This post has a lot in it. I bought a truck for the powertrain and to use as a dummy. I also finally pulled the trigger on a Harbor Freight welder just to see if you could build a car with one.
I got a roller motor 351 with an OD transmission and assorted parts to use for mockup. I have the thank my buddy Sheldon Finkel for this find and the sprint car races for getting me close to the Harbor Freight.
Lots of pictures of the first welding project, which for everyone is the cart for the machine. It’s been a good machine so far. As much as I think they are hacks, the guys from B is for Build are who sold me on this machine.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1624925808

Just doing the front bars shouldn’t be that hard but I am kind of picky about straight so it always takes longer than it should. I am also trimming the fender wells, and because of what I am doing going forward that has to be done quite accurately.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1625416134

In a previous post I talked about how precisely that the inner fenders had to be cut. The reason for that should be obvious right now. They are remaining and will be tied to the inner panel being built. This would have been a great time for a laser to guide me along.
Oh and I did some, body surgery while I was in there today. If it looks painful you can rest assured it bloody well was! OUCH. Remember kids keep both hands on the grinder.
Used that as a lesson for the kids the Monday after I did it. They thought it looked painful too!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1625532561

If you have been following along you may have caught on that this build is behind the calendar.
We are about 1-1/2 years back as of right now. My idea is that there is always material even as the winter months basically shut me down. I would work in the cold no problem but my garage has more holes in it than Harrys barn.
Just to give you an idea of what to expect I have only posted material for you in the spring summer and fall months when I have actually added to the "bank" of stories. What that means is every post you see now has another coming down the road.
Another thing is these posts are 1 days work. That is why sometimes you will see a project that looks like it should go with the prior one but I didn't finish it in one day.
The extended winters here in Canada allow me to play catchup for those following.
I hope to be able to turn the key with you guys watching in real time!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1625697121

Some days you just need to help a friend out. It also helps to work on something other than the car.
My riding buddy and good friend Chris Ryan needed some help and that’s what I do.
Just a mounting system for a wet kit tank for his truck. No splainin for these pics!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1625930278

I don’t like doing body work ever! The idea of stitching panels together is why I always raced cars with a sheet metal body where I could just flop on a new panel. But the inner panels have to attach to the fender-wells so here we go.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1625954701

Just some more welding on the fender inners and fender wells. Apparently Optima looks for inner fenders.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1626131582

Today was a cleanup everything day. That never means that you are done, but something that needed to get done got done.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1626276156

Just love when I can sit at the drafting table and whip off some drawings for the man who operates the CNC plasma. These are for the coilover brackets and they are designed to be able to move an inch at a time. If that seems like too large a move; notice that there are 2 different offsets so we have ½ inch adjustability. Technically we should never be more than a ¼ inch away from placing the shock where we want it.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1626628702

I almost pooped myself when Facebook marketplace showed me this. Let’s see it’s a 351 roller Windsor with an OD auto trans. It’s 2 wheel drive and is fully optioned. This people is a freakin unicorn!
I will use this powertrain and wiring harness to initially get the car running and moving and after selling all the parts off it that I don’t need I should break even.
The previous owner babied this truck to no end. After we signed the papers I told him what its fate was going to be. He nearly cried, but I showed him what I was working on and he wasn’t as sad. BUT he was still sad!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1627090832

Facebook Marketplace just seems to know what I need on any given day!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1627322754

This is another case of “I just had to have it”
Dummy Styrofoam 351w block for doing mounts and other stuff.
I actually never used it, not even once…………………………..
Anybody need one?????
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1627323073

You've made a lot of progress since I last stopped by. Keep going!

The progress comes and goes. I am lucky enough to have quite a few posts in the bank. I am basically posting them as I complete another one. I am about 60 posts behind.

Last March we had all schools shut down for Covid and were doing remote learning. I was up at 6am setting out the assignments for the students and checked my E-mails every 2 hours. The rest of the time I was basically bored. When I get bored stuff is going to happen, and quickly!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1627689099

This is the self-isolation of 2020. I need to not go bananas so I end up working even harder than normal. The drivetrain in that service truck will be coming out in the next few days.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1627949733

Getting the motor ready to leave the chassis is a big deal. There are so many wires that I actually have to worry about not screwing up. Any mechanics that are on here are aware of “special” bolts that the manufacturers use just to piss you off. There are a few of them here and I will make note of them. Some engineers need a punch in their ugly faces!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1628258568

We hit a milestone with that last post. That would be my 100th post. Now if you actually counted them it may not work out exactly as some posts are actually broke down into two or three because of posting limits for pictures.
What this means is that I worked 100 days on the car. Some were 10-12 hours, and some were only a few hours, but those were the days that I put in. This just gives you a guideline as to the amount of work you need to put in to build a car from scratch.
There are a lot of days that you are building something that is just to help you work on the car, most of those I documented. There are also lots of days where you are just running around picking stuff up and I kept no record of those days. Intellectual time also resulted in no record, but many days of pondering.
Let’s just for arguments sake say that those were 8 hour days. We are at 800 hours of labor. Even with a 50$ an hour shop rate we are at $40,000 in labor charges. We probably have at least that much more to go.
When you see a car that’s been shop built and done with an open check-book most of us would faint at the cost the owner paid to have that car done. OH and try and find a $50 shop rate. I am terrified of the costs of paint and body when we get there!
I post this not as a discouragement, but for the readers and the dreamers to realize that this stuff isn’t for the faint of heart. I also do it so all these cars are appreciated. Sometimes I need to learn that myself as I am a bit of a snob.
This is a labor of love and while I work on this car my mind wanders to what I am going to work on next? No sense in just getting a restful night’s sleep, when you can have the grey matter running all night.
HMMM, a plane made from carbon fiber would be ultra-cool……………………………

Started the day with no intentions of removing this motor. Things just started rolling and here we are!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1628531363

Borrowed my neighbor’s trailer and hauled the core off to the car wash. It’s easier to lose skin that doesn’t get infected. Clean prevents gangrene, REMEMBER that kids!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1628735089

The motor had to be able to go in from the top. It goes in pretty easy with all belts and attachments. Ultimately though we may have to remove the upper intake in the future for clearance.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1629163845

Late spring/winter storm that threatens to drop the roof of my garage on the car. Never mind that all that snow melt will make it rain inside for several days. A few hours of shoveling will give me a few days of working in the garage.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1629401870

Just spinning up a whole bunch of slugs for seat belt mounts suspension bolt-throughs and whatever else may come up. I have an old lathe that I acquired from a work buddy who was retiring and downsizing. My dad went to pick it up and was offered a whole bunch more stuff for another $100. He took it no questions asked and it was worth way more than that. GOOD JOB Dad!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1629587856

When the seat is mounted we can make race car noises!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1629919192

Today’s project is the manufacturing of a steering column support bracket. Brackets are the bane of all builders and we ultimately try to always accomplish at least 2 things for each one we make.
We will also endeavor to reduce their size and weight as we get all the measurements dialed in. Shorten, drill, grind, and ounces will add up to pounds.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1630373539

Just trying to get the controls out of the way. Steering column and shifter were on the agenda for today.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1631068397