Arizona Hot Rod

[rapidray]

Good for you such a nice polite way to put it! (oddities) LOL

[sethmark]

I have a VERY different view of the kit than many. I don’t have expectations of things going together easily or fitting. Too many variables.

Good for you such a nice polite way to put it! (oddities) LOL

[rapidray]

I have to agree with you on that! Its not like a model. There are a lot of things you have to figure out for yourself. It is definitely not a project for a beginner. The small irritating things are started to pile up on me though. Seems every time I open a parts bag its missing a nut or washer. Fortunately our shop is less that 25 yards from a Ace Hardware. Bet I have spent over 500 dollars on the little miscellaneous stuff. I anticipated it when I was going over the costs of the build, so no surprise. I still laugh when I read the instructions! Here is what you need to provide: motor, transmission, wheels, tires, battery etc.

[sethmark]

Yeah. I think for a neophyte, the broad stroke marketing would be misleading. Additionally, people hang from the manual like it’s the Bible. Unfortunately, it doesn’t address every engine option, every transmission option and every generational change as they go.

Ultimately, I spoke to Tony a fair amount early on, and there was a number of things which were probably attritibed to an early gen 2 car. But it went together in all of eight weeks with little real difficulty. I probably could’ve done it in a week and a half if I had all the parts at once.

However, like most projects with this scope, the devil is in the details. I have more time in fitting the doors, trunk lid, waterfall than any mechanical component. The fiberglass is new to me and a time killer.

[rapidray]

I do use the manual occasionally if I run into something that I cannot figure out. When I first started I used it exclusively until I figured out it is just really a guide. Oh and by the way Dave B. sent me a new windshield today! What a nice guy!

[rapidray]

Had a tough week with all the body alignment stuff! After 2 days on the doors and trunk it finally all came together. I ended up making some modifications. First the trunk I finally decided to add a couple of brackets to the package tray and the lower hinge mount. I just could not get the hinge bracket to stay in a solid position with the lower part attached to a 1/16" piece of aluminum. I also ended up shortening the drivers striker. The bracket I built for the trunk latch allowed me to roll the rear body slightly which positioned the trunk in exactly the right position. The fit was almost perfect when installed. My partner also wanted the side panels to be removable so after careful consideration I made a slot in the upper headlight, radiator bracket which allows me to remove the headlights without cutting the wires. I added weather pack connectors to all of the exterior lights. Both of the doors and the trunk close and open just perfect. One of the trunk pictures shows the fit prior to the bracket install. Forgot to post this lousy picture of the door installed. Cheers Ray

[sethmark]

Looks great. I’m glad I’m not the only nut job that weather packed everything.

To get an even seam along the firewall vertical parallel to the body, I had to kick in the pontoons and put a bracket between the body and frame. Pinches in the pontoons a little bit but at least the line is straight. My doors suffered at the bottom a little bit which I need to figure out..

[rapidray]

I think I dodged a bullet on the lower door fitment deal as I have read a lot about people fighting that problem. I think I read somewhere where it helped if you put washers between the big bracket that goes to the latch to twist the door. It at first appeared that I was going to have the issue but after sanding the door to fit the opening it went away. I don't know where you stand on your trunk lid but if you have a problem with the lower corners sticking up just take a ratchet strap and go from the top of the latch to the differential and put a little pressure on it. It did not take much for me and after adding the bracket my latch is really rock solid and fitment is incredible. I got the idea actually from a pickup lower rear quarter stiffener. (LOL) Lousy idea to mount the hinge to glass and thin aluminum. Ray

[rapidray]

Another week and more progress. Finally satisfied with door and trunk alignment. Received new windshield and decided to glass the edges of the cowl instead of grinding on the windshield frame for fitment which worked great. Went to install side and lower panels after preliminary hood install and ran into a problem. Got with Tony at FFR and he advised me that you have to start with the lower panel and work your way up which is contradictory to the way we did things when I worked in the body shop but it worked (however it did create a little chaos). I also towed it to the DMV and had it inspected and registered what a pleasant experience. I imagined it was going to be a nightmare but it actually took less that 2 hours and cost $125.00 for the inspection and 2 years of registration (no annual smog check as it is registered as a 33). I was going to get personalized license plates but decided not to throw a wrench in the process at the time as I can always do it later (online) for a small fee. What a great state AZ is when it comes to vehicle registration! Less than 90 days from receipt of kit to driving not bad for a little old man. Of course it started raining on the way to the DMV. LOL cheers Ray

[sethmark]

So cool..... did you drive it?

