It helped quite a bit. My drivers door is workable now.
I’m a whole lot closer than I was a couple of days ago. At least they’re hanging now.
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It helped quite a bit. My drivers door is workable now.
I’m a whole lot closer than I was a couple of days ago. At least they’re hanging now.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
F5 had to send me a new drivers door too. I still needed washers to get the lower front to align with the body.
The top of the door doesn't evenly align to the top side of the body when closed, will need to do some grinding and glass work to fix it.
Seth, does the rear lower corner of your doors hit the body when they are closed? Both of mine do, not sure I can adjust for that.
'33 Hotrod, #1047 Gen 1, delivered on 2/27/18, go cart on 9/24/18.
LS3 w/Gearstar Level 3 4L65e Tranny, Yank converter, Lokar shifter, Electric PS, Vintage AC/Heat/Def, 8.8" 3.55
TorqThrust II Wheels w/Toyo Proxy T1 Sport Tires, F 235/45ZR17 R 295/35ZR18
Garage Built, Driveway Painted.
Not sure yet.... but it’s a challenge.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
It’s funny how driving the car makes up for the irritation with the doors. Get pissed, do a couple laps. All better.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
Fair warning to us newbies. Doors must be adjusted with the weight of the vehicle on the ground. Apparently adjusting them on the lift results in a non-adjusted door when you set the car down.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
I'm glad I'm not the only one having issues with the drivers side door, as unfortunate as that is. Mine broke at the latch after twisting it into shape with washers. FFR sent me a new one, but the replacement wasn't much better. I ended up making a few relief cuts near the latch and glassing it back together while clamped to the body. I didn't like the washer idea either, so I ended up pre-twisting the metal frame to pull the door straight.
The adjustment concerns me as I started on the body first, did your gaps change with the weight on the ground?
-- Mike -- TxMike64 -- @TxMGarage
Gen1.5 Hot Rod '33 #1094 (Stage 1) - 302/AOD '15 IRS - Quad Built - Build Thread
I build dirt track race car chassis for a living. I wouldn’t say that the deflection was any worse than I anticipated. You should see a box tubing chassis from an OEM car without the body. They’re like limp noodles.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
I could use your opinion on the chassis flex issue Seth (or anyone that wants to chime in)
Now that I have the first coat of primer on my car my plan is to re-assemble the body then block sand it while also aligning the body-lines, gaps, etc. The thought would be that after I have all of the panels fitted, blocked, and gapped that I could effectively remove the body and paint it in pieces. I'm then planning to move on to the mechanical work and wouldn't re-install the body until I'm done with full powder coating and assembly of the chassis/mechanical part. Do you think that there is enough deflection potential within the chassis to cause issues with this plan?
Just thinking out loud, a loaded chassis on a lift would deflect in the front because of engine and front suspension weight. I'm trying to envision how that correlates to what I'm doing, non-loaded chassis body alignment without the chassis sitting on the four suspension points. I wonder if it may be better for me to revise my plan to do another mock up after I've finished the chassis/mechanical before final paint.
33 HotRod #1142
Started 5-9-19
Kingwood, Texas
Would suggest waiting to do the final paint until all the mechanicals are done. As you make progress through the mechanicals you are going to want to make sure that there is no interference with various parts of the body which means you are going to be working with different pieces of the body and it would be a drag if you were to scratch or have to modify an already painted part.
JMO
Steve
Gen 1 '33 Hot Rod #1104
347 with Holley Sniper & Hyperspark, TKO600, IRS, 245/40R18 & 315/30R18, DRL, Digital Guard Dog keyless Ignition
To be honest, I don’t know the answer to that question. Virtually all of the weight of the car is between the front and rear axles....I would expect the frame to show some deflection in the middle.....the 300 pound frame suddenly weighs 1500 pounds. I can’t tell you that the difference would be visible to the naked eye, but it was enough to make a door that opened and closed easily, sticky. It was easy to adjust out, but it had to be adjusted out.
Considering where you are in the process, I would seriously consider building the chassis and then cutting door gaps. I do not have the depth of experience with a GEN two car to know for sure.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
Sorry for the thread hijack, but please answer a question from a bodywork novice: what gap are you shooting for at the door edge? Same gap around the trunk lid? Thanks, Keith
Black & Copper #1028 ("The Mistress" according to my wife! )
Brought home: Nov. 2017, GoKart: May 2018, will be Plated & on the Road April 2020
Andreas
I finally have made enough progress on the doors that they open and close.... And latch. The trick seems to be to hang the door loose and get it to latch. Once it latches, you can shim it into place and tighten it all down. My gauge cluster should arrive today and that will allow me to finish up most of the wiring.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
Trunk lid was simple enough. A little adjustment to get it sitting flush and I’m done with it.
3BD705E6-23FE-445F-AFFA-C54D20066CDA.jpg
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
Hand sanded the parting seams today. That sucks.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
Fedexaclaus brought my gauges today.
