Maybe the girls next door will want to come over and see it on a hot day this summer...
more ambition than brains said
Apr 7, 2021
Looks amazing, Happy for you!! Karl
dashboard said
Apr 7, 2021
Refresh my memory, how much horsepower is in this project? It just has get you in trouble all over it.
John D said
Apr 8, 2021
I'm using a "Gen II" Coyote 5.0L.
Out of the box from Ford = 435HP. With a "tune" it'll do a little more.
John D said
Apr 8, 2021
Now that the body is on for the last time & locked in position I can do a few things that were hanging...
The rear bumper isn't a part of, or body alignment isn't dependent upon the studs for mounting it. I've only been running the "overriders", but the bumper's been in bubble wrap for months.
I had to cut new (longer) all-thread pieces, drill out the (as supplied) holes, but fitting the rear bumper was a non-event.
Since it's crappy & rainy, spending lots of time in the shop giving the Roadster a once-over, and some final assembly that couldn't be done until the body was locked in position.
During the "gel-coat" phase, I made up some inner splashguards for the forward part of the rear wheelhouses. These blocked about 70% of the crud from being flung up under the doors and in the rockers. The lower 30% I couldn't do, as the body would dictate the final size & shape.
Now the body is bolted and riveted on, I was able to make up the last little filler piece, and caulk/silicone the gaps.
This should (?) keep about 99% of the water/crud/mud from entering the body under the doors.
Another item was to install the front brake cooling duct screens. FFR supplies some aluminum "expanded metal" screen for this, but they look like something you should put on your raingutters.
I bought a 36x36 piece of stainless mesh/screen. Made the two brake ducts pieces, a piece for the oil cooler opening, and a rock-guard for the radiator.
Now that the paint has reached "full cure" another item got knocked off the list... "Clear Bra" film.
The front area of the rear fender flares is notorious for collecting rock chips. (When I delivered the car to Jeff, he noted to me there were several dings through the gel-coat and into the 'glass already!)
I wanted to cover the rear flares, behind the rear wheels, and the tops of the doors. (You're always hanging your elbow out since the cockpit's so narrow, and I wanted to keep watches, buttons, sunscreen, whatever off the paint!).
There's a shop just a few blocks away from me, and I brought it over to them for an estimate. They agreed with my "needs", but recommended covering the entire door to avoid a horizontal (and really visible) seam where the door breaks downward. Their spitball estimate was $600 to $700...
The material is available all over Amazon & Ebay, but not in the widths/sizes needed for a large area (like the doors). The online stuff is pretty much in 1, 6, 12, 18 inch widths, and varying lengths.
I called the guys at "Finishing Touch", explained what I needed and wanted to do, and they agreed to sell me the film... no pleading, bribing, just "What size?" I gave them my dimensions, they altered them to fit the size of material they had on-hand (oversize a bit), and told me it'd be about $125. SOLD! I drove the Roadster over there to pick the film up, we verified the dimensions, they cut my pieces, and every guy in the shop came out to gawk at the car!
(I bought the genuine 3M "Pro-Series" film. The stuff is about 1/32" thick!)
I highly recommend watching a BUNCH of YouTube videos about doing this. It's really not too difficult, but the videos reveal several tips-n-tricks that really help.
This car has more compound curves than Marilyn Monroe & Jane Russell combined... If I can do this, a Chevelle would be a cake-walk!
They have done almost 100% of our PDR work for close to 20 years.
We have not used them on the clear film much as our current Vendor is still taking care of us.
Looks great!
Karl
John D said
Sep 12, 2021
Been a long time since an update:
Sheryl & I spent a long weekend at our lake cabin - doing "phase I" of seasonal shutdown - lots of the piddly stuff that just takes time (pulling/storing dock accessories, yard art, the boat, boat lift, etc.). But, we did plan on a day-trip excursion for Friday (best weather day).
Took the Roadster from our place to Longville, Remur (Sasquatch siting town), Grand Rapids, Deer River, Bemidji, Itasca State Park, then Walker for dinner... About a 230 mile loop. Lots of great scenery, twisties, and point of interest stops along the way.
