Casey Family Build Thread (coupe)

[Quatro007]

its an 84 regal grand national. Its a rare year since they made so very few, but the newer ones have more power so are a bit more desirable. I picked this up with a deal for a new business we acquired. It was sitting in the warehouse for 10years on a Non Op.

Awesome on the GN! Please make sure you have an alarm system or some other anti-theft device on yours. I had an 86 and an 87. I had the 87 first and loved it but it was stolen within a few months of owning it. It was stolen less than 20ft from my bedroom window. I didn't even have a chance to fully hook up the NOS system. Parts from the car were on the market within a month. The 86 was nice but never really ran right.
Anyway, just wanted throw out the warning that these are a very commonly stolen car. Hope you enjoy yours!

[QSL]

I had that feeling too. There is a little too much interest from people about the car. Its a little odd to me.

[QSL]

You certainly could have borrowed the hoist again. Just sayin..

Shhhhhh, i am riding the "buy whatever tool you need" train. Don't derail it dude.

[MRSQSL]

Plahieowgyhaujex!!!! That was the sound of your tool train derailing.

[David Hodgkins]

[xlr8or]

Oops.

[STLMARSHALL]

The Coupe is looking good. I have been running the NT01 on the street now almost 1 year. Great tires that out perform the XS. They have so much traction it is hard to do a burnout. They look great against that silver frame!

[QSL]

Glad to hear that. Thanks for the info. Julie needs all the grip she can get. Lol

[MRSQSL]

Week 52:

I guess it has officially been a year since the beginning of Coupey. Happy Birthday!!!!!

We were able to spend the day in the garage. Not to rub anything in, but it was pretty toasty today. I would guess over 80. We have some visitors from back east and they spoke with people in their town and it was covered in snow. I'd say neener, neener but that wouldn't be very nice.

I'm sorry if I type strange things. I'm watching the Daytona 500 while I type this and just saw a huge accident. I'll try to stay focused.

I assured Mike I was absolutely positive the CV half axles did not click into place when I installed them. I still stand by that. We took off the wheels and rotors and knuckles and then Mike tugged and tugged and tugged some more. Those shafts were firmly implanted. My theory is that the axles were not in all the way until we bolted down the knuckles and that must've been enough to click them in. I'm hugely relieved we didn't have to grind or extend grooves and I appreciate all the help we got when I asked about it. We reassembled everything and Mike said he'd torque my axle nuts to keep me from straining all my muscles and still not succeed. Yay! I was going to start on the pedal box now that my brake light switch and bracket arrived. That didn't last long. I got out the torque wrench and the 36mm socket and looked up the 175ft/lb specs. I handed Mike all the tools only to discover the socket bottoms out and we need a deep one. Where do you find a deep socket on a Sunday. Before you all start yelling out answers, we don't live near any of those awesome stores you have. I called Lowe's. Nope. I called Napa. Nope. Didn't even bother with Home Depot because they have a terrible tool selection. Mike and his dad hopped in Scoopy and headed off to Lowe's to get the hardware for my pedal box. I hunkered down to work on the pedal box.

Step 1: Remove C clip (snap ring).

Raise your hand if you're surprised I couldn't get the stupid ring off after at least 50 attempts. Don't laugh, but I actually got desperate enough to go to the computer and look up a video on how to use snap ring pliers. I was doing exactly what the video showed, but completely unsuccessfully. I blame it on the tool. One of the ends kept falling out even though I tightened the set screw several times. I finally had some luck after I completely dismantled the tool and put it back together. Anyway, I got the ring off just as Mike was pulling back into the driveway. He (silly goose) thought I didn't hear the car coming and was concerned about Scoopy's health. I explained I was finally getting the ring off and didn't want to risk looking up and blowing it. Believe it or not, I was actually very proud of myself. I managed to paint some parts and disassemble the pedal box without any help at all. Sure it took an hour, but slow and steady wins the race (so there).

I drilled the hole in the bracket and in the pedal box all by myself. Mike never even checked to make sure I was on the right track. I did ask if I had the pedal backwards before I put the C clip back on. Yup. Backwards. I can't help that I want the brake light switch to work opposite of how it actually functions. It's also not my fault that my mental master cylinders were facing backwards. I'm not turned around anymore. I get it. It wasn't easy getting the washers in between the pedal and the edges, but I actually did it much faster than with Scoopy. I'd almost say it was fun. What wasn't fun was everything after that.

