I spent today at All Speed helping the guys on the project. We assembled the Wilwood 14” front rotor set up including the safety wiring. We also modified the spindles to accommodate the Wilwood hardware. We painted the bell housing, spindles, motor mount plate and Ididit adjustable steering column. We also installed the QA1 dual adjustable front coil over suspension system in the front.
I took some shots of the car with all the panels hung and gapped. The guys at All Speed did an amazing job on the fabrication as every panel is tied back to the body, closed out and properly gapped. At the end of the day we sprayed three coats of sealer on the raw metal.
We are going to drop the engine in tomorrow and start on the plumbing. Final body work also starts tomorrow. Let me know what you think of the body mods!
Looks good. I wish I was going to be back in Michigan before this is finished. I would have liked stopping by AllSpeed to check this thing out. Great build.
We knocked some things out this week. The body is in the final stages and looking great and headed for paint at the end of the week. We installed the engine and drive train and ran into a significant problem with header clearance between the heads and the frame rail. Pontiac heads drop on an aggressive downward angle which leaves very little room to work with. We notched the frame to give ourselves another 2”. We also needed to make custom solid motor mounts so that the engine sits low enough in the bay to give clearance for the intake. The turbos have been mocked up in their position and the plumbing will start tomorrow.
We installed the Wilwood brakes on the front. 14” rotors with their six piston package. I had Wilwood custom paint the calipers in a gunmetal gray that will match the center stripe down the middle. I like the way the brake package came together.
Wheels and tires are to arrive by the end of the week. Only 5 weeks left until SEMA!
We mocked up the interior today and I am glad I did. My original thought was to retro the stock column and make room for the FAST computer and a stereo head unit that included a 5” screen with GPS, NAV etc. I decided to go simple and stock instead. I am going to install an original AM/FM stereo in the stock location that will be hooked to a great sounding system with amps and speakers that are concealed throughout the car. I will have a jump wire for my MP3 player which is all I really care about. As far as GPS, screw it, the point is to get lost and keep driving right?
The challenge was to incorporate the three additional gauges (Boost, Wideband Air/Fuel and Clock) that we needed to include without changing the dash panel and incorporate a true gated shifter. As a solution, the guys as All Speed built this custom box to house the Stack Clubman gauges make enough room for the billet shifter gate. We will also mount the billet power window switches and keyless ignition start button just below the sift gate. I am also going to mount a billet fire extinguisher on the tunnel and that is it. Clean, tight and basic.
We welded the 6” plates in the floor and trunk and started the roll cage. The cage will have removable bars on the back and sides. We also installed the Dynamat and began the wiring for the Vintage Air system and FAST fuel injection system. The Corbeau seats fit great and will be recovered. I had to modify the seats to drop them about ½” to compensate for the recessed area in the roof. The Budnick wheel and tilt column from Ididit fit great as well.
We mounted the turbos and made the custom stainless steel headers. We knotched the frame to make room for the headers to flow forward to the turbos. We also lowered the radiator so that the intake pipes from the intercoolers to the intake will come straight up from the nose and directly to the intake – some trick fabricating going on right now.
The roll cage is in and the body has been primed and blocked. You can see how the exhaust tucks under the rear of the car just ahead of the gas tank. We cut the trunk pan to create a tunnel for the exhaust to come up and drop down on the back side of the tank. We will place heat shield in this entire area.
The center console is complete and we will be smoothing and painting this week. I ordered three individual Stack gauges for the console Boost, Air/Fuel and Exhaust Temp. The car will also be painted on Wed. Rather than just black, I decided to go with a pearl black that includes a subtle flake. With these body lines, it is good opportunity to show them off and the flake will pick up the light necessary to do that. We will paint a metallic gunmetal stripe down the middle that will be cropped with a metallic pearl stripe.
The closeout panels will be made on Tuesday just before paint. The wheels should be in this week as well. Final assembly will start on Friday. We have a few surprises on the interior and engine so stay tuned. . .
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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