69 GTO Build

['71cutlasluvr]

Gus I like the lift, I was planning on a two post like that. I will call your guy when the day comes. I am jealous of the tractor and the land you must have to justify it, haha! I am trapped on a quarter acre here! Will have to stop in after the holidays to check out your rides.

Eric,
the short story is we only have 1.5 acres, but recent bad winters and being abandoned by plow guys when we needed them most forced me to become independent, thus the tractor. We have a very long, and STEEP driveway. So Plowing, moving heavy stuff (lifts, rotisseries and such off of trucks) and excavation makes her worth every penny (almost paid off) Believe me, if there was any way to avoid the purchase, I would have. could have done TWO real nice cutlass autocrossers for the $! But we plan on retiring here and I can't see trying to keep the snow at bay with my 14hp wheel horse when I'm in my 70's!

I'll send you a pm so we can discuss locations and a possible visit later in the new year. Project looks great Man. Keep on keepin On!

[ekmxryda]

Cool thanks Gus!

Here is a fun shot, was able to rough out the passengers side tonight.
I am going to take back my 39 1/2" dimension between the inner tubs. Going to adjust it and go slightly wider than the frame with 39 3/4" but who knows I might change that too!
Will still have 3/4" of clearance on all four corners when the tire is bottomed in the wheelhouse. Figured that should be enough to keep it from rubbing while throwing it sideways!

[SShep71]

If your concerned about side to side you can always use a watts link to help the stability of the rear to remained centered

[ekmxryda]

If your concerned about side to side you can always use a watts link to help the stability of the rear to remained centered

Hi SShep,
Yeah the RS frame will have a Watts Link on it, I am trusting they will do a good job with the set up based on all their past work.
Have you had a chance to get any work done since you have been back?

Did some sketching tonight to get some thoughts down, I want a super low NASCAR style air dam, was thinking it would be cool if it was double hinged so it could move up if hitting a speed bump but would be limited in its travel down.
Open valance for oil cooler and driving lights.

[SShep71]

What company are you going with for the Watts link? I went with a Fays II setup and I had to wait a few months until I finally got it. It was to the point where I was going to just give up on it because the frmae was waiting to get painted and the Watts link was holding it up. Its a nice piece over all.

Since I have returned to the US I have only actually been home for 3 days. I got hurt in Afghanistan and it is holding everything up. I did spend some of that 3 days in the garage and I have A LOT of boxes and parts waiting to be installed.

Hi SShep,
Yeah the RS frame will have a Watts Link on it, I am trusting they will do a good job with the set up based on all their past work.
Have you had a chance to get any work done since you have been back?

Did some sketching tonight to get some thoughts down, I want a super low NASCAR style air dam, was thinking it would be cool if it was double hinged so it could move up if hitting a speed bump but would be limited in its travel down.
Open valance for oil cooler and driving lights.

[ekmxryda]

What company are you going with for the Watts link? I went with a Fays II setup and I had to wait a few months until I finally got it. It was to the point where I was going to just give up on it because the frmae was waiting to get painted and the Watts link was holding it up. Its a nice piece over all.

Since I have returned to the US I have only actually been home for 3 days. I got hurt in Afghanistan and it is holding everything up. I did spend some of that 3 days in the garage and I have A LOT of boxes and parts waiting to be installed.

Hey SShep,
Sorry to hear you got hurt, hope you are ok! So frustrating when you cant get out and work on stuff that is in your head constantly.

The frame is getting put together by the Roadster Shop, I think this might be one of the first 3 Link with Watts Link A body frames they have done (not sure on that), but I am trusting they will do a good job on it!
http://roadstershop.com/chassis/chevelle-chassis/

[SShep71]

Hey Eric,
Hey it happens, its part of life I guess. I am still alive and in one piece so I am thankful for that. I am just frustrated that I am stuck in Louisiana and that even though I am back from deployment I cannot go home. Since I have been back in the states I have only been home for 3 days. Hopefully I will be back home soon after the holidays. I have never dealt with a aftermarket frame but from what I have read and seen they are super nice. I cannot afford an aftermarket frame and I dont think I need one. Besides I like to get crafty and build my stuff. The frame looks legit, I want to see how it moves things along when you get it. Have you been able to make any more progress?

