Project - Ashes to ...?

[GregWeld]

Where's "this side of the pond"???



I love mid year 'Vettes....


Even if you had a factory GM panel -- it wouldn't fit either... they never do.



What's your color scheme?? Blue/white typical GS??

[andreb]

Awesome build! And I love the couch. Tell us more.

[uxojerry]

Your a brave man to tackle such a challenging project. The Guldstrand 5 link looks very interesting. What are your plans for power?

[groovyjay]

Originally Posted by uxojerry

Your a brave man to tackle such a challenging project. The Guldstrand 5 link looks very interesting. What are your plans for power?

I've got the new hot cam LS3 with upgraded T56 in the car, more about the installation later.

[WSSix]

Holy crap! I didn't know you were in Finland. That makes the build so much cooler do to the logistics of it all.

[groovyjay]

Some more body work pictures. The crucial part about this kind of build is to get all the measurements to be 100% correct, so you don't end up with having few inches longer door on the other side or one corner high up in the air.





When the major body panels were glued on, it was time to start working on the doors. My original doors went up in flames and it was quite a task to get new doors. From where I bought the body kit I also got the outer door panels, which had separate top part for some reason. I couldn't find the door bodies anywhere other than Mongoose, who also manufactures GS replicas. I took the chance and ordered their door bodies and hoped that they would work.



After some massaging I was able to get the new door body to work. I used stock locking mechanisms, just left the locks and inside opening mechanisms out. I have no side windows, so I can just grab the outside handle for exit.



The front end was sticking out way too much, so more cutting was needed. Like everything else in this kind of build everything needs to be custom made...





After a lot of work the contour on the outer panel was mimicking the inner panel. YOu can see some of the cuts under there, a lot of work, dusty work.



Getting there, slowly but surely.





I wanted to keep the firewall as smooth as possible. Due to the low windscreen I won't be needing wipers and there for no wiper motor, I decided to use that space to house the ECU.

Thanks for tuning in, will update this shortly.

[groovyjay]

Getting the doors to fit was a real pain in the butt, but also one of the most rewarding.



Early mock ups.



Everything prepped for some resin and fiberclass.



Working with this stuff isn't always so tidy.



Good way to get the gaps just right is to bond the door panel to the body and the make the gaps just the way you like them.





Getting there...

[groovyjay]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Where's "this side of the pond"???

East side

Originally Posted by GregWeld

I love mid year 'Vettes.... l


Even if you had a factory GM panel -- it wouldn't fit either... they never do.



What's your color scheme?? Blue/white typical GS??

Yeah the fit of stock panels is sometimes piss poor, but this kit was even bigger hurdle. MAI makes their panels 1/3 thickness of the original panels, so they are not as sturdy as stock but they are a lot lighter.