I figure I'd start a build blog, since I'm finally getting some time to start working on the car. Alot of what I'll be doing is just going back and cleaning up past projects from my younger years (and "professional" installs like the alarm and stereo). Don't have a lot of funds right now for playing with my toys, so I'm trying to do things that are more labor intensive than checkbook intensive.

Here is a link to the Electrical Box I put together to house the fuse panel and 5 relays. It will control the electric fans and the H4 headlights through plug-in electrical bulk head connectors. I will mount it behind the dash or under the console with a wrapped wiring harness.



The next step was to modify the dash board. At first, I was thinking I would overlay fiberglass directly on the old dash, just for simplicity. But the more I looked into it, the more I worried about it separating down the road. Plus it would be added weight (on the wrong side of the CG.) So the plan now is to take my split and cracked to hell dash and use it as a buck after modifying it to my taste. The buck will then be filled, sanded, sanded, sanded, sanded some more, and then waxed a few times. I might go with a release gel, after talking with a friend of a friend who knows 'glass. I'll use the buck to make a mold, and then use the mold to make a new fiberglass dash. Then I have to decide how to finish the dash. Right now I'm leaning towards getting it upholstered.

I'm going to make a new console from scratch, using foam and filler to make a buck. Because I don't have to make dimensionally accurate replica of anything to start with, I might just use the foam to make a positive mold and remove the foam after it hardens. We'll see how the dash goes first... I might offer them for sale if the mold holds together.

So last night I started with the modifications to my dash. I'm not going crazy with this, I want it to resemble something that Chevrolet might have produced. I'm removing the extrusion where the heating/AC controls and the radio were, and making that flow flush from the top of the dash and into the console. The only other thing I'm doing to the structure is to lose the big protruding box that the instrument cluster sits in. I want to set the gauges into the dash and build a small hood to keep the light off of them, similar to modern cars. I plan to relocate the dash about 3-4" towards the driver and fill in the difference at the windshield side. Enough talking, here are some pictures of the current progress.







I learned the hard way that cutting on the dash is alot harder than it looks. I had a body saw in there, and as it cut, it would melt the plastick near it. Then it would solidify together on the other side of the saw, accomplishing nothing. I ended up using a 4.5" angle grinder which did the trick.

Next step is to get some foam and start forming the center of the dash and the instrument cluster area, and then start the body filler work.

I had the same experience cutting alot of plastic pieces on my interior! Good luck!

Bernie I have to say that part of building is by fare the best. You have a nice little project there and I can't wait to see the progress.

Thanks! I'm enjoying myself so far. I found the 2 part foam mix online, so I'll probably order that (now that congress passed the budget in the 11th hour, which means I'll have a job till at least October when they F it all up again). In the mean time, I'll start working on a form, probably just out of cardboard, to pour the foam on. Remove the form, shape it, and put bondo on it, and I'll have my mold.

Bill not passed, just extended the time.

So...when are we gonna work on that thing? Let me know when the build party at your house is!!

My car is done for a little while so I finally have time to hang out!!!

Will do, I need to get some more materials for the fiberglass. I'm thinking I'm going to need to vacuum bag it to get it to work right.

We got our fence almost completed yesterday, which means we can start taking the thing off our pool (it was covered with wooden beams by the bank). We just need to hang some more of the wire mesh on the split rail, and put one more board on the gate we build the other day. Hopeully it doesn't cost a fortune to get the pool up and running, it would be great for entertaining.

and it would be great for seeing hot chics in bikini's....just saying.

lmao!

Next project... Tiki bar and palm trees B)

I could use some welding help relocating the lower mounting points for the dash Doug

done deal

Ordered my pour foam today, should arrive early next week so that I can start re-forming my dash.

Going to grab some body filler on the way home and start filling in the cracks on the top. I might cut across, just rearward of the defroster vents so that I can section in the extra 3-4" and retain the stock upper mounting locations. I have to find a way to secure the pieces together whilie I bridge the gap. I'll probably just use some 2X2 wood as a brace underneith.

Wish I was close enough to help out with this. I love being able to make messes at other people's house and then just walk away. And that foam and body filler is going to be a hellacious mess.

Doug, have fun!!!! And make a little extra mess for me.

Bernie, good luck!!!

If only my garage could sneeze...

Little more progress, waiting on JB Weld to dry right now. Going to add some more bracing, lay down a base, and pour the foam into the void to connect the two pieces of the top of the dash.

Huh, so what's the plan WRT to attaching them back together? I take it that you plan on using the foam to make the shape, the 'glass to give it some strength, but how are you planning on finishing that?

