Ok minor update. Took some more pics today. This is my diffuser project. It should help get help get the air out from under the car better. On the wagon the tank is way forward and between it and the bumper is open air and a crossmember. This should allow the air to come out from under the car more smoothly. I still have to make the tunnels for it, which I hope to work on tomorrow. Here is the untouched bumper.
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And one side done to show the difference between the 2 sides.
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And both sides done.
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Over the weekend with the help of my wife and LV2DAY who stopped over(Thanx for the help btw) we got it mounted. It's not quite as close to the body as I would like but I think it looks good. Yea I know it needs paint. It's all scracted up from taking it on and off and laying on the floor.
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Here are some engine pics. The Holley Street Dominator is out and the Edelbrack Perfromer RPM is in. And Here is the air hat I am going to use. Believe it's a Spectre.
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OK got some new parts today. It was a sugggested mod by Yelcamino from another forum, so thanx to him for the idea and info. Should be a much better system than just a PCV and breather. I had a could instnces of oil in the breather so this should fix that. It's a Moroso catch can/breather, AN fittings, hose, and an AN bulkhead fitting to mount to the valve cover. It all looks very cool and hopefully it helps.
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Ok got a few thigs done today. Got my second diffuser tunnel done but made the dumb mistake of not trimming it down like the first one. So tomorrow I have to cut it apart. I also got the Moroso catch can mounted. Might add some small braces under the mount as it flexs some. Also got the bulkhead fitting mounted to the valve cover. This should look pretty nice.
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I also worked on my passenger side altenator mount. It is very sturdy. I can get it lined up with the center groove of the 3 groove pulleys. I need to get the power steering pump with the 2 groove pullies out tomorrow. But things are looking good.
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Ok time for an update. My relocated altenator is almost done. I had to switch crank and water pump pullies as well as switching to a power steering box with 2 droove pulley. Only thing taht is really a problem is my oil fill tube. the aluminum rod I am using as a brace is in the way.
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I am also getting alot done on the diffuser. Both tunnels are pretty much done. they will simply need a final trimming and clean up. But for now they can stay like they are until I can mount them so I can make a center section to join them. At that point it will be one large piece that can come in and out as needed. I am really liking this look.
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Small update. I got the braided performance hoses from Inline Tube on. The rear one was a pain to get in. Plus I had to put a new hard line in as the one that went to the rear hose twisted and crimped on me. Also worked on my diffuser some. I have the center [panel done. Hope to have the 2 tunnels and center sections joined by the end of the weekend. By tomorrow if all goes well. So should be all mounted. Also took some paint off the aluminum hood. Hope to have it painted by the end of the weekend. The 2 groove power steering pump is mounted and has a new hose on the high pressure side. I recieved my race pads from Porterfield. I have R4's for the front and R4D shoes for the rear. They were very helpful and quick as was inline tube. The Spal temp switch is mounted but not wired yet. Also working on a new dash panel. Might be able to unveil it by the end of the weekend. Still need to make a hose for the catch can now that I think about it too

 

Ok here is what got done today. Worked on the diffuser. Had to weld up the license plate holder. It doesn't come straight across so we fixed that.
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Oh and my welder cleaning up her welds lol.
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Finally real progress. One tunnel mounted with Dzus fasteners for easy removal.
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And both tunnels and center section mounted.
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Now all three sections need to be glassed together. And there is still alot of trimming and prettying up to be done. But I think it looks great. Not sure if I can get away with leaving the tunnels that deep. Also not sure about leaving them that far off the bumper. I kinda like it that way as it has a European Touring car look. Will have to see.

 

OK I got some stuff done already today. The new passenger side altenator mount is done. Other than the aluminum tube that needs to be redone It came out nice. The belts are all lined up and the mount is sturdy. I took off the A/C and relocated the altenator over to the passenger side one to make sure I had no problems and two so it has a more balcanced look and feel. I used the stock drivers side aluminum mount and simply flipped it drilled a hole and sanded the back down some as well as adding the aluminum tube as an upper brace.
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Here are some pics of the diffuser after some trimming. It's starting to come together. It is by no means finished but it's getting there. I have 6 inches of clearance with it. I thought I might have to trim the bottom side but it looks like I can keep it that low.
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Things yet to do include a new dash panel for my guages and switches. I am also trying to figure out how to seal up the top of teh radiator support so all the air goes through the radiator. Still trying to decide how I want to do it. I will probably incorporate the top radiator mount with it. I also will be making new bumper mounts and if time an airdam.

