Headers

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...se/Headers.jpg

Rear UCA Mockup

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...arUCAMock2.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...arUCAmock1.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...earUCAMock.jpg

Checking to make sure the geometry is right before we start machining the arms down.

Hopefully I'll be able to get up there next week and see how much progress was made!

John

I like that roll bar. Nicely placed. Progress for sure.... I hope you don't have to sell the wife off like I did mine in order to finish the project. All I see is $$$ signs.

R.P.

I wish it wasn't so but, yes, there are some serious dollars moving through my account!:( Nonethless, I have made provisions for this and have some juicy invoices that are processing as we speak so it doesn't hurt so much!:lol: Besides, this car is going to be a terror and something I've always wanted so when it's done I am going to be the happiest carnut on the planet!!!:lol:

As far a wife, I jettisoned her last year and, in actuallity, she would have cost me as much as I'm spending on the car so, basically, I'm trading a women for a car!:rofl:

lookin great john!:thumbsup:

"something I always wanted" You and half of the rest of the automotive world! :cool: I hope you have an engineering background in order to be able to dial that car in.

I hope you are kidding, if not please let there be no small children involved. It's alway very hard on the kids.

R.P.

No engineering background but I have built many a car so I have an idea as to what I want and don't want out of the car and how to get it!


Unfortunately, I'm not kidding but, it's all good, we are still friends! No kids! I saw the writing on the wall before that could happen!

I had the dash vents, among other things, smoothed in the dash. I'm looking for ideas for defrost vents. No round vents or plastic vents please! Something billet maybe and not too shiny!!

I apologize to any of you that have tried to view the pictures on this post last week. I got slapped by photobucket for exceeding their bandwidth! Sorry Photobucket! in the meantime here is a photo of the smoothed dash. we eliminated the defrost ducts and will be cutting in some custom design for them:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...2-23-07007.jpg

John

I bet your interior guy is going to love putting a headliner in. ;)

Nah... just flip it upside down and do a one piece fiberglass (poured in place).
Oh no... I hope I didn't spill the beans called Secrets ! :_paranoid

RollBars are too close the the top for the headliner looking at the pics

Before we even attempted to do the cage we spoke to the interior guy and he saw no problem in what we wanted to do. We are going to try and hide the cage as much as possible so that the interior looks as stock as possible!

It is just slight of hand.... WALAH.... heres the bunny.

Rodger

Well.....looks like the boys up in Baker-tucky are at it again! Cuttin' an' Weldin'! Weldin' an' Cuttin'!

Cutting the firewall back!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...2-28-07003.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...2-28-07004.jpg

Didn't want that "Bear in the Cave" look when you push the motor back and down for better weight distribution so I had the firewall and part of the hood sill cut back so we could set back the firewall too! It'll also make it easier to fish out the headers if I ever have to pull them out! Scattershield wasn't right so we have to wait another 2 weeks for a new one! Dammit!

Shot of the rough smoothed dash!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...2-28-07005.jpg

Any comments or suggestions?

John

Looks awesome! The fabrication work is impressive!

It may be the picture, but the shifter looks like it's going to be really far back (toward the rear of the car). Are the seats going to be set back, or the shifter moved, or is it just how the picture makes it look.

Brandon

Shifter is in stock corvette postion now but will be moved forward.:)

WOW!

Very impressive.

I do not think a stock headliner would hide the bars or hang right. If you put a board headliner in the car it would have to go on the bottom of the bars and you would lose alot of headroom. Do not think you would get a board on top of the bars.

Grate Look'n Work !! :hail:

We cut out the roof structure to sink the cage into the headliner. The ahlo sticks out alittle more that the stock structure but the A pillar is the same dimension as the original structure that was there. Now the B Pillar will be shot with clear coat so you don't see it at all.

Rodger

Now you're just showing off .....

:lol:

I'm telling ya'! These guys are magicians! You should see how they make my money disappear!:lol:

Now that's funny - just wait till you go to paint and body, Electical and then the Interior Guy and I almost forgot the Final Assembly. Did you order your one-off wheels yet those aren't cheap either.

Looks like I got a whole host of "magicians" to look forward to!:lol:

Beautiful work. I remember when your car was leaving for the shop you asked if we thought you were making a good decision on Ironworks. I bet you don't have any doughts they are top notch any more.

