My doctor said I had the body of a 30-year old, but I had to give it back . . . it belonged to his nurse.
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My doctor said I had the body of a 30-year old, but I had to give it back . . . it belonged to his nurse.
Bummer Jack.... I remember when doctor's used to give you some candy to take home with you!!!!!:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry Rifle
Don't feel bad Henry, I can't go to wall Mart anymore either!
Love the wheels Don, that is a rich grabber blue.
Thanks Brick. We got his tires mounted on them and balanced today......couldn't wait to see the stance when they were put on, so we wheeled it out into the sunshine for the first time. It's starting to look like a car finally!! :3dSMILE: :3dSMILE:
We spent the last couple of days wooding in the sides of the body, and are almost done. We decided to do it the way Total Performance suggested, and followed their instruction sheet. Instead of laying up mat and resin under each stringer (like I did on my cars) they suggest using body filler as sort of mortar under each one to bond it to the body. We went one step further and bought a high quality filler with fiberglass strands in it, figuring it would bond better than just filler.
Their wooding kit is really not all that great, just some wood that is no more than firring strips, but Don bought it anyway, so we had to use it. At about $140 for the wooding kit (just the sides, the floor is $ 85 more) it should have been at least NICE wood, but it was pretty bad. However, you never see it once the interior is in place, so we just did it as they instructed.
I have to admit the body is getting pretty rigid now that the wooding is almost done, so it must work. There are a lot of TP cars out there running around, so they must have it figured out pretty well, I guess.
So, here are some pictures I took today. Tomorrow I will finish up the wooding and get ready to flip the body over to glass the underside of the floor. We figure in a week the body can be ready to go to the shop for prep and paint. :3dSMILE:
Don
OH, that isn't blue overspray on the tires........it's the blue protectant Coker and others use to cover the whitewalls. (didn't want you guys to think I sprayed the wheels with the tires mounted.......lol.)
Hey! That's my line, and it's copyrighted. ;)Quote:
It's starting to look like a car
Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry Rifle
Oh Man, first I steal that cartoon, now this!!!!!!!!!!! It's a downward spiral from here, next I'll be tearing those little tags off of my pillows !! :eek: :LOL: :LOL: Al Capone had NOTHING on me. :cool: :cool:
Don
Just don't cut the one off of your mattress or the tag police will come and get ya. :eek: :LOL: :LOL:Quote:
Originally Posted by Itoldyouso
Don, I didn't know how much a rebel you were until I see you using copyrighted material, tearing tags off your pillows and thumbing your nose at the law. Next you will be putting the nike swoosh on the side off you car without promision. Tsk Tsk when will it end LOL
Brad
I wish I had a couple of kids with projects to work on. I've done about all I can to mine - except for upgrading parts that already work. I was a little lost this last 4-day weekend.
Don the tags will be great packing material . But i'll take the peanuts its safer .
Aw, come and get me coppers.........say hello to my little friend, and all that jazz. :LOL: :LOL:
Jack, time to do another project, or at least enjoy the coupe (if the DMV ever stops messing with you :mad: )
Well, Don's T is coming along pretty well. Tonight he and I finished up all the interior wooding and it is now flipped upside down so I can glass the bottom of the floor to the body. Then we only have to cut the holes for the gauges and it can go to the body shop.
The wooding isn't the neatest we have ever done, but it follows Total Performances instructions, so at least the interior kit he bought should slip right in once it is painted. We also did some more work on his engine tonight. It is gonna be a sweet little 302 Ford..........30 over TRW forged flattops, X303 roller cam and comp cam roller rockers, crank crossdrilled, early steel heads with a lot of work done like big ss Chevy valves, guide plates, etc. He topped it off with a polished 2 x 4 Edelbrock setup, and has a TCI race prepped tranny behind it.
The engine was built to go into his drag Capri (which he just sold) so it should move the little T pretty well. I owned this engine originally, and he and I have traded it back and forth a few times. Wish I still had it for my '27. :3dSMILE:
Here are some pictures I took tonight.
Don
You can adopt me, and come over and help me :LOL:Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry Rifle
Looks good Don, have you ever considered making this your new profession?
Ken
Thanks Ken. Yeah, I have, but I have sort of gotten used to eating regularly, and I would starve for sure. :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
Don
Hmmmm.... If that little 302 keeps changing hands like that Don, wanna let me know when it's my turn?????:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
Henry Rifle--I hear ya. Its been 3 years since I built the Wild Canary, and although it runs great and is a blast to drive, I've ran out of things to do to it.
I can feel that "urge to create something" building in my system----
Dave, I've tried a few times, he won't sell it back to me again. :( He and I do this all the time, the Capri was his first, then I bought it and did some things, then he bought it back and did some things, etc. He just sold his Capri the other day to make room in the shop and I would have bought it to drop my 460 into, but I have too many projects as it is. Hated to see that one go down the road as the body was absolutely mint and lots of work was done, but it did accomplish getting his portion of the shop empty except for his T project. Seems strange to be working on a car and not tripping over all kinds of stuff! :3dSMILE:
Brian, you are suffering from the "empty nest syndrom" time for a garage mate for your RPU !!!
Don
For the fella's that doing the build and watching the creation come to life, the buildin' is at least half the fun! There is only one cure I'm afaid Brian.
Yeah Brian, get on that fancy-shmancy cad thingie you have and get a new project going. You know there is one car you have always wanted to build!! :D
(and why should we be the only ones with busted knuckles and cleaned out savings accounts????????? :eek: :eek: ;) :D )
Don
Yeah, Brian, I agree with Don. Someone as creative as you should have no problem filling the void...:) I'm only about half-done with my roadster and I've already got a short list of possibilities for my next build.:HMMM:
Don, the T is looking great. I love the motor setup too. I am jealous (sp). :p
Brian you can always come over and help me, I never turn down free labor. LOL
Don tell your son I like the color, my sister had a mustang that color I think it was a 1972.
Brad
Thanks FMX and Brad. I was a little unsure when he told me the color choice, but now that I see it I think he picked a good one. You are correct Brad, they used it for several years if I'm not mistaken, and on several different models.
Today I stopped by my buddys body shop and made an appointment to drop the body off Monday AM. He says about 2 weeks to do it, and during that time we can be getting the frame and running gear painted and done.
All I have left to do on the body is glass the underside of the floor to the body, and cut the holes for the gauges. I am going to let Dan do the hole cutting as his eyesight is better than mine, and Don probably wants his gauges to be in a straight line. :o :3dSMILE: As soon as the floor is cured tomorrow I'll flip it back over and finish smoothing the interior wood, and maybe paint on a coat of bed liner. I know the body shop will get lots of blue overspray on the undercoat, but I want to put on several coats anyway to minimize shadowing, so that won't be any problem.
Don
thread delivers big time
Thank you, and glad to see you are posting. Noticed you have been a member for a while, but this is your first post........so WELCOME !!! :) :)
I hope we hear a lot more from you.
Don
One of the things I didn't like that Total Performance does is they mount the gas pedal on a wooden block that is glassed to the thin firewall fiberglass. I decided to install a full piece of plywood in there instead for a couple of reasons. First of all, the firewall would have the tendency to flex when you push down hard on the gas pedal, and I didn't like the way they just put self tapping screws into the wood block. I wanted to use bolts and nuts so the pedal couldn't pop loose at the wrong time.
Another thing that a flat piece of plywood will do is give the firewall carpeting a flat surface to be glued to, instead of humping up over a wood block. It would just look better, I think.
So I cut a piece of 1/2 inch plywood and drilled a couple of holes for the bolts that hold the gas pedal on. Then I used some stainless steel T nuts that have spikes on them and installed them from the backside. They are for 1/4 inch bolts, and will be much stronger than the screws it was originally designed for. I then put a thick coat of fiberglass reinforced filler all over the backside of the plywood and weighted it down until the filler cured. Finally, I glassed all around the perimeter of the plywood to tie it into the side pieces. Now there should be no flex and I can use bolts to hold the pedal to the firewall.
Another weak spot was the dashboard. It was just thin fiberglass, and I could envision it shaking under way when you get a speedometer, tach, and four other gauges in there. To stiffen it I cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood and did the same body filler routine to bond it to the backside of the dash. I clamped it tight to really squeeze the two parts together, and am letting it set up overnight. Tomorrow Dan is going to holesaw the gauge holes in there, and I think I will also make up some simple aluminum braces to further keep the dash was shaking.
Here are some pictures of what I got done today. Just a little touch up and the body will be ready for me to drop off for paint on Monday. :) Sunday I plan to do some filling and priming on my own T body, and maybe next weekend I can spray it in color. :D :D
Don
Don with as much fiberglass you work with maybe you should have been in the boat business LOL
Your sons T look's like it coming along, won't be long you will have it on the road.
Brad
Don you are moving along quickly . Soon i imagine you will be doing another YouTube biography for us . I kinda like the grabber colors of the day very distinct cars they where .
Yep, it really is coming along pretty fast. What is really helping is that Don bought just about every piece we need and had it sitting there ready to go on. Sure makes it nice when you don't have to guess and actually have the part there to mock up with.
Fiberglass is my life!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes: At least it seems that way. I don't even itch anymore, so I must be getting immune to the stuff. I think I am destined to have dry, cracked hands from all the laquer thinner.
Today Dan came over and cut the holes for Don's gauges. I'm glad he did it because they actually came out straight. Must be nice to have good eyesight. :) Then he dug in and helped me work on my T body. We DA'ed it again and filled all the little pinholes and voids with spot putty, then Da'ed it one more time, then shot two more coats of primer on it. It looks like we are finally there, and just found maybe two or three little pinholes that still need filled before paint can go on.
