1970 LeMans... project Grudge

[car_guy]

Finally a small update on the car. I got it moved around to the middle bay of the garage, and gutted the interior. So far so good! I found about 5 pounds of mouse turd's, but I spent an evening scraping all the sound deadening off to find the floor in perfect condition. It pretty much is preserved like its factory fresh. Its looking like the outer's have a rust hole on both sides in the rear, as well as some neat galvanized patch work (luckily the drops look good). The quarters look like they have a bunch of bondo in them so the car must have been partially repainted at one point, as well as the pass door had been run into at one point in its life, so a door skin on top of quarter skins is in order. Plans are to wire wheel the underside of the car which besides the grease from the old poncho 350 looks to be perfect as well. Then coat it with something, maybe por 15 again since the frame turned out so good, or and undercoat and sandwich the rolling chassis back under it all before the snow fly's....which out here could be tomorrow. Better get my but in gear. I will get some better pics soon.

[car_guy]

Sounds like it is time for a Cummins or D-max swap. To me, that would be the ultimate truck with either of those powerplants, a little lift and some nice paint.

A cummins swap would be pretty cool, but I was never much of a diesel guy. I thought about trying to find a decent 6.0L with a 4l80e so this thing doesn't have to buzz up over 3k to keep up with highway speeds, but who knows, It will probably be what ever I find first. I think were gonna paint it some newer shade of metallic black, like the dodge color on the magnum's, and trucks.

[aidanfancystang]

hey i just saw your truck for sale on KIJIJI. how come your selling it?

[car_guy]

hey i just saw your truck for sale on KIJIJI. how come your selling it?

haha that was fast! I figured i don't really need the truck around right now, and maybe could advance the lemans, and the t/a (newly aquired from Don's place). Im also buying the company truck out soon, and then i just won't need it around. Ive always had to many projects. We'll see.

[aidanfancystang]

no progress? been waiting.

[car_guy]

delete post

[aidanfancystang]

I thought you were selling the truck.

[car_guy]

Its been a long time coming. Other projects... or maybe my lack of self control is mostly to blame. I've been making lots of progress on the Trans Am, but felt bad for leaving the Lemans in the state its in. Plans have been changing and evolving as time and money allows. I sold the ls project for the car, and for now Im going to set it up with a sbc since I have all the parts. At least if I can get the drivetrain together, there's a solid chance I could get the body into primer this year, and maybe move it around on its own power! I picked up a gallon of epoxy primer being optimistic. Before I set the body back on the frame, I stripped the underside of the car, and its ready for primer and some sort of paint or coating (So far im liking lizard skin). I also picked up a set of body mounts. Once the motor is in, and angles look happy with the 700r4, I will set up the trans crossmember, then the body will come off again to finish stripping it, and lather it in the epoxy. I also made a cool purchase yestuday on a nice set of billet specialties wheels. They are split spoke 17x8's, with 17x11 rears. Originally I wanted to run 18's, but the price was right. I tried a front runner on last night, and with the curved spoke they just contact the face of the caliper. Because im running camaro calipers in not sure if dimensionally they are a little different from the C5 offerings. I have heard that they interchange, but the Camaro calipers have the fins, where as the C5's don't. Everywhere else the caliper has lots of room. With a small spacer I think it would be ok. There is a chance that I may swap out the C5 stuff onto the Trans Am and run something different too. Here's a couple of gratuitous shots! Looking forward to making some real updates this summer.

[car_guy]

I did a little trial fit on the rears yesterday too. The seem to fit pretty good. I did not check to see how centered the body was on the frame since i pretty much just set it on and left it before winter, but there is about 1.5" to the frame/inner tub or so. The wheel lip lined up to the body would require me to trim/roll a fair bit. But it looks ok...alot better than the circa 90's wheels that are on it right now, haha. I can't wait to pick out some rubber for it. I really wish there was more tire options for 17's. The front I will probably run a 255/45 which is a pretty easy decision. The rears however, I really want a 295/45/17 which is only a drag radial...not that im against running drag radials, but a street tire in that size would be the cats ass. I think the 315/35 are too short of a tire for A-body's. For now...you guessed it! More pics! I should re-name this build pic heavy.

[T_Raven]

I've always wanted to build a 70s or 80s crew cab into a short bed. Nice wheel choice

[car_guy]

Time for an update. Feel's good to be working on this again. The fall is the main event as far as my car show season goes. We head out to Radium for the Columbia valley classic show every year, and hit up the High River show the following weekend. This year was an incredible year for weather and local natural disasters, as Calgary was hit bad with flooding, but pale's in comparison to the destruction that was in High River. I think they have dub'd this years show the hell or high water event much like the Calgary stampede. If your in the area come out and support the show and help the town get back on its feet!

