Star Mobile 1 Build

So only four hours later I have all the aluminum that I need to take out out (and the trans tunnel and cover of course)...wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...

This is the old Passenger Floor Plate I had made to cover the auxillary fuse block(s) I installed. It was just a little too small for my liking and to protect that area, so I made a second plate that covers much better and has a slight kickout on the bottom (all will be covered with carpet eventually)...

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I decided to just go with a dab of RTV High Temp Sealant and then let it dry. Since I had the panels off and I had some leftover Lizard Skin...everything got a heaping dose of LS Ceramic. I hit the diamond shaped area that rest right above the exhaust several times...

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I will try to get everything back together tomorrow. I have few things I want to check for tight tonight since I have the aluminum off.

I did get the aluminum back in last weekend and for the most part it went back in fairly easy. One thing I did add (and difficult to see in the photo) is I cut and placed some rubber gasket material under the aluminum where the e-brake goes passes thru the floor. Once I had the floor back in over the rubber, I slit it to allow for the clevis to pass through. I just thought this might help keep moisture and dust from entering...

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Additionally, I will add that in the beginning I drilled and tapped holes in the chassis for the aluminum and used 10-32 machine screws to hold everything in place. When I installed the aluminum this time (hopefully for the last time) I went back with #12 Self Piercing Screws and these seem to hold very well. I don't know that they will hold up to a lot of R/R, but I was finding that the machine screws weren't holding up that well either, so we will have to see with these (I believe that #10 would have worked if I had not gone with the 10-32's prior)...

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I had also been back and forth on being able to adjust the seats. I am 5'11" and will probably need to do some adjusting to get the brake pedal in the right (more comfortable...you lucky Gen 2 guys) position. When it's all said and done, I can't see there being more than about 2" either direction (front to back) in my set-up, but if need be, I wanted to be able to adjust for that, so while I had the seats out I came up with a viable solution. I took some 3/4" square tube (same size as the seat frames), cut them to 11" long and then drilled holes along them at 1" intervals. I then took and 11ga steel plate 6" x 12" and drilled it out to match the existing holes in the aluminum and chassis. I then welded (2) of the the tubes to the plate and the other (2) to the bottom of the seat frame. In the end this raised the seat almost an inch and allows me to shift the seat forward and backwards however I need to. It cost me about $30 in material, but it did take about 8 hours of my time...

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cont'd...

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by JOP33

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Going to follow this as I need to have the drivers side adjustable fore and aft. Will possibly be using this concept for the mount even though from a height standpoint I should be fine (but could use the additional bit of height. THX!

Clever. That’s a great idea.
-Steve

Yeah, the most time consuming part was drilling the holes. Anyone with access to a Bridgeport or CNC Mill could knock this out pretty quickly (ours were full at work). And honestly, all you really need is about (6) holes in each tube, (1) location for nominal, (1) for forward and (1) for aft, that gives you an inch of travel either way. You could adjust the spacing on the holes to give you more with a minimal amount of work.

I am fortunate to live about 20 minutes from Jamie. I am about 6-months into my build, and have become good friends with Jamie. I can tell you, he has done a beautiful job with
his build. It is an inspiration and motivation for me. I tried to tell him Eagles Green with an Eagle on the side would look nice, but did not go over!?!?! Living in "Cowboy Country", and spending of $$$$$$ on an Eagle paint job, would not be a good idea!?!?
Your getting closer Jamie!!! Great Job!
Larry

You need to come up to 121 with Jamie sometime. I'd love to meet you. Maybe we could get TDSapp out too.

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Originally Posted by wrp

You need to come up to 121 with Jamie sometime. I'd love to meet you. Maybe we could get TDSapp out too.

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This sounds like a great idea...once Kory has my car, I'll be up there at least once a week.

There are getting to be enough of us in North TX to start up a Club, and have some meetings. And hopefully some Cruises in the near future.

Finally got the fit-up done on the fab cover for the solenoid. I will have chromed Monday, but wanted to confirm fit before doing so. My design, but I can't take the credit for forming or weld (I can weld in a pinch, but not when aesthetics are of importance). I think it will look sharp once chromed...

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Hope to do a little more work and then start organizing parts to handover to painter next week :cool:! Might even try to get out to Autorama tomorrow.

I was able to get a few more small things done this weekend. As mentioned previously, the car is scheduled to go to the Painters this next weekend. I know that by looking at the current state of the car, some may think that I still have a ways to go before paint, but with my build the challenge I was willing to accept was getting the engine in, started and the car rolling. I do have a background in Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing, however that was many, many years ago and the advancement in the process, product and technologies surpassed my level of comfort about two decades ago. So this accompanied by the two previous back surgeries I have had with the possibility of a third looming in the near future drove the decision to leave the fit-up of the body, doors, etc. to the experts (..."stay in your lane Bro", right). The shop that I chose is more than capable of doing a great job as they have worked on a previous 33' and did an awesome job (WRP's 33'). The challenge now will become not straying from the plan and letting the professionals do their job! Anyway, back to this last weekend, so at the risk of additional overkill and the fact that I had the seats out, I added some Thermo-Gard as a top layer to the Lizard Skin, DEI heat shielding and FFR heat & sound barrier. I know, I know it's overkill right? I just thought that adding the additional protection at this point is the best option. If I never notice the difference in not having it then its done its job and in the scheme of things it was easy to lay down and relatively in-expensive. In some areas I just used some velcro dots, in other areas I just used a small dollop of RTV. The intent was to still be able to remove this if need be without destroying it. The sheet came 48" x 72" and for the most part I was able to cover the entire passenger compartment. It is easy to work with although I would suggest a good pair of scissors opposed to a box cutter or exacto knife...

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I tried something around the auxiliary fuse block to see if it would work (I will report back as it is still drying, however I am hopeful). I had an area on either side that I wanted to insulate a bit, so I took some 3mil plastic and persuaded it into the area as best as I could then I sprayed (cautiously) some spray foam and allowed it to expand into the areas. My hope is that after trimming the face down, I will have some foam inserts that can be pulled out if needed. I'll have see how concept and theory transition into reality, but at this point I am still hopeful...

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That extra insulation should be well worth it come summer. I did the same with more DEI and Thermo Gard.
I have more insulation arriving any day now to put in the doors, in front of the fuel tank, and in between the door hinge and the front of the rear wheels.
Probably should add some to the roof too.

Just as a bit of a follow up, the foam insulation experiment concluded last night. I'm not going to call it a success but not a failure either. I believe with the right process and a little warmer temperatures this would be a viable solution to the area I was working on. The product trimmed up relatively easy with a hacksaw blade. I should have done the application in gradual layers opposed to trying to fill the area at one time, but all in all a good learning experience and I will possibly try it again...

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In an effort to just try to cover the chassis through transport this weekend, I just picked up a (relatively) in-expensive car cover from the local top of the mountain auto parts store. I started with the 13-14 foot length and it was too small, so went back and jumped up two sizes and then one seems quite big, but will do the job (and the body and hardtop are not on). For the purpose of transport it will only be covering the chassis, my long term hopes are to go with a Coverking or something a little higher end, but the cover seems to be decent quality and serve a purpose and it was cost effective. It also has straps and eyelets to use for tying...

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I also temporarily fit-up the lower trunk brace I had fabbed to help stiffen that area. The verdict is still out on this and I will know more once the body is on...

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Today and tomorrow will be the last push to get things in order before the Painter picks up the car on Saturday evening. As of right now, it's been hands-off on the car and spending more time prepping and organizing the parts for Kory (as his time will be my money). Going to start the car up one final time tonight or tomorrow and then continue with some final prep. I also have a few parts to pick up from Polisher/Chromer later today.

A few days ago I had dropped off the AC Accumulator & a Cover Bracket (for Polishing) I had made for it as well as a Solenoid Cover (for Chroming) I had Fabbed. Today I picked those up and was extremely happy with how they turned out. Once I got them home and went ahead an re-installed them...

