Jazzman’s #8745 "Flip Top" Build

[Jazzman]

Looks Great!

It looks like a stick of butter!! Not my first color choice, even for primer. Oh well, it will all be covered up!!

[GoDadGo]

It looks like a stick of butter!! Not my first color choice, even for primer. Oh well, it will all be covered up!!

More like Pancake Batter to me, so be glad that you don't see any Blue Berries in it.

[David Hodgkins]

../
I have been puttering along on the car. I have been working on installing the seat heaters. Since I planned to put the switches underneath the dash out of sight, I have had to cut and extend the wires that feed the switches. (Can you say "warranty voided"?!!) I have the PS switch done. I was able to use left over pieces of wire that were gleaned from the wiring harness. However, I am now out of pieces of wire that are long enough. I have tried to get 20 gauge wire at Home Depot, but they don't carry it in stranded form. (FYI Doorbell wire is 20 gauge, but is solid.) Since I am soldering these joints, I prefer the stranded wired. I haven't had time to go anywhere else to find the wire. I was sorry to see 1000 Radio Shack stores close as that company goes bankrupt. I clearly did not go there often enough to keep them in business, but occasionally they were the only source for certain little parts. Now they are gone. Online shopping is clearly the future!!

I have had to wait to install the remainder of the carpet until the wires for the seat heaters are in place. As others have done, I am running the wires for the seat heaters under the carpet right at the corner of the floor. Under normal circumstances I would only have to route the two power wires in that corner. But because I am also moving the switches forward, the four wires for the switch also have to be routed in the same area. I am still debating if the carpet will adequately cover and hide six wires. I think it will, but I am not sure yet. More on that later. If It won't, I will have to drill holes in both the firewall and the sides of the tranny tunnel to route the wires outside the carpeted area. I would prefer that for looks and access in potential repair, but I wish I had done it previously so that the wires would be fully integrated into the already existing wiring harness. i don't want one more wire cluttering up the engine compartment.

Kevin, I have a good electronics shop near me. Let me know if you'd like me to pick up some 20 gauge wire for you. GRATIS amigo!

[Jazzman]

Kevin, I have a good electronics shop near me. Let me know if you'd like me to pick up some 20 gauge wire for you. GRATIS amigo!

Thanks, David! I sure appreciate it. I have a couple of other places to check locally, but if I strike out, I will take you up on the offer. Thanks again!!

[WIS89]

Kevin-

I think you will find some on Amazon. I found a decent selection of wires available there recently when I looked for a different project.

I hope this helps.

Regards,

Steve

[Jazzman]

Finally got some time to work on the Roadster again. A couple days ago I found that my battery had set much too long without being charged, so I hooked it up to the trickle charger. (While dull, this fact will become much more important momentarily!) I found the wire I needed, and found the smaller size terminals that are used on only the negative side of the speakers. I needed four of them. With Shipping, I could buy four of them for $4, or 100 of them for $5. I have 96 of them left!! I needed to get the rear speakers hooked up to the amp so I could test it completely. The ground wire was in the way of where I needed to be working on the speakers. I flipped it out of the way to my constant companion "murphy". He proceeded to allow it to land squarely on positive terminal on the battery. This produced sparks and copious amounts of white smoke from the inside of the amplifier! Thank you "Murphy" for frying my amp! Another one is on order.

I decided to fish the front speaker wires down the square frame tubes so that they would be out of the way. It took a bit of creative tool technology to get them pulled through, but they are all in place, all safe and sound inside convolute tubing.









I have to wait to install the front speakers until the carpet is in.

The seat heater wires are all in. In hindsight, putting the switches under the dash is convenient and invisible, but much more difficult to do than was really necessary. I had to cut the switch wires, extent them about three feet, then reattach them. I taped all the wires into their final locations so that the carpet could be installed over them.





Now on to installing the remainder of the carpet.

[Jazzman]

I moved on to the task of installing the carpet. I installed the piece that goes across from the engine compartment side of the DS footbox, across the area above the transmission, and then down the PS engine side Footbox wall. That took some doing, but I got it all in. The exterior carpet mastic works well, but it is a messy proposition. Keep lots of rags and paint thinner on hand to clean your hands, the carpet, the nearby surfaces, virtually anything it touches. I installed the cockpit sides below the doors. That one is easy because access is easy.

