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Got parts
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Great project can't wait to see it sitting on the ground! Love the wheels!!
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It's always a good day when this guy shows up:ups: very nice work:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Nice tip of the flapper wheels.
Love how the welds clean up on your build. I can't tell - but does the DSE subframe get welded to the car - or are you making it removeable? |
The DSE connectors are designed to weld in. That makes them a little stiffer.
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One step forward and one back !
It was a little forward and a little backward the last few days. I had planned to mock up the rear end and maybe set it back in the car to check all my clearances. The axles and differential seem to fit OK.
https://i.imgur.com/Iaxv6IHl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/cfLPhmzl.jpg But there was a problem putting the Baer axle retainer in. With the 35 spline axles there isn’t enough room between the shoulder and the bearing seal. Ironically I knew this was coming because a coworker unknowingly just had the same problem. He was asking about my combination and he said it was the same as his and I would have to send the axles back to have the shoulder cut. So, I knew it was coming but was hoping maybe not. You can see here where the retainer won’t slide in. It is soooooo close! https://i.imgur.com/XnjacA1l.jpg I think the best way to avoid this is to specify the “B” dimension when ordering the axles. https://i.imgur.com/NYTm5Mjl.png If you are using the Baer “Torino” ends then the adapter is just a touch over 5/8” (mine was .628 after anodize). https://i.imgur.com/rpnObQNl.jpg I didn’t think of this so I just accepted the default dimensions. Also since the axles are pretty heavy I am thinking to have them gun drilled when I return for the machining of the shoulder. I could have this done locally (except the gun drill) but Moser will do a good job because it is their specialty. I also finished most of the clean-up on the cross member welds. If I had to do it over I would have cut and welded a little more carefully to save the clean-up time. I also finished welding the panhard bracket so it is just lots of grinding and cleaning at this point. https://i.imgur.com/2bo8hnFl.jpg Finally finished the bottom welds on the both subframe connectors, just completing the RH today. There were a few gaps from poor trimming and that slowed me down a little. I still have trouble welding thin to thick material. It isn’t beautiful but it is done. One minor thing that slowed me down on both sides was the huge gap on the inside of the connectors. This is probably needed to slide the part in but it leaves a gap that I wasn’t really prepared to fill with the MIG. You can see the gap and the filler piece here. https://i.imgur.com/Mbezc10l.jpg This is a shot zoomed out so you can see where the filler piece is. https://i.imgur.com/4ML7rk3l.jpg Here is the whole thing welded up a combination of TIG and MIG. https://i.imgur.com/PBWF6s5l.jpg Next plans clean up all the Panhard bracket and RH tub wells. Finish the inside welds for the subframe connectors and get the axles headed back for trimming and gun drilling. |
Nice, on the floor I've had to massage that area so you don't have as big an area to try to fill with mig welding. Great progress!!
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Slow Week
I didn’t get that much done this weekend. It was partly the hot garage and partly laziness. I did manage to get the RH 4-link pocket welded. That seems pretty easy but just odd angles and it takes a little while to work around it. I had to spot and hammer it down short sections at a time because the floor wants to pull away and burn back when welding. It came out OK.
https://i.imgur.com/1ha0XRGl.jpg I didn’t get the whole thing ground down but started on the easy side. https://i.imgur.com/komlgFpl.jpg The other three sides just take a while because it is hard to get in there. I almost cut the emergency brake bracket off to get in there but thought it probably wouldn’t save any time after welding the bracket back on. I am seriously thinking about buying one of those mini-belt air sanders for getting into tight places like this. Tonight I spent a little time working the panhard bracket. There were some pretty ugly fat welds to bridge all the gaps and I wore out at least one flap disk getting it roughed out. Still not complete but way closer to finished than it was before. Probably just a little more weld clean-up and some work on the inside. Then it will be good enough for filler before I put on the primer. https://i.imgur.com/qZtf2dil.jpg I also spent a little time roughing out the wheel tub plug welds by knocking them down a little bit. Still have a little more clean-up in the tub but starting to look better. https://i.imgur.com/wvyQkWCl.jpg The outer wheel house has some wrinkles and gaps from a previous collision where they beat it into submission before brazing on the quarter. I can’t really figure out a good way to patch all the gaps because it will be at odd angles and very hard to weld. I may buy a new outer wheel house and chop out some patch panels that I can plug weld in easier to the quarter wheel opening lip. It will be stronger that way anyway than just brazed along the edges. I was taking this pretty casually but now it is starting to look harder. I may regret not replacing the rough RH quarter if this outer wheel house job balloons up on me! Overall the bottom is very close to being done. I need to keep up a little effort and then I can spin things back over and work the top side again. Need to get some big ticket items on order and have been procrastinating. But I am almost out of little things so I need to get the transmission and the A/C on order to start those projects. After that I can put some primer on the whole bottom, firewall and inside. Really need to keep pushing that because it is a big milestone and will be a big motivator ! |
Lookin' good
Looks like good progress to me. I can see where having the car on a rotissere really helps at this stage. Like your thread says "Slow progress.." Speed is not the issue. You are doing a quality job, just have to keep plugging away at the car and you will "Git Er Done".
