More progress made on the body : )

[The Stig]

I wanted to see what the dash looked like from the drivers seat. The highest point (that would block my range of vision) is at the body line. It comes out flat about 6 inches, and then rolls down, even further out of the way. The Gap that you see at the column will be covered by the gauge cluster. And then the opening between the column cover and the cluster will have a leather cover to hide the opening. It should give it a very nice, finished look. There is plenty of room for my knees under the dash. I'm 5'11" (6'0" on a good day), so the car may be a bit of a tight fit for anyone any taller.



The center section will be trimmed out to allow for the double-din audio unit, and the a/c vents. Maybe it's just me, but it really looks like it fits the car now.








You may notice some gray patches at the upper edge of the dash foam. This is where the hard mounts were glassed in and covered.



Metal Tabs have been welded in which will act as anchors for the dash mounts. They'll be ground smooth and painted to prevent them from rusting.



The underside of the dash shows the mounts that have been glassed in place. Once everything has been cut and shaped, the dash will be covered in Fiberglass mat & resin, sanded, and sealed. A very thin padding will be used to give the surface a uniform appearance. At least that's the plan...

[The Stig]

I wanted to see how the cluster was going to look against the dash and steering column. The cluster will actually be placed a little more towards the steering wheel than the standard gauge pod allows. I'm not sure if these pictures really give a real sense of the view across the cluster... But I tried.



Steve monitors the GTM forum fairly often, and read a post where someone was very adamant about the "fact" that it
is next to impossible to implement a surrounding dash to door panel flow, in the GTM. Apparently he took it as his personal
quest to make it happen. The dash and door panel will flow together and then thin out as it progresses towards the rear
of the door. This will keep the door panels from encroaching the shoulder space.



As mentioned earlier, the gap between the gauge cluster and steering column will be filled with a leather cover of some sort.




As I said before, the seats have been massaged a little more... The bolsters have been trimmed back to about half there previous size.
They're now about a third of the size of when they were new.



The seat bottom was lowered about 1-1/2", which gave me the head room that I needed. But more importantly, it dropped my line of
vision below the upper roll bar cover!

Steve's paying a ton of attention to making sure that not only does the design work and look great,
but also that the ergonomics make sense. The seats are comfortable, my palm lands naturally on the shift knob, I have plenty of room,
and I am able to get in and out easier than I could originally.

I'm pretty happy with how it's progressing.

[The Stig]

With all that said, there is another item that I wanted to pass along to anyone who may be interested.

Steve asked me today, whether or not anyone on the forum might be interested in a fiberglass copy of this dash. He's considering making a mold of the dash before he covers it with leather. I have no idea of the specific details yet. There is the standard gauge pod that comes with the kit, and then there is the Porsche Gauge Cluster that I'm using. So I'm not sure which direction he would need to go to accommodate the crowd here. Maybe it would be configured "one-off" per request. I told him about the carbon fiber interior panels, and the rear hatch (Gen-I) being offered by Jason Cecil (Carbon-Fiber).

For now, he'd just like to get some idea as to whether or not there might be any interest from others here. If you would like to discuss it further, feel free to send me a PM, and I'll be happy answer any questions that I can, and put you in touch with Steve.

Any time I can, I will go out of my way to promote the craftsmanship that I have seen here on the forum; such as Jason Cecil (Carbon-Fiber), Shane Vacek (VRaptor Speedworks), etc., etc. Steve isn't building a GTM, but he is a silent fan of our forum. He has also proven to me that he really understands the GTM design, and how to make it even nicer.

He figured out how to create an integrated wrap-around dash to door panels, when the consensus was that it couldn't be done due to lack of room.

He figured out how to account for space needed to install a high end audio system, when we all agreed that there just wasn't room in the car for more than a couple of speakers and a standard audio deck.

He seems to find room for things where there isn't any, without making the car even more crowded to the occupants.

Food for thought...

Thanks,

Mike

[carbon fiber]

I think that guy said "nearly impossible". I know because I've done it already! It just doesn't have too much effect, the corner's really tight. Not as dramatic as I wanted, but it's about the same amount as you've got going there. I'm going to sell a cf center console cover and overhead gauge pod like I'm making for Tino, for the stock FFR interior, but that's it. I'm not planning on selling the interior I've done for mine. It's got too many parts and too much CF & aluminum for me to sell at a reasonable price. There would probably be a market for a more affordable FG kit that could be upholstered.

[mikespms]

Hey Michael,

Steve is doing a beautiful job, it looks like you got lucky with him! You are going to have an unique custom interior that is going to put your car on a select few club. I chose to work with what I had but in retrospect It may have been less work to start from scratch like you are doing.
It is my experience that most shops shy away from big projects not because their abilities but the fact that that kind of work is very time consuming and unless you are getting paid by the hour it is a loosing proposition for the shop, by the time you finish you are working for minimum wage. Making a mold involves more work and he would need to sell quite a few to make it worth while unless he is getting good money for them. Most GTM builders are do it your self types on a budget.

Just a few days ago I was at my upholstery shop and the guys where working on an old Aston Martin ,I mention to them how long they had been working on that car and his reply was that they quoted the customer over twenty thousand dollars for the job because by the time they finish the job between the cost of the materials and labor they actually loose money compared to doing a head liner on a regular car.

[WIS89]

Mike-

That interior is going to be outrageous! Your vision, and Steve's execution is awesome. The dash integration with the door panels, and your gauge cluster is going to be beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing the finish materials on all that work.

I am blown away by what you are doing, and the path you have travelled. It looks like the hard work is going to pay off. I look forward to more updates!

Regards,

Steve

[The Stig]

Mike-

That interior is going to be outrageous! Your vision, and Steve's execution is awesome. The dash integration with the door panels, and your gauge cluster is going to be beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing the finish materials on all that work.

I am blown away by what you are doing, and the path you have travelled. It looks like the hard work is going to pay off. I look forward to more updates!

Regards,

Steve

Thanks Steve. I really appreciate the kind words and support. It'll be done before too long, and we'll take it out and use up a set of rear tires.

Mike

[WIS89]

It'll be done before too long, and we'll take it out and use up a set of rear tires.

Mike

Mike-

I look forward to taking you up on that!

Regards,

Steve

[The Stig]

Hi Michael,

I agree with you 100%. He is doing a great job. He's working with me to build my design, (or at least the picture I've had in my head)... Once in a while he likes to insert his ideas, and for the most part we've been able to blend my ideas of what I'd like to have with his ideas of how it should be done. As well, there are times when he keeps me in check by telling me when something that I want, just won't work. That has happened once. So I reasoned that he's the pro, and it's why I gave it to him to do the work.

I also agree with you that some shops shy away from large jobs like this, but Steve saw it as an opportunity to show what he can do with cars like this. Most trim shops can do a nice interior for classic and muscle cars. But not much has been done with cars like these. So he wanted to show that he was "up for the challenge". I've seen his work, and figured that he could pull it off.

So, yes, I got lucky when I ran across him showing a tricked out 31 Ford at one of the car shows (I think it was Good Guys) a year ago. Anyone in the area who is interested in having an interior done, should at least give him a call, and start a conversation of what you would like to see and feel whenever you sit in your car. The ideas seem to start as soon as you give him that "picture".

I think it would be cool to see what he and Jason could come up with together...

Thanks Michael.

Hey Michael,

Steve is doing a beautiful job, it looks like you got lucky with him! You are going to have an unique custom interior that is going to put your car on a select few club. I chose to work with what I had but in retrospect It may have been less work to start from scratch like you are doing.
It is my experience that most shops shy away from big projects not because their abilities but the fact that that kind of work is very time consuming and unless you are getting paid by the hour it is a loosing proposition for the shop, by the time you finish you are working for minimum wage. Making a mold involves more work and he would need to sell quite a few to make it worth while unless he is getting good money for them. Most GTM builders are do it your self types on a budget.

Just a few days ago I was at my upholstery shop and the guys where working on an old Aston Martin ,I mention to them how long they had been working on that car and his reply was that they quoted the customer over twenty thousand dollars for the job because by the time they finish the job between the cost of the materials and labor they actually loose money compared to doing a head liner on a regular car.

