Star Mobile 1 Build

[JOP33]

Abel also got the trunk latch installed and working properly, which I got the feeling, was no easy task either. He had to actually bend the latch and re-weld it to allow for it catch properly without altering the lie of the trunk. You can see where he had to modify some of the surfaces of the trunk itself as well. You can see from the pics that there are several parts that I probably powder coated a little too early..

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Very impressed with the progress of the week. I had mentioned previously that Kory and I have been toying around with some ideas regarding vents for the hood. I am running AC but I am not going crazy on HP with the 302, but after discussing with Kory, we both think it might be a good idea to get a little more airflow across the engine. I don't have the visualization skills that Kory does, so I need to see pictures or at least drawings to start helping me decide what I think would look best (or if we even still want to do it). I have not committed to anything yet, but below are pics of some templates I drew up for us to start playing with. Kory also suggested doing a mirrored image of the grill in the vent area which I thought was a cool look as well...

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[JimLev]

Your pics aren't showing up.
For side vents I'm using some I bought from www.streetdreamsbyross.com

See post 260, I don't have them installed yet.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26821-JimLev-s-Build/page7

[JOP33]

Your pics aren't showing up.
For side vents I'm using some I bought from www.streetdreamsbyross.com

See post 260, I don't have them installed yet.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26821-JimLev-s-Build/page7

Thanks for the headsup on pics...working with admin to get fixed.


Thanks for link on vents as well. I would like to finish the vents out (however I decide to go) with some chrome, but with all of the contours in that area of the hood it is going to be a challenge...and doing it without it costing a small fortune is key to as we get closer to the end of the build (and closer to the end of the budget).

[duff33]

Very interesting on the wheel adaptors, I did not know something like that was available that's why reading the forum is so important. I have the same issue with back spacing on my rear rims. The root I went was pressing out the wheel studs and installing longer Moroso studs then using a 7/8 spacer. I would like to move the out at least another 1/2" but don't think running wheel spacers that thick would be safe.

[OnlyAndy]

2nd on the vents from SteetDreams... Jimlev sent me there and they are very nice looking vents Plus never found any that I like better. They come natural Aluminum and can be Anodized, Power Coated, Painted or left natural. Probably do Clear Powder coat on mine. Not installed on my end yet either.

[JOP33]

Happy Memorial Day to All!

I just want to take a brief moment to remember those who have been lost in service and those that have served or continue to serve so that we may live in this great country. Too many times your contribution and sacrifice seem to go unnoticed...I want to thank you for myself and for my family!

God Bless to All!

[JOP33]

Very interesting on the wheel adaptors, I did not know something like that was available that's why reading the forum is so important. I have the same issue with back spacing on my rear rims. The root I went was pressing out the wheel studs and installing longer Moroso studs then using a 7/8 spacer. I would like to move the out at least another 1/2" but don't think running wheel spacers that thick would be safe.

I think past 1/2", wheel adapters are the way to go (at least IMO). Still there are some skeptics and you do need to make sure they are torqued on a regular basis. Also, this is not a part that I would spare expense on. Get a good quality billet set from a reputable company.

[AJT '33]

I think past 1/2", wheel adapters are the way to go (at least IMO). Still there are some skeptics and you do need to make sure they are torqued on a regular basis. Also, this is not a part that I would spare expense on. Get a good quality billet set from a reputable company.

Agreed here, I bought my set of stainless wheel adapters from "www.wheelspacers.ca" (and you would benefit from the exchange rate!!) and they fit extremely well, not expensive. They also can machine the exact size or thickness you want as well. There is a point where instead of replacing the studs you can use the adapters and just keep the same bolt pattern in place of changing it. Mine are 20mm or about 3/4" thick which is the minimum thickness for an adapter. They provide the adapter as well as the nuts that would be I used to attach the adapter to the hub, then use our existing bolts for the wheels. I'll find some pics and edit the post thereafter.

[JOP33]

The original plan for this weekend was to not go out to Kory's shop as he was going to be out of town this weekend, but after reaching out to him to confirm this he let me know that he was actually off by a week and that it would be next weekend that he will be gone...so that meant that I was headed out again this morning to see what progress had been made this week. Surprisingly, when I got there Kory informed me that either this week or next, he felt that the fab portion will be complete and he will be handing things off to the body/paint side of the shop. Abel powered through the modifications that he needed to make to the Chin piece to get it to fit up...

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Kory and Abel also suggested placing the light that indicates in-active engagement on the door safety pins recessed behind the door handle pulls. I thought this was a pretty cool place to put them. The light will be off when the safety pin is engaged and working properly and it will turn red if it ever becomes dis-engaged...

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For all this to work properly, he is going to have to go with a few more contacts on wire eliminators for the door, but I told Kory I would prefer to just go with one bigger set than to have two that were independent from each others. Needless to say I will have a (5) pin set available in a few weeks for anyone that may need one as the one shown below will be replaced...

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After installing the safety pin light, changing out the wire eliminators and then finally trimming the fenders this week, Kory said they will begin the body work.

I think I have decided on doing a Mini-Mustang Grille cutout for the vents in the hood (we'll go vertical on the cross pieces though). Kory seconded this as he likes that the best as well. So I have been tasked with coming up with an insert that will ultimately be chromed to fit in the bulge of the hood. I told Kory that I have all the confidence in the world that he can make the cut and it look awesome and absolutely NO confidence that I can fab the insert. There are A LOT of contours all coming together in that area of the hood, so anything there will be challenging, but I will attempt it. So I will be hitting the CAD this weekend to figure how I want to design this...

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[JOP33]

I have been asked about how Tim Whittaker's Deck Lid Stiffeners were used and installed... I think there are some different approaches to this and I am sure they all achieve different levels of results. So I am not here to say that this is the best or an inferior way of using them, as I was pretty happy with the results, but since I was not the one to install these, I will try to communicate as best as I can what was presented to me by 121 Rod & Restoration... Relief cuts were placed in the deck lid so that the stiffeners can actually be recessed into the trunk. The stiffeners were then placed into the reliefs against the inner panel of the lid and then using self tapping screws (small) from the outside of the lid the stiffener was drawn against the lid. Rough adjustments were made to the stiffeners to obtain the required contour of the lid, then tack welds were made to the stiffeners pie cuts to lock things down a bit (as the pie cuts allow for some manipulation of the stiffeners). The stiffener is then replaced this time with some panel bond applied to the top side of the stiffener (to seat against the underside of the top skin of the lid). The screws are then placed back in the lid and not completely tightened this time. Confirmation of the contour and fit-up are made at this point using the screws to "fine-tune" as needed once the proper fitment is made panel bond is added to the underside to close everything up. I apologize as I don't have any pics of the work in progress, but post #493, I believe, shows the end result. Kory and his team seemed pretty happy with this method and the fit-up looked good to me. My ears usually burn quite a bit during the weeks when ANY panels are fit-up on the car as I am sure Kory and his team are touting the quality of the fiberglass panels... :rolleyes: Ultimately the screws will be removed and panel bond will be used to fill the holes as well. Hope this make sense to most.

[JOP33]

Here is the first attempt at the Hood Vent Concept, it is basically a shrunk down 2018 Mustang Grill. The overall is ~1.5" x 12". I am having (2) 3d Printed here locally (one with the tabs and one without to help with layout) first to test fit this weekend. I think it will be close enough dimensionally to at least prove out the concept and then make adjustments from there. My thinking was that the tab design will allow us to drill holes to panel bond to the underside of the hood, but I relieved the area in between the tabs to allow the contour to flex a bit since there are so many contours that converge in this area on the hood. I will follow up with an update (success or failure) later this week...

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[JOP33]

So I moved from Design to Reality on the Hood Vent at least in theory. I had these 3D Printed yesterday (for just $20), so now I can take them up to the shop with me tomorrow and confirm size and fit-up. I know I have seen a few of you use this process (3D Printing) on a some of your parts. There really is no better way to go when trying to build one offs of smaller components, or concept pieces for your build and this technology is just really in its infancy (very amazing)...

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[JOP33]

Little back story to begin with here...I never wanted Fenders on my 33'. I don't think they look bad on the car, I just never pictured them in my "original" design I had in my mind (my lack of visualization plays a key role in this story). However, as I go carted the car and was peppered with a barrage of pebbles from the road that runs in front of our house at the mere 10 mph that I was traveling my heartbeat slowly increased and simultaneously (in almost cinematic form) my mind would jump from the ticking of the pebbles hitting the body to the glorious Star paint scheme that I had chosen to embark on...back and forth, speeding up in my mind with every tick. And then it hit me (no, not another pebble), but that my vision of my Fenderless 33' Hot Rod was fading! Fast forward through the last year, I have been slowly coming to the realization that if I was going to spend any money at all on my paint job I was probably going to need to install fenders (if nothing else from a "protecting the investment" perspective). Every week it has been a little bit deeper conversation with myself, convincing myself that it will be okay. So over the last few months I have continued to move a little closer each week with the realization of this compromise. The conclusion I settled on (and the one that Kory and his team would be challenged with) would be that if I was going to go with Fenders, they would need to be functional, but they would need to appear "tight" to the tires wheels meaning that a significant portion of them would need to be trimmed away. Very little flaring behind the rear fenders, the corners radiused as much as possible and much (if not all) of the outside radius of the front fenders trimmed away. Throughout the conceptual process, Kory kept warning me about cutting away too much of the outside radius on the front fenders and that he was concerned that they would look too much like trailer fenders...I couldn't visualize what he meant. Earlier this week we made the first attempt at the front fender cuts based on my concept...and before the trimmed piece of fiberglass hit the shop floor, I saw what Kory had warned me about! :mad:. Like flipping a switch, it hit me like a brick. Everything I had told Kory to do, he had just done...and it looked bad! The flatness, no radius, all that I had asked for I just got! Well, the evil about this car being fiberglass that day became a blessing as Kory and his team were able to clean some areas up, trim some other areas and then surgically replace the piece I had just hours before asked them to trim away...and amazingly enough I got the look I was wanting all along! Now, we all agree that as the car goes to body prep next week (as all fab is now complete) that there is plenty of glass work to be done...but the bones are there now and the look is there. I guess the lesson for me in this is that I had learned throughout my short relationship with Kory and his shop, that first, they will always give me exactly what I am asking for (whether I truly want it or not) :p and secondly, that occasionally when an expert tells me something (many times over) I should probably fall in love with the idea for at least a few minutes before discounting it...Thanks to Kory and his team, once again for baling me out (again)! Pics of the before and after are shown below, and again, much work to be done to the repair, but we are where we need to be now (and I am content with it)!

Not for the faint at heart...

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And then the save...

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[JOP33]

Now the Rear Fenders, which I was always the most concerned about, came out awesome first time out (this might have to do with much less intervention by me on the front end)...

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As mentioned previously, I also took the vents out that I had 3D Printed. I was actually pretty impressed with the layout of these on the first try as well. I will clean a few things up and maybe stretch the length a little and shorten the height just a bit and then move to machining out of aluminum on these...

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So the car is all but done at the "fab" portion. It will move over to the body prep side next week and all though it is a huge step, there is still plenty of work to be done. Abel was showing me the underneath of the Hardtop yesterday and honestly, just not some of FFR's best work. I forgot to take pics but where all of the seams come together in the front pillar (underneath) there was nothing but broken seams. This will all have to be reinforced with glass...a flat out miss by FFR on this, but at this point I'd rather have the shop deal with it and correct the issue than try and go back and forth with FFR (and I am sure they would do the right thing), but from my perspective, it may not be the easiest thing.

[JOP33]

Not much to update this week as Kory and his team have been busy with a few other cars, however the Waterfall did get placed in and Kory and I had some really good discussion about a few items...

First, he suggested to me that at the end of this week would probably be a good time to get the car over to the audio shop so they can do the prep work for the stereo. The shop that will be doing the work has done work for me in the past and they are extremely familiar with quality, custom installation. I am not try to go for the moon here, but I do want a good sounding system and an installation that compliments the rest of the finishes on the build. My biggest challenge so (well, one of them) has been deciding on a receiver. My intent has always been to install a front facing and a back-up camera in the car. The front facing mainly to aid in pulling into parking spots or possibly "pre-view" a challenging area for the lower grill area. I know, probably 10 times out of 10 your gonna hit before you can react to it, but at least I'll feel like I did everything I could to avoid it. The back-up camera, I believe is pretty self-explanatory, especially for anyone that has sit in one of these. So the two above decisions that I have made have really narrowed my choices as far receivers...Most receivers that handle a camera input are double-din size chassis's (to allow for the screen) and then on top of that, I want to be able to control (2) cameras. Now on top of that, add that my shifter sits extremely close to the dash (in park) and even in drive I believe would make any kind of touch screen interface difficult to access. So I had initially looked at a Kenwood unit that MBB Larry is using and does accommodate the camera(s), bluetooth, etc., however it would still have to be placed right below the dash and once again that could be challenging to access. After doing some more research and talking to my audio guys yesterday I think I may go with actually mounting the unit in the area aft of the shifter on the trans tunnel. They turned me on to two possible option (both have double-din screens). The first is an Alpine shallow depth receiver that is only 2-3/8" deep, but I think the one that I am going to go with is going to be a Pioneer that the screen is only 1" in depth and can be mounted independently of the rest of the unit. So once I get past the head unit, next will be trying to figure out where we can install speakers...thinking (6) at this point, but it may drop to (4). I am going to leave that to the audio experts once they get their eyes on the vehicle. Anyway, so I am hoping to get the car trailer'd to their shop in the next week and a half at which point they will just do prep (wire routing, etc.).

Secondly, and the most exciting thing that came from our conversation was that we are setting a date of September 7th as a reveal date for the car! Actually, I set the date, and to be honest, Kory would be okay with me just driving the car home, but it is only fitting that we unveil Star Mobile One the day before the Cowboys first game of the season! I've got it written in pencil for now (just in case) :rolleyes:!

We are making a few adjustments to the hood vent, so I will try to get those mods made this week. As we start really drilling down toward a completion date, several things start swinging back my direction for scheduling and design (or at least finalizing the design)...I know some are probably saying "well it is your "build""! Believe me, I sometimes have to stop and remind myself that I did get this car to the Go Cart stage...;). So finalizing the "star" layout and also the final design for the interior are also on tap this week. I suggested to Kory that we try using an Artograph on the star (see pics below from in the shop - the star is about 70" wide). I think it will help his team layout the masking on the side of the car.

The final thing we discussed, and the most important to my wife is that we are on target with the budget for 121 Rod & Restorations portion of this build...:cool:!

Well stay tuned all, I know I just seemed to ramble on today, but it really does stink not having the car here to work on (as yard work is not a fun alternative), but I like to try and post an update at least weekly.

Waterfall Install...
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Took some measurements as well to help me decide on some speaker locations...
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This is a "paper doll" cut out of the Alpine Stereo I was thinking of using (maybe)...
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I think last week I may have posted a rant about the hardtop fiberglass work from FFR without any pictures - here are the pics of where the seams come together...
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Pic of Star projected on shop wall with Artograph...
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[JOP33]

So after some further discussion with Kory yesterday and talking through some of his concerns with sending the car to an Audio Shop for the sound work, I decided that between he, Abel and I, we will take on the Audio and Video install for the vehicle. He brought up some extremely valid points...Audio Shops are usually all about the sound and (in most cases) are not so concerned about the functionality of other things within the car (or the rest of the build for that matter). This tends to be even more so the case when they are not dealing with a "factory built" vehicle. Now the quality of sound and installation you might get may be superb, but cabinets may be built for airspace that impede on other areas of access and so on. In the end, he said that historically, they have had to spend some time after they get cars back either altering or fixing areas that might no longer work for the build. I think I will still be able to get good quality sound out of a system that will be extremely functional and there is no question in my mind that Kory and Abel will install everything to compliment the quality of work they have shown so far. All in all, I feel really good about this decision and actually purchased the Head Unit(s) (two because I'm not sure just yet which I am going to use) and then the (2) cameras we will be installing in the front (behind the grill) and then a back-up camera in the rear. Speakers will come later. I will share more details on the components and any challenges we encounter along the way as this portion of the build progresses.

J

[peterh226]

I’m thinking along the same lines on cameras. One mounted above the rear window in the hardtop, and the second up front somewhere once I can start to play with it. I’m interested in the head end unit you choose as well. So many options and choices.

[JOP33]

Received the two Head Units today along with the Cameras. No real feedback to provide at this point on any of it other than all well packaged and all sizes lived up to what was promised. Still no decision on which way I will go as of yet...

Pioneer DMH-C2550NEX Digital Media Receiver
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Alpine ILX-W650 Digital Media Receiver
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Clarion CC720 Camera
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Stay tuned for additional feedback as I have it!

[FF33rod]

We're thinking along the same lines. I'm waiting for the Sony XAV-AX7000 to be released. It's a digital media receiver but with double the power output per channel. So good robust sound without the need for an external amp. I will be using the Pioneer BC8 backup camera.
Steve

[JOP33]

We're thinking along the same lines. I'm waiting for the Sony XAV-AX7000 to be released. It's a digital media receiver but with double the power output per channel. So good robust sound without the need for an external amp. I will be using the Pioneer BC8 backup camera.
Steve

Great minds right! I am also playing around with possibly (2) 3-1/2" 2-Ways in the front (SOMEWHERE???) and then (2) 6-1/2" 2-Ways in the Rear. Let the stereo run the fronts and power the rears off a 2 Channel Amp x 60. Maybe add sub later if that's not enough.

[FF33rod]

I'm hoping to find some shallow ~5" 2 or 3 way and squeeze them into the front lower corner of the doors (may have to make a raised mount for them as there isn't much depth available) and then, like you, some 6-1/2 3 ways in the waterfall. Saw somewhere that it's possible to fit an enclosed slim sub under the passenger seat... update: JimLev's build thread had some discussion on speakers, around post 270 on pg 7 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26821-JimLev-s-Build&p=366958&highlight=subwoofer#post366958

[JOP33]

So as previously mentioned, I decided to leave the car out with Kory and his Team for the Audio/Video prep work opposed to hauling the the car back over my way for a weeks worth of prep and then taking it back to their shop for the remainder of the build. A few things went into my reasoning here...first, Kory and his Team have shown time and time again that they are more than equipped and capable of handling anything that has been thrown at them during the course of the build. Secondly, Kory brought up some valid points with regards to another shop handling the Audio/Video work. An Audio shop has one goal in mind and that is to give you the best Stereo System they can offer (and ultimately the best sound) for your vehicle. Just on paper, this is not a bad thing nor is it meant to be critical of anyone who chooses to go that route, however when that is you number one focus the rest of the build become secondary. I could tell in my discussion with Kory that had had vehicles leave his shop for Stereo work (or other work) and ultimately when he received the cars back, may have had to modify some of the work done to bring everything back in line with the ultimate goal of finishing out a high quality build. Audio work specifically, cabinets tend to be built in areas that may need to be accessed throughout the rest of the build process and ultimately this adds time and money for the customer and may or may not also effect the sound quality of the system. Finally, it came down to logistics...121 R & R is about 85 miles from me and 70 miles from the shop that would have been doing the Audio work. This would have meant hauling the car there this weekend, back next weekend after prep and then back once again in a few weeks for final component install. I will offer a bit of an opinion here for those that are currently building or think about it (and you can take it for what it is worth)...by all means build the car that YOU want, put everything YOU want in it, change things about it YOU don't like or that YOU want differently, update things, purchase third party items, but whenever possible try to make the build easy on yourself WHEN YOU can without compromising too much! So after the points I have listed above, Kory kept the car at the shop this week. I purchased a couple head units and the cameras only at this point, so I took those out with me yesterday. When I arrived I was surprised to see that Kory and Abel had already done a mock-up of a console and placed it in the car. Seeing the mock-up in the car just set my mind at ease about so many things regarding the Audio & Video set-up. I believe we are leaning toward the remotely mounted Pioneer unit being installed in the traditional location of a stereo (under the dash). I was concerned about this originally as my shifter was so far forward I thought there might be an issue accessing it. The depth of the Pioneer will allow for it to be recessed a bit, but still allow for (2) 4" (maybe 5") speakers mounted either side of the console. One of the concerns Kory had mentioned about placing the unit aft of the shifter was that first (when the top is off) it will take the brunt of any elements (in Texas that means the Summer Sun), also related to this, was that viewing in the direct sunlight could be a bit challenging...all in all I am extremely relieved that we will be able to put the unit where it was meant to be placed. The console you see in the pics is a hybrid...it started out as Dan Ruths console that he offers and then it got trimmed in some areas and wood added to the rear to allow for storage (the armrest will pivot up). The switches you see (Power Windows DS/PS, Safety Pin & one open) will actually be placed in the tapered down wood portion of the console. Inside the storage will also have a "power receptacle" too (I am old enough to know that this is code for cigarette lighter):p. Kory and I talked through the wants vs. needs of a cup holder...I think I can live without it and Kory believes it invites others to think it is okay to bring drinks into you car (fair point). I left yesterday not needing a cup holder...once I got home my wife may have changed my mind for me, but I won't know until she tells me for sure :confused:! Kory didn't think fitting one in would be too much of a challenge. Additionally, we discussed the plan of putting a component speaker just forward of the space where the door striker is installed and then ultimately going with (2) 6-1/2" (5-1/4") speakers worst case behind the seats in the waterfall (he also felt something could be installed low in the chassis behind the door (if need be)...I think we would both be happy with (4) speakers minimum & if we go (6) in we'd feel like we where sneaking something by! As you will notice from the pics, Abel made the cuts for the AC vents as well this week. There is still a bit of clean up being done to the area on the body that receives the hardtop as well as the getting the window frame to mesh with that area in a good way. Abel also did a bit of glass work on the front fenders and he is also working on modifying the area where the waterfall meets the door jamb. Kory said that they would really like to have a lip there to use standard wind lacing for weatherproofing. We briefly discussed locating the front and rear facing cameras as well...the front will require a much longer discussion, but I think we are planning on installing the back-up camera in the lower lip of the body just above where the license would rest...we are both concerned that on this vehicle if we went on the plates the camera might be too low and lose some of its functionality (nothing set in stone yet). We have also lengthened the Hood Scoop Vent a bit and have decided to flip it upside down...the curves this way tend to match the raised hood area a little better. The challenge on this is (and has been) getting someone to machine it. I am going to beef it up just slightly (the face is only .090" now, will increase to .125"). The intent here is to not make it too cumbersome but flexible enough to still curve a bit. Machining it out of aluminum is my best case scenario...I have also talked with someone about the possibility of 3D printing it out of Aluminum as well. The issue with the latter is that there would be some additional post processing to get the final finish required. Finally, I had been trying to source some rubber for the window beltline and once I was able to find a source, we decided to actually replicate the angled pieces that Dan Ruth had provided with his window kit and use them on both the inside and outside of the window (the rubber has not been installed yet in the pics, but the angles have been bonded). Little long winded today, but a lot was covered in my visit yesterday. I have actually started finalizing size and layout of the star as well, but I will share more about that soon!

Various Shots of the Console Mock-up...

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[JOP33]

Vent Install...

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Fender Prep...

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Waterfall Mods...

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Hood Scoop Vent...

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Back-Up Camera Location (proposed)...

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Hardtop Fit-Up Buildup...

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[JOP33]

So after a few no quotes and several other exorbitantly priced quotes on the one-off Hood Scoop Vent I designed, I reached out to gentleman that has 3D printed the plastic prototypes for me. After discussing a bit, I have decided to have him 3D print the final part from a 65-35 Aluminum Filament blend. Apparently, they run the same part as the prototype (from an STL file) and oversize it by about 20%. It is then sent out to be Kiln fired where the heat essentially vaporizes the 35% mix of the filament leaving a 100% aluminum part. He will then polish to a show quality finish....previous quotes for CNC Machining the one-off vent have been up to $1200...this guy has guaranteed 100% satisfaction for the price of $225! I will keep you all informed on this, as the aluminum 3D printing is a new process for me that I am not all that familiar with, but if it works like he says it does (he has done custom valve covers this way as well), this is a game changer for custom builds!

[sethmark]

I’m excited to see the results. We do a lot of rapid product dev and use 3D printing more and more.

[JOP33]

Just a few things to cover this week, first Kory had to talk me off the ledge a bit as I was concerned with the time line we had set (I actually set it, he just agreed to it). We had discussed a few weeks back with me tentatively taking delivery of the vehicle the first week of September (8 weeks away :eek:) and from my perspective there still seems to be a lot to do (including the interior). I felt much better after he assured me twice yesterday that we are ok on time. I then confirmed with Abel our approach on the Audio set-up...

- (1) Pioneer DMH-C2550NEX - Digital Multimedia Reciever (it allows for the "brains" to be mounted in one location and then an extremely thin user interface to mounted anywhere else
- (2) Focal PC100 2-Way 4" x 2-1/16" Speakers to the left and the right of the receiver (enclosed in BoomMat foam enclosures)
- (2) Focal PC165F 2-Way 6-1/2" x 2-5/8" Speakers placed behind each seat in the waterfall (enclosed in BoomMat foam enclosures)
- (1) JBL A6002 2-Channel Amplifier (installed on the Trunk Wall)
The Receiver will power the (2) front speakers while the amp powers the (2) rear speakers. We were hoping to get a second set of speakers somewhere down in front of the door latch area, but it will be extremely difficult given all that is already laid out in that area. I think we all agree this will give a car of this size plenty of quality sound...

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We will also have to increase the Jamb contact switches from the (5) pin to the (7) pin set. This is going to require that we move the pin set from the current location (low on the face of the door to low on the rear of the door and on the Hinge Pillar)...

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Abel also mentioned that IF the spacing of the shifter in relation to the Receiver still is an issue, we may be able to install a different shifter lever, but we have decided to hold off for the time being on this.

The Hood Receiver Ports and Pins are in as well. I don't know that Tim Whittaker still offers the ports, but to me they are a night and day difference from what FFR offers...maybe they should reach out to Tim and have him provide them standard for their kits...

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The Hood Prop is also installed. We went with the center location for a couple of reasons, First the Optional Extra Clearance Hood leaves only a few locations for mounting the prop rod as is and secondly, by mounting in the center of the hood I will be able to access it from either side of the vehicle...

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The Recessed M/C Covers have been drilled and countersunk as well. I will get these polished or chromed...

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Finally, Abel has been putting some time in on the area where the Waterfall and the Main Body come together. He actually trimmed the lip off the Waterfall and will panel bond it to the body. The Waterfall edge will be trimmed back and standard Windlacing will be able to be used here to help seal the area. I think this area will look awesome when complete...

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[FF33rod]

That is coming along great! Really interested in seeing how the waterfall to body interface at the door develops now that it's been cut...

That sounds like quite a cool process for the 3D printing to remove the 35% non metallic component. Again, will be interesting to see the final part.

Tim still makes the receivers for the hood pins but not the hood pins themselves

Steve

[AJT '33]

I understand all that work and planning will be worth it! Can you get a better shot of how you mounted both ends of the hood prop rod? That's the one item I did not do yet and would appreciate seeing how you set it up. TY!!

[JOP33]

I understand all that work and planning will be worth it! Can you get a better shot of how you mounted both ends of the hood prop rod? That's the one item I did not do yet and would appreciate seeing how you set it up. TY!!

I will follow up later this week with additional pics of the area.

[JOP33]

False Bottom installed in trunk to help with Trunk rigidity and more stable latching (this is all Kory's idea and seemed to work great on Bill's 33)...

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[JOP33]

Made it by the shop today. Bodywork is starting now. Will need to be purchasing paint within the next two weeks and Kory says I need to set aside a couple days to be out at the shop during the masking of the Star...;).

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As I had previously mentioned, due to cost, I ended up going the route of 3D printing the Hood Scoop Vent out of Aluminum instead of machining...I just received these photos from my guy and must admit, from the photos alone...I am pretty impressed! Hope to have them in my hand by the end of the week...

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[wrp]

Painting is exciting, you will enjoy the process

[JOP33]

I understand all that work and planning will be worth it! Can you get a better shot of how you mounted both ends of the hood prop rod? That's the one item I did not do yet and would appreciate seeing how you set it up. TY!!

They were doing so much sanding and had everything closed up, I didn't want to disturb anything by opening the hood up to take pics, but I definitely will make a point to the next time I have the opportunity to do so. It is just the 90 degree ball connect bracket attached to the glass cross brace. The end of the rod just happens to land on top of the distributor (for me). I am not sure what hardware was used or if any additional bonding was done, but I will follow up on this.

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[JOP33]

I know ya'll are probably sick of hearing about this "dang" vent, but I went and picked this up today...and all I can say is wow! I have used 3D printing for a couple of prototype items (in plastic), but never seen it done with aluminum and I am absolutely amazed at how this turned out...

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[progmgr1]

I’ve got to admit that those 3D printed parts look impressive! I haven’t been involved with this technology since the dark ages, back when printed parts were plastic or wax molding cores. These parts are a major improvement in finish and dimensional fidelity over those days, and they’re made of metal! My questions are: How strong are they? What level of abuse will they tolerate? Are you concerned about damage from an airborne rock or a random tool slip? Even if they are fragile, they look awesome! Glad they turned out so well. Keith

[JOP33]

It’s actually much more rigid than I expected it to be. It’s 100% aluminum at this point. I had actually thickened the web by .030” when all the machine shops started freaking out about trying to machine it. Had I known it was going to be this rigid I would have left it where it was. I am pretty sure it would withstand a stout impact and to be honest if a rock hits that area of the hood, I’ll likely be more concerned about the hood and paint...after all I have the model and the guy that did them is right down from where I work.

[JOP33]

Kory sent me these updated photos late yesterday...