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Those parts really came out nice! Well done! Keith

Yesterday was just a roller coaster of emotions...the day started by knowing that it would be the last day (for a while) that SM1 would be gracing the shadows of it's home, but knowing that when it does return that it will be all that I had envisioned! But what would any important planned event such as this be without a little reality to start your day (right?). I had gotten up early (extremely) to finish getting things laid out for Kory and his team (whom by the way continues to prove that he is the perfect shop to complete this build for me). So after rearranging a few things, I moved some vehicles around (notably, Star Mobile 2 or the vehicle formerly known as Star Mobile 1...:rolleyes:). After that I went to start the vehicle up, Fuel Pump coming on but only registering 20-25 psi at gauge. After texting Kory, asking if he thought we'd still be able to get it on the trailer if it wasn't running, I started doing some rushed trouble shooting...I started by checking for leaks, none...then wire connections, the positive on the FP seemed loose, so I tightened the nut down only to break the positive stud off! Well actually it just shortened it a bit, so there was still enough stud that I could get a nut on. After tightening it down, I cranked it again with the same result, only about 20 psi. By this time, Kory had texted letting me know they were on their way, so then my focus became getting the vehicle out of the lift area and prepped to be pushed on to the trailer. However, in the back of my mind I am boiling...first, how did I get to this point where I didn't confirm the start of the vehicle after the last Fuel Pump issue and secondly, why am I having to deal with what seems to be a second Fuel Pump issue :mad:! Needless to say, at this point I was ready to turn it over to Kory and let him confirm the problem and offer some suggestions (back to this in a bit). Kory arrived with his guys and we were able to get the car loaded on the trailer without too much issue. He was having to take the chassis and body and the two had not been mated up yet and there was some prepping I had done (door frames, gauges, etc) that was going to make putting the body on for the travel a little more challenging or require a second trip. Luckily he had prepared for this and brought a truck that they were able to place the body in and then load the chassis onto the trailer...

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About two and half hours later, SM1 arrived safely at 121 Rod & Restoration thanks to the efforts of Kory and his buddies! Thanks guys! I followed shortly after with some additional body parts and miscellaneous hardware and manuals, stayed for a bit and headed back to the house. By the time I was pulling up to the house, Kory was texting me..."Fuel Pump is bad", so now I have a second Holley Fuel Pump that has gone out on me with less than about 20 minutes of run time on the total of both. I have asked Kory to confirm the current set-up as well to make sure it is not my routing, a kink, etc. that is causing the issue.

So the day was very bitter-sweet...but after all this is car building, right?...and the day couldn't have gone any other way!

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Congratulations on getting to this point in your build

You know part of building a car is not only enjoying the build but sharing your frustrations, agitations and idiocracy...:confused::p:mad:! With that being said, Kory texted last night stating that "there was no fuel in the tank"! And you know what makes this worse is the fact that he asked me at his shop if I had fuel in the tank to which I quickly stated "yeah, I've put three gallons in". Of course after thinking about it all day, that was several months ago, prior to go carting and before changing out the last Fuel Pump, factor in some evaporation and all I can say is what an idiot I am, relieved that it's not another fuel pump but just a pure example of stupidity! I thought I'd share this with ya'll as it's the start of another week and we can all use a good laugh to start the week! Stay tuned...

I am planning a trip to the local mountain top parts store, so I reached out to Kory yesterday to let him know I would be there if he needed anything. He called me back a few minutes later and suggested, that all though the flexible fuel lines I ran are of good quality and they may last a year or twenty, that I may want to go with Nicopp hardlines instead. Since the body covers the area around the fuel tank and all that leads to and from the tank I really agree with this suggestion and looking back, probably should have done this earlier on myself (after all FFR sends hard lines with the kit, they were the wrong size for the EFI, but they are supplied). My thought process at that time was first, based on the challenges I faced flaring and getting the brake lines ran (I have asked him to re-run those as well) that I really wanted to go with a simple solution (or my idea of a simple solution) and for me that was the flexible lines. Secondly, as the name states, they are flexible...no bending. This is truly a learning experience for me, even more so now that the car is in professionals hands. And I know I have probably overstated this already, but I could have taken this vehicle to many body shops capable of doing the body work and paint, however I continue to be impressed with Kory and his team as they look at the complete build of the car. I mean ultimately, all anyone is going to see is the paint on the outside of the car, but if the car can't make it down the road...the paint tends to be a little less impressive when the car is on the back of tiltbed tow truck. Anyway, I will try to keep ya'll updated on this continued learning experience and hopefully it will offer at least a bit of enlightenment down the way for someone!

Thanks

Looks like Kory and his team are making some headway already...

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I had to take a few more parts out to Kory's shop today, they had temporarily placed the body on...

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Next weekend I will try to get the final piece (the hardtop) out to him.

Just a bit of an update here on the build...I have to give MBB Larry and his buddy credit on this one. Neither one of us were too keen on the whole rivnut in the body to attach the firewall, so we talked about fabricating a Retainer Ring that had floating nuts in it that would install on the passenger compartment side of the body at the firewall, then you could match drill the holes through the firewall aluminum and (in this case) attach with with Chrome Button Head screws. Larry and one of his Helicopter buddies did a great job fabricating the piece and Kory and his team installed. I'm making a trip out the shop tomorrow to take the final piece (Hardtop) out there, so I will try and get some additional feedback from Kory on the fit-up...

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Ran out to Kory's shop today to drop off the Hardtop. I was able to get a few more pics of the Firewall Retainer Ring and where he made some adjustments to the hard lines for the fuel. Also picked up the back ordered AC vent...

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A couple more pics from 121 R & R...

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Made the weekly Pilgrimage out to the shop today. Here are some updated pics of the progress...

Starting to look more like a hotrod (and the fenders don't look too bad after all, but we'll still need to trim them up a bit)...
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Kory showed me where they had to move the battery from I originally had placed it due to interference with the trunk and hinges. I had originally placed it longitudinally against the passenger side wall of the trunk. They move it over toward the center a bit and up against the rear wall...
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They also changed out the stock FFR Brake Reservoirs I had installed as I had later opted for the one-piece billet aluminum duplex reservoir...
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Kory also cut down the Brake threaded rods to allow for about 1-1/2" to 2" of adjustment in the brake pedal...
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They also cut-in the area behind the firewall with Silver paint...
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I am extremely happy with the progress Kory and his team are making...
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In talking with him before I left today, he hopes to be able to get possibly the doors and rear fenders on so that maybe next week we can play around with taping off some fender trims!

Saw where Kory had posted some updated photos of the car, so I thought I would pass them along...

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Didn't make it out to the shop last weekend but hoping to get by there this week. Here are a couple updated photos from Kory...

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I did make it out to the shop this morning. Good progress over the last two weeks.

Both doors are at least on (still some work to be done on the driver's side, but they are fit in the body at this point)...
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Also, the firewall is attached through the body now...
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Kory mentioned there is a lot of work to be done this next week on the deck lid alone. There is a significant amount of bowing in all directions of the trunk that will require some kerf cutting and reglassing in areas. They will also be using Tim Whittaker's braces...
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The Side Aluminum in the trunk had to be removed to allow for the body to fit where it needed to as well. They will need to notch the trunk hinge arms as well as they hit the fuel tank currently. I think I possibly could have installed the tank a little off-centered to one-side causing that issue...
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Hoping to have the trunk fit up this next week and possibly the hood on, if things go really well!

Not a lot to update from last week, but the trunk did get fit-up...and that in itself was a challenge according to the shop. For those of you that are doing your on panel fit-up, body work and paint...I applaud you for taking on that challenge! Ya'll have a true understanding of how much work is truly involved in getting the body of this vehicle set. If nothing else, I hope as FFR updates & modifies areas of the 33' (Gen 2, etc), that the amount of time (and money) that has to be spent prepping these vehicles for paint is impacted in positive way significantly. Just a few things outside of fit-up at the shop that are going on right now...I really wanted to do something different with the headlights on the vehicle. I thought they were a little too big, I wanted to go LED and also would like to be able to mount them a little lower on the vehicle. Kory and I went back and forth with some ideas in the beginning and he came up with the possibility of using some Motorcycle lights (Headwinds). I played around with some drawings and dimensions and finally ordered some Headwind Headlights, but for the Hot Rod. Kory and his team will be challenged with designing a way to mount them, but in the end I know they will do an awesome job and I really think it will set the car apart from others. I also just received the exhaust tips that I am going with on the car. Staying withe the Cowboy theme...they had to be stars! Finally, I played around a bit this weekend in my CAD software and came up a pretty close rendering to the finished product (with Fenders, Mirrors, Lights).

