Another vote for the green one! Your build is looking great:thumbsup:

Sorry, no green.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_7...8_Firebird.jpg

That looks killer Brian. :yes:

Nice, looks great in blue :thumbsup: . I'm going with that Subaru rally blue for my Bird.

Awesome rendering.

Brian good call, I think either green or blue will come out killer!

BTW have a lead on TA steel hoods for about $500 (I am ordering one soon), so pm me if interested - I am not associated with the vendor, just do not know if it is ok to post here?

aGREENed!

Surprised how many people prefer the green!
We'll see. I'm years from paint, but still plan on blue.

Brian, the really cool thing with the green is the uniqueness and how it brings up the car. I have seen a few nicely executed blue birds, but again really depends on what you are shooting for.

I.e. Adrienne's

http://images.popularhotrodding.com/...enne_janic.jpg

I could photoshop your face in here if you wanted to see what you look like in front of a blue bird Brian?? Just trying to help. :_paranoid

Are those concave wheels? Who makes them? I thought you were going with ZR1 black wheels. I like the rendering wheels better :thumbsup:

That's insulting....... to her anyway.

They are ADV.1 wheels. Model is ADV5 Flowspec's. Waiting for them to come out with 19's and then I may pick them up. Was leaning towards the ZR1's until I came across these. Now I gotta have em.

Progress! In between preparing the nursery for our first baby and watching the Bruins there hasn't been much time for the Bird. But today I was able to put in a few hours and got the old inner cowl completely out and fitted the new one. I need to make a few adjustments but it is almost ready to weld!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F...0611-00008.jpg

Lots of plug welding and sanding later, the cowl is in and so is the DSE fill plate. Still some plug welds to do and some places to weld on the fill plate.

Question! Do I really need to tack every single spot, ors every half inch ok???

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4...0618-00015.jpg

looks good:thumbsup:

I TIG welded the one I just did with Silicone Bronze rod -- it's low heat makes it ideal for NON structural --- but since you cut the old one out - you need to have some structure - I'd weld it solid - just watch your heat. You're going to have to bodywork that big flat area one way or the other if you want it to look good.

I went back to look after posting -- and I see that you're probably asking about the DSE panel -- again - I welded the one I just did solid as I stated above...

I thought maybe you were asking about the cowl to firewall....

Either way -- solid is good - probably overkill -- but I don't want to go back to fix a cracked paint job!! :unibrow:

Blue Bird :thumbsup:

Nice build!

Thanks for the input. I'm going to weld it up solid. A stitch in time saves nine, right?

Baby steps. Drivers side drip rail is welded in and quarter and roof test fitted.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-d...0621-00022.jpg

Passenger side is next!

nice job :cheers:

A small update....
Passenger side drip rail is welded in. Panels were test fitted and I'm happy so far.

Trunk pan removal has started
DSE tubs are here
JRS front suspension is ordered and should ship next week!
5.3 LM7 truck engine free of charge has been found (just have to ship it in)

Engine build plans are under investigation. Debating stroker kits and top end packages. Targeting around 500hp at the crank. Truckin magazine did a good project with the LM7 and went through all these options so I'm using that as a bit of a guide.

With the baby here there hasn't been any time to do much actual work to the car over the last six weeks (actually none). Maybe some spare time will arise soon!

JRS Apex C6 Front Suspension is in... took a bit longer than planned to get it here, but it's here. Still missing a few bits and pieces, but I test assembled most of it this weekend. Once I get the missing pieces, the frame will go for e-coat and final assembly will be done. Overall the quality seems pretty damn good, especially on the frame. Some long and impressive welds.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3...0/IMG_6089.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-z...0/IMG_6090.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-v...0/IMG_6093.JPG

Nice project!! I will be watching the progress!:thumbsup:

I'm from the Flint area, doing a 64 chevelle wagon.

-Gary

I also bought a JRS frame for my 68 Camaro from Jake and was impressed with the quality, good luck with the build!

Awesome! A buddy of mine is building a 65 Chevelle in Lapeer. If you need suspension let me know. He helped design one!

Thanks! Waiting on the shocks from Bilstein forever. Then I just need time!

Any Updates?
 

What's next? How about some pics, we all love pics.

PPG DP90 Epoxy primer is what you want after blasting. Will seal everything and you can bodywork right over it!

Yep! You want an EPOXY primer on bare metal....


I second the PPG DP90 (which is just a color number - the 90 says it's black)...

You know what's next! Just waiting on a rear framerail design and a BMW E90 rear axle module or 2.....

pics coming up.....

so do i need to go back down to bare metal before putting on the DP90 or can it just go over the kem khromic?? this is just for the inner structure as all the external panels are new.

That's a chemical question -- I'd ask PPG if they're compatible.

:_paranoid I wasn't gonna say anything :unibrow:

Sorry for the über-crappy Crackberry picture, but front suspension is mock-fitted to car using Global West solid mounts. Bumper is mocked up to subframe more to get it out of the way than anything....

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-p...1130-00189.jpg

rear suspension direction has changed... development under way. hope to make some progress by spring...:wow:

looks your progressing!!! Good Luck!!! :)

Any more progress???

Lots of progress... in my head anyway! Not too much accomplished on the car. Been having neighbor problems in my condo so I'm avoiding making too much noise. Plus my wife and I just bought a house (with an additional garage spot too). Also the garage will have 20amp dedicated outlet and 220. This will definitely help my welding options. Said house however has dampened my car budget significantly for the time being.

About those welding options, I'm significantly reconsidering suspension directions front and rear. Depends a bit on getting some design data and taking it on with a buddy from there. Basically means going full length frame rails and bolt in chassis modules. The IRS products on the market are excellent, but seem also very costly. Not that I can do it better, but I am not going for full race duds. For less cost, I'm thinking I can do it on my own with a very different starting point (famous last words, right?) and get exactly what I want. Excellent dynamics, great responsiveness for braking and steering, light weight (and closer to 50/50 weight I hope), and still have a good ride and street manners. And maybe, just maybe be successful in introducing a product. We'll see.

The following are still planned:
1.) fully adjustable coilovers
2.) big brakes (maybe even 15" front rotors)
3.) IRS
4.) Limited slip rear diff
5.) lots of aluminum bits (including an aluminum front subframe)
6.) ABS and maybe stability control (and maybe some other electronic goodies like rain sensing wipers)

Like I said, lots of ideas in my head. I guess that's the downfall of working in the OE chassis industry - my mind is wandering through lots of "opportunities." :willy: :willy: :willy:

^ love your vision. Can't wait to see it....:thumbsup: