that thing is looking sweet!!
DarranOriginally Posted by BLUECRAPI
1982-1C (Black) GT T-Top:http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...he-Road-Thread
1986-9L (Oxford White) SVO: http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...d-did-1986-SVO
1979 (85:Tangerine) Coupe (my son's): http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...gerine-Machine
1979 (3F:Light Medium Blue) Coupe (one day to be my other son's!) http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...um-Blue-Bomber!
Looking great! I'd use it as a street car.
Jess
Previously owned;
1979 Mustang, v6 swapped to EFI 393, custom installed m122 blower, 4r70w trans, Megasquirt II, T-top swaped in.
1990 Mustang, 545 BBF, C-4 with brake, ladder bars.
1983 Mustang, 1984 SVO Mustang
1984 Mustang convertible, v6 swapped to 351
1986 Mustang GT, 1989 Mustang GT convertible
1992 Mustang coupe, 4 swapped to 302
Double post.
Last edited by BMW Rider; 05-09-2016 at 09:46 PM.
It would seem summer and its distractions - motorcycles, fishing, camping - is over. Cool wet weather this week is letting me spend some time in the workshop again.
I needed to finish up a few things on the front end so I pulled the nose off again yesterday to start on those items. I needed to finish up the mounting of the front marker lights in the fiberglass bumper, I'd made the brackets some time ago but needed to do a bit more trimming to get the positioning right. It's much easier to get them with the nose off.
Next item while the nose was off was to make the aluminum pieces to channel the air flow from the grill and air dam openings into the rad. I also blocked in the back side of the bumper support to help keep the air flow from spilling out the sides.
I also made a piece to close in the top gap between the rad support and header panel.
The next task was to pull the fenders off to finish welding them where I had elongated the openings for the forward offset wheels and to weld in all the extra holes that I didn't need since they are the 91-93 fenders and I am keeping the original trim.
With those tasks done, it all went back together and I finished up the aluminum pieces to channel the air flow. with a piece at the bottom. I had all ready made a panel to skirt in the underside of the air dam and got that in place, though it will still need some more fasteners to secure it.
Last edited by BMW Rider; 03-16-2017 at 04:48 PM.
I have a short list of mechanical items I need to address still, but it should be ready to head to a paint shop soon. That is a bit of a hurdle as I need to figure out where that will be. I know my body work skills are not what I'd like to have for quality, nor do I want to go to the work and mess of painting it myself. I would like to have it in somewhere later this fall and hopefully can have it back for spring.
Cool modifications with the front bumper and the radiator ducting.
I have thought about doing similar things to my GT, but not there yet! Not sure the bumper is worth the trouble for my GT as I am afraid it will take a bit too much effor to make the upper cover and lower air dam work with the fiberglass bumper support.
Good Luck on the paint work. I will be extremely happy once mine is all done! My shop is a disaster area right now thanks to all the sanding dust!
Trey
"I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"
"I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."
Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
Current Mustangs:
1969 Mach 1
1979 Pace Car now 5.0/5 speed
1982 GT Stalled RestoModification
1984 SVO Still Waiting Restoration
1986 GT Under going Wide Body Conversion Currently
Current Capris:
1981 Capri Roller
1981 Capri Black Magic Roller Basket Case
1982 Capri RS 5.0/4spd T-top Full Restoration Stalled in TX
1984 Capri RS T-top Roller
1983-84 Gloy Racing Trans Am/IMSA Body Parts
The fiberglass bumper was not really too hard to make work. I did not have to modify the cover or the air dam at all. Only the bumper support itself and the mounts needed to be modified. I would have preferred to use an original aluminum support but hens teeth seem to be easier to find around here. The weight savings is worth the effort.
I would be interested in seeing how you modified everything to work with the fiberglass bumper. I have a spare, so it's an option, I just not sure I want to invest the time and energy with all my other modifications at this point.
Trey
"I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"
"I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."
Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
Current Mustangs:
1969 Mach 1
1979 Pace Car now 5.0/5 speed
1982 GT Stalled RestoModification
1984 SVO Still Waiting Restoration
1986 GT Under going Wide Body Conversion Currently
Current Capris:
1981 Capri Roller
1981 Capri Black Magic Roller Basket Case
1982 Capri RS 5.0/4spd T-top Full Restoration Stalled in TX
1984 Capri RS T-top Roller
1983-84 Gloy Racing Trans Am/IMSA Body Parts
DarranOriginally Posted by BLUECRAPI
1982-1C (Black) GT T-Top:http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...he-Road-Thread
1986-9L (Oxford White) SVO: http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...d-did-1986-SVO
1979 (85:Tangerine) Coupe (my son's): http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...gerine-Machine
1979 (3F:Light Medium Blue) Coupe (one day to be my other son's!) http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...um-Blue-Bomber!
Holy Baby Jesus this thing is amazing! Great job Sir!
Brian R. of Michigan
83 TBird 5.0
88 Ranger 2.3t
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...83-Tbird-build
You can see pretty much all of the modifications in the picture. Most of the work was to get the lights mounted. I decided to make the new brackets which was a bit tricky to get the right dimensions for the bends to set them at the correct angle and position to line up with the cover openings. I did need to trim off the flange at the ends of the bumper to let it fit the cover. I used the newer mounts and had to do a bit to them to make them match the older style with the through bolt on the frame rail for securing them. I also had to make the bumper sit lower on the mounts by cutting and re-welding the mount plate. The only other work was to drill holes for the bolts that are at the junction of the bumper cover and air dam.
If overall weight is not a concern, then it's probably not worth the work, but I really want this car as light as practical and dumping forty pounds of steel for ten pounds of fiberglass makes a big difference. Still would have loved to get my hands on an aluminum piece and saved the effort.
Yet you tackled an entire paint job and did an amazing job of it while I will be sending mine out for that as I don't feel I have the talent for that kind of work.
Further to that, I contacted my friend up in Olds who has a custom shop there and he is very interested in doing my paint job. He'll be in the city in about a week and plans to stop by to assess the job. That's exciting because I've known him for a very long time and know and trust his work.
Thanks, I'm just not smart enough to realize I can't do something so I go ahead and do it anyway.
I do really enjoy fabrication work, it's like a jigsaw puzzle where you have to make your own pieces. I sometimes think I'm just a hack compared to the work others have done, I'm my own worst critic and see every little mistake or imperfection. In many ways what I'm doing is taking the easy way out rather than spending so much effort on a proper restoration as some do. It's nice that others appreciate what I'm doing with this car.
No pictures, but I've been picking away at the snag list this week. Got after the annoying little oil leak from the rear of the engine. I wasn't sure if it was just the pan or the main seal that was leaking so I picked up both to change. Once I got the pan off (not an easy job with the 7 quart Moroso unit) I could see that it was just the one piece pan gasket which had split right at the corner of the main bearing cap. I changed the seal anyway since I had it to be sure. Also found a lifter gallery plug had popped out on the front and was lying in the pan. Lucky catch, but had to then pull the front end apart to fix that. I didn't have a new plug, so I made one on the lathe and drove it home to stay. The last task I completed while I had easier access to the starter while the pan was off was to install the heat blanket on it and the cables to protect them from the headers better.
My body/painter buddy is going to come by on Saturday to appraise the work for that. I don't have much more I must do before he can have it so soon it'll be going for a trailer ride to his shop. Kinda exciting to be at that point. I've been thinking about how much to have him do and will discuss that with him, but I would be happy to have him put all the glass in for sure and possible paint and install some or all of the trim too. That'll depend on how scary the price for the paint job is. Just got word last night that our union got an arbitration deal yesterday so there will be a backpay lump sum coming towards the end of the year that will hopefully cover the paint work.
Last edited by BMW Rider; 09-29-2016 at 06:48 PM.
