'66 Nova Update
 

I finally got a chance to start tearing down the car. I also gutted the interior except for the steering column which I will need to roll the car around. Debating on how I am going to actually strip the paint off the car. I'm really interested in seeing how much bondo is actually on this thing. I already found one of the cowls dented in so I will attempt to do a little "body work" on it and see how much of it I can straighten myself. Wish me luck!

And it begins. :thumbsup:

Its always a surprise whats underneath. The fun is just beginning. are you doing an off-frame?

The fun is just begining! :yes:

-Paul

Stripping paint off the car
 

I've been debating this for a while now and so far this is what I have been told:

Acid Dipping: Even with the company immersing your shell in a neutralizer and rinsing it off as best as they can, there is still a chance that some of the acid can leach out of seams that were spot welded, etc. Also, places like the rocker panel where you can't get paint or some sort of coating to, since now that it has been stripped of paint and is raw metal, can start to rust over time.

Bead Blasting: Better in the sense that you won't have the rocker panel issue but you still have the problem of dust getting stuck in the nooks and crannies, no matter how good they try and blow out those areas, and you get sand coming out later.

I don't know to what degree or how often this happens but it has been mentioned in several sites and I have heard it from some paint and body people.

Anyone ever have a bad experience like this? I would love to hear about it so that I can avoid these types of problems down the road.

Tired....Dirty....but Happy!!!!(Progress Pics)
 

My friend, JonnyR, and I got down to some serious wrench turning(Well.......mostly JonnyR!) and have made a little more progress in getting the Nova closer to the paint stripping process. Just a few more things to do and then its off to the auto parts store to buy aircraft stripper. Here are a few pics to remind those that have already gone through what we are going through of those happier days of getting nice and dirty!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...e/PICT0044.jpg

JonnyR wrenching on the front clip!(JonnyR is a clothing designer so notice the fashion forward jeans he created! The dirt is just one more effect that he is going for to give them that"vintage" look!)

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...e/PICT0045.jpg

Finally!(I'm sure all you SEMA attendees have noticed the shirt already! You say" Huh?!?"........LIAR!!!!!!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...e/PICT0049.jpg

NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE!!!!!

:unibrow:

Looks like fun. The paint stripping will be more fun though. LOL

Mike

I just got an e-mail from Wayne Due and it looks like the full frame is on! I also spoke to Mark Oldani at Synister Products(His LS1/LS2 billet goodies are the bomb!) Mike Hall........you know we can always use an extra pair of hands, ya know! :thumbsup:

Fly me out there and I will help out for a few days. Oh yeah you have to fly me back home too. LOL

Mike

Ya know what? there is enough work to actually make it worthwhile! :lol:

I could understand that for sure.

Mike

'66 update
 

Here are a few photos of the car with the paint stripped off. I just finished the main shell and will now move on to the fenders, hood, etc. Tell me if you think it is worth continuing or if the body rot is too much.


Please tell me if you think that the body rot is too extensive to continue so that I can look for another body.

Thanks,

John

the qtr install coulda been a whole lot better, but the actual rust isnt that bad, FIX IT

Look for another body??? What's wrong with the one you have? That rot is minor. Everything else is solid. We'll have to replace that rear quarter, though.


-j

Naaaaaa.......from what I've gotten from the other posts I think we can just cut out the weld and add a strip down the top of the quarter and even it out. I guess I'll keep it and continue working on it. :captain:

Just a quick update.....I finally got this beast into fab. The photos are of wheel mock up. 18's in the back and 17's in the front. What do you think?

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...cs12-15017.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...cs12-15019.jpg

John

Looking good. :thumbsup:

Trying to decide if I should go with the 335's. Fabricator just sent me some mock up pics. I kind of like them but I'm not sure if they'll be overkill! What do you think!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...20-2006001.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...20-2006002.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...20-2006004.jpg

John

I think they look iller! They will leave nice fat marks on the tarmac! :P

If i had the room i would sure go for the 335's!

Wow That Looks sic from the Back, Cannot wait to see more updates on this one.

There ain´t no thing as overkill!

