Ironworks is building a 1962 Bel-Air with a Blown LSX-376 and an Ironworks Chassis
 

UPDATE - after Greg's loss of interest in the big OL Bubble top, We did some trading for this car and my 57 Chevrolet and I put a chassis under this car and have had it in storage for a couple years. Well It is now under new ownership for a 6'8" customer from Las Vegas. Alot of the same concepts will be incorparated into this project as originally planned. We are looking for a 2016 debut with this car and ton of billet parts.


We have been hinting about this project for a while, so here we go. Greg asked me if I could build him a 1962 Bel-Air Bubble top for him earlier this year. He said he would let me use the car to promote our 58-64 Impala X frame replacement frames we have been working to bring to market for quite a while. He said the car had to have laser straight paint and have a bitchin interior. But he said he hated these cars but his son loved the 62's. I just happen to have a 1962 Bubble top clone I had bought off craigslist early this year for this very reason.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...csApril019.jpg
Well at SEMA this year my good friend and fellow car builder Neil Lea finished up a super slick 62 black bubble top with an fuel injected 409. Greg came home from SEMA and said that was one of his favorites of the entire show, I knew we were on to something when he went from hating them to actually noticing one and saying it was one of his favorites at SEMA. He may still hate them but times are changing.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...p/DSC02175.jpg

So on to the build. Greg said he wanted big power, not the kind of race car big power that goes down the back stretch at Spring Mountain, but the kind that will plant you back in the seat as you get on the freeway. So we looked to GM Performance parts for their LSX-376 and put the big Magnuson Super charger on top with the Wegner front drive system. I have been told 700hp is easy with this. But we want the big torque number at 2500-3000 rpm. That should be no problem. As Greg and I began talking he wanted to make the car a driver but also wanted it built with some really nice one off parts. We have gotten pretty good at this Solidworks thing and have some guys who helps make up look good ( Bob, Eric, Matt ). So it was decided that we would machine a billet grille and headlight bezels like no one has ever seen. We would do the same with the side trim and a really bitchin dash. We purchased some SL500 front seats and are working to get those mounted in the car for the features they offer and the comfort. We are working to fill this car with top of the line features that you would find in a new car and hope we can do that with the ISIS system.

A few months back I stumbled on to this Lexus that I saw at SEMA that for some reason was the initial inspiration for this build.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...proofs_215.jpg
Well I then found these other wheels from HRE that just really got my wheels spinning about how to build a 1962 Bubble top that was really quite different. I thought these wheels would do it. We have been selling HRE wheels for a long time and know there is no better quality then their wheels. I knew that these were a must have on this project. I got to tour their facility the day before Thanksgiving this year and let me tell you the work they put into them justifies the expense when you see the vast selection of details and colors of coatings. The styles of some of the wheels have to be seen in person to really understand. Pictures on the internet do not do them justice.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...letopwheel.jpg

OH MAN I can't WAIT to watch this baby come together !!!!

Release the design hounds gentlemen !

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Jim

wow really frames for a 58 thru 62 ! i have always wanted one for my 62 .

Oooohhh, I'm excited about this one!!!!

Well Time for some pics. Here is shot of the Magnuson Super charger bolted to the LSX-376 with the Wegner front drive system meant for these blowers. It runs the blower belt behind the water pump and relocates the drive system forward. The valve covers are from Katech. The engine will be DBW and will incorporate our new line of wiring harness's that will come wrapped and equipped with mil-spec connectors.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...Oct2011351.jpg
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...Oct2011350.jpg
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...Oct2011349.jpg

The car when I bought it seemed really solid. But after I got done having the car dipped we found that the outer rocker and floors were pretty solid but that somehow the inner rockers we junk I'm not sure how that happens. So of course that takes quite a bit of work to cut out perfectly solid rockers and floors to get to the inner rockers.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...ept2011151.jpg
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...Dec2011012.jpg
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...v2011003-1.jpg
The quarters had the typical trace rust on the lower edge and the outer wheel tub was JUNK. Since we knew we wanted the car as low as possible and wanted to run a 295 rear tire. We went ahead and built some rear wheel tube to maximize the room over stock and not have to rework the stock wheel tubs because of rust and shape.

Now as you can see in this picture the peak on the replacement quarter was not the same as the doors. To some people that small thing might be addressed with Bondo, but we went ahead and cut in new metal we formed to match the doors so there are no paint shrinkage issues and its right.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...Nov2011005.jpg

You know it's comments like this that put you one step lower on the ladder everyday.

Mr Davis your "62" truck frame is completed.

