THAT is not happening lol. :lol:

[camcojb]

My project has been painted since May of last year...was initially waiting for my wet-sand guy, then I became the wet-sand guy. Now I'm waiting on my buff guy and hoping I don't have to do that as well...


Jeff-

But that's the fun part... :wacko:

[USAZR1]

Jim is only about 15 minutes away from me, I can go pick up your car. I have bondo and rattle cans standing by. Some of the rattle cans might even have brown left in them, and if not I have some brown latex and a roller that I used on the house last weekend. Depending on how fast you want it back on the road I might even mask it off first.



13 years isn't a long enough wait anyways. My car has been down since November of 2008... It's been disassembled for so long I actually had to look up when the engine got hurt, and now that I've typed out November of 2008 I honestly can't believe I've let it sit for this long. I should probably start working on it again, LOL

I can't believe your car has been down, that long. Seems only yesterday we were talking about its hurt small block, on Team Chevelle. Course, I haven't been on that site for many years.

Car is looking great, Jody.

[camcojb]

Thanks Don. :thumbsup:

[Blown353]

I can't believe your car has been down, that long. Seems only yesterday we were talking about its hurt small block, on Team Chevelle. Course, I haven't been on that site for many years.

Car is looking great, Jody.

Crazy how time flies. I kept spending too much time working on other people's cars and pushing mine to the back of the shop because I'm too irritated and burned out after messing with other people's cars to work on mine, and spent time with other hobbies instead. Little did I know I've been neglecting it since 2008. Doesn't feel like that long ago it was still running and driving...

The 2 hurt pistons are still hanging over the bench in the garage, I see them every day.

I'd offer to give Jody a hand, but he's a bit further away than a 1/2 hour drive now after the move. His car on the other hand I can get on a trailer and get it back to the shop in less than an hour...

[camcojb]

Spoke to Jim this a.m. and looks like we're on track for knocking the dents out this summer. :king: