Projects My 32 5 window build thread..now chopped.

wholy crap man! sorry to hear about your father! but glad he is doing better.

 

WOW... that is looking GREAT, Tony!! Nice work!!




Malcolm

 

Thanks Mat. It wasn't something i really felt like discussing here which is why i was vague about it. Just not a great topic for me with everything that's gone on with our family the past couple years.
Trying to keep upbeat for him, and the rest of us.
Enough of that subject.
Tonight i go get the rear end and mock up wheels..maybe set ride height. All depends on time.

ChevyShortFleet and Malcolm, thank you both!

Off to work.

Tony

 

You are doing a fantastic job - the car is just right and I'm enjoying following along. I'm interested in how you did the louvers. Is there any chance you have a bit more detail and pics of the process?

 

Thank you.
Well, i think i have another pic or two of how i did it. I'll try and explain but i'm not the best at doing that so.....

I laid out the placement of the louvers on the back side of the skin. When it was all done, it looked like a grid basically, with each louver having a center line.
Once fully marked, i then cut a slot for each louver with a thin cut off wheel, following along my "grid" and to exactly 3".

Once they were cut, i then laid the skin over the female die. I made a stand so it was waist high for me.
Another thing i did to keep them all starting from the same place was to make a 3" wide 16ga guide that slid into the slot in the lid i cut, and also into the female die. Once it was slid in, i just gave a slight pull to bring the lid flush against the guide, and also against the lower die.
Then, i squared up the male die using a center line i marked on it, to the center line of the louver. Then swung a big hammer and smashed a louver into it.
Here's the other pics. One i took with the test panel to show the guide. There's no center line on the louvers on that one cause i was just messing around to see if it was going to work.

They are kinda crude, and not perfect like a machine would do....but, i doubt many back in the day were perfect anyway and these cost me nothing to do.. i can't complain

Thats how i perforated an original 32 deck lid..haha

Hope that kinda made sense..

Tony

 

very nice work, I think I might have to make one of those louver press/punch. very cool

 

Thank you for taking the time to explain your method. I'm gonna have to give that a try. I went back to the post about the dies, and copied some pictures. I certainly don't have your talent, but I've got a buddy who's a fabricator and I think he can help me make them. Again, thank you and keep the posts coming!

 

Love those 5w 32's. This one's gonna be a good'un.

 

You're welcome!..
I can't take any credit for the idea, thunderbirdesq passed along how he did the lid on his old A roadster when i asked about it a while back. Pretty slick idea and one i never gave a thought. Glad i asked.
As for my talent, well, thank you very much! but, i'm no expert on anything and i learn something new, or different all the time..i just don't have any money to pay anyone so i gotta learn to do this crap myself.
You will have NO problem whipping up a set of these things!

So tonight i borrowed my buddy's wheels for mock up, and he came over to help me drop the body back on to set right height..
Of course we had to set the wheels up and see how it looked.
It's not where it's going to be, but it's close..
The pics are dark, but i still giggled like a school girl when i stood and looked at it..
11 years of doing absolutely nothing with it but moving it around, and about 4 months working on it...... its starting to look like something..i love this thing!

Thanks guys.

Tony

 

Yeah Tony!!! That's gonna look great!! 11 years? Shit I was 19 when you got that car hahaha!!!!

The dash may be my new favorite part. Very very cool.

 

Hahaha...i was only 26! don't try making me feel old dammit!
Funny thing about the dash, when i first got it i didn't like it. Too many holes.
Now, i feel different..It's staying just like it is.
The original insert was hammer welded up, and the holes were done very nicely. There is even small notches at the bottom of each hole for what must have been to fit whatever gauges were in it.
It need no body work which is also nice!
Thanks man.
Tony

 

x2 on the dash, it's cool and it's also from the past, which is important to my tastes...love those mock up tires and chrome wheels, too.

 

Looks great

 

Thanks guys..


Got ride height set, made "legs" to hold it there, pulled the body and started on the front end.
Had a buddy stop by today to give me a hand getting it all set up.
As of right now, the front end is all tacked in place. Still have a lot of misc thing's to do like shocks, steering, pan hard bar etc..but, it's only a few hours shy of rolling up front.
Started mocking up the rear tonight too. Should have that all tacked together by tomorrow night..
Then the cover all the small stuff both front and rear, weld it all up and it'll ROLL!

Tony

 

This is turning out soooo well. That deck lid is the shit! I will definitely be making a set up to punch louvers in something!

 

DAMN T, you are freakin haulin ass on this thing!! I'm lovin this thread and I can't wait to see some all out meltdown burnout pics when she's done! Keep it going man. Nice Nice Nice work.

 

Thanks! DO IT! I have to admit, doing the louvers in the garage had to be one of the best thing's on this so far. It was just fun..can't explain it any better than that.

Thanks Geoff!
Funny thing man, i've been getting frustrated cause i feel i'm not getting enough done.
As for the burn out..well..
I'm going to start looking for another transmission the day this hits the road...That T5 is NOT going to last behind the motor i'm going to build..the rest of the parts, no problem.....so it's safe to say i plan to "light em up" a few times to celebrate FINALLY getting this pile of parts/shit back on the road! hahaha

Tony

 

Damn, that's looking fine!! Killer job!

 

Thanks!

Well i didn't get as far as i hoped today. I made all the mounting plates for the suspension probably 5 years ago off of templates we have, and they were for a non Z'd frame.
Until this past year i planned to put my frame back to stock, obviously i didn't, so now the rear spring bracket i made for the rear end won't work.
Made a new template earlier and just have to carve it out of 3/8ths stock..
Then i can hook the spring to the rear end.

The rear end is set though, and the bones are now all tacked in place. Still need to make the upper tubes for the bones yet..basically they will be ladder bars when i'm done.
Got a busy week ahead but i'm hoping to get everything done and tacked in before the weekend. time will tell.


Tony

 

kickass!

 

Your dog seems to be keeping an eye on your buddy's white wall chromies...


On a serious note...are those later rear bones going to hold up with a blower motor?

 

Yeah she's a good guard dog. lol

And they will when i'm done with em..not so much now although they'd probably be ok seeing i doubt it's going to hook very well..

Tony

 

This is kinda fun!

 

The rear suspension is finished aside from final welding.
Set the body back on to get the steering lined up, also bolted my buddy's wheels on it..
NO reason aside from it's the first time i actually bolted a wheel to this damn thing!

Modified the F1 shocks mounts in typical hot rod style, and started mocking up the steering.
I'm using an F100 box, and decided to make a wedge for it rather than cutting/welding a new flange..or buying a wedge...the thing's are around 60.00 and that's better spent elsewhere on this.
Biggest hangup i have is lack of equipment, so this was done kinda by hand..
well, sawzall.
Worked like a charm though. Once i redrill the mounting holes i can make the drag link and tie rod.
Then on to motor and trans mount...
Pull it all apart and final weld it all.


Tony

 

Wait... you cut a steering box shim with a sawzall?!! Hahahaha You ARE a ninja aren't you! Wow, looks awesome Tony.

 

No ninja, just moron. hahahaha
I did...and don't think i'd do it again.

 

ninja...

 

Great build subscribed

 

Thanks.

So, the F100 box is bolted in, and time to start motor/trans mounts.
Body back off, again....i must have had it on and off about 10 times now if not more.
I have to lower it about 2.5, and move it back about 3" from where it is in the pics.
Must make it fit under the hood, and clear the front crossmember!

Tony

 

This car is going to be one heck of a runner with that blower hiding under the hood.