69 GTO Build

['71cutlasluvr]

Gus I planned my whole garage around building the GTO when I built it so I have radiant floor heat!

Hi Eric,
Sorry for the delay in responding but I seem to fall off of the forum's new post notification system occasionally. Not sure why.
But glad to hear you have the floor heating system.. much more efficient than my ceiling mounted bull dawg propane unit, but the bull dawg is a huge improvement over a kerosene unit, which I used for years. the fumes are just too much if it's much below 40 degrees.

You are progressing nicely! A lot done since my last post. The flush windows are going to look amazing!

I hope to start the firewall smoothing and the metal work needed for the a/c to non a/c heater box conversion soon. Parting out the old '71 vert has taken a lot of free time but has freed up a lot of garage space (and put a bit into the kitty for the new chassis) allowing me to work all winter on the cutlass so I'm hoping to post some pics of my progress as the winter grinds on.

btw: saw you used the abc firewall smoothie panel earlier in your build thread...thanks for the idea! Do you plan on having heat in your Goat? Or is she going to be competition only? I need to keep the heat since my car will be used for spirited cruising more than competition. Should I use the abc panel then cut holes for the heater box and hoses or forgo the panel and just weld up unneeded holes and clean up with filler? to be honest, I'm better with a welder than body filler... Suggestions?

Looking forward to seeing the body done and lowered onto that piece of art you call a chassis!

[ekmxryda]

Hi Gus,
I am going with a Vintage Air, or maybe a smaller Southern Air kit where everything mounts to the inside of the firewall. Plenty of options to pass the 4 tubes through the firewall, bulkheads grommets etc. if you browse the Vintage Air site you might get inspired. I plan on running them under the fender behind passenger side hood hinge, through the original blower motor hole.
http://www.southernrods.com/a-c-and-...ern-air-1.html

Was able to get the body sprayed in the high build epoxy primer.

[joesweeting]

Classic Auto air makes a perfect fit system for a 1969 GTO with electronic controls for a non factory a/c car. I purchased a factory center dash a/c vent housing because I like the look of the factory A/C vent better. I have not purchased the the system yet, I am doing a very mild protouring GTO.

http://www.classicautoair.com/69_GTO...ontiac_AC.html

['71cutlasluvr]

Hi Eric,
Great idea. Never heard of Southern air. I was looking at vintage air but thought it was a bit too complex for me. Heat is a given but a/c sure would be nice during our HHH summers. But I'm to the point where if it's THAT hot, I just stay by the pool! I look forward to watching you do yours since you are so much closer to that part of your build than me. Thanks for the link.

Primers looking good! Your door gap looks perfect, but I expect nothing less from "Mr. Gusset". I just can't imagine doing all of the work you/I have done are have yet to do without a rotisserie!

btw: Did you ever do a rendering?? If not, what color is she gonna be?? You may have mentioned that earlier in the thread but I missed it.
Keep up the great work!

['71cutlasluvr]

Classic Auto air makes a perfect fit system for a 1969 GTO with electronic controls for a non factory a/c car. I purchased a factory center dash a/c vent housing because I like the look of the factory A/C vent better. I have not purchased the the system yet, I am doing a very mild protouring GTO.

http://www.classicautoair.com/69_GTO...ontiac_AC.html

Good info Joe. Thanks for your input. Much appreciated. I'll check them out too. Hopefully it will translate into an option for my Cutlass.

[ekmxryda]

Classic Auto air makes a perfect fit system for a 1969 GTO with electronic controls for a non factory a/c car. ...
http://www.classicautoair.com/69_GTO...ontiac_AC.html

Thanks Joe, I will check it out.

Gus I have not done a rendering yet, only a real quick photoshop job back on post #59. Maybe when it is finished I will do one!
Not sure on final color but it will be flat black for a while.

Fenders fixed up, now I need to get the hood and nose straightened out

[andrewb70]

Eric,

Just remember, if you make it too pretty you'll never drive it.

Andrew

['71cutlasluvr]

Thanks Joe, I will check it out.