['71cutlasluvr]

Hi SShep,
Yeah the RS frame will have a Watts Link on it, I am trusting they will do a good job with the set up based on all their past work.
Have you had a chance to get any work done since you have been back?

Did some sketching tonight to get some thoughts down, I want a super low NASCAR style air dam, was thinking it would be cool if it was double hinged so it could move up if hitting a speed bump but would be limited in its travel down.
Open valance for oil cooler and driving lights.

Hey Eric.
Love your drawing! man, I Wish I could draw like that. .... heck, I have trouble drawing stick people!! Good thing I don't do it for a living... No progress on my project. too cold and not enough room to do the frame mods. It's going to be a long winter.

[ekmxryda]

Hi Shep,
Hope you heal up quick and they are taking good care of you! Enjoy the down time, you will be back at it soon I'm sure.
I would have loved to do everything on my frame and be able to say "yeah I did that", but I also REALLY want to drive it someday soon. All of the guesswork on the chassis setup will be gone too so that will free me up to finish other things.
Some progress, very time consuming building little brackets that no one will ever see! Then got the inner tubs spot welded in and the filler strips tacked in place over the weekend.






Thanks for the compliment Gus!
I would love to put my drawing skills to use someday...

['71cutlasluvr]

Hey Eric. Man you ARE moving along, aren't you??!! I'm Jealous. I'll have to take a pic of my pathetic garage full of WIP's and my tractor. More snow today. Sheesh. Great to see SOMEONE is getting something done. Keep on trucking!

Gus

[LT1Nova]

Great job on the car. The tubbing looks great as do all your patch panels. Keep the updates coming.

[ekmxryda]

Hi Gus and Jon,
I am enjoying the radiant floor heat in the garage, it helps keep me out there on those snowy days.
Got a lot of welding and grinding done on the tubs. Will skim the low spots of the welds inside the trunk with Bondo and I will be using a truck bed liner inside the wheel house to hide my sins.





Still need to fit the trunk braces.

[ekmxryda]

Moved on to floors now, cut it up to bring sides in to mate to inner tubs, and center section for top 3 link mount and raised driveshaft.

[67speedfreak]

She is looking really good !

[ekmxryda]

She is looking really good !

Thanks! It is cool that we can inspire each other along the way.

Got some floor welding done today.



I need tips from people who have raised their trans and driveshaft tunnel (68-72 A-body)
Going with a T-56 Magnum but would like to be able to fit a 4L80E as well in case I want to swap it later on.
I know I should wait until the frame comes in and do it then, but it would be nice to get it out of the way so I can start painting.

[Fastmonty]

Guys... I hope everyone got some work done over the holidays... here's some more motivation, mostly for me, but, enjoy... I just finished color sanding and polishing the hood. Fenders are next... (the specs are just polishing dust, and/or polish sling I haven't cleaned off yet)

[ekmxryda]

Hey Mike,
The paint looks great, looks like all that sanding paid off!

Welded in the other floor section, now on to the front floor patches.

[Fastmonty]

Eric,

Thanks... unfortunately, I've gone through a very steep learning curve with sanding the clear. I've had to re-clear the hood, and both fenders. Oh well, that's life... your patch work looks awesome! I'm very fortunate that I'm a much better grinder than I am a welder... ha, ha. Keep up the progress!

Mike

[ekmxryda]

Hi Mike,
Thats the best way to learn is by messing up, I do it all the time, haha!
Yeah I am a better grinder than welder too, it is tough to make a pretty weld with 18 Gage sheet metal.

Here is a sneak peak on the RS Frame. Is there such a thing as frame p rn?
(splined sway bar not shown)
They say it is going together now, hope to get some picts of it soon.

[Fastmonty]

Ha! My wife catches me watching Car Prn all the time! Frame Prn qualifies as a sub tier, so don't feel bad, it's a natural feeling. Love the solid model... apparently you pulled the trigger on ordering it, cant wait to see the real life pic! on other news, I burned through the clear on the bumper last night! Get re-clear that this weekend... apparently three coats wasn't enough.

Have fun! Mike