Later that afternoon, I had the new parts mocked up. Had to re-check to make sure it was still square, tweaked some areas for better fitment and finished up a few stray items in the back but overall everything lined up well.
So catching up to today, put in a long day today but accomplished what I set out to get done. First of all, I bought me a 120v spot welder from Harbor Freight. Wasn’t sure how that was gonna work out but it actually worked quite well. I knew I’d be limited on where I could use it but just being able to do the firewall and cowl panels alone would be worth it. Here’s a shot of the firewall after welding it across the top. Should make the bodywork side much easier.
Next up I got the firewall/floor pan supports fitted up and welded in. These fit pretty good as well and I used the subframe to make sure everything was in the right spot. So glad to have that part done! I also managed to get my hand with a 60 grit flapper disc, right thru the glove! Word to the wise, wear leather gloves for that stuff.
Also, just some random pics. Next is to get the thing off the metal frame and onto some jack stands or casters of some type. Still have some welding to do and plenty of welds to dress. After that, i need to get the torque boxes and subframe connectors welded in and get the extra holes in the firewall and core support filled.
So been stockpiling some parts for the Nova...mostly the hard to find trim pieces I’m missing but also ordered up some front fenders and roof panel. Have it scheduled to go in the body shop first week of Feb to get the panel alignment done, roof panel and rain gutters installed and get everything welded up...some things are better left to the experts! In the meantime, thought I’d throw a couple of pics up.