Visit our community sponsor
Texas is definitely hot this time of year. Being this close to the Gulf kept us at a balmy 97 yesterday. However, it was time to do maintenance on the privacy fence and decks, so I spent five hours Saturday and three hours yesterday on the pressure washer. I sure was glad to go to work today!
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.
Good News! Good News!
I got an email from Tony Z. at FFR and my stage 2 is on the truck. It will probably be delivered in 4 to 5 days.
I think I have also trimmed down my tire and wheel decision. I have to say it was rough to find a set of rims that had sizes that were both narrow enough for the front and wide enough for the rears. At least finding rims that I like and will fit.
I am still waiting on an email from Dan Ruth about being able to use 30" tall tires when using the adjustable control arms. If that is true then I am finally down to two options. The final decision will be made by SWMBO as she controls the budget for me. (Not doing much of a good job... I just updated the budget on my build blog... OUCH!) There is an $800 difference in the two options but I could live with both of them.
Option 1
Mickey Thompson 29" X 18" on 20" X 15" Rims
Option 2
Mickey Thompson 30" X 12" on 18" Rims
Both options will have the same front tires
Mickey Thompson 26" X 8" on 18" X 7" Rims
Here are the rims I am planning on going with.
I just got the email from Dan and he said that I can run 30" tires but that I would have to alter the shock mounts. Not sure what that entails since he said it was in the instructions sent with the adjustable control arms. The instructions are at home so I will have to wait and see what it takes.
nice wheels!
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
So have been getting ready for my stage 2 delivery which is coming tomorrow! WooHoo!
I started off my weekend by grabbing the floor panels that have been sitting for a couple weeks letting the Sound Control and Ceramic insulation from Lizard Skin dry. Not that it needed that time, I was just able to get to them. I was worried that I might not be able to get the tape off where the frames sit because they sat so long but it was not a problem. Find a corner of the tape and it all just peeled off with sharp lines.
Before setting them on the car I went ahead and took the time to install the shifter and get it set. I've had the shifter for a couple months now and finally felt like getting it going. It is a Lokar Nostalgic shifter kit for the 700R4. It has a LONG shifter arm that I might have to replace. I wanted something old school with a bit of the Rat Fink feel to it but at 24" this one might be to long. I will know when the body gets here if I need to change it. It might be over the top of the windshield.
Once the shifter was in place I went ahead and set the floor pans into place. None of them are riveted in place yet as I want to be able to remove them to install the exhaust which shows up tomorrow with stage 2. ( Worst idea ever was to have the exhaust in stage 2! )
As up can see from this picture the shifter is quite a bit higher than the fire wall and steering wheel.
-- Mike -- TxMike64 -- @TxMGarage
Gen1.5 Hot Rod '33 #1094 (Stage 1) - 302/AOD '15 IRS - Quad Built - Build Thread
That is a wheel I bought from the booth for Affordable Rod Parts at the Good guys car show in Dallas. I wish I could tell you what part number it is but if you call the guy at ARP and send him the photo he will be able to tell you. According to my budget page it did cost me $125.00 with an additional $35 for the adapter to get it to fit the IDidit steering column. They had a huge selection of steering wheels in more colors than you want to think about.
Another item I bought because FFR decided to put it in Stage 2 and not stage 1 where it belongs.
Tim
I have a fairly long shift rod on my 47RH tranny combo and it did flex a little in use giving a bit of a mushy feel.
I slid a length of steel fuel line tubing over the all-thread and it firmed up the feel, it also takes away any possible
chafing of wires should they get too close to that area. HTH
Dale
Wow!
What a difference a day makes!
Yesterday I got a delivery for the Hot Rod. I caught the truck while it was here so I could post the required picture.
I got everything into the driveway with the help of Perkster029 (Ryan). Once the truck left Ryan and I pulled the doors, waterfall and trunk lid off the body and set it onto the frame. I have not bolted anything down yet but wanted it where I could take some measurements.
So in just one day it went to this...
After Ryan left I emptied a couple of the boxes and tossed the seats into place.
Since I am not going to run a hood or side panels the front of the car does not change its looks much.
So I did my inventory last night and what a joy... There was nothing missing except for one part, the transmission tunnel. A few items on back order but nothing major. There are even a few on back order that I received. :-)
What I did find were a ton of extra parts. Yeah go figure.