Rod |
Pretty good weekend !
I had a pretty good week working on the car. I received my Vintage Air Unit and Axles back from Moser. The rearend went together well and it was exciting to see the rearend all mocked up.
https://i.imgur.com/FWCNy2fl.jpg I was determined to get the car off the rotisserie and on the tires this weekend. I started getting organized Friday evening. https://i.imgur.com/7PtSQRpl.jpg Everything went pretty well but I was surprised how hard it was to find all the little nuts and bolts. Even though they were all in bags and organized it took some time digging. Fortunately my son was around to help put in the rear axle. Not sure how much it weighs but it took some wrestling by both of us to get it in there. The front clip was a little easier. https://i.imgur.com/98Adsd7l.jpg By early Sunday afternoon I was able to roll the car out and take a few photos in the 102F weather. https://i.imgur.com/o2FUXaSl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/E0gyRXHl.jpg It’s so nice to see the car on the ground. Of course I have to pull the wheels off to put them back in storage and eventually the whole things comes apart for paint. But I am glad to be back down on the ground to start on the T-56 tunnel mod and the Vintage Air installation. https://i.imgur.com/DSGYdr7l.jpg I also had some fun with the GoPro and will post up a time lapse of this weekend. I know those things are corny but I get a kick out of watching the work happen fast. If only I was that fast in real life !! |
nice work. very clean.
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Great progress. It's looking super nice!
Thanks for the motivation. |
I guess I'm corny too because like time laps videos too . Bring it on ! Nice job on the car it's coming along great.
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Having some fun.
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That was a cool video...if only things happened that fast in real life!!
Congrats on getting it back on rolling stock, even if only for a short time. |
Agree, it's a cool video clip. If only the car could be done as quickly as that video. Good progress. Great work and looking forward to seeing this build all the way to the finish.
Rod |
Picked up a few items !
I figure if you are going to be lazy and not work on your car you should at least partially redeem yourself by purchasing a few needed components and also post a helpful tip.
I purchased a new power steering box from DSE and realized (through my own fault) that I would need a power steering pitman arm due to the larger spline diameter. Don’t ask me why I didn’t know that. Good news is that the correct arm for a 67 Camaro is available at the local O’Reilly Auto. Thanks to Pozzi’s website and some other helpful tips on line I was able to figure out that the long style pitman arm K6582 fits the 67 Camaro perfectly. Nice when your local shop has parts for your almost 50 year old car in stock. https://i.imgur.com/WvfQjqCl.jpg A few photos of the new items are shown below. Most notably I was lucky to have a Tremec dealer in the area. Tom over at Amp Performance in Phoenix has all the Tremec goodies and the Quicktime bellhousing in stock. Now I know where to buy all the wiring harnesses, gears, housings, etc. in the future. https://i.imgur.com/vSkd5kdl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/3h3lowQl.jpg I also unboxed the other pieces from Vintage Air and Moser. https://i.imgur.com/a7WR9jUl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/7QoAh4Kl.jpg Next up fabricate the Vintage Air supports and put the transmission in to figure out how to get the tunnel mods accomplished. I am looking for a scrap LS block in the Phoenix area if anyone has one laying around. A friend has the plastic one but I was wondering if it would hold the Tremec T-56 Ok without breaking ? |
First Transmission and Engine Mockup
I didn’t get out in the garage Saturday because it rained two inches and I was chicken to open up the door with all the bare metal. I really need to get some primer on this thing soon !!!
