'66 Pontiac Resto-Mod Update

[CruizinKev]

saweet!

[a73formula]

i love your sig picture. Great build and awesome engine.

[wmhjr]

Thanks guys, Made some more progress today. Got the dash pretty well put together except for one spot, so it's now ready to wire. Tomorrow I start trying to get the brakes done.







And dash pad is done and ready

[icebird84]

very nice and clean

[KnightMare]

Car is looking great. Inspiration to get my 67 Lemans convert project started

[wmhjr]

Any blemishes you see are just fingerprints or dust. It's really starting to shape up!

[Motown 454]

The car looks great, thats a beautiful color. Nice work on the dash it looks great.
How close are you to driving it?

[wmhjr]

How close are you to driving it?

I hate to guess. Every time I do something goes wrong. It'll be in the World of Wheels show in Pgh in Jan. The car may or may not be actually running for the show. I don't plan to drive it on the road until spring, so I'm really in no hurry. That's the good thing about being this close in the winter - other than the show, I can really take my time.

[Jim Nilsen]

The car is really looking great, It's good to see you getting things done. taking your time on the engine is a good thing to do. I hope you have no problems when you do go to start up.
Take care and have fun at the show.

[wmhjr]

Thank you, Jim.

The motor has already been test run and dyno tested, so we should be OK there. I may need to make some minor changes to fuel delivery, as I've recently realized that I have insufficient hood clearance to allow for enough air cleaner to support the motor. As a result, I may be re-plumbing my fuel supply/regulator/filter setup.

My biggest concerns remain finishing the plumbing, making sure that all the brake lines turn out right - and work, getting the hydraulic clutch and brake setups dialed in, getting the exhaust I'm happy with, and the other million or so items that tend to pop up just when you think you're done. I'm actually not that concerned about the wiring, since I'm using an AAW setup, have a very very sharp guy helping me on that, and because from an electronics perspective, the car isi pretty darned simple.

I am, however, less happy with the front sway bar/bushings and unfortunately made the mistake of reaching out to Marcus again. While the conversations are always great, the product wonderful and the service superb, my wallet is always screaming as a result. So, I'm replacing the existing sway bar with the Hellwig tubular 1 1/4" bar, and will likely be swapping out the Spohn 1" rear bar with the soon to be released Hellwig adjustable link mounted bar. If anyone is looking for a great deal on a brand new Spohn 1" rear bar, or a powdercoated factory front bar with new Energy Suspension brackets, let me know.

[wmhjr]

Over the course of the past few days some more progress was made. The rear wilwood brakes are installed, new stainless lines are plumbed in, calipers aligned and safety wired. The old wheels were removed for the final time and replaced with the NewGen Splitters. Front drivers side wilwood setup is installed, but lines are not plumbed yet. Front wheel/tire was test fit and I was able to breathe a big sigh of relief. Fitment "seems" about perfect. The stance of the car is right where I want it. All rear lights are wired in and routed correctly. I've decided to kill the "stock" type convertible top switch, and instead have opted for two billet switches in the dash - one for up and one for down. Because the top motor works just based on reversing polarity that means that pressing both buttons at the same time would ordinarily short the system. So, we wired in two double throw double pole relays mounted next to the pump/motor, and the switches are now safe. That's done. Ignition is mounted in fabricated alumimum glove box shelf/bracket, and coil is mounted under dash. Both are fully wired except for the positive power leads. AAW Central fuse box is also installed. Headlight wiring is about done, and is routed (hidden) to the headlight buckets. Earls aluminum grommet installed above vent to get to similar grommet between inner and outer fender, hiding all wiring. I also worked with another un-named vendor of this site on a new product - I'll keep it under wraps for them until it's ready. All in all, things are going well. The stainless lines are a real pain, even with the Mastercool hydraulic flaring tool. I'm using conical copper crush washers or "gaskets" at pretty much every connection just to be safe. It seems like cheap insurance, and Wilwood had no objection. Also, mocked up location for trunk mounted battery, and started design of fabricated aluminum plate for under trunk floor as reinforcement. There's more, but I'll save it for another time....

40 calendar days until the show.....

[wmhjr]

Not great lighting, but...

[CruizinKev]

[Young Gun]

gorgeous color... wow!

[Jim Nilsen]

The check list seems real familiar and it is really nice when the list gets small.

You will be glad you put the copper crush washers in, my stainless lines started seeping just a tad and I retightened them and it stopped. With the washers it will be interesting to see if they stay put the first time ?

Everything looks really good, enjoy the show in January !

[Motown 454]

Its looking great.

[wmhjr]

A few things. Started working on the panels for the trunk upholstery. Also some details getting ready for the convertible top. Headlight wiring is pretty much done, and headlight buckets are installed. The original cross shafts from the SPC front upper control arms actually started rusting - apparently the coating was more like a "gun metal blueing" that even the salt from your hands causes to sweat. The car has never been outside yet. SPC replaced the cross shafts, and I got the new ones on. The replacement radiator from Rodney Red came in (previous one had fitment issues due to custom placement) and it looks great. Front passenger brakes completely done (though they are obviously not bleed).

Trunk panels started being mocked up...




Relays and power bus installed to support billet microswitches in dash controlling convertible top motor


New Cross shaft installed:


Headlight buckets and lights (mostly) installed. Took one back out because the lens didn't exactly match.

[gearheads78]

Looking great!! I had the same problem with my cross shafts. They were rusted before the first drive. I just ended up painting mine.

[wmhjr]

Looking great!! I had the same problem with my cross shafts. They were rusted before the first drive. I just ended up painting mine.

Coincidentally, I just got a call from SPC a couple days ago about this. They were following up. It seems as though even the replacement arms are finished with the same black oxide finish that just does not resist rust. They are "race" arms - and because there is really no bushing, tolerances at the rotating surfaces make powder coating not a solution. They recommend that I remove them again and paint them, as they will not hold up. They said that even in the box they will rust over time. I don't know if I have time to do this prior to the show in January, so I may just keep wiping them down with WD40, and then remove them after the show to refinish them. I'll have a big time gap between the show and the next time I need to move the car around.

[Jim Nilsen]

Coincidentally, I just got a call from SPC a couple days ago about this. They were following up. It seems as though even the replacement arms are finished with the same black oxide finish that just does not resist rust. They are "race" arms - and because there is really no bushing, tolerances at the rotating surfaces make powder coating not a solution. They recommend that I remove them again and paint them, as they will not hold up. They said that even in the box they will rust over time. I don't know if I have time to do this prior to the show in January, so I may just keep wiping them down with WD40, and then remove them after the show to refinish them. I'll have a big time gap between the show and the next time I need to move the car around.

What you need to find is some Calyx( I think that is how it is spelled) metal finishing compound. It was developed for cast iron manifolds to make them look show perfect in minutes just by wiping it on and sometimes brushing it in. It looks a cast metal finish when done which looks nice on suspension parts. I used it on my front wheel hubs and it always looks new when done no matter how bad it was to start. If you really plan on showing the car and want to be able to detail it quickly this stuff is like gold for what it can hide, especialy rust.

I want to see some pics in the sunlight to see that beautiful color at its fullest.

Happy Holiday