Gus I have not done a rendering yet, only a real quick photoshop job back on post #59. Maybe when it is finished I will do one!
Not sure on final color but it will be flat black for a while.

Fenders fixed up, now I need to get the hood and nose straightened out

Eric,
Checked out #59. Very Kewl. My vote is for the flat black as in the drawing. Sure is mean looking!

Well, my progress is not as dramatic, but I have welded back up the one cut I made in the chassis for the ABC mod, plasma cut off the bracing and doing final grinding before touch up paint. Will then reattach all of the hotchkiss suspension I took off earlier in the year so I have a rolling chassis for the body. Once I have winterized my wife and daughters cars (snow tires/wheels..like you say, family always comes first) I can bring the body back into the lift bay on the body cart and start on the firewall mods. Still not sure if I want to go the vintage air route. As nice of a unit it is, it adds complexity and weight (although minimal compare to OEM units) and as I said, I'm a fair weather driver. Don't mind the rain if I get stuck in a summer storm but when it's 90 degrees and 90% humidity, I kinda keep the ride in the garage and enjoy the pool. Just don't have the tolerance anymore for the heat like you young guns. And As much as I enjoy autocross in the Miata, I can't see doing that much during July/August. Sitting in line dripping with sweat waiting for a 55 second blast of fun, then returning to the pits to sweat some more is not my idea of a good time. Although I am not a fan of brutal cold (0 degree windchills) and excessive snow (I drive a lot for work) I don't mind the cold at all. Spring and fall are my fav months for car stuff for that reason. So may just stick with the OEM non a/c controls and chevy heater box I got off of feebay. Only problem is the heater core outlet tubes don't match up with the chevy non a/c heater box so some fab work is a given. The bright side is it will help me hone by fabrication skills before attempting the mini tubs and lower rear quarter panel repairs.

More Good news is my mrs. understands the logic of the pre built chassis, so she's on board, at least in spirit!
It's all good.

You're making great progress Eric. Kudo's.
Gus

['71cutlasluvr]

Eric,

Just remember, if you make it too pretty you'll never drive it.

Andrew

So true Andrew, so true! But I don't think Eric is that kinda guy. He gets down and dirty with his motocross bikes, mud, dirt and all, and I know he has some sort of competition in mind with this build (why else add so many reinforcing bracing/gussets?). I would guess there will be a few rock chips in the paint soon after completion...

[ekmxryda]

Hey Andrew,
Not interested in a show car finish, I want to have a good time with the car when it is on the road. I have sprayed 5 gallons of paint so far on the chassis and body, my only real concern is keeping things from rusting in the future. Like you mentioned too I will be welding on tabs and the roll cage so I will be touching it up as I go.
Gus you nailed it too, I wash my dirt bikes but usually let the rain wash my truck!

Busy weekend, repaired cuts, dents and holes in nose, the Eastwood plastic repair set up fast so it was hard to spread but it sanded out nicely. Fixed the pushed in nose (after the PO's crash) Had to jump behind the center of the nose to push it back out 1/2" nice gap to hood now.




Sprayed rust proofing inside rockers, lower cowl and inside around body mounts. Still cleaning up bondo dust and overspray.

['71cutlasluvr]

Sweet! Lookin' good Eric. Close to color time? Looking forward to seeing it in color (or lack of it with matte black). Thanks for the pics. Keep 'em coming.

Gus

[ekmxryda]

Gus it will be a while before I spray the black, I need to do more work on all the gaps after the car is assembled.

Got some more work done.
The chassis was fun to put back together, the longest part was cleaning the paint from all the little places where it shouldn't be on all the suspension.





Testing out this Sharkhide product, put a coat on all the bare aluminum and zinc coated hardware to help prevent corrosion.

[andrewb70]

Eric,

Can I move into your garage?

Andrew

[ekmxryda]

Andrew I have the whole upstairs of the garage I could rent out to you
My next garage will be more like Jay Leno's haha!