I couldn’t decide whether to start on the Vintage Air install or the T-56 mock-up. Since the T-56 box was bigger and harder to keep moving around I decided to start there. I had been looking at the Hurst mount for a while and finally ordered one through AMP Performance in Phoenix. It seems well built ! https://i.imgur.com/YseDzXQl.jpg My friend at work had this plastic mock-up sitting around and loaned it to me. Hopefully I wont break it in too many places. Also shown are the Dirty Dingo slider mounts. They seem well made, and are local so I decided to give them a try. https://i.imgur.com/2UPG272l.jpg Also if you use one of these you will have to drill a hole to clear the input shaft because it is flat in back. The piece I drilled out looks like this and I used a 1.5 inch hole saw. https://i.imgur.com/aLJVndIl.jpg I supported the transmission and then hung the plastic mockup from it to prevent putting too much pressure on the plastic. https://i.imgur.com/vPOF6aDl.jpg Then I installed the Dingo sliders and my original mounts on the plastic block and gradually lowered it in place. This is as far back as the setup will go but I think it looks about right. https://i.imgur.com/JDDG8zXl.jpg Here is a view from below showing how the Hurst mount curves back to meet the T-56 tail mount. Also you can see I added another strap under the transmission case to keep a little pressure off of the plastic engine mock-up. It actually seems pretty strong, but I thought best to support it a little bit more. https://i.imgur.com/6UkhQG1l.jpg I probably need to look into rear mounts. This poly mount used the two small inside holes. I need to figure out if there is a mount that will use the two large outside holes because it will be much stronger. That may be for the factory clamshell mount which I would really like to use to cut down on vibration. I will check to see if that will work with the Hurst rear mount. I removed the shifter and taped up the hole before rolling it back. Overall, it doesn't fit that bad. Nothing touches on the top but it won’t go all the way back due to interference with the widest part of the transmission case. I still need to check that the engine is the proper down angle. It looks a little too far down which means raising it will put things even closer to the floor. I am not sure how much I will raise the tunnel yet, but somewhere around 1.5 inches looks about right so far. One more view where I left if for tonight. https://i.imgur.com/5eopLqPl.jpg |
Tunnel cutting
I got a little done this weekend on the trans tunnel cut. I started by just making some rough cuts as straight as possible down both sides and drilled out the pinch welds to separate the tunnel top.
https://i.imgur.com/0A3KnQUl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/P5zhEXdl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/S9iJiRTl.jpg It is always so fast to cut stuff apart, too bad welding it in takes so long. My plan is to keep the console level and I had some strips sheared at 1.5 and 2.0 inches. I will use which ever size fits the best. https://i.imgur.com/B0oGvGnl.jpg I made the cut slightly past the end of the console so the taper back down to the unmodified tunnel will be behind the back edge of the console. We’ll see how that works out. My plan was to cut a couple of slots forward and lift the tunnel up. But it is really shaped wrong and that didn’t work out. https://i.imgur.com/cQHpXqtl.jpg So I trimmed it forward a little further and it is starting to look about right. I still need to cut a little more. Also notice I had to flop the tremec shifter around to come out close to the stock location. https://i.imgur.com/BgE14LPl.jpg I haven't decided whether to make a new forward piece or reshape the parts I cut out. I measured the engine angle and it is 4 degrees down. I am shooting for 3 degrees, so I will need to raise it just a little bit more. Probably take a few weeks to get it all fabricated, tacked in and finished welding. That is a lot of welding. I am still undecided what to do with the shifter boot. The Tremec boot is too big for the stock opening which I was hoping to reuse. So I am thinking about ordering one of Brian Finch' adapters. https://i.imgur.com/CiIQ9bel.jpg The only problem is that it is too nice to cover up with the stock console. So I may build one from scratch. I will sleep on that. I also decided I need to get headers and oil pan on order before I finish weld all this. It would hurt to find out something doesn’t fit after welding 12 feet of metal back in. I am looking at the Mast pan and the Kooks headers which are known to work fairly well with the Dingo Double-D billet mounts I already have. So, looks like next week will be pretty typical, fabricate a little and spend a little bit more ! |
Looks like a very productive weekend! Great job.
