FASTBACK340 Posted February 17, 2014 Author Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) OK, after I realized I messed up I fixed it immediately. And you know what? The second (and correct) attempt came out much cleaner and neater, and I did it faster. The guitar string is sweet to work with as I have a really nice pair of miniature needle nose pliers that work great here. I had bent the frame rail cross-over too low on the first attempt. It was on the bottom, not only vulnerable, but incorrect. Here the cross over is further up into the wheel well. And from this view you can see how it ties into the brake hose that will be mounted on the rear end. I think we're at the blow-it-apart-and-start-painting stage….. and I'm so loving it. Edited February 17, 2014 by FASTBACK340
Ramfins59 Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 John, great job on running all those lines........... but you're a freakin' crazy man...!!!
John Pol Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 Really nice work your doing there what did you use to hold your lines to the chassic?
FASTBACK340 Posted February 17, 2014 Author Posted February 17, 2014 The E-brake cables all have attachment clips on the rear frame rails. The cable guide in the floor pan is nothing more than 2 small holes drilled and a tiny piece of photo-etch fret scrap threaded through. The brake & fuel fluid lines are bent to shape and are just lying against the frame now. At all the bends there's a tiny hole drilled in the chassis. Once painted and I'm assembling, I'll thread surgical suture wire through the holes and loop it and pull the lines taut against the chassis. Hopefully just a twist of the wire will be all that's needed to secure it all. After installation I'll add a small scrap of material to suggest a clip on the chassis covering the suture wire. I'll post a step-by-step on this later on. Taking time to get the lines bent as close to assembled-shape as possible is key. This is just another example of preparation now paying off later, such as spending forever blending the front & rear valance or block sanding plastic before priming the body, etc…. If it's not right at the bottom, it's not going to be right at the top. Today we're going to spend the day painting the chassis & suspension pieces for the Mistress. I'll probably detail the engine too. As already mentioned, unfortunately I'm home for a few days, so some progress will be made.
Skypower Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 Great work John I'm really loving all this detail work, now I keep playing with stuff on my bench trying to master some of it, instead of building my Nova but all is good these techniques will come in handy later as my builds progress. Thanks again for sharing. Bob P.S. Hope the neck gets to feeling better.
FASTBACK340 Posted February 17, 2014 Author Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) Great work John I'm really loving all this detail work, now I keep playing with stuff on my bench trying to master some of it, instead of building my Nova but all is good these techniques will come in handy later as my builds progress. Thanks again for sharing. Bob P.S. Hope the neck gets to feeling better. Glad I'm being of help. I've always enjoyed watching big-builds go together and loved seeing the nuts-n-bolts of it all going in. I'm a detail freak and love a clean build more than a flashy build. Much of this is seat-of-the-pants fabricating here & now. I never made an Optima battery before I made the one I posted last week. I never made a full set of emergency brake cables before, but I've handled countless sets on 1:1 cars over the years, so here they are. My scratch building is much like my BBQ'ing: when it looks right, dinner is ready. I just painted the chassis and if it dries looking as good as it looked wet, I'll be a happy boy. And as for the neck, back in`12 we had an accident and the pain is very similar to what I felt after that happened and was treated. Tomorrow afternoon I re-visit the Orthopedic Specialist whom examined me when it happened. The weight of my head is causing some noticeable pain which leads to a tension headache. My manager is not too pleased with my absence….. Sitting at the work bench for an hour helps one part of me, sitting back in the recliner for an hour helps another…. Edited February 18, 2014 by FASTBACK340
FASTBACK340 Posted February 17, 2014 Author Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) OK, we be painting today….. Chassis is done... Wheels are done…. And I fabricated a set of breathers and mounted the painted valve covers. I'm going to paint as much as I can now of the chassis & suspension and continue getting the body ready. We might put this on hold waiting for paint to gas out so I might go after that Pink `70 again. We be jammin Mon…. Edited February 17, 2014 by FASTBACK340
FASTBACK340 Posted February 17, 2014 Author Posted February 17, 2014 Got the ignition wiring done. I like it. And I fab`ed up a 6Bbl. fuel line. This is 20lb. test fishing line and small square Evergreen I drilled through the center and added the carb inlets. Still have to paint the fittings. This came out looking pretty good too. Taking a break. My manager just texted me…. wants to know whats up and I don't even know what's up. I reminded him the doctor is tomorrow. I wish I wasn't in this position right now. When I say this is happening to me at a bad time, I mean it's a BAD bad time….. BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH, I might have a lot of time to build soon…..
Skypower Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 Wow John that sucks to here I'll keep you and your wife in my prayers that things will turn out ok for you two. On the up side your motor is looking great.
FASTBACK340 Posted February 17, 2014 Author Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) Wife has a good gig, I'll be OK. As for the model, I was attempting to do the throttle linkage when dinner was ready. My Wife has been an absolute angel letting me play while she takes care of things. She was off today and left me alone all day. I think she knows I'm enjoying myself and I need the distraction right now. More to come…. Edited February 18, 2014 by FASTBACK340
Mopar - D Posted February 18, 2014 Posted February 18, 2014 John your engine is looking good. Good luck at the doctors.
