well i got a little more done today. i started cutting out the license plate recess and bent up a piece to weld back in. i also picked up all the metal for the bumper inserts and the grille. the aluminum weighed 23 lbs for just the inserts. its a shame that all but about 2 lbs is going to end up on the ground.

here are a few pics.

overhang prior to narrowing but after working the bottom to make it more even with the top. the bottom was touching the fender before i started and couldnt be narrowed any more.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2188.jpg


overhang after narrowing
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2196.jpg


profile across the front. it looks good, but cutting the chunk out of the middle moved it a little. ill try and get it back perfect before tacking the piece in.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2192.jpg


bumper prior to cutting
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2199.jpg


giant hole to be filled
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2202.jpg

i finished up the center of the bumper today. a skim coat of filler when its painted or sprayed with aluminum and it will be good. i plan to work the corners when the grille is finished. i dont want to do those since i have a feeling ill move the bumper a little to fit the grille.

i also called up seat belts plus today and found that they switched suppliers from beams to seat belt solutions last year. a call to them and i found out that the webbing is made in the USA along with assembly and most parts. just little pieces in the retractor are made overseas. im going to finally finish my decision and get the belts this week.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2220.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2227.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2228.jpg

Things like that make all the difference. :thumbsup:

Very nice Tim. You do great work.
Keep us posted.:thumbsup:

thanks guys!

the grille material came in and i finished the front pieces for the bumper intakes. they started life as 2 1.5" 8lb chunks and ended at less than a lb. ive got ~10 hours into the 2 pieces. the next two should be easier since there arent as many angles. if the bumper was straight up and down on the front i could have saved half that time.

ill have some pictures up on monday. i also came up with a few new ideas for the grille that will make it easier but more time consuming to fab. i will hit the metal shop again on wednesday.

Looking good Tim!

We just finished this week rust repair on a 70 Chevelle we are doing here @ the shop.. Gapping this next coming week with body work!

does anybody have any info on leds? my plan is to use 1" of the 3.5"s in the inserts for for amber led light strips that will function as my forward turn signals. ill then cover that with some sort of prismatic diffuser and then a clear plexiglass. this will all be behind the hexagon mesh. currently im looking at the smd5050's and will run 2 6" strips per light. this will get me 18 leds of ~6 lumens each for ~110 total (2000-2500 mcd 120* conversion). the best info i could find put the stock amber bulb or the white bulb through the amber lense at ~80 lumens. the mesh is only 70% open so it will kill some light. im trying to come up with the best design possible that will get me the most visible forward projection. ive also looked at the side projection strips that would either allow more leds, or possibly building in some sort of reflector behind the leds since they wont take up as much space.

also, any good sources? i found these and they have good reviews, just not really sure. http://www.ledlightsworld.com/smd-50...eds-p-135.html


i cant wait to see it done. im way behind schedule, but i may be ready by january.

https://www.diodedynamics.com/catalog/

The owner is extremely knowledgeable and more than willing to help out, I highly recommend giving him a call. I've done business with him before on my Tiburon forum. I'm sure the two of you could figure out something cool.

i bought the leds last night. i ended up getting them from ledlightsworld.com. i looked into superbrightleds and found a bunch of people unhappy with the length of time they would last. no bad reviews on the other company. they should be here some time early next week.

i taped (literally) in the inserts this afternoon. i could have cut the hole around the existing one, but i wanted them centered in the bumper a little more. i will have to come back and fill in the top. i am also trying to decide how to mount them. the two choices are either a visible fastner from the front, or hide them all in the back. after that, the outside corners need to be rounded and i need to figure out what sort of profile i want on them.

i started on the second piece of the inserts today. i will cut them to size and get them mounted to the first piece on wednesday. i'll have to wait until i get the leds before i hog out the inside.

i also finalized my design for the grille. like anything and everything else, its way more complicated than i initially thought. if you view it from the side its actually tilted ~6.5* forward at the top. i knew this going in but the plan was to build it vertical since i thought the outsides were vertical. turns out the outsides are also tilted forward the same amount, so the grille is getting built with that angle in mind. it now means instead of setting up the mill vertical, i have to mill everything on an angle. i'll take a bunch of pics and let you all know how it goes.

here are some pics of the inserts. there is a little slop to get them straight. still not sure what i want to reference level off of. the bumper on the inside edge of the inserts is taller than 8" further out. this keeps screwing with my eyes and making me think theyre crooked.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2278.jpg

you can see they arent perfectly flush and the top portion of the original hole needs to be filled. the bumper will need a little work until it is.
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2275.jpg

thanks for the info. i checked out the site and there was a bunch of cool stuff.

Man Tim - you got skills and a designer brain working in overtime! :thumbsup:

I will say the killer bezel you made and light looks a little bit large on the bumper to my eye. I'm certain it'll turn out great when you get finished with it...:yes:

the overlap is getting trimmed a little and they will get rounded corners as well. i think the paint color will tone them down a little too. i do agree they look large in the pic though. they dont look that way in person.

