DoctorLarry

Got some done last night. Got most of the floor pans done, crossmembers for the springs and shocks, and built the brackets for the panhard bar. Test fitted the cage but my front clip angle is off and the cage is a little wide. Tonight I will try to finish the cage and cut the hole for the differential oil cooler. The picture is what I am working from.

Just like the picture. The decals were metallic background. It is a striking car.

Here are some more pictures of the chassis and a page from the 1973 NASCAR Handbook:

Yes-there are four or five. Rear mounts for springs and shocks were round steel tubing and the frame was notched in a few places for clearance. It also had a Panhard bar to keep the rear end centered. Single shocks and coil springs-looks like pretty standard fare for the day.

The picture is a Stock Car Products chassis out of California. They manufactured chassis components and the article was about the chassis they had just completed. Chevelle frame, Ford Galaxie front end and Chevy truck arm/coil sprong rear. Very similar to other pictures I saw.

Here are some shots I used as reference. The first is from Stock Car Racing March 1973. Chevelle frame, Ford front clip, truck arm rear. The second is Cale Yarborough's 77 Olds. Clearly has truck arms.

Thanks for the tip!

I love the mid 70's GM Collonade cars and I love to see them done. I really like the Pontiac Grand Am, GTO and Lemans cars. They were few and far between in NASCAR but the one I always loved was the Herb Adams/ Team Associates Grand Am. It was recognized in many areas as one of the most beautiful Cup cars ever built. So I decided I would build one. Thanks to lots of help from yellowsportwagon (Tim) I got a pretty good idea of construction techniques. Kenny Youngblood did a cutaway of the car for a magazine but there are few surviving pictures so I am winging it somewhat. I am using one of my own resin bodies and a Revell 66 GTO frame. It seems a common construction technique was to use some of the stock frame and floor pans but add a Holman-Moody style front clip and nine inch Ford rear and essentially back half the car. I used the Bill Elliot Thunderbird for the front clip and rear truck arm suspension and cut out the floor pans, which I will re-do to mimic the style of the era. Engine from a Revell Firebird, wheels from the AMT 73 Chevelle, PPP tires and home made rear spoiler and decals. Should be fun.

Yes-the inner stripe is yellow instead of red. There were four color combinations for the stripe depending on the base color of the car. https://www.phoenixgraphix.com/gm/1973l.php

Can you do the 73 GTO stripes in yellow versus red? Thanks!

How wide spread was the use of braided steel lines versus rubber during this period?

yes siree....

Sitting for a while. Interior done, paint needs finished, had the chassis done but decided to re work it. Engine needs wired, ram air system needs to be built.

A picture I saw of a newer car had them in the same place. An ESPN writer answered the same question by saying the teams put them there for easy access and to keep them from rupturing in case they hit the wall. I just wondered if that was a recent practice or a carry over.

Where did they put the battery(ies)? I think now they use a fenderwell-same then?

You realize that you are bankrupting me slowly...

How did they handle the fuel cells?

Did the chassis builders leave the back part of the stock frame intact and simply skin new floor pans and trunk pans in or did they put in a whole new rear clip as well?

Work slowly progressing. I have the interior tub mostly done, seats are close, now I'm working on the dash. Lots of small parts here..

I bought these on EBAY awhile back. Don't know who made them.

Amazing work-when can we order?

Here are pictures using the grand am body. I also do a separate 73 GTO nose.

Forgot the tub

Body, interior, GTO nose bumpers, tail lights

I have done one as well.