[The Stig]

I stopped by the interior shop today. Not a lot of noticeable or "obvious" progress, but there was progress. The dash foam has been hardened, and is ready to have the cut-outs for the audio head unit, a/c vents, and defroster vents cut out. Then it'll be "skim-coated" and smoothed out. Then it'll be given a thin foam padding.





All attachment points have been laid out and strengthened. The console attachments will be recessed, and the console cover will overlap it to hide the bolts from view. Nice! I don't want to see bolts unless it just can't be helped.



The dash will be flush with the body flange. It's gonna look good covered in leather.



Steve told me that the gauge cluster is one of the next items on the list. He's getting ready to start working on getting the cluster mounted, and then form the cluster cover.

You may also notice that the seats are back out of the car... There is a little additional work on the headrests that I'm looking forward to.



The leather is supposed to be in house next week, and work will begin soon as far as upholstering the seats and dash. I'm pretty excited about that.

[The Stig]

The roll-bar covers are being re-worked as we speak. The center section was removed and filled with fiberglass to simply cover the front and side halo bars. The "pillar" bar covers are also getting a little work done to blend them with the halo cover, and the dash. I think it should look pretty nice.

We got word from Fesler that the door handles won't be shipped for a couple of weeks. So... instead of waiting for them, the door panels will moved down in the sequence. The rear panels (tank covers), rear window, and Engine cover are next on the list... The doors will follow soon afterward.



The door panels will be blended with the dash, with a nice curve on the upper edge to look "almost" seamless. The bottom section of the door panel will be built out a little to make a little room for the speakers, but will not crowd my legs.



So as I said, not a lot of obvious change in that last week, but we're still moving ahead.

[Kempo]

Mike, can't wait to see the final result. It's going to be on a league of it own. Keep those updates coming.

[The Stig]

Mike, can't wait to see the final result. It's going to be on a league of it own. Keep those updates coming.

Thanks Hugo. To be honest, I'm just looking forward getting it finished. My goal is to have it on the road by the end of September. We'll see how that works out.

I really appreciate the support that you send my way.

I'll post the next update as soon as I can. Should be pretty interesting.

Take care.

Mike

[The Stig]

I just passed this along to one of my best friends here on the forum, and decided that I also wanted post it here, as a reminder that we are guaranteed nothing.

As I posted previously, my wife (Pam) & I dropped in to see how the GTM's interior was coming along. We stayed for 30 to 45 mins talking through the progress of what has been done recently and what's coming up next with Steve. Everything looked good, and we were both pretty excited about how it's looking and how it is really starting to look the way I want it to.

We drove up in separate cars (One of our cars had to have some work done near by, and we had just picked it up).

We decided that we would leave there and head downtown to get some lunch, so I followed her out. We pulled out onto the access road that runs parallel to I-85, and I was surprised that Pam turned towards an area that was questionable at best. So I picked up my phone to call her to ask where the heck she was going. She answered the phone making a joke about me being worried about her. Just about the time that she got the words out, I noticed a white Toyota swerving into her lane (head-on).

My unconscious reaction was to simply yell out "Oh ****!!!" (Because I honestly could not get anything else to come out). When I did, she looked into the rear view mirror. She thought something was wrong with me... I was pulling over to the side, and had my hand on the door handle getting ready to jump out, because I knew that my wife was about be hurt bad.

About the time that I got slowed down, I noticed that the girl in the White Toyota looked up and realized that she was about to hit Pam. She jerked the steering wheel hard to the right, and missed hitting Pam head-on by inches. Pam was still watching me in the rear-view mirror wondering what was wrong with me. I asked if she even saw what had just happened in front of her? She didn't. She never saw the girl start to swerve into her lane. Everything happened so quick that she had just looked into the rear view for 3 or 4 seconds and saw me trying to stop, and just thought it was strange.

I was shaking inside and out, and I could hardly speak. I thought I was about to see my best friend and soul-mate get plowed into. When I told her what had happened, she didn't believe me, (at first). It was only after she noticed that I was still visibly shaken 3 hours later, that she understood how close it was and she didn't even have any idea. I couldn't tell if the girl was drunk, texting, of trying to pick something up off the floor of her car.

It taught me a lesson to NEVER take anything for granted. Most people believe that they can always take care of things tomorrow, that they "didn't have time" to do today. I was reminded that we aren't guaranteed anything.


Thank God for Guardian Angels. Otherwise, I'm afraid Pam may not have made it home.

She says that she's glad that she didn't see it. I'm glad that she didn't also.

Needless to say, it was an extremely scary, stressful, and exhausting weekend. I am finally getting to the point where I can think through it without getting shaky again.



I wouldn't normally post this sort of thing publicly. Until a few minutes ago, Pam, myself, and one other person were the only people who knew of this.

I guess the only real reason I did, was to say to all of my friends here; don't miss what may be your last chance to tell the people that you love, how you truly feel about them. Because you never know if you'll get the chance to say it or show it later.

Take care everyone.

Mike

[Presto51]

Stig I'm glad everything worked out with a great ending

Ron

[carbon fiber]

Glad she's ok and no one got hurt. It's gotten really bad these days with texting. I see people all the time now holding their phone up and swerving in and out of their lane. You can't let your eyes leave the road for a second.

[Disraeli Gears]

I'm glad it worked out that everyone came out unscathed and the only result is a story to tell.

I hope that a lesson was learned here.
People should not be talking/looking on/at your phone while driving, she was distracted by your call and could have been badly hurt had that car not diverged away in time.

If you have controls on your steering wheel and blue tooth for your phone then you have more concentration for your surrounds.

When you are on the road... pay attention.

[The Stig]

I'm glad it worked out that everyone came out unscathed and the only result is a story to tell.

I hope that a lesson was learned here.
People should not be talking/looking on/at your phone while driving, she was distracted by your call and could have been badly hurt had that car not diverged away in time.

If you have controls on your steering wheel and blue tooth for your phone then you have more concentration for your surrounds.

When you are on the road... pay attention.

Don't think for a second that I don't already know that my call to her was a distraction. But Yes... I appreciate the warning "OFFICER"...

[Fraser D]

Stig I'm glad everything worked out with a great ending

Ron

That goes for me as well.

[The Stig]

Stig I'm glad everything worked out with a great ending

Ron

Glad she's ok and no one got hurt. It's gotten really bad these days with texting. I see people all the time now holding their phone up and swerving in and out of their lane. You can't let your eyes leave the road for a second.

That goes for me as well.

Thank you guys. We both appreciate it.

Mike

[The Stig]

On a much lighter note...

I have a couple of progress pictures to show you all! I love progress pictures!

We're getting the gauge cluster positioned and mounted. You can see the gauges pretty easily through the Momo wheel opening.



From the side, you can get a sense of how the cluster sits "between" the dash and the steering column. Once the cluster was placed, we got a sense of how wide it actually is... to the extent that we may have to make one or two changes; but I think it's going to look pretty cool. We also talked about the fact that we have to be careful not to let the cluster cover "overwhelm" the left side of the dash. So some illusion needs to take place. And this side view gave me an idea of how we can do that. If we can figure out how to make it work, it could be what defines the whole look of the interior... I think I'll keep this one to myself until we can get it done.



Now I'm getting Pumped!!!

Thanks for the support that you guys here continue to give me. It has certainly helped be get through this stretched out project. It's really getting fun again!

And thank you as well for your concern and well wishes for my wife. That was a tough one...

The Stig!!!

[WIS89]

Mike-

So happy to hear that Pam is OK! That is all kinds of scary, and being so helpless while watching it unfold had to be tortuous. So pleased to hear of the benign outcome.

Your car looks awesome by the way. That gauge cluster looks very much at home in the cockpit. I call it a cockpit because it more closely resembles a high performance jet than a car; even a super car! I really appreciate all the updates. It is awesome living vicariously through you.

Regards,

Steve

[Kempo]

Mike, I'm glad that Pam's incident was just a scare and that she is alright. The interior and dash are looking really good!!!

[The Stig]

Mike-

So happy to hear that Pam is OK! That is all kinds of scary, and being so helpless while watching it unfold had to be tortuous. So pleased to hear of the benign outcome.

Your car looks awesome by the way. That gauge cluster looks very much at home in the cockpit. I call it a cockpit because it more closely resembles a high performance jet than a car; even a super car! I really appreciate all the updates. It is awesome living vicariously through you.

Regards,

Steve

Mike, I'm glad that Pam's incident was just a scare and that she is alright. The interior and dash are looking really good!!!

Thank you guys. I really appreciate it.

[The Stig]

The dash is already being formed for Steve's binnacle cover design. The cluster will sit kind of low at the steering column, and the binnacle cover will mount onto the bolts that have been fabbed in. I'm going to try to get up to the shop tomorrow and get a better idea of how this will work. Needless to say, the cluster and binnacle and cover are going to mount very solidly.



Looks like a good bit of sanding and smoothing is in Steve's near future.



Mike

[The Stig]

Here's a quick picture of the interior door handles.

Fesler Billet Aluminum handles. They are solid and heavy-ish for a nice feel. But their size means that a little repositioning might be in order. We'll see.



Mike

[The Stig]

The gauge cluster "surround" is getting started... It looks sort of funky right now, but I've been assured that what I saw was simply the first step to a well shaped and smoothly sanded cover. It will eventually look more integrated and as though it "belongs"... I have to say that when I initially saw it, I was a little concerned. Then when I got a closer look, and saw how it mounts to the dash, and allows the gauges to mount to it, I was pretty impressed. Once it's filled out and contoured and smoothed out and covered, I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with it.



The console cover it being sized and filled to make it perfectly smooth where it joins the dash; and the Engine cover.
The Audio Head Unit opening, the Shifter opening, the billet switches, the Start Button, and openings for the A/C vents will be cut a filed and sanded soon. The Sub-woofer box is being installed and the Sub is being placed as we "type".





We should have some leather in the pictures soon.

There are a lot of templates for aluminum cut-outs that will be used for the beauty panels and covers. They should be formed and covered in a couple of weeks or so.

It's getting closer... I've been given a tentative deadline of 10/10/2014 to have it completely finished. Interior, Rear Hatch fitment/install, and paint repair. So far it's on schedule to be finished by the end of September.

Mike

[The Stig]

The roll bar and pillar covers are getting some attention. Steve is adding a little beef to them to help them fit the size of the body pillars. The result is that there will be no fiberglass showing on the underside of the body panels.



Mike

[The Stig]

The pillar covers have been added to and sanded, and added to, and sanded, until they flow as one piece with the dash and the upper roll bar cover. These are going to look pretty nice when they're covered in gray leather!



The initial opening for the head unit and a/c vents. Still positioning to find the best angles. Then we can make the close out (beauty) panels that will fit around the audio unit and the vents.

Some of this stuff just wont look great... until it looks great... It's just around the corner.

Mike

[The Stig]

Here is a view of the dash and center section. We're playing around with positioning of the head unit. Steve has it standing up a bit. I think it may need to be leaned back a little, (if the crossbar of the frame doesn't prevent it). If we leave it up, then the console section will need to be built up a little on the sides in order to cover the unit, which would negate the lines that we're after. The vents will be places just above the audio unit. I'm thinking that they should lay down, similar to the Murcielago dash vents, if possible.



Any thoughts?

Mike

[carbon fiber]

I think you're right about it ruining the lines. I'd move the frame crossmember to lay the head unit down flat. Or you could sell the head unit and buy a tablet to replace it. There are software packages that will allow you to control everything touchscreen. (radio, sat. nav., etc.) Is the dash going to be covered completely in fg or left in foam?

[VD2021]

I agree with Jason. Move that section of the crossmember so you can recess the head-unit. I'm sure the solution, with the head-unit as in the picture, would be nice, but it will definitely change your current flow.