 

Ok I have beed told I should have some kinda radiator shroud. So I made one. Just a quickie but looks ok.
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I also wired up my fan temp switch, lengthened the wires for my altenator to reach the other side. I hope to have her running maybe tomorrow. Also did a shakedown run of my hauler and everything seems fine.

 

Blew the engine at RTTS. No regrets. Besides I got my money's worth out of that $400 engine and then some. More later when I am rested.

 

D'oh!

 

Final pics before heading out to RTTS. Here are the aluminum hood hinges and final bumper mountings. Must be VERY careful closing the hood.
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No regrets. Might be expecting twins. And I don't mean babies.

 

Well here is the next piece of the puzzle. Since my engine went at RTTS I had to figure out what to do next. And this helps me get to the next point. It's a 330 forged crank that is cut for a 3.5 stroke. So I am on my way to a 375 stroker engine.
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Nice!!.. Is that a good carb, would you recommend it, I think I need one.

 

I think so. I had a Q-jet and nothing I did would make it work right with my engine. It just hated it. Took the Edelbrock off the shelf slapped it on and it worked. I could get WOT and not have the bog problems I had with the Q-jet. It seemed to suck more gas on the street. And I thought it would be real bad when I did the track event. But it really worked well. I have to say the whole car worked well at the track event.

 

I looked through the thread as you have been doing this project for a while. Correct me if I am wrong, but are those Pontiac tailights? Just wondering.

 

Paying attention crew.
Here are correct rear lenses:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22958812@N08/5528185734/http://www.flickr.com/photos/22958812@N08/5528185734/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/22958812@N08/, on Flickr

 

i like it!!!!

 

The body will reject them.

 

I like mine better

 

Look what I did today. This is just the start of the piece to fill the gap between the nose and radiator support, cover the top of the rad support, and cover and support the top of the radiator.
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I also removed my passenger side door panels. Stripped my door cards. And then put some fiberglass on them to stiffen them. I am going to have to decide how I want my door panels to look soon.

 

Ok I got a little more done to the radiator support cover. It is really coming along, Today I got the top part of the radiator done. There are a few spots I intentionally didn't do. I will get to them in finer detail when it's off the car. Once this sets I will remove it do some trimming and put a layer under it and then it should be plenty strong.
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After two months with a free Custom Cruiser as a palette for restoration I chose to modernize it. I did all the work except the paint and body. That was done by MAACO of Stockton, CA.

The car was stripped of all chrome and trim. Six pieces of roof rack an rear door handle were re-chromed. The interior upholstery is in good condition, just needed cleaning, the panels were all spray painted and clear coated in satin. The two piece headliner was recovered but the rear piece sagged. I attached some mahogany plywood to the inner roof supports, made some oak slats to push the headliner upwards. The inner roof was treated to insulation and Dynamat. The AC compressor was replaced with R134 compatible operation, a new Kenwood stereo, an alarm, a replacement power seat motor, tailgate now opens both ways and replaced the outer window gasket, new under-hood insulation, a Cutlass Supreme Spot Wheel was added, the speedo was repaired, K&N air filter to go with cat-back Turbo dual exhausts, The wagon now rides on 8 inch Chevy Rally wheels with fluted knock-offs from Paulsen's Motor Sports on 235x75x15 tires. All stainless trim was buffed and replaced with new retainers when they were available.

Where I got lucky was the car had new brakes, shocks and front end work. The wagon did pass CA smog and I cleaned up the engine compartment quite a bit.

The rear bumper strip was shot. I got a universal kit from JC Whitney. It fits very well into the factory groove. It can be used for the bumper guards too with the caps that come with the kit. I would recommend to use the 3M adhesive glue rather than the strips on the rubber. To get a good fit, heat the rubber inside a long cardboard tube using a heat gun at the end of the tube. When it is pliable, then apply it. Especially important in cold weather! Be sure to install the inner bumper barrier bolts at the same time or you may have to start over like I did!

My original plan was to fix up the wagon and sell it for a small profit. I have so many hours of personal work in this I am reluctant to sell it right away! Since Friday when I had the car back for the first full day I have been getting a lot of thumb up from other drivers.

 

Not bad for a freebie!.

I wonder how Stickman is doing? Haven't heard from him in a long time.....hope all is well.....