Anyways on to the task at hand. Like I said I always get excited for this time of year, and it always lights a fire under me to get some work done around the garage. The last update was test fitting the new wheels. I since purchased some billet spacers to give me the clearance I needed to stay with the C5 brakes, but in a wierd turn of events decided to try out CPP's new C5 tall spindle and donate the existing stuff to the Trans Am. As well as spindles, I also ordered the quarters and outer wheel house's and some other small stuff. So once again the body came off so I can finish stripping the floors. That leads me to present, where over the past couple days I completely stripped the shell. I figure i might as well epoxy the whole thing if im going to be spraying anyways. During the takedown i discovered the pass side door is much worse than I had hoped. I hit the whole car with aircraft stripper (which as everyone probably knows doesn't work worth a damn on bondo). After that I attacked it with the grider with the wire wheel to see how deep it was. Needless to say about from the front edge of the door, to about 2/3 the lenght down there is over an inch of bondo top to bottom So the door went directly to a friend of mine to see if it can be salvaged. Any one know if or where a guy might be able to get a new door skin?

The rest of the car is coming along nicely. I took some pics around the shell, and im very please that other wise its in very good shape. Another change that's happened is I sold the LS project for the car to fund some other parts a while back. Ive been hunting for a little while now, and came across a ZZ4 that fit the bill. I had all the other stuff to finish off getting a sbc in the frame rails so it was an easy choice. Maybe down the road I will make another attempt at the Ls thing. So without dragging this out too much, here are said pics.























I need to finish stipping the paint off the pass side today, and the roof ( might be a little tough on the dollies as im vertically challenged ). After that im going to fill some holes in the firewall, and get some epoxy laid down.

[car_guy]

Here is a couple more of the new mill, with some of my junk hung off it. I had not really attacked the trans cross member until this point due to I wasn't sure where engine placement would be. Now that theres just a sbc sitting there it was time to make something. The car came with a dual exhaust cross member, so i cut out 1-9/16's on each side and glued it back togther. Then i just made some hangers that bolt through the inner portion of the boxed frame with allen head bolts. Im not sold yet on the finnished product. The clearance for the exhaust on the cross member is too low for where the collectors exit, so i would either have to make a bend down immediately after the collector to get under, or modify this one more to allow for better exhaust routing...or scratch build one. The other part that has me a little worried is the hookers came off my Dads 64 elcamino, and while they seem to fit like a glove, and are almost flush with the bottom of the frame which provides great clearance, they have a really crappy placed tube on the pass side that makes a look right next to the starter. Im gonna pick up a mini starter and a shield, but im thinking if i ever pooched a starter i would never be able to get at it with the headers on the car.












said starter loop on my spagetti hookers!




Thought this was kind of a cool picture!

[car_guy]

And lastly a couple of pics under her skirt to show off the clean floors. Hopefully the next time it hits the interwebs its wearing some black primer.


looking towards the trunk/ rear of the car


Now do a 180 and your looking up front



trunk drops



drivers side wheel house



pass side wheel house

Just a few more hours of ugly wire wheel work in its ready

[67speedfreak]

Project is looking great ! That body is in pretty fair shape, wish my GTO looked that good. This is making want to work on mine !

[car_guy]

Project is looking great ! That body is in pretty fair shape, wish my GTO looked that good. This is making want to work on mine !

Thanks man!

[67speedfreak]

I noticed you went with the CPP C5 spindles. What do you think of them ?

Thanks, Brian

[car_guy]

I noticed you went with the CPP C5 spindles. What do you think of them ?

Thanks, Brian

I just ordered the complete kit. Should be here in a couple weeks and i will document the install. I was just going to order the spindles and re-use my parts, but the cost of hubs alone made the kit more attractive. So now the trans am will get the hand me down parts

[67speedfreak]

Cool, I'll be looking for the update !

[aidanfancystang]

glad to see more progress on her, did you make it to radium? I brought my 72 nova there and had a blast.

[car_guy]

glad to see more progress on her, did you make it to radium? I brought my 72 nova there and had a blast.

We did make it out to Radium for the weekend. I was a little bummed out about the rainy weather, but it was a good time... Couple of way cool cars like the 31 Model A with independent suspension with the solstice drivetrain, and the slammed Riviera, and the 57 sedan with matching trailer. The list goes on and on. I can't wait to bring the LeMans when its done so I can really enjoy the trip!