I installed the footbox fronts and the footbox outsides. I cut the provided carpet pieces into two pieces, one for the footbox front and one for the outside. This seemed to be easier to install, and it also makes these outside walls removable if necessary. since the FlipTop attachment points are attached to and through these outside footbox pieces, the ability to remove them might prove to be an advantage for adjustment and access. If nothing else, it made it much, much easier to get the carpet installed in the footbox areas, especially behind the pedals. I honestly don't know how you can install the carpet behind the pedals after all the panels are in place without making a huge mess. With the side panel removed, it was pretty easy to just slide it in from the outside. I might even suggest that if you are going to permanently install the outside panels in the normal manner, you might want to attach the carpet on the front panel of the DS footbox before you even attach the panel. I left the outside edge unglued where the two panels will be attached to each other. The panel lip will slip behind the carpet and never be noticed.







At that point i had to stop. I have only the floors and the sides of the tranny tunnel left to carpet. However, I did not have enough of the exterior carpet mastic to do it all. I probably installed the glue a bit too thick and used too much of it. Whatever, I sure is stuck in place!! I will have to order another can of glue. Since I had to order another can anyway, I decided I did not have to get every last sticky drop of glue out of this can!! Hello, Amazon . . .

While i had enough toxic fumes in the garage to orbit the space shuttle, I decided kill a few more brain cells and glue the leather onto the Transmission tunnel cover. I had been debating adding one large cup holder at the rear of the tranny cover. After much consideration, and encouragment from "she who shall be obeyed", I used the 3.5" hole saw to cut the hole into the tranny cover. (Yes, one more hole saw!!) I had to use a curved file to enlarge the hole just slightly to allow the cup holder to slip through.



Last week i had laid the leather out on the concrete to allow it to relax and flatten out. When it is over 100 here, the concrete makes a very nice flat iron! (It is supposed to be a balmy 116 here today!!) After a couple of hours in the sun, the leather looked great. I took it back inside the garage and laid it out flat. Well sometime this weekend, one of the many guests that we had must have moved it to set down his drink. It now is wrinkled again! No damage done, just a delay in installing it. I will lay it in the sun again today and try again tonight.

[Jazzman]

I posted this in the "Pay it Forward" section, but just in case you missed it, I am done with my trusty Frame Dolly. If you are considering building a roadster and live in Arizona, I would be happy to make you a present of it. PM me if you are interested.

[Jazzman]

The interior is getting close to being done. Last week I covered the transmission tunnel cover with leather. Surprisingly no drama here. I applied two coats of landau top cement to both the leather and the aluminum with my last disposable paintbrush. (Remember the box of disposable paint brushes I bought in preparation for all fibreglass work? Box of 50 brushes, all gone. It was very nice to always have a brush available that I didn't have to feel guilty about cleaning!!) With the help of my assistant, we simply laid the leather onto the aluminum, and it was done. You can't move the pieces after they touch, so you have to be careful, but we had no problems. I used a small rubber roller to press it all down and make sure it was smooth.



I was very meticulous about cutting out the holes in the aluminum for the cup holders. This turned out to be a really good idea, which I will show you in a minute.



The cup holders slipped right in.





To keep the cup holders in place, and to protect them from the heat that will be flowing by them, I wrapped the back side of the cupholders with pieces of the heat shielding material that I used on the cockpit panels. It works perfectly. The cup holders can't come out or rattle.





The leather all the way around the edges was trimmed and glued into place. The whole thing came out perfect!!



The small circles of leather than i carefully removed from the holes from the cup holders were not wasted. I applied a small amount of landau top cement to the bottom of the cup holders and put these circles of leather at the bottom of the cup holder. It looks a bit more finished, and I hope it will keep things other than cups from rattling (like cell phones!)

[Jazzman]

I received a surprise phone call yesterday afternoon: my car body is ready to pick up, bring home, and install for the final time on the car! The exterior body work is done, the interior work is complete, the bed liner is applied, and the color coat is applied to the underside of the body. I am going to go get it this afternoon. More on that later.