The car performed flawlessly, pulling about 21 mpg with speeds varying from 45 to 75 mph. Rolled 6200 miles somewhere along the way!
Looks good, even on a cloudy day.
Maybe the girls next door will want to come over and see it on a hot day this summer...
Looks amazing, Happy for you!!
Karl
Out of the box from Ford = 435HP. With a "tune" it'll do a little more.
Now that the body is on for the last time & locked in position I can do a few things that were hanging...
The rear bumper isn't a part of, or body alignment isn't dependent upon the studs for mounting it. I've only been running the "overriders", but the bumper's been in bubble wrap for months.
I had to cut new (longer) all-thread pieces, drill out the (as supplied) holes, but fitting the rear bumper was a non-event.
Since it's crappy & rainy, spending lots of time in the shop giving the Roadster a once-over, and some final assembly that couldn't be done until the body was locked in position.
During the "gel-coat" phase, I made up some inner splashguards for the forward part of the rear wheelhouses. These blocked about 70% of the crud from being flung up under the doors and in the rockers. The lower 30% I couldn't do, as the body would dictate the final size & shape.
Now the body is bolted and riveted on, I was able to make up the last little filler piece, and caulk/silicone the gaps.
This should (?) keep about 99% of the water/crud/mud from entering the body under the doors.
Another item was to install the front brake cooling duct screens. FFR supplies some aluminum "expanded metal" screen for this, but they look like something you should put on your raingutters.
I bought a 36x36 piece of stainless mesh/screen. Made the two brake ducts pieces, a piece for the oil cooler opening, and a rock-guard for the radiator.
Now that the paint has reached "full cure" another item got knocked off the list... "Clear Bra" film.
The front area of the rear fender flares is notorious for collecting rock chips. (When I delivered the car to Jeff, he noted to me there were several dings through the gel-coat and into the 'glass already!)
I wanted to cover the rear flares, behind the rear wheels, and the tops of the doors. (You're always hanging your elbow out since the cockpit's so narrow, and I wanted to keep watches, buttons, sunscreen, whatever off the paint!).
There's a shop just a few blocks away from me, and I brought it over to them for an estimate. They agreed with my "needs", but recommended covering the entire door to avoid a horizontal (and really visible) seam where the door breaks downward. Their spitball estimate was $600 to $700...
The material is available all over Amazon & Ebay, but not in the widths/sizes needed for a large area (like the doors). The online stuff is pretty much in 1, 6, 12, 18 inch widths, and varying lengths.
I called the guys at "Finishing Touch", explained what I needed and wanted to do, and they agreed to sell me the film... no pleading, bribing, just "What size?"
I gave them my dimensions, they altered them to fit the size of material they had on-hand (oversize a bit), and told me it'd be about $125. SOLD! I drove the Roadster over there to pick the film up, we verified the dimensions, they cut my pieces, and every guy in the shop came out to gawk at the car!
(I bought the genuine 3M "Pro-Series" film. The stuff is about 1/32" thick!)
I highly recommend watching a BUNCH of YouTube videos about doing this. It's really not too difficult, but the videos reveal several tips-n-tricks that really help.
This car has more compound curves than Marilyn Monroe & Jane Russell combined... If I can do this, a Chevelle would be a cake-walk!
Nice
They have done almost 100% of our PDR work for close to 20 years.
We have not used them on the clear film much as our current Vendor is still taking care of us.
Looks great!
Karl
Been a long time since an update:
Sheryl & I spent a long weekend at our lake cabin - doing "phase I" of seasonal shutdown - lots of the piddly stuff that just takes time (pulling/storing dock accessories, yard art, the boat, boat lift, etc.). But, we did plan on a day-trip excursion for Friday (best weather day).
Took the Roadster from our place to Longville, Remur (Sasquatch siting town), Grand Rapids, Deer River, Bemidji, Itasca State Park, then Walker for dinner... About a 230 mile loop. Lots of great scenery, twisties, and point of interest stops along the way.
The car performed flawlessly, pulling about 21 mpg with speeds varying from 45 to 75 mph. Rolled 6200 miles somewhere along the way!
Same spot roughly 2 years apart.