Wilwood floater rear brake kit is made really well, of course for the cost you would expect it to be!
http://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/Bra...no=140-11877-D






Hope to get body on tomorrow.

['71cutlasluvr]

Gus it will be a while before I spray the black, I need to do more work on all the gaps after the car is assembled.

Got some more work done.
The chassis was fun to put back together, the longest part was cleaning the paint from all the little places where it shouldn't be on all the suspension.



Testing out this Sharkhide product, put a coat on all the bare aluminum and zinc coated hardware to help prevent corrosion.

Man oh Man, that Chassis looks fantastic Eric. Makes me wanna run out and buy one! But pictured here is the result of many many hours of your time to make it just right. Well worth the effort! I have a feeling you're gonna have the body on the chassis before I can see the chassis in person so I'm glad you take so many great pictures. Really helps me with my motivation and planning.

I noticed the seals in the picture and did a google search. Wow, billet axle seals! Specific for high cornering forces. As usual, you have really done your homework. My build won't be thrashed nearly as much as yours but for the $, why not for a worry free seal?

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

g

['71cutlasluvr]

Eric,

Can I move into your garage?

Andrew

Agreed! He's got quite the setup there.

['71cutlasluvr]

Andrew I have the whole upstairs of the garage I could rent out to you
My next garage will be more like Jay Leno's haha!

Wilwood floater rear brake kit is made really well, of course for the cost you would expect it to be!
http://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/Bra...no=140-11877-D






Hope to get body on tomorrow.

Like I said, body will be on before I can see the chassis in person! Geez you really keep movin' don't you!

I'm gonna use that last pic of the chassis as my desktop wallpaper! That is a sweet looking chassis/tire/wheel combo. You must be chomping at the bit to get that body on. Looking forward to seeing the "marriage" after such a long separation. Very kewl!

yeah the wilwood is pricey, but like you say, looks well made and has the integral parking brake. As always, quality will always cost more. If they offer a non-competition version for a few $ less, I'll be good to go!

[ekmxryda]

Hey Gus I am sure the body will be off again soon, I need to install the fuel cell, run fuel lines still and I didn't get the brake lines installed yet either.
I just want to keep the progress going on the body and get all the gaps worked out.
Watched a Christmas movie with the family tonight so I had to rush getting the fenders and nose on, only put a couple bolts in just to keep parts from falling off.
Cool to see it on the ground again! I like how low it sits and it will be a bit lower once it has all the rest of its parts

[Fastmonty]

Eric and Gus,

I'm back... It's only been a month and Eric is almost painting! Awesome! I have a couple comments on prior posts, and need some help on an issue, below.

Gus,

The seat track extensions I bought from OPGI, were garbage. They advertised that they were bolt in, which is not the case. So, I modified my seat track mounting points, which added almost an inch. That worked perfectly for me, but I'm 5' 10".

Eric and Gus,

The A/C discussion. I went with Vintage air. But, it's a Chevelle kit and requires modification. Eric if you go that route, I can give you some pointers on what to buy from Vintage air. (My car is a factory air car) I attached a picture of the routing below.

On to my issue... I was tuning the carb and taking it out for test runs. I was heavy on the loud peddle, and in between shifts the throttle stuck at wide open! It happened so fast, I don't know what RPM it hit, and I recall smelling a bit of oil. But, I put it back in gear and turned off the engine... at 60 mph. I pulled over and fixed the sticking throttle issue. But, I now have a vibration at 2800 RPM, which was not there before. I pulled the plugs and did a compression test, 130 psi on all except 6 and 8, which were 120psi. Not sure if that's of concern or not. But, what should I check next? Valve lash? What would you guys do?

The positive spin on this is... If I have to pull the motor, I guess I'll be getting that Butler 465 sooner than I thought.

Thanks in advance for your help, Mike.

Ohhhh, I attached a couple more in the sun photos...

[andrewb70]

Andrew I have the whole upstairs of the garage I could rent out to you :two thumbs
....

Careful what you offer, I might just do it...LOL

What are the tire sizes?

Andrew