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[AJT '33]

YUP, I lived that dustfest over the last 5 months too!!!!! Glad to be in wet sanding and not have that dust anymore!!
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[JOP33]

Making final selections on Paint colors and discussing and selecting interior layout and colors as well this weekend...starting to get really exciting now as things are progressing quickly...

Paint Colors...

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Proposed Interior Layout...

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[JOP33]

Just spent about two hours down at the Motor Vehicle office discussing the future registration & titling of the car. There seems to be some some clarification required on a few items regarding what will allow me to only inspect once, but I have reached out to a couple local builders and they have confirmed what MV was telling me. I also now have an email that I can communicate back and forth through and when it was all said and done they were extremely patient and helpful. Just a few more i's to dot and t's to cross!

[JOP33]

Took some important steps today...I needed to cross reference the color chips that I had chosen for the car over to another Manufacturer, so I visited TNT Color in Gainesville this morning to select from some colors they offer that match the previous ones I had chosen. Tony at TNT was pretty quick to find color equivalents and although it chose about five variations of each of the white, silver & blue...I really couldn't tell the difference! :p I guess that is the difference between a professional eye...and mine!

The next stop was back to 121 R & R to meet up with Kory and then head to the upholsterer to talk about interior layout and choose colors (more on that in a minute). They made some good headway this week on the car, lots more bodywork completed...

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Here is a pic of the aluminum hood vent just laying in place...

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So as mentioned earlier, Kory took me over to Leo's Upholstery in McKinney today and we discussed the Interior Layout that I had envisioned for the car. All along my intention was to go with leather in the interior and even as late as this morning, I was jumping back and forth. In the end, one of the points that kind of brought things home for me was that Ron (@ Leo's) mentioned that leather (even some of the high end stuff) doesn't like direct sun (a lot) or rain. Now with regards to the latter, it is never my intention to drive the car, with the top off, in the rain. I use to ride a motorcycle too and it was never my intention to be caught on it out in a downpour either...but it happens! The direct sunlight is something I hadn't thought about and although I hope to be able to get some significant driving in on this car, at this point I don't know how much time the top will be off compared to on. Also having the top off at car shows would test things pretty good. Ron was quick to point out though, with whichever way I go...it's not going to be the type of car that spends it's entire life out in the sun on a daily basis. For me, what helped me make the pivotal selection was the material itself that I decided to go with. It is Marine Grade Vinyl that has a Carbon Fiber look to it. Ron said that wears and cleans up well and from his perspective, works well also (easy to stitch). I am going to go with Silver stitching and then I am going to fab an aluminum insert (star) that Ron will cover in White vinyl for the door. He is also going to do some research for the armrest as I want to cover this in a "football" leather. This area will see a lot of use and might be susceptible to dirt, sweat, etc., and it will add something a little different. I have found a few football texture vinyls, but Ron said he would check things out and ultimately if we have to use real footballs, we can do that as well. Finally, I decided to upgrade from the stock FFR carpet that came with the kit. I don't really think there is anything too inferior with the carpet in the kit, however I told Ron that I wanted something that if grass got in the car, it wouldn't get trapped in the pile of the carpet. I am staying with the black on this. I am really happy and excited about all the choices I made today. Once again Kory offered up some GREAT opinions, but ultimately let me come to my own conclusions. It was good to have him there for the deciding vote though a couple of times!

Carbon Fiber (look) Marine Grade Vinyl...

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For the week ahead, I have some design work to do on the door insets for Ron and then there is that whole Motor Vehicle thing I still need to lock down :confused:. And it sounds like it will be more bodywork at the shop from Kory and his team.

[JOP33]

Seem to be making some headway on Registration (prep). The local office called me today and confirmed that I should not have any tax due as the statute states "home built" vehicles not be accessed a tax. Also, stated the Replica Street Rod would make the vehicle exempt from the annual inspection. She also stated that I should be prepared to have the local law enforcement task force do a Serial # Audit on the vehicle, so that they would allow for the use of the FFR Chassis # as the VIN. She seemed to think that this truly wasn't necessary based off how she read the documents, but said that when she called to confirm with DMV she got quite a bit of push back from them, so she told me just to plan on it. Please remember that at this point this is all in "theory" at this point. I will move the info to the Registration Thread once it comes to fruition...:p

[TDSapp]

Seem to be making some headway on Registration (prep). The local office called me today and confirmed that I should not have any tax due as the statute states "home built" vehicles not be accessed a tax. Also, stated the Replica Street Rod would make the vehicle exempt from the annual inspection. She also stated that I should be prepared to have the local law enforcement task force do a Serial # Audit on the vehicle, so that they would allow for the use of the FFR Chassis # as the VIN. She seemed to think that this truly wasn't necessary based off how she read the documents, but said that when she called to confirm with DMV she got quite a bit of push back from them, so she told me just to plan on it. Please remember that at this point this is all in "theory" at this point. I will move the info to the Registration Thread once it comes to fruition...:p

I think the inspection by the local law enforcement is not only used for making sure the VIN is not in use but to check and make sure the motor\transmission did not come from a hot car. Just make sure you have your recipients for the major components with you when you go.


Tim

[JOP33]

I drew up some inserts for the upholsterer to use on the door panels and had them cut from 1/8" and then installed some flush pem studs to allow to connect the insert to the main door panel. The is to cover the insert in white vinyl and then stab it onto the field of blue to carry over the star theme...

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[ztoolman44]

False Bottom installed in trunk to help with Trunk rigidity and more stable latching (this is all Kory's idea and seemed to work great on Bill's 33)...

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Looks perfect for running moonshine

[JOP33]

Yes...check out Bills set-up...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=100606&d=1547329151

[JOP33]

Not a lot to update today...the tech that has been handling most of the work on the car was out with some health issues this week, so just a couple items to cover. They worked on some final fit-up of the hardtop to the chassis (specifically the cowl area or upper dash). Having to do a bit of build-up in this area with Dynaglass. Then on the front of the hardtop, they plan on glassing that area to make a smooth transition. They also blocked of the body a bit more this week. I took some pics (and dims) of the area around the shifter as I want to make a teardrop shaped shifter ring instead of using the square or round ones you typically see. I also grabbed up the FFR Door Sills as I think I want to change that design some as well...

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[TDSapp]

I took some pics (and dims) of the area around the shifter as I want to make a teardrop shaped shifter ring instead of using the square or round ones you typically see.


So why a tear drop and not a star shifter ring?

Tim

[JOP33]

Oh Tim, you know that was my first thought :rolleyes:! I know it's difficult to see in the original picture I posted, but it should be a little more clearer in the one shown below...The star would have to have a bend in it and because of very little clearance between the shifter park position and the bottom of where the radio will sit, I would have to skew the star (it would be wider than tall). For that reason alone, I decided to just keep it clean and simple (this should also make the stitching for the shifter boot not be so challenging. With that being said...any true Cowboy fan knows that a teardrop typically makes its appearance on several occasions during a season :p!

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[JOP33]

I also just received a sample swatch of some Faux Football Leather. I thought it would be cool to cover the armrest in the car with Football Leather or something of the sorts since this area will see a lot of use. I am pretty happy with the sample I received. The other option still on the table is to use actual footballs, but I think stitching pieces together to get the size needed may create some issues. I had reached out to Wilson Football last week and told them what I was doing in hopes of getting some Official NFL Football leather, however they informed me that they are not allowed to sell any of the material they use...to which I promptly responded "I'd be happy to take it for free?". Needless to say, I am working on plans B and C now!

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[JOP33]

Just wanted to mention that I am (slowly) beginning to inventory some of the parts I am not using or have used alternatives on. I hope to have some of these items up on the For Sale thread this weekend and will continue to add them as I bring them back from the shop. Below is not a comprehensive list, but what I DO know I have...if interested you can PM me. I also might add, that I don't feel any of these products are inferior by any means. Just in my build, for whatever reason (spacial constraints, aesthetics, layout, etc.) I ended up not using them.

Front Headlights - Factory Five Racing's (33' Stock Parts)
Tail Lights - Factory Five Racing (33' Stock Parts)
Brake Line Reservoir(s) - Factory Five Racing (33' Stock Parts)
Rear View Mirror - Factory Five Racing (33' Stock Parts)
Carpet - Factory Five Racing (33' Stock Parts)
Stainless Corrugated Radiator Tubing - Factory Five Racing (33' Stock Parts)
Outside Door Handles - Factory Five Racing (33' Stock Parts)
AC Dash Vents Round, Chrome, Plastic - Classic Auto Air
1/2", 5 on 4.5" Wheel Spacers (2) - Summit Racing
Stainless Polished Front Chin Keel (Dan Ruth's)
Defrost Vent Manifold (Tim Whitaker's)
Trunk Adjustment Mount (Tim Whitaker's)

Thanks

[JOP33]

The two most challenging aspects for me, on any project (car or otherwise), have always been budget and deadline...and this project plays out to be no differently. They tend to also be the least fun in dealing with...:p. With that being said, as we get closer to the checkered flag on the Star Mobile One build, Kory and I review both areas. Last month was the first time we added a "deadline" to the discussion, prior to then it had just been budget review. Both budget and deadline have been set by me, so all are decisions that I made and have control over. Budget wise, Kory and his team have done an amazing job accomplishing what I have asked them to within the budget I set and even now we look great in that area! Deadline (or delivery) may be a bit more challenging, and to be honest I knew this when I came up with this date. Last month in our discussion about the delivery date (September 7th, day before the first game) we both accepted that it was realistic, but would be challenging. This month, I believe we are both a little more concerned about hitting that date. What I will say, is that much like every other discussion I have had with Kory or a member of his team, he (they) have always been completely open and honest with their thoughts or concerns and have never been afraid to voice them to me...and to me, there are only a few shops out there with that kind of respect for the owner of the vehicle they are working on. So just to summarize, we are right where we need to be on budget and Kory assures me that he is still targeting the day we spoke about for delivery and will continue to do what he can to make that happen, but in the end we both agreed that we would not sacrifice a less than perfect finished vehicle to hit a date and am extremely ok with that (remember, full interior has to be completed within this time as well :().

I also fully committed to the colors this week by purchasing (1) Gal of Black Epoxy Primer & Catalyst, (1) Qt of Automotive Art Base: Galaxy White, (1) Qt of Automotive Art, Base: Indigo Lights Pearl, (1-1/2) Gals of Automotive Art, Base: Switchblade Silver :D, and (1-1/2) Gals of PPG Concept Clear with Hardener & Reducer...

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A lot of body prep being done this week at the shop, Aaron, who will be painting the car got point blanked by Kory..."Will this car be painted in two weeks"? After about a full minute pause, Aaron just shook his head up and down and said "I think so"...that's good enough for me.

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It's my understanding that Aaron will block down the area where the hardtop will sit, they will then use packing tape down on the surface of the body, place the hardtop on and then will glass and fill the required areas that need it from the hardtop to the body.

[JOP33]

They also were able to get the rough cut for the vent done. Still some clean up to do for a nice snug fit, but I love the way this came out!

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In the mean time while Kory and his guys are doing the tough sledding, I am working on a design for door sills, shifter trim plate & an e-brake trim plate. I'll post more about these (hopefully) later this week.

I am also trying to make my final decisions regarding the Grill & Roadster Window Frame finishes.

[JOP33]

Have decided to Polish the Roadster Window Frame and Chrome the Grill. I had originally thought about doing both Chrome, but Kory brought up an interesting perspective that I would have never thought about...he said that you really want think about Chroming pieces that are going to be in your line of sight. The reflection on sunny days could cause some issues. To each his own, but I thought that was extremely thought out. Anyway, I removed the glass from the Frame today, just two machine screws on either side and then a gentle tap to push the two pieces apart. The studs in the bottom have an Allen Head Hex configuration in them so they twist out as well, back together with the frame, and it's ready for polish!

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[JOP33]

Have also added some parts to the Sale Thread...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?33065-FFR-33-Hot-Rod-Parts-(unused-amp-in-box)

[JOP33]

Here are some preliminary designs on the Door Sill, Shifter Trim Ring & E-Brake Trim Ring. I will paper-doll these and confirm fit-up and adjust as needed before going to fab...

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[JOP33]

Looks like Kory and his guys are making some good headway. Posted some updated pics last night...

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[JOP33]

And then some guide coat...

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:cool:

[JOP33]

Made it back out to the shop this weekend. Good progress this week, but it is becoming more evident that we will probably not hit the Delivery Date of 9.6.19 that I had originally hoped for. Although I am a little disappointed with this, as like many situations with this build, I find myself having to make little compromises along the way...do you rush to hit a date you had in your mind or let it progress organically and ultimately result in what hopes to be a high quality build - and of course for me is the latter. With that being said, it looks as though we will only be a week (two max) off that date - keeping my fingers crossed :confused:. First prime coat went on this week and Kory and his team are knee deep in blocking it off. After speaking to him this weekend, he feels like they will be done blocking Monday and possibly have a second (and final) coat of primer on the car. He anticipates being able to start cutting in some color by the end of the week and be in to full blown color the following week!

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[JOP33]

I also had made up some paper dolls of the Shifter Trim Ring, E-Brake Trim Ring & Door Sill...so I took those out with me this weekend to check fit-up. The Shifter Ring fit perfect (almost like I knew what I was doing) and even the E-Brake Ring only needs a few adjustments. The Sill, I am going to make some adjustments and I think I will fab one just to see what the true fit-up is going to be....I am kind of torn on the finish for these. I like the chrome look, but these will have feet drug across them constantly - I have been thinking about the possibility of Linex Spraying them a Blue to match the star, but still undecided on this...

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We also have two...three options with regards to laying out the star on the car for masking and painting... First, is just the old fashioned way - Tape, Second is a digital projector that allows to take an image and project it on the wall and Third is an analog projector that works just like an old overhead projector (for those that remember those :p). I think taping off is a good fall back, but I told Kory I would bring out both of these other options and they can go with what they feel will work best. The challenge with both of the projector options is that you have to be about 15 to 20 feet away from the side of the vehicle to get it to size and it has to be fairly dim in the area you area working in...

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[NAZ]

If you're thinking of bed liner, look at Raptor by U-pol: https://www.u-pol.com/us/en/products/bed-liner-protective-coating

I've used four brands of bed liner and Linex is the gold standard. Raptor is on par with Linex and can be tinted or painted over with your exact color. You can apply it yourself either roller or sprayer. While the product is not cheap it is less expensive to DIY on small parts than taking them to your local Linex dealer.

I should add that it adheres great to fiberglass and I used it on areas of the body that show the rough fiberglass finish to give a finished textured look.

[JOP33]

Haven't made it out to this shop today, but Kory posted these pics late Thursday night...