Last night I continued work on installing the carpet. I applied the DS piece to the side of the transmission tunnel. No problems there. Then I turned my attention to the PS of the Tunnel. I could not figure out a way to successfully apply the glue, then slide the carpet behind the emergency brake handle After much thinking and consideration, I decided to slide the carpet behind the emergency brake handle, then pull it out of the way to apply the glue. It worked. I had to be very careful not to get glue in the wrong places. The carpet panel is fully in place now.

Next up was the PS floor carpeting. I was working on trimming the carpet to fit when my new "assistant" Abby decided she wanted to "help". I didn't want her to get into the glue, so I completed the trimming process but didn't actually glue down the piece. I turned my attention to the DS carpet, and when I turned around, here is what I saw:







I did get the DS carpet trimmed and installed. It's pretty tough to get a photo of black carpet. Suffice to say that it all fit perfectly (after a bit of trimming and fitting!!).

[GoDadGo]

Your car needs a Single White Stripe to match the one on the snoot of your pooch!

[KDubU]

What a pretty pup! What is she? Had to goodbye to my little fur buddy today. She made it past 14 and her spirit was willing but her body not.

[Jazzman]

What a pretty pup! What is she? Had to goodbye to my little fur buddy today. She made it past 14 and her spirit was willing but her body not.

KDubU, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. We went through the same pain about three months ago. Max was 14 too. Spirit willing, body, not so much. My thoughts are with you.

Abby is an "American Bully". The breed is a cross of Pit Bull, Boxer, and American Bulldog. She is bred specifically have a more "family friendly" personality than the pure Pit Bull, be fun loving and friendly like the Boxer, and have the general size of the Bulldog. The mix clearly works! She is friendly with everyone of all ages, she is incredibly smart, and is very strong and muscular. She is amazingly even tempered. I can trim her nails while she is napping on the couch! Her coloring is called "Blue" and is associated with the Pit Bull (i am told). Great dog!

[WIS89]

Kevin-

Great update! The interior details look super, terrific news that the body is ready, awesome pictures of your new assistant Abby (she looks so happy and comfortable!), and things are nearing completion!

I like what you did with the cupholders; both wrapping them in insulating material, and the leather cutouts in the bottom. I think it will make a nice difference compared to leaving them unfinished.

I am looking forward to seeing her all come together! I hope it goes smoothly, and you share lots of pictures! Keep up the great work.

Regards,

Steve

[Jazzman]

I was hoping to pick up the body yesterday, but several things got in the way. My trailer source was out of town, but he agreed to let me "steal" the trailer from his yard. The biggest problems were a) friday turned out to be unusually busy for a Friday in the Summer, and b) it was 117 when I could have left the house. I decided i could wait until tuesday when it will be a cool 104. Matt at Kandy Shoppe Creations emailed me these photos to tease me!!

After all the under body prep was complete, they taped off all the areas that should not get bedliner or paint.





They applied Bedliner to the entire underside of the body:





They applied Silver base coat:

[Jazzman]

Next they applied several coats of "Burgundy" Candy:



They added several coats of clear:



Finally they set it out in the Arizona sun to bake!! Here is the final color. Please forgive the somewhat blotchy tone. When the photo was taken, the sun had moved and the body was in the shade of a tree.





I am looking forward to getting it back and beginning the final push towards full paint on the outside!!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Sounds like they are going to do topside paint with it on the chassis...correct?

Jeff

[Jazzman]

Sounds like they are going to do topside paint with it on the chassis...correct?

Jeff

Yep. That's the plan. I was sort of surprised by it, but they seem to feel that by doing it this way they can get the final fit just "so". Kandy Shoppe has certainly not steered me wrong yet, so I will continue to trust them.

[Jazzman]

In between family obligations, I have slowly been checking off minor items from the punch list. I am trying to get all the wiring issues ironed out. I started with the simple ones. Got the switch hooked up that will feed the lights inside the hood. Nothing fancy, but nice to have it checked off the list.



All the carpet is in, and the side panels on the PS and DS footboxes are refitted. It took just a bit of trimming, but they are in place. I have not permanently attached them yet. I am stalling as long as I can. I worked a bit on reinstalling the attachment points for the hood latches. I won't be sure of their final placement until the hood is attached for the last time. When I am sure of how it fits, I plan to make two stainless steel plates to install where the latches may rub against the side of the footboxes. I talked with my friend that has the mill, he said he would be happy to cut them out for me.



I worked on pre-setting ride height on the rear wheels. It's not hard, just a bit repetitive. Lift the car, adjust the coil over shocks, lower the car, measure, repeat. The entire car currently sits at 4.5" off the ground. I will do the process after the body and everything else is installed. I did discovers something I was not expecting. A broken emergency brake fitting. When I was adjusting the DS rear wheel, something about the emergency brake line just didn't look right. It kept nagging at my brain, so finally I compared to to the PS e-brake. The aluminum bracket is broken! Take a look at the bracket just above the red arrow.



Now I have two questions: How in the world did it get broken, and how do I keep it from breaking again? I can rule out my enormous biceps as the reason it broke! It doesn't look like anything hit it, there are no other dents or scratches on other parts (Not to mention I have only driven it 7 miles!!) Best guess, it looks like the torque of the E-brake cable actually snapped off the mounting point. This one is a mystery. I will call FFR tomorrow to see if they have any ideas. and see if they can help me figure out which part needs to be replaced. Looks like I get to take apart the rear brake area before I even get 10 miles on the car!

[Jazzman]

The "butter-mobile" is home. I picked up the body from Kandy Shoppe Creations yesterday morning. It turns out this was a good choice. Last friday when I could have picked it up, it was 117. Yesterday morning it was a balmy 90 degrees! The body looks even better in person. The bedliner is very nicely done, the color is gorgeous. Photos sadly do not do it justice yet. I can't wait to get it all put back together and get the top coat done!!





I installed the shoulder harnesses last night. It wasn't hard, but I sure managed to make it as difficult as possible. I forgot to install the trim rings on cockpit side before I ran the harnesses through. Everything worth doing is worth doing twice, right? I found that it was helpful to put two thick washers between the upper mounting point and the attachement ring on the shoulder harness. it lets the harness slip more easily for adjustment.





I removed the broken emergency brake part from the DS rear brake assembly. It looks to be in perfect condition, except for the broken brake cable mounting point.







I am calling Wilwood today to find out what to do.

UPDATE: I called Wilwood. The replacement part is #110-8830 for the DS. It costs $21.43 shipped and will be here next week. They had no explanation of how it might have gotten broken so early, and no suggestions on how to prevent it in the future. They did suggest I call FFR, which I will also do. It would appear at this point that it is just a defective part. Too bad they wouldn't stand behind it.

[Kyle @ Forma]

Jazzman,

Great build so far! I love the flip-top plus all the details that show that it's actually a "driver's car".

It's a small touch but the underhood lighting switch location is perfect; it's nearly invisible to onlookers but conveniently located when you need it.

I'm subscribed and look forward to updates.

[wareaglescott]

Looks good Kevin! Get that butter mobile put on the go cart! Cant wait to see the flip top in action.
You are still working on that electrically activated hydraulically actuated lift system right?....

[Jazzman]

Sometimes you just have to be willing to admit you got too smart for your own good. I was pretty pleased with myself after I figured I could "hide" the amp for the stereo in the trunk, but have it completely out of the sight lines. It used to be mounted above the speakers inside the trunk on the four bolts that are above the frame rail:



When the amp got fried due to a stray wire hitting the positive battery terminal, I was forced to remove and replace the amp. Removing it proved much more difficult than expected, and the body isn't even on yet. The bolts that it was mounted to were installed before the carpet. The carpet now covers the bolt heads. Looks good, but you can't get to them to unscrew the nuts. As expect under Murphy's first immutable law, three of the nuts came off with only minor strain, but the fourth was just not going to come off without a fight. I got to thinking how difficult (even impossible) this task would be once the body is on. I got the last nut off, but I have decided that as "smart" as this location might be, it really would be impossible to service. THerefore, I am re-wiring the speaker system to put the amp under the dash. While removing the dash with the body on will be no picnic, it is possible.