I messed up the paint on my brackets. Oops. Then Mike suggested we work on the pedal box since he had been making a new front aluminum driver's footbox piece. We put round tubing in and the panel was made for square tubing. You really can't fit a square peg in a round hole or vice versa. We spent a long time sitting and staring. How does Mike make a nice front panel that will fit over the round tubing but not look all chopped up? We mulled over several ideas (not always in a friendly manner) before deciding on one Mike had apparently mentioned early on but I misunderstood. I thought it was the perfect solution and nodded my approval. He is making a totally new panel so he can use a hole saw to cut the two important holes (steering shaft and round tube). Then he planned to use the press machine thing and cut the panel totally in half right where the round tube is. That should allow us to put the panel on without an issue and not have unattractive patchwork. It worked pretty well so far. I had to try to build the footbox while Mike handled the panel. It was not easy for me to figure out what went where and the manual was zero help. Got it figured out and we spent the next hour or so fiddling and drilling and clecoing. I think it is looking really good and I'm anxious to see how it eventually turns out. Oh and Mike also lowered my rear end so it isn't sticking up as high. I sure wish humans could be adjusted so easily. I have a few corrections I'd like to make.

[QSL]

Sorry for the delay, here are some pics!!!

[QSL]

more

[MRSQSL]

Week 53:

I'm getting really, incredibly, nauseatingly sick of going to the store to get nuts and bolts (and especially washers). Mike consistently points out the base kit was probably still cheaper, but I evil glare him in response. We didn't go to the store nearly as often with the complete kit. I'm not complaining...yes I am. Let's just say I'm not going to quit my day job and become a mechanic. If I were to ever build a car again, I would buy the complete kit.

Not much progress was made. I blame this entirely on myself. Mike was a champ, but I was feeling a little under the weather (oncoming cold) with zero energy and a lousy disposition. "Grumpy" would be an extremely generous way to describe my mood.

I marked the rivets for the driver's side footbox, but I didn't drill anything because the floor wasn't placed down yet and that can't be done without a lot of grinding to make clearance for the side impact bars. With So Cal rain Thursday through Sunday, Mike wasn't willing to stand outside and grind (understandably). As soon as the weather improves and Mike finds the time to shave off "just a hair", I'll re-mark (if needed) and begin the hole making process. I'm actually a little excited about that because it's something I know I'm capable of and shouldn't need much (if any) guidance.

My next step was to mock up the pedal box. I bolted in the larger of the two brackets and then promptly scratched my head when attempting to put the actual pedal box and second bracket in. Mike came to my rescue and together we discovered the little legs of the second bracket wouldn't line up with the bars on the frame where it should mount. Imagine my lovely and incredibly mature response when he told me I had to remove the bracket so he could "oval" the holes. Truly it wasn't a big deal, but I was a foul beast and whined the entire time. He made the holes larger and I reinstalled only to find nothing changed. I plopped on the ground in a huff and pouted. Mike came over and muscled the thing into place while I glared. I would've mocked up the rest after, but we needed more bolts, nuts and washers. Sigh. Mike had previously gotten the ones for the bracket and the nuts for the master cylinder studs, but neither of us had thought about the ones that attach the pedal box to the mounts. ARGH!!!!!!! The plan was to go to the store and then come back and finish up. We didn't. We went to the store, but then rented a movie and pigged out on Wienerschnitzel. Ever tried the limited edition Marshmallow Crispy Oreo cookies? Sooooooo good. Totally amazing. Yum!!!!! I digress.

Before we left for our amazingly healthy meal, Mike finished up some details on the front footbox cover. We also plotted and planned how to mount the reservoirs (love the idea we came up with and really hope it works) as well as the best way to run the brake lines, electrical and where to put the doohawhaws for the brakes. I can't remember what he called them. Wait, it's coming to me. Hang on...bulkheads. Yes! Those things.

Overall, little progress was made, but at least we did something. Lots needs to be finished before Huntington Beach, but I think we'll make larger strides in the coming weeks. I doubt Mike will post any pictures because I don't think he took any. Not much changed anyway.

[NukeMMC]

You must endeavor to persevere ....
6446-14413.jpg

[Storms]

Keep up the great work and progress!!! I have really enjoyed listening/reading to MRSQSL updates on both builds......There really should be a TV series done on both your builds!!!

Colin

[QSL]

No pics of julies progress, but here is pic of my new banner!!! Ohhhhh yea!

[bil1024]

No pics of julies progress, but here is pic of my new banner!!! Ohhhhh yea!

Oh I need one of those banners !!!!!!!!!!

[68GT500MAN]

Mike, where did you get the cool banner? I want one too!
Doug

[QSL]

i just had one of those online banner sites make it. I want to say it cost about $100 to my door. Very happy with it so far!

[NiceGuyEddie]

Well guys, that was a really good lunch break for me. I don't read on this forum very much but I just read the whole thing!

