model a build blog

Brake pedal, paint, floor, steering...

2012-01-24T09:37:00.005-05:00

It is nearing the point of areas converging which means little things are getting wrapped into each other. This weekend I mounted the new brake assembly, painted the frame, welded in the drivers floor and most of the tunnel.

The steering column is just mocked up at the moment but it will have to get assembled in the next few days, I will post that build when it comes time.

Holy visor plasma man!

2012-01-24T09:27:00.003-05:00

The visor has been bugging me, more so since some of the paint work has been done. I set out to reshape the visor and drop a few holes in it. I still need to relocate the upper bar that appears in the middle of the holes which I will do this week.

Sometimes the best way forward, is backwards.

2012-01-20T08:51:00.004-05:00

Or so it may seem. I was not 100% satisfied with the brake setup, and when I started working on the steering column layout I became even more concerned. The cramped pedal/floor situation became obviously worse and even during mockup I knew it would be uncomfortable to drive at best. So it's time to get designing and re-working a few things.

The sketch below is of the new brake pedal arm, which will be firewall mounted with a reverse master cylinder (under the dash) instead of under the floor. This solves countless problems and gives me a nice clean floor. After I got the pedal swingarm designed and the rough blank cut I got to patching the drivers side floor - I knew there was a reason I didn't weld it all down before....

Getting some final ideas figured out.

2012-01-19T12:17:00.003-05:00

So I think I have finally come to the point where I have to figure out what the car needs to look like. The floor is almost complete but I cannot finish until I get the pedals and steering column sorted out. I have the parts to build the column arriving today and then I can move on that. Once the column and pedals are sorted I will be moving on to the front end to figure out shocks and lights then it gets disassembled a bit so I can paint the frame to match the cowl.

I am happy with the color now and have taken a bit of time to see how it would look - this is not a photoshop I actually painted a bit so I can actually see the goal while I am working my way there. The pics are a bit dark but you should be able to get the general idea.

Onto the passenger side...

2012-01-17T11:59:00.004-05:00

With the drivers side pretty much complete it's time to move on to the passenger floor. The first few pics are of the completed drivers side then it moves onto the current project of the passenger side. There is still quite a bit more to do so I didn't get it all done this weekend as I planned but I am happy with out the outcome so far.

More floor & transmission tunnel

2012-01-17T10:18:00.006-05:00

I started on the drivers side of the floor this past Friday night. I started with a cardboard template of the floor, transferred that over to steel then plasma cut out the shape(s) I needed.

Trans tunnel & front floor

2012-01-13T09:07:00.003-05:00

I spent a few hours creating the firewall recess and trans tunnel yesterday. The shapes were plasma cut then bead rolled. This will allow me to keep moving on the forward area, the passenger side floor will be welded down and the drivers side foot and shift area will be a removable panel.

I am planning on finishing up the front floor area this weekend then moving on to the rear.

Quick photoshop

2012-01-13T09:04:00.003-05:00

This is a photoshop of the 'A done by bobj49f2 on the HAMB that is close to what the final design is going to be like.

Rebuilding the door locks

2012-01-11T08:28:00.003-05:00

I did a complete step by step which I posted on the HAMB as well to help out someone else http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifdoing the same process.

Rebuilding

I started with removing the springs (most were broken) and sandblasting the latches

Then I disassembled the latches and painted them, nothing too difficult here, the pin holding the catch needs to be driven out with a punch. The lever needs to be freed from the assembly, which I did by bending the outer tab a bit.

First the big spring gets put on the lever like so

Then placed in the latch assembly

I then used a small bench vise and a socket to press it back together.

The door lock spring goes in like so

Now it's time for the latch spring and drive rivet

I used the same small vise to flatten out the bottom of the drive rivet.

And here is the completed assembly ready to be installed. The spring tab sticks out for a reason, and the assembly may feel weak or loose - this is resolved shortly.

Oil or grease the springs and any moving parts to allow for easy movement and eliminate squeaks & rattles.

INSTALLATION

This is the latch ready to be installed, note the spring tab sticking out.

Push the spring tab in the door with a big screwdriver (or whatever)

Everything should push in now, then just put your screws in and enjoy your new latches.

