Projects Rear Notch for MIDNIGHT MASS // PHOTOS from SATAN'S CHAUFFEURS

At it again. If you havent been watching we got a thrash on a couple different rides to get rolling for MIDNIGHT MASS

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=368179

1923 Dodge Roadster

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=372156

1955 Chevrolet Truck.


Project number 3 is Bennies 1955 Dodge Lancer. Bennie has the front of this Dodge on air ride and it lays out nicely.







The Dodge has a few custom touches which include the frenched headlights, Pontiac wagon taillights, shaved, Camaro clip with SBC and disc brakes, and front air ride.

The back was lowered with a block on leaves. It worked for the budget and time frame when Bennie first built it but that was then and this is now.



This shot is from washing it at my place before the RZ BBQ a few weeks back.



The car was low but would bottom out on road dips and bumps. Anyone in the back seat had a hard ride and it was worse with anything in the trunk. That part was ok though, throw it all in the trunk of my '49 and she got low.

 

These photos came from Bennie.

First things first,....the car was put up on jacks and made ready to get cutting. The notch was gonna require the trunk floors to come out. Thats Led in the trunk.




Here goes the trunk floor, one piece at a time.




Little more cutting and the rest was out. Thats a Mustang tank for those who were wondering.








This work has been brought to you by the letters P, B, and R.

 

These templates were made from a similar kit. Bennie traced them over a while back and they look like they should work ok for the Dodge.





Not as pretty as Vanna but the B.M.F. can build some cool stuff.

Tonight (06/30) Bennie and Led loaded up a sheet of 3/16ths steel and headed over to Levi's house to so some plasma cutting.

This is REALTIME hotrodding....they are out there right now sending me these pics and I am getting them up as fast as I can.


This is the Evil1 of HAMB Durant fame.


This is his DURANT build for those who havent seen it.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109145


Evil Levi fired up the plasma and set to cutting some notches.


For those of you who were wondering....we have strict safety guidelines when we work on our stuff. Levi was wearing 75spf on that shiny spot before doing any work.

Ha. Just kidding bud.



Couple of minutes work (thats all it took between texts) and that bad boy was made.

 

Our more observant viewers may have noticed a few celebrites on this build.






Ha.

 

Hey Dru is Bennie going to have that Dodge at the Sonic this Friday... I don't want to have the only non chevy there.....
Once again you guys are rockin'.. I wonder if I have half your energy because I have twice your age??? or am I just fat and lazy...

 

ha thats funny Dru i think i found another match lol... you and Vince

 

Vince does have the "good hair" like Andy. Zing,....you got me.

 

Sweet! you guys got a lot going on..

 

Schweet! I'm glad Levi Plazzed out the notches cutting those with the cutoff wheel in an angle grinder would have SUCKED lol...I knew Bennie said he was going to start working on this when I ran into him at the gas station the other day but damn...he's on it! Cool deal, you know where I am if you need a hand Bennie, and this time we'll even brace the notches lol...

 

Yeah we made sure to brace it all up before we cut out the crossmember. Its coming along pretty good. I'm going to run the bags over the axle and use a fourlink set-up I got from a buddy of mine.

 

Man, you guys are gluttons for punishment, three builds in a short time. The way I see you guys work together though, I have no doubt you'll finish them all before Mass.

Dru, sending you a PM

 

Hey whats wrong with a cut off wheel and a grinder? I guess you work with whats you got right...Nice work.

 

Nothing wrong at all with the cutoff in a grinder, but when you have a plaz avalible well....you know which one any of us would reach for!

 

RustyGem Probably not this friday...its gonna be crunch time if we are gonna make the show with any of these projects. I think at this point part of the excitement of Midnight Mass is gonna be not having to work on cars for a day or two. Hell we might even get more than 4 or 5 hours of sleep one of these days.

As far as the plasma cutter/angle grinder debate goes I think you both should man up and use the torch. Ha.


I'm coming up on 3 days off so hopefully we can get some more completed on some of these cars. Headed to Leds tonight for a few more hours on the Dodge.

 

Nah if you were really a man Dru you'd used a hammer and a chissel to cut your steel lol...