Now I have to decide what amp to put back in. I want to have an amp that does not require a "head" unit. It needs to have bluetooth built in to connect directly to my phone/computer/pad. This severely limits my options. I liked the size of the SoundStream ST4.1000DB that I had. However, the installation instructions were clearly (actually UN-Clearly) written by someone who does not speak English as a first language . . . perhaps not even as a second! They also don't seem to have any type of customer service number. I am considering purchasing a different brand of amp just so that I can get more helpful installing instructions. I found a nice Rockford Fosgate amp that looked very good, but it was too big to fit in the very limited space available on the back side of the firewall behind the dashboard. I am researching choices tonight. I have to get one ordered ASAP!

I reconnected the rear speakers to the wires that were already there. The trunk area is now ready for the body to be installed. The punch list is getting shorter!

Update: After looking at every bluetooth enabled amp I could find, the best combination of features, size, price, and lack of features (I don't need dancing lights on my amp!!) turned out to be the same Soundstream amp I had before. I ordered another one. I will endeavor to not fry this one!!

[jceckard]

could you surgically slice open the carpet to remove the screws, then install rivnuts or something and screw the amp in place from the trunk? i bet the carpet would go back together without a hint of the surgery.

[Jazzman]

could you surgically slice open the carpet to remove the screws, then install rivnuts or something and screw the amp in place from the trunk? i bet the carpet would go back together without a hint of the surgery.

Yes, I probably could, and I considered it. I could even surgicaly peel back the carpet, do what you suggest, and then reglue the carpet in place. But it would still leave the amp in a very tight location if I ever needed to do any service on it. It would literally require body removal to work on the amp. All things considered, I think putting it up front under the dash is probably best. It was what i had originally planned, then I over thought and decided to put it in the trunk. K.I.S.S.!!

[Jazzman]

For the first time since returning from my "vacation" I finally got an entire saturday in the shop! What a joy. I have an entire laundry last of minor tasks to check off. I started by trying to replace the broken emergency brake part. The replacement part had arrived from Wilwood a couple of days ago. I had to take the old piece apart to install the old parts into the new bracket. For some reason, it wouldn't go together correctly. I tried twice, to no avail, then laid the old part and the new part side by side:



Apparently Wilwood sent me the PS part instead of the DS part. I know I ordered the DS part, and I sent them a photo so they would be sure to send the right part. I will call them again on Monday.

I installed the 8 threaded rivnuts that will allow access to the fuel pump. The cover plate is now powder coated to match.





The seats are now fully installed. The seat belts are all installed and adjusted for length. The seat heaters are all installed. I think they work, but it is so hot here the internal thermostats shut them off before they get hot. I guess I will have to wait to be sure they work until the fall.



I installed the hood trusses for what (I hope) will be the last time. This time I installed them with nylock nuts.

[Jazzman]

I spent more time trying to hunt down the wiring problem that is keeping my water temperature and oil pressure gauges from working correctly. I rechecked all my wires and traced them all the way from the sending units to the gauges. Right now I have both negative wires coming together at a weatherpack disconnect where they merge into one common ground wire. This is the only thing that deviates from the standard FFR instructions. Other than this, the wires flow directly from the sending unit to the gauges. Until I put the pipes back on, I can't test if they are working. For that I have to put the body back on. That is certainly the next step.

After avoiding the decision as long as I could, it was now time to permanently attach the outside footbox walls. The footboxes are now complete and permanently attached. I hope I won't regret that decision. I am pleased that both the top pieces of the DS footbox are fully removable, even with the body on. Since this area is the most likely to be accessed, it seemed prudent to make this section removable.



Tomorrow's project is to reattach the hood to the hinge system. With a bit of luck, I might even get the body back on. So nice to have a full weekend to work on the car! Wise me luck!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Luck!

Jeff

[wareaglescott]

I'm excited to see the hood and body on the car! Looking forward to next update.

[Boydster]

Keep on truckin, Jazz. This one is getting exciting.

[Jazzman]

Practice clearly makes improvement. The hood went on with far less drama than the last time. It still fights a little bit, but where would be the fun if it all slipped together easily! The hinge connections are still slightly loose so that they can settle into correct placement as it settles into the body. (learned that trick the second time around . . . or was it the third???).