I just wanted to post to say I was on the first page of the longest build thread on Lateral-G! :lol: This should be good, buckle up people! :D

Well Like I said we started with that Lexus as a direction. We really thought this car in a brown to Dark gray would be bitchin. Then Greg discussed the lava brown used on his wife's Audi R8. We had also been in disscussion with Sean Smith about doing a few sketches and working with us for some ideas on the details of the car. We started out with a really loose sketch of the side view of the car and ended up with this. We were trying some ideas on putting a recess into the side trim and some other details into the car at this point.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...p/sideview.jpg

We then decided we wanted to have a smooth transition in the side trim and carry the reveal a bit further forward on the side of the car. We also had the HRE 943RL wheels drawn into the rendering. I really feel this rendering helps put Greg and I on the same page with this car and starts to give the car a really different but very bad ass vibe. I'm really excited about the direction of this build.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...Ssideview1.jpg

Greg, That's going to be the.......BADDEST Bubble Top In THE UNIVERSE!!! :thumbsup:

Cant wait to see this thing finished. I am subscribing! :thumbsup:

I really like the side trim in the first rendering. I like how the reveal begins at the bottom of the rear side glass.

love the plan
 

COOL BODY
LOVE THE IDEAS...COLOR......DESIGN..
LOVE THE WHEELS and Stance
CONGRATS Mr G Weld..

I know this is gonna be a show stopper..

:cheers:

Tom

I'm sorry, but that brown just did it for me. :faint: :faint: It is crazy. I say brown it is, if it were me. Oh, the motor is sick too. That Maggie looks like a fine piece of art on top of the LSx. Can't wait to see this one come to life. :thumbsup:

Those renderings...wow. :thumbsup:

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...-Audi-R8-5.jpg

61's and 62's are one of my favorite cars. My next car after the Camaro is a 61 bubble top. Cool project Rodger sure this one is gunna be over the top just like everything else you guys do. :thumbsup:

x2 i like the way it flows with the rear pillar creating a arch...
man that brown is gonna be sick!!! what color for int then? a rich light brown like in the new jeep suv??:unibrow:

Hats off to both of you. Very classy indeed.
IMO the moldings in the hand sketch rendering are very unique and different compared to the rendering moldling that looks like a modified version of stock.
But thats my 2 cents.... and in this economy its reduced to 3/4 cent so its not worth much.

Greg... the "Weld-Air" concept looks great.

My favorite car of all times. Even though I dreamed of building one on Hydraulics and wire wheels. I love 62 bubbles!!!

Very interested in more info on the motor and blower info. Sent you a PM

Wow Greg, this is a way cool build in a sea of Camaro's. Love the rendering, wheels and paint choice as well. Can't wait to see this one as well

nice car to build.something a little different.the bubble top body styles just look soo swweeet with the right stance.do you plan on building a new chassis for it or just modifying the orig. frame?.I like the dash concept so far. keep the inspiration going.:thumbsup:

Greg, I had a 62 while I was in college. Fixed it up (paint, wheels and rebuildt283) then gave it to my younger brother as a gift when he graduated HS then watched him destoy it on a daily basis. Really liked that car. They really take on a good look with the right stance and wheels. The renderings of the car you have are a beaut. Hard to keep up w/everything you've got going, man retirements a bitch ain't it!

Cruiser style cars rule !!!

Greg,
What color interior do you plan on using? Also, are you looking for 700 hp to the wheels or crank? I just read that the nick Williams 102 mm tb really opens those blowers up to more power and cooler iat's.

I plan on following the build progress the whole way:thumbsup:

Those renders are standout. :thumbsup:

I'm loving the brown as well.

Greg, you're gonna look awfully small in that big car. :D

He looks small in any car, except for when he goes to go-kart track.

Greg looking forward to seeing this one done! Love the color combo! Rendering turned out great! :thumbsup:

Geez -- A guy goes out to dinner and comes home to find a whole bunch o shizzazel going on 'round here!



EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA



Thanks to all for the kind words.... and AL -- I got a good belly laugh out of that man! Too funny!

Just for arguments ---- RODGER likes the brown on the LEXUS.... I love the LAVA GREY on my wifes R8... Per this picture. They also have a grey brown color per the post by SKIP showing on an R8.

Here's my problem.... a car has to kick you in the nuts... and really can't be what "somebody else wants". And brown just isn't a color that does it for me. I'm kind of going of the looks and feel of - to pick one car - a CLS 63 AMG - a car that just turns heads - everyone knows it's powerful - but won't "win" any contests particularly - but you know it kicks ass... and they're not "orange" or bright blue.... they're BLACK - or metallic grey -- or silver (that's out)... SO when I picture the car done -- it has to say '62 updated big baller road hog kool like a big ass Mercedes. Does that make any sense?

