Thread: Starting to look like a car.

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Originally Posted by shine

looks killer henry................ hard to believe it's a gibbon. you got any fingerprints left.

Shine,

Funny you should bring that up. When I was just about finished with the painting, I had to go the pass office at NAVSTA Norfolk to get my electronic ID updated. Part of the verification is with an electronic fingerprint scan. They could not pick up a print from my right index finger. They just managed to pick up one from the left - after about a half-dozen tries.

I had to torque the electric choke open, but other than that, it ran just great. With the 3.73 gear and the 700/R4, a little throttle goes a long way.

I need to do some thinking about the brakes. They're not as solid as I would like. They're 4-wheel disk, with GM up front and Ford Explorer disks on the back. The master cylinder is a Corvette 4-wheel disk type - the same as I used on my model A. I bench bled the MC, and bled the wheel cylinders several times, but I still don't like the feel. Unfortunately, there's no room to add a power booster.

The new front shocks put the front up higher than I liked, but it rides very nicely. I drove a mile or so around the neighborhood, and didn't notice anything unusual other than the noise. A fiberglass car with no carpet, upholstery or sound deadening is like random noise with the amp turned up to 10. After that trip, I ordered sound deadening today.

I prepped all the documentation for titling and registration, and am just waiting for 01 JUL to take advantage of the new VA replicar law. The windshield is next. Once that and the wiper are installed, I'm street legal.

Though the car is not as low in the front as it was originally, the stance looks really nice.

Thanks . . . and the added bonus is that I can drive it in and out of my driveway without carrying along a pair of planks.

like the yellow looks good man

A week ago, I left the car at the glass shop to have the windshield installed. I decided it was more than I wanted to mess with. So I dropped the car off, along with the windshield that Gibbon supplied.

What I found out:
- The windshield didn't fit. They had to cut a new one.
- The rubber molding was the wrong size, and wouldn't fit on the glass.
- The urethane was solid, the wrong type and unusable
- The butyl dam was the wrong size.

Final result:
- The entire windshield kit ($295.00) gets tossed on the junk pile. Oh, and this wasn't the glass guy blowing smoke. I've seen his work, and I pretty well expected that the stuff I had was junk.

New photos coming up this weekend. I should pick up the car this Friday.

Originally Posted by Henry Rifle

A week ago, I left the car at the glass shop to have the windshield installed. I decided it was more than I wanted to mess with. So I dropped the car off, along with the windshield that Gibbon supplied.

What I found out:
- The windshield didn't fit. They had to cut a new one.
- The rubber molding was the wrong size, and wouldn't fit on the glass.
- The urethane was solid, the wrong type and unusable
- The butyl dam was the wrong size.

Final result:
- The entire windshield kit ($295.00) gets tossed on the junk pile. Oh, and this wasn't the glass guy blowing smoke. I've seen his work, and I pretty well expected that the stuff I had was junk.

New photos coming up this weekend. I should pick up the car this Friday.

Jack,
You really have suffered with this car - and it looks really fantastic. I salute your patience !!!!

This is one of the most beautiful cars that I have seen on this site yet. I hope that one day I can get to the point where I can build a car also. Thanks for the great pictures.

Dave,

It's either patience or homicide . . .

jygirl,

Thanks, and hang in there. You can do it. All it takes is that quality called perserverence. We were all at that "wish" point one time in our lives.

One thing you DON'T want to do is trade ages and experience with me . . . at least the age part.

Originally Posted by Henry Rifle

A week ago, I left the car at the glass shop to have the windshield installed. I decided it was more than I wanted to mess with. So I dropped the car off, along with the windshield that Gibbon supplied.

What I found out:
- The windshield didn't fit. They had to cut a new one.
- The rubber molding was the wrong size, and wouldn't fit on the glass.
- The urethane was solid, the wrong type and unusable
- The butyl dam was the wrong size.

Final result:
- The entire windshield kit ($295.00) gets tossed on the junk pile. Oh, and this wasn't the glass guy blowing smoke. I've seen his work, and I pretty well expected that the stuff I had was junk.

New photos coming up this weekend. I should pick up the car this Friday.

Heck, if you wanted the windshield that actually fit the car, Kyle would have charged you a lot more!!!!! Sorry Jack, had to put this in there!!!!

[QUOTE=Henry Rifle]Dave,

It's either patience or homicide . . .

jygirl,

Thanks, and hang in there. You can do it. All it takes is that quality called perserverence. We were all at that "wish" point one time in our lives.

One thing you DON'T want to do is trade ages and experience with me . . . at least the age part. [/QUOTE


lol i am not as young as i hope i sound.

Your car looks great Jack. The ride height is now much more reasonable, especially in the pan area.

When I first started seeing you work on it I was very surprised to hear about your displeasure with Gibbon. All most of us know is what we see advertised in magazines, and I always thought Gibbon was a very high quality body. It is good that forums like this exist so guys like you who know first hand can give the straight scoop.

In any event, you turned out a really nice rod in spite of your problems along the way.

Don

Don,

The guy doing the glass was surprised too. He's an old time rodder. After I dropped of my car, he took me to a locked room in his shop. It had the classic black/white checkerboard tile floor, and two cars were sitting in there. One was a Cadillac XLR. The other was a very nice full-fendered '34 coupe with a Wescott body and real steel fenders & running boards.

He and his buddy knew of Gibbon's stuff from way back, and didn't really believe me until they started to fit the windshield. This afternoon, he told me that he believes me now.

I'm still waiting for DMV to come by and inspect my car, however, I had to move it outside to do a little bit of painting in the garage. I was tempted to put a little power to it, but my neighbors are a teeny bit conservative.

I have another Gibbon part to throw away. The Vega box on the "new" chassis was apparently used and worn out. Way too much slack in the steering. I have a new one in the garage.

Here's a short video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-Z2wRVfths

It's alive..........ALIVE!!!!