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Tunnel Work Continued
Well it was a two “Negro” Monday evening. I moved everything outside and it was a great evening so I left the garage open. Nice to finally have Fall here!
https://i.imgur.com/FMD1iFEl.jpg Here are a couple of side views showing the 1.5-inch raise. I just quickly tacked the 1.5-inch strips in temporarily to see how it looks. Sides are going to be easy obviously. The bell at the front is going to take some time, as is the transition back down at the rear. Need to avoid cutting into the seat belt doublers at the rear, so that will take a little planning. https://i.imgur.com/TpMYtiIl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/zdWDYCAl.jpg This looks like about the right height increase but I do still need to raise the transmission 1 degree. Headers are on the way and should have them mid-week. I will Probably mock up the header fit by Friday. The Mast pan is delayed a bit so it will miss the weekend with that, but I think the headers are the most important. Looking outside the old 427 looks like a fish out of water. https://i.imgur.com/rrK2Bd5l.jpg I had a lot of fun with that engine in the car. Bitter-sweet to be replacing it with the modern LS, but that is going to get me back on the road and really enjoying the car again. I am looking forward to really putting some miles on the car when this is all done. |
Nice work there!
Things are looking great! QUESTION: I see you tacked the sub connectors up top and then fully welded them on the bottom.... any reason for welding the bottom?
I am right behind you and thought I'd ask ... keep at her! Michael |
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Alot of great work here, your posts have given me insight on how to tackle my project!!
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Thanks glad I could help out. I think that is the best way to tackle things by learning what other people do, copy those ideas you can and modify those that you can't !
Scott |
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Keep up the good work. |
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First Header Fit Checkout
Summit is great. I ordered the Headers Sunday evening and they showed up today ! I went out in the garage and did a first quick fit check, fingers crossed the whole time. Both sides seem to go in fine with decent clearance. The right goes in easily from the top. It is close to the upper A-arm shaft but I was goofing around with camber settings using old hex nuts as spacers so it doesn’t seem bad if I cut the camber back to normal. I guess I should check it first !
https://i.imgur.com/8fADOddl.jpg The left side clears the steering box but it is pretty close. If I can’t do better than this I will probably make a heat shield to keep the box happy. I am going to run a power steering cooler so that will help. https://i.imgur.com/sAGXjEil.jpg Overall the fit is pretty good and I like the way they sweep back really cleanly. Some of the headers look like a mass of spaghetti. The quality is fair. You can see some mandrel bend marks on the tubes and the collector is wire welded by a machine. Not the prettiest but not the worst either. They do clear Tru Turn by a mile which is great. The only weak spot so far is they hang down a little lower than I am willing to accept for normal driving. https://i.imgur.com/QQukWNWl.jpg I did adjust the engine angle to 3 degrees to make sure they were pointed in the final direction. https://i.imgur.com/ePeEkmGl.jpg Overall it looks like if I raised the engine a little it will solve pretty much all the close fits and raise up the collector. I need to think about that because I want to keep the engine C.G. as low as possible, and make room for manifold-to-hood clearance. Going to take some measurements and make sure I have the right frame stands by looking on Pozzi’s site. Also make sure I don’t have the rubber mount upside-down on the adapter plates. That seems like a common problem. Even though a big block came out this was an SS 350 car and I didn’t see any evidence the frame stands were changed, but I will check for that anyway. Pretty good easy night, didn’t even get dirty, but still have some things to work out ! |
Mostly Clean-up this weeend
I spent most of the afternoon Saturday at a cruise and someone came over Sunday and we looked over the wounded 427 to see if we could agree on a price to sell it. So, I didn’t really work on the car but did get it mounted back up on the body cart and got the garage cleaned. It was fun seeing it on the tires, but it is just too hard moving it around. The car slides sideways on the cart which makes life easier. The tires are also back in storage to keep them fresh.
As I was wrapping up I snapped this photo. Still cool seeing the 325s on the rear. It is going to look good going down the road. https://i.imgur.com/QAghl2El.jpg Next weekend is Bakersfield so I won’t get anything done for a couple of weeks. Hopefully by then I will have the headers worked out and the oil pan will come in. Can’t say much more on the headers until the pan is in place and I see the whole story. Probably a 50% chance I will change to a mid-length design to free up ground clearance. I talked to a few people and there are so many choices. The Ultimate headers keep coming up as a mid-length, low clearance option. I really like the design and construction. https://i.imgur.com/N73lzaTh.jpg I also like their ball style coupling. I was already going to use V-band couplings but this type looks really good at the header connection to allow a little misalignment. https://i.imgur.com/AU4BOdbm.jpg Lots to think about !! |
Cool!