Looks great! No matter what Ron says.....:D

I have followed this from the start. I really like that you are doing all of this yourself. This thread and several other "built at home" projects have really helped me.
Thanks for taking the time to post it all.:cheers:

^ yeah Tim. What he said....:lolhit:

I also am enjoying the fabrication being done here.:thumbsup:

thanks guys!!!

heres the first piece of the grille. now i just need to makes the sides and i can start assembly. i also wish i had a mill (or talent) that allowed me to make pieces that didnt need any cleanup. theres obviously very little slop in the mill, but very little is still too much.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2303.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2308.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2305.jpg

I really hope you are making 2 right :hail: you could offset some time/cost :unibrow:

Incredible :hail:

heres a pic of the grille. i still have to cut the middle bars to length and it obviously still needs to be welded. i hope to have it done by the end of next week.

im also gathering quotes right now on the motor. im still not settled on a builder, but mast, wegner and hke are the front runners. if anyone has any reviews or advice id love to hear it. if you'd rather not post, shoot me a pm.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2364.jpg

i wish i could make a second. im spending way to much time on the first:yes:

You could talk to Mark @ Rapp racing engines in HB on Gothard St http://rappracingengines.com/

Also you may want to talk with these folks They do heads but can steer you in the right direction

http://proheads.com/

Or I have a friend (Nills Castillo) that builds and tunes the LS etc engs for off road race trucks, he dynos at our shop out here in the valley. . If intrested I can Pm Nill's # to you. Hope this may help you. Here is one of Nill's Engs..

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/real3/IMG_4575.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/real3/IMG_4573.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/real3/IMG_4572.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/real3/IMG_4571.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/real3/IMG_4567.jpg

The grill looks awesome Tim. How much time do you have into it already?

thanks. i'll give them a look.

my guess would be 20 hours. i dont have quick change bits and my mill head only tips one way. it led to some more complicated setup that took some time. i figure ill have another 10 in it between welding, grinding/sanding of the joints, attaching the mesh and mounting it.

getting closer. ive only knocked to tops off the welds and i still obviously need to weld in the center bars. when its mounted only 3/4" of the solid ends will be visibile. it will give it the full perimeter that i was looking for.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2459.jpg

Thats going to be sweet! Nice work. I can't wait to see it done.

Seems to be going great so far. Looking forward to the finished product.

still needs a lot more work, but its getting closer.....

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2467.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_2469.jpg

nice fit. window cutain on hood?

Very nice! I would love to be able to do a custom grill on my project. May have to get me some tools...

Widowmaker,
It is like you are building my car. I'm still collecting parts, and you're showing me what I have been thinking about. Love the grill. Please go ahead and make another one to save me some time.
Outstanding......:hail:

HEEP

i just hope it all comes together. i would have been done years ago if i had done a stock type rebuild. i think its going to be worth it, but the added money, stress and lack of time with the family is really starting to wear on me. it was one thing when my oldest was 1 and taking naps, but i now have a 4yo, 2yo and a third boy due in january. i neep to friggin hurry this thing up:yes:

I understand that. I started on a JEEP when my daughter was born. Got it road worthy before my sone was born and started a complete rebuild after he came around. Now they are in the sports things and school, she is 13 and he is 8. I work after they have gone to bed at night. That seems like the only way I can do this. Yours are at the age where they really what the Daddy time also.
Keep hammering away at it and keep on posting pictures. You truly are doing things on yours that I have thought about for mine. The grille is awesome. If you would pm me what your final picture in your head is going to be.
HEEP

which part you looking for? most of it changes daily and im still kicking around ideas for the engine compartment. i need to figure something out for the close out and i really need my wheels to figure out if a stock style inner fender will be enough even if modified. thats my next project when the grille and bumper are done.

I've had my Chevelle since I was 15. Believe me, my ideas have changed over the years. My goal has always been some sort of pro-tour / later-g type car. The latest and greatest tech, or as much as I can afford.

I always wondered what a billet style grille would look like. Now I can see. What will the inserts for the opening be? My thought was a flat stainless bar design kind of like a 34 ford, just horizontal not vertical.

Keep up the great work and keep picture coming.
HEEP

Great work on the grille. Want to make two?

here are the pics of the new wheels. 3 piece rushforth wildsides. 20x11 315/35/20 rear, 19x9.5 275/35/19 fronts. rear has a lot of room to come down, but it would be a reverse rake. i have about 4.25" to the front crossmember. i may come down another 1/2", but thats the limiting factor on how much more i could drop for an actual ride height. i wish i could do more, but its really not possible.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_3185.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_3187.jpg
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_3195.jpg

Wow Tim, those wheels are going to look killer on that beast. What color are you painting the car?

Widowmaker,
great looking wheels. I need to go back to see if you put tubs in there. the rears look huge.

I also spy the grille on top o the roof. Did you post finished pictures? Still wanting one.

Keep updating, because I am living vicariously through you right now. Mony is tight and haven't done anything to mine at this time.
Looks good.
HEEP

tubbed the rear. no way to get these in there at this ride height without. even with the tubs i had to push the wheels in more than i wanted. plenty of clearance at ride height, but it tightens up real quick when under compression.

grilles still not done and the one you see up top is the stock one. i have actually been pretty sick over the past couple months. im back to about 90% strength as of last week so i plan to start working on it again.

i was back to feeling like crap last week but doing better today again. so heres the newest addition. its still a little rough but this is what i got done a little over a week ago. it will end up tying both fenders together and going up over the core support. i need to get the radiator mounted to see if that will be covered or left exposed.

one issue needing a solution is the hood latch. the pin should end up going through the piece thats floating in the middle. not 100% sure how i will finish that piece, but its roughed.

i also need to know if im going to use the hook or not since it complicates the plan. i planned on mounting a solenoid that would pop the pin since i took the stock release out of the bumper. the concern would be the solenoid popping the pin while driving and not having the hook to keep the hood in place. anybody else feel comfortable drving with only the pin? ive never had a hood pop to the hook before, but it would be a huge deal if it did without a hook.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_3285.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_3287.jpg

This is one killer build thread!!! I cant believe i am just noticing it, especially being that we are both from HB. Now i am going to keep an eye out for a killer Chevelle around town... Keep up the nice work! :thumbsup:

This is an awesome build thread.:thumbsup: :thumbsup: