Next step was to fix up the firewall. It had several random holes in it and had some nasty undercoating all over it. We took it down to bare metal, welded up all the holes and smoothed the dents. Then a coat of primer laid the foundation for the same red base coat sprayed on the body, only for some cool contrast we hit it with satin clear.
While waiting on the paint booth activities we removed the rear axle and torque arm. The axle is getting narrowed to fit some really cool brand new style B Forged 18x12 wheels and 335 tires, more on that later. To fit the massive tires we cut the old wheel tubs out and installed a set of minitubs. Wayne makes easy work of it, and finished it up with dark grey paint in the trunk and a smooth shot of bed liner underneath.
Returning the subframe to the engine bay came next. We snapped a few shots while Wayne was beginning hooking up the engine components. The satin sheen gives the firewall and engine covers a smooth and cool look. notice the ATS hand fabricated and TIG welded sheet metal Road Race pan, and the hookups for the oil cooler and remote filter mount. This pan fits great with that rear mount rack and pinion, and our Speedtech headers help create more clearance. The T56 is a little tight with the relatively short Nova trans tunnel, so we developed an exclusive T56 tunnel cover and just saw photos of the first sample from the laser cutter today. When we get them back, we'll weld it up and install it in the Nova. If fitment checks out like our prototype we should have them available for production soon!
Guess I was to quick on the trigger to ask what the plan was! LOL! Should have waited for you to post all of the pics! Looks great! Very nice improvements!
This type of build is more and more becoming my favorite...
Take an older car with a nice restoration on it already, and repower and drive train it to make it run and handle as well as it looks...all while leaving the looks that it came with basically alone.
Nicely done. Love the color of that car.
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Lance
1985 Monte Carlo SS Street Car
**Some people are like slinkies, they are not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs**
This type of build is more and more becoming my favorite...
Take an older car with a nice restoration on it already, and repower and drive train it to make it run and handle as well as it looks...all while leaving the looks that it came with basically alone.
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
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