[rapidray]

Just between you and me have gone on some previous little jaunts it is so hard to resist! It was rainy today and it is miserable to drive with no fenders so no cruising today! Hopefully will go for a full out test drive early next week! Ray

[sethmark]

I get it. I did 140 miles before plates..... 60 more the Day I got the,

[rapidray]

Well here is what happened this week. Calibrated speedometer on a 2 mile marked off road, so easy and accuracy is great. Installed hood what a pain in the neck. After hood install could not get the front of the hood to line up with the grill shell. After much consideration came to the conclusion that the only way to drop the front was to slot the brackets or cut and weld the hinge to hood attachment plate. Decided to call Tony at FFR to get his opinion and he agreed with my thought process. Decided to try the slot the hole idea first and it worked out fine. So finally after a week of final adjustments am finally satisfied with the operation of the doors, hood and deck lid. As my body shop manager used to say they open and close like a refrigerator door. LOL! So next week will final up all my gaps and then disassemble the body for paint. I also noticed that when I put the car on the lift the body fitment changes so I now open all the panels before I rack it. Here are some pictures and really happy this part of the build is over. Cheers Ray

[sethmark]

I keep fighting door sag. Can’t figure out why.... any thoughts?

[rapidray]

I also fought it. Here is what I did. I ditched the little bolt retainers (the rectangular square plates) as shown on page 383 of the online manual and used large washers for supporting the door shell with just slotted flat head 1/4" bolts. After I had the door height adjusted and had the 4 bolts tight I took a large screwdriver and put a little pressure on the slotted holes on the large bracket (page 384) that goes to the latch to slightly spread the door shell. I found that this puts just enough force to retain the integrity of the shell. Believe it or not I had to put so much pressure on the left door that I ended up shortening the striker but it worked great. Both of the doors open and close effortlessly. The right door took very little pressure go figure. I quit trying to figure out why and just did what worked. I sweat the details so much that sometimes I miss the goal. LOL Ray

[sethmark]

Thx. Could I trouble you for a picture.

[rapidray]

No problem I plan on taking the body off next week so will take a shot of the back side of the door for you. It was a pretty easy process once I decided what needed to be done. You can see by this picture if you look on the left side of how much of the slot on the bracket is visible, the left door took the most force. I am assuming of course that the front of the door sagging is your problem. If that is the case then it is definitely the four bolts that attach the shell to the bracket as that is the only thing that would cause the problem. I honestly thought about building a plate on the outer side of the shell to sandwich the door but found that the washers worked fine. Ray

[BC Huselton]

Had the same issue, and discovered that both the nylock nuts on the shoulder bolts were loosening when I opened the door. Even when I really tightened them, there was enough friction on the brass bushing to cause them to loosen. It does not take much to make the 4 foot door move at the striker end. It was enough to put a little up and down play in the door, and then it would sag. The solution I chose was to tack weld the nut. Door is solid now. I have a permanent Hardtop and have made the waterfall into three separate pieces so I have access to the entire rear door structures. I can adjust and / or remove door parts with the top and the body on. Three piece waterfall also gave me easy access to items behind it and in front of the tank.

[rapidray]

I have not run into that problem although I can see where it could happen. I have only had the car together for a few weeks so probably have not used the door enough for it to occur wonder if there is room to double nut them. Thanks for the heads up I will keep an eye on it. One other thing I ran into was not being able to tighten the 1/2" nylon lock nuts very easily on the hinge swing brackets so I replaced mine with regular nuts and star washers and have not had a problem since and its a lot easier to adjust the door. Ray

[colsen23153]

I am mystified at all the things people have had to do on the pinion angle deal. I disconnected my rear shocks and used 2 pole jacks on the rear housing to position the lower control arm at the loaded weight and had a 7 degree pinion angle and did not have enough adjustment to correct it. I wonder if maybe its the way the rear bracket was positioned by Moser? After I lengthened the upper link it worked perfectly with 2 degree angle. I could set it with the supplied link and the transmission mount but then my right exhaust pipe hit the frame. So I did the simple fix. Ray

rapidray I too had a 3 link rear suspension. I also didn't like the length of the upper control arm (too short). I was trying to set the rear pinion angle to 3* up as my trans angle was 3* down. I ordered the 4 link option thinking that would solve my pinion problem, and installed that which is not adjustable, and it gave me a 3* angle down. I had asked FFR what it should be and I got two different answers. One said 3 up the other at another time said after I installed the 4 link, that 3 down was good. I thought the angles had to be the same or close but opposite. Can you please clarify your perfect 2 degree angle? It would be a great help to me to understand that.