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[JOP33]

Here are some additional pictures from my visit to the shop last weekend. Not really anything new visually, just better quality photos. The plan last week was to be finished priming and blocking and be cutting in the interior, that plan still holds true for this week. I still need to get the grill in my possession so I can get it to the chromers as well. I am currently working on polishing the window frame myself and hope to have it done this weekend. Hitting the start of the season for delivery now is definitely off the table and although we are still five weeks away from the Good Guys Car Show (I pre-registered :() I think making that may be in jeopardy as well, but I still have hope...Just painting, clear, buffing, interior, final fit-ups, chrome, final mechanicals & tuning & then registration - that is a looooong list to still be hopeful about.

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[JOP33]

Kory and I did discuss the options for finishing out the Engine Side Covers. Some have done the mirrored stainless panels that look really good and offer some added rigidity to the panels. I told Kory that I thought for my build that this wasn't a good use of budget. I can laser cut the panels (and even already have the digitized templates), but even at my cost these would run me ~$300 for the set and I feel that the engine compartments on these cars are so tight that I wouldn't gain anything with that. So I stuck with my original plan, which was to just do a uniformed undercoating on all the undersides of the Fenders and then the inside of the Engine Side Panels. I did let him know that if he feels like we need some additional stabilization around the Headwind Headlights, we can do a polished stainless washer or something.

[JOP33]

Still doing some final paint prep at the shop this week. I spoke with Arron who will be painting the car and he said the plan is to cut in all the Silver on the interior, doors, hood, decklid & top. Then put the doors, hood & decklid back on the car & paint the interior Blue. The Dash face in the car will be blue and carry over on the triangular surfaces on the door. We will use an 1/8" white pinstripe where the two meet. Then once all of that is done. We will start laying out the star on the outside of the car.

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[JOP33]

I am also going to pick up the grill tomorrow and then take it for Chroming. About a week and a half ago I decided I was going to give polishing the Window Frame a try myself. I had never really polished anything (at least nothing substantial), so this was going to be interesting. I first had the holes for sun visors tig welded and this is when we started running into a porosity problem. The welder kept just chasing the pin holes, so I finally just told him to do the best he could and I would live with. Just seemed to be a lot of contaminants in the material (these are guys that weld aluminum all day long every day for a living, so I trusted they did all they could). I took the frame home and was surprised to see how many very deep scratches were in the aluminum, particularly in the concave curved area of the underside of the frame. So I set out starting with 80 Grit (only in specific areas that needed it) and then ran 120 across the entire frame followed by 180 & 320 on a DA. Once I hit 600, I used wet/dry paper in a bath of soapy water, making sure to rotate and keep the paper clean. Once I ran the 600 everywhere I followed it with 1000, 1500 & 2500 all by hand :(. After the 1500, I switched to a wet/dry 3000 grit polishing pad and then finished up with a 5000 grit polishing pad. On the final pass with the 5000 grit, I actually layed down some Mirror Glaze on the pad itself and polished it one more time. It's still not perfect, but I am extremely happy with how it turned out and it was a great learning experience. After buying all the materials, I may have saved myself only $50-$100, but I would definitely try polishing again. With the grill I really want the chrome look, so I will bite the bullet and have it professionally chromed instead of polishing. Will still need to put the window back in and then wrap it up until install.

Pre-Polished...
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Post Polished...
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[JOP33]

Here are few pics of the Silver Cut-in from Monday...

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Also Kory met me half way with the Grill yesterday and Larry (MBB Larry) from Grapevine is going to be kind enough to take the Grill up to Gainesville to the Chromers when he picks his stuff of :cool:.

[AJT '33]

It starts to feel real when you see the color going down!!!

[JOP33]

It starts to feel real when you see the color going down!!!

Yes sir it does!

[JOP33]

So I brought my Trim Rings for the E-Brake and the Shifter home yesterday and sanded both down a bit and countersunk the holes. I made these out of 11ga Hot Rolled Steel. I wanted to make from 13ga but we didn't have that material in stock so I just had them ran from 11ga. In hindsight, probably just a bit too stout, but they will suffice. I will take both up to the shop when I go and just double-check the fit. The shifter ring is we be a little more challenging as it gets a bit of bend put in it. Once I confirm the fit-up, these parts will be chromed as well and I will have boots made for both out of the blue vinyl...

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[JOP33]

More pics from Kory today showing the Silver Base Coat & some Clear...

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It's my understanding that the doors will go back on, so that the blue dash and carry over to the inside of the doors can be painted and then of course the layout of the star on the outside, then final coats of clear.

Can't wait to see in person!

[FF33rod]

Looking great!

[JOP33]

Had an opportunity to actually go out and put eyes on the paint today and it looks great! They went with four coats of base silver, two heavy coats of clear on all surfaces that won't have additional paint sprayed, one light coat on areas that will receive the blue and then will follow with another heavy coat of clear over everything. Aaron was doing some wet sanding today. The plan is to try and get all panels back on and then lay out the star Monday or Tuesday.

[JOP33]

Few more pics from Paint and Trim Rings...

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[JOP33]

So after all the planning, purchasing projector (both opaque and digital) for the layout of the star, sometimes keeping it simple just works best! Yesterday we scrapped all (well almost all) technology and just went old school...with tape! I am speaking as though I have done this many times (and believe me I haven't, but I was with a team today that has...thank God!), you really get a sense of of how asymmetric the car really is when you start lying out graphics. Where graphic lines cross body lines, spacial placement, etc. and in the end you just have to find the best compromise (the contours of the body don't help things either). Yesterday we were able to get the lines dropped for the outline of the blue star and I was extremely happy with the way this went. Kory took on the bulk of the layout and I really only provided some technical support for measurements...shout out to Adrian back at my shop as my laptops version of Draftsight was not the same as what I use at the house so when I got to Kory's and needed to pull a few additional dimensions I had to call a friend I work with to open the file and provide a little extra support. This morning Kory will layout for the white portion of the star. They will then paint the white, tape off for the outside and inside field of blue and paint it as well. Once the outside line was done, I told Kory I didn't really feel there would be any benefit to me just hovering around watching over their shoulders, so they will be own their own today...

We were still playing around with the location of one of the legs of the star on the side view, which is why the tape looks like it is off a bit. We locked it down and cleaned it up once we rolled it back into the booth.

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I also spoke to the Chromer and he will have the grill back to me this time next week along with the shifter ring and e-brake trim. The hope is to have this thing in interior next Tuesday. I am spending some time the rest of this week working the plan for Theft Audit, Scale Weight Certification, Safety Inspection and final Titling & Registration :eek:.

[sethmark]

I love how crisp your vision is for the finished product.

[JOP33]

I love how crisp your vision is for the finished product.

Thank you. I have lost a lot of sleep because of it, many times, but it keeps me on track!

[JOP33]

A Star Is Born!

We took a few liberties in adjusting the star based off the body lines...

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I have not seen this in person yet, but it looks AMAZING to me right now!

[JOP33]

And then the Dash...

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[FF33rod]

I can imagine how excited you are at this stage, that is looking oh so good!

[JOP33]

Got the Door Sill Pieces today as well as the Shifter & E-Brake Trim Rings. I will take the Sill Pieces up tomorrow just to confirm fit & my intention is to have those Line-X or Raptor Coated to match the blue on the car. Don't get me wrong, I like the Chrome & Polished look on the Sills, but these parts are going to get feet drug across them all the time. I think opting for something a little more wear resistant & durable in this area will work out well. Plus the custom cut outs in the Sill will show through the Silver of the car & I think will contrast nicely against the blue of the Sill.

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[JOP33]

Final Clear just applied...
Off to Interior on Monday and then back toward end of week for Final Assembly & Buffing!

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[sethmark]

And you got to keep Ezekiel! A good week.

[JOP33]

And you got to keep Ezekiel! A good week.

Yes, there was a point earlier this week where art was imitating life...the only thing missing from the team and car was an overpriced star!

[JOP33]

Making some headway on the interior now...

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[sethmark]

Are the seats blue?

[JOP33]

Are the seats blue?

Yes, Blue Marine Grade Vinyl with White stitching.

[JOP33]

Latest update on interior...

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[sethmark]

Wow!!! Your dedication to the theme is astounding...

[JOP33]

Just went and picked up the Sill Covers from local Line-x shop. They look good to me, I think they will look even better against the Silver backdrop of the body...

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Also, to update...I have (along MBB Larry - another local builder) had quite a frustrating experience with having the FFR Grill Chromed. We have both used a very reputable shop and in both instances they have had to deal with a significant amount of pitting and pinholing in the grill. I believe on Larry's they have re-chromed (3x) now and mine is going in for it's second attempt. It seems as though after polishing post copper is when the pits show up and then it's back in the cyanide. These guys are going above in beyond in my eyes to get an awesome finished product, but the process and timing is just extremely frustrating.

[HVACMAN]

Just went and picked up the Sill Covers from local Line-x shop. They look good to me, I think they will look even better against the Silver backdrop of the body...

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Also, to update...I have (along MBB Larry - another local builder) had quite a frustrating experience with having the FFR Grill Chromed. We have both used a very reputable shop and in both instances they have had to deal with a significant amount of pitting and pinholing in the grill. I believe on Larry's they have re-chromed (3x) now and mine is going in for it's second attempt. It seems as though after polishing post copper is when the pits show up and then it's back in the cyanide. These guys are going above in beyond in my eyes to get an awesome finished product, but the process and timing is just extremely frustrating.

I feel your pain. Mine had some pretty deep pitting right out of the box.114261114262

[JOP33]

Just back from the upholstery shop, so I have a few updated pics. The interior looks amazing! When I picked the blue textured material for the interior, something just seem to make it fit with the Football theme, but from a two inch swatch it was difficult to get a sense of what it was exactly...today was the first time I had seen the material actually on the seats in person and on a larger scale. Roy, the Upholsterer, hit it right on the nose though, he said it reminded him of the old football jersey material and man he was dead on! As soon as he said that I knew that was exactly it! Everything looks great and I am especially happy with the way the console is turning out. He had to trim the console armrest down a bit as there is very little room between the seats. The EFI display will be stowed in there and there will also be an accessory port (or cigarette lighter socket for those of us that remember those). The switch plate looks really clean too...just super impressed with his work so far. I actually just spoke with him on the phone as he is getting ready to cover the door panel armrest with the faux football leather (that will use the black stitching). I dropped off the Roadster Window Frame that I had polished, along with some Hagan Rearview Mirrors for the hardtop and window frame. Kory also needed an additional cord for the Media Receiver since the chassis on it is being mounted remotely. Roy and I test fitted the door sills and they are tight but I am still hopefull we won't have to remake...we may have to put a thin silver plate or vinyl under the sill though. Getting the car through all of the Registration & Titling legalities before the GG's show in two weeks was really going be very challenging, so Monday I am going to go pick-up a 30 day temporary permit and then the week following the show I will do all of the running for Inspection, Registration & Titling. I am still hopeful to get the Grill this weekend from the Chromer's and it sounds like Roy will have the car still for most of this week and then there will be a herculean effort by Kory and his team to get everything buttoned up and tested in time for show!

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[wrp]

Car looks amazing

[JOP33]

Just received Grill back from Chromer's...It looks awesome and they did an outstanding job, but in listening to everything that had to be done to it (and redone) it sure does seem like a pain. They actually told me they won't be doing anymore cast aluminum grills anymore...:(. but offered a lifetime guarantee on the chrome for as long as I own the vehicle!

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[JOP33]

I just got back from Tax Assessor's office...received my 30 Day Temporary Registration and paper plates. Man nothing says you have one bada** Hot Rod like paper tags :p!

[sethmark]

Hell yes!

[JOP33]

Just a quick update, here is a pic of the door panel with the Armrest covered in the football material...

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[sethmark]

Every Time you post, I open as fast as possible to see if there’s a finished product picture!

[JOP33]

Every Time you post, I open as fast as possible to see if there’s a finished product picture!

NO ONE is more excited than I about this build. And I understand it gets a little cheezy in some areas, but it has been a blast. I am actually glad at this point the loose ends are in someone else's hands as I tend to hurry things a bit as I get closer to the finish line!

Stay tuned...it's coming!

[JOP33]

Car made the trip back from the interior shop to the rod shop on a trailer yesterday. Now for final assembly. Kory said people were honking, waving and taking pictures as he made it back to the shop...I guess that's a good sign! I can't wait to see the full car with interior in person ;).

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[Straversi]

I’m honking and waiving from here and I’m not even a Cowboy’s fan. Loving this progression. Keep the photos coming.
-Steve

[JOP33]

I have added an official build page to my signature below with additional pics.

[JOP33]

Here are some additional pics (mainly buffing, but what a difference it makes). Kory took it upon himself to add a little flare to the Fenders as well, said they needed something to tie them back into the body he felt they were just hovering out there. Wasn't sure when he first told me, but once I saw them, I knew exactly what he was talking about they look amazing. Steering Wheel was covered in the Blue Vinyl as well and first pics of Trunk and Carpet. Aaron was busy buffing so I didn't want to uncover the passenger compartment to take more pics...

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[JOP33]

New pics from Kory just now. Hardtop & Grill on.

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[JOP33]

Ran out to the shop today and Kory and his team were knee deep into the final assembly. Between some of my electrical wiring and trying to uncover parts that hadn't been seen in several months, getting to the Goodguys show continues to be a challenge, but we are still very hopeful. There may be a few things that will require buttoning up later. Here are some updated pics though, points of interest may be Taillights in, Headlights on, Ford Racing Air Cleaner on, Side Mirrors on, Door Pops, Safety Pins and Window Switches in...

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[JOP33]

Pics cont'd...

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[sethmark]

Looking GOOD!

[JOP33]

Lots of work being done at the shop today, but at about 2:30 I called and told Kory that I just didn't think a Goodguys appearance was going to be in the cards. His guys had been at the shop since 3am working to finish out things and made good progress, but just small details kept popping up. I had forgotten to wire for a dimmer switch :( and the set-up on the stereo and cameras was taking a bit longer I think than anticipated. Heck, it took me nearly 3 hours just to get the Fuel Cap installed and the Filler Tube :mad:. It was always my intent to have the car done for this show. I had promised a good friend that I work with and who has helped out on the build a couple of times, that the last GG's Show was going to be the last one we walk into as spectators...so I am a little disappointed about that, but it is better that everything be done right. And don't get me wrong, Kory and his team were working their tails off, but never once have I got the sense they were short cutting anything. Anyway here are some pics of the day and I am sure we will have this thing rolling out in the next few weeks!

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[sethmark]

There always another car show. Better to be right than right now....

[JOP33]

Today I dropped the exhaust tips off at a local shop to have stainless extensions welded on and swedged...

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[JOP33]

Just a few updated pics this week, but first I will try to anticipate a few questions some of you may have based off some of the questions I have already received today...

First, although Kory and his guys continue to work through some wiring and final details on the car...it is not complete as of today.

Secondly, although I am extremely disappointed with the Boys performance in the last two games, I do not require a suicide watch (I am loyal and faithful to a fault, but I am also pragmatic).

Finally, I am not changing the paint scheme on the car nor do I regret going with the star.

Now here are the few pics I had mentioned...