The dash (upper)

2012-01-10T21:20:00.001-05:00

Here is a quick pic of part of the dash. The brass color is outlined in black pinstriping. I will do a bit more striping to it once I know what I want to do.

Completed brake assembly

2012-01-10T21:17:00.002-05:00

I finished up the brake assembly and got the bottom plate mounted in the car.

New parts again

2012-01-10T21:15:00.001-05:00

I just got another order from Snyder's, a bunch of hardware for the doors and a patch panel for the lower rear

This weekend's updates

2012-01-09T09:58:00.007-05:00

I started adding some interior color, here is the upper dash panel that was already painted an antique white that I masked off and added some metallic dark brass to.

Ordered door latch springs and other misc parts on Saturday so I took out the latches and while I was eating dinner with the family, Matt was kind enough to blast these for me. I painted them on Sunday and should be putting the batch together in the next few days.

I also had to modify the pedal assembly a bit to give a better ratio, here is a quick pic of the setup - I will post the final once everything is smoothed and painted.

This weekend

2012-01-09T09:58:00.001-05:00

Parts time again!

2012-01-06T09:33:00.005-05:00

I just received an order of random parts I need to keep moving, drive doors handle, passenger door handle with key, cowl tank clamps, firewall data plate, ignition trim pieces and misc hardware. These will soon find a place on the car as sections are being completed

Pedal assemblies

2012-01-06T09:28:00.003-05:00

Just got the new gas pedal and the pad assembly for the brake pedal. The brake arm is tapped to accept the round pedal pad and can be adjusted in and out as necessary.

Everything is painted up and ready to go, should have them both in this weekend.

Body repair

2012-01-03T08:44:00.005-05:00

This is a repair I have dreaded for awhile, some very rotted metal in a very visible spot. I did the repair using a piece that was cut out when the car was shortened way back in the beginning of this blog. It still needs a bit of fine tuning and body work but it gets that corner set.

Brake pedal assembly

2012-01-03T08:37:00.004-05:00

I built the brake pedal assembly over the weekend which will mount on the floor rails. The base unit is all 1/4" plate steel and the swingarm is a steering arm from an older GM car, the hinge pin is removable and attached with a pin so it can be serviced.

Everything still has to get cleaned up & painted, I ordered the pedal pad and gas pedal yesterday so I should have the completed & painted unit ready this week.

Dashboard

2012-01-03T08:34:00.002-05:00

Small update here, finally got the old fuel sender and back panel cut out for the new dashboard, built the gauge assembly and fitted it in.

I have been working on it.....

2011-06-22T10:22:00.002-04:00

I promise, just haven't had the initiative to keep the bog updated since progress isn't as visual at this point.

I solved a master cylinder issue I had by going with yet another design, this time with the ports facing the opposite direction and I have it mounted and ready for pedal assembly - which I am making this week.

Pics will be coming, I assure you.

Floor it!

2011-02-06T22:02:00.002-05:00

I started work on the floor, the main section of the floor took the longest as it has a couple of the body mounts and will control the rest of the floor sections. I made a template out of backer board then plasma cut out the main piece. One the main floor was in I started moving towards the back and got a chance to use the bead roller setup I made earlier. I also made a few of the uprights to hold the seatback area which you can see in the last pic laying on the floor.

The further I get, the less I have

2011-01-19T20:48:00.002-05:00

It seem that the further along I get, the less car I have but I am sure it's for the greater good. I removed the cowl gas tank tonight so I can start on the dashboard, finish up the floor structure and start the front work. It just made sense to remove the tank to get to everything better, all of the hardware came right out with no issues - once I grabbed the plasma cutter.

More drip rails & body work

2010-12-05T20:21:00.002-05:00

It looks like I'm officially updating the blog again, and I plan on getting this on the road this spring. Tonight I finished up the drivers side drip rail and tackled the big gap at the back from the chop.

Drip rails

2010-12-01T19:04:00.003-05:00

For some reason this idea came to me when I was removing the pile of metal that had been stored in the car over the summer and I had to see if it would work. I used the inside window trim from my model A, and on my shortened car one per side is all I need.