[sethmark]

The Pinion gear tries to climb the ring gear when you get on the gas....So ideally, your pinion angle is underneath the transmission angle so that when you stand on the gas it rises to neutral. Assume that your transmission output angle is 1° down. Your rear end should be 3° below parallel to the ground. That way when you get the 2° Pinyan rise, the angles are equal and offsetting.

[rapidray]

Could not have explained it any better than Sethmark. Found this picture somewhere on this forum. Hope it helps. Ray

[colsen23153]

Thank you both.

So I was trying to get 3*up on the rear and that could be the reason my 3 link adjustment bar seamed short. It should be 3* down like I get with the 4 link now. Feel better about that now.

Cliff

[peterh226]

Thank you both.

So I was trying to get 3*up on the rear and that could be the reason my 3 link adjustment bar seamed short. It should be 3* down like I get with the 4 link now. Feel better about that now.

Cliff

I talked with FFR and they said some of the Moser rear ends seemed to have the brackets welded on in the wrong place rotationally. They sent me a new top bar for the 3-link and now I can get things better aligned. It also messes up the shock spacers a bit, but we can adapt.

[Roger Pugh]

Ray,
It's looking really good! Can I ask - what product did you use to coat the metal?
Roger

[wrp]

[wrp]

[JOP33]

That a great perspective Bill!

[rapidray]

Stayed on the bodywork this week. Used 80 grit on a orbital sander on all the seams and then used body filler or spot putty on the imperfections. Plan on using 220 on the entire car followed by a lacquer primer and then a quality sealer before paint. Was setting the panel gaps when I noticed I had a problem with the right side engine cover. The panel was bowed in the middle and stuck out about a 1/4 of an inch. Had to think about the fix for awhile. Decided to let the car do the work. I just set the panel underneath a rear wheel while on the lift and put pressure on the center of it for a few hours. Took the bow right out of it decided to let it sit for a few days to make sure it stayed in position, if not will heat it next time before applying pressure. The lower panels for the 32 nose leading edge fit just awful so will build my own with fiberglass. I coated my floor pan with body Schultz have found it works well on the numerous SS Chevelle's I have restored. Hope everyone well! Ray

[AJT '33]

Stayed on the bodywork this week. Used 80 grit on a orbital sander on all the seams and then used body filler or spot putty on the imperfections. Plan on using 220 on the entire car followed by a lacquer primer and then a quality sealer before paint. Was setting the panel gaps when I noticed I had a problem with the right side engine cover. The panel was bowed in the middle and stuck out about a 1/4 of an inch. Had to think about the fix for awhile. Decided to let the car do the work. I just set the panel underneath a rear wheel while on the lift and put pressure on the center of it for a few hours. Took the bow right out of it decided to let it sit for a few days to make sure it stayed in position, if not will heat it next time before applying pressure. The lower panels for the 32 nose leading edge fit just awful so will build my own with fiberglass. I coated my floor pan with body Schultz have found it works well on the numerous SS Chevelle's I have restored. Hope everyone well! Ray

If you do the same thing but prior to putting the pressure on it, heat it up over that area with a heat gun until hot to the touch, then apply the pressure until cooled or overnight, this will impose memory on the resin as its relaxed and it should maintain the shape. If you don't the first time the sun hits it and warms it up it will relax back into the original remembered shape. We have done this on sailboats on various parts exposed to the sun, works well. Have fun!

[Roger Pugh]

Very cool, the undermount camera was fun!

[rapidray]

Hope everything well! Worked all week to finalize the body prior to disassembly for paint. Honestly thought I would be done last week but problem after problem, I'm sure you understand! After the final mockup found that had to make some major adjustments. The lower panels to the 32 nose fit is terrible. I also did not want to attach the side panels with visible exterior screws so worked hard to come up with a solution. Decided to do this. Make some brackets that attach from the lower panel to the frame to pull the side panels close to the radiator shroud and also to stiffen the whole assembly. It worked great! Then went to install the waterfall and it sat to high for the top trim to fit flush with the body. So removed the vinyl from the trim and cut it down and reattached with spray adhesive. I also was totally uncomfortable with the hood hinge to hood rivnuts. I had one inner aluminum stiffener that was not securely glassed in so I cut a slot in the hood and slipped a steel retainer with nuts welded to it now no worries and it is stout. Finally finished it all and ready for disassembly and paint prep. Stay Safe! Ray

