kiki231
08-27-2013, 07:54 AM
Now that the car has been home for a few weeks, I have finally completed it (for now...).
Although I didn't want to rush the build, it went much faster than I thought.
I bought the kit in July of 2012. It sat untouched and un-inventoried for 2 weeks. In august, I cleaned the garage and prepared for the build. My engine and tranny arrived in early September, and I ordered my completion kit (up here in Canada we cant buy the whole thing at once...) on the 17th of September.
While I waited for those pieces to arrive (because you really cant do anything without it..), I mated the drivetrain and moved the shifter to a mid-point. I also ordered a ton of proper electrical components and connectors (I learned to spend the money here and get the good stuff!)
The completion components arrived the last week of November, and work began in earnest the first week of December. By the end of March, the build was done from a mechanical standpoint, and she was ready for paint.
I hauled the car to Connecticut, and left it with Ron Randall at Metal Morphous until early July. As mentioned in prior posts, Ron did final trim and alignment on the doors and hood, prepped and painted the body, made a few custom mods, aluminized the hood and ceiling, attached the scoops, under sprayed the entire body with bed liner, and installed the windshield. This was the best money I spent on the build , no doubt.
We hauled the car back mid July, and I have been driving it/finishing it in the meantime.
My finishing involved securing the body back onto the chassis at all attachment points, installing the rear glass, reinstalling the lights, installing all the interior , wipers, wheels and tires, weather-stripping and heater. I also applied my sponsor decals (ron painted the meatballs, stripes and numbers), installed and sealed the side-pipes and set up the suspension.
I also thoroughly cleaned the car, and liberally applied 3M rock guard all over susceptible areas.
As a few final touches I lined the wheel wells with black matting (over the bed liner that Ron applied), and used automotive sealant to tidy up some gaps and seams.
I installed some aluminum panels for the door openings, and I am waiting for Russ Thompson to send along some pontoon covers, wind slats, and gauge eye-brows.
My goal in this build was to build a car that had that edge to it-- like a race car that was tagged for the street. Lots of bare aluminum, heavy duty components, and big deliberate controls.
There are a few folks that helped along the way, if nothing more than encouragement at times-- Tom McEachern (aka Grumpy 65 Cobra) , Duane Williston, and of course, Ron Schofield (Oxide). And the biggest wealth of info were the forums! thanks guys. A special thank you goes to Mike Forte, for not only selling me great stuff at a great price, but guiding me on the installations!
The car details are as follows-
Gen2 coupe - 2012 model
347 stroker, 1989 block, Edelbrock matched components, carb'd, mechanical pump
Quicktime Bell, TKO600, Centerforce cable clutch
Manual steering and brakes (standard kit)
3 link rear-- FFR supplied
Standard kit electrical components, front to back, except for marker lights and backup light
Driveline Components midpoint shifter
Moroso vented Battery box in hatch
Kit supplied suspension components, (had to invert rear shocks, wouldn't fit otherwise)
Standard kit brakes (10" and 11"-- since I am running 15" wheels)
Home-made internal fuel tank protection bars (under body on side of rear frame)
Had to buy a new D/S, since the kit one was too short
High-back kit seats
Seatbelt planet 3 point latch type belts
FFR heater/defroster
Ebay sourced finger guards on switch panel
Ebay sourced idiot lights
Kit supplied wipers/motor
FFR Halibrand Replica wheels -- 15"
Goodyear SportsCar Special tires (BIllboards)
The project was a lot of fun, and ended up being easier than I thought it would (partially because I kept the build extremely basic!)
I am awaiting my photos shoot, but in the meantime here are a few shots I took late yesterday
Although I didn't want to rush the build, it went much faster than I thought.
I bought the kit in July of 2012. It sat untouched and un-inventoried for 2 weeks. In august, I cleaned the garage and prepared for the build. My engine and tranny arrived in early September, and I ordered my completion kit (up here in Canada we cant buy the whole thing at once...) on the 17th of September.
While I waited for those pieces to arrive (because you really cant do anything without it..), I mated the drivetrain and moved the shifter to a mid-point. I also ordered a ton of proper electrical components and connectors (I learned to spend the money here and get the good stuff!)
The completion components arrived the last week of November, and work began in earnest the first week of December. By the end of March, the build was done from a mechanical standpoint, and she was ready for paint.
I hauled the car to Connecticut, and left it with Ron Randall at Metal Morphous until early July. As mentioned in prior posts, Ron did final trim and alignment on the doors and hood, prepped and painted the body, made a few custom mods, aluminized the hood and ceiling, attached the scoops, under sprayed the entire body with bed liner, and installed the windshield. This was the best money I spent on the build , no doubt.
We hauled the car back mid July, and I have been driving it/finishing it in the meantime.
My finishing involved securing the body back onto the chassis at all attachment points, installing the rear glass, reinstalling the lights, installing all the interior , wipers, wheels and tires, weather-stripping and heater. I also applied my sponsor decals (ron painted the meatballs, stripes and numbers), installed and sealed the side-pipes and set up the suspension.
I also thoroughly cleaned the car, and liberally applied 3M rock guard all over susceptible areas.
As a few final touches I lined the wheel wells with black matting (over the bed liner that Ron applied), and used automotive sealant to tidy up some gaps and seams.
I installed some aluminum panels for the door openings, and I am waiting for Russ Thompson to send along some pontoon covers, wind slats, and gauge eye-brows.
My goal in this build was to build a car that had that edge to it-- like a race car that was tagged for the street. Lots of bare aluminum, heavy duty components, and big deliberate controls.
There are a few folks that helped along the way, if nothing more than encouragement at times-- Tom McEachern (aka Grumpy 65 Cobra) , Duane Williston, and of course, Ron Schofield (Oxide). And the biggest wealth of info were the forums! thanks guys. A special thank you goes to Mike Forte, for not only selling me great stuff at a great price, but guiding me on the installations!
The car details are as follows-
Gen2 coupe - 2012 model
347 stroker, 1989 block, Edelbrock matched components, carb'd, mechanical pump
Quicktime Bell, TKO600, Centerforce cable clutch
Manual steering and brakes (standard kit)
3 link rear-- FFR supplied
Standard kit electrical components, front to back, except for marker lights and backup light
Driveline Components midpoint shifter
Moroso vented Battery box in hatch
Kit supplied suspension components, (had to invert rear shocks, wouldn't fit otherwise)
Standard kit brakes (10" and 11"-- since I am running 15" wheels)
Home-made internal fuel tank protection bars (under body on side of rear frame)
Had to buy a new D/S, since the kit one was too short
High-back kit seats
Seatbelt planet 3 point latch type belts
FFR heater/defroster
Ebay sourced finger guards on switch panel
Ebay sourced idiot lights
Kit supplied wipers/motor
FFR Halibrand Replica wheels -- 15"
Goodyear SportsCar Special tires (BIllboards)
The project was a lot of fun, and ended up being easier than I thought it would (partially because I kept the build extremely basic!)
I am awaiting my photos shoot, but in the meantime here are a few shots I took late yesterday