66 El Camino - Project CaMEANo

[Mr. Anderson]

Started looking for a '67 but found this '66 instead. Picked her up about a 6 weeks ago, a pretty complete car. 327/powerglide, factory A/C, power steering. It ran but smoked, died in gear, and had zero interior. Appears a tree had fallen on it and really messed up the driver's fender, smashed the windshield and hammered the cowl in. It must not have gotten covered after that, because water soaked the dash pad and rotted out the top of the dash. All repairable though! They did replace the hood but it's rotted out up front. I've since acquired a perfect pair of front fenders and a hood to swap out.

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It is to be my daily driver. Front fender and quarter emblems will be shaved, handles will stay though. The original plan was white, but I think I'm going to go back with the original Sandalwood tan metallic. Interior will be black.

I've got a slightly warmed over 350 ready to drop in, and a th350 auto for now. I'd love a stick but it will have to wait. The th350 will drop in place of the powerglide easily.

Will be using the stock control arms for now. I'm kicking myself for selling a set of Global West uppers with loaded Camaro spindles I had on my Cutlass. Never get rid of anything! But a set of poly bushings, offset upper shafts, 1.5" drop springs, 2" dropped spindles and 12" discs from CPP are on the way. KYB shocks and a 1.25" anti-sway bar are coming as well. The rear will get dropped springs, and I'm boxing a set of factory control arms for it. Eventually I'd like to add a DSE sway bar kit and some discs.

Cowl repair...
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Dash repair...
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Now that the cowl and dash are fixed, floorboards are next. The front clip is coming off soon, will yank the engine and trans. Hopefully the new front end parts will get here in a timely manner, should all go back together pretty easily (famous last words!).

[CruizinKev]

looking good! nice work! :twothumbs

[Rick Dorion]

I like budget builds and I really like the early el caminos. Keep the pics coming!

And welcome!

[LSXZ28]

Looks like you have a good start on it!

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks guys!

A little contemplating on wheels has lead me to this. Found a set I'm almost certainly going to buy tomorrow. They are 17"s, so the photoshop isn't completely accurate, but it will do :evil: And the stance is on par with what I'll have.

The actual wheels are silver, but I'll repaint the centers in more of a gunmetal color.

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[gearheads78]

welcome!! Nice project....Looks like are almost nieghbors

[Mr. Anderson]

welcome!! Nice project....Looks like are almost nieghbors

Just checked out your build, didn't realize you had that much work in the car! Very cool man. I'm the guy that works out at Sachse with the '64 Cutlass.

[Ratty 46]

Nice project & progress.

Ratty 46

[Part Time]

Looks like you decided to ditch the 52 inch projection tv bed mount. Are you going to go with a dash mount or a custom console mounted unit?

Seriously though... I love it! Very nice find. Congrats!

[65convertSSl79]

I miss my porcelain white 66 el camino my parents called it the "el comode"
Good Luck on your project!

[Rick Dorion]

Is your name really Anderson or do you like The Matrix :)

[Mr. Anderson]

It really is Anderson, I swear. Never could get into those movies with "Ted" as the star.

Picked up my wheels yesterday :yum:

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[gearheads78]

:idea: Oh I know who you are then. The web sure makes the world small doesn't it. Thanks for the complements on mine.

So did you sell the Olds? Even though this is a buget build I have a feeling it will turn out pretty nice. You tinkering with it at work after hours or doing it all at home? What do you do for them up there anyway. You can take it to PM if you want.

Richard

[EL T1]

Great job on the repairs so far! Looks like a fun project. I like the wheels. Good to see another Elky on here!

[CruizinKev]

nice wheels!

[Yelcamino]

Nice Elky! Looks like you've got a fun project!

[Mr. Anderson]

Looking for some input....I had an idea but haven't really thought in depth about it. The fuel door on el caminos has always bugged me, simply because of it's (necessary) existence in the middle of the quarter panel. But it can probably be improved upon. Would this look stupid in place of the factory fuel door?

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[gearheads78]

Looking for some input....I had an idea but haven't really thought in depth about it. The fuel door on el caminos has always bugged me, simply because of it's (necessary) existence in the middle of the quarter panel. But it can probably be improved upon. Would this look stupid in place of the factory fuel door?

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My personal opinion on the generic doors like that is its only a few steps above the Autozone stick on fender ports.

[Mr. Anderson]

You're probably right. I think the idea roots back to how much I miss my Bullitt....

So the next question is, would a round door look better than the square one?

Nah...I guess I'll just leave it alone. Next!

[LeighP]

Nice project...love that model. Car based "utes" are very popular here in Australia.
Weld up the panel and put the filler neck in the tray - forward corner. I did that with my ute I owned a while back.

[1971CHEVELLE]

looking good nice work and awesome wheels

[MSTSFabbed]

Nice project...love that model. Car based "utes" are very popular here in Australia.
Weld up the panel and put the filler neck in the tray - forward corner. I did that with my ute I owned a while back.

I second that. Flip it around and move it into the bed. Maybe you could cut a new door on the inside of the bed and move the old hinges to the new opening. Then weld up the outside. Don't know elkys so I don't if that would work, just a thought.

[Mr. Anderson]

Don't want to put it inside the bed. My current daily driver is a '65 Chevy truck. It's got an under-bed tank in it, and the filler is through the floor. Makes for a real hassle when you've got to haul anything, then need to fill up the tank.

I bought this sucker...
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And am going to hide it under a piece of trim I can put on a hinge (maybe) or jut put it somewhere discreet.

[gearheads78]

I like that idea. Can you fit it under the corner trim and hinge it?

[Mr. Anderson]

I like that idea. Can you fit it under the corner trim and hinge it?

Mind reader!

[Mr. Anderson]

Just paid for a pair of seats. Out of an '09 Lincoln Zephyr. The car had less than 3000 miles on it. Leather, power, heated, etc. I love the feel of a modern "luxury" car seat...the bolsters are going to be just right for a daily driver. Wanted something low-back with squared shoulders so they would look right in the car. With the headrests pulled out, I think they will do the trick.

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[Smock67]

wow those are some nice looking seats. i agree with the headrest off those will look as if they are ment to be there.

[Mr. Anderson]

First mock up of the new wheels. I like em...but will get a better idea of how much after the stance is fixed. They actually fit pretty well, the offset is almost perfect, if not a little too shallow.

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Started playing with the fuel filler.
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The interior is completely gutted, will start on the floorboards next weekend. Removed all the inside and under hood wiring, started on front clip stuff. My other cars have become storage bins...

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Finally, here's my "new" front clip.

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[RobM]

im liking that roadster pickup whats the deal with that?

[Mr. Anderson]

Just another toy.

http://www.thefidgiter.com/modified/

[Mr. Anderson]

Disassembly continues...rain? What rain?

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Seats showed up finally, going to work out well. Also pulled the trigger on a Vintage Air setup so I can get that installed while I've got everything apart. Went with the all electronic Gen IV "Magnum" setup. Going to be the first car I've had with A/C in about 3 years, and only the second overall!

[LeighP]

Nice work...I like what you did with the filler.

[2ndgenhunter]

Sweet project! I love the 66-67 elkys. I'm working on a 67 300 dlx right now. I can't wait to see how yours turns out.

[Mr. Anderson]

Ahh, much better!

[DYNODANNY]

Keep on wrenchin, I'm keeping tabs on this build. I bet its going to come out alright.

[CruizinKev]

:twothumbs

[brrymnvette]

Love these trucks. My dad is building a 67 that I bought him for Christmas.

I however seem to be the minority here and don't like those wheels at all. As long as you like them.

[Mr. Anderson]

Ok, so still no major progress. But most of my parts are here. :evil: Going to pick up a radiator tomorrow.

All my front end stuff (brakes, spindles, etc.), Vintage Air GEN IV system, new carpet...
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[796spdbu]

Is that your 60-66 truck in that last pic?

[Mr. Anderson]

Yup, this is the current daily. '65...'63 grill. It's a beater but it gets me around!

[796spdbu]

Excellent..you read my mind..i was going to ask for pics next..Man I dig that truck!!

[Yelcamino]

Yup, this is the current daily. '65...'63 grill. It's a beater but it gets me around!

I like it! :twothumbs

[CruizinKev]

cool truck! :twothumbs

[Mr. Anderson]

Glad you like the truck guys. It's my interim daily driver while I play with the El Camino.

My interior had pretty much been spray bombed red. They didn't bother to take apart the A/C outlets before doing it and the chrome balls were all kinds of messed up. Plus, the Vintage Air A/C duct hose is a lot smaller than the stock Chevelle stuff would be. So I modified the stock A/C outlets to take Vintage Air pro-line louvers. Cleaned up the housing and opened the hole up just slightly, made a plastic ring that I epoxied in place, and fits like a glove.

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[tommycomfort]

Looks great! Thanks for the updates!

[Mr. Anderson]

Filled in the old A/C control hole in the bottom of the dash and welded up the seams. Started and finished my gauge setup this evening. I wanted the usual 6 gauges but wasn't going to hang anything under the dash. Took apart the stock setup to see what I could do. Tossed out (ok, set aside) all the stock stuff and made a new panel to bolt to the stock trim piece. Cut the holes (geeeeez that took forever) then engine turned the panel just for grins. Still have to trim the excess. I'll have to make a new lens without the engraving in it, but no sweat. I'll also put some LED turn signal indicators in the upper corners and my high beam indicator in the middle. I haven't decided if I'm going to paint this bezel silver (to match my A/C vents) or if I'll get a new one (chrome).

[Mr. Anderson]

Progress has been slow but I'm hoping to change that in the next few weeks. I finally have all my front end parts so I can go ahead and get started on that. Pulled the 327/powerglide out a couple nights ago, it's headed down the road. I picked up a 700r4 too instead of the th350, excited about that.

Started smoothing the firewall tonight. Haven't decided what to do with the seams, probably just re apply some seam sealer and call it good. Will finish it tomorrow.

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Ugly and rotted, say goodbye!
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[73z-6sp]

Looking good!

[CruizinKev]

good work! :twothumbs

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks guys. Here's today's efforts.

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Just found a KILLER deal on a set of wheels and am going to pick them up in the morning. Man, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight!

[Yelcamino]

Thanks guys. Here's today's efforts.

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Just found a KILLER deal on a set of wheels and am going to pick them up in the morning. Man, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight!

Your work looks great!

Since you're still at a point where you can make changes w/o too much trouble, you might want to see if an inline bulkhead fitting (see thumbnail) will be easier to work with instead of the square fitting you have now.

When we did my Elky, I used the square fitting and let me tell you, once all the sheet metal is in place, trying to get the huge wrenches into such a cramped space to tighten the outside fittings is a huge PITA! Of course, when I discovered this, all my stuff was painted and it was too late to change anything.

I don't know if the inline would be any better than the square one but it might be worth a look now while you can get to it.

36656

[revhead]

You've been busy. Damn you run circles around my projects. Looks good.

[gearheads78]

looking great man!

[Mr. Anderson]

I don't know if the inline would be any better than the square one but it might be worth a look now while you can get to it.

Thats a good point that I hadn't thought about...especially inside the car. Hmm. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have to think it over.

I bought this one a year or so ago when Vintage Air was discontinued their cast bulkheads, knowing one day I'd put A/C in something.

I hope you don't mind, but I think I'm going to copy the front end of your Chevelle, haha. The painted grill and spoiler look great. That whole car looks great!

[Mr. Anderson]

New wheels! Craigslist is the best thing ever, I stole these things. Need new tires, but I can mock up and roll the car around with these at least. And I'll need to run probably a 1"-2" adapter, so I no longer have to worry about that .5mm difference in bolt pattern.

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[BossaNova]

Don't know how I missed this thread.....

Very impressive project. I love the Elkys!

I really like what you did with the louvers.

[EL T1]

Love those wheels! cant wait to see them on the elky. Any ideas on refinishing them, or staying with that color.

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks! I kinda like the color thats on them, and might have painted them the same if they weren't done already. But there is some chipping around the edges. They might just get retouched.

With a maroon car, I'm wondering if they might be too dark. Been toying with the idea of sanding down the outer hoop for a brushed look, but there's really not a good hard line to stop at. I'll wait and see when the car is in paint.

Most of my other cars have had blacked out wheels though...I might just keep it up!

[796spdbu]

You have been busy! I like those BMW wheels! theyll looked good with the painted grille. Kinda of a europian race look!

[Motown 454]

Nice work the firewall looks great.

[Yelcamino]

Thats a good point that I hadn't thought about...especially inside the car. Hmm. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have to think it over.

I bought this one a year or so ago when Vintage Air was discontinued their cast bulkheads, knowing one day I'd put A/C in something.

I hope you don't mind, but I think I'm going to copy the front end of your Chevelle, haha. The painted grill and spoiler look great. That whole car looks great!


When we were working on my firewall I wanted to hide the a/c and heater hoses, which I assume is your plan also. I was able to get everything tightened up on that 4x4 block, but it was a bxtch! I think inside the cab was even harder to do than the engine side! Who knows, maybe I was using the wrong tools? :hammer:

Glad you like the Chevelle, feel free to copy all you want! :twothumbs

[Mr. Anderson]

Was looking for one of these consoles for a while. Missed out on some good ebay deals before I knew they were good (didn't want to pay that much, only to find out that was cheap!). Finally found another and snagged it. Ended up being in pretty bad shape and not what the seller described, but I can fix it. I't's out of a '94-'96 SS Impala, column shift. Fits like it was made for the car. It will be recovered in black/charcoal.

The seat is just set in place. I still have a lot of bracket modifications to do.

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[Mr. Anderson]

Been close to two months since I've touched this car! Took some time to bodywork my Olds and have it painted. I've also sold my '31 Roadster pickup, got enough to start another hot rod project and dump a lot into the Elky.

-Global West upper and lower control arms are here for the front end.
-DSE multi-speed wiper motor kit
-American Autowire Classic update kit
-Ididit black powdercoated retrofit tilt column
-GM "Type II" power steering pump and remote reservoir

Also am getting close to deciding between a 383 stroker buildup, or an LS conversion. Either way, the better news is I will now be putting a 5-speed in the car!

Will be a few more weeks before I'm back on it, but I've got big plans now.

Also, since this will be a daily driven car subject to staying outside, parking lot rash, and other general abuse, I am thinking twice about the paint. Shiney scares me because I've had NICE daily's before and any little scratch made me want to kill. So I'm leaning towards a very sinister semi-gloss black. Still gunmetal wheels, stock trim. We'll see.

[brrymnvette]

Awesome. What are the seats out of? I'm thinking I'm going to have to convince my pop's to do a vintage air setup or something b/c we can't find ANY factory A/C parts for inside the cab that aren't priced like they are made out of gold.

[Mr. Anderson]

Seats are from a Lincoln MKZ....counterpart to the Ford 500/taurus.

Aftermarket A/C is the only way to go...you'll be glad.

[Mr. Anderson]

Finally settled back down...put together a frame for my new '30 Ford Roadster project, moved, went outta town for a while, came back and unpacked! Now I'm back on the El Camino.

I like the original '66 SS hood, and I like cowl induction hoods, but wanted something completely different. So I got a new '69 SS hood to cannibalize!
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Got the main piece cut out to start fitting this evening. It's going to work out well! Gotta finish trimming a few areas and make a couple more cuts, then I'll be ready to figure out the final location and cut up my '66 hood.
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Got it registered too and laid claim to my personalized plates...Ca-Mean-O :naughty:
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Also decided on a stroker. A friend of mine is putting it together for me, he runs a machine shop. Going to be pretty awesome!! Had to take the block .040 over to clean it up. Bowtie heads. He's estimating 450-475 horse.
http://www.jegs.com/i/GM%20Performance/809/25534421/10002/-1?CT=999

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[Mr. Anderson]

Pictures a a bit dark, sorry....taken on my phone. Some real progress made today.
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Got the major chunk cut out, cleaned, primed and painted the inner structure since I could get to it.
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First test fit
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Got the rear support brackets robbed off the donor hood and installed.
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All tacked in place. Lots of welding left to do.
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Some gaps to fill on the back edge of the scoops still.
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[gearheads78]

Nice work as usual.

[doribak]

nice work! looks great!

[Yelcamino]

That's going to be a really cool and different hood! Nice! :twothumbs

[Motown 454]

Cool idea, it's going to look great. Nice work.

[Mr. Anderson]

Front end completely apart.....interior and doors 100% gutted, doors off. Next stop...body coming off the frame. This garage is getting smaller every day.

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Found a pic of a flat black '66, did a little photo shopping. Mine will be quite a bit nicer than this rattle can job but it's close enough.

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[RyanG]

Nice looking El Camino

[dartdude]

nice ride dude , keep posted pictures!

[Mr. Anderson]

Was thinking about a Smokey inspired two tone.....thoughts?

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[titan460]

reverse the colors. black wheels, black top, gold middle

[dusterbd13]

or follow the gold through, however so slightly, on the doors and bed rails. 1/4 inch of gold would be enough to make it look right.

[gearheads78]

I like it. I would not do the reverse because I'm not a big fan of black wheels except in very limited applications and yours would not be one of them IMO.

[Mr. Anderson]

I typically love black wheels. But I too don't think they would look right here. Here's a little more gold, I followed the body line at the top of the quarters panels.

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[dusterbd13]

thats exactly what i was talking about. may also want to try a polished or black lip on the BMW wheels. break them up a little.

[Mr. Anderson]

The inspiration. Also thinking about a red pinstripe between the two colors. Also considered a red pinstripe on the rim of the wheels to match, but then remembered my calipers are red....I think that would be enough to tie it in.

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[Yelcamino]

I typically love black wheels. But I too don't think they would look right here. Here's a little more gold, I followed the body line at the top of the quarters panels.

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I like this a lot! It's going to look great when you're done! :twothumbs

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks guys. Really helps to be able to bounce ideas off of someone else! Here's the red stripe.

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[78 Type-LT]

That looks trick...

[CruizinKev]

yeah looking good!

[Mr. Anderson]

Cleaned and stripped the front of the frame last weekend...got some primer and paint on it the last few days. I'm kinda going a bit out of order on getting things done. Should have finished the bodywork on the firewall first, but I needed to see some new parts on the car to keep me motivated. Plus it will be nice to have it rolling again.

Bolted on the steering box and Global West upper/lower arms today. I was hoping to get the whole front end back together, but some chump (me) forgot that the spindles needed to be painted!
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So I was at a stopping point for bolting stuff on. Painted the spindles, tie rod ends, and idler arm. Should be able to finish up tomorrow. Needed to keep working so I finally adressed the lower steering column mount. I was expecting the Ididit column to have more in the way of mounting...it was pretty disappointing. I was told by Ididit....many of their "retrofit" columns are nothing more than a "universal" column with a specific location for the wiring to exit. Oh well...

No way I was using the ugly factory stuff. I hammered the upper part of the flange flat, then cut the rest off. From there I made a fill plate, got it welded and flushed in, then mounted a street rod style swivel mount. It came polished but will be painted black (maybe anodized!) when it is done.
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[Yelcamino]

Nice fix for the steering column! It should be nice and solid feeling!

[dusterbd13]

my god, i want an early elky....


whats up with the massive amount of holes in one part of the firewall?

[Mr. Anderson]

I have no idea what that is about! It looks factory though. I figure it has something to do with stiffening the panel? Beats me...it'll get cleaned up before I'm done.

Here's today's progress.
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[Mr. Anderson]

Worked on the center A/C vent today. Took a couple cheap billet vents from Parr...really nothing more than a billet outter ring with a cheap-o plastic vent inside. I thinned out one side of each vent and welded them together. Blended them back in to look like one piece...then filed the center bar down so it is recessed, and will paint it black so just the outer ring will be bare aluminum.

Of course the bezels were welded with the vents removed.
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[chunger]

That came out nice. Almost looks factory!

[CruizinKev]

looking real good! :twothumbs

[Mr. Anderson]

I am well on my way to having a T56 ready to go now. Picked up the transmission a couple weekends ago. I really didn't want the hassle of a hydraulic throwout bearing so I went with an LT1 transmission. I just ordered a stock bellhousing, new flywheel and clutch, and a Hurst shifter this week. No pictures, but you know what they look like.

I'm using the stock Camaro slave cylinder, but the stock Camaro clutch M/C just wouldn't work how I wanted with the extreme mounting angle. So I got a mid '90's Corvette clutch M/C so I could mount it flat to the firewall. Not without some creativity though.

Yup, it's a valve cover...
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And it needs to go to the outside of the booster, and underneath the wiper motor...both Detroit Speed items.
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I intend on making a threaded plate to go on the inside of the firewall to stiffen up the mount, though it's pretty solid as is. The plate will be spot welded in place.
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It's a little tight....I need to make a couple adjustments to get a little more room around the reservoir cap, otherwise it fits nicely and is pretty well out of sight.
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My dad had a couple different A-body manual pedal pieces in his stash, one of which was exactly what I needed. Next, I plan on cutting the stock pivot off of the clutch m/c pushrod, threading it, and adapting a rod end. Then weld a threaded bung onto the pedal arm to bolt the rod end too.
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[Motown 454]

Nice idea with the piece of valve cover . Smokey would be proud!

[BossaNova]

Very cool idea with the valve cover.
Thanks for sharing!

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks guys!

I also just got word that my engine is ready to be picked up from the machine shop. It's about to get serious!!

[96t/acj]

Love ur craftmenship! things are shaping up nice!

[Yelcamino]

Looking real good!

[Btefer]

Nice looking build!

[Motown 454]

Sweet!

[Mr. Anderson]

Next, I plan on cutting the stock pivot off of the clutch m/c pushrod, threading it, and adapting a rod end. Then weld a threaded bung onto the pedal arm to bolt the rod end too.

....like so!

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[CruizinKev]

very nice :twothumbs good work!

[gearheads78]

Nice work on the pedal and great idea on the valve cover.

The only thing you might watch is will the firewall flex once hydaulics are hooked up pushing on a pressure plate. You might some sort of brace on the back side welded to the factory pedal bracket.

[Mr. Anderson]

I wrote earlier that I will be doing exactly that.

[gearheads78]

I wrote earlier that I will be doing exactly that.

Ignoir me and carry on then :hammer:

[Mr. Anderson]

Didn't mean to be short Richard, I was posting from my phone.

Picked up my engine!!!!!

And all my transmission stuff fit like a glove. Should have it in the car tomorrow...more parts I forgot to paint, the frame brackets for the engine mounts. Plus I've been at it most of the day, and it's freakin hot!!

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Fidanza flywheel and Ram clutch. Oh, I also went with a pilot bearing over a bushing.
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Stock Camaro bellhousing...
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Awesome!!
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This shifter is so sexy...I want to buy an extra one just to put on my shelf and look at every day.
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[Mr. Anderson]

Engine and trans are mocked up in place. Figured out quickly that the 6qt. oil pan we used isn't going to work, doesn't clear the crossmember...oops.

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Modified the original transmission crossmember to work with the T56. Still bolts onto the factory frame brackets.
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Had to make a little more room in the trans hump than I thought, but it fits well and wont be a problem to cover back up.
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[wellis77]

This is a great build. I haven't been keeping up with it but will be now. Nice work!

[PhillipM]

Engine and trans are mocked up in place. Figured out quickly that the 6qt. oil pan we used isn't going to work, doesn't clear the crossmember...oops.

Modified the original transmission crossmember to work with the T56. Still bolts onto the factory frame brackets.


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Had to make a little more room in the trans hump than I thought, but it fits well and wont be a problem to cover back up.
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Yup, that looks about right for the hole in the tunnel. I almost always end up cutting that next floor brace as well to gain enough clearance for the U joint.

[Mr. Anderson]

I was eyeballing that brace too. I haven't stuck a drive shaft up in there yet to check though. It does seem a little close.

[PhillipM]

When you do, be sure to run the rearend through its total travel... I'm sure you would have but just wanted to throw it out there. Sometimes I get so caught up I forget to check silly things.

[Mr. Anderson]

Yeah, of course I've got the whole rear suspension out and am also in the middle of attaching some brackets onto a 9" to stick in there. And will be getting a new driveshaft made anyway....all in due time!

[Mr. Anderson]

Out with the old, in with the new (and improved!).
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Plenty of room around the trans. I left some extra height on the floor pans so I could reuse part of the factory tunnel, hoping to keep a more stock-style appearance.
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I quit tonight after forming the rear piece. I'll make the front filler piece after I pull the engine and trans back out.
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[796spdbu]

Nice work!

[Motown 454]

X2 Nice work it looks great.

[gearheads78]

The floor looks great! Nice work...did you mig that or tig?

You better not let Frank see any of this. Your going to get moved to the back LOL

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks!! It's all mig. I am continuously surprised at how well my little Lincoln works on everything from thick stuff to sheetmetal. It's magical!

[gearheads78]

Were you tacking or continuous welding ? Butt welded right?

[Mr. Anderson]

Butt welded for the most part. There were a "few" places that I had to turn the wire speed up a little and fill in...lol. Yeah, just a never ending bunch of tack welds.

[Mr. Anderson]

Front floors, trans hump, and firewall modifications all done, finally!! Was waiting on my American Autowire kit to come in so I could cut the hole for the fuse box. Finished filling all the extra holes in the firewall. Also made my brackets for mounting the A/C unit, something I'd been putting off for quite a while. Started bodywork on the outside, hoping to have it in paint by the end of the weekend and the engine back in it with new parts going on for the final time. 33 days until Goodguys...

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[CruizinKev]

looks great! good job :twothumbs

[Yelcamino]

Your work looks awesome!

I've got some food for thought though... When you adjust your pinion angle you'll probably need to raise the rear of the trans which will put the front yoke/u-joint very close to the spot I circled. In fact, you may not be able to raise the rear of the trans enough to get the pinion angle correct because the yoke/u-joint might hit the floor. Before you get too far along, you may want to consider raising the entire drive shaft tunnel for extra clearance. I'm just trying to save you some of the aggravation I've dealt with on both of mine!

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[tommycomfort]

[QUOTE=Yelcamino;713583]Your work looks awesome!

I've got some food for thought though... When you adjust your pinion angle you'll probably need to raise the rear of the trans which will put the front yoke/u-joint very close to the spot I circled. In fact, you may not be able to raise the rear of the trans enough to get the pinion angle correct because the yoke/u-joint might hit the floor. Before you get too far along, you may want to consider raising the entire drive shaft tunnel for extra clearance. I'm just trying to save you some of the aggravation I've dealt with on both of mine!

I'll second that! My driveshaft yoke occasionally rubs on the my floor where I didn't clearance it enough.
Tom

[Mr. Anderson]

Well that's 3 '66/'67 owners telling me to do it....lol, guess I probably should! I'm still going to wait to get the engine back in and the rear suspension in it and check first.

More bodywork on the firewall today, got it in the first round of primer, right rear floorboard done and a couple other piddly things.

Finally opened up that empty hole in the rear...nasty!
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[chunger]

This area is closed off, normally? My Ranchero has the same kinda area, but it's completely accessible from the cab. In fact, the spare sits in it. Gives a great storage area, otherwise stuff is always rolling around under the seats.

[Yelcamino]

This area is closed off, normally? My Ranchero has the same kinda area, but it's completely accessible from the cab. In fact, the spare sits in it. Gives a great storage area, otherwise stuff is always rolling around under the seats.

The '64-'67s are closed off; I think '68 and up it's open to the cab.

[Mr. Anderson]

This area is closed off, normally? My Ranchero has the same kinda area, but it's completely accessible from the cab. In fact, the spare sits in it. Gives a great storage area, otherwise stuff is always rolling around under the seats.

Yup, Yelcamino is right.

However, I do plan on sealing it off from the top and opening it up from the inside for exactly that reason. I'll have a donut spare, jack, jumper cables, etc. in there as well as the battery.

[chunger]

Yup, Yelcamino is right.

However, I do plan on sealing it off from the top and opening it up from the inside for exactly that reason. I'll have a donut spare, jack, jumper cables, etc. in there as well as the battery.

Hmmm, I've often played with the idea of moving my battery to there too, but as it stands, the opening is not tall enough to be able to fit one in, unless I fab up some sort of "dropped floor" battery box.

I'll be watching to see what you come up with here.

Nice Build!

[Yelcamino]

Hmmm, I've often played with the idea of moving my battery to there too, but as it stands, the opening is not tall enough to be able to fit one in, unless I fab up some sort of "dropped floor" battery box.

I'll be watching to see what you come up with here.

Nice Build!

Actually, you can fit a lot of stuff in there without dropping the floor. All you need to do is remove the support wall and it turns into a very nice trunk!

Here's what's in my '66 (I've cleaned it up since these photos):

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I have a switch on the B pillar to open/close the lid.

[bonecrrusher]

Ummmmm - what went there originally? Fuel tank?

[gearheads78]

Ummmmm - what went there originally? Fuel tank?

I believe its the foot well area if it was a station wagon.

[Mr. Anderson]

Actually, you can fit a lot of stuff in there without dropping the floor. All you need to do is remove the support wall and it turns into a very nice trunk!

I have a switch on the B pillar to open/close the lid.

Mine will be easy to remove since most of the lower half is rusted away already, haha.

I like what you did with yours. How water tight is it?

My initial thoughts were to seal it shut completely from the top - since I'll probably be using it for truck duty somewhat often, I don't want to be in a situation where I need to open the panel up but it's covered with a bunch of stuff. Then cut the hole out in the cab wall. Height would be the issue there for a battery, but I wouldn't have any problem with making the floor a little deeper. I would use an Optima probably with side-post cable ends to make for easier access.

[Yelcamino]

Mine will be easy to remove since most of the lower half is rusted away already, haha.

I like what you did with yours. How water tight is it?

My initial thoughts were to seal it shut completely from the top - since I'll probably be using it for truck duty somewhat often, I don't want to be in a situation where I need to open the panel up but it's covered with a bunch of stuff. Then cut the hole out in the cab wall. Height would be the issue there for a battery, but I wouldn't have any problem with making the floor a little deeper. I would use an Optima probably with side-post cable ends to make for easier access.

For what I normally keep in there, it's water tight enough. I have a couple of drain holes for any water that does get in. If you look at the pic of the right side, you can see there's plenty of height for an Optima battery even with top posts.

The only draw back to sealing it and then having to access through the cab wall is there isn't a whole lot of room behind the seats so getting larger items in/out of the cab opening might be a pain.

[chunger]

... If you look at the pic of the right side, you can see there's plenty of height for an Optima battery even with top posts.

I measured my Ranchero tonight, and I could probably squeeze 10" vertical height out of it, so a battery would fit. This is much better than the original plan - move it to the bed and fab up a solid box for it.

Love the idea sharing that goes on in these threads!

[Mr. Anderson]

Ladies and gentlemen....a milestone in this build. Powerplant installed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :jump:

All bodywork on the firewall finished...I will never make a good bodyman, lol. But all I really wanted was a very refined factory appearing firewall and I got it close enough. Just some semi-gloss black.
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Hedman headers, they fit like a glove. Holley 770 Street Avenger.
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Nope, not carbon fiber. A co-worker of mine knows a guy who does hydrographics. So he had these valve covers done with the carbon fiber graphic just to see how it would turn out. He sold them to me cheap, and I think they kinda fit the build....plus I needed tall valve covers!
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[sr73bu]

Looking awesome! I love these fast paced builds... and the "Smokey" theme.. can't wait to see it done... Good Luck! :cheers:

[Motown 454]

Looks Good!:twothumbs

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks guys!

[Mr. Anderson]

Here's the backside. Forgive all the dust! Got some of the hushmat installed too...there is no method to this build, haha.

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If I ever think about buying a car with this much rust repair needed, I need to be severely beat about the head and shoulders. Wheat a piece of junk this thing is....was....whatever. I never should have bought this car but fell in love and had to have it. I do that a lot, it's a good way of never having any money :)

Finally replaced the last remaining floorboard.
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Pulled the rear glass and confirmed what I saw on the surface. A LOT of rot around the whole rear window, top sides bottom, you name it. I wanted to get rid of the small package tray anyway, so I cut the bottom out and have a patch piece to replace it. Made some new lips for the rest of it with a couple pieces of L shaped sheetmetal and a shrinker.

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Not cool!

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[gribbs]

what did you paint your floor with? I am thinking of scuffing mine and brushing on some Por15

[MSTSFabbed]

Yeah but look at all the Experience and Character Building youre getting treated too! Keep up the good work!


Ps I really want a shrinker and youre not helping... :)

[Mr. Anderson]

Gribbs, it's just some Rustoleum rattle can stuff, nothing special.

She shrinker/stretcher works wonders, has come in handy MANY times. Go get one! These were just the cheap-o Harbor Freight ones with a home built stand.

[Mr. Anderson]

Ordered my tires today, should be in Monday or Tuesday.

Needed something affordable, went with the Sumitomo HTRZ III's. Saw a lot of good reviews on Tire Rack, and for the price there's not much else on the same level.

225/45's on the front (8" wide wheel)

Edit....oops. Big oops. For some reason I thought I had the 9.5" rears. Well turns out I've got a full set of 8" wide"front" wheels. I had to have known that when I bought them because its obvious the second you look at them. Who knows when my memory changed, haha. But I doubt a 9.5" wheel would have fit easily out back anyway! So....changed to 245/45's on the back. Just slightly bigger than the fronts.

[Mr. Anderson]

Work continues on the rear window. Cut out the old stuff and started getting the new in.
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Some more work on the dash, a sneak peek. I found it on ebay, dash trim from a Chevelle 300...I didn't know they had anything special for the dash until I found the auction, but I'm glad I did. Stripped the clearcoat and gave it a brushed finish to match the a/c bezels.
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Began mounting the seats today. They are from a Lincoln MKZ, the console is late '90's F-body.
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[Mr. Anderson]

Tires!!

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[Motown 454]

Sweet!

[dusterbd13]

i really like those seats. have any beter pictures of them?

[MCMLXIX]

looks good... carefull as the seats look like they have airbags in them ....

[Mr. Anderson]

I actually removed and disposed of the airbags, then swapped the seatbacks side to side so the plastic cover would be slightly less obnoxious on the inside.

If I ever get around to it, I will pull the seat back covers and have the inside panel where the airbag piece is and the very top panel where the headrest receivers are replaced.

[bonecrrusher]

Nice updates!

[Mr. Anderson]

Put the dash back in temporarily so I could get the column mocked up. Got my steering joints and shaft figured out, they'll come back out for paint. Drivers seat fully mounted and figured out the electronics and have all the power functions working.

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[srh3trinity]

Looks awesome!

[Mr. Anderson]

thanks!

[Motown 454]

Nice progress, its looking great. Nice job patching behind the rear window. Those seats should be real comfortable.

[dusterbd13]

this build thread is making me want to do an early elky again.....

keep it up. im learning new things every time you post. and having more and more bad day dreams....

[AZSaleen04]

Great work!

[sr73bu]

Any Updates?? I love this build...

-Sean

[Mr. Anderson]

Haven't been very busy with it lately...things have slowed down since I missed my Goodguys deadline. But work hasn't stopped. The biggest hurtle has been fixing the rear window....what a pain. Mostly because of the upside down welding and all the uncomfortable positions I had to get in. Also the "patch" panel that I bought for under the window sucked, so I only used about half of it. But it is FINALLY done and I can move on.

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I also removed the panel behind the seats to get a little more room. Added some tubing underneath for a little strength. Also got the upper mounts for the seat belts welded in.
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Sourced the e-brake handle from the same place as the console, 4th gen f-body.
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It also seems that the more rust I fix, the more rust I find. This is the drivers side rear roof seam. Oh joy! Still, getting closer.
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[Yelcamino]

Looking good! :twothumbs

[chunger]

Yea, that hidden rust stuff will kill 'ya. It's not fun, but it's much better to address it now and be done with it.

[Clutch93]

Very Cool build! I'm subscribing to this one, cant wait to see more progress, makes me really wish I would have bought the 67 I came across a long time back, just needed too much work for me at the time. oh well, I'm really liking the bimmer rims as well, cool mix of euro and american muscle. Keep up the great work!

[Mr. Anderson]

Minor update...not much since I've been playing with my Olds a little, and when I'm not doing that I've just been lazy! In an effort to curtail future rust around the rear window, I've rounded the lower corners. I've got to get a new piece of glass cut anyway, and since I wont be using any trim around the window I figured why not? The new glass will be glued in with a piece of black rubber around the edge. While the car will be painted white (well....maybe), the panel below the window will be painted black and the interior of the bed will be coated black as well.

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[chunger]

One step closer!

[Mr. Anderson]

Trying to work on it at least a couple hours a day. Got the brackets welded on the 9"...it bolted in without any issues, so far so good :fingersx: I'm using Edelbrock upper and lower control arms, the uppers being adjustable so there's a little flexibility there. Alll the brackets came from Currie.

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It's a really good thing I didn't go with the 10" wide rear wheels. These are 8.5" and looks like they should be a perfect fit.
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[chunger]

Nice! What rims are those - they look like BMW?

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks! Yup, mid/late '90's 7-series wheels.

[chunger]

Yea, nice wheels. I thought the bolt pattern was close - but still a little off. Are you running adapters, or did you redrill the axles/hubs to the new boltpattern?

Either way, I like 'em!

[Mr. Anderson]

Running adapters, which helped with the offset too.

[Mr. Anderson]

Another month and not much more done. The rear end is painted and assembled. Spent today cleaning and derusting the frame. Going to throw some paint under the car and hopefully get the rear axle put in.

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[chunger]

Progress is progress, no matter how small. The important thing is that you don't stop!

[Mr. Anderson]

You're right about that!

Paint is on. It's a bit cold so who knows when it will dry, but I had the heater going so hopefully soon. It would be nice to have the car back on the ground next weekend!

[Mr. Anderson]

Rear end is in! Edelbrock uppers and lowers, BMR braces, Global west springs. Swaybar and shocks...still on the list to buy.
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[Yelcamino]

Nice! :twothumbs You gotta love it when things start to take shape!

[Mr. Anderson]

Got a new camera for Christmas, so I had to take a couple pictures and try it out!

I also got new rear seat floorpan pieces (though they were backordered), vent window rubber, door hinge bolts, tail light lens gaskets, cowl to hood seal, and some inner fender bolts and clips!

Almost done with the bodywork around the rear window. The windshield area is already done, but I'm planning to get the window channels painted and glass put in so I can drive it before it gets any paint.
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All visible seams on the dash were welded up, along with a few filled holes and filling in the A/C panel area. Other than some sanding another coat of primer, the dash is ready for paint. I'm trying to decide between satin black as I was originally planning, or to paint it white and tie it into the exterior of the car. I'm leaning back towards black though.
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[chunger]

Nice update. As far as color is concerned, you're probably going to want to go with the black.

Years ago, I had a friend who painted the dash pad white in a Karman Ghia - and it reflected EVERYTHING, as a glare on the windshield. If you do end up going with a white, you might want to think about flattening it down to reduce the glare.

[Mr. Anderson]

The white would only be on the lower sheet metal piece. The dash pad is black, and I've already painted the side pieces and upper parts of the dash black (the parts that are welded into the cowl). There's a good picture of this piece in the car in the middle of page 8. But I think you're right, might just stick with the black.

[Mr. Anderson]

I finally finished my wheels. Didn't have the spare change to have them blasted and powdercoated so I sanded them all down and painted them in the garage. They turned out ok....not great, but it will do. Had the tires mounted this morning, the tire guys managed to only mess up the paint on one wheel.....at least they were all mounted correctly!

Got them on the car a little while ago, needed to roll it out and turn it around so I could get some much needed work done on the driver's side and back of the car.
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[srh3trinity]

The color on the wheels looks great. I have kept my eyes open for a cheap set of those for my Firebird, but have only seen the chrome version and I wanted to do a similar color to what you did.

[chunger]

I'm curious how you sanded them down. They were painted a silver color before, right? Were they clear coated? Could you tell us more about your technique?

[Mr. Anderson]

They were whatever they came from the factory, with a pretty cruddy rattle can job over that. Someone had painted over the original coating, including all the rock chips and any other damage to the wheels, and they were not cleared.

I used a d/a sander for the main part of the rim and the face of the center. The rest (between the spokes) I knocked down with some 80 grit. Some areas were taken down to the bare aluminum, others were just down to the first coat of paint. I primed with Rustoleum gray, then after it was good and dry, hit it with 400, followed by 800. Then a light coat, then heavy coat of graphite, and a couple coats of clear. It dried well enough that there wont be any color sanding. All paint was Rustoleum, the base and clear were from their line of "wheel paint" that they sell at Autozone.

The problems I had involved the fogginess of the metallic basecoat (to be expected from a rattle can), and a couple spots where I hit it too hard with the clear and messed up the basecoat. I put those two wheels on the back though, as I hope to replace them with their wider counterparts at a later time.

[sr73bu]

Looking good! I love the Smokey theme, but man that wheel color with red (color in the jambs) would look cool too. Keep up the progress!

-Sean

btw: what rotors are you running up front?

[HotRod47]

Very nice build. Subscribed!!

[chunger]

Thanks for the detail on how you painted them. Gives me more ideas....

[Motown 454]

The wheels look great.

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks guys!


Looking good! I love the Smokey theme, but man that wheel color with red (color in the jambs) would look cool too. Keep up the progress!

-Sean

btw: what rotors are you running up front?

It's a kit from CPP. 12" drilled, slotted. They're supposed to fit inside a 15" wheel and the caliper bracket is built into the spindle (2" drop too). Honestly, I wouldn't have bought them if I had to do it over again. They'll do until I can afford some ATS spindles and Kore3 brakes up front. Then I'll just swap these brakes onto my Olds.

I've thought about all red too! But I've also given up the Smokey theme, and at this point the car will be all white for the time being. I've got some ideas for some serious quarter panel alteration to fit wider wheels in the back, so I'm not going all out on the bodywork and paint until I get that done.

[sr73bu]

Thanks guys!



It's a kit from CPP. 12" drilled, slotted. They're supposed to fit inside a 15" wheel and the caliper bracket is built into the spindle (2" drop too). Honestly, I wouldn't have bought them if I had to do it over again. They'll do until I can afford some ATS spindles and Kore3 brakes up front. Then I'll just swap these brakes onto my Olds.

I've thought about all red too! But I've also given up the Smokey theme, and at this point the car will be all white for the time being. I've got some ideas for some serious quarter panel alteration to fit wider wheels in the back, so I'm not going all out on the bodywork and paint until I get that done.

Thanks! I was just wondering because i'm looking into powerslot or Baer rotors (slotted, drilled, or both)... I have the same calipers, they seem quality, but after finding out about Kore3 a few months back i wish i just saved for that setup...this whole budget thing sucks! haha

Thanks again-keep up the great work!

-Sean

[Mr. Anderson]

The red around the driver's side is gone finally! :bananna2:

I also got the two holes I made at the lower part of the door jambs patched. Still have the one up top to take care of.

[Mr. Anderson]

Been looking forward to this for a long time. The dash is finished! At least 90% anyway. Most of the details were posted about earlier in the thread...custom center a/c vent, stock end vent housings modified to accept aftermarket vents, 300 series trim, filled the hole for the a/c and heat controls. Seams welded and bodyworked.

I used part of a Covan piece for above the glove box and to cover the stock radio area. Then I put my A/C controls in the typical stereo spot as the only plans for tunes I have are for a direct hook up to my iphone.

Some custom work around the opening for the gauges to accept the engine turned aluminum gauge insert I fabricated. It houses VDO gauges. I'm using the Detroit Speed wiper kit, and I got two extra knobs from them (very cool machined aluminum to match the stock chrome knobs), one for the headlight switch and another for the switch on the right. That switch turns the shift light on and off, which shines through that center hole.

It aint perfect, but I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.
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[chunger]

Wow! Looks fantastic! Are those VDO gauges? Where did you source the engine turned plate from?

[Yelcamino]

Your dash turned out very nice! Well done!

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks guys!

Yes, VDO Series 1 gauges. I kinda mixed and matched individuals instead of a kit....mechanical oil pressure, 160 mph speedo, fuel gauge that matches the GM sender.

I made the panel myself. I have an abrasive dowel for the drill press, lay out a grid, and try not to mess up!

[sr73bu]

Awesome job.... nice details!

[Mr. Anderson]

I couldn't resist, put the dash in yesterday. Then put the column in tonight. Sexy!

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[dusterbd13]

that is so badass.

[srh3trinity]

That looks awesome. I am impressed with the engine turned plate. That came out well.

[Yelcamino]

Anything new going on?

[Mr. Anderson]

Not much. The cold weather and a bit of sickness caused by said weather has slowed it down some. Hoping to get back on it this weekend. I rounded up most of the rest of my wiring pieces, got the plugs for the T56 from American Autowire for the speedo and back up lights.

Also figured out my clutch line. I found that a 1992 Camaro slave cylinder has a bleeder on it making it much easier to get working. Then I got the push in fitting to adapt the slave to a -4 line, the line itself, and the -4 to metric fitting for the C4 master cylinder. I'll need a crush washer to seal that fitting up, but it looks like I'll be in business.

Old stuff on the bottom, minus the master....new on top.
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Planning on getting the driveshaft made next week. My hopes of making Goodguys in March (less than a month out) are pretty much gone, but you never know.

[Yelcamino]

Keep plugging away, you might make your goal in the process!

I was considering changing the Chevelle over to a hydraulic clutch setup but the linkage seems to be working pretty good so I'm not going to mess with it until I have to fix something.

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks for the motivation Herb!

I put a hydraulic clutch in the hot rod I built and had good luck with it so I was ready to do the same on the Elky. And since it was a powerglide car anyway I didn't have any manual linkage, and the T56 was set up for a slave cylinder already, I went ahead with it.

[Yelcamino]

Thanks for the motivation Herb!

I put a hydraulic clutch in the hot rod I built and had good luck with it so I was ready to do the same on the Elky. And since it was a powerglide car anyway I didn't have any manual linkage, and the T56 was set up for a slave cylinder already, I went ahead with it.

Wise move!

[gearheads78]

that is so badass.

co-signed I could not have expressed it any better

[Motown 454]

The dash looks great in there. You did a nice job on it.

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks guys!! :D

[scemeca]

You make me want to build a 66 beautiful work i look forward to watching you finish your build!

[Mr. Anderson]

Knocked out the driver's B-pillar today.

Before...
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During....
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After!
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[chunger]

Looking good! I'm guessing they don't make patch panels for those areas, you just fab them up yourself? If so, nicely done!

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks! If they make them I haven't seen them. I just made these pieces from scratch.

[liquidh8]

Awesome work and awesome progress, almost makes me want to put my wagon and monte on hold to tear into my 65 elky, lol.

[Mr. Anderson]

Door jamb is done, time to knock out the other side....hopefully get some of the interior in there this week. Still have to paint around the rear window though.

There was a piece of drip rail I had to cut off so I could fix the rust behind it. I had it laying around forever waiting to be welded back on but when I needed it, it was no where to be found. So I had to fabricate a couple inches of the drip rail on the back end. Pain in the butt, but kinda fun figuring it out.
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Oh, and I finally got the clutch stuff wrapped up.
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[Mr. Anderson]

Passenger side done.
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[Yelcamino]

Nice work!

[Mr. Anderson]

Getting closer. Rear end pinion angle adjusted properly, shocks installed. Got some more sound deadener laid down. Finished patching a few holes in the panel between the interior and bed. Finished the brakes up (hadn't assembled the driver's side). Got the e-brake cables run and finished the fab needed to connect them to the Camaro handle. I wanted to keep the cables short and the routing simple, so I ran them straight over the driveshaft tunnel, through the rear panel and through the floorboards. This also kept them fairly hidden from under the car and out of the way of any exhaust routing. I made a sheetmetal cover for the cables to keep them free of any obstructions, which will be upholstered.

Cables not shown here.
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Will probably make brakes lines next. Haven't decided if I'm going to use an el camino gas tank still, or try and fit a chevelle tank and hide the filler behind the rear plate. I have both tanks so it's just a matter of test fitting. Gotta come up with a little cash to pick up the rest of the interior pieces...headliner, door panels, sill plates, etc. Starting to get excited again!

[Mr. Anderson]

Brakes are working! This is the second car I've ended up making all my lines from scratch...at least this time I had the help of a hydraulic flaring tool making it much easier. But I still had leak issues. I think I've found something that I hate more than wiring! :)

But no more leaks, it's all good now!

I also sold a few remaining hot rod parts from my stash, so all my interior goodies are on the way.

I guess it's been a while since I've ordered anything from OPGI, and I know I've moved a time or two since I have. I usually buy my restoration parts from Year One, but they didn't quite have everything on my list. So I got online and ordered from OPGI to get all of it from one place. I hate their website, it's hard to find specific parts by doing a search, but since I had a catalog in front of me with part numbers it was ok.

After I placed the order, got a confirmation e-mail, etc., they sent me another e-mail. They said since this was my "first" order, they could only ship to the credit (debit, technically) card billing address. I live in a townhome community and sure and hell don't want a bunch of boxes showing up on my door step to disappear, so I was having them shipped to me at work. I called them and asked why, they said "that's just our policy." Alternatively I could mail a check or money order and they would ship it wherever I wanted. I had no intention of waiting an extra week or more for my parts to ship, so I canceled the whole thing and reordered most of my stuff from Year One.

I have bought parts from probably a hundred different companies over the years, all of which I had shipped to my work address. I work at a retail and mail order street rod parts business where we bill credit cards and ship orders all day long. Never have I heard of such and asinine shipping policy as OPGI's.

End rant!

:smoke:

[brrymnvette]

Brakes are working! This is the second car I've ended up making all my lines from scratch...at least this time I had the help of a hydraulic flaring tool making it much easier. But I still had leak issues. I think I've found something that I hate more than wiring! :)

But no more leaks, it's all good now!

I also sold a few remaining hot rod parts from my stash, so all my interior goodies are on the way.

I guess it's been a while since I've ordered anything from OPGI, and I know I've moved a time or two since I have. I usually buy my restoration parts from Year One, but they didn't quite have everything on my list. So I got online and ordered from OPGI to get all of it from one place. I hate their website, it's hard to find specific parts by doing a search, but since I had a catalog in front of me with part numbers it was ok.

After I placed the order, got a confirmation e-mail, etc., they sent me another e-mail. They said since this was my "first" order, they could only ship to the credit (debit, technically) card billing address. I live in a townhome community and sure and hell don't want a bunch of boxes showing up on my door step to disappear, so I was having them shipped to me at work. I called them and asked why, they said "that's just our policy." Alternatively I could mail a check or money order and they would ship it wherever I wanted. I had no intention of waiting an extra week or more for my parts to ship, so I canceled the whole thing and reordered most of my stuff from Year One.

I have bought parts from probably a hundred different companies over the years, all of which I had shipped to my work address. I work at a retail and mail order street rod parts business where we bill credit cards and ship orders all day long. Never have I heard of such and asinine shipping policy as OPGI's.

End rant!

:smoke:


It's actually a good thing that they do that. I wish more company's would. It helps prevent stolen credit card use.

[Mr. Anderson]

I can see that point. While card security is always a risk, this doesn't seem to be a very feasible way to counteract it. They have mailed me catalogs to that address, sent postcards, etc. And we're not talking about a major thousand+ dollar order either. I dunno....maybe I'm looking at it wrong, but it's more of an inconvenience than anything else to me...there would be more of a chance of the parts being stolen from my porch than my card being compromised.

What is to stop someone from doing it down the line? I order today, have it shipped to my house, everything is fine. Then a couple weeks, months, or years later someone steals the information, has parts shipped somewhere else, but they allow it because I have ordered from them once before. I feel that if this is their concern, then they should ship to the billing address only period. I wouldn't like that either, but it would make a bit more sense.

[Mr. Anderson]

Onward ho...some pictures of said progress. This is actually the second bracket I made for the prop. valve, the first was a bit to thin and flimsy. I originally had sandblasted it for a nice uniform finish...but couldn't help myself, and turned it. I blame my dad for this. It's a good thing!
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Then I spied the top cover for the steering box and couldn't resist.
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The cables all assembled...
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And my upholstered cover, aka vinyl glued to sheet metal.
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Picked up this rear view mirror super cheap. Turned out to be the exact same one as in my daily driver. I love the modern look and feel of it, but didn't want to glue it to the windshield..
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So I got started making a mount for it. More coming soon...
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[Motown 454]

Nice progress since the last time I got to check in. It looks great! Your doing a nice job,I like the E brake cable cover.

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks Wayne!

Done with the mirror bracket/mount.

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Before the last round of sanding.
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After the final round. I was planning on painting it black, but got it smooth enough that I think I'll just leave it bare aluminum. The mirror block will glue to this, then the mirror will clip on to that.
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[sr73bu]

Nice update! cars looking great....

BTW, that steering box cover/ prop valve bracket...cherry.


-Sean

[Motown 454]

That's a good idea for the mirror.

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks guys.

Been debating with myself on what to do for a radiator. I've never used an aluminum one before and didn't really want to for no specific reasons. But I also couldn't afford a really nice brass/copper, especially withe the price of copper going up. I didn't want to skimp and be stuck with a radiator that wouldn't cool the car though. Was at Goodguys this weekend and PRC had a booth, and also a bunch of radiators for sale that were displays or had minor defects...but all still guaranteed to be good. I found one that was just the right size, or at least close enough. I've got to weld mounting brackets on, but that will be easy enough. Cross flow, two rows of 1" tubes. Has a transmission cooler that I wont need but I'll just plug the holes. Saved $150 over buying one made specific for the car, didn't have to wait for it to be built, and didn't have to pay for shipping. Good deal!

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[Mr. Anderson]

Small addition to the mirror bracket. I kinda forgot about the sunvisor support...then thought I'd get sunvisors that just had the outer pivot only, and no inner support. Then I bought a headliner that came with sunvisors with both mounts. So...I made this. Sorry, bad cell pic.

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[chunger]

Nice, did you mill that down or was it created from flat stock and then bent?

[Motown 454]

It looks great to me Eric. Nice save.

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks guys!

Thought for sure I replied about the bracket....weird. Yep, made from a flat chunk of aluminum, cut, cold bent, then shaped with files and sandpaper. On the visor bracket...I got some vacuum caps that were just the right size to slip over the ends of the sunvisor pivots, and they fit nice and snug inside the clip. I had to turn it around from where it is in the above picture though.