FASTBACK340 Posted February 19, 2014 Author Posted February 19, 2014 Well, short version is the accident just aggravated my old, stressed-out body. I have 2 compressed discs and Arthritis. No treatment, deal with it. Thanks….. Got some painting done today, also assembled some of the engine. We're getting there! And I wanted to send a big Thank You out to my Buddy whom comes to visit and doesn't steal/eat/break stray parts.
Skypower Posted February 19, 2014 Posted February 19, 2014 Are'nt doctors great, they either say deal with it or take all these pain pills and live like a zombie. Well hope things better with time. The motor looks great and your buddy looks like a cool dude to hang with.
FASTBACK340 Posted February 19, 2014 Author Posted February 19, 2014 Thanks Bob…. I still have to deal with it. That's life. That Ross Gibson motor is an exercise in planning. After I painted everything and start assembling I see I have to change the mounting of the alternator. Fun…. I also had to shave the tops of the carbs & the bottom of the air cleaner lid for (hopefully…..) hood clearance. But I think it'll be OK when done. And yes, my Buddy. He's 110+ lbs. of fun, love, affection, and pure monster if he don't know you. PERFECT watchdog.
FASTBACK340 Posted February 20, 2014 Author Posted February 20, 2014 G`devening gang. Today was a lost day as far as serious bench time. Tomorrow's not looking much better. And what I did manage to get done, some I have to do over. I masked the fuel tank to shot it with some metalizer and it reacted with the semi-gloss black I shot on the chassis. I walked away to let it dry, and me to regroup. On a positive, the engine is pretty much done. The headers will go on when the block is mounted. The carbs & air cleaner not until I'm ready to close the hood. It's a game of fractions. I lowered the engine a bit, shaved the manifold a bit, shaved the carbs…the air cleaner. I'm trying not to go after the hood, but I can cover any grinding with the hood insulation pad that's going on. We'll see. Here's a few shots of the front of the engine. The alternator is wired and brackets in place. I also tried to replicate the aluminum handled dip-stick. Here the carbs/manifold is laid in place and the fuel line routed. And finally I have one of the modified Hemi headers held in place with a clamp The rear end and K frame/suspension are painted and drying. The engine compartment gets painted body-color next so I can start assembling the chassis. Next up is the body preparation which I have about 40% done so far. It's going well at this point and all test fitting should leave no surprises later. But you never know. I was applying bare metal and had the glass in on the first go-around.
Skypower Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Motor looks great John, I am really enjoying watching this one come together.
freakshow12 Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 I would love a closer look at those valve covers. Soooo nice
Mopar - D Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 Keep it coming John it's just getting better.
FASTBACK340 Posted February 23, 2014 Author Posted February 23, 2014 I started chassis assembly tonight. When I bent up the brake & fuel lines I was asked how they stay attached. Although I try & bend them to fit as snuggly as possible, I drilled a small hole at the point the lines bent. This is what I used to secure the lines. I had gotten this from one of my friends from the LIARS club out here on Long Island. It was described as surgical suture for heavy surgery. It's basically stainless steel thread…. Yeah, it's THIN I take a short length about 8" long and loop it over the brake line And twist it from behind. Then I weaved them from one opening to another….. After threading them together this prevent the thin wire from pulling through the drilled holes. And hopefully it'll look this tight & neat. I also installed the e-brake apply cable. If you can, buy a RB Motion grab-bag if you see him at shows. I always find neat little fittings and attachments that work in various applications. Here I used some cable ends for the e-brake cables. Because of the way the brake cable is routed I had to install them before the sub-frame connectors. On my car these lines & cable fit under the connector, but it would have been difficult to to do in scale. I still have to secure the fuel feed line. I'm hoping to have her up on wheels tonight, tomorrow the latest. More to follow
1 bad55 stan Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 This is impressive,Top work all the way through,
Skypower Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 Looks great always like seeing your updates John.
FASTBACK340 Posted February 23, 2014 Author Posted February 23, 2014 All the chassis hard lines & cables are attached I also started the rear axle hard lines for the brakes. I painted the drilled end of some small evergreen square stock. This will be the junction block for the flex hose. Here's the rear axle alongside the chassis so you can see the orientation of the cables. And here's a peak at the new rims I'm using along with the dog dishes laying on them. The front tires are the Dart kits pieces, and the MT Drag Radials are from Chief Joseph. I still have to make the electric Holley fuel pump & billet filter and run the braided lines. Next in line will installing the engine so I can route the exhaust, then the front and rear suspensions. Oh…and paint the body. To be continued…..
FASTBACK340 Posted February 23, 2014 Author Posted February 23, 2014 Looks great always like seeing your updates John. Thanks….
Skypower Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 Awesome Awesome Awesome!!!!! What size hose did you use for your fuel line?
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