Nope.......:thumbsup:

The guys started on the rear part of the cage this week and I have some preliminary photos but I'm not sure if I'm happy!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s3-7-07028.jpg

I had asked the shop to run the C-Pillar down bars inside the C-Pillars much the same way they did the A-Pillars. I don't like that you can see them out the back window. We'll have to work on that!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s3-7-07029.jpg

I don't like the way the bars turn to meet the rear point in the trunk area. I would much rather it go all the way back to the rear most part of the frame and run a support where they are attached to now! Any suggestions or comments? Oh well! More brainstorming to make it right!

John

All I can say is "holy crap!"
 

Everytime I see this car it is just fantastic.

On the rear bar thing. Leave it the way it is now and just add a bar from the furtherest rear point and tie it in...it would be very strong.

Ditto. :bow:

Make me jealous too. LOL

I don't like the way the bars turn to meet the rear point in the trunk area. I would much rather it go all the way back to the rear most part of the frame and run a support where they are attached to now! Any suggestions or comments? Oh well! More brainstorming to make it right!

John[/QUOTE]

patience man, We still have more work to do tommorrow. We have to go home and sleep to maintain the super model level of beauty we all maintain. This is just what it looked like at 5pm. We have a bitchen plan....
BUT NOW......You must what for my next trick.........bbbuuuaaahhhh

Rodger

It's too bad that alot of that gorgeous work is going to be covered up with a floor.

You'll get a hint of it from the underside! Here's how we decided to show it off:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...10-2007004.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...10-2007002.jpg

Like this you will be able to see the beautiful framework the guys did from underneath!

John

patience man, We still have more work to do tommorrow. We have to go home and sleep to maintain the super model level of beauty we all maintain. This is just what it looked like at 5pm. We have a bitchen plan....
BUT NOW......You must what for my next trick.........bbbuuuaaahhhh

Rodger[/QUOTE]

I know, I know but you know how I am.........NOW!!

Hi John,

I was in SoCal this week and took the opportunity to stop by Ironworks and meet Rodger and peek at the projects in the shop. You are in great hands my friend !! A super nice guy with a sincere passion to build off-the-hook projects for his customers - and a great crew of highly skilled craftsmen providing TLC to deliver. It was obvious they truly love doing this work and it shows in the quality of your Nova. The pictures just don't do justice to how sweet this thing is in person and I was fortunate to see it in progress. To get to build a dream car like this - and to get the opportunity to work with a group of people who give their absolute best is very difficult to find in todays world. You're a lucky guy and we can't wait to see what the Ironworks team can do. BTW, bring your checkbook because artwork like this costs major coin ! :yes:

Rodger, THANKS for staying late and sharing your car buildiing passion with another garage dog ! My brain was smoking trying to process all the cool ideas and fab on the truck and nova. Your hospitality was greatly appreciated boss man. All the best !!

Jim

Careful! Boss mans gonna get a big head:lol:

They're the best!:cheers:

John

Champs BBQ just gets me talkin and you even had you work pay for dinner and beer. I was shocked you drove 3 hours oneway just to look at the projects we are building. It was nice talking to ya, I may take you up on the indy offer someday.

Rodger

I didn't realise Iron Works was in So Cal!! I think I will stop buy sometime soon.

Do it! As Garage Dog said, when you see all the other things going on there in person you will be blown away! Everyone that is on that crew are masters of their trade! There are so many great things going on there that, honestly, your head will be spinning when you leave! It will do one of two things. It will either get you so revved up that when you get home you'll immediately start wrenching on your car or you'll leave amazed but disgusted because you know you could never do what they do as well as they do it! Probably both!:lol:

I really feel that Ironworks is going to be the next big thing as far as car builders. Rodger Lee has been the driving force in the build and in helping me realize the realities of building a car of this caliber. It's because of the Ironworks boys in general, and Rodger in particular, that this car has been able to hit the level it is at and, hopefully, where it will go!

First rounds on me Ironworks!:cheers:

John

Blasting through the canyons back up into the high desert in a GTO rental - tends to clear out your head...

Indy anytime, beers already on ice ! Catch you in Columbus.

Dog

UNfortunately, My DD is a '61 Ford T-Bird so I don't really get to blast through the canyons but definitely a beautiful drive!!!

Is that next to go to iron works!?!??!