Clean Machine

When we first planned our engine compartment layout we were initially using under-car headers, mostly because we had them. When we got these slick Hooker super comp fender wells from our buddy everything changed, or rather had to be changed. Wires and fuel lines were interfering with the hot tubes on the passenger side and brake lines and line lock on the drivers side. The only solution was to pretty much do it again but this time around I decided to really take my time and make everything look tight and organized as well as having lots of header clearance. The end result speaks for itself in it's functional yet esthetically pleasing look.

Super Cushions

We finally broke down and ordered up a set of these beautiful Super Cushion front runners. Cody Adams of Hurst racing has been really helpful in setting this car up with period looking boots. Also a  huge shout out to Cory Sokol from Nelson Kal Tire for sponsoring our insatiable rubber addiction and continuing to listen to my repetitious stories as we stumble around the shop. We had to clearance the lower fender and bumper to avoid an interference fit but it looks bad-ass as ever.

Can we go racing yet?

Ta Da

Well not completely Ta Da but we're pretty much down to the short strokes for having this car race ready. We have a couple of wiring and fuel related issues to work out still and I would really like to focus on doing some interior finishing but that's basically it. Some proper skinny front runners are in order which will mean that we have to trim our fenders and bumper for clearance but that's pretty par for the course. We pulled it out into the light of day to snap a few shots in natural light and it looks killer with the snowy back drop. I'm still blown away every time I walk into my garage and get to pour over our crown jewel. Then my eyes usually roll back in my head like a shark and I just have to fire it up and let the neighbors know that I'm home.

Oh So Shiny

 Holy crap it's been a long time coming but we finally got the car in paint. Time seemed to stand still working up to the final hours before primer, then everything went pretty much like clock work as we began to spray. Once the colour and clear were down we then had to colour sand and polish the shiny yet dimpled surface which also seemed to take forever. Well it's done now and we couldn't be happier with the outcome.

 We fired the windshield and driver's seat in today and pulled it out into the daylight. You probably can't notice in the pictures with Chris and I but we're grinning from ear to ear like we just ate a whole box of pot cookies. Next on the agenda is to set up the drive shaft and front end angles, set the alignment and truck the car back to my shop for reassembly. Putting shiny parts back on the car is always the most exciting part of any build. The metamorphosis from scrap parts to shiny race car has been an amazing transformation. In case you haven't been following this build from the beginning, we just passed our one year mark since this project began. Pretty freakin' good if you ask me. Now we have to wait until Spring until we can huck it down the 1320. No matter, I look forward to spilling beer on it all Winter long in anticipation of race season.

Still Watching?

Two months since my last post!! I must have been enjoying Summer or something. Well that train has come to a dramatic halt with an influx of cold weather, so it's back to the shop. No photos to display this time around but I will say that we have back painted the hood and scoop and will be mounting it this morning. Chris has the body in nice straight shape and ready for high build. Now it's time to prep the paint booth and start masking the car. The plan is to have our first base coat down by Saturday. I would normally say that it's been a long time coming since the anticipation for paint has been like waiting for Santa (he's real, don't kid yourself) but we're just closing in on the one year anniversary since we started this epic journey.

Fender-Wells & Fresh Air

It's hard to show progress on the many hours of block sanding that have gone into this project but it'll all be worth it when there's shiny paint down. We managed to score a set of Hooker "Super Comp" fender-well headers this week from our good friend Handsome Paul. Thanks Paul.

They are meant for a later B-body but we had no reservations about hacking away more tin to make these beautys fit. They also sound wicked compared to the old under car headers, which really have no place on an altered wheelbase car. We also started prepping our hood for surgery which meant that I got to drive the car out into the yard and out of the paint booth. It was great to be able to hop in and flash the beast to life and drive it around some. Nothing really to see on the hood front but we managed to eradicate all of the factory bracing and we will be cutting a large hole in the middle to accommodate the Max Wedge scoop. We're getting closer to wheels up action. All we have to do now is stop breaking our other race car and we can really make some headway.

Abandonment Isuues

 I'll be the first to admit that we've been slacking on the new project but hear me out before you take us off your favorites list. Spring arrived and none of us would have noticed except for the fact that all of our crew started putting their street cars on the road. This also may not have been noticed too much except that they all decided to simultaneously come unglued. This incident also coincided with a looming race season and our realization that our big black wagon still needed a transmission and a host of neglected maintenance. So we pushed the altered into the corner and went to work repairing the rigs that needed our immediate attention.

Now don't get the impression that we haven't been working on the new car. We did manage to get the doors and fenders prepped and primed almost to the point of top coat. They also got hung in their final position which really makes us proud to see the car looking like a car. (albeit a funny one) There has also been extensive body work voodoo performed to make our Frankenwagon quarters look presentable when they have shiny paint on them. There is still plenty of panel massaging ahead of us but we feel like we're making headway and still hope to have some shakedown runs by the Fall.