So what happened with the console you were working on a while back, did you ever finish that or do more 'glass work since then?

The plan is to use this as a buck once I get the shape right. Use the buck to make a mold, and use the mold to make a new dash. I might just skip the mold step and form a layer or two over this and see if it fits. If so, I'll build it up from the inside and just use that as the dash. Body filler on that to smooth it out, and then either paint or take it to an upholstery shop.

I did finish the console and I covered it myself with matting and vinyl. Turned out alright for a first time around, but it's time to clean it up. I'm going to make a new console and integrate it with the dash.

http://sickspeedmonte.com/Interior2.htm

Here's the latest progress with the dash. Not pictured is two scrap metal bars JB Welded to the two pieces of the dash on either end to support the shape. I'm still working on the shape of the transition from the dash to the console. I need to mock it up and remove some more material.

Next step is to foam the gap on the top of the dash and smooth that over. Then I'll mock it up and refine the transition to the console.

Shape is pretty much there now. I made a template that followed the curvature of the top of the dash and reversed it for the bottom. At the very bottom, it kinda dove-tails out to flow into the console... but that part isn't final yet. I need to see it with the console mocked up after I form that.



Top filled in



Measurements for the new left-most A/C vent location and centerline of instrument cluster



Instrument cluster visor form in place, ready for foam tonight.



Little sneak preview with the trim panel in place



Pouring the instrument cluster visor tonight and then depending on weather either working on my truck outside, or the dash indoors. Next step to set the form up for the console and get the rough shape for that and then fine tune the transition/joint.

Wow, Bernie looks like it's coming together. Are you going to use light filler on the foam to fill in the little imperfections? This should be pretty cool looking when you are done. I'll be watching this one.

Nice job, I'm guessing that the dash is going to come out farther with the extra foam that you use in the gap. Very cool idea.

Yes I have bondo that I will fill in the cracks in teh dash and smooth over the foam with. Then I'll need some mold release and gel coat. A couple of my friends are big into jet skis and one used to work for a guy that built skis and boats, so they have some good sources.



Thank you! Exactly, I didn't like how the dash felt so far away and I wanted to make it a little more like a modern car/cockpit feel. I like the basic design of the stock dash, so this seemed like the best way to go about it.

This piece will just be used to make a full fiberglass dash, and then be stored away in case I ever want to make another.

You're making some progress there Bernie. I can honestly say I never have even attempted to do something like this. But now that your started it don't look all to bad. But don't get me wrong I'm glad it's your car and not mine. When will you extend the sides and lower mounting points? For me that's when I'll get the clear picture of the look. I'm kinda getting a vision similar to my 1996 SS Z28 with the depth on top going into the windshield.

The more I think about it, some additional rake on the windshield would compliment that dash well. Maybe I can help you there....

One big plus is going to be all that working room under the dash.

Well last night I poured some foam for the gauge visor, it still needs some more. I couldn't get the shape all in one pour. The sides are flat, so I'm thinking I'll make a template of the shape where it meets the firewall, and then just extend the sides straight out and cut the shape 4" further forward. I honestly hadn't even thought about the sides until you mentioned it. It would have become too complicated to move them forward with the top all in one piece, I think.

The way I did the top piece retains the stock mounting points. The lower 3 will be moved forward on the metal pieces. I plan to have someone weld extensions and extra bracing on (unless I happen upon a cheap MIG before then)

I know what you mean Ron, there have been a few "OMG, WTF am I doing?" moments here and there, but it's got to be a LOT easier when you are starting with a junk dash like I am. The hardest part is being out in the current BEAUTIFUL weather, knowing I can't drive my baby for a while. I started wiring in the electrical box on Sunday just because I had an itch to drive it and I didn't care about the lack of interior. I ran out of wire instead

I'm also in the process of swapping the 14 bolt in my truck, so that's taking up my time as well.

I got the cluster hood poured and shaped. The top surface is pretty close, the underside will get carved out a little more so its not that bulky.





And then mocked it up in the car. I needed to fit it so that I could start building the form for the mold.





Here is where my electrical box is going to go. Right behind the radio, hopefully I can get it out if I need to service it without having to pull the dash. I also got power to the box and the wires running out to the fans. It has it's IGN hot signal and the ground for the control side of the relays wired in. If I wire in the switch, I will be able to power on the fans. I want to get the console done first though so I know how long to make the wires to the console mounted switch.



I put the seat back in to get the width right on the console and the height of the console lid/armrest





After installing and removing the console a few times, I had a finished form for the foam.





And I started filling it with foam.