This weekend is a BIG car show in Austin that I've been going to religiously for the last 8 years. I decided to skip this year as I no longer have an appropriate car to take, plus I needed to get some work done on the Elky. Told myself I'd better make the weekend worth it. So, I started out by waking up at 7:30, and went to Cars & Coffee :)

Great turnout, gorgeous weather, and got me motivated. Grabbed some breakfast and headed home to the garage. I had decided that I was for sure going to mount the battery behind the cab in the empty hole. Which meant I needed to replace those floorboards first. Then figured a way to use the factory tray and built some framework....was going to turn the rest of that half of the "hole" into storage too. I got this far last weekend...
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So today I built a door, some hinges, and got a latch mounted. Framework of the door/lid
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Hinges...could have bought something from Austin Hardware or some other source and made them work, but this way was more fun and I could make it exactly how I wanted it.
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With it fully open, the weight is over center so you don't have to hold it or have a prop. There's still some reinforcement to do where the hinges are welded to the lid.
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Made some threaded plates for the latch and striker and got them mounted.
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Ran a rod inside the car so I just have to reach around the door jamb to pop it open. It will have a knob on it when finished.
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Then fitted some expanded steel in there to keep everything from disappearing to the other side (which will just be sealed up).
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Going to put some undercoating or bed liner kind of coating inside there to keep it durable. Once I get the other side and the lid skinned, I'll figure out some kind of weatherstripping to seal it up.

[Yelcamino]

That looks awesome! Very intricate but simple at the same time.

Just out of curiosity, why are you going to seal the other side? You should make it accessible too because you'll always have a use for the extra space. On my Elky the entire lid lifts up and like you, the passenger side has the battery and on the driver's side of the divider is storage space for tools, cleaning gear, or whatever I happen to need with me at the time.

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks Herb, I know it's wasted space but I just couldn't think of anything I could fill it up with. What I've got will be plenty for a jack, a stand, a bag of tools, fix a flat, jumper cables, rags, oil, etc. It's not getting welded shut or anything so I'll have the option to change it if I should feel the need at a later time. Lots of room behind the seats too.

[RobertGP]

Nice work!

[Mike Holleman]

Thanks Herb, I know it's wasted space but I just couldn't think of anything I could fill it up with. What I've got will be plenty for a jack, a stand, a bag of tools, fix a flat, jumper cables, rags, oil, etc. It's not getting welded shut or anything so I'll have the option to change it if I should feel the need at a later time. Lots of room behind the seats too.

Listen to Herb. You will want that space later and it can be a real PITA to do fab work on a finished bed. Very good design and obviously well thought out. Herb and I have done many long trips together in our Elkys, with more to come. Never had too much storage space. My fire system is in the left side with room to spare.
Mike Holleman

[Mr. Anderson]

Perhaps I will. Going to move back to the front end now though and hoping to get the car ready to start. There's some more wiring left to do, and a few more parts to order. The next time I turn the car around in the garage (which would make it far easier to fab the other side), I'm hoping it will be under it's own power! Thanks for the kind words guys!

[Motown 454]

Eric excelent fab work and a nice design. Your doing a great job.

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks Wayne!

For only the second headliner I've installed, and the first in probably 8 years (the first was a disaster), this one turned out really well and a lot better than I was expecting!! Tomorrow: carpet, windlacing, sill plates, kick panels, seats, seat belts, and console! I'm excited.

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[Motown 454]

It came out nice. I'm not looking forward to doing my head liner.

[Mr. Anderson]

Neither was I. I borrowed a spray gun loaded with adhesive from work that the upholsterer uses on everything. That, obviously, made a huge difference.

[Mr. Anderson]

Carpet is in. I split the rear half to make install easier...the front I couldn't because there would be a gap at the front. The higher transmission tunnel really made it short at the edges so it is barely tucked under the sill plates. The glue should hold it down though. Windlacing on and kick panels in. The drivers seat has one bolt in it, and I need to paint some of the seat belt brackets I forgot about. But it's really starting to come together.

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Painted my alternator and p/s pump brackets this morning and got them put on a while ago. The power steering pump doesn't fit! Must be the combination of an Alan Grove bracket, in a '64-'67 A-body with an aftermarket 600 style steering box. I should be able to redrill and tap a hole on one of the plates, shave some material off of another plate and have more room. This is with the pump all the way in, clearing the steering box by about 1/8". Had to take the fancy top cover off too or I wouldn't have been able to get it this far.

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[johnny68]

looking great eric good job
john

[srh3trinity]

Looking great.

[negozio]

verry nice

[Mr. Anderson]

Garcia!

Power steering pump bracket is modified, but haven't put it back on yet as I'm waiting on the paint to cure.

A few headaches but console, passenger seat, and both belts in. Had some wiring I forgot to run under the carpet that I got to fish through. Really should have gone with black seatbelts. Might swap them out at a later date. The steering column needs to move in some too, it's decent but really needs to move closer to me to be perfectly comfortable.
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Passenger seat is nearly all the way forward to get the rear bolts in. Gotta wait until power is hooked back up to move it and put the rest of the hardware in.
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Don't know if I posted my horn button yet or not. Carved it out of the original button, made it fit into the Grant piece. Needs some surface polishing to get rid of a couple scratches, but it turned out well.
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[dusterbd13]

looks great, man. i love seeing interiors go together.

[Mr. Anderson]

Glad you like it!

Power steering pump is back on and looks like it'll work well. Now I've got to figure out routing of the alternator pulley to clear it, via an idler pulley.

I'm in the middle of moving the column now. Moved it up about 1-3/4". Had to buy another piece of double-D shaft, but it's well worth it. The paint is drying now.

*edit* Got the column all put back together and man what a difference a couple inches makes! :naughty: It's in the perfect spot now. The oil pressure and temp gauges are much more in my line of site now...before the steering wheels was a bit in the way.

I also couldn't take the short carpet anymore, so I made some step plates that tuck under the sill plates and hold the edge of the carpet down. No more worries about it pulling up!

[DYNODANNY]

Mr.Anderson your interior is coming out bitchen, love those 66 elco's. Cool build!

[Motown 454]

The interior looks great. That console looks like it was made for it.

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks Danny and Wayne!

Some more problems sorted out. Here's the idler pulley on, should work a-ok. Had some issues getting my power steering pulley on the pump, but turns out I had a pulley from a bad batch that Alan Grove sent out, and they agreed to swap it out. The new pulley fit great!

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I should know by now not to assume anything. After some research, the bore of a C4 clutch master cylinder is 13/16", while the Camaro slave cylinder is 1". They don't work so well together, or at all! After exhausting OEM options (did not want to use the stock Camaro m/c, way to ugly) I went aftermarket. Thankfully the plate I made to mount the C4 m/c had enough meat on it to drill and tap a couple more holes and fit the Willwood 7/8" bore unit, same bore size as the stock Camaro piece.

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the old one...
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[chunger]

Are you running a slave cylinder down at the bellhousing? Or am I'm not clear on what did or didn't match up?

[Mr. Anderson]

Yeah, I'm using LT1 stuff with the slave cylinder on the bellhousing....not a hydraulic throwout bearing.

[chunger]

So, the two bore sizes have to match? I'm asking 'cause I'll be going through something real similar when I set mine clutch up in the next few months.

[johnny68]

hey eric i noticed your ebrake what year camaro is it and what did you do for cables i need to start from scratch and like your set up thanks
john

[Mr. Anderson]

Chunger, they don't have to match but they need to be close. It can get a lot more involved if you play with pedal ratio and other things beyond my comprehension level. But the smaller the bore of the master cylinder, the less volume it can push. But also, the smaller the bore of the master cylinder, the easier it will be to push.

So with the slave cylinder down on the transmission being 1" bore, I could have used a matching 1" master cylinder making the slave move exactly the same as when I push the clutch pedal....but it would have been a very stiff pedal.

The 7/8" is a good compromise in that it will still move enough volume to disengage the clutch, but the pedal pressure should be tolerable. 7/8" is also what the factory used with the clutch setup I am running, so I figured it should work out well.

John, the handle is from a late 4th gen. Probably '98 up, but I'm not exactly sure. My console came out of something like an '01 so I found a brake handle that matched. I used Lokar e-brake cables to hook everything up, part # EC-80FU. The front end of that kit where the cables tie together has a large clevis on it (meant to bolt to Lokar's own handle). I took that clevis off and replaced it with part # S-8074, which allows you to connect to a single cable. I had to remove the mechanism from the end of the stock Camaro handle's cable, then that cable fit into the S-8074.

[Mr. Anderson]

Got the brackets welded to my radiator today. Put the core support and the fenders on....all just for mock up. But I located the mounting holes in the brackets and got the radiator in.

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