From this point I will be finishing both sides then welding from the inside and cleaning off outside tacks, the cleaning up, body work, etc. but these look the part in my eyes and its vintage steel from the car.

A shot from farther back, you can see only the back section is on, I need to use the vertical piece that I cut off to finish the front part.

Another bead roller pic

2010-09-21T14:43:00.001-04:00

With the real camera

It's time, once again.

2010-09-16T08:38:00.002-04:00

I am back to work on the hotrod again as the heat seems to have finally left Michigan for awhile. I have been getting items together, getting the shop in order and preparing for the finishing leg of the car as I want to be driving it this spring.

I spent a couple nights turning an inexpensive vice-mount bead roller into a more usable tool that would handle thicker gauge metal and allow easier control. Sorry once again for the poor camera phone pics, I snapped them on my way out of the garage for the evening.

I started with this;

then built this;

More body repair

2010-07-12T08:33:00.002-04:00

I finished up the drivers side body repair over the weekend, just need to create the new rear wheel openings then I can move on and do the same to the passengers as well.

Gauge panel

2010-05-25T08:18:00.002-04:00

I cut the holes, mounted the gauges & ignition. I need to clean and paint everything then make provisions on the old cowl tank to clear the depth of the gauges.

Lokar nostalgia shifter

2010-05-11T20:54:00.001-04:00

I've been waiting for this part for some time. I was finally able to order it from Summit yesterday and as usually, it arrived the next day - so I wated no time installing it. I did a full write-up on the H.A.M.B. as well of the install. Below are a few highlights;

Gauges & ignition

2010-05-11T20:52:00.004-04:00

Just got my ignition switch, oil & water gauges so I decided to see how they are going to look/fit in the stock gauge cluster. I need to do a bit of work to get them to look the part but I think this is the layout I am going with.

Quick picture update....

2010-05-08T13:34:00.001-04:00

Misc items - it's mockup time

2010-05-06T08:02:00.002-04:00

I am on a path to put everything on the car that is supposed to be in there so I can get some of the fabrication items completed. Radiator, gas tank, lights, headers and other items have been put in place to I can start with wiring, mechanical, lines, hoses and all of that good stuff. The headers are not the final exhaust setup as I plan on doing a dual lakes style header setup on each side.

roof/visor work

2010-05-06T07:59:00.002-04:00

Not too many updates but that doesn't mean things aren't being done. I am getting into tedious tasks now and have shied away from any deadline at this point as I am trying to get things exactly how I want them. Here is the drivers side roof to visor work in progress.

Fitting the visor

2010-04-12T08:35:00.002-04:00

Got the visor in from Snyders, I ordered an early model A visor because I liked the shape a bit more, but that means some more fabricating work. It is just sitting in position at the moment, quite a bit of tweaking and adjustment before it gets attached.

Battery hold down for my Odyssey

2010-04-08T08:22:00.002-04:00

I know I'm jumping all over the place but it keeps me interested. I made a battery hold down the other day that will end up in the hotrod, but is currently in another one of my toys.

The hold down needs to be finished a bit more as its still rough, I wanted to get something done quick so I could put it in but its not bad for an hours worth of work.

Once I am happy with it ill take it out and grind/sand/file some to get it looking a bit better.

Door repair

2010-03-29T08:32:00.002-04:00

Since the doors can open it's time to start repairing some rot. Using the patch panels I got a couple weeks ago from Snyders I got to work. All in all it wasn't a bad task, plasma cutter came in very handy here.

The Doors

2010-03-29T08:28:00.002-04:00

There has been alot of tedious work with not much to put into pictures lately, but the result is functioning doors. The floor was welded to the body and door structures were put in place, I cut the welds on the doors, turned the handles and they opened up perfectly - both sides.

More floor

2010-03-18T22:19:00.002-04:00

Getting back to the floor framing, I made the main floor piece. It is not attached to anything yet so I can take it out to weld on additional pieces and create the driveshaft loop and such. Once I start creating uprights and including the body it will be one complete unit that will not be removable.

Dash piece painting

2010-03-18T22:17:00.002-04:00

Just to take a welding break I decided to clean up the old dash piece and give it a shot of the antique white, I didn't make it perfect since this was an original part and I like the character of it.