 

Notches in. Need some plating/boxing. Pics up tomorrow, too late to party tonight.

 

Shoulda just been a biter and used your teeth like Chuck Norris would.-Weeks

 

Yeah I was gonna say that Weeks46 but come one now that's just absurd lol...Have to find the Chuck Norris facts website for you Weeks I'll shoot you the link when I do you'll love it! Way to go Bennie, let me know if you need a hand bud. I can show up and get in the way and stuff.

 

This build is definitely approved by uh um well.....

And just in case anyone forgets.........

 

So I forgot to ask but I'd assume your going to used the 4-link that's on the other rearend in your garage Bennie? Are you using the entire rear or just the 4-bar? By the way Weeks the website I was talking about is called (oddly enough) chucknorrisfacts.com

 

Yeah we are using the fourlink but not that rear end. Just going to fab up some new brackets and weld them to the rear end thats already under the car.

 

UPDATE: Alright guys here it is as of 07/05/2009. These photos are over the last few days. I havent had a chance to get them uploaded till today so here we go.

Casey was nice enough to let Bennie take over the garage for this surgery.



Here is the notch as we last visited it...tacked into place.




Heres Bennie and Casey hitting it good from the outside.




As you can see in some of the pictures Bennie used the template for the sides of the notches but didnt have the top plate yet. He grabbed a bar of 3/16ths and we headed out to our buddies house with a nice heavy duty steel press.


Andy is retired now but has a nice metal shop in the next town over so we hit him up early on the 4th to do a little bending. He is one of the true craftsmen with steel. After eyeballing it and making a couple of quick measurements he started up the machine and got to bending.



BALLS ON DEAD ACCURATE! He pulled the first one out, laid it on the template and he nailed it. First time.




Heres number two coming out of the machine and all it needed was a little tug to close it up a hair and we were in business. Total time on the machine....eh....maybe ten minutes. We spent close to an hour just bench racing. Andys got a 30 A he is getting ready to build.


Bennie and Casey got to work today while I slaved away at a real job. This is the photo Bennie shot me in a text message a few hours ago. Looks like that bad MOFO is in and welded.



Bennie said they gotta make a few cross members and they are ready to start 4 linkin'. Looks like some of the links will actually fall right into the factory leaf spring brackets so all the gotta do is make a couple tabs.

Not too bad for a little bit of steel laying around. Those top plates cost a 6 pack of Pepsi and an hour or two of bullshittin' bout projects past and future.

Stay tuned. Gonna put a few more hours in this week and maybe this thing will on its tires by FRIDAY.

 

you guys rule,,,,love seeing your progress,,,this is what its all about,,,

 

Looks good Bennie.

 

hey jesse - PM sent. bennie is headed over tomorrow evening.

 

Wow guys that notch is turning out really nice. Dru that was super cool of Andy to bend up the plates for you two. Did he make the lowers as well while you were there? Bennie let me know when and if you need help with the fuel line and break lines if you have to redo them. Later, Rog

 

Andy is a cool guy, we could've sat and talked for days with that guy. He's got some cool stories.

Rog I'll let you know when I'm ready to run those lines, shouldn't be to much longer.

Jesse come by Leds house if you get a chance. Just give me a call and I'll give you the directions.

And I got to thank Dru for postin this stuff up.

 

I've never been over to Andy's shop but DAMN, just from the pictures it looks like he is set up to do just about anything! I'd love to have that ironworker.

 

The Spez has about 2000SF set up as a metal shop and a "barn" that was nicer than my first apartment thats about 1800 - 2000SF (x2 its 2 story). I used to "work" for him when he was doing production wroght iron fencing and other steel fab stuff. We'd work on fences all day, pull the Chevelles in at night and wrench on those, and then go get some Taco Bell.

 

Back to work....Bennie and Casey hit it while I made a parts run to get my new grill.



Heres the frame, cut out and ready to sit in the weeds.





Heres the passenger side before it was boxed. a few sticks of 1x1 acted as crossmember.



Here it is, boxed.plated and ready for some 4 bar set up. More to follow soon.



We have also been trying to get our shit together and get some t shirts printed....this is what i have so far....rough sketch,...about 5 minutes.