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So Last year phase 2 of car got done. By phase 2 I mean phase 2 of my push to make this truly something kind of special. In the 1st installment I fixed the frame did lots of mechanical and not only did it run respectable e/t's but it was dead reliable. In phase 2 we saw suspension work , some upgrades to the cooling system, new wheels and the main piece was the paint work.
I got a few things going on in my life which is making my time a little limited. 1 being the biggest ., I'm getting married in about a year and 2. being the fiancé really wants wheel time with my Pontiac and we will be sharing it as a daily driver and she will be racing it.
That brings me to the point I'm at now. I sold my very reliable 355 that powered my car to run 12.2's . I do have a very stout 355 I just got done ready to go in but..... I'm gonna hold off. I need to go to manual brakes and want to do some more suspension work along with going to disc brakes in the front.
I could easily get all that stuff done but I thought long and hard about it and my car could use more to truly complete it. It needs window trim, fender trim, and pretty much an entire interior. So my project for the summer is to do the interior and trim. I do have an engine in the works to hold me over so its driveable for the summer and maybe a little track action despite the fact it wont be anywhere near as fast as its been. I think its time to really bring this car together as an entire package . I have talked with a forum member about the parts I need and now I just need to save a few bucks to make it happen. The last 4 years this car has seen the most action on both ends it has ever seen. Its time to give this go fast a little class.
For those who don't know the background of the previous phase there is a link to the old thread.
Well im finally updating this project. A little back ground as to whats been going on. I got really busy after starting this thread LOL. I got asked to take on some side projects that I couldn't turn down working on some amazing classic cars. I built a few engines and then September rolled around and I finally installed my engine. Also been planning a wedding with my fiancé and time was scarce between everything else. I got the engine in and running Labor day weekend and by the time I really had everything dialed in it snowed 12+ inches LOL I did get t drive it the day before it snowed and various other times to make shake down trips to dial in stuff Just not what I would call a maiden voyage I had lots of hurdles with the new set up and lots to learn as I went and it took time . The new engine is pretty stout and I also got some newer ceramic coated headers and There is a lot of cool stuff going on with the engine its self but too much to say. I also have been doing a lot of youtube videos so lots of the stuff I have been doing has been covered there and on my page on facebook.
Now before I installed the engine I did go to manual brakes. I installed the proper 1 inch bore master from dorman and the correct pushrod and derby hat from inline tube. I also installed new springs and taller ball joints to get proper front end travel for weight transfer.
I got lots of pieces for the interior , and started to aready attack some of it this past weekend. I did new gauges and added an AFR gauge .
I also started to work on the 60's psychedelic inspired paint on the trunk. I did a test run and over all im happy but not its time to do it all with colors that work with the car. Im really excited to have the car out next year. I will follow up the progress as I go from here on out.
Last edited by coppercutlass; December 24th, 2018 at 10:48 PM.
Thanks guys . @ Joe the oil pan is cool old school. Thanks again. It's upsetting that all the pictures to the very first revamp thread are gone. I was goinf through stuff last night and realized i have done alot of work in the last 5 years. Thanks for following along guys
Put some work in on the trunk lid . Sprayed the main panels in color and the rest will be put on top. I also got a 455 with some ported J heads over the weekend . The J heads where used in a mid 11 sec 455 . using this to build a strong street engine down the road for a back up . I won't be touching it for a while lol. I just got my new sbo ready to go this past fall.
Finally had some ok weather and I got the trunk sprayed out. I still have to clear it but im really happy. Interior stuff I coming next once it warms up a bit.
The car is done paint wise. I decided to do this after we painted it. That was 2 years ago. The seats for the front are jusy racing buckets the rears will get re covered. I have been driving around with those plastic racing buckets with vinyl covers for 10 years now. Im just gonna add more *** padding lol .
I wish this winter was not dragging out LOL. A few things I have added to my list of stuff I haven't really began on yet is . I need to add another driveshaft loop for safety reasons, I want to re mount my racing buckets ( safety reason) . I need to have a new driveshaft made as many guys told me once you hit the 11's that should be an upgrade, I plan on also doing a 7/8 master cylinder to try to make the manual drums a little better and I still plan on doing the interior work. I need to get the car to the track so safety items move up to the front of the list and I will trickle the interior and trim work through out the spring. Work has been busy and with our wedding right around the corner and personal time has been limited . I hope to start hitting it harder once we get steady 40 degree days.
Well. A few things happened. I finally took the car for its maiden voyage with the new engine. Its a total beast. Hope it performs as well at the track. It may have been 30 degrees but that didn't stop me. I made a choice that I cant go back on. I bought new wheels with my interior money after borrowing some wheels from a friend to see how they would look on the car...… I was crushed to find out the front wheels I had borrowed where no longer made . I love the old school look of the car with the centerlines but it was time to add something new. These wheels have really been on my wish list since I saw them and got motivated once I slapped the borrowed wheels on., cant wait to mount the tires . I have a few things coming up im going to be doing so to those following thanks. Its starting to warm up here in the Chicagoland area ( we saw 50 degrees ) lol hopefully we can get the car ready for the track soon and have some fun and keep plugging away at the interior and trim work throughout the spring and summer.
Its officially race season!!!! I still have to wait LOL. But I did however do some safety items on the olds. I took a bunch of pics but for the sake of ease im going to just share a video from my youtube page. Welllllll…… 2 lol.
Well the new wheels are on. I did drill the hubs and used bolt on center caps along with bullet lug nuts to make em look different. Im liking the blend of new school and old school
The 3500 is about as low as i wanna be 4000 stall would be ideal and a 4.33 would be spot on but the 3.90s suit my dual purpose needs. I drive it alot and i drive to the track and back still. It has to do it all.
March 17th, 2018, 07:17 PM