Rear Backup Camera...
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Star Tips Installed...
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Amplifier & Rear Speakers...
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Door Wire Eliminator Switches...
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Defrost Vents...
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Hood Scoop Vent...
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And just a Cowboy faithful pic...
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[sethmark]

You could always move to Boston. They’re having a pretty good year.;)

[JOP33]

You could always move to Boston. They’re having a pretty good year.;)

Appreciate the input , but not an option...or a want! I can put Up with a lot of losing before that makes sense :D

[FF33rod]

Was wondering what was happening :). Decent location for the backup camera, is that a license plate holder there as well?

[JOP33]

Yessir.

[JimLev]

You could always move to Boston. They’re having a pretty good year.;)

Well said Seth. I lived 30 miles from the Pat's Statium until 2016. They will always be my team.
I did like the Cowboys back when Roger and Tom lead the team.

JOP, your doing a good job regardless of what team you like or it's record.

[sethmark]

Well said Seth. I lived 30 miles from the Pat's Statium until 2016. They will always be my team.
I did like the Cowboys back when Roger and Tom lead the team.

JOP, your doing a good job regardless of what team you like or it's record.
I lived on the hill right up the road from MGH in my 20s.

[duff33]

Just remember the kit came from Patriots Country, I hope you at least get seasons tickets

[AJT '33]

Is that a Focal sub or is that a speaker? I am about to set the sub location behind the drivers seat and if that's a sub I did not think it could fit in that location.

Thx! Andreas

[JOP33]

Is that a Focal sub or is that a speaker? I am about to set the sub location behind the drivers seat and if that's a sub I did not think it could fit in that location.

Thx! Andreas

6-1/4" Full Range

[JOP33]

I was informed yesterday by Kory that they continue to struggle with the wiring on the vehicle... I don't believe they are challenged in the sense of what needs to be done and how to get it done, but more with regards to the fact that there are things that they are having to re-route, change or terminate that during my portion of the build I shielded or loomed (very well, Kory added) and as they uncover any issues or need to change some of those items they are having to chase down those leads, re-route or rerun completely. So in this instance my attention to detail is likely costing me more time and subsequently more money. Just one of things as a first time builder you have to learn from. It's funny, I think (and appreciate) how tactful and professional Kory was trying to be since I did the initial work, but I somehow think that he truly just wanted to say "you idiot, why did you cover all of this wiring?" :p

[AJT '33]

I was informed yesterday by Kory that they continue to struggle with the wiring on the vehicle... I don't believe they are challenged in the sense of what needs to be done and how to get it done, but more with regards to the fact that there are things that they are having to re-route, change or terminate that during my portion of the build I shielded or loomed (very well, Kory added) and as they uncover any issues or need to change some of those items they are having to chase down those leads, re-route or rerun completely. So in this instance my attention to detail is likely costing me more time and subsequently more money. Just one of things as a first time builder you have to learn from. It's funny, I think (and appreciate) how tactful and professional Kory was trying to be since I did the initial work, but I somehow think that he truly just wanted to say "you idiot, why did you cover all of this wiring?" :p

I know my son feels for you as he is the one that has redone the wiring routing three times! He finally said last month that if we do this again he will layout and then undo the harness completely, temporarily test and fit everything, then put it into the final state. He said we may end up using a bag of small zip ties but that's easier to undo than trying to take off the heat tape and other electrical tape on the conduit covering the wires. For us lessoned learned for sure.

[JOP33]

Hopeful that SM1 will be back home in two weeks! :cool: They made some huge progress with the wiring this week. All headlights, turn signals & taillights operate as they should with indicator lights working on dash as well. Hardtop & Door wireless contacts are in and operational as well as the LED to indicate that the door safety pins are NOT engaged...

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[JOP33]

Roadster Pics cont'd...

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[JOP33]

Guys, I know it seems like I have been saying this for some time now, (about 10 weeks in my estimation), but it does look like Star Mobile One will be making its way home next week! The majority of the challenges have stemmed from my wiring prep and then the wiring and routing for the Door Pops, Safety Switches and Headlights. I am sure that most experienced builders know already what I now know, in that wiring really is a one-person job and when it is began by a novice (at best) and then handed over to a professional to finish, there are going to be some challenges. Once I get the car back in shop I plan on doing a “lessons learned”, but at this point I will leave it at that I should have done a much better job of documenting my wiring and testing my connections (even in those areas that I didn’t make the terminations…such headlights, tail lights, etc.). Still a few things to button up though. Currently the fan is still not engaging as it should. Abel is working to rectify this as the fan control is all ran through the EFI so cut-in and outs can be changed as necessary. The front and rear windows for the hardtop need to be installed, the wiper motor is now installed but the wiper arm needs to be put on. The exhaust on one side needs to be adjusted and/or the tip may need to be cut back slightly as it seems to stick out just a bit further than the other. There are a few touch ups that need to be done on the top as well as up by the cowl area. The AC system needs to be checked and charged. When I first installed the flex lines for the front brakes, I installed the brackets without having the steering rack installed, so the flex lines now bind in a full turn right or left and need to be replaced. I filled the tank with about 8 gallons of Ethanol Free High Octane fuel and we ran the vehicle for about five minutes…I will post a video later this evening. Once the fan issue has been tracked down, Kory will road test, clean and then hopefully I will have the car back in my shop sometime next week! Kory was able to get the alignment extremely close, but I have reached out to Bill (WRP) as he has a local technician that performed his alignment after many others were unable to, so I will have him perform a final alignment. Then, of course, I will still need to get a certified weight and then the safety inspection performed and then on to registration. I truly am getting excited and I am hopeful that I will be able to put some miles on the car before the weather trends down too much. Here are a few updated pics from the other day at the shop and as mentioned, I will post the video later.

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[JOP33]

Since I have had some free time on my hands lately, I have also been working on a couple things for car shows (if I ever make it to one). This is a stand that I will hold a monitor to that will cycle through all of my build pics. The floor plate will sit under the rear tire to stabilize...

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[JOP33]

Final Assembly Idle Video...

https://youtu.be/ygnDUCh4RXY

[sethmark]

I hope to do burnouts with you someday, somewhere. That car is insane.

[JOP33]

I hope to do burnouts with you someday, somewhere. That car is insane.

If you ever make it to Fort Worth, look me up...one of the down sides to having Star Mobile One is I don't think it would travel well! :p

Thanks!

[JOP33]

Ran by the shop today. The front and rear windows are now installed. I guess at some point FFR started having the windows made with a sealer on them as I know it was suggested many times to paint the flange that the windows set on black so that when the butyl is used to install, the color of the car doesn't show through. Kory said this was no issue on this one. The front window also seemed to install a little more flush than we have seen on other FFR's but I really like how it sits in the top. The fan is now engaging like it should and the last real hurdle is the getting the AC working. They'll dive into that this week as they think it might be a relay, but Classic Auto Air was less than helpful when Kory called them. So, AC, new brake flex lines for front, shorten exhaust tip, touch-up and clean is what's on tap for this week!

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[sethmark]

I’m getting tired of telling you how bad *** that car is......:p;)

[JOP33]

I’m getting tired of telling you how bad *** that car is......:p;)

The pictures do not do this thing justice...I am soooo ready to get this back home!

[a217085]

The pictures do not do this thing justice...I am soooo ready to get this back home!

Been following your build for a while now and got to say congratulations on an incredible job. I think your are pretty close to me in north DFW. If the weather is nice would love to have you join us for the next cars and cigars at Industrial Cigars in Frisco on November 9th. All are welcome even if you dont go in and enjoy a cigar. I am a member there and showed your video to the owners who are avid car lovers and they absolutely loved SMO.

9500 Dallas Pkwy Suite 400, Frisco, TX 75034

[JOP33]

Been following your build for a while now and got to say congratulations on an incredible job. I think your are pretty close to me in north DFW. If the weather is nice would love to have you join us for the next cars and cigars at Industrial Cigars in Frisco on November 9th. All are welcome even if you dont go in and enjoy a cigar. I am a member there and showed your video to the owners who are avid car lovers and they absolutely loved SMO.

9500 Dallas Pkwy Suite 400, Frisco, TX 75034

I appreciate your comments and would love to join y’all. I hope all will be complete by then.

[JOP33]

I received a text from Kory @ 121 R & R late yesterday that read..."Abel won the battle with your car"! To which I then responded back, "Is that a good thing"? And to confirm he came back with, "Yes, AC...and everything works"! After a slight exhale I asked back, "Does that mean it's coming home"? "Yes, middle of next week, touch up some blue, get some drive time and a screw here or there". Let me step back for just a minute as for the last two, three weeks the shop had been battling (when I say shop, I mean Abel) with the wiring for the fan control through the EFI (and several relays that I had wired at the request of Holley). After the first week, that skirmish ended with the fan finally working properly (engaging at proper cut in and shutting down at cut out). Then last week, other than the window installs...the guys took a break from the car. It was really overdue. I could see it in both Kory's and Abel's eyes that they were ready for this car to be home, but knew the AC had to be dealt with, but just not last week. I had promised Kory I would give him all the wiring information I had along with Dan Ruth's contact information and in turn he promised come Monday they were gearing up for the final waypoint...tackling the AC! Something that I have really come to appreciate during the final assembly of this build (and honestly only time will tell whether it is an appreciation that I will be able to benefit from again in the future) is that, as a hobbyist, or casual car builder or first time car builder (I use all of these terms very loosely with regards to my build), I never really reflected until this week that when dealing with the professionals, it is just one challenge for them and then on to the next. Whether it is the AC on Jamie's 33 or the filler neck on someone else's vehicle...it is much like the role of a doctor - no one typically comes to see you when they're feeling great, in perfect health with no problems - everything is a challenge! And while they are waving goodbye to this 33', they are rolling in the next patient! So yes, the car should be home this next week, barring any unforeseen issues and I am ready for it to be home! Stay tuned as I hope to be able to post some really good pics of all the things we have done in the coming weeks!

[sethmark]

Excellent news. I know you’re ready.

To your point, it’s really just business. Each car is, in my experience, another pain in the ***. I don’t love any of them. I like a lot of them, but I really like the check. When I’m done with my car I’ll love to own it until someone else wants to love it more than me. And they will. And I’ll let them.

[a217085]

I received a text from Kory @ 121 R & R late yesterday that read..."Abel won the battle with your car"! To which I then responded back, "Is that a good thing"? And to confirm he came back with, "Yes, AC...and everything works"! After a slight exhale I asked back, "Does that mean it's coming home"? "Yes, middle of next week, touch up some blue, get some drive time and a screw here or there". Let me step back for just a minute as for the last two, three weeks the shop had been battling (when I say shop, I mean Abel) with the wiring for the fan control through the EFI (and several relays that I had wired at the request of Holley). After the first week, that skirmish ended with the fan finally working properly (engaging at proper cut in and shutting down at cut out). Then last week, other than the window installs...the guys took a break from the car. It was really overdue. I could see it in both Kory's and Abel's eyes that they were ready for this car to be home, but knew the AC had to be dealt with, but just not last week. I had promised Kory I would give him all the wiring information I had along with Dan Ruth's contact information and in turn he promised come Monday they were gearing up for the final waypoint...tackling the AC! Something that I have really come to appreciate during the final assembly of this build (and honestly only time will tell whether it is an appreciation that I will be able to benefit from again in the future) is that, as a hobbyist, or casual car builder or first time car builder (I use all of these terms very loosely with regards to my build), I never really reflected until this week that when dealing with the professionals, it is just one challenge for them and then on to the next. Whether it is the AC on Jamie's 33 or the filler neck on someone else's vehicle...it is much like the role of a doctor - no one typically comes to see you when they're feeling great, in perfect health with no problems - everything is a challenge! And while they are waving goodbye to this 33', they are rolling in the next patient! So yes, the car should be home this next week, barring any unforeseen issues and I am ready for it to be home! Stay tuned as I hope to be able to post some really good pics of all the things we have done in the coming weeks!

That is so awesome and so excited for you. If you are able to make cars and cigars on the 9th and like cigars the first 1 is on me. Cars start showing up around 09:30. I usually arrive by 10:30 drive a blue 2008 Jaguar XKT

[JOP33]

Please know that EVERYONE's enthusiasm and excitement for me on this project does not fall on deaf ears and is greatly appreciated. As I am sure most will understand, I have a long list of rides, drives and visits that will begin to be cashed in soon! When I first started this journey (and it truly is a journey), my wife and I looked at this as a once in a life time experience. Not many people get to say they built a car from ground up and all though I had a significant amount of help along the way, no one can take that feeling away from me. I was first, blessed with the opportunity and the means by which to embark on this adventure. Secondly, I was gifted with the greatest co-pilot in life of All, my wife, throughout this process. At every stumble or challenge, she was there to listen, talk me away from the ledge, offer alternatives or in some cases just say "suck it up and move forward!" Finally, a group of friends (and at this point truly family) that were here at anytime I needed ya'll! Sometimes I didn't like what was being said, but ultimately knew it was exactly what I needed to hear to move on. And I would be remissed if I didn't at least mention the fact that never once did anyone on this forum question (out loud at least) the theme of my build. Oh I have taken plenty of ribbing and fully expect much more of that in the future, as we all know, all seasons don't end glowingly, but everyone here has appreciated the project for what it truly is...an awesome build and journey! Thank ALL of you who have reached out with your help and insight and especially to those that have grown into close friends from this experience. I know the car is not in MY garage as of yet, but I know we are the closest we have been and I sense some great relief. I am all about paying opportunities forward, so don't think I am going away or have nothing left to offer. Stay tuned as I will have a ton of great pics to share and many final words of wisdom about my journey!

Thanks to ALL of you!

Sincerely,
Jamie O'Pelt (JOP33)


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[JOP33]

Visited the shop today...looks like we are on track for being back home this week. Kory wants to do some road testing, final tune, replace flex lines, touch up & clean. Rain expected later this week, so I am not exactly sure when it will be home though. He did manage to modify the mount for the rear view mirror and was able to get it mounted with good view.

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[AJT '33]

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Noticed you had the same wiper motor as I do, I will be doing a 3D scan then designing a cover that will just fit it, after which I will be 3D printing it. If you want I can print an extra one and send it to you? I'll send a picture in advance, expect to have it slide over the chrome portion and then have it so it can be fitted to the hard top, I want to hide all those wires.

[JOP33]

That would be awesome! Let me know your cost. Thanks

[AJT '33]

That would be awesome! Let me know your cost. Thanks

Print one print 4 no difference, I have a 3D Printer at my disposition so no worries, will PM you when it's designed.

[JOP33]

Kory posted more pics after a good scrub down and clean up...arriving this week!

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[JOP33]

They also battled with mounting the front facing camera this week...pics on this not so good. We had originally discussed putting hit behind the latching mechanism on the hood, however space and perspective drove us to other options. Mounting below the radiator but on top of the chin, there would be no room. So ultimately we went underneath...the pros are that it gives you a really good perspective from the camera, once the car is on the ground it is difficult to see...the cons, do I dare state the obvious...it sits in the lowest area of the car and will get smacked violently if it is bumped. For the last reason, it is only mounted with double stick tape to allow it to "break-away" in that event. May think about this a little more once the car is home.