Alex

LOL....I'm trying to keep a balance to the car and not just go with the whole "bigger is better" theory. I think some of the wheel sizes they are using now look kind of goofy. I don't want that for this car. Also, I don't want to look at it in a few years and have it looked dated. I want to try and maintain a classic feel to it with modern upgrades. :lol:

I see your point but i do not think that the width of the tires will upset this. If you had gone for 20" rims instead of 18" i would agree that you would have gone to big. In my opinion you will not change the "classic" feel by the width of the tires. That is more to the point of the size and design of the rims.

I agree although sometimes when you have such a wide tire it gives that "streetsweeper" effect which is what I don't like about Drag cars. I'm also concerned with the geometry of the rear and how this will affect it. I will have to punch this into my friends suspension program and see where we are at with it. Here are the wheels I am thinking of going with:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...utcase/Ice.jpg

I'm thinking polished hoops and brushed centers. What do you think?

BTW.....Kadette how is your project coming along? :)

I see your point and never the less it is your choice. Sound like an interesting program? How does it calculate the rear end geometry? And what does it tell?

Real nice rims!

My project is not really started yet. I still wait for my car to arrive. By now it is somewhere on the ocean between US and Denmark. I hope to have it by start of january. And then all the work will begin. But i try to have as much ready as i can before i have the car. Then i will be able to have it running by summer.

Check it out!

http://www.performancetrends.com/SuspAnzr.htm

It's kind of confusing at first if you don't understand all the terms! If you really want to learn about how a suspension works and how to design it start by reading a book called "Chassis Engineering" by Herb Adams. It will open your eyes as to how suspensions really work and the compromises that engineers have to make when they do design them. :thumbsup:

I bet you can't wait to tear into your car huh???!!!??

Good Luck!


John

Looks like a very interesting program. That will be fun to play around with. But i propably need to read that book first. I better do that before i decide on how to design front and rearend on my nova. When i have to do i better do i right. I will do a rather big order from amazon soon i think. My intention is to build everything on the car myself or with help from friends. And also paint the car myself.

No i am really looking forward to get the car. And to see it in person. I hope i will not be disappointed. Between christmas and newyear i friend and I are going to make some room for the car and shine up the garage. Then i cannot wait to get the car and start to fabricate on it. Then i just need a hell of a lot of parts from the US. This i my first complete project so it is very fun to look for and decide wat parts to go with. I hope the final result will be killer!

Yes, read the book. There are others that you will want to read also but that is definitely a good starting point!

Do you know how to Mig and Tig weld? I ask this because you say you want to try and do the car yourself so if you are, knowing how to weld will be a big plus.

As far as parts, contact me and let me know what you need. I'll try and hook you up with some discounts. I have a few friends that will give discounts on certain parts like wheels and brakes.

I will surely buy the book and see what i can learn.

Yes i do know how to weld. And have access to both mig and tig welders. But i hope i do not need to weld that much on the car. It should be a quite good starting point. And i do not intend to make big changes to the body of the car. I already has shaved doorhandles and gas filler cap. And it has an minitub.

Okay i will need both brakes and wheels but have not decided which yet. And then i will need a coil over front clip.

Go 335's

18 and 17's
 

Love the mustang wheels in the front. Looking kill :thumbsup:

WOW! That's classic! Short and to the point! Kind of like a cheering section at a football game! "Go 335's!" :lol:

I thought you couldn't do that in your country? :question:

Cool eh? Too bad I'm not using them! :lol: I don't know if you saw the earlier post but these are at the top of my list right now:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...utcase/Ice.jpg

I'm thinking polished hoops and brushed centers. What do you think?

John

Do the brushed That would look bad a$$ if you dont we wont paint your car for you!!!lol

MAN!!!! You guys are hard to please! :lol:

Pretty sure I'm going to do that and then have them ceramic coated so that the brush stays nice and clean like the day we get 'em! :thumbsup:

Then you dont have to polish on them all day...

I know We build the car for you.

you have no imput anymore!lol

PUUUUUUUURFECT!!!!!! Just think! No grease stained hands and under finger nails! No busted knuckles! Just sign the check and drive away! NOT!!!! :lol:

:lol:

Like the new sig? :unibrow:

OOO YEA Dueces4life!!!!lol :willy: I think im going to make a new email address that.