More progress made on the body : )

[T4Twins]

Wow great job on the interior after seeing the pictures. Cant wait till i get to that part of the build because i will also be focusing a lot on a luxury look for the interior. Mike what seats are those in ur GTM?

[The Stig]

Wow great job on the interior after seeing the pictures. Cant wait till i get to that part of the build because i will also be focusing a lot on a luxury look for the interior. Mike what seats are those in ur GTM?

Thank you Danny.

The Custom Stitching Co., here in Charlotte, worked with me to help design and implement everything that you see inside the car. Steering wheel, switches, gauge cluster are the only things that are not custom built.

The seats are Sparco "Chrono-Road" that were disassembled, cut, re-welded, and then re-covered. Quite a lot went into them, and they still need to be tweaked. But they look great.

Thanks again,

Mike

[T4Twins]

Did you get a chance to sit in the seats before redoing them? I'm still looking for a really good comfort but sports look seats that can adjust back.

[The Stig]

Did you get a chance to sit in the seats before redoing them? I'm still looking for a really good comfort but sports look seats that can adjust back.

The seats were too large to fit in the GTM. I knew that they would be when I bought them. But it had a steel frame that could be reworked in order to build custom seats that would fit in the car and look pretty good in the end.

Even with that, we still need to rework the seat cushions to make them about an inch thinner if we can.

Mike

[JL1958]

Looking forward to the unveil. I admire your dedication to perfection.

[VD2021]

Rodney's back! Pandora's getting the final sanding and prep. There is some sweet Carbon Black Paint in her not so distant future.



Woo Hoo!

Mike

Outstanding! Not long now....... Cant' wait.

[Edgeman]

Vidal, any updates on your car/have you finished it?

[VD2021]

Vidal, any updates on your car/have you finished it?

Not yet. I do start it up monthly. Hoping to pick back up before the year ends.

[Aceflo]

Come on Mike!!! You had us at "Rodney's back!"
Has it made its way out of the paint booth yet?

[The Stig]

I know, I know. I stopped by the shop today. Pandora is pretty much finished with the series of primer and block sanding, and looks awesome as she sits. There were a couple of nicks and imperfections that will be spot primed and sanded. And then into the booth she goes. I didn't take pictures because she's sitting in the same place, and I would imagine that they would look like some of the recent ones that I've posted. The items that he's finishing up, are very minor, but they're there.

She's close. Very close.

Mike

[The Stig]

So... Pam and I needed to get away. I'm sure you all get to the point from time to time, where you just get to the point where you don't want to deal with things for a while. Whatever those things are... Well Pam and I both hit that wall at the same time yesterday, and decided that we would get out of Charlotte and go to Asheville for the weekend. As we were driving, I got a text from Tony to let me know that the final spots that needed to be addressed after multiple block sanding sessions have been corrected. He said that he plans to have Pandora in the booth Monday night. He says that he wants to do it after hours so he can take his time and concentrate on doing his best job.

I know you can't see me right now,but I am SMILING. If Pandora could physically smile, she would be. I think she's happy though.

Good things are coming.

Mike



Rodney's is making everything just right. My feeling is that this body is going to be so straight, that it just won't look "real". I think it's going to look "too perfect". But when I think of where we started to, where we are now, (thanks to Tony, Rodney, and Kevin), I'm good with that.

If you're local to Charlotte; You Need To Talk To Tony at Charlotte Speed Shop for your custom build / paint needs.

Mike

Tony Kutas
Charlotte Speed Shop
8702 Statesville Road
Suite K
Charlotte, NC 28269
(980)322-5895

[dallas_]

ok, so in other words, no reason for me to log in here until Tuesday?

[JL1958]

Asheville is great. We just drove the Parkway up there a few weeks ago. There are some great driving roads on the way.
I can't wait to see the pics! Have fun.

[The Stig]

ok, so in other words, no reason for me to log in here until Tuesday?

Tuesday, Wednesday,Thursday... Who knows? Monday night was the time frame that Tony sent to me.

Asheville is great. We just drove the Parkway up there a few weeks ago. There are some great driving roads on the way.
I can't wait to see the pics! Have fun.

I can promise you, that those pictures will hit this thread at warp speed.

Mike

[GoDadGo]

Baited Beer Breath Over Here!
Can't Wait To See Pandora!

[The Stig]

Baited Beer Breath Over Here!

LOL...! Too Funny!

Mike

[The Stig]

I about choked on my coffee this morning. Tony sent these pictures little while ago. Keep in mind that this is only fresh paint and clear. No buffing and/or cutting has happened yet; and won't for a couple of weeks at least. The paint color is BMW Carbon Black Metallic. And these pictures of the hood will give you an idea of how dark it is until the sun lights up the blue pearl.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that the first picture was taken after the paint was sprayed, but before the first coat of clear went on. There is quite a difference in shine between it and the next picture. But I could be wrong. It's happened before...















This is Tony Kutas showing how clear the reflection of the paint is in the hood.

The name of the shop is Charlotte Speed Shop.

This is the guy that you need to talk to for your paint and body work. (And he tells me that he and the guys have grown to love GTM's...)

You can send your car to him with confidence that he and his guys know what they are doing; and that you will get what you are paying for. When Tony, Rodney, and Kevin, have worked the body and paint of your car, it will have been done right, the first time.

I think it's easy to see that the wait was worth it. The reflections of the lights in the booth are crisp and straight.

The Body is coming up next. I can't wait to see that. And then the Hatch, Spoiler, and Doors will follow.

I'm SMILING!

Mike

[dallas_]

Wow, just... stunning!!

[crash]

As much as I dislike "trailer queens", I must say that I think it would be a shame to take this car, and this paint job, for long drives on public roads. This GTM is a gem and needs to be a showcase piece for FFR or some other worthy company. It is no longer your basic FFR kit car. Beautiful work.

[The Stig]

As you can see in the hood's reflection, it is a beautiful day here in Charlotte.







Mike

[GoDadGo]

Not Long Now!

[Roger Reid]

Looks really good.

[claybags]

DANG Mike!! You just keep raising the bar for the rest of us! LOL IT sure is looking GOOD !!
Cheers, Jeff

[The Stig]

Wow, just... stunning!!

Thank you! As I said, it caught me by surprise when I call the first picture. I literally choked on my coffee.

As much as I dislike "trailer queens", I must say that I think it would be a shame to take this car, and this paint job, for long drives on public roads. This GTM is a gem and needs to be a showcase piece for FFR or some other worthy company. It is no longer your basic FFR kit car. Beautiful work.

Mike, I don't care much for trailer queens either. You don't want to know how many hours are in the hood alone. The expectation is that she'll be shown for a while, and then it'll be time to enjoy. We'll see how my will power holds out... I've been in GTM withdrawal for so long, I'm sort of used to it.

Not Long Now!

It shouldn't take much longer. Based on what I see today, I can wait if needed.

Looks really good.

Thanks Roger. Much appreciated.

DANG Mike!! You just keep raising the bar for the rest of us! LOL IT sure is looking GOOD !!
Cheers, Jeff

Hi Jeff, All I did was put her in the right hands. Tony, Kevin, and Rodney are the ones with the magic and the ability to do the heavy lifting.

Thanks Guys.

Mike

[WIS89]

As you can see in the hood's reflection, it is a beautiful day here in Charlotte.

Mike

Mike-

No offense, but no matter the weather, the day they got paint on your car was going to be a beautiful day in Charlotte!!

She looks stunning! Congratulations on getting some seriously exciting news!

Very, very happy for you.

Regards,

Steve

[beeman]

Beautiful! Congrats!

[wirenut]

Oh man that is nice!

Are you still shooting for Sema? I might have to take a trip to see that.

[Aceflo]

Wow ....Mike .... Congrats. The paint is stunning. I'm excited that you can finally see a the finish line on this one.

[Fraser D]

A huge milestone Mike!
I think that that color will play well with the shape of the GTM.

[The Stig]

Oh man that is nice!

Are you still shooting for Sema? I might have to take a trip to see that.

Thanks! Tony was approached by a very large corporate sponsor 3 or 4 weeks ago who showed an interest, but wouldn't commit until the car was painted and we could give a firm finish date. I was excited about it, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that we would need to rush the schedule in order to finish her up. And after all that this build has gone through, it didn't make sense to me to do that.

As for SEMA, you have to be a vendor of some sort in the Automotive industry, or be approached by a company that would like to display your car to promote their products. I am obviously not a vendor in the auto industry. So far, no one else has approached or responded to me with any real interest or commitment.

I put feelers out to Factory Five a couple of months ago, with a firm commitment that the car would be ready if they would let me know anything one way or the other. I got a request for pictures from Dave (Mad Dog) Lindsey (I guess there weren't enough in the build thread), and then never heard another word from them.

I did notice soon afterwards, however, that they asked the forum whether anyone "thought their car was worthy of being shown at SEMA"... Hopefully they found cars that will work. I can't imagine that they wouldn't since there are so many great builds out there.

So at this point, given the short time frame leading into the start of the show, the odds are slim that Pandora would be there.

But you never know what could happen. Pandora will be completely painted in a matter of days, and we're steadily moving along towards completion, which will happen soon. Since there is currently no hard deadline, we'll probably take care of couple of wish list items in the engine bay and under the hood. We'll see.

But right now, for me, I'm just happy that paint is being sprayed, and that it laid down so well.