Here's the wifes LAVA GREY R8 -- which is a color that really makes the body lines shadow and highlight. But we're not done yet or settled on the final color for exterior or interior...



http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...8/IMG_0990.jpg


http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...8/IMG_0992.jpg

Greg,Why do you have Qu-be-cul's in your garage.:_paranoid

Alot of sense Greg. :thumbsup:

Seems like on this build your goal is a nice, agreeable, serene experience... the anti-Redeuce.


:lol:

I'm thinking my initial post was misunderstood. I like both colors for the car, brown and gray. I think the brown was a more traditional color for the car when it was taking on that direction in the beginning. Now I fully agree with the Lava Gray we have discussed, it represents a more "Badass" vibe that we are looking for on this car. I think it fits the direction we now have the car going in. I posted a pic of the Lexus for the vibe it gives off and feeling Greg and I had both felt about the car in the beginning. That Brown Lexus is the baddest Lexus I have ever seen and that was the vibe I was looking for on this bubbletop. Plus that Lexus is the car that inspired me to do a high end S63 Bubbletop kinda car. I have never seen this Lava Grey in person, As far as I know Bakersfield does not even have an Audi dealership. Then when Skip posted the picture of the brown Audi R8 I was kinda confused as I did not know if that was a different color then what I had only seen on my phone up to this point.

So Game on with the Lava Gray. Now we need to find the interior colors and the black to dark gray to titanium inside trim and wheel center color.

I can see why. :thumbsup:



Here's another Lexus color. Likely you both may have seen this color on an IS.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1.../4252960_6.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1.../4252960_9.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1.../4252960_4.jpg

Subscribing.....
:thumbsup:

So I have a place to put my lawnmower??? -- like Lenie!:unibrow: :D



These are pics of when I bought the car. I actually went to the dealership with my son Alex to look at the S4's with him.... and this was sitting on the floor... the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. Gwen's birthday was in a couple of weeks (the lightbulb lit up!) so I bought it for her. She was driving an '06 BMW 650i Convertible... On her birthday I took here and some friends for dinner - none of them knew what I'd done. We drove her BMW and had valet park it. When we went to retrieve "her" car - they brought this up with a big red bow on it.

Her comment was priceless -- She's busy blabbing with friends -- turns around and sees this and blurts out -- WTF IS THAT? I said - it's your new car -- and she says -- WELL... WTF IS IT? It's become a standing joke now.

Anyway -- back to the thread -- RODGER is right on about the intent of the build -- a '62 Bubble Top S63 AMG. It doesn't need a 572 twin turbo rat-a-tat-tat motor it just needs massive torque... paddle shifted 4L80E... kinda fat tires - great interior - a color combo that says inviting, classy, & badass like a high end call girl... and just enough rumble to get noticed. The doors have to shut like my S63... and it has to have a compliant but capable ride (Ironworks new chassis!). Don't look for it on the autocross... look for it on the highway and on Power Tour. :woot:

Awesome build Greg. Very classy. And it's in good hands. (understatement)

Hope you all have a great Christmas. :thumbsup:

Greg don't change a single thing from that second rendering!!!!!:faint: :faint: :faint: :wow: :wow: :wow:

How bout chassis pics & details!

The Bubbletop project is coming along nicely. We have spent the past few weeks getting the sheetmetal really dialed in to fit properly.

http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...Nov2011006.jpg
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...Dec2011013.jpg

I found some salvaged SL500 front seats from a 2 door convertible. They have tons of adjustment. And are pretty comfortable. We cut the seat belt pillars and head rests off the tops of the seats.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...Dec2011010.jpg
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...c2011002-1.jpg

We are going to run with the basic shape of the stock dash, But will begin trying to figure out how to do this dash in a style that goes with the vibe and direction of the car.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...c2011003-1.jpg

I have away's wanted one of these BUBBLE TOP's,but figured I needed to wait until I was an OLD dude:lol: .Prob.the best LOOKING car's GM ever built.

cool story
 

Greg

thanks for sharing that story about the gift car..Pretty damn cool.
I want a new shirt.. I wanna be like Greg Weld.. only in with my body. :D

Love what you and Rodger are doing with this car.. Im sure it will be awesome.:thumbsup:

Tom
ps thanks for explaining the investment stuff. wish they made everyone of us learn that before we set off into the world to WORK for money.
Im 40.. damn it, you make so much sense. I feel way behind..

Great - we have a buyer for it already and it's not even done yet! God Bless America!:hail: :rofl: