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MichaelLeeHearn
10-10-2012, 06:31 PM
Today I went and looked at what will be my new project.

Just a little bit of back ground information on myself. I have experience with mig, tig and stick welding from working with my ex-stepfather building late models and modifieds local short track racing, in youth. Along with more recent timing doing some welding while in the Navy on friends projects. I also have taken classes for composites mainly carbon fiber and fiberglass. Once of my early jobs, in the Navy was working on flight gear for F-14's and F-18's. So with this I have learned the basics of using heavy duty commercial sewing machines. I was injured a little bit over 2 years ago, while I was in Afghanistan and since have received a early retirement due to my injuries. At that time I had bought my GTR and was paying others to do most of the work for me. So While I am working on this project I will also be going back to school. So I will typically get 3 days a week to work on the car, sometimes less, the plan is to do as much of the work myself that I can. This project is a mix of therapy and fun for me, as it will help to keep me physically busy and to take my mind off of other things at the same time.

I have been looking around for an older car use for this project. What I found was a 1955 Chevy 2 door sedan. The owner had the car stripped down to just sheetmetal and the frame, when I went to see it. Over all the body is in good shape, will need a few repair panels and new rocker panels, otherwise everything is there. I will also need to replace the all the glass and trim.

I gave the owner the money for the car while I was there and plan to pick the car up in a week or so, I am waiting on a friend and a trailer to do so.


So here is the ideas so far for the car-


Chassis -
Roadster Shop - Fast track chassis with IRS, set up for 10" wide wheel and tire combo will have to find out if chassis will have to be narrowed to make these fit

LG Motorsports 2" drop C6 spindles
Replace power rack and pinion with manual unit for use with electric power steering unit
Ohins coil overs with remote reservoirs and Hypercoil dual springs
Alcon CCX rotors and calipers used with custom hats
5 pin drive centerlock hub adapters used



Drivetrain -
RHS LS aluminum tall block set-up for 502ci

PRC 285cc LS7 heads
Kinsler ITB intake - upright style

Custom Plenums and ramtubes for turbo use - 2 5/8" throttle blade size
Garrett GT35 turbos with Tial stainless turbine housings, Tail wastegate and blowoff valve, twin turbo setup


Custom Air to air intercoolers x2
Custom stainless turbo headers with 4" V-Band fitting to turbos
Crossflow aluminum radiator setup
Custom aluminum brakcets for A/C, Alt and dry sump pump w/ electric water pump
4 stage dry sump system with 2.5" gal tank and oil cooler


Dual 3" side exit exhaust, with custom side tips
MoTec ECU and ignition system


T-56 Transmisson


Tilton 3 pedal assembly with dual master cylinders for brakes
Adjustable floor mount set-up
Tilton Billet reservoir


Interior -
Solid smooth rear seat divider / fire wall to separate fuel cell, batter and oil tank from drivers compartment
Smoothed and filled dash - Glove box, gauge pod and passenger speaker pod left, the rest filled and smoothed

Dash sides reshaped to flow in to door and side arm rests
custom waterfall style center console
Custom A/C vents x4, installed into dash and console
Custom defrost plenum and vents added to dash

Smooth door panels, kick plates and rear 1/4 panels designed made from carbon fiber with leather and suede inserts
all trim either removed or de-chromed and refinished in matte black or tungsten
All bare metal in the interior, trunk or underhood - painted to match body color or in matte black or tungsten depending on location
ProPart's Spek gauges used
Custom sound system installed
power windows doors and 1/4 windows, vent window removed
Tilet or Reverie CF seats with custom suede pads
Custom billet aluminum and CF steering wheel


Underhood -
Inner fenders, radiator support made from carbon fiber
firewall smoothed

4-6" recess in firewall for engine set back

billet hinges used


Trunk -
smooth inner panel made from carbon fiber
oil tank and battery hidden behind CF enclosures

billet hinges used



Body -
All emblems and trim removed or refinished in either body color or matte black or tungsten
full body smoothed
headlights frenched

Custom built BI-Xenon HID projector built into stock 7" style housings

LED taillight, marker lights and turn signals used
Bumpers smoothed with hidden hardware and shortened to fit tightly to body, custom license plate mount and pocket recessed added / front and rear
fenders flared slightly for better wheel fit
custom grill - mix of billet aluminum and speed grille materials used
Custom wheel 20x9 front and 20x10 rear used


Custom mixed darker version of Nissan - Midnight Purple Pearl paint for main body and a Metallic Dark Gunmetal Gray Pearl for the secondary color for a two tone paint job or straight Midnight Purple Pearl for a one tone paint job


So far this is what I am planning or thinking, of course with time things change. The turbos, waste gates, blow-off valves and brakes I already have as spares from my GTR build. I have a spare set of wheels for my GTR and will see if they will fit the chassis and body as a second option, how ever they are 20x9.5 and 20x11s Also am not sure if the 8 spoke style will fit with the car style when I am done.

I am going to post a pic of the wheels I plan on using for for now, just a quick drawing using Rhino 3D, outer lips and front faces of ovals will be machined to break-up the solid color. They are 5 pin style centerlocks with custom spinner style nut.
66048

66051

66050


66058

Last pic is of the spare set of rims I have for the GTR, this is from the place I bought them as I do not have any pics of the on this computer right now. They are DyMag's Magnesium centers and CF outers, my are in a matte black center and matte finish outers.

Will post more as I can and will get some picks of the body as soon as I get it home.