I asked for them to delete the head lights and they did... But only the head lights. I still ended up with the headlight cans, mounting and wiring.
I asked them to delete the hood and they did, along with the hood hinge assembly. But I still received the hood hinge assembly, and the gas piston, and prop rod and ends, the firewall pins and a bag with a ton of hood bolts.
In one of the bags I got the following two parts... Both are the same but while going through the inventory I could not figure out what they are. I am sure someone here can tell me right quick without having to go through each page of the manual.
Just sitting here looking at the photo I am starting to think they are the bulkheads where the cable should be going through the firewall. Maybe....
Those look like conduit fittings.... Did they accidentally grab the electricians parts stash...?
-- Mike -- TxMike64 -- @TxMGarage
Gen1.5 Hot Rod '33 #1094 (Stage 1) - 302/AOD '15 IRS - Quad Built - Build Thread
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
Those are for the hood pins, they go in the fire wall. But if your not running a hood you won't need them.
CVOBill
MK2 #???? Delivered 11/2002, Finished and Titled 6/2003 5.0, T-5, 4-Link, Sold 3/2005
Hot Rod #304 purchased 5/28/2017 from original owner Unassembled . Titled and plated 8/24/2017 Coyote,
TKO, 3-Link, Heat, A/C, Electric Power Steering, Convertible top
MK4 #9524 Picked up 1/18/19 306 Blueprint, T-5, 4-Link, Gas-N Pipes, Heater
Thanks guys... I knew someone would know exactly what they were.
Lookin' good, Tim!!
With the weather finally cooperating I was able to get quite a bit done on the car this weekend. Since stage 2 had been delivered I finally had some parts that I had been waiting on. I started Saturday morning and got all the exhaust put on.
I originally put the passenger side on with the muffler upside down so the tip stuck out way to far. I went back and flipped it over so the tip was where I wanted it.
Just looking at how close the muffler is to the floor board I have decided that I am going to wrap the pipes and the muffler to try and keep some of the heat out. I have lizard skin for sound and heat on the floor panels but I don't think that it would be enough. I am planning on this being a driver and not a show car so I don't think wrapping it is going to be a problem for me.
I also pulled part of the shifter mount and was able to put the shifter rod and knob back on. I pulled it worried that it would be in the way getting the body on but it was not. But once the body was on I was unable to screw the shifter back on because it hit the dash. Now that it is back on I can shift without hitting anything.
Now I am wondering if I am going to be able to reach the shifter knob when buckled into the seat. I have head that some folks have trouble reaching the dash when buckled in and this is really up there.
After that was all done I went back to wiring. I finished most of the wiring up in the grill area. The headlights, high beam, turn signals, and parking lights are all done. I also did the electric fan and the horn is mostly done. Looks like I am going to have to pull the grill to plug in the horns. I just can't get my hands in there enough to plug them in. I mounted the starter into place and was able to wire the 1-wire alternator to it. I have the battery wire and the solenoid left to do and the starter will be ready. After that I only have the water temp sending unit, oil pressure sending unit and two wires to the dizzy left and I will be done with the wiring in front of the firewall.
Not bad for a weekend of work while watching movies on the TV.
It's looking good Tim. You made a lot of progress this weekend.
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.
When you have the seats in you should be may bend the shifter (in vice with protection) so it fits to you.
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
Well by the grace of God and permission from SWMBO I ordered the tires for the Hot Rod today. Both Jegs and Summit Racing had rebates on Mickey Thompson tires and they both had Special Promos on orders over a certain amount. I could have ordered them from Jegs and been done with it but I called Summit and asked them to price match. They are great at price matching and even though the sub total at Summit was less they have to charge Sales Tax because we are both in Texas. So they lowered the price of the tires to be able to beat Jegs.
After matching it to get the final price down below Jegs I ended up with the following Mickey Thompson Tires.
Sportsman S/R, LT 29 X 18 R20s
Regular Price $428.75 each
Matched Price $386.25 each
Sportsman S/R, LT 26 X 8 R18s
Regular Price $229.65 each
Matched Price $190.15 each.
SWMBO and I are going to pick them up tonight.
Now I just need the wheels to put them on.
SWMBO and I went to Summit Racing yesterday and picked up the tires. Good thing I took the Durango as I don't think that the rear tires would have fit anywhere in my Challenger.