My friend the painter/body guy came and looked the car over on the weekend and was impressed with the car overall. The estimate for the work is more than I anticipated, about 25-30% above my top end guesstimate. But I do know his workmanship, and in talking it over with him, I am confident that the car will look magnificent when he's finished with it. He had a truck in the shop that he was finishing up and would be delivering via enclosed trailer in 3-4 weeks and will pick up my car then.
In the meanwhile I've kept picking away at some little items, mostly interior stuff. One thing I wasn't happy with was the brace for the center of the dash down to the transmission tunnel. It was kind of ugly, but needed to be there, so I figured I'd add a small console below the dash to hide it. This gave me a place to mount the power socket, and will serve future needs, i.e: gauges, switches or whatever.
The last couple days I've worked at templating and fabricating the skins for the insides of the quarters in the back. They will not get fastened in until after the paint is done and the glass and trim is all on, but it was a lot easier to make them while I could work from the window openings rather than crawling over the cage to do it later.
I also made a template for the door panels, but only have enough aluminum left for one, so will need to get another piece. I will likely wait to make them until after the car comes back anyway so that I can get the fit to the glass right. I picked up some material to use to make a liner for the roof, but I need to work on the exact plan for that yet. I don't have the original headliner any more to use as a template, so I will either have to play around with it or try to find an old one to utilize.
Last edited by BMW Rider; 03-16-2017 at 04:50 PM.
A RACE CAR with a HEATER!!!!
You act like you live in CANADA . . . OR Colorado!
The interior looks good! I don't envy having to make the interior panels! Probably too much to ship them up to you, but have you considered looking into these?
http://www.scottrodfab.com/foxmustang.html#fox_interior
Trey
"I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"
"I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."
Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
Current Mustangs:
1969 Mach 1
1979 Pace Car now 5.0/5 speed
1982 GT Stalled RestoModification
1984 SVO Still Waiting Restoration
1986 GT Under going Wide Body Conversion Currently
Current Capris:
1981 Capri Roller
1981 Capri Black Magic Roller Basket Case
1982 Capri RS 5.0/4spd T-top Full Restoration Stalled in TX
1984 Capri RS T-top Roller
1983-84 Gloy Racing Trans Am/IMSA Body Parts
Well it will be street driven as well and yes our climate sucks; even in summer it can be cool. I figured the defrost capability was the major benefit of keeping the heater, but warmth for comfort is also welcome. It was one of the few concessions made to weight reduction.
I did look at the Scott Rod stuff and pretty much had my order ready to go to them. I contacted them about shipping up here and that time most of the pieces I was going to order were at least 90 days before they could even ship them. At that time I wanted to get the dash in so I could get the wiring and all that sorted, so I decided to make my own dash. With that accomplished, I just kept making my own stuff for the rest too. It may not be quite as pretty as their stuff, but I'm happy with it and it has helped to keep the costs at little less insane, not much, but a little.
I did tally up the investment so far and factoring in what is yet to be done, I could have walked into a showroom and drove out in a brand new Shelby and had gas money left over. But what's the fun in that when you can build your own car into something no one else will have. But it might be time to look into some insurance before it goes to the paint shop I think.
In anticipation of the car heading for the paint shop, I've been working out the details of the paint scheme. A long time ago I found a couple of cheap Snap-Tite model kits of the 79 coupe with a sort of Pace Car look. I had built one of those kits a long time ago, the other was unfinished. I used the built one to mock up my initial paint scheme idea and decided I was not happy with that plan. I always wanted the car to be red, that part was easy. I also wanted all the trim to be matte black. The part I was unsure about was using the original silver as an accent colour for part of the car. I was thinking of just painting the cowl scoop on the hood in silver, but it just didn't look right. I got out the second kit and made some modifications to it to reflect the actual car by adding a rear spoiler and side skirts and rear valance. Then I decided to see what it would look like painted with silver LeMans style stripes in classic Mustang style. I gotta say, I like it, though I've not seen these stripes used much on Fox Bodies and even less so on four eyes.