I started attaching the hood scoop. I first trimmed 1/2" from the outside edge. The lip was a full 1.25" wide, and it just looked too wide. I began at the top (the rear) and measured the center of the opening that was already cut. There just doesn't seem to be any good point across the entire hood to measure from. So many curves, no straight lines! I attached the scoop at the top center hole so that it hung down (hopefully) straight. I then used a 4' drywall square to measure the front edges to make sure they were centered. Because of the way the hood curves at this point, I can lay the square across the hood and have it touch at the center, at the fender roll, and on the side at the fender edge. It is the most consistent measuring point I could figure out. After confirming that both sides were equal distance from the fenders, I drilled two more holes at the bottom and screwed the bottom of the scoop into place. I drilled all the remaining holes spaced 2" apart.







I stepped back to admire my handiwork . . . and something is not right. Yes, I screwed up (yes again!!) I centered the bottom of the scoop, but not the top. It is just enough outside of perfect to drive me nuts for the rest of my life!! So now, I have to take it off, fill all the holes, re-mark it all, attach it correctly, and re-drill the new holes. (I hope to high heaven that Kandy Shoppe Creations can fix my mistakes!!)

[Jazzman]

I am almost ready to put the body onto the frame (hopefully) for the last time. Matt at Kandy Shoppe Creations suggested that I add a layer of sound deadening material on the underside of the body in placed that will never be seen. I ordered one more box (that's a total of three for those that are counting) of the 70mm thick Thermo Tec Cool It Heat and Acoustical Control Mat. In short order I had cut up and used every last inch of it. All of it will never be seen.

I started by applying it below and in front of the doors.



Then I cut a large piece to put into the space between the roll bars above the trunk. This will also have an added advantage of reflecting the LED lighting inside the upper trunk area.



I added large strips to the space above and in front of the dash, above the firewall.



Finally, I added pieces inside the rear quarter panels:





It really does make the body sound very solid. I hope to never see it again! Now if I can get my son to come over after he watches "Game of Thrones", we will put the body on tonight . . . I hope!!

[Jazzman]

Apparently "Game of Thrones" was a full evening event. My son did not have time to come over and help me get the body on. I am looking at my remaining punch list of items before the car goes back to the Kandy Shoppe. I realized that I still need to cut the slots in the top of the body for the windshield. The marks for the slots are long gone. Does anyone have any drawings or measurements of where those slots should be? I can probably figure out where they should be side to side based upon the mounting points on the body, but how far forward of the edge do the slots begin, and how long are the slots? Any photos and measurements of a factory cut body would be appreciated. Thanks!!

[Jazzman]

Late last week i finally was able to get the help I needed to put the body on for (hopefully) the last time. It went on very easily. The bolt holes on the DS lined up fine, just a little encouragement, and they slipped right into place. This time it was the PS that was stubborn. It took more than a little encouragement to get the bolts into place. I have no idea why it wouldn't just slip into place like the other side. I even loosened the other side a bit to let the entire body "float" just a little while I got all the bolts in place. I finally got it to fit together, but it was a fight! This time I used blue loctite on the bolts holding the body in place. I didn't want those little beggars falling out and going into the rear tire! The body feels very solid. It sounds great when you tap on it. It sounds thick and solid. I think the sound control sheets on the inside of the body are doing their job. I only wish i could apply some sound control inside the doors. They still sound too hollow. He FFR: how about pre-filling the doors with expanding foam to make the doors sound more solid.

I put the dash back in. I intentionally put the body on without the dash in place to see if it could be installed (or removed) with the body in place. I am am glad I did this test. And the answer is . . . failed! I did get the dash into place, but it was a very ugly and difficult process. I wouldn't ever want to do it again that way! The ends don't fit correctly, and it required some serious bending and twisting of the dash to get it into place. While the dash was off, one of the invisible mounting brackets came off. I have not yet found an adhesive that will bond aluminum to aluminum. I examined the other three mounting brackets. While they still seem to be firmly attached, the adhesive that squeezed out around the edge doesn't look "right". I am concerned that one or more of the brackets will fail in the future. Without small bolts or rivets holding the brackets in place, I am just not sure this system is trustworthy. i have been seriously thinking about making an entirely new dashboard. I'm not happy with the mounting system, I trimmed the top too low, and I can lay an even more smooth finish, So I am going to make another dashboard. I will do it after the car is painted. For now, I will keep this one in place.