[The Stig]

I think you're right about it ruining the lines. I'd move the frame cross-member to lay the head unit down flat. Or you could sell the head unit and buy a tablet to replace it. There are software packages that will allow you to control everything touchscreen. (radio, sat. nav., etc.) Is the dash going to be covered completely in fg or left in foam?

Hi Jason,

Dash, Pillar covers, Console, and Doors will all be covered in Fiberglass, then sanded. Then body filler and sanding to smooth them out out, and then I think it's going to be sprayed with primer and sanded again to make them as smooth as they can be. Then covered in gray leather or gray alcantara.

The console shifter "surround" will run from the engine cover (start button), past the shifter, audio unit, and vents, just shy of the windshield. This will be finished in the same way as the dash, but it will be painted the color of the gauges, and cleared; and will have aluminum trim.

At least that's the idea that we're kicking around right now.

Hope you're doing well.

By the way, we should be getting the hatch on the car soon. I'll send pictures as soon as I have them. Sorry it has taken so long.

Mike

[The Stig]

I agree with Jason. Move that section of the cross member so you can recess the head-unit. I'm sure the solution, with the head-unit as in the picture, would be nice, but it will definitely change your current flow.

Hi Buddy,

Isn't that cross member, a "load-bearing" structural piece, and far as the frame geometry? I'm not sure how I would cut that section out and then correct the structural geometry. If you have any ideas, I am wide open to them. But it would have to happen in the next day or so.

Mike

[VD2021]

Hi Buddy,

Isn't that cross member, a "load-bearing" structural piece, and far as the frame geometry? I'm not sure how I would cut that section out and then correct the structural geometry. If you have any ideas, I am wide open to them. But it would have to happen in the next day or so.

Mike

Mike,
The designer would know. Per FFR's site, solidworks is used so the designer would be able to collect precise data (getting them to share it???).

If you trust the shop's knowledge and metal work in that area, and if it's possible, they should be able to cut and fab to maintain the chassis integrity and make the room needed to flush the head-unit.

As long as it's possible, I just want you to get exactly what you've envisioned.

[The Stig]

Mike,
The designer would know. Per FFR's site, solidworks is used so the designer would be able to collect precise data (getting them to share it???).

Getting Dave or Jim Schenk to answer my call might be the hardest part of that equation... I've not been overly successful with that lately. I suppose it never hurts to keep trying. (But I understand that I am not alone in that regard).

And you're right, I would much rather flush mount the unit if I could.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Mike

[mikespms]

Hey Mike,
Looking at your pictures I see that you don't have the aluminum closeout panel on that center section and that cross member is structural. How about mounting the radio up on top of the cross member and pushing it further in the dash and mounting the A/C vents under the radio? Option number two when I notched that cross member on my car for the corvette IP to fit,I welded a backing section of square tubing to the frame overlapping the opening of the notch I made on the cross member and did not cut the cross member all the way through leaving part of the cross member for structural strength.You could back it under or behind but it will be a job since your side panels are closed.004.JPG
Or maybe a different radio.

[carbon fiber]

Hey Mike, no worries on the hatch. I'm looking forward to seeing it on the car. As far as the crossmember, it is very structural. It would have to be rebuilt like Mike said, below or behind the head unit. I had the same idea as Mike also on moving the head unit up further with the vents below it, but that puts it that much further out of reach. Either way good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

[The Stig]

Hi Jason. I drove up to the shop and took a look at the console. After seeing it, I think we can mount the unit flush without cutting the frame. I'm a little too far along for that now. Maybe on the next one...

We both looked at it and I think we came up with a way to flush mount the audio head unit. But there is a dependency that needs to be answered first. If we can do that, we'll save the lines of the dash and the console. And we'll stay on schedule as far as finishing on time.

Mike

[RumRunner]

Mike,

I know you already have your head unit - but - there are several new versions out now that are digital media receivers - no CDs or DVDs, just AM/FM plus Bluetooth/Pandora/Ipod/Iphone/Android. If you can give up CDs and DVDs, the units themselves are only about 3" deep. MUCH easier to fit. Here's an example:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_333ASTR...OID-Smart.html

Just a thought.

-Michael