Thx Morris!

2015, huh? That'd be just in time to take a test drive in your economy car!

Monday, I think? :headscratch:

I made some calls for you Bro. Should be able to comfirm numbers next week! :G-Dub:

Thanks Ry! It is huge :)

Thx Jeff! :cheers:

Skip you kill me! :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

Thanks for all your help Ron! Once I shake out the cobbwebs, the real fun begins. Clear off the guest room sofa :lol: :cheers:

Well Ronny, if I wasn't in on the minute by minute text chat updates I would have posted a congrats here a long time ago.
When Rob posted that leak I almost turned off my phone off. It looked bad from the photos and I didn't want to know. Thank God it was minor.

So heres to you Buddy :cheers: Congrats and thanks for sharing your world. Its a fun place to be. :thumbsup:

Thx Trey! :cheers:

Thx Raj! You're my 'amenities supplier/consultant' :lol: :cheers:

No need Frankie. Glad i got to see the killer work you're doing on your project and meet your beautiful family. Now go finish it please! :wow:

Thx Lenie, you remember your first drive? Man what a feeling! :cheers:

Thx mate! It's almost as fun as your car will be :cheers:

Thank you Rich. Your car, and many others were a great inspiration for me here. That's what makes this site killer. PM sent ::thumbsup: Sir.

OBK, go here and click on the technical specs tab:
http://www.tremec.com/menu.php?m=104

Third one down is the close ratio gear set. 2.66 first makes for a nice launch vs the 2.97. I'm running a Nitto NT05 335/30x19 tire which is 27.1" tall IIRC. 3.73 should be perfect, although 6th becomes a tall highway gear (i.e. 80 mph at about 1800 - 2000 rpms).

Gaetano, thank you but it's not my world it's ours. The fun we have is all a part of the great group of people we've been fortunate enough to meet in this hobby. It's not just that we all share the same addiction, really some special people (like you and the others) I would be proud to call friends even if we didn't have cars in common. 2014's gonna be a great time :cheers:

Oh that leak. Man I could've avoided it if I wasn't in such a rush to drive it. Thank god a shock didn''t fall off :lol:

It's such a wonderful feeling to have a car that actually runs.

Too bad you're in the minority.....

Huge inspiration here!!! There's hope for me n WhyTry yet!!! Mines been down for 3 yrs. but after following this tread keeps me hopeful!!!

There you go man! Single Dad here too. The more you try to do, the more you can do.

Keep at it! :thumbsup: :cheers:

Plenty of hope for you! 3 years? That's nothing compared to how long this build has been going on.... We count decades in this thread.

...and you'll be collecting social security by the time we hit the track together... (pffft, I might be too!) :lol:

:cheers:

Well --- as you well know -- I hope that's not true... but it's sure fun to poke fun while this is all going on!


I don't think you're very far from having a done, kick ass, car... Maybe a decade or so ahead of a Torino and a Camaro painted to look like a Ford.

DAMN..........Got tree'd again

What could possibly be better than paying track day entry fees and buying race gas with social security money?

I subscribe to this thread to get Greg's status reports and opinions on Rob's and Flash's builds...

:thankyou:

Hey Ron, Congrats!

That is awesome. It's like being a little kid on Christmas morning.

Car sounds great. I got a 3+ Silver too and am working on editing a couple vids. It's going to be fun to figure out how to shoot some cool videos with the cars.

I know what you mean about sounding like a monster, love that Borla exhaust. Just wait until you get to really hammer it and take her though the gears. Exhilarating :headspin:

Looking forward to seeing more. The end in near....

I subscribe to this thread just to mark time until I collect Social Security....

I am always late to the party
 

Congrats Ron!

Thanks, I didn't know which one the "close ratio" was.

I'm pretty sure mine should be:
2.97:1-2.07:1-1.43:1-1.00:1-0.84:1-0.56:1

So, I've got trouble on both ends. :headspin: A useless 1st gear is probably better than an extra tall highway gear though so maybe I should go with a little higher numerical rear end gear.

Thanks!

I doubt you'll get much use out of 1st gear. :animated_bye_bye_em

Thanks Jeff! Sounds mean + the car wants to take flight = Monster :lol: :cheers:

" ___________ " (placeholder for smart azz comeback) :sarcasm_smiley:

Thanks Brother. Call me tomorrow...

