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Fletcher's Customs!
Chad and Josh really knocked out a lot of work today!! :thumbsup: :hail:
I love how the rearend and subframe are coming together! :drool: I can't wait to drive this beast!! :drive: Engine update tomorrow! :lateral: |
Engine is DONE!!
Kevin Swaney finished the final assembly of the TIP/KRE 440 yesterday!! This thing is a work of art Kevin!!!! :bow:
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...M/DSC02683.jpg 440cid stroker, 4.188-in bore x 4.00-in. stroke, KRE 320cfm Aluminum D-ports, KB Pistons, Comp solid etc. This beast will be on the dyno early next week!!! I can hardly wait! :willy: |
Looks great, Ty! Chad and the guys are slamming and I'm stoked to see the wheels finally on there!
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Chad, Josh, and Jerry are just AMAZING!!! :hail: :bow: :thumbsup: :cheers: :woot: |
Billet-TEK Valve Covers!
Here's TIP's Billet-TEK custom built Pontiac valve covers for the 440!
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...M/DSC02687.jpg CNC machined, thick CNC machined rails for perfect flatness and superior sealing, will clear high port intake and supercharger manifolds without any modifications... http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...M/DSC02689.jpg Available with stainless steel socket head cap screws or black oxide socket head cap screws and optional breather grommets, grommet holes can be placed anywhere you want, designed to clear ALL valve train components - poly locks and stud girdles! http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...M/DSC02697.jpg Covers feature recessed bolt hole for a clean finished look! |
WOW!!
Looks very nice.:thumbsup: |
Thanks!
A cool thing about the engine is that only the stock iron block is original! EVERYTHING else on it or in it is from the aftermarket!
TIN INDIAN Performance and Kauffman Racing Equipment have collaborated on the build and used their parts to replace everything but the block! Even the timing cover is made by Kauffman Racing as are the heads and other parts like the oil filter adapter!! And some new stuff to be revealed here shortly!! :question: :unibrow: |
Lokking great Ty!! Now let's get that motor in it and start melting some tires with it!!:geezer:
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Can't wait!
I can't wait my friend!! We're getting closer everyday!! :lateral:
Now about that wheelchair smiley?! :mad: I know I've had the car for over 25 years but I'm only 42 man! LOL :rofl: |
Older than me pal.......:rofl:
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Subframe Update!
Chad just sent another quick text pic...
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...90905-1942.jpg AGR Billet 12:1 power steering box, BMR tubular control arms, KORE3 billet hub assembly (with 1/2"-20 screw-in ARP wheel studs) and a Fletcher's Customs-modified stock spindle! I'd picked up another set of axles and had them modified last summer in order to speed up the process when swapping out the brakes... this was all before Chad got the project... anyway, FWIW late model 2nd-gen spindles are NOT the same as early 2nd-gen spindles!! The outer bearings are just slightly different sizes! So, if anyone needs an already modified set of late model 2nd-gen F-body spindles that are already painted and ready to go... let me know! LOL L2 = Lesson Learned! IMPORTANT note from the KORE3 instructions! "GM tall-spindles came in two variations with respect to the outer wheel bearing size. The outer wheel bearing seat diameter of the spindle may be either Ø.750" [Ø19.05 mm] or Ø.844" [Ø21.44 mm]." And now you know why I have an extra set of spindles available! LOL :rolleyes: INTERESTING note from the KORE3 instructions! "KORE3 billet hubs decrease track width .03" [.8 mm] per side over stock applications, making the overall track width .06" [1.6 mm] narrower than stock." AGR's Billet box features a true 12:1 ratio, the fastest turning ratio available. Firm race type valving enhances road feel and offers precise handling. Total Bearing Control locks in the sector shaft for smooth, precise steering! :drive: |
A couple more...
Performance Suspension Technology (PST) donated ALL NEW steering linkage to the project!!
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...90905-2050.jpg I'd purchased PSTs Polygraphite® Performance Super Kit in 1990 and called them to see if they'd help with replacing the wearable items under warrantee... They sent all new inners & outters, center link, idler arm, zerks, castle nuts, etc! Talk about service!! And here's a sticker shot for Dave's GEN II Racing Products and Allan @ BMR Fabrication!! :thumbsup: http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...90905-2051.jpg Dave at Pro-touringF-body.com donated the CNC machined billet tie rod sleeves in the pics as well as his G-braces and Cowl brace that we'll be putting on the car later! Thanks Dave! Tomorrow the front KORE3 13.4" Z51 brakes go on and the 18x8 Rushforth Super Spokes with 255/45/18 Falkens get mounted for the first time!! :drool: We're still waiting for the front springs to arrive as you can see in this pic... but as soon as those arrive we'll mount up the AFCO Racing coilovers and the front subframe assembly will be done! |
Well another 10 hours in the shop today. And still two more days left in the long weekend! We'll have the subframe completed in the morning and on the ground waiting to go under the car. Josh has the firewall in primer and ready to be blocked then put it in paint late tomorrow afternoon.
Today was a good day. Only hiccup was the spindle issue. Plans were to use the ones Ty had already modded, but once I realized they were the later series and the bearings and hubs we had were for the first series. We had to tear Ty's old stuff down, cut the needed places, drill and tap the holes, media blast and paint. Ate up about 4 hours of the day on just that. But I took the time to grind all the casting marks off and smooth the spindles out and just make them cleaner looking. Other than that things are going smoothly. I'll be roughing in all the body work on the shell tomorrow and getting it ready to go in high build for blocking. As well as media blasting and getting the fenders bodyworked and in primer also... Things are really plugging along. The man upstairs is on our side thats for sure! I'm also taking a bunch of high res photos to do the official updates on Tuesday. I just don't have any editing software on the new home PC to do it now. Thanks for all the support! |
Wheels and Brakes!
Front subframe assembly is nearly done...
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...90906-1340.jpg Just gotta get the sway bar mounted and then roll it out of the shop so the bodywork can continue on the car! More to come... |
Rushforth's have landed!!!!
Jason, this one's for you buddy! "Like a glove!" (Name the movie?)
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...90906-1438.jpg Not quite ride height but you get the idea! :yes: |
Moving right along!!
Firewall smoothed and in epoxy...
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...90906-1606.jpg And then in high build primer... http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...90906-1654.jpg What's next??? Oh YEAH!!! :wow: |
Well I'm taking my first real brake in three days. Firewall is in final primer, and we will be blocking it out around 7:30. then paint and clear, baby!!! Got a big majority of the body work on the shell roughed in. And just waiting on some filler to setup and then back to blocking!! Things are progressing really well today. Might just have it not only on the ground , but on the ground primed and ready for blocking!!!! :thumbsup:
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12:31 AM, Eay 3 of the long weekend is a wrap!!! Started this morning at 7:45, so with my lunch and dinner breaks about a 15 hour day!! And boy is my body telling me that too!! But good progress none the less. Subframe is completed and rolling!! Josh has been on the firewall since about 1 this afternoon. Sprayed the final coat of high build at 4:30, 3 hour flash time till we could sand. He went to dinner, while I hung around and did bodywork on the quarter and roof seams. He got back around 8:30 and we grabbed the blocks and some 400 and went to town. First coat of base went on at 10:30, with the last coat of clear at 12:00. Three stage paints are fun!!
Tomorrow finish roughing in the bodywork on the shell. Subframe under it, and maybe outside for a picture as a roller!!! |
Way to go guys!! You guys are kicking a** on this! My hat is off to you guys. :cheers: :cheers:
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GM Jetstream Blue!!!
Got this from Chad late last night...
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...906-2311-1.jpg Talk about an exciting weekend!!! :lateral: :woot: Chad, Josh and Jerry have gotten an AMAZING amount of work done on the car in the past 3 days!!! :hail: :thumbsup: :bow: |
Subframe's under the car!!
Just couldn't wait to post up this latest pic from Chad!! :woot:
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...90907-1328.jpg Let us know what you think about the color! :lateral: |
WOW!! We have color!! NICE WORK GUYS!!!:cheers:
Looks great! |
44 hours later and we've got a roller!!! Ty should post the pic soon. Subframe done, underside done, BMR rear done, Brakes done, wheels on, firewall smoothed done, firewall painted done, Vintage Air manifold done!!! Hell of a weekend my friends!! I'm whooped and my whole body hurts. I'm going to hit the couch and watch some TV. I thought I was supposed to rest on the weekends!! lol
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Talk about Progress!!
I think this picture from yesterday afternoon says it all!!
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/v...829cropped.jpg Fletcher's Customs... SEMA Thrash 2009!!!! :thumbsup: |
What a week!! Ty's Firebird has progressed amazingly fast over the last 7 days. We went from a bare metal blasted shell, to a rolling chassis with the underside complete, rust repair and rough bodywork done on the rest of the shell,firewall shaved, bodyworked and in color, subframe complete with all new parts, rear BMR suspension installed, brakes installed and wheels and tires on it. Rolled out of the shop for the first time since Nov 08 when I go the car. I owe so much to my guys Josh and Jerry, between the three of us there were 146 hours put in since last Monday! And with three back to back 14 hour days this weekend, not even a single word from either of them!
The TIN INDIAN Performance/Kauffman Racing Equipment 440cid Poncho engine will be dyno'd at Kauffman Racing tomorrow!! Then shipped Thursday so we can mate it to the Phoenix Transmission Products 700R4, get it in the car and get the new aluminum driveshaft ordered from Inland Empire Driveline. The trunk lid and filler panel should be arriving today from Anvil Auto with the rest of the carbon fiber parts due in any day now! Then it's just final fit and alignment before laying out the stripes and more color!! We're moving right along here at Fletcher's Customs!!! Thanks for your continued support! More pics are on the website www.fletcherscustoms.com And here's what we had last Monday http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...cs/10001/1.jpg then we started the underside, firewall, and suspension thrash http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...01/3333333.jpg http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp.../111111111.jpg http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...1010101010.jpg http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...al_8888888.jpg http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...l_66666666.jpg http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp.../777777777.jpg |
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And finally out of the shop for the first time in 10 months!!
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...l_89783453.jpg http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...l_54645345.jpg http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...al_4535315.jpg |
Simply awesome looking
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Okay so what size tires are on the rear of that beast.
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295/40 If I remember correct!!! There no 335's but they sure do look righteous under there
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Falken 295/40/18s on 18x10s w/5.75" bs
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Looking Awesome Guys!!!
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NICE!!! :woot: :thumbsup: :lateral:
You can feel the energy rising!! :cheers: |
Plugging a long all week... Another weekend coming so lots to show on Monday! Bodywork, primer, all done on shell. Motor ships tomorrow, core support ready from Autorad on Tuesday, Fesler Billet parts in route, Anvil CF parts in route... it's going to be a crazy week!
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TIP/KRE spent the past two days breaking the engine in and dialing in the new combo on KRE's in-house dyno.
Engine is now crated and shipping to Fletcher's Customs! I must say that I was totally shocked at this combo!! HP numbers are very, very impressive... Pics from the Dyno room!!! http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...rmal_11111.jpg http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...ormal_2222.jpg |
Engine Article
TIP has a pending article coming out on the 440 so I had to promise not to release actual dyno numbers just yet... let's just say that they EXCEEDED the original estimates!!! :thumbsup:
After these pics were taken they removed the polished covers before the dyno session started so they didn't get scratched up adjusting valves etc. But these are the covers that'll be on this beast in the car!! Two days on the dyno means a quick install and painless to no tuning required once it's in the car! Just change the oil, hookup fuel lines/fittings, throttle/kickdown cables etc. As Chad said, I'm gonna have to steal a uniform from a USPS worker... cuz this thing is gonna haul the mail!!! LOL :lateral: |
Sweet looking motor!
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Well another sleep deprived crazy weekend!! 40 hours since Friday afternoon and I hurt from my toe nails to my eye lashes. Everything hurts!!! LOL
This car is fighting me so bad, never in my life have I fought body work so much. The car is pretty much solid so that was a plus. But we've spent the entire week fixing the previous work done to the car over the last 30+ years. The shell of the car was covered in Bondo as you can see from prior pics. Not because it was rusty just because somewhere/sometime ago someone was too lazy to pull a dent out and just slapped it full of mud! Rear quarters skins were welded on in 1990 and instead of making them fit properly, they just layed them up there, welded them in and then beat the seam in with a hammer! The entire seam was 1" deep and filled with mud. Josh spent nearly 30 hours this week, with a hammer and dolly and a stud gun pulling dents! Then we started fighting the bodywork... You know the routine, wipe it, sand, find high and low spots, wipe again, etc, etc. Over and over and over again. All in all there will be barely any mud in the car at all but we have eaten up 150 hours in just bodywork! But it IS coming together! After media blasting the front fenders yesterday, we found some expected rust and where the front fenders were distorted from someone incorrectly welding up the marker lights, then slapping in a gallon of mud in each. Passenger side fender had also been hit sometime ago and pulled out on a frame machine. So you had a large disformed area. Both fenders are being trashed and we are now working to secure a set of fenders. On a good note we got these pics this morning from Autorad!! Jim does an AMAZING job with his core supports! Can't wait to get this thing... Old core support: http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...l_p1010274.jpg The beginning... http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...l_p1010275.jpg Taking shape... http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...l_p1010277.jpg |
Jim is working like crazy this morning! Headlight areas going in...
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...l_p1010282.jpg http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/copp...l_p1010280.jpg |
Looking Good!
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