FINALLY - the floor has begun

2010-03-18T22:16:00.003-04:00

This is probably the biggest and most important step to the entire body - at least in my eyes. The floor will control how everything happens from this point out. I started laying out the framework, attached the rear to the back of the frame and the body is now sitting on the frame with no outside assistance for the first time.

Reattaching more body after the chop

2010-03-18T22:12:00.002-04:00

I haven't updated the blog in awhile, I took some time to get the garage back in order as well as some outdoor enjoyment with the unexpected nice weather but I recently got back into it again.

I have welded the doors, and front upright pieces back on to prepare the car for the floor

More body work..

2010-03-08T08:38:00.004-05:00

I can probably use that title for weeks to come, but there is progress being made. I re-attached one side of the roof chop and setup the other to be done tonight. The window portion is set just need to do some cutting to get the corners to meet properly.

After a bit of measuring and unbending some of the old/rotted steel I was able to get the cowl patch where its supposed to be, no cutting or welding yet but I get a better sense of actual height now.

Patch panels

2010-03-03T19:19:00.002-05:00

I ordered patch panels from Snyders on Monday and they showed up Tuesday afternoon - fast shipping and first impression is excellent quality. I will be putting these to use this weekend most likely.

Body welding

2010-03-03T19:18:00.000-05:00

Started to re-attach the chopped top here

It turns out the car was red.

2010-03-01T12:51:00.003-05:00

After some de-rusting and cleaning the car started to show itself to the world again. The paint was red, and it will be again. I will probably end up with a 2 tone black/red combo and I will try to get as close to this original red as possible.

Lot's of pics, lot's of progress.

2010-02-26T08:42:00.003-05:00

I will save the play by play here because it would be a lengthy one. Basically yesterday we did the chop. I don't know why or even if it was a good idea to do it that day but it just needed to be done to move forward. With a bit of tape, the Metabo and Sawz-all we got to work. We supported the body (sort of), began measuring (not really), then started cutting (assaulting) the body. Oh and, we shortened John's dash and started on that as well in the midst of the chop.

New fuel lines!

2010-02-23T22:29:00.002-05:00

It was time to let the cheezy red fuel lines go and step up to a more finished look. I got in touch with Dickster again (who I got the carbs from on the bucket build) and got some line & fittings from him today - and wasting no time I got them setup tonight. I must add that I love working with aluminum line, it is very forgiving and easy to work with. Thanks again Dick!

Broken dipstick

2010-02-23T22:27:00.002-05:00

The dipstick that was in the engine was cracked at the base and started to break in half - then once provoked it completely separated, luckily I was able to get the leftover piece out with a pair of vice grips and a replacement showed up today from Summit.

New distributor cap & rotor

2010-02-23T22:26:00.002-05:00

Out with the red, in with the blue. I also tossed on a vac advance cover while I was in there.

Trans cooler and disty

2010-02-22T12:49:00.006-05:00

Small update but an update none the less. I put the distributor back in and routed the wires then moved on to the trans cooler. I made a bracket to mount on the inside of the frame that will also serve as a runner for power, brake and fuel lines once I make mounting blocks for them. The kickdown and dipstick was also installed during this time.

Fuel feed line

2010-02-17T15:44:00.003-05:00

I just don't have the patience for line bending, or any measurement that I can't do with a stick so John spent some time on Tuesday fabbing up my feed line to the mechanical pump. The regulator fittings had to be moved around and I still need to get the reg to carb lines done but this looks like a great start - thanks again John.

Just a few engine bits...

2010-02-17T15:42:00.002-05:00

The carbs and other misc items were put on last night, thanks to the arrival of some parts from Summit which should keep me going the rest of the week.

Transmission crossmember complete

2010-02-17T15:40:00.002-05:00

Finished up the crossmember yesterday, painted and drilled the mounting holes. The trans is now secure and the whole chassis can be moved around as one unit.

Transmission crossmember build

2010-02-14T13:08:00.003-05:00

Last night I built the transmission crossmember, there was a flat crossmember there before that I used as the center section. I had an idea of what I wanted but like so many things before I wasn't totally sure until I started building.