I am back to thinking that I might drop off my body at the body shop when I take Don's on Monday. It is coming out so nice it would be a shame to shoot it outside and screw it up. Brent can throw it in his booth and bake it when he is done. I'll talk to him Monday when I am there and see if he wants to do two of them.
Here are some pictures of Don's gauges just stuck in the holes for now, and also my body after we shot the primer tonight. Really owe Dan a big thanks, he busted his tail today to make the body as straight as it came out. Much better than I would have done alone, that's for sure.
Don
Don,
I don't have a good eye . . . but I have AutoCAD. Nice parts combo on the 'bucket, by the way.
So, Don----You on strike, or what? Surely something "hot-roddy" must be going on at your shop, Now that my RPU is finished, I have to live vicariously through your posts.----Brian
Hey Brian, to heck with the vicarious stuff, you can come help me anytime, just a few miles south of ya!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by brianrupnow
Don, both look great!!! What's the projected date to make the big first cruise??????
Hey get in line Dave, I already extended that invite to Brian for him to come down and give me free labor...LOL
Don with the site down a week I figured you got alot done not having to update every day.
Brad
Heck, he'll probably go to your house seein' as how you live closer!!!!!!:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:Quote:
Originally Posted by BradC
Looks like a lot of good work on both of them Don.
We have gotten some stuff done, but nothing photo or post worthy, just little piddling stuff that needs to be wrapped up.
On my T I got the stainless steel and braided brake lines ordered from Inline Tube, should be here late next week, and I am waiting for the body to come back from the paint shop. I have to pull that darned starter down again and see what is going on with it. $ 280 for a starter and it is still not working right. Seems it is either too close or too far away from the flexplate because shimmed one way it hangs up, and shimmed another way it grinds like I have never heard one do. All my life I have just bolted a starter on and forgot about it, not this one. :confused: :confused:
We have been spending most of our time on Don's T. The other night Dan wrapped up welding the through frame tubes in place for the front shocks, and then Don and I welded on the battery box to the frame. We also tapped holes for the fuel filter, electric fuel pump, and starter solenoid. The plan is for he and I to get an early start tomorrow and get the frame primed and painted.
Today he had to leave early to go play, but we got his waterpump installed and a few little things. So hopefully by Sunday night the frame will be blue, then Monday night he and I are going to sandblast all the other parts like rear end housing, radius rods, etc.
I hope my buddy gets both bodies painted in the 3 weeks he quoted, otherwise things will get tight timewise for Thanksgiving. He is pretty good about that stuff, so I am not too concerned.
Don
".... otherwise things will get tight timewise for Thanksgiving......"
Don I can't believe how fast this year has flown.
The speed your moving on these should give you a LITTLE wiggle room.
Hopefully you'll have better luck than mine when getting something done with outside vendors.
I know Mike, the older I get the faster the years fly by. :( :( You are right about using outside people, they all promise the moon and stars to get you in the door, and then everything comes to a screeching halt. I worked at the body shop with Brent, my friend, then he opened his own shop. He was the go-to guy when we worked together, and all the other bodymen came to him for the tough ones, and the owner gave him the Vipers, Mercedes, etc. because he was the best bodyman there. I know he will do a good job, and I believe he will stick to the schedule pretty well.
Don and I needed this window anyway to get our frames all done so we can just plop the painted bodies back on when they come back. Don's is going right to the upholstery shop first, but I am going to have to skip that step for a little while until I can afford it. The $ 1500- $ 2000 I have to pay for the paint job is going to strain me for a while. However, I am not opposed to sitting on a boat cushion as long as the car runs. Upholstery can come later on.
Don
Tell me about it. I just had to dump a Holley Red electric fuel pump with only 20 miles on it. It was louder than a hammer drill, and kept shutting off on thermal overload. I pulled it apart, and there was no apparent problem inside. The warranty won't be any good, since I've had it for three years - ever since I finished the frame mock-up. That's the trouble with those of us who fabricate our stuff. By the time the car's running, all the warranties have expired.Quote:
$ 280 for a starter and it is still not working right.
I'm going to have to live vicariously through your project, Don. Since I got my '34 on the road (less upholstery), all I have to work on is miscellaneous stuff on my daily driver Vette - and that's no fun.
Don, you are the third person I know of who has had nothing but problems with those little starters not fitting right.:mad: :mad: I think it will be a cold day in you-know-where before I ever run one of those. My coupe puked the starter in front of a friends garage one day last Spring. In about ten minutes we had it off (didn't even have to jack up the car) and in another 20 minutes we were heading back from the local Advance-Discount parts store with a $28 remanufactured starter. Bolted it on and problem solved; no shims, no adjustments, nothing special.:D
Henry, I ordered a Holley blue pump and put it on a big-block powered truck one time because I was told that gas hog would need the volume. It was so noisy (growl, roar, growl) it drove everyone nuts who rode in the truck.:mad: We eventually changed it to an ordinary AC Delco electric pump. It was quiet (tick, tick, tick), did the job just fine, and replacements were available almost everywhere.:D