I've had so many people ask how the 30 coup is coming and I finally decided to do an update after learning to resize my pictures with our new camera that we have had for over a year. I had a pretty good mockup going last spring break and decided it was time to take it apart and finish all the final welds on the frame and start painting some stuff up. Here is the last picture I took before the teardown. I thought it may be the last time I saw it together for awhile.
Started cleaning and finishing everthing up. Rearend got new bearings and fresh brakes. Cleaned and painted Front end got new kingpins and Wilson Welding brakes from Bob Wilson and paint.
The motor is just a motor I picked up from some kid while I was driving down the street. I had a Chevy 283 I bought that need rebuilding but this other motor fell in my lap. I ended up with a Buick 430. Kid pulled out of his grandma's car to put in his truck and ended up letting it sit in his moms drive to long and got in trouble.He had sold the trans but had bought a bell housing for it to run a manual transmission. Perfect for me cause I had to have 3 pedals anyway. Gave him a $100 and brought it home. Me and Flt Blk finally fired it about a year after that and it ran so good that I decided to run it till it breaks before rebuilding. It supposedly only had about 80,000 original miles and I figured Grandma miles at that. It will get a rebuild in the future with all the extra goodies. I had planned on paiting it with rattle can but after spending about 3 days clening it up I decided to go ahead and put some good paint on it.
This past couple of months I finally started getting a few things finished on it and went and had my driveshaft cut, made plates to mount my shifter Flt Blk gave me and decided to make sure I had an emergency brake before I ever drove it. Started making a dash and getting the pedal assembly all braced up, made a place for the battery under the dash and got my seat all sqared away.
All brake lines had already been plumb and I finally attatched them to the MC this week. I knew it was getting close to see if it could move under its own power. I had my doubts that it would go smooth since I had never even put a clutch ,shifter, or half the crap it takes to build one of these. I had alot of VW years in the past and all this was new to me. I got my rear tires about a month ago but still need to get the fronts.
I got up today with the plan of backing it down the driveway a couple of times to see if it all worked. I moved my gas can off the floor and inside and the battery also, and draped my temp wiring job so the headers did'nt burn them into. The plan was, After testing it down the drive a few times, I was gonna pull it back in, start disconecting everthing and pull the body back off so I could paint the firewall. I figure after that, I can really start bolting everthing down. I was hoping that it would be the last time the body comes off for along time. After backing out the first time and pulling back in and it actually stopped, I said to myself,that was fun and needed to do it again. As I backed up I noticed I left a little rubber in the driveway that was'nt planned. Wow, this 430 has a little pep and the slicks are just that, SLICK. So I had to really light em up the 2nd time. I had plans to stick to the plan of pulling it back apart today but called Flt Blk to give him the report. He decided to come buy to see it in action and grade me on my car building. Well lets just say the car never got taken apart today but we had alot of fun.
I'll end this update here and post a few pics of the car as it sits. Maybe I'll take it apart tomorrow if I can quit backing down the driveway in it. My son is pumped and thinks I'm gonna let him have it when he gets his license. Yeah Right! This is dads ride.he went to the Day of the Drags for his first time this year and really liked it. I think that hooked him. This June, I will have had this car 6 years and its been a slow build and its not over. With any luck I may finally make it to the Roundup this year with it.If not, next years day of the Drags for sure. I sold my 67 wagon last Nov. and its been tough going to all the shows in a Maxima. I see a new screen name in my near future.
Very cool, now get busy and finish it. BTW, how did you keep the dog from chewing on the tires? And what about the "pool" tech you were gonna share? Glad you and your fellow Aqua-naught got to have some fun with it. Figures the fun involved burnt rubber. Long live the GD 430! So will your new screen name be GD430?
Phil, it's been a long time coming. Looks good. I think you will like the 430 much better than the 283. I like the looks of the split bones. Keep working. It pays off. Sorry I run out on ya'll at the seminar. I had a slight emergency. I enjoyed hanging out with you guys. TP
That God Damn 430 is a torque monster. It was fun doing burnouts in the driveway. Look at Bob the dog in the first pictures and the last pictures, he has doubled in size.
That's awesome. I'm glad to see that it's that far along. One of these days before too long, the GD430 will terrorize drag strips across the land.
Tp, That was not mydream setup. I bought the front end cheap from a guy that took it off a a old 32 four door hot rod. I had planned on putting the spring on top that I had at home but it was way too short. I decided to just run it with spring in front. I scooted the crossmember forward so it would'nt have a short wheelbase and I used a flat crossmember to set it a little lower. I did notice alot of cars in the little books would split the bones like that. They keep the stock angle going back and bend them right before the frame. I thought it looked a little odd at first but I made a plate to put there and put some holes in it and have learned to like it. Plus I'm too cheap to get another one.
Merc,Funny you ask that. The dog does'nt bite tires, he likes to bite the end of the exhaust and he did get run over on one pass. I left front skid marks in the dive so i know the fronts are working. Buzzard, not sure about terrorizing dragsstrips,I'll be happy to make a Sonic cruise and home without a breakdown.
If it's only got 80,000 on it I wouldn't plan on it flying apart any time soon, unless you're just absolutely thrashing the ever-livin' shit out it. Like most of the old Buick engines, they're fairly stout. I like the color you went with on the motor. Very nice choice. And at 360hp and 475 ft lbs of torque, yeah, it's gonna have a little "pep".
The color is actually the factory 67 color off my old wagon.Its called Aquamarine poly. I had them add a little more metalic to it for the coup.
PnP brotha! It would make it near the grounds on a trailer, close enough for you to drive it in. Don't tear it apart until next week!!! Great job Phil! ...and you gotta go with GD430... Perfect. Make a vintage license plate with that on it, too!
Evel I think when its done you'll say its more toward a 60's show. Need to make some crazy grill insert but I can't get that Martha Stewart paint Flt blk sprayed on the grill off. It may be the best paint out there. Car will be Aqua also.Hopefully the whole car will be fairly nice. To chop or not? I still can't decide. I gotta drive it awhile and see how the head clearance is. Boom Boom, this is the first year we did'nt take the dog Trick or treating with us. We usually put a big ring around his eye and he goes as Petey from the Little Rascals
I had wondered what you'd been up to...can't recollect having seen you post in a while, but then you drop outta the sky and show us somethin' like THIS!! Ha Ha...I love it!! Coolest looking motor I've seen in quite a while!! Congrats!!!
BITCHIN!!! Remember to smooth it out 'til it's cherry, work with it 'til it's bitchin, then it's kool. I'm anxious to see the finished product. Keep on keepin on. Reverend Jake
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