I ran a couple calcs with some on line gear ratio calculators. Seems like a 4.11 will be good for take off and highway speeds. Check all the gears to be sure.

Just at stop lights and starting lines. If Dr. Renner gets his way, I'll be using it at Good Guys (at least once) :lol:

Ron, congrats my friend! Very happy for you. Watched the videos. Awesome. You're definitely on the home stretch. I'm running a 19" rear tire(275/35) with almost the same diameter, that same close ratio Magnum, but my rear is 3.42. At 80 in 6th I think I'm hitting about 2000rpms, maybe 2100. I love 6th actually. I thought it would be too low for highway cruising, but it's actually perfect. I'm loving the 3.42 rear. With the broad torque curve of the 489 and the width-challenged rear tires(275s), that ratio fits perfectly for me. Shift into 2nd at about 55mph and then 2nd gear is a quick blur, and 3rd is interesting also. Can't wait to go for a ride in that beast of yours though. Should be soon! Exciting. :thumbsup:

Ron!
 

Finally the maiden voyage. Congrats!

Unless I missed it somewhere, oil leak from...?

Hey Brother! Yeah I bet your traction challenged with those skinnes :D

Interesting point you bring up on rear gearing. The more torque you have the easier it is to go down in rear gearing and let the motor pull. I seem to recall Godfather Stielow runs 3.42s or less. Also, my speedo isn't calibrated yet but with my 3.70s I don't think I'm pulling 55 in first which would be huge! I am surprised you are hitting 2k at 80 though; I would of thought a couple hundred less?

We'll be running together soon CRob :cheers:

So I got two congrats in two days from you? My brother from another country mother :lol: Oil leak is minor, a fitting I think.

Is it 2015 yet? :popcorn2:
http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps3ff9c00e.jpg

http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd93220d6.jpg

http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa7f5a316.jpg

Makes my :headspin:

It is because
 

I am not very bright or use to seeing progress on mine or anyone else's project. It confuses me a little. LOL

You and me both. :lol: Lookin good...

Hey where have I seen that paint scheme before? :sieg:

Nice Glass!! Think thats the first time Ive ever put a Gl in front of that word before using the phrase.

I'll double check the RPM at 80 next time I'm out. I'm pretty sure it's above 2000. The Nitto website says your NT05 tire diameter is 26.89" whereas my Dunlop ZII's are 26.6", so that's some of the difference right there.

Flush-mount glass looks slick. I know your happy to finally get that nailed. :thumbsup:

For sure we're related, lol

Umm I dunno ? :headscratch: Let's see...James, Lutzy (same color), Cris' Firebird to name a few. Exclusive club (no Ford roof stripes :D)

We talk the same language Gae. Add a few brewskis and it gets even better :cheers:

Thx Chris!

https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=44579

:popcorn2:

She's looking good Ron.

Very nice Ron! :excited:

Looking good Ron.

I'm on it.

Thanks fellas! :cheers:

Shocking, I know...but it's update time.

The last few weeks was mostly harness integration and remote tuning. Man, I am so grateful for Mike Norris and (Gandalf) Gregg Blundel for all their assistance. It kinda went like this:

Problem -> Mike -> Gregg -> new problem -> Mike -> Gregg ...until we ran out of problems. I thought you get a GM computer and custom harness, wire and fire. Uh no, not exactly. Props for the guys that do though!

The punchlist, save one/maybe two items, is done. BoS did a fantastic job putting up with my ideas, suggestions and phone calls. It's been a busy couple of months for me on and off the road and they were a great partner for this stage of the build. The car is as buttoned up as it's gonna be for now. Onto some pics:

Underhood as it should be
http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa9f7da96.jpg

Front lexan is in -
http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd93fd7af.jpg

Butt shot, possible final ride height?
http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb4025e35.jpg

This week it's off to Mark at Elegance Interiors and while there Mike will stop in and put a datalog/drive/fine tune on it. BTW, Mark has done a lot of work for hot rod guys in the area and developed a real nice touch for PT cars. He did my buddy Tom's 67 and it came out spectacular. So good in fact, that I might even go for some Street Car points, lol.

:cheers:

Looking pretty nice Ron :thumbsup:

Looks good...

Wow this really is a long time coming, I still remember when you were looking for a car to build!! Congrats buddy, can't wait to see it rolling down the road finished.

Congrats cause that is just bada$$!! Now go out and enjoy the fruits of your labor.....break that baby in....