Awesome build! I imagine the sponsor-supplied items are a good encouragement to keep working on it. I'm thrilled to see all the chrome that HASN'T been shaved off. Especially the hood ornament, it seems they are usually the first to go.
It's amazing what you've done with that car! Great job and you are one hell of a super fabricator/bodyman!
my 2 cents, take those bullet shaped mirrors and try to find a way to mount them as close to the body as possible . chop off those stands. this car has killer style and those peep mirrors cant pull it off in my opinion. keep that torch lit, and those sparks flyin.
That's what I'm thinking too. I think the stands are making them stick off the body too much and making them look like late model mirrors in a way. I'm going to buy some reproduction mirrors and I'll cut those up instead of hacking up a real Raydyot.
Whatever mirror goes on the car needs to tuck real tight into the corner of the front window. Like so tight it's a pain to clean around. What's in my head has a super short stand and part of the mirror housing is flattened or has a reverse curve to fit tighter to the body. If the back's not flat like the clamp on then the back of the mirror should approximate the windshield angle, I think that makes the second set look more out of place than the long stand. Super awesome car, good luck
Worked on the steering column drop today, trying to get the wheel a little straighter to the driver. It's the little things like this that are making this build take forever. I pulled the brake pedal assembly while I had things apart and decided to drill the arm and make a new pedal. I also cleaned up the rough factory edges and bevelled the sides. I might chrome it now that I have this much work into it.
To my knowledge there aren't any good chrome shops in AZ. I heard about a good shop in Long Beach that WCC and Foose use, he's reasonably priced too. We also have a member here, ChromePlaterJosh who has a shop. I am talking with him right now about doing my car.
Finished up the brake pedal and plan to install it and get the column bolted back up tomorrow. I made a dimple die for the stainless insert from .75" ID x 1.25" OD tube and put a 40* bevel on it on the lathe, then pressed in a .75" piece of tube to line the two dies up. Put the whole mess in a vice and presto - dimples. The stainless came from an old coffee maker that I found out back behind my friend's shop. Here's the ugly stock GM brake pedal I started with. I moved the brake switch up and cut off the excess. Next I bent up some .120" x .5" flat stock for the perimeter of the pedal, this will surround the stainless insert and stiffen up the pedal. Broke two #6 taps in the process...annoying. I'm happy with the final product though, just have to decide whether to chrome or powdercoat the arm/surround. The stainless is staying brushed like it is.
Man that looks killer...but that's not really a surprise based on everything else you have done to it...I really dig this car
Thanks. I'm having fun making all these parts, its like a bunch of small projects and it's something different every time.
I enjoy your craftmanship no end , but I think shiny pedals distract your eye from the beauty of a dashboard .... Thanks for the updates
Worked on the gas pedal this week. Here's the stock plastic GM gas pedal that was folding in half. I made a frame just like the brake pedal and built an adjustable return spring into the back so it would have the same function as stock. It pivots on plastic bushings and I got a retaining washer to hold it onto the shaft.
Also started working on retrofitting the Autometer gauges into the stock Kaiser pod. I chose the Ultra-Lite series because the brushed face matches the original gauges. I'm going to pull a plaster mold off the original lens and vacuum-form a new one without the numbers and letters. I had to cut the retaining cups to offset the depth of the gauges. Trimmed the back of the pod to position the gauges so they show through the lens. To be continued.
I love your car, always have. I'm not a fan of the gauges though. Autometer just came out with there American Muscle series, and I think they match the stock stuff even better. They should be able to hook you up, especially since they are new and I would imagine they want to promote them. Love your work dude, just a friendly suggestion.
I appreciate the suggestion Menace. I think those gauges weren't available when I ordered these. I might see if they can swap them out without too much hassle. EDIT - And I know these don't look traditional, it's starting to get to me too.
I'd like to hear some opinions on the gauges. Thinking strongly about sending these back and swapping for the American Muscle series. Funny thing is that's the gauge my contact at AutoMeter suggested in the first place. My hesitation is the way the smaller gauges will be framed by the chrome overlay. They have a kidney shape and the overlay is a different shape. The speedo would look much better I think.
Regarding the gauges......below.....I think you're makin' a big mistake The sweep's the same, and the Kaiser numbers just have a "look"..... Wash all the numbers off the Autometer gauge face--job done(ya might leave the Autometer logo though, since they're donating) You can still redo the oil/volt/temp part of the plastic and add appropriate markings. If that isn't an option, I vote 'swap for American Muscle series' Just my two pennys....I have no qualifications that allow me to comment, other than being a former owner of a 52 Kaiser 2dr. And thanks for sharing--this is one of the most amazing builds I've ever witnessed. Enough to make me sad I sold mine Carry on!
Gotta agree this is the ideal solution. The character of those faces make that assembly. Also, its amazing the level of talent on this site. Keep up the good work!
My thougts exactly. First thing i noticed was how they were indexed perfectly. Shows versitility with the autometer gauges. leave the "Autometer" on the speedo. That would gain alot more attention and questions than the stock Autometer gauges ever would. Great build, love the pedals.
This is the way to go or maybe see if Autometer could do a faceplate with nothing but their logo on it. Neither of the Autometer gauges are as cool as the stock would be.
I asked my guy at Autometer and he says there is no way to get a blank gauge face due to their manufacturing process. I agree, just having a spun aluminum face with Autometer on it would kick ass. He did refer me to a guy that does custom faces so I'm going to talk with him. Thanks for the opinions guys, you confirmed what my gut was telling me.
I talked to Shannon at Redline Gaugeworks this morning and he told me that on this particular model you can sometimes use acetone to remove the screenprinting. Only way to find out is to try it. Photoshopped without numbers:
The Jalopy Journal
