Thread: Thames Update - 5/28/2010

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.... a major milestone has been reached ........... the extensions to the frame have been finalized and the nose has been cut and mounted

... the nose mount has been squared, finalized, and bonded to the FiberglasTrends nose .... that sucker is extremely stong



..... the door latches have been installed and the door alignment is great ......... all latches work beautifully



.... fender alignment has been finished and they fit beautifully ......... the only fasteners yet to be installed at the fender bottoms



.... the nose fits square, tight, and the DZUS fasteners operate beautifully ......... the hood opening has been cut and lines up beautifully with the velocity stacks ........ we are, however, going to need to shorten the stacks again ............ they're still a little too tall (for vision and safety reasons)







..... on to the steering, firewall cleanup, radiator, and dashboard

That looks way cool. Absolutely awesome!

Looking awesome.... Can I suggest that you drop the van down on it's own wheels and roll it forward and back to allow the chassis to settle and then check your door gaps etc... When a vehicle is sitting up on stands like your van is one doesn't get true fittings of doors etc.... Just an idea..... bit still love the look....

x2 for when setting on jackstands---aLTHO YOU CAN DO IT USING 3 STANDS INSTEAD OF FOUR---use two in the back and one centered under front cross member--three points won't create any twist in the frame

Coyote,that is looking very nice,,so much progress,,and it isnt a dream..its happening for you..[at last,he says]..

Thanks for the sound advice Whiplash and Jerry ......... trust me, that little booger has been up and down, on and off those stands so many times that I have lost count .......... and it's going to continue for a while as we continue to move forward with the steering and radiator .......... a hydraulic lift would be nice

Nice to see steady progress John.

Looks great!!! Takes me back to late sixties racing!

PLEASE tell me it's not going to be flat black! I can see 'flake in a basic color! I think I'm in love!

After always working with a full cage in things, and using 3 points---It was really amazing to see how much things twist in these street cars that have a frame

But it is looking good and maybe sometime this year I'll get down there to see your collection

Yep--this is last year up here---cold weather is over but its property tax time!!!!!

Thanks John for not taking offence of my advice and I am with HOTRODPAINT on the colour scheme.. We have a Thames van down here that has a long history on the dragstrip and been in the same ownership for years. It is paint white metallic over a silver base with American Pie lettering and graphics on the rear side panel. One absolutely lovely looking van and I love your stacks at that height but I understand to safety of been able to see where you are going too...

Wow, I can't wait to hear those pipes sing!

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

Looks great!!! Takes me back to late sixties racing!

PLEASE tell me it's not going to be flat black! I can see 'flake in a basic color! I think I'm in love!

No flat black for this little Thames ......... the selected color (as of this point) is Aqua Blue over a gold base ....... not too heavy a flake but just enough to let the gold show

Originally Posted by Whiplash23T

One absolutely lovely looking van and I love your stacks at that height but I understand to safety of been able to see where you are going too...

The problem with the stack height is purely one of vision ....... with the car on the ground it definitely takes on a "nose down" attitude ......... and with the seat position behind the front doors (was that way in the stock configuration also) you have to "duck down" to be able to see out of the windshield ...... even with the stacks shortened to the current length they fill beyond the top of the windshield (in line of sight) and I can't see the right front of the hood, let alone any traffic or obstacles coming from that direction ........... since he's not a race car anymore, stack length for horsepower and torque is not an issue .......... it looks like they are going to have to come down to where the rears stick out of the hood about 1 inch ........... and that's okay, it will still project the image I'm looking for

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

But it is looking good and maybe sometime this year I'll get down there to see your collection

Yep--this is last year up here---cold weather is over but its property tax time!!!!!

Come on down Jerry ......... we'll be here