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[FF33rod]

Yeah, that spot kinda sucks. Is that one of the small 1" cube types? no way to go behind the grill at the bottom and look between the slats? (I'm sure you've already thought through all of this)

[JOP33]

Yes, it is. Since it is temp mounted for now with tape, I want to get it in my shop and play around with location a bit, as well as view. I think we all know that ultimately, me being able to see something before I hit it, will likely not keep me from hitting it, especially in those instance where things sneak up on you. I have to tell you that I have lost more sleep than I would like to admit to over the height of the bottom of the grill (4"). I am extremely concerned with approach angle on drainage areas at intersections, etc. as this directly the affects the driveability of the car and I also understand how much damage can be done with just the lightest scrub (radiator, grill, hood, etc.). To some of the other builders currently driving your car, am I over thinking this, is this as much of an issue as I am making it out to be?

Going back to the camera, I have several actuators and pins left over from door pops, safety pins, etc. that I was thinking, I could possibly put the camera further back on the Chin and actually have an actuator to lower and raise...just thinking outside the box...and worse case scenario, I will just leave it off.

Thanks

[JOP33]

I think I had previously mentioned that, in the even I make it to a show...:(, I have been working on a stand that would allow me to run a tv with a slide show of the build. I have been making some progress on that. I mocked-up a 22" tv on the stand and also was able to test out a dry cell battery that allowed me to run the tv 11+ hours on one charge. The tv only draws 40 watts per hour and the battery has a 35Ah rating (I think 11 hours should be safe) and the it keeps the battery still small enough to hide and light enough to carry...

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I also plan to purchase some astro turf and stripe it like a field...some of the shows I have been looking at want photos of your display :confused:

[sethmark]

You, sir, are a nut. I love it.

[JOP33]

You, sir, are a nut. I love it.

:p...who, me?

[JimLev]

You, sir, are a nut. I love it.

I agree, but also like what you are doing.
I'm doing the wiring for the front and rear cameras now, the location for the front will be a challenge.
I may raise the height of the car slightly or have the camera on a bracket mounted on the pass side of the chin.

[JOP33]

I agree, but also like what you are doing.
I'm doing the wiring for the front and rear cameras now, the location for the front will be a challenge.
I may raise the height of the car slightly or have the camera on a bracket mounted on the pass side of the chin.

Thanks Jim...ultimately that may be the only good answer (raising the height).

[sethmark]

I’ve been driving mine a lot. I’ve got about 50 miles on it. The front is too low.

[JOP33]

Made what should be my last visit out to 121 R & R today. Walked over the car and taped off a few spots that will need some clean up. Front Brake Flex lines should be replaced in the next day or two as well as a final tune performed. The issue that I had with the brake lines is that when I installed them I didn't have tires, wheels. steering installed, so I didn't do an adequate enough job in testing the range of motion before setting the bracket...this fix at this point was to go with some lines that are about an inch or two longer. I also confirmed with Kory that they did come up with a manual door pop system (in the event the keys get locked in the car). He explained they did, showed me the location and actuation (of which I will keep the details to myself :p) and then informed me that they have used it several times already! We also discussed the front car height and I ultimately told him to raise it a bit. I will share the final height once it is raised, but Kory had suggested they have used the rule of thumb in the past, that if an aluminum can can roll under it - it is high enough. I am happy with where we are, extremely excited to soon be getting the car home, frustrated a bit by timing (as it is getting cooler, but could be 90 for Thanksgiving), but also know that the areas of concern and focus were areas that needed attention and could not be overlooked or saved for later. The rest of the time I have left before deliver, I will spend just getting my shop back in order.

[JOP33]

I am waiting with baited breath for a call from the shop saying "it's on the way", but until then I am in a holding pattern. Was informed Saturday morning that they had to repaint the hood and a portion of the white on the star for touch-up. Car had been road tested and final tune completed. Final buffing to be performed today. In the meantime, I worked on the stand some more, very close to final clean up and powder on this...

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[JOP33]

Update: Curing time took a little longer than expected on the repaint of the hood due to the weather. Final buffing to take place today...still hope to have the car by the end of the weekend, but at this point, what's a few more days...right! :(

[JOP33]

Car is complete! Expected it delivered yesterday, but transportation issues on shops side, so I am scheduling pick up for Wednesday morning ;)!

[sethmark]

Smokin’

[JOP33]

Finally Home!

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[FF33rod]

Woohoo!!! bet that's put a huge smile on your face....

[sethmark]

That’s fantastic. Anything left???

[JOP33]

That’s fantastic. Anything left???

Still some small touch ups (didn't really see them until I got it out into full sun), but I am going to register first and then will follow up on that. I also need to come up with a final solution on the door sills. The ones I made are just too thick. I think I may just have that area linex'd blue. Chrome trans pan and oil pan at some point, but just want to start getting some mileage on it.

[JOP33]

Woohoo!!! bet that's put a huge smile on your face....

Definitely! Just something about having where if I just want to go look at it for a minute I can. I am having a custom cover made for it, but they need about 60 dimensions off of it, so I'll spend a bit of time on that as well.

[McGuyver]

That is awesome. This is a great build thread and I find myself watching the Cowboys more now.

[JOP33]

That is awesome. This is a great build thread and I find myself watching the Cowboys more now.

Lol! We always appreciate growing the fandom! Wish we had a better product on the field this year! Thanks for your comments.

[60's Kid]

where did you get the trim ring for your shifter boot?

Thanks Rick

[a217085]

Finally Home!

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WOW, that is fantastic. Such an awesome build. May have to redo the garage floor star to color match the star on the hotrod. Hahahaha just kidding. So jealous.

[duff33]

Awesome !!!!!! So glad for you

[donshapansky]

Jamie, you have done a great job, remember when the temps are down don't do what I did with you in the car! We need to get together there is a Toy Drive here in Granbury Dec. 07 and there is show in Fort Worth as well that day, I don't recall the name of it but some of us are hoping for a no rain day.

[JOP33]

where did you get the trim ring for your shifter boot?

Thanks Rick

Made it...I have a raw steel one you can have for shipping cost only if you want it?

[JOP33]

So I have spent the last few days (other than the time just spent sitting in the shop gazing at the car) wiping the inch of dust off of every tube on the chassis. The body was detailed nicely but the chassis and engine were left for me to trudge through. I still need to work on the engine compartment. My first line of business was to just get it out around the neighborhood, so (after the rain) wifey and I went for a very brief ride. The car started right up but I noticed that something on the passenger side rear was rubbing. So we shortened the trip and headed back to the shop. It looks as though the rear tires were rubbing slightly against the inside of the fenders. Kory had road tested, but prior to making the height adjustment in the front of the car so something must have gotten thrown off, plus there were two people in the car for the first time. Anyway, I have adjusted the rear another 1/4" on the PS and 1/8" on the DS, but have yet to get it back on the road (hopefully tomorrow). I did wire some plugs for the license plates lights so that the bolts/lights can be removed without having to cut the wires each time. I still need to shield a few places where 121 had to cut into the lines I had ran, but not a lot to do there and then I reached out to Dan and Tony to find out the ohms for the gauge settings on the Fuel Sender... 16 Empty & 158 Full. I will try to calibrate in the next day or two as well. I am having a local shop do a final alignment on the car Saturday and then I am knee deep into the registration process at that point. Can't see from the photos, but there are still a few touch-ups that need to be done. Will get legal and then have Kory make a final pass. Going tomorrow to update Temp Tags just in case. WRP (Bill) has been a great help here locally with his tales of Registration and I hope to avoid some of the hoops they are making him jump through. Anyway, here are a few pics, but for the most part nothing has changed too much, just chompin' at the bit to get some road time in and hoping Mother Nature cooperates. Hopefully it can see the road before the Boys drop below 500 :mad:.

Few pics of the car in the air...

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Replaced the old Diff Vent with new billet...

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License Plate Lights and Rear Camera...

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Scuffing of Fenders...

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[wrp]

Update on the VTR-852. LD has the printout of their certs and they meet the standard in the regulation. I have reassembled the package and shipped it back to Austin today.

[JOP33]

Good to hear Bill...thanks!

[60's Kid]

Made it...I have a raw steel one you can have for shipping cost only if you want it?

Sure! I will send u $20 for shipping by paypal if u want.

[JOP33]

Builders Registering in Texas, yesterday I stumbled across a contact of a person that, that is all they do! For a fee, they prep all paperwork for you, outline where and what you need to sign and actually work as a liaison with the state. You are still responsible for having the vehicle inspected, but they provide local shops that you can use that are also familiar with the requirements and then you are also responsible for going to the registration offices. I know many of you have worked through a lot of the issues on your own and some have not had issues at all, but this person typically works with Bonding Titles for antique vehicles usually (has done over 2000 in the state of Texas). If you would like the contact so you can at least talk through what they offer with them, just PM me. To me it's just a bit more help on a process I am unfamiliar with.

Thanks

[Dodgeman]

Builders Registering in Texas, yesterday I stumbled across a contact of a person that, that is all they do! For a fee, they prep all paperwork for you, outline where and what you need to sign and actually work as a liaison with the state. You are still responsible for having the vehicle inspected, but they provide local shops that you can use that are also familiar with the requirements and then you are also responsible for going to the registration offices. I know many of you have worked through a lot of the issues on your own and some have not had issues at all, but this person typically works with Bonding Titles for antique vehicles usually (has done over 2000 in the state of Texas). If you would like the contact so you can at least talk through what they offer with them, just PM me. To me it's just a bit more help on a process I am unfamiliar with.

Thanks

I would like their contact.

[JOP33]

So the other day's trip around the block was the "Soft Opening"...I was able to raise the ride height in the back to get away from the rubbing and so today was what I am calling the Maiden Voyage...

https://youtu.be/jKXk12z6Jnk

[sethmark]

If you’d like, I can come down and show you how to melt the tires.

[JOP33]

Yesterday the plan was to take the car to a local shop to get the alignment finalized. One the shop technician got on the rack he was concerned because there is (what appears to be) less toe adjustment on the DS than on the PS and based on the fact that more thread is exposed on the PS than on the DS, he didn't think he could get the adjustment required - I and think was a little intimidated by everything being painted up front. I do understand what he is saying about the exposed threads (and theoretically they should be equal on both sides), but when I got the car home, I put it back on the lift and confirmed that the steering wheel was centered from lock to lock. I have to spend today refreshing my memory on the set-up from a year ago and see if I can get the toe close enough for them to make the final adjustment - worst case I just need to confirm that there are plenty of threads left to make the toe adjustment required. So a little research and verification today. I also noticed on another drive yesterday (with two people in the car), my rubbing noise came back on the rear passenger side, so I have increased the ride height in the rear another 1/4" - will test and go from there.

Local airfield - location of alignment shop
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Nice shop & friendly Owner/Operator - This set-up might be outside his expertise though
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As a side note...I guess lifting the vehicle at a tilt (front end up) triggered the inertia switch in the trunk to do its job, however it must have been a faulty switch because I could never get it to reset and had to by-pass it - I think I am just going to eliminate altogether.

[wallace18]

Super job!

[JOP33]

So yesterday another local builder, MBB Larry came over and we tackled the tie rod adjustment issue. When I had taken the car in for a final alignment on Saturday, the Owner of the shop was concerned that available threads were not going to allow for the adjustment of the toe required. The car was set for slight toe out and it calls for ~ 1/16" in. You can see in the pics below how the PS had significantly more thread showing than the DS and once we broke it apart, we confirmed only 5/8" engagement - also the pics show the steering stop to stop centered :confused:. Notice I said stop to stop not lock to lock - the fender brackets actually limit the steering from going any further on both sides, so then we broke loose the tie rod from the steering knuckle so that we could see the true travel, 2.25 full turns with everything connected, 3 full turns with all disconnected :confused: - and @ 1.5 turns (theoretical center) at the steering wheel, there was still going to be more threading on the PS :confused::confused:. So since we knew that at current set-up I was only getting 2.25 turns of travel, we cheated the rack back .5 turns to center the allowable threading on either side and this set-up should allow for ~ 1.625" thread adjustment. I will order some additional rack limiters for stops against the fender brackets, but still can't really wrap my brain around why when the rack is unattached and floated back and forth then centered the threads are offset on either side instead of being even??? :confused: Anyway, I feel much better about the thread engagement and think the toe adjustment will be able to be achieved now.

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Hope to get back to the alignment shop this week & also get my certified weight on the vehicle.

[JOP33]

Sure! I will send u $20 for shipping by paypal if u want.

Rick - It's on its way!

Thanks

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[JOP33]

So the last couple of days I have been just cleaning up some final to-dos. I have the alignment re-scheduled for Sunday and I also have the Safety Inspection scheduled for Monday morning. I believe the key to the inspection is that you must have a ASE "Master" Technician (not just an ASE Service Technician) perform the inspection and they must provide a copy of their certifications in all areas. I went and spoke to the Technician that will be performing the inspection on Monday and got the feeling that I might have offended him a bit when I asked if he was a "Master" Technician as he raised his hand above his head to point out all of his certs, but when I explained some of the challenges that WRP (thanks Bill) has gone through he understood. There is a CAT Certified Scale just up the road from me, so as long as the weather cooperates I will try to get by there today or tomorrow for a certified weight. I have tested all headlights, turn signals, brake lights, license lights, wiper (see attached video), door pops, safety locks, radio, horn, etc.. I did find where one a set screw from one of my steering joints was rubbing slightly on my lower radiator hose. So I pulled it back out of the way a bit more (very little room to run this through) and I am also 3D Printing a "Rub Shield" for it. I haven't had any luck getting the front facing camera going, but I need to dive into the manual a bit more...as I believe it is just a setting. The sound on the car for me is above average, but not superior...but IMHO there are not too many stereos that will sound good over the engines in these cars. There is a manual release for the door safety locks in the door, but because of the tight placement, I am really having to scratch my head to come up with a functional aesthetic solution for the knob handle. As you can see in the photos there is absolutely no room to use the knobs that came with the system, so I am having some modified ones 3D Printed to see if they will work. They have to be extremely compact and low profile so that the door will still close. Worse case, I may have to weld an "L" shaped rod onto the ends or pop the door panel off, weld a nut on the rod recessed a bit and just carry a socket in the event I ever need to use it. I still have a lot of cleaning to do and yes there is still plenty of touch up that needs to take place (shop is aware), but these are the "fun" little projects for me. Also, fellow builder MBB Larry came over this last weekend to help with the Toe issue and brought me a set of FFR Floor Mats...said he got them with his kit - I didn't get a set of floor mats with my kit! But they are excellent quality mats and fit like a glove...thanks Larry! I had just gone to HD and picked up some cheap office carpet to use sacrificially when needed (and probably still will unless I am at a show).

Manual Door Safety Pin Turns...
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FFR Floor Mats...
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I will post the wiper video later.

[JOP33]

May hold off on the Safety Pin Knobs...I have been having some issues the last two days getting the electric safety pins to engage. I don't know whether it is an alignment issue or something else. I hear the solenoid, but doors still open. I will look into this a little more this weekend. I think knowing what I know now - given the difficulty Kory and his team had installing the electric pins - I think I would just op for a vinyl or leather strap from the side pillar to the door (or something a little more simple). In all honesty, I may still do something of the sort long term and grind both the pins and turns down and cap the small holes. It's early though, but these things in particular are items you don't want to have to worry about going down the road at 70mph :eek:.

I ran the car for about 5 miles yesterday after getting home and things went really well. No leaks, cooling good (cool now though). I have noticed a bit of whine or pulsing moan when the brakes are applied or when I am going extremely slow. If I remember correctly, several had posted some moaning or noises coming from the use of the FFR Bushings...it's not constant or annoying and not grinding, but I found that with everything being "new", I am super critical of everything I hear or see (probably not a bad way to be on a first build).

I have been spending a significant amount of my time cleaning the chassis & engine compartment as well. All of those tubes that make that frame strong have nine months worth of shop dust sitting on them as well as all of the heat shielding. And who knew buffing compound could get in sooooo many places! Call me crazy, but the cleaning is therapy to me...it's mindless, you understand the job at hand, what has to be done and know when you have achieved the result and can move on - like mowing the yard!

Many have commented on the paint. As you can imagine, if you are any kind of football fan at all, I am taking a pretty good beating (yes even down here), but it's all in good fun - I have been a boys fan since the late 70's and we've had worse seasons - and like I tell everyone that says that can't believe I painted a star on the side of the car, "at least I didn't air brush a picture of Jason Garrett on the deck lid"! When it is all said and done, most people look past the subject matter and see the car for what it truly is.

Will try to put a few more miles on the car today after work and I am going to actually try to move up the inspection to tomorrow, if I can - whoops, Friday 13th, maybe I'll keep it for Monday :p!

[JOP33]

Made it to the scales today...came in at 2820, of course I forgot to step off the scales and I do have about 30 lbs of tools in the trunk (just in case), but 2590 still seems high for this car. Could be all the heat shielding and sound deadening I added ;) or as someone else already mentioned it could be the weight of an under achieving team! :mad:. Anyway, I am sure I will have to weigh again as in my haste to go inside and get back out to make sure no one was jacking with my car...I told them it was for personal use (don't know that that mattered) and forgot to give my temporary plate number, so license doesn't show on ticket. Oh well, a $12 lesson right...at least it is less than two miles away.

A drive to work and inspection slated for tomorrow...one step at time, right Brothers?

[JOP33]

So today was a busy but productive day. I had an appointment for the Safety Inspection @ 10, so I drove the car to the local shop about 11 miles away. This was the first time I had taken the car up on the highway and above 40 miles an hour. In my opinion, the car is moderately loud - I was able to listen to my stereo at a medium level. The ride is slightly more than moderately rough - I have the DA Koni's and I am sure there is some tweaking there, but currently it rides much like a Fork Lift - very rigid and stiff. Finally, the car is very warm inside - today was a beautiful 63° degree day and seemed pretty warm to me, almost to the point where I was going to turn the AC on (but I didn't). As for the car itself, it drove and handled well. The brakes got extremely spongy on me after my first jaunt on the highway...to the point that I was having to use the ebrake to stop the car completely. I had not bedded the brakes yet and although it was a bit dicey there for a while, the brakes started getting better the more I applied them. When I got home I ran up on a road behind the house and sped up to 40 and then applied the brakes for about two seconds, I did this repeatedly and the brakes seem to be responded pretty well (and no leaks).

The Safety Inspection went well...I had a couple of nuts that needed tightening (they allowed me to do this) and everything else was pretty straight forward. Apparently the key in Texas is that it must be performed by an ASE Master Technician and you must submit a copy of his certification with the form for application. I will tell you that the first 10 minutes I was at the shop, I spent getting the car in front of their sign so the manager could take a picture of it!

Once I was free and clear from the Inspection Shop, I made my way to work and let some of my colleagues see the car. My company was gracious enough to powder coat the entire chassis for me and also had made a few of the parts I used in the build. Up to today, they had been calling it the "Unicorn" - they thought it didn't really exist!

After leaving there, I went ahead and went back by the Scales for another weight. This time I came in at 2580 lbs, which still seems a bit high. I also remembered to have them put my temporary plates on there.

Then it was back to the house. I hope to get it on the lift tomorrow and just go over everything as post drive check. One thing thing that became very apparent to me early on in my drive, I may have to get a Traffic Signal Finder. It is extremely difficult if you are the lead car at a light to see the stop light change if you have the hardtop on. Now I am 5'11'', so some of the other guys may not have that issue, but if you are 5'10'' and above, I would be prepared...and believe me it's not unmanageable, just challenging. All in all, I put 35 miles on the car today.

I think I had mentioned that the steering linkage was extremely close to my lower radiator hose. Last night I formed up a thin piece of aluminum to put around the hose to help prevent any rubbing.

Safety Inspection being performed...
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Lower Radiator Hose...
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Rub Shield...
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Rub Shield Installed...
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[FF33rod]

Will be interesting to hear how the suspension tuning goes, I have the same upgraded shocks...

The interference between the rad hose and the steering couple is the same with my SBF. Found some rub marks after the go cart runs. I've managed to move the hose a little but good idea on putting in the extra protection.

Congrats!
Steve

[JOP33]

Yeah, Steve I don't really know where to go on adjustment. Most builders, I believe, have opted for the QA1's, so I haven't found a lot of information out there on the KONI's...I guess like most things just trial and error.

[JOP33]

So over the last few days I have put about 70 miles on the car...good miles, with all good results (well there was those few miles where I had forgot to close the truck and happen to look in my rearview mirror and see that my trunk was open :rolleyes:). The car seems to be cooling good (it has only been 70 degrees), the suspension seems to be settling in a bit. Still no luxury ride, but no more rubbing in the rear. With the top on, the passenger compartment is an oven. I have been trying to methodically go through all systems one at a time to verify proper function. I have not ran the AC/Heater, but will do so this week. The front facing camera and back up camera are working great and to be honest with you, I don't know how you back this car up in any high traffic areas without one (especially with the top on). The view through the petite rear window is limited to say the least. In the event I do ever get pulled over, unless the cruiser has grill mounted lights...I would likely never see it. The ride height has worked out well so far. Stereo is working well and interaction through the smart phone for navigation is good as well. I had to install a new front camera Saturday as the other was bad, so I also took the time to route the USB for the phone as well as the Mic for the hands free. This was probably just more about me being able to check something else off the list as completed, because I am not sure anyone could actually here a conversation being had on the phone through the speaker with the noise from the car. Anyway, I have mounted the Mic on top of the steering column as it seemed like a good (least invasive) area. After the adjustments that Larry and I had made to the steering last week, the final alignment fell into place this week. I say fell in, it took nearly three hours of Caster, Camber, Toe, Caster Sweeps - Repeat, but all is good and steers well. Still a lot of cleaning to do as dust just falls off the chassis with any brushing.

I would like to ask if anyone is familiar with the Ceramic Coating process of paint? This has been suggested to me by several Hot Rod buddies to help protect the paint. My concern would be how does it react being applied to something more flexible than steel like fiberglass. If anyone has any details or information on this, I be grateful for your input.



Alignment...
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Cameras...
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[JOP33]

I think I have mentioned previously working on a bit of a display for some of the larger car shows I may attend. Yesterday I received my "turf in a box". I will let it settle for a day or two before actually seeing how it looks under the car. I still haven't decided whether to stripe or not...if done to scale it would only be two full lines and then some hash marks.

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[peterh226]

I think I have mentioned previously working on a bit of a display for some of the larger car shows I may attend. Yesterday I received my "turf in a box". I will let it settle for a day or two before actually seeing how it looks under the car. I still haven't decided whether to stripe or not...if done to scale it would only be two full lines and then some hash marks.

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Should be crossing the goal line!

[sethmark]

Should be crossing the goal line!

Not this year!:cool:

[JOP33]

Not this year!:cool:

Come on man! We're right where we need to be...flying in under the radar!

[sethmark]

Come on man! We're right where we need to be...flying in under the radar!

Thank goodness for the Redskins and the Giants. They make you guys look like Superman in the NFC East.

[JOP33]

Thank goodness for the Redskins and the Giants. They make you guys look like Superman in the NFC East.

You know what they say, "if you want to look handsome, surround yourself with ugly people!".

[FF33rod]

I think I have mentioned previously working on a bit of a display for some of the larger car shows I may attend. Yesterday I received my "turf in a box". I will let it settle for a day or two before actually seeing how it looks under the car. I still haven't decided whether to stripe or not...if done to scale it would only be two full lines and then some hash marks.


Definitely needs a couple of lines on the grass, would look very cool
Steve

[JOP33]

Agreed! Definitely needs some lines...

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[JOP33]

So I had some stencils plotted off at work yesterday to aid in the "marking" for the Star Mobile One field. I will try to get that done this weekend. I have just hit ~100 miles on the car and things are going well. I was able to try out both the AC and Heat the day before and yesterday (one of the benefits of living in Texas - freezing one day and 65 the next), both seemed to work really good and neither takes very long to work in such a small area. I am still extremely aware of the safety pin issue I think I had mentioned previously. The pins are aligned to engage the chassis at the door sill with a push of the button, but I have been having some difficulty getting them to engage and I am not sure whether it is with the tweaking of the chassis after driving some or if the mechanism itself just needs some lubrication. Kory advised me yesterday (and I witnessed first hand) that they were working extremely well prior to coming home. I am not ready to give up on them just yet, but I have had several instances where as I hit a larger bump in the road the door latch will move to the integrated safety catch built into the latch itself. Will feel much better once I narrow the issue down and gain some confidence in the system, still brainstorming some backup plans just in case though. The cars temp seems to hover between 180 and 200 degrees, ambient temp around 70, so it will be interesting to see if it maintains at the higher temps through the spring and summer. I am still trying to come up with a door sill solution too - very little room between the door lower face and the door sill, so I think my idea of Linex is probably out. I might be able to put a "L" shaped piece of 22 or 24 gauge stainless in there or I have also thought about having a chrome vinyl wrap applied to this area. The cowl area of the car takes a pretty good beating as well and is extremely visible when the hood is open. I have placed some inexpensive adhesive backed rubber stops temporarily in there to help with any scuffing, but due to the heat they tend to move out of place, so I will be looking for a better solution for that area as well, maybe a thin layer of delrin just in that area...lots of small details to fill the time now!

[JOP33]

Worked on the display a bit more today...actually I am very close to being done. I just need to get the stand powder coated, which I hope to have done later this week. Here are some pics of the stenciling process...

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[FF33rod]

Almost done? what the heck are you going to do with yourself? ;)

[JOP33]

Almost done? what the heck are you going to do with yourself? ;)

I’m almost certain they’ll always be something to do!

[JOP33]

I have been having issues with the safety pins engaging on the doors...the process is suppose to be, once the doors are closed I can (by switch) engage the pins that stick through the chassis wall of the door pillar. I think alignment has been the main issue, but this morning I was able to get the passenger pin to engage, but now won't release. It does have a manual turn on it (in a very inconvenient location) but it is extremely difficult to access and then turn, and even after turning with a set of vice grips the pin stays. I believe the pin has come loose from the collar that holds it and is now floating in the engaged position. I will have to likely take the door panel off (with the door closed) to research this a bit. I believe the long term fix on this is going to be just a two inch leather strap with snaps on either side that attaches from the top of the dash corner to the top of the door. I have no confidence in these pins engaging when needed and not when not. I will update with pics and what I am able to come up with for a solution...in the meantime NO PASSENGERS ALLOWED! :(

[JOP33]

So as expected, once I took the door panel off, I could see that the pin that is actually suppose to engage the door pillar was loose (at least on the passenger side)...on the driver side it was just a variation of the same problem, but the pin that attaches to the solenoid had actually come loose. The reasoning for both, was the "C" clip that holds both pins in place had pop off or out of groove allowing for the pin engagement to be off. I actually ground a much more substantial groove in the pivot rod, chopped the length down, so it would sit behind the door panel and then finally I slotted the top of the rod. By slotting the top, now you just have to put a flat head screwdriver in and turn it in the event something goes wrong. I will also now be able to just put some caps over the access holes. All seems to work pretty smoothly now, both electrically and manually.

Here are various pics of the actual mechanism and then the fix, I have also attached a link to a video showing how it is suppose to (and now does) work.

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https://youtu.be/HF9IokNcZmE

[JOP33]

Thought I share this pic that a friend sent me after the "game" last night...just proof that I am not the only crazy person out there!

Merry Christmas to everyone and here's hoping you have a very productive New Year!

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[Bgardner]

LOL

You buddy must have been sitting on that one a bit

[JOP33]

Final pics of display (minus monitor & powder coating)...

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Here is a link to a walk around video as well...

https://youtu.be/-umEI2apnR8

[JOP33]

I worked on the cowl area a bit this weekend. This area seems to take a beating with the design of the hood, so I had thrown around a couple ideas of felting the area, Linexing it or covering it in rubber or vinyl. I ended up going with some rubber. I think it turned out pretty good and covers the unsightly scratching and marring that was already occurring from the hood...

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Also added some under chassis LED's this weekend...

https://youtu.be/IJ6BOi3UqIw

[progmgr1]

The car is looking good! I like your solution for the hood fitment. What is the part number and source for the rubber edging, please? Keith

[JOP33]

The car is looking good! I like your solution for the hood fitment. What is the part number and source for the rubber edging, please? Keith

Keith, I’ll look for the part number on this, but any L shaped window wipe seal will work at least 1/2” x 1/2”.

[JOP33]

So after putting the first 200 miles on the car, I wanted to get it up on the rack to re-torque and check out everything. The car is still performing well and no cause for any concerns, but just want to make sure all is as it seems. I have heard mixed responses from other builders on this topic, but I am able to remove both the front and rear wheels/tires with the fenders on...some have told me they are not able to do this. I am almost certain it is dependant upon a whole list of variables that include tire/wheel size, fender cut, etc.. I am running 285/35-20's in the rear on 20" x 10" with 7" Backspace and 1.535" Offset. In the front, 245/35-18' on 18" x 8" with 5.625" Backspace and 1.102" Offset. Because of my backspacing in the rear, I am also using 2" Wheel Adapters, that by recommendation, should be re-torqued every 500 miles or so. I should be able to run through most items for checking this evening and report back any issues, if they exist.

