Introducing Project Sabre, 1971 Cutlass S Pro-Touring car - Page 2 - Lateral-g Forums

BulldawgMuscle · #11 11-04-2011, 12:32 PM

Today we stripped off the rest of the vinyl top, and the moldings for the front and rear windshield, as well as the drip rail moldings, rocker moldings, and a few other pieces.

The rust in the passenger side sail panel, after a little grinding. We'll make a patch for this. The top overall looks very good, considering it had a vinyl top on it.

Rear window trim removed. The channels look good, with just a little surface rust.

Badges? We don't need no stinking badges...

We took off the Olds trim panel while we were at it...not sure if its going back on at this point, or if we'll be filling the holes.

Vinyl top removed

Bodyside moldings removed. These holes will be welded up.

We discovered this as we pulled the rocker molding...rust in the bottom of the fender. No biggee, we'll patch it.

This pile of rust fell out when the rocker molding came off:

Windshield trim removed. The channels are in good shape.

There is a little rust in the top of the dash, under the windshield.

A little more rust under the wide cowl trim, but this is just surface rust.

cencalc6 · #12 11-04-2011, 01:03 PM

Great Progress

BulldawgMuscle · #13 11-04-2011, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cencalc6

Great Progress

Thanks! We're a small shop, with several projects going, but we're making pretty quick work of this one. Fortunately, its a very clean starting point (for GA standards at least), so that is going to make things much faster than we are used to. It seems like nearly every car that comes in needs floors, quarters, etc...this one just needs a few minor patches.

SparkyRnD · #14 11-05-2011, 07:28 AM

We were very fortunate to not only find a low-rust original car, but also lucky that no one bought it before we did. That is a benefit of finding a car an hour outside of the city is that most people don't want to travel to the middle of nowhere to buy a car from a redneck (thankfully we do!).

We are also very fortunate to have a shop like Bulldawg in our backyard. I have seen quite a few projects come out of their shop and have been very impressed. That is why we chose them for our projects. I keep thinking after this one is done, we need to build a C10 shop truck!

BulldawgMuscle · #15 11-23-2011, 08:27 AM

The factory Rally wheels that came with the car sold a couple days ago ($150 back in the budget), and we have gone further with the teardown. Since the last update, we acquired an LS1 intake and rails, a new clutch master cylinder and fittings, and a new throwout bearing.

Clark and Curt are heading up the teardown today, and have the steering collumn, brake booster/mc, and the rest of the A/C system out, along with the dash.

Some of the rat's nest of wiring removed under the hood:

Both doors stripped

BulldawgMuscle · #16 11-23-2011, 08:28 AM

More progress...the rearend is now out!

More engine compartment disassembly. The stuff caked on the frame appears to be concrete! Someone apparently couldn't resist driving through a fresh sidewalk at some point.

BulldawgMuscle · #17 11-23-2011, 08:29 AM

BTW, you A-body and Olds fans should watch out for our next, as-yet-unnamed project. Its a '65 Cutlass, on the way here later this week from Kileen, Texas! Plans include a 525hp LS3 crate, updated suspension, and a ton of other upgrades. This shop is rapidly turning into A and G body central!

BulldawgMuscle · #18 11-23-2011, 09:21 AM

This was a nice find under the carpet...the build sheet!

Built in Arlington, Texas.

BulldawgMuscle · #19 11-29-2011, 10:30 AM

Curt got the T56 mocked up and we started the part that I had been dreading a bit...cutting the transmision tunnel. Its not that big a deal, but the dread comes from cutting perfect factory sheetmetal!
A T56 is a huge transmission, and the tranny tunnel in the Olds is unbelievably small. One would think any car that came with an optional TH400 would have plenty of tunnel clearance, but not in this case. BRP has complete instructions on where the cuts need to be made, to essentially "stretch" the tunnel to fit. A filler piece will be needed right in the center, and it'll take a little extra work in the shifter area, but nothing too difficult. I'll get some more pics as we start modifying the tunnel.

I had planned to take the entire weekend off (unheard of around here!), but decided to come in this afternoon and take care of a few things. Sundays can be the best time to get stuff done, with no interruptions. I welded up several trim holes, including the ones for the vinyl top trim and the decklid trim, and then cut out the rust damage on the passenger side quarter panel. I made a patch out of 16 gauge cold rolled steel (same gauge as factory, in this area), and began tacking it into place.

BulldawgMuscle · #20 11-29-2011, 10:31 AM

As expected, Fed Ex brought us an early Christmas today! Many hanks to Bret Voelkel and his crew at RideTech!
Sabre will be receiving RideTech's front and rear StrongArms, along with single adjustable front and rear CoilOvers, 2" drop spindles, front and rear MuscleBar sway bars, and billet Tie Rod Adjusters.

The pictures don't do these parts justice...they look too good to put under a car! Its obvious that the people at RideTech really care about what they are doing, just by looking at the quality of the finishes, the welding, and the supplied hardware. Even the packaging is top notch! Everything was securely wrapped in black foam, so nothing could get scratched.