I attached the straight crossmember to the trans, spaced it out to put in an isolator then cut some angle iron for the hangers. Once the hangers were set in place I tacked the square tube to them and the crossmember. After removing the mocked assembly I finished up by trimming the crossbar and capping the joint where the 2 drop bars meet.

I need to drill holes to attach to the frame, then some grinding and painting before it's fully installed.

Down on all fours, engine in

2010-02-14T13:04:00.001-05:00

Rear end is on, front end is complete. I need to make the trans crossmember and its rolling again.

The front suspension is on!

2010-02-11T22:39:00.003-05:00

Assembly time is always a good time for me, instead of staring at the same bare frame for weeks on end it's time to put things back together and the real work starts to begin again. There is a TON of work ahead, but it will be gratifying at the end of each day now since progress will be visible at each turn.

This weekend expect to see it sitting on all fours again and the engine in place. The next fab points are transmission crossmember, front shocks, headlights stands, radiator and grille.

A little bit of machining

2010-02-11T22:36:00.002-05:00

The spring perches were just a touch undersized for the new bushings and shackles and after determining that we had enough meat there to hog them out, I brought them over to Matt in the machine shop for some quick cutting.

Dissassembly and painting

2010-02-11T22:32:00.003-05:00

Of frame and suspension components

Oh and I couldn't forget that in-between texts, John was a huge help on disassembly - which is what he does best, no not texting I mean taking things apart. Say hi to (insert female here) for me.

Frame boxing continued & completed!

2010-02-11T22:29:00.002-05:00

Finally finished boxing in the frame the other day

Frame welding for John

2010-02-01T11:17:00.005-05:00

The narrowing of the frame for Johns RPU has begun so I took some time away from my own to get his stitched together.

John took a few pics as well as a short video of the work.

If the vid isn't working, here is the youtube link.

Moving around, shop cleanup

2010-02-01T11:16:00.004-05:00

We need a bit more space since John is now working on his RPU and of course my rod in there as well so we spent the day moving things around and doing general cleanup.

Frame boxing

2010-02-01T11:14:00.001-05:00

I started boxing pieces of the frame, here is one of the first pieces made, many more to come!

Crossmember in and a little more mount work

2010-01-27T08:23:00.004-05:00

The engine is back out and the crossmember is physically in. It still needs to be welded on the bottom and lots of cleanup but it's in. I also added a few gussets to the engine mounts to stop any fore/aft movement.

Next step is some more frame patching, boxing then painting.

Crossmember fab part 2

2010-01-22T08:38:00.004-05:00

The crossmember fabrication is completed! It took a few hours but I am very happy with the way this turned out. I took alot of pics and did a quick how-to on the H.A.M.B. if you want to see more, but here are a few overview shots.

I still need to yank the engine and weld this piece in, the bottom pic is it just sitting in place.

Even more body work

2010-01-22T08:33:00.004-05:00

However this time, the car is attached once again and can be moved - which is a good thing because we have another hotrod project waiting in the wings that has to get in the shop soon.

Crossmember fab part 1

2010-01-20T08:19:00.003-05:00

I started on the crossmember finally last night, I have been putting this off for days now since I really didn't know what I wanted to do. After giving up no all the easy ideas I settled on making a box one from scratch. I still need to cut some holes in it and weld in some tubing for a bit more style, probably on Thursday.

More body work

2010-01-20T07:47:00.005-05:00

Some more body stitching work, had to un-weld some of the previous work on the passenger side but once we got past that hurdle it flowed out nicely.

Cleaned & painted starter

2010-01-17T13:16:00.004-05:00

plus a few more engine pics. I finished some odds & ends on here as well and did some touch up.

Come together, right now

2010-01-17T12:46:00.002-05:00

partially...

John spent most of last night measuring and cutting while I filled in odd time welding and finishing up some misc things on the chassis. We pretty much have 1/4 of the re-joining complete, just need to move to the other side and do the lowers, there was quite a bit learned with the first parts that will help quite a bit moving onto the next.

Converting to mechanical fuel pump

2010-01-14T08:31:00.004-05:00

When this project rolled into the garage it had an electric fuel pump and no way to put a mechanical one on due to the engine mounts, engine height, frame distance, etc. Well, a couple posts back I created new mounts and changed the way the engine sat and now I can fit in a mechanical pump, all to do now is get it and put it in.

Except I forgot that SBC mechanical fuel pumps are not my forte so it took a little more legwork than it should. I ordered the pump from Summit and of course it was here next day, but I didn't realize I needed a fuel pump pushrod - not a big deal so I ran out to the local auto parts and grabbed one, which they were stunned to see leave the store apparently it had been there for years. When I got home i realized that since I had a block off plate before and the new pump was a different shape that I needed a fuel pump mounting plate - back to the parts store, which was fine since I wanted new hardware too.

A little painting

2010-01-14T08:26:00.005-05:00

I painted a few accessories and the trans last night and finished up a few minor things.

Engine on new mounts

2010-01-10T19:28:00.002-05:00

Crossmember still needs to be fabbed up, but I took a few minutes to make sure that the engin is setting on the mounts as it should.

New engine mounts

2010-01-10T19:19:00.004-05:00

A lot of pics, very little story. Basically as I stated earlier the engine mounts had to go, they were cobbled together and weak - not to mention a complete eyesore. I had thought about buying a weld in mount/crossmember but in the end I decided to just make exactly what I wanted from scratch. I still have to fab up a crossmember but the old mounts are off, new ones are made and in place. This took me a bit longer than I had planned but in the end I am more than satisfied.

Frame repair

2010-01-10T19:14:00.002-05:00

After removing the old engine mounts I found some bad metal behind them, holes that had been patched with bad welding and weak metal. I plasma cut out the bad and MIG welded in the new then ground smooth.

Engine paint

2010-01-04T08:18:00.002-05:00

Dirty old black engine is gone. With a bit of elbow grease, some new gaskets from our friends at Summit and an fun color choice (its actually a green, but shows more teal in pics) the little 350 never looked better.

Removal of the engine

2010-01-04T08:14:00.002-05:00

and the mounts. After fixed a newly found crack in the frame and planning for reinforcement we noticed that the engine wasn't exactly sitting square in the frame and the drivers mount needed to be moved about an inch back. Time was spent removing, cutting, grinding and in the end it was decided to scrap the mounts all together - mostly because I hate them.

The engine needs a crossmember and less ridiculous mounts so that is next on the list, no more elephant ears.

Water pump refurb

2010-01-04T08:12:00.002-05:00

The water pump had been coated in paint and the gasket was dry and cracking so I ordered a gasket set for it, cleaned it up and resprayed.

Engine teardown

2010-01-04T08:10:00.000-05:00

Well, partial teardown. This is the problem with knowing (thinking?) that I have alot of time to work on the car before the weather turns sunny again. The engine needs to be painted, freshen up the gaskets, hardware, fittings and make sure overall health is where it should be.

Frame color

2010-01-04T08:01:00.006-05:00

Found a nice color for the frame, it's a graphite wheel paint that looks the part perfectly. Pictured is the new boxed portion of the rear shot with the paint color, only the very front is painted the rest of the back is still black. I have a great deal more cutting/welding/grinding/sanding before the frame can actually be painted.

Took a break for the holidays

2010-01-03T14:33:00.001-05:00

But managed to get out in the garage here & there. I have a few pics and coming soon.

Framework

2009-12-11T16:58:00.006-05:00

The body is back off again, but for good reason - we need to create a bit more room to sit and need a bit more strength than this re-purposed frame provides currently. Again, I have the cast of characters John (aka dub) & Mark (aka the hippie, wicked hair, etc) who came by to join in on the fun.

When mark took off it was up to John and I to turn this into a complete debacle, however for some reason we made damn good progress albeit into the wee hours of the morning. John spent most of his time grinding & cutting I was busy finishing up welding, bracing and moving the shock mounts.

Body, frame - frame, body

2009-12-10T09:54:00.002-05:00

The 2 met for the first time the other night when John came by and we decided it was time to cut some more then see what it looked like. After cutting a bit out for the firewall, blowing a fuse and moving some old steel we got it sitting on the frame - most of it that is.

The back half still needs to be cut for the wheel wells and its not sitting as it should, just propped up on jack stands but the firewall is pretty much good to go.

Mark will be over tonight to undo what we have done :)

Tranny stripping

2009-12-08T09:57:00.004-05:00

Yeah, you've spent too much time on the internet... However, we are talking about transmission paint stripping here. There was a few layers of paint & primer on the transmission that needed to go. I am just going to clean up the case and paint all steel parts and hardware. This update also includes a bit more cleanup, some griding, welding, cutting and of course more parts removal.

A real cut up

2009-12-02T08:25:00.016-05:00

It was better than the the Catalina wine mixer - John, remember that Joke from when we worked on Mark's hotrod? I bet you do.

This was a last minute decision to start the cutting, John was already planning on coming by so I rang up Mark and Chris as well. Mark had to leave a little early so I had to resume my duty as master welder (of course). We spent the night measuring, welding, cutting, and just having a great time. The run Shannon made to Taco Bell for us didn't hurt either. The pics tell the story, but I will narrate a bit.

John inside the A lining up the doors, Mark tacking them to the body.

Chris & John measuring up the chop lines, or rather John putting down tape and Chris making sure its reasonable. Luckily, I kept the calipers away from Chris so he had to accept some old school tolerances.

Two vertical cuts were made, the last had the car shaking a bit with the Sawz-All so I finished up with the plasma cutter.

And the re-joining of steel. The seams actually do line up, I didn't snap a pic of it clamped together but everything is within range, just some tweaking and welding before we get to do the roof chop. I will probably be cleaning up the shop again next the working on the frame.

3..2..1.. Lift off

2009-12-02T08:21:00.002-05:00

The first thing we did last night was to free the bucket body from the frame. I had a great deal of that done the night before and just left a few cuts and heavy lifting for others. It was a fairly straightforward job that now gets me to exposed frame that needs some attention.

It's sectioned

2009-12-01T23:09:00.001-05:00

Just finished the section tonight with John, Mark & Chris. Great times, it still needs to be welded back together but I can start to realize the vision a bit more. Many pics to post tomorrow.

My minions

2009-12-01T08:11:00.002-05:00

A little more work last night, removed some more brackets, gauge fittings, brake pedal, body mounts and the headers. I had some help, probably not OSHA (or Dept of labor) approved but hey, they enjoyed it. :)

It's nice to have the kids out there helping, especially with heat out there this year. We all had fun and will have some great memories this summer when we hit some of the local shows in a car they helped build.

Dissasemble Mr. Number Johnny 5 ..... 12

2009-11-30T09:46:00.003-05:00

Well some of you got that and that's just fine with me.

The removal of all that its bucket is underway. What you aren't seeing is all that was hidden beneath the seat; Wiring, battery, fuses, tools, amp, switches, controls, etc. Gone now.

Steering column, gas pedal, speakers, shifter, firewall plate, console, more wiring, etc.

And here be some of it.

A little playing

2009-11-30T09:40:00.002-05:00

Curiosity got the better of me while playing with the frozen 80 year old speedometer and I decided I was going to see if I could get it working again. After figuring out how to disassemble it without destroying it I found it was full of old grease and debris. I cleaned, polished and straightened the gears, lubricated everything and re-assembled. It moves freely now and resets at 0. This may work for me if I can figure out how to make it understand my TH350.

Body in the garage

2009-11-30T09:24:00.003-05:00

I spent some time this past weekend cleaning up the shop and moving things around to prepare for the build. I had to move the welding bench to make room for the furnace (which is working perfectly, so no radiant heat build this year - full on warmth) and I had the kids help organize all the shelves.

The body

2009-11-30T08:38:00.002-05:00

It used to belong to John through one of those "just had to have deals" and then became one of those "I just have to move this" deals which I gladly helped load up and bring home - along with a few other toys, I wonder if he will notice the missing AMC 360? I already pawned off his seats, enjoy that Ozz.

New Blog

2009-11-30T08:11:00.001-05:00

No content here yet, still getting pics & info ready but this is the new build, taking over where the Bucket Build left off.

Some of the pics will be quick camera phone snaps, some with my older Lumix FZ so no complaints about picture quality. I am still working on site layout, themes, graphics, etc so please be patient during construction.