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    Results 21 to 37 of 37
    1. #21
      Join Date
      Feb 2005
      Location
      Sydney, Australia
      Posts
      1,798
      Country Flag: Australia
      Good to see its all happening for you.

      Regards,
      Leigh

      Sydney, Australia
      1971 Firebird 455

      https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...Project/page27


    2. #22
      Join Date
      Mar 2012
      Location
      Charleston, SC
      Posts
      31
      Country Flag: United States
      Well the trip was a blast! It was 645 miles, all over GA. I'll make a big post with tons of pictures in a bit. Now the real work starts! Working with Dave at PTFB to get the suspension in order, and the motor build is taking off.

      JJ
      Hell On Wheels Build Thread: https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...Anniv-Trans-Am
      -JJ
      1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am- Restoration in progress
      2017 Ford Focus- The company man's company car...and parts hauler.

    3. #23
      Join Date
      Mar 2012
      Location
      Charleston, SC
      Posts
      31
      Country Flag: United States
      For the first time since I bought the Trans Am, it is no longer out in my driveway or workshop! It's now sitting up at a family friend's restoration shop in Marietta. Took some fun pictures of the travel there and back yesterday. I left South GA at 8, got home around 2:30 AM, driving a grand total of 646 miles! Here's some pictures from the fun:

      Ready to head on out in the morning, about 7:45 :


      Morning by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      Freaked me out a few times rolling up I-16 wondering who was about to rear end me! Then I realized...it was just my car:


      Mirror by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      Made it through downtown Atlanta around 11:30ish AM or so, no traffic! :


      Atlanta Morning by MercurioJJ, on Flickr


      Atlanta Morning 2 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      Pulled into the shop, and to my excitement saw my long time high school buddy's old Tonka truck parked out front. His dad owns the business, and the shop manager is now driving this truck. It is a highly modified (luxury mods that is) Ford F-150. If you can name it, this thing has it going on inside, we lived it up in highschool in this truck!:


      Tonka by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      And here's the last two sights I had of my favorite thing I've ever owned. Next time I see it...well who knows what it'll look like! C'ya!:


      Last Sight by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      I had terrible timing and managed to hit ATL in rush hour, which made for a very unpleasant ride but downtown is always a decent change of pace from the backwoods:


      Atlanta Afternoon by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      Heat index of 121!! Unreal!


      121 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      Passed my old high school hangout! Spent many and many summer days right here at The Ted:


      Turner Field by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      Got south of Atlanta, and swung by Summit and picked up some ARP rod bolts, they had a great car on display!


      Summit 2 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr


      Summit 1 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      Finally, back to my country back roads and no more traffic:


      Country by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      I made it home, 646 miles and 19 hours later! It was a blast, got to visit my family, sister, and girlfriend as well. Dad met me at the shop. Going to miss my car, but now I can focus on building this engine to put back in it!

      I'll keep the updates coming a lot more steady now as well. Going to miss not having this car out in my workshop:


      Last Sight 2 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      JJ
      Hell On Wheels Build Thread: https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...Anniv-Trans-Am
      -JJ
      1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am- Restoration in progress
      2017 Ford Focus- The company man's company car...and parts hauler.

    4. #24
      Join Date
      Mar 2012
      Location
      Charleston, SC
      Posts
      31
      Country Flag: United States
      Alright guys, finally got around to getting some good work done and taking pictures of everything I've been working on, story time:

      I know you guys are more into seeing big things like drivetrain and suspension work, but this is what I've got to work with for now and want to keep this thread alive! On that note though, the only thing left I need for my big 403 engine build is pistons and I can get the bottom end all balanced and start assembly, so if you're enjoying this build and want to see some serious power made on an underrated engine platform, stick around!

      Started working on the back seats first, got the upper and lower frames stripped down, polished them up, primed a few good coats, then hit them with black Rustoleom to protect them in the future:

      Seat Frames:


      Rear Seat Frames by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      I took these down to bare metal, cleaning and removing all the crap, paint, and pounds of rust

      Upper:


      Upper Rear Seat Frame by MercurioJJ, on Flickr


      Upper Rear Seat Frame 2 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      Lower:


      Lower Rear Seat Frame by MercurioJJ, on Flickr


      Knocked out all the springs as well, got them cleaned and painted and stored away in a box.

      Then moved on to my seat which was rusted BAD to say the least. I was able to clean it up pretty well though..

      Here's where I got the top half of the driver's seat down to:


      Upper D Seat Frame 2 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr


      Upper D Seat Frame 1 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      Nice and polished, ready for primer tomorrow.

      Got the bottom to look alright as well, also getting primed tomorrow:

      Start:


      Lower F Seat Frame Before by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      Almost finished:


      Lower F Seat Frame After by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      I moved onto the sliding brackets and mechanism. Got the 40 year old pounds of residual crap build up out of there, wire brushed and lubed all the joints, and polished up the rest of them. Didn't spend too much time on the parts that won't be visible once it's all assembled, but just wanted them to look decent. I hit them with Duplicolor clear coat once I was done to help prevent them from rusting out again:


      Driver Bracket 1 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr


      And that's all the work I got done the past few days. I've been helping my girlfriend move all weekend, and was just too tired to do much. On the upside, she got me these two little things as a "thank you."


      American Plate by MercurioJJ, on Flickr


      Anyway, thats all for tonight. Will have more pictures tomorrow!

      JJ
      Hell On Wheels Build Thread: https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...Anniv-Trans-Am
      -JJ
      1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am- Restoration in progress
      2017 Ford Focus- The company man's company car...and parts hauler.

    5. #25
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Westminster, MD
      Posts
      579
      Country Flag: United States
      Cool project. Always been a fan of these cars too.
      Ed Cooney
      '96 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon, LT1/4L60, full bolt-ons & Solomon's tune, 18" Ridler wheels, lowered with Belltech springs

      ‘70 Buick Skylark Convertible project w/ GN drivetrain

      '91 Formula, pending track day build


    6. #26
      Join Date
      Mar 2012
      Location
      Charleston, SC
      Posts
      31
      Country Flag: United States
      FINALLY!!

      I spoke with the guy doing the work on my car, and they finally had time to roll it inside their shop and start getting at it. Had my dad go over (sucks living 300 miles away) to the shop and snag a few pictures for me, so this is where we stand as of 3 days ago:

      Thought we were going to have to replace the door skins, lucked out! He got all he rust out of em:


      Door Primed 2 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      The ONLY spot on the car that's really bad and has rot:


      B Pillar by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      And here it is, all stripped down and ready to get torn into:


      Stripped by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

      That's all I got for now. Great to see some progress being made. I'll be headed up that way around Christmas and will hopefully have more progress being made and a few new pictures.
      Hell On Wheels Build Thread: https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...Anniv-Trans-Am
      -JJ
      1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am- Restoration in progress
      2017 Ford Focus- The company man's company car...and parts hauler.

    7. #27
      Join Date
      Feb 2005
      Location
      Sydney, Australia
      Posts
      1,798
      Country Flag: Australia
      Glad you're seeing some progress!
      Regards,
      Leigh

      Sydney, Australia
      1971 Firebird 455

      https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...Project/page27

    8. #28
      Join Date
      Jul 2012
      Posts
      96
      Country Flag: United States
      wow that is awesome, the npd by me has a 79 golden anniversary on display every time i go get parts i check it out
      Brandon
      2003 f250 powerstroke 2/4 drop daily driver
      1979 f250 crew cab on superduty axles
      1947 dodge 5 window coupe


    9. #29
      Join Date
      Mar 2012
      Location
      Charleston, SC
      Posts
      31
      Country Flag: United States
      Yup, it's great to finally be coming together! We discussed running the torque arm setup in the rear, so that's now in the works as well. Been workin on building my 403 too, but currently on hold while I assemble a 351 ford for a friend. Nice to see it finally coming together though, I've owned the car for years and am ready to make it happen. Thanks for following! Many more updates to come.
      Hell On Wheels Build Thread: https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...Anniv-Trans-Am
      -JJ
      1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am- Restoration in progress
      2017 Ford Focus- The company man's company car...and parts hauler.

    10. #30
      Join Date
      Jul 2012
      Posts
      41
      Country Flag: United States
      Hahaha small world! I noticed your car in their lot over the summer and figured it was a part out. Sounds like your from the area. I live right up the road by Frankie's.

      If you notice the specs on my car in my Sig It's sporting the motor your car would have had it it had been built before March of 79.
      Eric

      "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." Winston Churchill

      70 LeMans Sport Convertible. Mildly built 1978 W72 400 aka T/A 6.6, Eddlebrock RPM intake, Demon 750 Factory Munci 3 Speed with Hurst, Factory Safety Track (Posi).