Saturday morning I took the car out for the first drive in quite a while. As expected, the Coyote fired right up. I love this engine!! I drove it around the neighborhood for about 15 minutes, but it was just too hot to do any more than that. It drove great!! Good news, the oil pressure gauge registers quite well. I was initially very concerned because when I fired up the engine, the oil pressure rocketed up to almost 100. However, it dropped steadily as the idle settled down, and once I had driven it for only a minute, it dropped down to very acceptable level. Bad news: the water temperature gauge still does not respond. I will have to go back and trace that one for the upteenth time. This one should't be this difficult. Clearly I am missing something.

I am meeting this week with several people that have been following my build with interest. I took a few photos to show them my progress while I had the car outside.









The hidden trunk support system works wonderfully!





There are still a lot of details to figure out before I take the entire car back to the Kandy Shoppe:
1. The doors don't quite fit as well as I would like. The top of the doors, both front and back, can be adjusted into a location that very smoothly flows from one panel to the next. The bottom front of the door fits Ok as well. The problem is the bottom rear corners of the door. They both protrude out beyond the bottom of the body in that area. I haven't quite figured out what to do about that.
2. The hood scoop is close, but close isn't good enough. I will have to remove and re-install it in a correctly centered location.
3. The correct broken emergency brake part arrived. Thankfully this should be a pretty easy fix. Just have to get to it.
4. The hood will need some rubber bumper material along the edge that that will rub on the body. I need to find the right material, and haven't found it yet. It needs to be about 1" wide, no more than 1/8" thick when the dash is closed, and firm enough to stand up to the rigors of a vibrating hood. Since the inside of the hood is already painted, I could attach the rubber stripping on the inside of the hood. This is the preferred location from an appearance standpoint. However, I am not sure if I should permanently install it until the entire body is completely painted, inside and out. I will have to ask my painter. Ideas for sources of high quality, self stick, closed cell or firm rubber weather stripping would be appreciated.
5. Adjusting the hood and it's relationship to the body is a critical process. I want the hood to close as smoothly as possible, and the teeth to line up as naturally as possible with the holes into which they will go. This will be a slow trial and error process of carefully adjusting how the hood is mounted to the hinge systems to fine the most advantageous combination of adjustments. This one will be slow.
6. The trunk needs to be fitted into the opening, and appropriate gaps established. I think I will just leave this for the body work people. The same is probably true for the hood/body gaps. They would probably re-do my attempts anyway!!
7. I have torn the shop apart, but I can't find the DS hood latch. Thankfully I have one more unmodified latch that I can modify to fit. It is just frustrating to have to redo this part when I know it is somewhere! I just can't figure out where I put it. (I fully expect to find the lost latch as soon as I complete the modification of the new latch!!) Once I get the new latch made, then I will have to get them fully adjusted so that the sides of the car close to the point that the correct gap is left. This should be fun!!

[wareaglescott]

Looking good Kevin!
On the oil pressure jumping to 100psi on start and staying high initially that is what I see every time and have read many other accounts from other builders on the exact same behavior. That is normal.
Interesting comment on wanting the doors heavier. I actually quite like the light weight and ease at which they open and close. Mine close with almost no effort.

You didn't mention it but where you able to determine where to make the openings for the windshield?

I think I saw the new puppy heading out to the back yard with the latch in his mouth!! ha
Have a good trip and I look forward to the next update.

[edwardb]

I only wish I could apply some sound control inside the doors. They still sound too hollow. He FFR: how about pre-filling the doors with expanding foam to make the doors sound more solid.

You're making great progress! Some have used expanding foam on the inside of the doors and report it makes them sound more solid. But be careful. Use only the low pressure type. Some doors have been destroyed by using the wrong type of foam. Even with the right material, there's some risk IMO and I haven't taken the chance. I'm guessing you don't have any type of gasket material around the door edges yet? With D-tube self adhesive cushion around the edges they sound much better when closing and I find completely acceptable. The originals with their steel frame and thin aluminum skins probably didn't sound like your father's Oldsmobile when closing either.

