JimLev's Build

[AJT '33]

Almost done with the A-pillars.
Every part that touched the body needed fixing.

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Attachment 130650

Jim, make sure your door opens and closes with clearance with the seals. As well if you have windows, make sure any frames or felts that you install have clearance as well so it does not rub on the edge of the hard top lip as well, this should be tight enough to alleviate air squealing/whining. Also if you have power windows don;t cut the felts that go on the door lip until its all together AFTER paint. I cut them too soon and needed to get replacements from FFR as they ended up too short in the end.

Have fun!

[JimLev]

Thanks for all info guys. Yes NAZ the body and doors are a PITA to deal with. At least one can't see both sides at the same time.
As much as I'd like to bond the top to the body I'd be losing easy access to the fuel pickup and level sensor.

Good info AJT on the clearance for the window seals. I do have power windows that I haven't cut the slots for yet.

I have the roof off again to fill in the part below the windshield so the seal to the cowl will have a smooth area to stick too.

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[AJT '33]

Thanks for all info guys. Yes NAZ the body and doors are a PITA to deal with. At least one can't see both sides at the same time.
As much as I'd like to bond the top to the body I'd be losing easy access to the fuel pickup and level sensor.

Good info AJT on the clearance for the window seals. I do have power windows that I haven't cut the slots for yet.

I have the roof off again to fill in the part below the windshield so the seal to the cowl will have a smooth area to stick too.

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I did the same so I could ensure the seals had a good surface to adhere to.
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Then I added my special fasteners for the front
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[JimLev]

AJT, are all those front studs really required?
I only have 3 but could add a few more.
Question for ya, did you fish the power wires for the wiper motor up inside the A pillar?
Did you have to cut an access hole anywhere in order to get the wires up to the motor?

[AJT '33]

AJT, are all those front studs really required?
I only have 3 but could add a few more.
Question for ya, did you fish the power wires for the wiper motor up inside the A pillar?
Did you have to cut an access hole anywhere in order to get the wires up to the motor?

So, for the front attachments, I wanted an even draw between the top and the body to ensure a good seal, that's the only reason why I have that many. I am also using wing nuts with serrated washers to affix it, easy to tighten and remove, the serrated washers impede the wing nuts from turning off.

For the rear, I drilled the five holes in the hard top as per the manual. For power I fished the wiring from the behind the passenger window and have a five contact spring pin connector. I added Rivnuts to the body as there is no access to the bolts form the body side, so I used a 1/4-20 bolt from the top at each hole location. Most of the force from the wind will be on the front regardless.

20200425_141436.jpg You can see the receiver side in this pic, the male pin side is on the hard top. This way when I remove the hard top I can place the cover provided by FFR and it will cover these contacts. I then don't need to disconnect any wires when removing the hard top. I also made sure I centered the contacts (and embedded the one in the hard top a bit) so I could run the seal on either side to have a good even seal.

I then ran the wires from that location on the hard top up over the window and to where it comes out on the holes I drilled for the wipers.

I also took advantage of having the caps there by running a wire from one side to the other and embedded single LED courtesy lights into the cap of which I have a push button switch on the side of my console. I could not find a pic of it but when the car is back I will definitely take one and update this post.

PS, I ended up drilling holes through the rear cover provided by FFR so I am able to use the same holes as the hard top, the bolt is for furniture and has a large head and has a dirty copper color so it fits well.

[JimLev]

Thanks for the info. I’m going to add a few more studs to the front. I like your wing nut idea.
I forgot about a courtesy light, will have to run a wire for that to along with the wiper wires.
I now have the whole roof primed, inside and out.
I have a diamond bit on order to drill a hole thru the windshield for the wiper shaft, should be here on Monday.

[JimLev]

Added a few more studs for the front below the windshield, thanks for the tip AJT.
Got the wires run thru the roof for the wiper motor and interior lights. Using your light setup AJT, thanks again.
Today I made the tcollins aluminum window frames, just waiting on the rubber parts to finish them.
I'll hopefully cut the slots in the tops of the doors tomorrow so I can trial fit them.

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[JimLev]

Can't believe my last build post was in July.
Since then after spending too much time on the tcollins window frames. I gave up on them. Just couldn't get them to work properly. I kept the top L angle aluminum and his seal parts.
Had to fill in the tops of the doors to make them level for the L angle aluminum.

I then started helping a friend put a new Howard cam in his '67 427 tri-power vette, then a clutch replacement in his '66 vette.
Then redid my front yard (no grass here in the high desert) with 13 tons of Pueblo Rose crushed stone, and a ton of flagstone for the walk.

Back to the hotrod.
Ground down and fiberglassed the drivers side of the dash and part of the door so the door would close and have everything align, except the top of the door to the top of the dash. Not going to worry about that.
I lowered the high back Miata seats so the top would clear the roll bar.
After that I fished wires thru the roof for cabin lights and power to the wiper motor. The upper part of the motor will be fastened to the roof just above the glass.
I decided to drill a hole using a 3/8" diamond bit hole saw thru the windshield for the wiper shaft.
The hole boring when fine but about 10 seconds after I was done the inside laminated piece of glass cracked top to bottom. The outer glass was fine. New windshield arrives tomorrow.
I'll practice on the old one before I attempt to do drill the new one.

