Project WidowMaker - The Chevelle Build Thread

[Ron.in.SoCal]

love the grill...its the little things that count

That grille is looking sweet!

Thats a beautiful grill wow just wow

I'll add to the list of... WOW!

Yep...nice work Tim!

[The WidowMaker]

Dumb question but, where did you get that mesh and what kind of mesh is that? - Was thinking of replacing the lower grills of the 80 firebird's nose, thanks.

its from grainger. mcmaster had the same stuff. 20ga aluminum. ~40 bucks for the sheet. im wondering if its almost too open. im hoping that the paint will make it look a little better. theres actually a small piece of it in both pics and its pretty hard to tell that anything is there. it looked really good in the bumper inserts though.

[SShep71]

Tim,
Sorry it took a bit to get back to you, the Army pulled me away from civilization AGAIN, and I am only getting internet over a satellite. Im not too sure about the 4340 filler rod. The actual welds dont have to look all that great being as that you are just going to sand them down anyway. The thing I see being a problem is that if you plan on just leaving the grill natural finish you are going to see the welds because they will not match the parent metal in color and appearance. If you are having a hard time with the quick weld time you should try to adjust the ramp up and ramp down feature of your welder as well as the arc frequency. It helps with the shorter welds, or you can try to go with a smaller tungsten. Anyway, Im not even sure if Im too late and the grill is done. However I hope this helps. When I get back to CONNUS I will look and see if there are any recent pictures (as of now I cant see them)

[jgpclone]

lookin good man nice work

[The WidowMaker]

Anyway, Im not even sure if Im too late and the grill is done. However I hope this helps. When I get back to CONNUS I will look and see if there are any recent pictures (as of now I cant see them)

thanks for the help. grille is done for the most part, at least the welding. i got it mounted up today and now am going to start working on the closeout. i'll see if i can get some pics up tomorrow.

[TN10.5Guy]

What width and offset did you go with for the front wheels. I talked to Jason at rushforth about doing a set of rated x's for my 70 velle. I was thinkin of going with 19's all the way around but he said ther was only 2 choices for a 315 in the rear, soo.... Now I'm not so sure what I'm gonna do. My front suspension will be the same as yours but I may buy the d.s sway bar

[darkgable79]

I usually read just a few pages on build threads, but the fact that you're doing this whole thing out of your garage had me reading this whole build since 6:30 this morning. Excellent work. Can't wait to see more updates.

[SShep71]

No more updates Tim?

[kmdracer]

Well, I just read the whole thread as well. Most excellent work here. Hope all is well with you and your family, and look forward to seeing this completed.

[The WidowMaker]

No more updates Tim?

ive been pretty sick over the last 2 months. finally started feeling a little better last week and im back to about 90% strength now. docs still have no idea what is wrong, but theyve ruled out most of the bad stuff.

i didnt touch the car the entire time, but i did get my wheels mounted up today. ill try and get some pics up on monday.

[craigs73]

sorry to hear this tim glad your ok tho... this is one of my favorite builds just because of you doing it all in your garage. the quality is that of some of the high end shops on here. you should be proud of what you have done

[Roadbuster]

Glad you are feeling better!

[SShep71]

Hey Tim,
I figured something was up, that sucks but its good that your feeling better.

[The WidowMaker]

What width and offset did you go with for the front wheels. I talked to Jason at rushforth about doing a set of rated x's for my 70 velle. I was thinkin of going with 19's all the way around but he said ther was only 2 choices for a 315 in the rear, soo.... Now I'm not so sure what I'm gonna do. My front suspension will be the same as yours but I may buy the d.s sway bar

sorry its taken so long to get back to you. they are a 19x9.5 and my invoice shows 6" bs. im also running a 275/35/19 tire. although they fit at ride height and pointing forward, i havent cycled the suspension or cranked the steering wheel to see if there are any clearance issues. knowing jon there wont be, but im also lower than most like to run.

sorry to hear this tim glad your ok tho... this is one of my favorite builds just because of you doing it all in your garage. the quality is that of some of the high end shops on here. you should be proud of what you have done

Glad you are feeling better!

I figured something was up, that sucks but its good that your feeling better.

thanks guys. it was pretty tough on the kids and wife, but theres finally light at the end of the tunnel.

[burnout]

Your chevelle is amazing! All the fab work looks fantastic. Hope to see you back in your garage getting this badboy finished up !

[The WidowMaker]

here are the pics of the new wheels. 3 piece rushforth wildsides. 20x11 315/35/20 rear, 19x9.5 275/35/19 fronts. rear has a lot of room to come down, but it would be a reverse rake. i have about 4.25" to the front crossmember. i may come down another 1/2", but thats the limiting factor on how much more i could drop for an actual ride height. i wish i could do more, but its really not possible.

[LSxChevelle]

Looking great!

[Ron.in.SoCal]

Hey Tim - glad your health is improving! Those wheels and ride height look perfect. Take care buddy...

[csouth]

I love the stance on your car. Those 3pc Rushforths are sweet! Really makes me want to do coilover in the end vs. lowering springs.

[Flash68]

Tim, that looks killer. Great job on that. And hope you continue improving. Health is above all else.