The doors don't quite fit as well as I would like. The top of the doors, both front and back, can be adjusted into a location that very smoothly flows from one panel to the next. The bottom front of the door fits Ok as well. The problem is the bottom rear corners of the door. They both protrude out beyond the bottom of the body in that area. I haven't quite figured out what to do about that.

Door fitting can be challenging. Usually, the PS falls into place without too much drama. The DS is the one most of us have trouble with. With where you're at in the finishing process, not the right time to be doing more body work. I'd suggest moving the body out slightly at the rear corners. That's the usual practice to help with the DS. Sounds like you need to do it on both sides. I like to add a piece of rubber cushion behind the body when I move it out so it's still sitting against something solid. But that's just my preference. Likely not really required. It bends pretty easily and shouldn't take much. If you have the body firmly anchored toward the front of the doors, shouldn't affect your tilt front alignment.

[mrpipes]

If you decide to redo your dash, take a look at these:

https://www.mcmaster.com/#pem-style-studs/=18x7gtc

Brian

[Jazzman]

The checklist is getting shorter. I got the slots marked and cut for the windshield. I used a small straight edge to line up where the slot had to be on the underside of the body. I drilled the a marker hole from the underside up throught the top to show where the slot edge should be. I used a 1/4" drill bit to cut the slot, leaving it intentionally short. I had to do a bit of cutting and fitting.



I discovered I did one thing right: making the top of the DS footbox removeable even after the body is on was invaluable. (Of course I wouldn't have needed it If I had cut the slots earlier!!) By being able to remove the cover, I was able to gain access to the underside of the body to cut the slot for the windshield support.



I trimmed 1.25" off the bottom of the windshield support bracket. I do love the die-grinder with a cutoff wheel!! A bit of smoothing and shaping, a couple of holes drilled in each side, and the windshield is ready to mount. Now it's back in it's box until the paint is done.



I removed four of the five screws that I had holding the hood scoop in place. I measured multiple times from multiple points and I am convinced the top/back center mounting hole is in the right place. I was able to slide the front/nose end of the scoop about 1/8" to the PS, and the scoop now looks like it is line up perfectly. Visually from every angle it looks right. However when I measure it, it technically is not quite centered. Please don't tell anyone!! As it turns out, the change is so small that the extra holes will be entirely covered by the washers on the underside of the scoop opening. Looks like I dodged a bullet on that one.

[Jazzman]

I test fitted the filler panel below and inside the doors. I discovered a pretty big problem: They are not deep enough!







The horizontal portion is not wide enough to cover the frame and the carpet. I also decided I did not like the powdercoated look on this part. I think it should be color matched to the paint. I have to make a completly new piece to be wide enought to correctly cover the opening. Since I am remaking it anyway, I decided to make it a bit longer on either end to more completely cover he opening between the frame and the body. At the rear of the door opening, the trim piece did not completely cover the open space. I know, I know, I am being anal again. It's a gift . . . and a curse!

I spent quite a bit of time drawing out and expanding the size of the trim pieces to provide a truly custom fit. I also decided to make a 1/4" rolled over edge to cover the edge of the carpet. The pieces are all drawn, but this is far too complex for me to try to bend myself. I am going to have to find someone with a very nice sheet metal brake that can help me form these up.





I never did find the missing hood latch. After making three of them, I am pretty good at modifying the last one. I made short work of that and installed the DS latch on the body. After the car is at the Kandy Shoppe for final paint, I am going to work with my friend with the mill to make some stainless steel cover plates that will hide the adjustable nature of the frame mounted latch points.

[edwardb]

I test fitted the filler panel below and inside the doors. I discovered a pretty big problem: They are not deep enough!

You are planning leave those exposed versus using the supplied carpet pieces to cover? With carpet, the fit isn't critical because they're completely buried. I'm a nut for powder coat, but those are two of only a few parts on my build that aren't powder coated. I did add some binding on the exposed edge of the carpet. But other than that the kit supplied pieces.