Ok this is my first thread so here we go. this was a car brought to me and dad a year ago the car is actually all done but i thought you might enjoy seeing what we've been working on.
Well thats what we thought too . the closer you got the ugly just got worse. The front end was just a mess the drivers side control arm was slammed down on the bump stop. and the spring was totally collapsed. it has a nova front stub under it so i did a complete front end over haul. in the one pic you can see the wiring RAT'S nest it was f'n wired HOT!!!! a fire waiting to happen. so we ripped it all out and rewired it (sorry no pics cant find em) more pics to come.
In this pic the embelems were removed,headlights frenched as well as the turn signal's. then some body work and primer.
Ok this is the new GM. fast burn 385 crate engine! I know I know to new but it's what the customer wanted! i think i was able to figure out the resizing issue
Getting things ready to pull the engine out. at this point you can see the firewall is in bad shape and things are pretty nasty in there. the customer kept changing his mind on things so we were going back and forth doing things out of order. anyways here it is.
Here is a few pics of the old's motor when it came out. The following pic is of the nasty engine bay note the firewall was real bad shape so it will be fixed later on after the mock up. the next two pics are of the gigantic motor mount plates the the original owner installed into this thing to fit the old's engine (placement of the mounts compared to chevy)you can also see a faint yellow line where i will cut the plate that was not needed. the last pic is of the new engine in place.
This was a cut out in the inner fender! the old owner hacked this thing to pieces! anyways i t need's some TLC. the new motor has a serpantine belt system on it so it needed some much needed room for the A/C pump
This next pic is of the cut out and the filler to take its place. Pic 2 the panels all tacked in place. Pic 3 lower piece in place ready to weld. Pic 4 shows the motor in place and the needed clearance for the pump. Pic 5 shows that the system was so wide it really needed the space. Pic 6 here is the final all smoothed out.
This was the mock up radiator i made from the actual rad. it has the inlet/outlets on as well,this will keep from messing up the new radiator The next photo is of the upper inlet and it was cutout for the hose. and will be filled in. the next pic is the sleeve all welded in And finally the front view of the upper hose neck, it will have enough room for the hose and clamp.
This is just a quick look at the upper radiator and inner fender mount/brace. it serves two functions one keeps the inner fenders pinned together since i removed the original core support to be able to put the new radiator in. two it serves as a mount for the radiator and the a/c condenser
Here are a few pics of the booster combo the firewall was tore up and was replaced. Pic 2 shows the template for the booster to sink into the firewall. Pic 3 shows where i will cut it out to give the booster a "flush" look. Pic 4 is the piece cut and sunk will make fillers later. Pic 5 shows the booster mounted it looks much cleaner note: the slot for the harness. pic 6 firewall all welded in the slot all smooth. and the final pic is an idea for the firewall to dress it up a bit.
pic 1 is the idea for the firewall will be made from aluminum panels and "turned" pic 2 is the first look at the panels drilled and tapped to secure them pic 3 is my first crack at "engine turning" pic 4 i ended up making (thanks to dad and his cad program) a graph for keeping things straight. pic 5 Panels all mounted as you can see the middle line didn't match so i will re due it later
OK changing gears a bit wanted to show some pics of the dash. Pic 1 the stock dash with the new tack and speedo Pic 2 cut out where the old gauge cluster was it had been hacked up bad!!! Pic 3 the new panel welded in place for the other gauges Pic 4 glove box will be welded up as well Pic 5 in this pic the dash has been painted, gauges, installed and the mock up of the lower switch panel it will house the a/c vents as well. Pic 6 the lower panel gets the "turning treatment" Pic 7 final product
Ok i've been lacking on getting pics up so here we go!!! 1. due to the tight fit of radiator i will make my own upper hose. 2. making of the upper hose 3. Found Rot in the p***enger rocker and pillers 4. better shot of the Rot 5. piece all cut out for repair 6. patch fitting 7. Running board fitment
1. After i repaired the running board and the rot it was time to fit it to the car. 2. Found more ROT!!! 3. Had to cut out the front side to make new piece to mount fender. 4. shot of mock up piece 5. mocking up fitment 6. first shot of running board welding it in to smooth out lower portion of car. 7. All welded in and Rot all gone.
You want that thing chopped? This build is like lookin in the mirror almost. Ours has a smooth firewall, and the same style motor goin under the hood. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=568646&highlight=choptvan lookin good.
That's awesome! actually the car is all done now and I'm finally getting to post the pics!!! as for the chop idea yeah these car's are kinda like a "Bobble Head" very top heavy the customer didn't want it chopped at the time but he changes his mind alot so you never know he might bring her back and want it done later.... Mark
1. Found more Rot on drivers side 2. All fixed and welded in 3. drivers side rot removed and will make patch to fill in.. 4. First fitment of the door 5. All repairs done and another fit of the door.. used a paint stick for gap 6. Another angle 7. Shot of the Radiator cover i used round bar for the tight radius!
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