Anyway, here it is for critique and or thoughts.
Last edited by BMW Rider; 03-16-2017 at 04:51 PM.
Still waiting on my body guy to catch up on his work and pick the car up. I've been working on a few little odds and ends while I wait, less to do later, so all good. I've been wanting to see where it was at weight wise so I can make some decisions on a few possible weight savers. Looks like I'll be needing to shave anywhere I can as it is a bit more portly than I hoped. Presently it's 2932 lb without glass and a few other bits and pieces. I'm looking at possibly going with poly-carbonate windows for the rear and quarter windows and maybe even the windshield. One thing I need to find out though before I do that is whether or not I'll need a safety inspection to register it as the Poly windows likely won't pass that. I am happy with the balance on the car, it's closer than I figured it might be at 56/44 front to back and 49/51 side to side which is less the driver weight so will be very close with me in it.
I had it out to move it into the opposite garage bay to do the weights so I got some fresh pictures. Not a lot of visual difference than the last ones, but I did decide to pass on the Xenon rear skirt and go with a Cervinis Saleen style one instead. Its quite a bit lighter both physically and visually.
Last edited by BMW Rider; 03-16-2017 at 04:52 PM.
Not sure if its what your looking for but just yesterday on my facebook feed I seen somebody was making carbon fiber quarter glass filler panels. Kind of a cool option if you don't need that line of sight through that area {drag racers}.
Brian R. of Michigan
83 TBird 5.0
88 Ranger 2.3t
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...83-Tbird-build
Looks great Ed. I'm not as surprised as you on the weight. You have added a few components to the chassis and body
Is there a maximum you can have for the class you will be in or a distribution ratio you were looking for to maximize the car'a capabilities?
DarranOriginally Posted by BLUECRAPI
1982-1C (Black) GT T-Top:http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...he-Road-Thread
1986-9L (Oxford White) SVO: http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...d-did-1986-SVO
1979 (85:Tangerine) Coupe (my son's): http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...gerine-Machine
1979 (3F:Light Medium Blue) Coupe (one day to be my other son's!) http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...um-Blue-Bomber!
There is no maximum weights for the classes, just minimums, but my objective from the start was 3000 lbs or less. It looks like the car will end up in one of two classes based on the modifications,so the weight minimums would be either 2970 in the CP class or 3000 for the CAM-T class. If I'd ended up under weight, it would be easy to add ballast to meet the minimum. The prepared class is a fairly competitive level, so less weight is better particularly since I won't be matching horsepower with many of the cars in that class. There is still 150-200 lbs of stuff to go back on the car if I end up using all the original glass. I had hoped to be very close to the minimums. Yes I knew all the extras like the cage and such added a lot more weight than I was able to shave off. If this was going to be a dedicated race car, then more weight could easily be dumped by eliminating things like the heater, wipers, lights and more, and the glass would be gone for sure. Of course there are ways I could drop weight if I wanted to be spendy; aluminum heads, fiberglass panels, lithium battery, super light racing wheels and so on. Or, I could compensate with more HP, but that's not really where I wanted to take the car.
In the end, I don't really anticipate being competitive at the autocrossing, I mostly just want to get out and have fun driving it way more aggressively than I could on the street. It should accomplish that even if it weighs more than I hoped.
Cleared on hurdle today, the car (and my investment in it) is now insured. It was a bit of a hassle to find a company that would accept it with all the mods and the fact that it looks like a race car with the cage and such. They did require that I have an appraisal done to verify the value that I claimed for replacement. I had a fellow come by today to complete that.
Next hurdle will be to find out if the ancient registration still exists in the data base or if I'll have to have a complete inspection done in order to get a plate for it. I'm hoping to avoid that hassle. If I can get a plate without an inspection, I will go for the polycarbonate windows to help shave some weight.
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