[rapidray]

Went to the shop today and took several more pictures as I felt my post was not very informative. The lower panels supplied with the kit for the deluxe nose are the same as the ones supplied for the 33 grille shell. You need to cut them down to fit. I have no idea what others have done but here is what I decided to do. As you can see by the cut I made I decided to eliminate the little strip that fits in into the shell and just fill it. (the area where I mistakenly drilled a large hole), I will just glass that area in. When I fabricated the patch for the nose assembly I glassed in 2 studs to attach it (lower panel) to the shell thereby eliminating the need for any exterior screws. Hope this makes the process easier to understand. Cheers Ray

[rapidray]

Spent 30 hours on the body fitment and panel gap adjustment this week. Really went well. The only thing left now is the engine side panels which should be pretty easy (I hope about 4 hours). Plan on removing the body for paint late next week. Honestly the body work was much harder than the mechanical part. Plan on painting the door jambs, underside of the hood and trunk with a single stage acrylic enamel (so I don't have to flip or hang them in the booth. I used red lacquer primer as I plan on painting the car a GM color called Pull me over Red (how appropriate). Prior to paint I will seal the entire car with a red tinted sealer to minimize the visible rock chips that I know are going to occur. The finish paint will probably be a DuPont base and a really good quality clear. The waterfall (no roll bar planned at this point) was a challenge and I plan on removing the padding from the body to trim moulding and installing snaps for final attachment. Hope all well! Ray

[sethmark]

Please move to Virginia and finish mine!

[rapidray]

Eureka, its a wrap! Finally am satisfied with all the panel fitment and gaps. I thought it would take 4 hours to finish but spent about 3 times that. Will disassemble next week and finish the cowl area and underneath the body. Hope to final sand and paint in the next few weeks. Was really happy with the removable headlight idea, its so simple and can remove all the engine side panels in 20 minutes or so. Feels good to finally make some progress felt as though I have been spinning my wheels for the last several weeks. Notice also that the front of the drivers door does not seem to line up, I am having a hard time with the pivot bolts coming loose after opening and closing the door several times the fit is perfect after I tighten the bolts. Will address the problem further when I do the final assembly. Anyone else experience this problem and solve it? Cheers Ray

[AJT '33]

Eureka, its a wrap! Finally am satisfied with all the panel fitment and gaps. I thought it would take 4 hours to finish but spent about 3 times that. Will disassemble next week and finish the cowl area and underneath the body. Hope to final sand and paint in the next few weeks. Was really happy with the removable headlight idea, its so simple and can remove all the engine side panels in 20 minutes or so. Feels good to finally make some progress felt as though I have been spinning my wheels for the last several weeks. Notice also that the front of the drivers door does not seem to line up, I am having a hard time with the pivot bolts coming loose after opening and closing the door several times the fit is perfect after I tighten the bolts. Will address the problem further when I do the final assembly. Anyone else experience this problem and solve it? Cheers Ray

Just remember that if you want a 3/16" gap you need to have it pre-gapped before paint to close to a 1/4". This will also provide additional play should you need it. HAVE FUN!!!!

[rapidray]

This week removed the body, was surprised it only took 2 hours! Then decided to take a break from the body work and finish the interior. Installed the dynamat and carpeting thought it would be easy but was pretty difficult need to put it out in the sun and remove some wrinkles around the transmission tunnel other than that pretty happy. When I removed the hood and trunk lid I disconnected the hinge arms instead of the hinge mounts to ease reassembly. On the doors I just removed the pivot bolts for the same reason. I found that the doors will come off easily once the door open limit bolt is removed but the nut on the bolt is hard to get to so after removal I tacked the nut to the door hinge bracket. I also drilled 2 holes in the rear aluminum that covers the lower door pivot bolts in case I need to access them later. Just installed some plugs to hide the holes. Sethmark I also finally took the pictures of the washers I used on the rear of the 4 door mounting bolts for stiffness. Take care Ray

[rapidray]

Mocked up a template of the dash layout and brought it home to clean up the wiring bird nest mess. Wanted it to easily plug in and out. Took several hours but sure is nicer. Still have to remove the ignition switch for removal but much better. Before and after pictures. Ray

[FF33rod]

Look good. As a side note, I swear that's the same ugly green towel that I use in my shop....

Steve