MLH

MichaelLeeHearn
10-10-2012, 11:15 PM
Worked out a drawing for a custom steering wheel and adapter.

Planning on using a woodward colapsable column with Q/R unit, then wrap column with 2 1/2" dia. CF tube so I can mount the turn signal switch and hazard switch also, most likely will have to make an adpter to Q/R unit to enlarge the dia. of the ring.

66072

66073


The two dark pieces on outer ring and center horn cap will be made from carbon fiber and everything else to be painter or powder coated to match car. As I am not one for Chrome or polished style finishes.

AusMarty
10-11-2012, 12:07 AM
Ambitious, I like.

MOAR!

Rick Dorion
10-11-2012, 03:00 AM
First, thanks for your service. This project looks very interesting. I have a soft spot for these cars!

MichaelLeeHearn
10-11-2012, 03:52 AM
One of my biggest reasons for picking this car or others choices I have come across, is that most people are restoring or resto-modding these type of cars. So I figured it would not be a cookie cutter style build, the other reason for going with the 55 version instead of a 57 as there are less of these being built, With this comes good and bad points, luckily for the most part all original parts that I may need are available as some of the parts are needing to be replaced.

MichaelLeeHearn
10-14-2012, 04:13 PM
Owned of the body I was going to buy has backed out of the deal with me. So I have decided to make a change in my plans. I have been in contact with Woody's Hot Rodz about a Real Deal body with doors and trunk and 1/4 skins. Also changed plans and am I going with a hard top model.

As a part of the program at the school, I am taking. I will be working on, building a website and a program for a Build Book, so everything can be documented.

I also have decided to use one of the Tail patterns from my old squadrons from while I was in the NAVY, VF101 Grim Reapers out of NAS Oceana, VA. They were decommissioned in 2006 and have since been brought back to life as VFA101 in FL.

Here is a a photo of one pattern I will use once I can clean it up in Photoshop and the other is one I have already cleaned up. The first one they used in the early 90's the other is the one they used they last year before we closed down shop.


I am working on some drawings for other things for the car right now.

MichaelLeeHearn
10-19-2012, 06:53 PM
Newest piece I have drawn up is a 7" headlight Bucket, that will use HID unit, the unit is a hi-low unit along with a LED Halo ring that will be used, I also added a 3/4" LED turn signal in to the lower part of the housing.

Trans
10-19-2012, 07:03 PM
Newest piece I have drawn up is a 7" headlight Bucket, that will use HID unit, the unit is a hi-low unit along with a LED Halo ring that will be used, I also added a 3/4" LED turn signal in to the lower part of the housing.

designs look good only to have found netter designs online lol

MichaelLeeHearn
10-19-2012, 07:39 PM
Trans, you made 15 or more posts to night to different builds. Only one of them you had anything decent or supportive to say. Most of your post have been very rude, What is your Problem?

As far as the design goes, I do them for myself. much easier to work with a drawing than from nothing at all.

negozio
10-19-2012, 07:45 PM
Trans, you made 15 or more posts to night to different builds. Only one of them you had anything decent or supportive to say. Most of your post have been very rude, What is your Problem?

As far as the design goes, I do them for myself. much easier to work with a drawing than from nothing at all.

his just mad cause he cant even build a lego set or get some ass

66larkgs
10-19-2012, 07:49 PM
designs look good only to have found netter designs online lol
Can't stand Trans. He doesnt have a build but can't knock everyone else. He is a POS that insults other people's positive builds.
Trans go some where else but not this forum

521stroker57
10-19-2012, 10:30 PM
I just sent trans a nice message for everyone who he just ragged on that were too nice on him lol

LeighP
10-20-2012, 03:43 AM
Wow, I just looked at a page full of Trans's recent posts.....don't often say this, but man - what a douche.

Michael, I like what you're doing, even better that you're putting out your own designs on a lot of the stuff that others (like me) just buy.
As an ex Airforce guy, I like how you're adding some aviation touches to the build.

craigs73
10-20-2012, 06:31 AM
Trans, you made 15 or more posts to night to different builds. Only one of them you had anything decent or supportive to say. Most of your post have been very rude, What is your Problem?

As far as the design goes, I do them for myself. much easier to work with a drawing than from nothing at all.


his just mad cause he cant even build a lego set or get some ass


Can't stand Trans. He doesnt have a build but can't knock everyone else. He is a POS that insults other people's positive builds.
Trans go some where else but not this forum


I just sent trans a nice message for everyone who he just ragged on that were too nice on him lol


Wow, I just looked at a page full of Trans's recent posts.....don't often say this, but man - what a douche.

Michael, I like what you're doing, even better that you're putting out your own designs on a lot of the stuff that others (like me) just buy.
As an ex Airforce guy, I like how you're adding some aviation touches to the build.


yeah i noticed to and called him out on two of them.....i sent message to a mod as well....no need for people like this here

MichaelLeeHearn
10-20-2012, 10:50 AM
I have a large collection of old F-14 squadron patches, Cruise patches and a few others as well. I am thinking of finding a way to incorporate them in to the rear seat area or something as well. Along with a small collection of small parts from them as well. I would like to be able to go out to the old graveyard out near Fallon, NV and pick a few parts here there from a few, but not sure that will happen anytime in the near future.

I also placed my order for some leather hides and UtraSuede material this week to redo the interour of my GTR. So I went a head and ordered extra hides for this car in both Black and a Deep Steel Mist Gray, all are European leather which has less blemishes and other issues typically.