Cheers,

[Ray]

Mike, where did you get the cool banner? I want one too!
Doug

Doug,

I've used this company for several banners, even a huge 14x25 for the Scottish Society: http://www.rocketbanner.com/

Ray

[HCP 65 COUPE]

MrsQsl

Take a look on http://www.mscdirect.com/ for fastener assortments they will save you alot of time and money in the long run. I have found that you can usually buy a box of 50 or 100 fasteners for around the same price as 1 trip to the hardware store. Get yourself an assortment of small SAE socket head cap screws, washers and nuts. If you find yourself using allot of a peticular size buy boxes of 50-100. It will save you allot of gas. I have used over 200 10-32 stainless button head cap screws in my build so far, for attaching all the little brakets and wire hangers and such. I just drill a hole and tap it right into the tubing works awsome, buy some good taps and a few drills tho. the 10-32 tap drill size is .157-.161 dia.

[xlr8or]

I've used www.boltdepot.com for stainless hardware. Boxes of 100 are cheaper than 8 or 10 at the hardware store.
10-32 X 1" stainless button head screws is under $10 for 100.

[MRSQSL]

Week 54:

I took apart the pedal box to paint the brake switch bracket. It had been bugging me. In the back of my mind I knew I should've done it before. Sure it's a tiny little piece and it won't get wet so it should be fine. Still, I could see it in the coming years getting rusty and weak and looking unattractive next to all the other painted pieces of steel. FINE! I'll paint it!!!!!! That's all I did on the car though. We weren't home Saturday. We went to help Frank plumb up his car on Saturday which was a lot of fun (especially since they didn't make me do anything). I had to work all day Sunday. That's also why my update is so late. I have had to work late pretty much every night this week. I can't wait until things get back to normal.

[Rodster]

Julie and Mike -
You are so far ahead of me I might have to have you come over and help me build my car! I finally settled on a way to mount my external fuel pump, after 4 or 5 different tries. Final answer is so simple, I feel really stupid. I made some triangular brackets that I will use to route the e-brake lines. Should look OK. Not my idea, I saw it on someone's Roadster build, I think.

I am reading up on electrical, some items are a little weird, but I will figure it out. I am also playing around with some ideas for the switch console.

BTW - the dash is looking excellent!!!!!

-wayne-

[Rodster]

JULIE -- Yes - glad you painted the pedal box. Those things get rusty, and you don't want Coupy to turn into Rusty.

[cozmacozmy]

JULIE -- Yes - glad you painted the pedal box. Those things get rusty, and you don't want Coupy to turn into Rusty.

!

[MRSQSL]

Weeks 55 and 56:

I normally update even if we didn't do anything, but I just couldn't muster the oomph last week. All I managed to do was re-mock-up the pedal box. Everything else would require Mike's assistance and he was busy. We did have a great time over at the first start for Alan. Great guy with a beautifully built car and it was a thrill to be there for the actual first attempt at starting. Can't wait to see it with the body on cruising around So Cal.

This week we made a little progress. Saturday we took Scoopy to Jeff's for a little sprucing up. Mike can't seem to resist touching the car and apparently he hasn't been using the best cloths. There were some minor scratches on the fenders and Jeff buffed them out for us. Mike was told what exactly he should and should not use to wipe down the roadster. I've got my eye on him. Anytime he gets near it, I yell at him not to touch. I suspect it's only a matter of time before he evil glares me out of his man cave and back to the kitchen "where I belong". Hee, hee.

After running errands and blah, blah, blah, no time was left to work on my car. I figured Sunday was all me, me, me. I was only kinda right. The first part of Sunday turned out to be a trip to the store. No, I wasn't getting bolts for once. The afternoon was all about Coupey though. Mike made me a new footbox cover for the passenger side since the old one had a hole in it (supposed to be there for some unknown reason that Mike told me but I promptly forgot). Also, we changed out the square tube in the front to the round tube and now the footbox aluminum doesn't fit exactly right. His first attempt was perfect except that the folded section on the edge needed to be more slanty to conform to the slope of the tubing. Try number two was every bit as nice except for the one little spot that only he and I know about which doesn't bother me at all, but will probably eat at him for years to come. It only took about 6 "mock ups" to get it all fitting just the way we wanted and I was finally able to start drilling holes. I don't recommend the drill bits from Harbor Freight. The one I was using didn't break, but it sure didn't cut through the metal well. I was getting really frustrated before Mike pointed out that was the issue and suggested I change to one of the DeWalt ones and it made a huge difference.

