falconvan Posted May 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2011 Once I clean up the welds it should look good. The door closes nice and solid. Tonight when we do our Memorial Day BBQ we're going to set the body on the frame for a test fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Here's the test fit on the body; I had to do a little firewall surgery now that the motor is relocated. Not too bad, though. i should just be able to build a small recessed section and it'll be good to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 Today I worked on the firewall and floor; I had to do something as the firewall angled out and back in and was hitting the engine. I decided to slice it where it angled out, drill out the spot welds that held the sides, and try to make it flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 Once I got both sides done, I moved inside to work on the floor and tunnel. I sliced up the removable tunnel section and used it to make a tunnel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 Once I get the location right on the brake pedal and the steering column, it'll come back off the frame to finish weld the firewall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam H P15 D30 Posted June 7, 2011 Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 You are so lucky you had good floors. Looks very good...... For a different perspective, here's how I did mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 That's a nice job, Adam! I like the way you did the tunnel and the floor bracing, it looks really sturdy. Actually, my floors were junk. I cut that whole floor out of a 47 sedan and did a transplant but it came out pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 How much difference was there between the sedan and coupe floor? I've got a really rusty 51 that could use a floor transplant. Haven't found much in the way of donor coupes for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 No difference, Ed. It was the exact same floorboard. Yeah, it looks like you've got your work cut out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 No difference, Ed. It was the exact same floorboard. Yeah, it looks like you've got your work cut out for you. Ya if the under bracing was still there it'd be fairly easy to put the sheetmetal back. But some of that is gone and whats there is really rusty. The transmission hump even broke at the welds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I think Adam's fix looks pretty good; you may want to go that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam H P15 D30 Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 How much difference was there between the sedan and coupe floor? I've got a really rusty 51 that could use a floor transplant. Haven't found much in the way of donor coupes for it. Yup, that's how my bracing looked. I might have done a transplant if I had another floor, but I didn't. I used all 14ga. except for the tunnel (16ga). lots of strength but a pain to work with. I started with a 1x3 tube across the body mounts under the rear seat back and built foward from there. The bracing was the easy part. All in all, I'm glad I did it the way I did. MUCH stronger than origional. I actually got the car for free, P.O. said it was too far gone to fix. He has since offered to BUY it back now that all the sheetmetal work is mostly done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) I actually got the car for free, P.O. said it was too far gone to fix. He has since offered to BUY it back now that all the sheetmetal work is mostly done. Ha that's the same way and reason I got the 51. And the guy that gave it to me had owned it since 1961. I'm only the third owner of it. Edit: did he include the hemi too?? Edited June 8, 2011 by Young Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam H P15 D30 Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) Ha that's the same way and reason I got the 51. And the guy that gave it to me had owned it since 1961. I'm only the third owner of it.Edit: did he include the hemi too?? No, but I got that for free too. A customer of mine had an "old Chrysler engine" in the back of his shop, was going to toss it but it was too heavy. I did him a favor by taking it off his hands. I tend to build cars with hand fabbed parts and only purchase if I can't build it or find it at a swap meet. Passed down from my father Edited June 8, 2011 by Adam H P15 D30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Too weird, I got my coupe for free, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam H P15 D30 Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 AHHHHHH..... fellow finegeler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 Here's what I'm going to use for a steering column; it came from a 66 Chevy 2 ton truck. First order of business was to shorten it by 18" down to 32". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 The angle for the shaft u-joints looks pretty good but it looks like some header work is going to be in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam H P15 D30 Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 Maybe shorten it a little more. I shortened mine almost to the firewall, used 3 u-joints and a support bearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2011 Yeah, I can probably get two more inches off of it. Good idea, thanks! Any chance you could post a picture of yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2011 Back off the frame and on the cart; I got the firewall welded up, now just need to make it pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 I finished welding up the tunnel and floorboards today, plus did a trial fit on the Chevy truck brake pedal. After I did some trimming on the bracket it looks like it'll work out fine. Body work on the shell is done as soon as we smooth out the welds on the firewall; should be some primer in the near future. The plan is to primer the shell, paint the firewall and wheel wells, and then mount it permanently to the frame to start on the doors, deck lid, fenders, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam H P15 D30 Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Yeah, I can probably get two more inches off of it. Good idea, thanks! Any chance you could post a picture of yours? Sorry, I don't have any pictures and colum is out of the car. It literally sticks out 1" from the recessed firewall. Then I have 1 u joint going over to the frame, 1 support bearing, second u joint, then a third at the steering box. I have a 71 Firebird clip so the box is next to the radiator support, in front of the suspension. Believe it or not, the HEMI headers are about the same distance from the frame as SBC headers. Thinking back, you are running a stock box or another box in the stock location, My steering arrangement might not work for you?????? Not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted June 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Gotcha; mine is totally different. I'm running a Cavalier rack n pinion. My brother in law is building an LS1 powered S-10 and he thinks the headers he bought for it might work on mine, too. I'm going to try them when I get it back on the frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam H P15 D30 Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Just a thought........ Full fenderwell headers would leave you plenty of room Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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