I wanted to do something about covering up the LS3 coils that mount on the tops of the valve covers.
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I was thinking alone the lines of using EddieMotorsport cover like Seth did.
Then I came across some new Edelbrock cast aluminum covers on eBay for almost 1/2 off.
The only problem was they require different coils as the coil mounting boss spacing on the covers use different spacing than my LS3 coils.
I did some milling on the sides of the boss so the coils would drop in place. I could only use 1 bolt per coil to hold the coils but added a lock washer, they will be fine.
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Back to more body work now.

[sethmark]

Love the Edelbrocks! Nice work.

[cob427sc]

I'm not a glass expert but I did attempt this once before and the suggestion to me was to use a small amount of water to cool the glass while drilling. Since the windsheild didn't crack I guess it worked.

[JimLev]

I had my Corvette buddy keeping a continuous flow of water flowing on it. I will keep trying until I can drill many holes without a failure, then I’ll attempt it on the new glass.

[33fromSD]

I've used this method several times with great success...good luck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzGG1uMHnRg

[JimLev]

I've used this method several times with great success...good luck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzGG1uMHnRg

^_Thanks, that way uses a lot less water and doesn't need a second person to squirt water on the glass.

2nd times a charm. Practiced on the old windshield.
I didn't really do anything different other than slow the bit speed down to 1/2 of what DeWalt recommended.
Think I'll drill a few more holes before doing it on the 'new' windshield.

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Front side
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Back side
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[33fromSD]

Great job Jim, yeah I use this method all the time and have never broke a windshield or glass block or anything else I'm putting a hole in. Jim

[JimLev]

Haven’t drilled the new windshield yet. Decided I didn’t really like the looks of the GM fuel rail so I bought the Holley Sniper billet fuel rail. Installed it today.
Doing this is so much better than doing body work.
Before:
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After:
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[33fromSD]

Haven’t drilled the new windshield yet. Decided I didn’t really like the looks of the GM fuel rail so I bought the Holley Sniper billet fuel rail. Installed it today.
Doing this is so much better than doing body work.

Looks really nice...boy that power plant is a snug fit in there isn't it.

[Straversi]

The coil pack covers and the billet rails make a big difference. Looks good
-Steve

[JimLev]

Finally got around to drilling the new windshield, success this time!
One thing I did notice is that the core drill gets plugged up with the layers the windshield is comprised of.
I didn't notice this when I drilled the original windshield. This may have contributed to the first one cracking as I probably needed more pressure to keep the bit cutting.
I made sure I cleaned the core out after it when thru each of the 3 sections.
Now to make an angled mount to mount the wiper motor to the inside top so the shaft will be perpendicular to the glass.

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[NAZ]

Looks good!

[fletch]

Drilling a windshield has got to be a nerve wracking business. Glad it worked out for you.

[JimLev]

Fitted the wiper motor inside, shortened the wiper arm and blade to fit the small windshield.
I purposely moved it more to the center so the motor wouldn't obstruct my vision. This last year we only had 7" of rain so I'm not to concerned about it's position. Just have to have it to pass inspection.
After testing the wiper I removed it and moved on to mounting the mirrors. One of these days (soon I hope) I'll take the body off to cut holes in the dash for the AC, then mount the hood.


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[RoadRacer]

So funny, I literally just walked in from the garage where I had pulled out the wiper motor to start thinking whether to drill through glass or, well, 'glass. What made you decide on the riskier choice? Was it just an easier plug when it was removed?

[JimLev]

NAZ had a pic of his car with a hole in the windshield with a plug in it when the wiper isn’t mounted. I didn’t like the look of the car with a wiper so I will take it out, plug the hole, and keep it in the trunk if it is ever needed after I get the car registered and inspected.
If I drilled thru the ‘glass roof the plug would look funny I think.

[JimLev]

Worked on the door windows after making some aluminum trim for the cutout hole in the top of the door.
The supplied door window weather strip was a no-go. I purchased the weather strip tcollins recommended.
Pass side is done and almost seals perfectly to the top of the roof weather strip which I'm pretty sure I can fix.
The drives side window won't align with the cutout, might have to pull everything out and start chopping up the lower bracket.

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[HVACMAN]

Worked on the door windows after making some aluminum trim for the cutout hole in the top of the door.
The supplied door window weather strip was a no-go. I purchased the weather strip tcollins recommended.
Pass side is done and almost seals perfectly to the top of the roof weather strip which I'm pretty sure I can fix.
The drives side window won't align with the cutout, might have to pull everything out and start chopping up the lower bracket.

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The passenger side looks amazing Jim. Did you fab the trim pieces yourself? Also, do you think the fitment of the window on the drivers side is related to the poor quality of the driver side door we have all experienced?