.A7F13F65-AEC5-49CA-A2E0-47112E0B156F.jpgDFE7432B-B2D1-45FA-828E-22F244EF8E60.jpg
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
Cool gauges, how deep is the main gauge? Wondering if you have to put it in the center or will be able to put it right in front of the driver.
Steve
Gen 1 '33 Hot Rod #1104
347 with Holley Sniper & Hyperspark, TKO600, IRS, 245/40R18 & 315/30R18, DRL, Digital Guard Dog keyless Ignition
2.5" depth. They’re super shallow. And there’s no connection other than cat 5 on the gauge.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
My ocd is happy....
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
Oh... and a little sneak.....
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
OBDII Hookup is key...
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
I’m happy. Got some ideas for pinstripe and paint too....
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
Details on the headlights. The park wire, which is tan from the chassis harness, is not utilized. The turn signal from the car powers both the daytime running light and the turn signal. They have to be paired going into the headlight. I’m not running DRL‘s.
Outback, make sure to not wire in the brake light Wire. Simply wire only the ground, turn, and dim. Wiring in the brake light wire back feeds.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
Hey Seth - are those the lights that come with the kit? I like the integrated signals.
33 Hot Rod (Gen 1) Stage 1 delivered on 4/27/2017, Stage 2 delivered on 9/21/2018
LS3 495hp/480 lb. ft., 4L70E, Electric PS, Classic Auto Air, Lokar electronic sport shifter, 13 inch Wilwood front and 11.68 Cobra rear brakes, Ford 8.8 w 3.73 w 4 link, Billet Specialty Legend Series MAG wheels and Mickey Thompson
Sportsman S/R 26x8x18 front and 29x18x20 rear tires.
Trunk latch is a pain. Doesn’t work well in any direction. I need to lengthen the striker pin and had to bend the hell out of the striker mount a good 10*.
Windshield is another fiddly bit to fit....
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
You're truckin' Seth!!! not sure how you find the time....
One thought on the windshield, since we want a nice fit with the cowl/dash and that area is likely to need filler, sanding, etc to finish it properly, I was thinking of getting the mounting sorted initially but not doing any "fitting" until most of the body work is done. Thoughts?
Gen 1 '33 Hot Rod #1104
347 with Holley Sniper & Hyperspark, TKO600, IRS, 245/40R18 & 315/30R18, DRL, Digital Guard Dog keyless Ignition
My existence is atypical.... my wife has already relocated for her job, I don’t need to be working much during our transition and my kid is gone from 7:30 in the morning till three. So right now I have time to mess with the car. A good bit of it is also wheelhouse stuff for me. The mechanicals were things that I was intimately familiar with. It’s just what I know how to do.... Probably best not to ask me to do surgery, try a case in front of a jury or sell something.
I am not tightly fitting the windshield to the body. Just roughing it out close enough to be close enough. I intend on driving the car through most of 2020 before paint. With that said, I was not anticipating sucking up the fiberglass to the bottom of the windshield frame, but that’s clearly part of the fitting process. The windshield is not a lot of fun to work with. In fact, I found a fair amount of the car to be fiddley and less fun since the body went on.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
It took me quite awhile to get the hard top to fit the body. Check out my posts on how much fiberglass work I had to do to get everything right
I think the kid and I have the basics in place. The mechanicals seem to be solid. I’ve got about 40 miles on the car around the test track. Car needs an alignment better than a tape measure.
On to Body work and interior......
FD429A17-8A71-466B-9F5E-E7C46DE07A7C.jpg
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
Couldn’t resist.
Last edited by sethmark; 11-06-2019 at 11:42 AM.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
This morning I got up really early and trailered the car to a private road in another country.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
LOL, must have been the same country I took mine to!
Gen 1 '33 Hot Rod #1104
347 with Holley Sniper & Hyperspark, TKO600, IRS, 245/40R18 & 315/30R18, DRL, Digital Guard Dog keyless Ignition
Put this in the back of your head for electrical gremlins. If you powder coat the bracket that the alternator bolts to the motor with, make sure that you knock off the powder coat on the mounting bosses on both sides.
Alternator and engine sides. Otherwise it just drains your electrical system and doesn’t charge.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
I totally poisoned the well driving the car yesterday. I want to do it again so bad I can't see straight.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k
And that’s it folks. All forward progress stops until after the move. I feel pretty good about what the kid and I accomplished. Certainly if push came to shove I could drive the car to Virginia from here. That’s accomplishment in and of itself.
The good news is that the registering process in Virginia and the replica laws are excellent. I should be able to get a plate on it after the first of the year and enjoy driving it while I finish the body and interior.
On an unrelated note, my new shop is on the property of Virginia international raceway. I will be continuing to build late model mini dirt track chassis as well as offering DIY garage space and tools for privateer racers.
I think after I get this car a little further along I’m going to do an 818 for daily driving.
33 Hot Rod #1133. LS/TKO600
Delivered 6-17-19. Started work 7-3-19. First start 9-6-19. First drive 9-24-19
Titled 2-28-20
MkI.IV 2643k