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That is the money shot there .... what kinda clearance do you have on those meats? I know the 69 is supposed to have a little more room than the 67/68, what is your measurement at the top of the fender into the well house? Looks like you are done with the axle jig and have DSE all welded on? ... I may take you up on your offer, let me get a hold of Moser and see what ends I need. Keep at her, looking good :popcorn2: |
At the top it is about 14.75. I did make sure to cut a little deeper without totally cutting the frame in half. The wheel lips were rolled with a bat when I was younger. I could flatten the lip even more and probably get a solid 15 inches at the top. I think the closest point is around 14.5 at 10 and 2. The DSE brackets and axle ends are tacked for now so I could make sure the axles fit. I need to finish welding the brackets and make sure it doesn't warp the tubes and then finish welding the ends. I can probably do that in a weekend so let me know what you find out.
Scott |
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Michael |
Slow two weeks !
Last weekend I was in Bakersfield for the Hot Rod Reunion. Tons on Drag Racing fun to be had there. I was expecting to get more done on the header fit up this weekend, but the oil pan didn’t ship out until Thursday and won’t be here till mid-week. That was a little disappointing, so I decided to work on other things and make up for it. I have been thinking of making a dolly for the rear end because it is just too heavy to move around and put in by myself. I got started on that with some scraps left over from the body cart. I underestimated it a little and didn’t quite get it finished. I was hoping to make it a 3-wheel dolly to save space and make it easier to roll. Well it is just too top-heavy, so I need to add a fourth wheel. Hopefully get that done Monday evening. Here are some photos of the progress so far. The height is adjustable to match the body cart so I can roll it in at the lowest point and then raise it to connect the 4-links ups. The rear will be in and out of the car a few times, so this should be worth the effort. Time will tell on that one.
https://i.imgur.com/sZeadxml.jpg https://i.imgur.com/cTJYj6Ul.jpg Also I have been really enjoying the small Makita belt sander. I thought I would use it for small weld clean-up in hard to reach places, but it turns out it is really handy for knocking burrs off after the chop saw. It also makes quick work when you drill a through hole in tubing and raise a burr on the inside. Glad I bought it ! https://i.imgur.com/1PkvaTxl.jpg That’s it for this weekend. Hope to make some actual car progress the next few weeks before the holidays start to take priority. |
It's amazing to see how far you and the car have come. Very motivating for me. Nice job. Btw....did the fender roller work nice?
Thanks again! |
Thanks it is quite a journey and I feel like I have just barely started. The Eastwood roller did work well. I am still not done with the fronts. Sort of got stuck and moved on to things I knew would work out better. Maybe someone will have a steel fat fender by the, time I get back there.
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That is a neat dolly for the rear end. Good idea as a one man tool for moving and positioning the rear end into the car. Will add that to my list of projects that I'll need to do at some point.
Thanks and keep up the good work. Rod in HB |
Axle Dolly and Mast Pan Mock-Up
It seems like I mostly did landscaping and cleaning today, but I did manage to finish the axle dolly – mostly. It is a little larger than I wanted but had to make it stable. Dropped right off the body cart and now I can move the car around and start welding up the rear housing. Plus this will be a good way to keep it when everything is all painted and assembled. I have a temporary tube holding up the pinon snout. I will make a new adapter to fit the front yoke when it is installed.
https://i.imgur.com/bgkmPqdl.jpg This was an easy project and it is all modular so I can take it apart and reuse everything. I really got my money out of the telescopic tubing. There are so many things you can do with it! The wheels are huge but I had them laying around so they were sort of free. I finally received my Mast pan on Wednesday this week. I was able to slide it in place because the mock-up block is flat on the bottom. Too bad it won’t be that easy when the crankshaft is in there. It looks pretty good. The pan is about 1-Inch above the cross member in the front. I laid a straightedge across the subframe and the lowest point on the bellhousing. The pan is not the lowest point which seems like a pretty good plan. This is my first cast aluminum pan and I am looking to keep it away from the ground as much as possible. https://i.imgur.com/hAZbRVFl.jpg I ran the steering back and forth and it clears True Turn by a mile. Overall I think this is where I am going to leave the engine. I boxed up the Kooks headers and I am going to order Ultimate Headers to take advantage of the mid-length design, and route my exhaust up high. I hope to have those on order in the next few days. |
I really wanted to sleep in but I woke up early so I grabbed my phone and read this entire thread. I love all the thought you put into every post and it's pretty cool to see you doing all of this in your garage.
Keep posting as I'm looking forward to watching this cars progress. Marty-MJ www.garagescene.net |
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Great build, love how everything is being done in your garage!! Looks awesome sitting on all fours! |
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