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[JOP33]

All fluid levels and hardware seemed good and torqued to specs. Everything looked good underneath the chassis. So just to clarify, I was able to remove the tires and wheels with the fenders on...I did have to remove the front fenders to get the front tires and wheels back on though. To be honest, I think with a little more patience and maybe not two previous back surgeries, I may have been able to manage getting them on with the fenders, but they were easy enough to remove, so opted to do so. My wife and I took it out for a short ride today and what I have noticed (my opinion) is that the car seems to be a smooth traveling car. My thought is that the wrenching and torquing of the aluminum floor panels and an occasional rattle or vibration, makes the car ride seem rougher than it truly is. My wife likes it as she says there is just enough cool air that seeps in the holes and cracks that when mixed with the heat of the heater, it feels very comfortable! :p. I am scheduled for my theft audit from the local police next Wednesday. This will be the last administrative step in the registration process. Once this is complete I will just need to present all of my documents to the tax office for titling and registration (hopefully). At the end of next week, I taking the car back to 121 R & R and they are going to perform some final touch ups over the course of the next two weeks. The hope is to have it home by the end of February so I can begin to get it ready for Autorama on the 14th (provided my application is accepted).

[sread]

Hey JOP - Can you update us once you get the theft audit done. That is the only part of the process that I am apprehensive about as I bought my kit unfinished and the previous owner provided me with a receipt for his purchase of the used engine off Ebay, but it doesn't actually ID the engine by serial number. I know in some states that is a deal breaker as they require the VIN from the donor vehicle. I am in Texas like yourself and I believe they are a little more lenient but I don't want any surprises at that point in the game.

[JOP33]

Will definitely do that!

[JOP33]

I had previously mentioned that I am working with someone extremely familiar with the Titling and Registration of Assembled Vehicles here in Texas. I am just about to hand over the docs/photos for their review. The only reason for the Limited Power of Attorney is so they can handle the process, otherwise it would not be needed...

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[FF33rod]

That's an impressive collection of documents! good luck....

[JOP33]

That's an impressive collection of documents! good luck....

Thanks...I will need it! If things don't go smoothly, it won't be because I didn't have the document they needed! :rolleyes:

[HVACMAN]

All fluid levels and hardware seemed good and torqued to specs. Everything looked good underneath the chassis. So just to clarify, I was able to remove the tires and wheels with the fenders on...I did have to remove the front fenders to get the front tires and wheels back on though. To be honest, I think with a little more patience and maybe not two previous back surgeries, I may have been able to manage getting them on with the fenders, but they were easy enough to remove, so opted to do so. My wife and I took it out for a short ride today and what I have noticed (my opinion) is that the car seems to be a smooth traveling car. My thought is that the wrenching and torquing of the aluminum floor panels and an occasional rattle or vibration, makes the car ride seem rougher than it truly is. My wife likes it as she says there is just enough cool air that seeps in the holes and cracks that when mixed with the heat of the heater, it feels very comfortable! :p. I am scheduled for my theft audit from the local police next Wednesday. This will be the last administrative step in the registration process. Once this is complete I will just need to present all of my documents to the tax office for titling and registration (hopefully). At the end of next week, I taking the car back to 121 R & R and they are going to perform some final touch ups over the course of the next two weeks. The hope is to have it home by the end of February so I can begin to get it ready for Autorama on the 14th (provided my application is accepted).

Theft audit?? This is the first I've heard of this in Texas. Is that standard procedure?

[JOP33]

My answer to that is I am uncertain. What I do know is that some builders have had no issues getting there vehicle registered without and some have had issues. I was told both by the tax office and the "specialist" I am working with that in the State of Texas you may be able to use the Serial Number that FFR issues as the VIN, however the procedure to do this is that a member of the local Theft Task Force must verify numbers (Engine, Chassis, etc) on the vehicle and then provide a specific form stating that the Serial Number can be used as the VIN. I think if you have the patience and choose to fight the good fight you can register without this process (my opinion only). I chose to err on the side of caution and as I mentioned since I am working with a third party, I am following their guide on this. Wished I could provide more certain & specific insight regarding this.

[HVACMAN]

My answer to that is I am uncertain. What I do know is that some builders have had no issues getting there vehicle registered without and some have had issues. I was told both by the tax office and the "specialist" I am working with that in the State of Texas you may be able to use the Serial Number that FFR issues as the VIN, however the procedure to do this is that a member of the local Theft Task Force must verify numbers (Engine, Chassis, etc) on the vehicle and then provide a specific form stating that the Serial Number can be used as the VIN. I think if you have the patience and choose to fight the good fight you can register without this process (my opinion only). I chose to err on the side of caution and as I mentioned since I am working with a third party, I am following their guide on this. Wished I could provide more certain & specific insight regarding this.

I apologize Jamie. When you said they were going to do a theft audit, the first place my mind went was theft deterrent. I was thinking your alarm system and shop. lol When I read the rest of the posts I realized my mistake.

[JOP33]

No worries...I should have called it what it truly is which is a VIN Verification...happens this morning, will provide more details if anything significant comes up.

[JOP33]

VIN Verification took place this morning, pretty uneventful and seemed more a formality. Several pictures taken and just a verification on the chassis (serial) number, which the officer said he will advise in his report to be used as the VIN on the vehicle. Next step, finalize paperwork and a trip to the Tax Assessors Office.

[JOP33]

Just received ALL docs ready to take to Tax Office this week...hopefully final step in Titling/Registration process.

Docs required...
- Application for Texas Title and/or Registration Form (130-U)
- Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin
- Rebuilt Vehicle Statement (VTR-61)
- Photo(s) of Completed Vehicle
- Law Enforcement Identification Number Inspection (VTR-68a)
- Bill of Sale (Kit and Motor)
- ASE Safety Inspection and Application for Custom/Street Rod Plates
- Copy of ASE Certificate
- Certified Weight Certificate

[AJT '33]

Too bad your so far away from Galveston, I would have liked to drop in and see your car if possible. Out here on business, maybe next time!!!

Was hoping to take in a Cars and Coffee in this area but they all look shut down for now.

[TxMike64]

Law Enforcement Identification Number Inspection (VTR-68a)

I can't find this form... I may be screwed as I bougt my engine/trans off craigslist.... Dammit :mad:

[JOP33]

Law Enforcement Identification Number Inspection (VTR-68a)

I can't find this form... I may be screwed as I bougt my engine/trans off craigslist.... Dammit :mad:

This form would be provided by the Officer that completes the Inspection. You will find samples online, but it is only available by them and is only good for 30 business days after the inspection, so you would want the inspection to take place close to the time when you are ready to register.

[JOP33]

Was just advised today that I will be required to pay 6.25% on total kit price for tax purposes. Not completely surprised by this, but a little frustrating as I had been previously told (by the same office) that since the vehicle was assembled, the next buyer would pay the taxes due. Of course FFR's final invoice doesn't help as it states tax exempt (for out of state) :(. Oh well, to tax office tomorrow!

[JOP33]

Well it's official...Star Mobile One is street legal (and taxed :mad:). I can only speak of my experience (since so much of the registration process seems to be subjective or based off interpretation), but I was taxed on my total sales order from FFR...all options and even shipping. Knowing what I know now, I think the better approach would have been to purchase the entire kit, but buy as two separate orders and only submit the stage 1 order, but I am not going to whine too much as other than that surprise everything else went to the letter. Thanks to all that helped pave the road ahead of me!

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[sethmark]

Huge congrats! I filled out my paperwork this am. Hopefully it’s easier. It is supposed
to be.

[HVACMAN]

Well it's official...Star Mobile One is street legal (and taxed :mad:). I can only speak of my experience (since so much of the registration process seems to be subjective or based off interpretation), but I was taxed on my total sales order from FFR...all options and even shipping. Knowing what I know now, I think the better approach would have been to purchase the entire kit, but buy as two separate orders and only submit the stage 1 order, but I am not going to whine too much as other than that surprise everything else went to the letter. Thanks to all that helped pave the road ahead of me!

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Congratulations Jamie!!!
That is some good information as I bought my kit in two stages also. I’m quite sure the locals at our tax office will be like a calf looking at a new gate when I get there. lol

[TxMike64]

.... will be like a calf looking at a new gate ...

:D That's the kind of thing you'll hear fro a True Texan! And I fully understand! Ha!

[FF33rod]

Woohoo!!!! Congrats - we expect some driving videos now with you going past the appropriate stadium and some tailgate party shots!
Happy for ya, Steve

[Bgardner]

Enjoy

must be a little bitter sweet as I am sure there was much enjoyment doing the project. The sunshine should be coming now so get out and drive.

[JOP33]

Yeah, getting the car back late in the season with cooler weather coming in was truly never in the plan, but most of my plans don't go the same way I envision them!

[wrp]

They concluded I had already paid taxes on the components purchased. I did have all invoices showing tax paid

[JOP33]

Bit of an update...
I have plates and title in hand on the 33, so all is official! Thanks to all that have helped throughout this process! :D

BTW, February is a great month!
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For the last few weeks, the car has been back at 121 R & R getting some final touch up done. I had kept the car back in November to essentially get it legal (inspection & titling) knowing it would be back in the shop for the final details...nothing mechanical just touch-ups. I should have picked it up today actually, but weather slowed things a day or two this week on some clear, then a last minute trip for work came up Friday for early this week, so Thursday it will be coming home and WRP (Bill) has agreed to help me get it back to the house (Thanks). This will actually work out well as Autorama is in two weeks in Dallas, so I will have almost a full week to get things prepared. BTW, anyone local that makes it to the show PLEASE stop by and visit!

Don't know that I mentioned this but, just in the 350 miles I have put on the car over the holidays, I was seeing some peppering on the fenders. Enough that I began researching some options (Ceramic Coating, Invisible Bra, Race Tape, etc). I have heard extremely GOOD things regarding Ceramic Coating. Everyone I have talked to speaks highly of it for keeping the car paint safe from bugs and keeping a near perfect sheen on the car - it's big downfall is it doesn't stop chips (also painters tend to hate it because of the work required to remove for warranty, touch-up). Race Tape is more of a temporary fix, but it is cost effective. Most of you are probably more familiar with this product than I as tends to be used on cars during racing and then removed after the fact. As mentioned cost effective and great if you have some small areas to protect (such as fenders). Finally, is the invisible bra. I have heard some awesome things about these products as well. They are extremely durable and now days are even self healing if you set them out in the sun or heat with a heat gun. With the exception of the Race Tape, all of these items tend to be a bit pricey, however if you think about what they are protecting it doesn't take long to do the justification. I am going to try out the race tape and see how it performs, but I think the Invisible Bra is probably going to be the long term answer. I am not planning on putting anything on the car though until after the first show at Autorama. One thing I want to mention, which I didn't know until doing a bit of research (and must admit I have only heard this from two of the installers of the IB), they told me that many Auto Shows will disqualify you for having a Paint Protection Film on your vehicle. I don't know if they meant like a Best Paint award or just in general but I also heard from just as many installers that they had never heard of such (at least as it deals with Clear PPF), they said a wrap, yes.

Finally, as a early Birthday present my wife actually had a custom puzzle of the 33 made! Over the course of several years, we have both enjoyed putting the old Hot Rod series puzzles together. Once finished, I hodge podge them and hang them in the shop on the wall. This is an awesome puzzle, great quality and 2000 pieces!
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[wallace18]

Very cool gift!

[donshapansky]

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy the next phase of driving and showing it off .

[JOP33]

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy the next phase of driving and showing it off .

Thanks Don...it all started with your inspiration!

[JOP33]

Dallas Autorama is less than a week a way! Any local (or any builders for that matter) that can make it out to the show, please stop by and see me. I would love to meet as many of you as I possibly can and discuss your builds. So many of you have influenced and inspired my build! I also plan on posting videos and pics throughout the show.

See ya'll there!

[JOP33]

So yesterday I rolled SM1 into its first car show...the 2020 Dallas Autorama. Several first for me to begin with, first build, first car show (as a participant) and first time pulling a trailer :eek:. I am happy to report all went well in all three areas :D. The show will start today "officially", so I am hoping for a good experience. My older brother taught me something a long time ago that I have carried with me through life..."I go in with low expectations and come out thoroughly impressed". It is interesting, as I am detailing the car to hear some of the comments though - and actually pretty funny. The one I love the best is, "He must be on Jerry's payroll"! ;).

Anyway here are just a few pics and a couple of links to the Roll In & Positioning vids...

Me and the car...
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Awaiting a classification...
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Some other amazing cars...
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Rear view of car...
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Show display...
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Roll In vid...
https://youtu.be/OEq6q-MC_Yc

Positioning vid...
https://youtu.be/_9P5hc6E4qk

[sethmark]

First, trailers are for movies.


Second, I didn’t see any burnouts.


Third, All in good fun, the car is amazing and you should be proud!!!!

[JOP33]

First, trailers are for movies.


Second, I didn’t see any burnouts.


Third, All in good fun, the car is amazing and you should be proud!!!!

LOL! I will be driving it home...still probably no burnouts though!

Thanks!

[JOP33]

I do have to say, I saw something I had never seen before yesterday at the show - and maybe it is because it is my first time participating. I saw a car drive in that the owner had apparently detailed his tires at the house and then wrapped them in Plastic Wrap for the roll in! Part of me thought, wow that's taking it a little too far and then once I got in the show and spent the next hour and a half cleaning off all the crap from driving a 1/4 of a mile in...I got it!

[sethmark]

When we lived in Naples, I had a neighbor with an insane car collection. And he drove everything. He gave me a piece of advice that I hold dear. He said you have to wet the car to wash it.

[HVACMAN]

When we lived in Naples, I had a neighbor with an insane car collection. And he drove everything. He gave me a piece of advice that I hold dear. He said you have to wet the car to wash it.

Having a car you don't drive is like having a pistol you don't shoot and I've only had one of those. It was a limited edition 1 of 250 Para Ordinance 1911 stainless Officers model. The temptation was so great I sold it. Cars were made for driving and pistols for shooting, and both are a lot of fun.

[a217085]

LOL! I will be driving it home...still probably no burnouts though!

Thanks!

Was great meeting you at Autorama. The car looks awesome and definitely 1 of the top cars there. Hope to see you for cars and cigars up in Frisco in the future.

[JOP33]

Was great meeting you at Autorama. The car looks awesome and definitely 1 of the top cars there. Hope to see you for cars and cigars up in Frisco in the future.

The pleasure was mine. Sorry I didn’t get to talk more. Who knew showing cars was such time consuming job!:D

[a217085]

The pleasure was mine. Sorry I didn’t get to talk more. Who knew showing cars was such time consuming job!:D


Haha, no worries. Was cool to see the line of folks checking SM1 out. The display was really cool too.

[JOP33]

Will post pics and more info tomorrow, but I won second place in my class. Extremely happy with the results.

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First place taken by this amazing car...
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[Straversi]

Congratulations. What class/category did they put you in
-Steve

[JOP33]

Congratulations. What class/category did they put you in
-Steve

Altered Street Rod Roadster (???) - Don't really know how they (promoters of the Autorama) exactly come up with the classes. I listened to a seasoned participant explaining it and after 15 minutes in I lost interest!