    11. #31
      Join Date
      Mar 2012
      Location
      Charleston, SC
      Posts
      31
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by Grim View Post
      Hahaha small world! I noticed your car in their lot over the summer and figured it was a part out. Sounds like your from the area. I live right up the road by Frankie's.

      If you notice the specs on my car in my Sig It's sporting the motor your car would have had it it had been built before March of 79.
      Ha, yeah my best friends dad actually owns that shop, I'm from Paulding county though, and live in Statesboro now. I brought the car to him to just get my body work done, they actually do pretty good work right there. Funny you saw it out there in their lot, that's really cool. VERY small world!

      Sounds like you've got a nice little 400 build in that LaMans too.
      Hell On Wheels Build Thread: https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...Anniv-Trans-Am
      -JJ
      1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am- Restoration in progress
      2017 Ford Focus- The company man's company car...and parts hauler.

    12. #32
      Join Date
      Jul 2012
      Posts
      41
      Country Flag: United States
      So where you at? I noticed CARS is no longer in that shop. They move or fold? Did your body get done?
      Eric

      "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." Winston Churchill

      70 LeMans Sport Convertible. Mildly built 1978 W72 400 aka T/A 6.6, Eddlebrock RPM intake, Demon 750 Factory Munci 3 Speed with Hurst, Factory Safety Track (Posi).

    13. #33
      Join Date
      Jul 2012
      Posts
      41
      Country Flag: United States
      So any updates? I saw that body shop is no longer at that location. They move or fold?
      Eric

      "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." Winston Churchill

      70 LeMans Sport Convertible. Mildly built 1978 W72 400 aka T/A 6.6, Eddlebrock RPM intake, Demon 750 Factory Munci 3 Speed with Hurst, Factory Safety Track (Posi).

    14. #34
      Join Date
      Mar 2012
      Location
      Charleston, SC
      Posts
      31
      Country Flag: United States
      Wow- Bringing this guy up from the dead.

      Grim - if you're still around - the shop relocated. My best friends family owns the shop, and they bought a much nicer facility out in Roswell, and closer to home for them. So the car moved with them.

      I switched careers midway through this project, and started working for a start up. Needless to say, I had to put the project on hold as funds were super tight. I've since moved on to working for the industry leader in that field, have my feet settled, and am firmly back into this build. Some things have changed though...

      -Power Plant: I'm now running with a full engine swap. Really want to go fuel injected after spending a few years really researching. So the game plan is to rebuild the stock 403 back to it's original specs and shelf it. After all, this is a very collectible car. While I have 0 intention of ever selling, it's nice to maintain the original parts and not worry about grenading the bottom end.

      In it's place, I've got a stout LS platform build plan coming together. I've got an LQ4 short block being assembled right now. Including dished pistons, polished crank, and forged rods. Overkill, but it's all coming with the package.
      I've got a nice set of port/polished/3-angle valve job 243's on the way.
      Pat G is working on a custom radical cam profile.
      FAST 102 coming in.

      The goal is to have the motor assembled, suspension pieces in, and the body back in my possession sometime before February.
      Hell On Wheels Build Thread: https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...Anniv-Trans-Am
      -JJ
      1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am- Restoration in progress
      2017 Ford Focus- The company man's company car...and parts hauler.

    15. #35
      Join Date
      Nov 2002
      Location
      Georgetown,TX
      Posts
      2,557
      Get the body and paint work done on the car?

    16. #36
      Join Date
      Mar 2012
      Location
      Charleston, SC
      Posts
      31
      Country Flag: United States
      They stuck it in storage while they were moving shops. They've pretty much gone from classic resto's to insurance claims. Lot more money in it. However, they kept on some of their old hot rod guys and do one resto at a time in the back of the shop. THey're working on the owners car now, and mine will come out of storage within the month. Should have paint and body done by the first of the year. Big project now - I'm building the motor rather than having one built or dropping in a crate. So I'll keep you guys updated on the LS build at a minimum. First round of pictures in a few days.
      Hell On Wheels Build Thread: https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...Anniv-Trans-Am
      -JJ
      1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am- Restoration in progress
      2017 Ford Focus- The company man's company car...and parts hauler.

    17. #37
      Join Date
      Oct 2017
      Posts
      116
      Good to see that this project was not given up on!! Keep on. I also own a TATA so I'll watch as you restore her.
      I have a Pontiac 455 HO in mine but have been considering going back to a 403 since that is what it would have come with.

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