Headlight Concept...
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Exhuast...
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Star Mobile 1 Rendering...
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Nice! What CAD software are you using?

I considered that exact same set of Headwinds headlights!

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Originally Posted by TxMike64

Nice! What CAD software are you using?

I considered that exact same set of Headwinds headlights!

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For the easy stuff, I use DraftSight (freeware and a really good CAD package)...for the more difficult stuff, SolidWorks.

Made it out to 121 R & R for an update this week...not a lot of sexy things going on, meaning the details that Kory and his team are working through now don't really make for good pics, but I took some anyway :p. This week they went ahead and sound dampened the doors before they started getting too cluttered with the window parts. They also had to extend the striker mount a bit. They are trying to reduce as much weight from the workings of the "shaved" door handles as possible. Kory has mentioned several times that he really prefers to put the solenoid for the pull actually in the chassis opposed to in the door, but in this application there is just no room to do this, so it will go in the door. They were able to get the strikers and latches in and doors close nicely! Also installed the jamb pins for wiring. They have also started the prep work for the roadster windshield. Kory is suppose to be receiving a mock-up headlight so that they can move forward with the engine side panel fit-up and creating a mounting bracket for the new headlights which should arrive late this week or early next week...

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The plan is to cut the windows for the M/C Covers then create a fiberglass underlayment in the cowl area. I am then going to recut the covers out of a material equal to that of the fiberglass, so the covers will then set flush in the cowl area. I will try to get those cut this week.

I enjoyed watching the fiberglass prep come along. I was particularly excited to see the transition from initial primer to final prep.

Will try to make it up to the shop today...I have re-cut the Master Cylinder Covers out of 1/8" Aluminum to allow for the guys to recess the cover flush with the body opposed to sitting on top of the fiberglass. Apparently there can sometimes be some interference with the hood. I also think I have made the final decision on colors. I had selected the colors on line, but wanted to confirm in person so the local Automotive Finish shop loaned me their color chip spread. Will confirm with Kory today and also find out his source for paint and have them match.


M/C Covers...
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Cowboy Blue, White & Silver (not really, but for this purpose I will stay with it :rolleyes:)...
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I did make it by the shop yesterday and saw some really good progress. The roadster windshield had been previously located, so this week they cut the access panels for the M/C Covers and installed the Hardtop. They also re-installed the rear fenders and I believe we are extremely close to making the bob cuts. They also fab'd custom headlight brackets for the Headwind Headlights we will be installing. They also started knocking down the mold lines and doing some seam filling. The Hood and Engine Side Panels are just resting on the vehicle at this point until the Headlight Brackets get mounted in place...

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So another good week of progress from 121 Rod & Restoration this week. Since the Headwinds Headlights have been delayed slightly (the Chromer that Headwinds uses ran over the turn signal and crushed it, so they had to remake), Abel and Kory focused on some other areas of the car this week. For starters, we decided last weekend to do something different with the tail lights (this was Kory's idea actually, but I fell in love with it pretty quickly). Kory suggested the 39' Ford Tear Drop lights. Initially we had talked about installing with the tail down (in the more conventional way), however today I was actually able to spend a little time playing around with the lights on the rear and I have to say I am pretty partial to placing the tail up. I am sure I will look at the pics a few hundred times between now and Monday and as always I'd love to hear feedback from ya'll as well on the subject. Anyway, Abel moved forward with cutting out the factory locations for the lights and then used the cut aways to fill the pockets. He also cut out the locations for the door pulls that we are putting in the doors. Last week I had re-cut some 1/8" aluminum M/C Covers that would allow for them to sit flush against the cowl. This week Abel created the under-layment lip that will hold the covers flush as well as cut and installed the defrost vents.

39' Ford Tail Light...
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39' Ford Mini Zephyr Light...
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Factory locations cut out...
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Factory locations filled...
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My tentative pick for the tail lights...
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M/C Covers & Lip work...
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