Mike

[jceckard]

Mike, a while back you were contemplating changing Pandora's name. After thinking about it a bit more, I think Pandora is perfect. After all of the evils escaped, she was able to close the box (or jar for the perfectionists out there) and keep Elpis inside. Elpis usually translates to Hope but could also mean Expectation. I think a lot of us are out here waiting with great expectation to see Pandora completed. She is looking great so far. I can't wait for the final reveal. Be sure to post when you have her at events close to home. My folks are down that way. They keep harping on me to come visit.

[The Stig]

Mike, a while back you were contemplating changing Pandora's name. After thinking about it a bit more, I think Pandora is perfect. After all of the evils escaped, she was able to close the box (or jar for the perfectionists out there) and keep Elpis inside. Elpis usually translates to Hope but could also mean Expectation. I think a lot of us are out here waiting with great expectation to see Pandora completed. She is looking great so far. I can't wait for the final reveal. Be sure to post when you have her at events close to home. My folks are down that way. They keep harping on me to come visit.

I'm not sure that I would change her name now. I've become accustomed to it; and for the reason that you explained so well.

Like most women, Pandora would send you down a path and then laugh while you did your best to prove that you could get there.

For me. "Pandora" is the perfect "one-word summary" to describe my GTM build.

But now, instead of laughing, I think she's smiling.

Mike

[Cory Brown]

Beautiful Stig! Congrats

[The Stig]

Beautiful Stig! Congrats

Thank you Buddy!

The guys at Bauer Restorations did an awesome job with your paint and bodywork.

I've always thought that it would be very cool if a few of the GTM owners who are willing, could put a weekend or long weekend together that we could all meet some place and do a cruise. Hell, Maybe we all do the power tour... But something. Pam and I have been planning a drive down the west cost from Seattle to Huntington Beach. But could meet anywhere. Tail of the Dragon...? Pam wouldn't like that because it would make her sick. And scared... A drive across the desert... I would suggest a drive down from Wareham MA, to Miami (with stops)... But the east coast roads and highways SUCK!!!!!!!

Sorry. Got a little sidetracked.

Mike

[David Hodgkins]

Thank you Buddy!

The guys at Bauer Restorations did an awesome job with your paint and bodywork.

I've always thought that it would be very cool if a few of the GTM owners who are willing, could put a weekend or long weekend together that we could all meet some place and do a cruise. Hell, Maybe we all do the power tour... But something. Pam and I have been planning a drive down the west cost from Seattle to Huntington Beach. But could meet anywhere. Tail of the Dragon...? Pam wouldn't like that because it would make her sick. And scared... A drive across the desert... I would suggest a drive down from Wareham MA, to Miami (with stops)... But the east coast roads and highways SUCK!!!!!!!

Sorry. Got a little sidetracked.

Mike

California Dreaming...



How long until we see Pandora all together?

[The Stig]

California Dreaming...

How long until we see Pandora all together?

Hi David! Very cool picture! I always like seeing your posts.

We should see that soon. The things that they have been doing have been invisible in that if I took pictures they would look like a lot of the previous pictures.

But... Tony said that Kevin has wrapped up the corrections that needed to be done after the first two blocks, and that he was blocking out some spot primer sprays. I think that has been completed. That means that the body will be painted next. I think the doors and hatch and spoiler go after the body. Not sure. So it will probably be at least a week before we see everything painted and reassembled.

I do know this: She will be at Huntington Beach next year without a doubt. And I'll be looking forward to the burger fest the day before!

Mike

[mlkwd1]

Looks fantastic. You should still have decent weather to enjoy it when finished. It would look great in the 2016 SEMA FF display. Maybe next year.

Michael

[JL1958]

Damn! Money well spent. She is beautiful.

[Taz Rules]

Hot Damn!!!!!

I've been away from the forums for a while (long story), but I'm really happy to see Pandora nearing the finish line!
Your perseverance, patience (and pocketbook! LOL) have been an inspiration for us all!

Congrats. She looks SO AWESOME!!!!! And I'm not talking "hot babe at the beach" awesome, either...I'm talking SI Swimsuit Issue Cover model in your bed AWEWSOME!

[The Stig]

Pam and I stopped by the shop on our way out of town on Friday. Rodney was finishing up some last touches on the body. Tony asked me if my hands were clean, and then told me to rub the back of my hand across the fender. I guess I was expecting there to be at least a little texture or slight roughness from the sanding blocks.

I was absolutely shocked to realize that it felt like highly polished marble or granite. What Rodney has done to prep the surfaces is nothing short of amazing to me. The surface was absolutely glass smooth.

Now I completely understand how the hood came out so nice without having been cut/buffed.

I would imagine that should see the body soon.

Mike