[JimLev]

Andy, yes I made them out of 1/2 x 3/8” angle aluminum.
I did manage to get the drivers door to close and align properly after having to twist the inner frame using a bolt to tweak it so the front lower part of the door would align with the body. This must have impacted how the power window frame mounts to the inner door frame to cause the window to be way out of alignment. I’ve shimmed the window and it’s lift assy, it’s better but still off too much. Back to the drawing board.

[e36m3]

Fitted the wiper motor inside, shortened the wiper arm and blade to fit the small windshield.
I purposely moved it more to the center so the motor wouldn't obstruct my vision. This last year we only had 7" of rain so I'm not to concerned about it's position. Just have to have it to pass inspection.
After testing the wiper I removed it and moved on to mounting the mirrors. One of these days (soon I hope) I'll take the body off to cut holes in the dash for the AC, then mount the hood.


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Digging the E39 in the pic.

[JimLev]

Digging the E39 in the pic.

Thanks. I’ve had it since new, going on 21 years old soon. For most of it’s life it’s been on steroids.
You may dig this pic even more.
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[TxMike64]

Thanks. I’ve had it since new, going on 21 years old soon. For most of it’s life it’s been on steroids.
You may dig this pic even more.
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Nice! That's a lotta juice! How does the M62 like that?

[JimLev]

Mike, it’s a 2 stage setup, first stage is the 8 injectors in the intake runners. It starts off at 20% juice and ramps up to 100% in 2 seconds, that’s good for 125HP. The second stage comes on, no ramping. It has 2 injectors, one at each end of the intake manifold, that’s good for another 55HP. It’s quick, about 480HP at the crank. 1st and 2nd gear don’t last long.

[e36m3]

I bet you've suprised a few people at the stop light with your E39! Cool that you've owned it since new.

[JimLev]

E36M3, it’s a sleeper alright.

I could use some help on the trunk latch, anybody have some words of wisdom or maybe a different latch setup? I’ve been working on trying to get it aligned properly all day and not having much luck. Did you have to do any cutting of either bracket?

[33fromSD]

E36M3, it’s a sleeper alright.

I could use some help on the trunk latch, anybody have some words of wisdom or maybe a different latch setup? I’ve been working on trying to get it aligned properly all day and not having much luck. Did you have to do any cutting of either bracket?

I didn't have to do any cutting on mine but it's a poor design and very finicky (as you're experiencing) to adjust. I think I spent about 4 hours getting mine to latch / release without catching...very tight tolerances.

I did end up playing with the striker bracket's bend some (changed the angle) so the striker angles up towards the trunk lid slightly. this helped a bunch.

Where the original bend was it was off (IMO) compared to the arc of the trunk lid. Sounds odd and I'm sure if someone was in the garage with me at the time they would have been asking WTH, but I finally spent about 45 minutes visualizing / motioning the arc path the striker takes.

Once I had that figured out and I figured out the bend was off, as well as what bend I needed in the striker bracket, then the adjustments went smoother.

Just like the hood latch though, I'm going to install latch poppers to help pop the trunk lid up slightly once the latch release is pulled. Right now, you hear the latch release, but the trunk lid doesn't move a lot if at all, opening the lid would be much easier if it popped up a bit (1/4 - 1/2").

Jim

[JimLev]

I just pulled off the rear trunk aluminum piece so I could get a look from underneath.
I'll start by bending the trunk bracket and trimming the bracket that is mounted to the body. Glad I didn't rivet it in like the manual shows.

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[JimLev]

I machined the head of the striker a little so it will clear the body mounted bracket. I have it aligned but the trunk bracket hits the body mounted bracket which prevents the trunk from closing the last 1/4”.
If I could get a longer striker (shoulder bolt) I could move the trunk bracket up a bit.

[Kamp]

I machined the head of the striker a little so it will clear the body mounted bracket. I have it aligned but the trunk bracket hits the body mounted bracket which prevents the trunk from closing the last 1/4”.
If I could get a longer striker (shoulder bolt) I could move the trunk bracket up a bit.

Jim I made a spacer to move the mounting bracket back, this after making an aluminum striker which I could modify more easily than the SS one FFR supplies. Once I had all working did any mods to the SS striker needed.

[JimLev]

Thanks Jim and Kamp. I’m going to move the bracket on the lid and get a longer shoulder bolt like the one for the hood (which I haven’t installed yet).
I do have some door poppers that I’ll use on the trunk, I don’t need to use them on the doors, they pop open when unlatched.

[Kamp]

Thanks Jim and Kamp. I’m going to move the bracket on the lid and get a longer shoulder bolt like the one for the hood (which I haven’t installed yet).
I do have some door poppers that I’ll use on the trunk, I don’t need to use them on the doors, they pop open when unlatched.

Jim do you have the trunk weather-strip installed yet? I haven't done mine but was hoping it would provide enough spring to unlatch the trunk.

[JimLev]

No, I haven’t installed the weather-strip yet. I hope it doesn’t prevent the trunk from closing all the way. Right now the sides of the trunk are even with the body.

[33fromSD]

Kamp, I have the weather strip installed on mine and it does provide enough spring to "hear" the lid unlatch but not really enough to pop the trunk lid up.