I was worried at one time that the 8" wide tires for the front were too big and would not give that fat and skinny look that I want. But after seeing them next to each other I don't think that is a problem. The problem I have now is seeing them every time I walk in the garage and have to wait to get the wheels that I want.
It has been over a year since the Hot Rod was delivered and I still don't have a roller.
So besides the new tires I did work on the Hot Rod over the long weekend. I received the transmission tunnel from FFR last Friday and I had finished spraying the sound control and heat control on the floor pans. So I put them and the transmission tunnel into place to see how it was going to fit. I found that once I put in the exhaust I had to put in a spacer under the tail shaft of the transmission. That raised the transmission enough to put up into the passenger side floor pan and transmission tunnel some.
So I am going to have to trim for that and also trim the center of the transmission tunnel to clear the shifter. It was just a bit to narrow to clear it close to the base.
As you can see from this picture I also got back to wiring. When I set the body on I saw right away that I was going to have to move my fuse panel. The body sat on it where it was mounted and was also showing under the dash too much. So I pulled it out and not it is setting on the floor board. I am going to have to figure out how to mount it. I went with a 3rd party wire harness from American Auto Wire and when I had FFR remove the wire harness they also removed the aluminum plate that the fuse panel mounted to.
I have most of the engine, front lights, horn and sensors wired up in front. Just a couple things left on the front, like the tach connection. I also have the ignition, dimmer switch, light switch, and gauge wiring done.
I will finish the engine next and then start on the AC wiring.
Now for the question for everyone.
See the blue wire bundle that is running towards the back, kind of between the transmission cover and the seat. That has the wires for the stuff in the back of the car, things like the lights, turn signals, fuel pump and gas gauge. Most people are running this under the car around the transmission and drive shaft. Does anyone see an issue with running it along the inside next to the transmission tunnel and back to the rear cabin bulkhead and then through a grommet? It would be under the carpet so it's not like it would be seen or anything. Why run it under the car?
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.
Yes they do go up in price. Which is why I currently do not have the wheels yet, trying to keep SWMBO happy for the most part. At the moment I am going with a pair of Custom Burnouts from American Racing. They are actually one of the few companies that I have found that will do up to a 15" wide rim and also have a matching 7" wide rim for the front. Seems like most companies that will do a small rim stop at 12" wide rim. I have started to notice that most cars that have really wide tires in back have different rims front and back and that is not something I want to do.
This one is also the cheapest. Most of the 15" wide rims I found have been over $1,000 each. The Burnouts are around $800.00, give or take a few bucks.
-- Mike -- TxMike64 -- @TxMGarage
Gen1.5 Hot Rod '33 #1094 (Stage 1) - 302/AOD '15 IRS - Quad Built - Build Thread
Well, the way I figure it, I have the sound and heat kit from FFR. From what I have seen the heat kit is blocks\sheets of foam that are glued to the transmission cover and I thought the floor. (Apparently there is nothing for the floor.) I though that if there is foam on the transmission cover that I could just trim it a bit and the wires would run right at the joint of the foam and the floor. Should be easy to get the carpet to lay flat after that.
This weekend the weather was awesome and was in the mid to high 80s , versus being 98 or higher. I was able to get into the garage and work on the Hot Rod both Saturday and Sunday for quite a while.
The first thing I worked on was the wiring and figuring out where to mount it. A quick trip to Lowes got me some sheet metal that I was able to cut to size and then bend using my vice. I mounted the fuse panel and then cut another piece out and mounted it over the top of the fuse box mount.
I am using that spot to mount the control until for the Dakota Digital gauge cluster. I have to go in and cut and reconnect all the sensor leads as the wires are way too long now. I don't want a rats nest of wires under the dash.
Once I got to this point I pulled the transmission cover and passenger side floor pan so I could trim them. I needed to trim the floor pan where it hits the transmission. The transmission cover had to be trimmed to clear the shifter where it comes out. I also noticed that I am going to have to pull it again because the bolt that connects to the shifter on the side of the transmission is dragging on the cover. I am going to have to flip the bolt around so the head is closer to the cover.
With the floor pan off I was again able to do more work on the exhaust. I had put the exhaust on a while back but I never did the exhaust hangers that connect to the frame. I know that the manual says to drill holes and bolt of on but I don't like the idea of drilling holes in the frame. So I pulled out the wire welder and did an ugly job of welding the exhaust hangers onto the frame. There are also welds on the top of the mount as well. It's ugly but it stands up to some good whacks with the hammer so I think it will work ok.