So there I am drilling away when it becomes clear (thanks to an announcement by Mike) that I'm going to need to switch to the right angle drill (which I discovered was an air tool). He got it all set up for me because I'm lousy with the quick disconnects (and chucks). Upon handing it over, I immediately accidentally depressed the button flap thing and it started drilling the air. Eeeep! I shrieked and tried to hand it violently back to him. He rolled his eyes and walked away. I carefully began the drilling process and reconfirmed I'm really not a fan of air tools. They are loud and feel less controllable than battery operated tools. So I'm drilling away with all my might (no laughing strong men that drill holes in a matter of 5 seconds to my 30 seconds of painful, muscle scorching pressure) when the air compressor erupts in loud vibratory air condensing noises. It scared me, but not a violent scare, just a brief startle. Mike had wandered off to some other corner of the house or yard. Drilling, drilling. I hear a noise and look up. It sounded like something fell off the air compressor. I don't mean like a belt or a fan or a motor or anything...something smaller. I eyeball the large machine before movement caught my other eye. Something was rolling down the driveway. Crap. It's the bottle of air tool oil Mike just used on the air drill. Before I had the good sense to do anything half way intelligent, I realized I was still pushing hard on the drill and now my neck was craned awkwardly and BAM! The muscle in my neck howled from misuse. I set the drill down, grabbed my neck, leapt over the railing (I was in the engine compartment portion of the car) and raced down the driveway to save the bottle. Mike came back in to find me whining about my neck. No sympathy for me. Back to work.

I didn't get to drill much because I was forced to go fetch meat for dinner. I made some progress though and Mike was able to finish up the other footbox "mocking up" while I was gone. I'm actually excited about going out to work on the car and plan on heading out as soon as the work whistle blows. It has been awhile since I've been this excited about garage work. I think it's because I know I can do this and I know I don't need help. Well, that and I did the really hard holes first (the ones going into the frame rather than flimsy aluminum). Mike wants me to have them done by tomorrow so he can take them for powder coat, but I think that might be a smidge optimistic. I'm just happy progress is being made (and I can turn my head without massive neck pain).

[frankeeski]

Keep up the good work Julie.

[Rodster]

Julie -
When you are drilling stuff - add some lube - it will do a whole lot of good things as you are making holes. You can use tapping fluid or oil - but I use alcohol (an old Navy dude suggested that to me a long time ago) - it does the same thing and it just evaporates when you are finished making holes. Just squirt some on the drill bit and start drilling. Or yo can use a small jar to keep a small amount of alcohol in, and dip the drill bit. This works for tapping threads, too.

Need more pictures!

-wayne-

[MRSQSL]

Sadly, I do use fluid when drilling. I simply don't have the strength of ten men (or even 1/4 of a man). The fluid definitely helps, but it's still embarrassing to have people watch me drill holes. I need to grow some muscles. Maybe if I eat some spinach...

As for the pictures, that's Mike's department. I took some over the weekend, but he needs to post them.

For the record, I did work on the car last night. Yay me!!!!

[John Dol]

Or you can use a small jar to keep a small amount of alcohol in, and dip the drill bit. -wayne-

That and a straw.....

John

[jimgood]

Whenever I can I try to use a stepper bit. With metal, starting with a small hole and working up to a larger hole is always easier, faster and runs cooler. They're usually shorter than regular bits and they don't break as easily.

[CobraKai]

I got the complete kit and find myself running to the hardware store constantly anyway! I think it is inevitable with a build like this....

[WIS89]

That and a straw.....

John

John-

That's what I was thinking! Especially if "an old Navy dude" is the one that recommended it.

I mean, come on -- if it was a real Navy dude, that was 100 proof alcohol! HAHA

Regards,

Steve

[HCP 65 COUPE]

Alcohol works great on aluminum but works even better with 15-20% wd-40 mixed into it, the alcohol evaporates and cools and the wd-40 lubricates. I use it when I ream holes in aluminum all the time and it always produces mirror finishes.

[NukeMMC]

John-

That's what I was thinking! Especially if "an old Navy dude" is the one that recommended it.

I mean, come on -- if it was a real Navy dude, that was 100 proof alcohol! HAHA

Regards,

Steve

I rep-resent that remark!

[WIS89]

I rep-resent that remark!

Absolutely Chief! I have had a few similar experiences myself! ;-o)

Regards,

Steve

[MichaelW]

Keep up the good work Julie.

Ditto, and I can't tell you how much I miss my coupe. Maybe I will build another one. LS3 coupe sounds fun.

[MRSQSL]

I miss your coupe too! That satin black was menacing. You should totally build another! Do it! Do it!!!!!!!

[QSL]

When discussing our theme, Julie kept referencing your car. We almost went with something similar...

Here are some pics of the latest progress!