I am going to have to do this on the other side of the car as well. So I am not quite ready to rivet in the floor pans just yet.
While this was cooling I grabbed my riveter and put the rivets into the sheet metal on the back of the cab. I still have to rivet in the "access panel" to the back of the cab. Since I am planning on putting my battery in the trunk I don't need to worry about pulling that panel back off, so it will be riveted in. I also finished the riveting of the sheet metal under the fuel tank.
I then pulled the sheet metal for the trunk area and tacked it into place with some clecos. This let me start drilling rivet holes in that metal to get it ready to eventually go in.
I also cleaned up the garage some and cleared out some room on the storage loft and moved the tires up and out of the way. At one time I was worried that I was not going with small enough tires for the front. I was thinking that I was not going to get the fat\skinny look that I want. I don't think I am going to have a problem with that.
Now I am going to complete the wiring, mount and wire the power steering control unit, wire the AC unit, and run the AC lines out to the front of the firewall. Once done with that I can start getting ready to put the body on. (and off, and on, and off, and on)
Nice job Tim...Coming along nicely!
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
Looks great Tim. I am running my wiring inside the car also between the transmission tunnel and console.
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.
See the brass/gold ish colored nuts? I used them instead of the nuts supplied with the kit.
IMG_0116.jpgIMG_0118.jpg
I got a little closer to completing the wiring under the dash. The ignition, light switch, dimmer petal, and gauge control unit are all done now.
I think the only thing I have left under the dash is the AC unit and the brake switch.
I did get the control unit mounted to the metal above the fuse panel. I ran the wires and tire wrapped them to the frame and then cut them to the correct length for the control unit. Some I ran under the unit and the others were right to the side. I left a little extra in the wires in case I do have to move it at a later time.
I drilled a couple holes in the transmission tunnel as well. This would be so I can run the wires out from under the dash out to the front of the car. Only problem with that was the holes are to small for the heads of the wires. I could not find a hole saw that was big enough so I still don't have the transmission tunnel back in place.
So it has been a while since I have done an update. Work is still going on slowly, but surly.
I pulled the body off the saw horses in the yard and put it onto the frame.
I just set the waterfall in and put the seats into place.
I clamped the body and firewall.
Drivers side
Passenger side
I measured the body to set the back at 45.5" inches and then put the spacers between the frame and wheel wells.
There is a limit of 7 photos per post so I will continue on the next post.
Setting up the body has allowed me to measure the wheel well spaces for the required backspace.
The front of the wheel well has a section that comes out and makes it narrow. I still think I have room for the tires I have. :-)
Once I got the measurements I needed for the wheels I went back to the wiring. Since I have moved the battery to the trunk the supplied power line from the starter to the battery would not work. So I bought a power kill switch, mounted it and then ran the positive power through it.
I had to mount it so a small piece of sheet metal and then riveted that onto the body work behind the seats and under the waterfall.
Now it looks like I am going to have to pull the motor and transmission to allow me to finish off the firewall, and to also move the engine and transmission back at least a 1/2 inch. The brackets and pulleys that I bought are just not working. So I am going to have to buy a set of brackets and pulleys that are going to work. I think I am going to go with the v-belt set from Billet Specialties.
http://www.billetspecialties.com/v-t...ystems/v-trac/
According to their specs the crank pulley comes out 6.25" from the face of the block. Problem with that is the steering rack is 6" from the face of the block. So I have to move the engine back at least a 1/2 inch to be able to clear the steering rack.
Will the waterfall interfere with the switch when its installed as it sits forward of the rear panel? Or will you be able to drill a simple hole in it so it just peeks through? I haven't decided where to place mine yet and ran into that issue when i tried it in that location and realized If i place any type of arm rest storage there it will be inside of it.
AJT,
Actually it sits below the waterfall. As you can see from this picture that waterfall does not come all the way down to the drive shaft cover. Thats the reason I put the waterfall and seats in before I figured out where I wanted it. I had also saw someone else had out it there.
Well, my final delivery has been made. I received my last backorder box from FFR and opened it up yesterday. It was the interior upholstery box and contained the waterfall cover, the door panels, arm rest, and the center arm rest.
I was impressed with the upholstery job on the parts. They look great.