Now I need to make little retaining walls so that I can lay it on its side and fill in the sides with foam. Once I have the sides formed, I'll remove the cardboard and start shaping the console.

Man, that's some awesome looking stuff. Thanks for the progress updates. Good stuff.

That's a lot of work Bernie!
I like the overall shape improvement, it looks more like the late model cars with the nicer dash design...
My only concern would be to have enough space for the shifter, so you don't end up punching 3rd gear into the radio/dash.

x2! Hope you haven't been working out

I rowed her through the gears a few times to make sure. While making engine noises. It's been a while since I've driven her alright?

Coming along very nice. Way to be different!

lookin great

Thanks everyone!

Bernie , looks very good !! Now that’s thinking out side of the box !!!

Bernie you have made some great progress. You might hit one out of the park with this mod?

Yes,don't break the mold after the first pull.You may be onto something...I like!

I'm going to do my best to keep the mold in one piece by using mold release. I might have to make a new console mold from the final piece when it's done... not sure how the 2-lb foam will hold up.

I'm hoping to final shape the console and dash this weekend and start adding body filler. I don't know if I will get it into primer or not, but at that point it will give you a really good idea of how the final product will look.

pretty cool!

Removed the cardboard.





Did some test fitting and shaping, a few times.







Had to add some in a couple places.



I did some more work but didn't get pictures. I'll try to get one tonight of the current progress. I have it shaped pretty much the way I want it, just need to round off the corners. I also started putting body filler on the left side of the console. I got the regular jar of bondo... and I don't think that is what I want to use. It goes on really thick, and it doesn't smooth out when you spread it on. So that means there is a lot of sanding I need to do before it is smooth... There are also a lot of little holes in the filler that will need to be gone over again, which means I'd have to sand it back down all over again...

Does anyone know if there is a thinner body filller that I sould use?

Very cool, Bernie!

The shifter on the ZF tranny looks a little close to the driver's seat compared to the T5s and T56s that I'm used to seeing in a Monte.

Any difficulty in shifting because of that?

If you were to do the tranny swap again, would you go with the ZF 6 speed or a T56?

Thanks Dave.

Yes, the shifter is offset quite a bit.



I like where it sits, I can reach it while sitting back comfortably and it doesn't interfere with anything. If I had big seat boulsters, I'd imagine my elbow would be into it while shifting into 2nd/4th/6th/reverse. The throw on this thing is pretty long, but there is a Hurst short throw available.

I believe the ZF is harder to make fit than the T56 most likely, judging by all of the cutting that I had to do, and parts/knowledge are much harder to come by. I do like the cool factor though, and those strait(ish) cut gears whining in the black-tag I'm planning on having the black-tag bullet-proofed and either useing the currently installed blue-tag in another project or sitting on it as a spare.

I think the biggest issue with the ZF is the fact that the 'vette uses a dual mass flywheel to damp torsional vibrations. If you have a 2pc. rear main seal, it will cost you a small fortune to have a dual mass made up, and the dual masses aren't that great to begin with. So you are limited to a special clutch which uses a damped disc. Otherwise, you get annoying noises like I have, which are harmless, but they sound terrible. I only know of one company making the special "hybrid" clutch, so to speak.

The clutch hydraulics are nice though, the vette slave accepts a standard inverted flare, so you have options unlike the T56 setups. Again though, nobody is going to make it for you, so you can make it how you want it, but you'll be the one doing the leg work.

Oh, and it accepts a 700-R speedo housing, which means my mechanical stock speedo works

Did a little blocking last night. I definately need to get some thinner filler. Gonna stop at a place tonight.



I got down the the foam in a couple spots while blocking, which is fine. It just means I have a low spot in the middle that I need to add filler to.

I decided to block the rest of the foam before adding putty, to make my life easier later. Before I was just using a small hand-held sanding block. Last night, I took some sand paper and wrapped it around a 12" section of 2X4 so that I could get a much flatter, more uniform surface.



I still have to round the edges. I got a little carried away with starting the body filler, and forgot to do that part . Shoudln't be a big deal though.

That’s very impressive , well done !

Thanks Ulli!

This weekend I might swap out my steering box and jeep shaft that I got from Adam (Sixtoes) and put on my new sway bar from Doug (Sicmonte). It will be nice to turn wrenches once again... all this rubbing on foam is getting tedious.

I was at an upholstery shop up the street from my house that will be doing parts of my car . There was a 69 Camaro that had a fiber glass console that ran front to back all the way up the back seat to the back window . Like me he starts out with cardboard , then ¼ inch plywood , then covers it with fiberglass . It was painted the same color as the car , stripes and all . The floor was all leather per customers request . The Camaro was worth 250,000 dollars !!! The interior for the Camaro cost 18,000 dollars . He said it took 7 cows … LOL . This guy is sharp . When I get that far they said they’ll come by and help lay out my interior ……. But not for 18,000 bucks , not happening !!!! … LOL .

'Icing' filler is thinner but not sure about getting too thick with it,might be best to go over your bondo with icing to fill the defects then sand, At Installer Institute they showed us a mix of bondo, fiberglass resin, and mekp hardener, mixed properly you can 'pour' it smooth to self level instead of using a bondo spreader, takes some technique and usually better for flatter projects.

I think bondo actually makes like a "gold" or "proffessional" version that goes on smoother. You could also try a finishing glaze putty. Those are always alot thinner and plyable

Lookin good I like the center console gives the dash a more modern look can't wait to see how it comes out

Here is the stuff that I got from the parts store:



And here is the console with some of it put on and sanded down. The metal glaze goes on a lot thinner than the bondo, so they both seem to have their place as far as building and finishing the surface.



To be honest, I got a little carried away and wasn't thinking about what I was doing... I put the body filler on the whole thing before I realized that I hadn't rounded off the corners... that was a big mistake in terms of time wasted.



It's a little further along than this at the moment. I did go back and start laying filler on the now rounded edges. It takes about 3 coats before it's smooth. This is a very tedious and time consuming process.

I managed to re-motivate myself a bit this weekend. With the fans operational, I took the car to the parts store to get the metal glaze and some sandpaper. No dash, no console, a bit of a hole in the floor through which you can watch the slip yoke do it's thing... pretty damn cool. The trans makes all kinds of cool slight whining and clunking noises while driving and shifting, it sounds like a race car.

Looking good Bernie! The only thing I'd recommend is just an aesthetic thing - I think the armrest section would look better with a bit more of a contour - something like this.



IMO, it looks a little boxy now when compared with the smooth curves and modded gauge cluster housing.

Bernie, you can thn bondo with laquer thinner or acetone to the point of being able to spray it through a gun. That's what my oldest son said they used to do when he worked at Tim Mcamis race cars. I don't know what that would do the foam though so try it at your own risk.

Bernie that looks awesome.
If you stick the can of bondo in the sun for a little while before mixing it makes it a little more creamy so it spreads better. Don't use as much hardener or you won't have as much working time with it.
As said above you can also thin it a little, acetone works best from what i have found.
The metal glaze should only be used for very small pin holes and scratches.

Good advice guys! I learned the thing about too much hardener the hard way, so I really backed off from the reccomended amount.

Unfortunately, I haven't had any time to work on it lately, and probably won't have any time this weekend either.

Nice work !!! Looking good !!!

haha a month and a half later I finally got this ^ done!

I took the steering box in to work and stuck it in the parts washer, and then threw some paint at it.



And here is the steering shaft. I just need to drill a hold in it for the stock bolt. Thinking about tightening up the tilt column, but I'm a little apprehensive about the "special tools" needed.



Don't have any pictures of the sway bar installed, but it's in there.

I also fixed some wiring on the power window switches. I had a wire sever from the terminal on the driver side switch which actually made the passenger side window stop working all together (from either switch). Turns out the passenger window switch grounds through the driver switch. I found an online store that sells the little post connectors and got that straightened out. I should have window motors coming in today and I plan on removing, cleaning, greasing, and reinstalling the window tracks on both sides as well. Hoping that speeds up the windows considerably.

Not much else has been done on the console and dash.

The rest of my recent progress has been in the parts gathering/planning department...

I picked up all of this from Doug (sicmonte)

4340 forged steel Eagle crank



Forged eagle H-beams with forged SRP aluminum pistons and ARP rod bolts



1970 010 casting 4 bolt main 350, .030 over, honed, decked



Dart Pro 1 215 cc heads, should make about 8.5:1 compression with the dished pistons




Timing chain, oil pump, crank bearings, (cam bearings are installed), (incorrect) lifters... need to get retrofit roller lifters, rings, and pushrods



Here's a picture of the Hellwig bar that is installed. The travel limiting straps are not installed yet.

And I have been slowly refining my wish list.

Engine control:

• MegaSquirt II v3, unassembled from DIY Autotune
• MegaSquirt Stimulator v2.2, unassembled, DIY Autotune
• 12-foot MS wiring harness, DIY Autotune
• Innovate LC-1 wideband lambda sensor, DIY Autotune
• Stim power supply cord, DIY
• Lead bending tool, DIY
• Temperature controlled soldering iron station, Amazon (ordered)
• Various GM sensors for temperature, MAP, etc
• Radioshack PCB and resistors/LEDs/pin connectors to practice soldering

Ignition

• EDIS-8 kit, boostengineering.com, (2 EDIS-8 Coils, Ignition module, VR sensor, 36-1 wheel, fuel pump shut-off switch
• EDIS Coil spark plug wire conversion kit, boostengineering.com
• Universal spark plug wire boot/terminals, boostengineering.com
• 8.5mm MSD Superconductor wire p/n 34013, 25 feet
• New plugs

Induction

• Victor-E EFI manifold p/n 29785
• BBK 4bbl throttle body kit with TPS, p/n 1716
• 4150 style carb hat, superiorairflow.com, o-ringed
• 1405 Felpro intake gaskets
• GMPP thermostat housing, p/n 809-10108470
• MRG 740 thermostat housing gasket, FEL QP70165 distributor seat gasket

Fuel System

• 65 lb/hr injectors, 306508 dfperformance.com
• Edelbrock 3630 fuel rails
• Aeromotive 13101 fuel pressure regulator
• Aeromotive A1000 11101 fuel pump
• GM306C Quanta Products 4.3L Monte fuel tank
• Hard line, few sections of soft fuel injection line, filters, and required fittings ($$ I know)

Man- looks like your diving further than expected...typical project LOL. I like the plan so far!! Keep up the updates!

Looking good Bernie! Is this engine getting forced induction?

WOW , very impressive to say the least !!!! As far as a month and a half later , life’s that way . That steering box looks new . That steering shaft will make a big difference . I did mine when I put in the new engine . When I went for that first ride I thought for a moment the new engine made it handle better , forgot I had put it in .. LOL . It got rid of all that nasty play I had .

Forged this and forged that , your well on your way to a very stout engine , they’ll be no regrets there . Looks like your plan is to only do this once , good for you !!!! Keep it up !

For sure a very exiting time when the parts start to accumulate. I look forward to the build thread.

haha, I have been planning on doing all of this for years. I just finally have a little bit of spare coin coming in. This is only phase 1 of the plan...



I guess the engine specs are a dead give-away huh? That's phase 2...



Thanks Ulli! I can't wait to drive it with the new box, shaft, and sway bar.



Definately. It's slow progress which is agonizing, but exciting at the same time.

Nice build you have going on!

One comment though:

I haven't heard many good things from tuners when it comes to combining EFI with those MSD plug wires. Evidently they're "noisy" and can cause issues with EFI due to their ultra-low resistance.

SDCE in particular isn't a fan of them, and they know their stuff.

Hmm, I never would have guessed that, thanks!

Any more progress on dash. Cant wait to see when its finished.
I am working on my dash to. ill post a pic. I didn`t get to creative as u did thor.

No, I had to take a break from the dash and work on a few other things. Hoping to get back to it soon.

NICE ENGINE!!!! lol.

btw..I have your cam and springs.

haha, thanks!

I'll have to grab those the next time I see you. I wish I could go to OC this year, but gotta save for the honeymoon

Bernie, can you explain to me the travel limiting straps that you are going to use with the Hellwig front sway bar? Do they take the place of the bump stops? Oh and keep up the great work on the project.

Fred,

The straps are for the rear. The drop springs in the rear can fall out before the shocks reach their full droop travel limit.

...and that's why I am getting coil overs in the rear...this weekend!

Thanks Bernie.

4" exhaust anyone?



haha, I wish... that's for the truck.

Damn rusty exhaust



Had to drill out all 6 bolts, now I have to tap the holes



Have all of the holes drilled except for one.... and there's a cobalt bit stuck in it.

I feel your pain!

My WRX has been down for over a week as I snapped a bolt in the subframe trying to fix the steering rack.

I had a pilot hole drilled all the way through the bolt; Instead of continuing to drill it out I decided to be smart and use an extractor. Broke the extractor in the bolt and now I have to drill that out as well! I HATE rust!

Man how the heck did that thing get on the road like THAT?!?!?

Good luck on the engine Bernie, they say it is great to be blown...

Last night, between a whiz wheel and further drilling, i got it to where I can move it left/right, but I can't pull it out. I guess it's just going to take more trying. I just hope I don't screw up the flange too badly.



Hmm... all this rust has occured in the time that I have owned the truck..... its quite unfortunate really.

Last weekend I got the passenger window back together. The window was always slow, and then one day it wouldn't go back up at all, it didn't even try. So I tore into it, knowing that I wanted to replace the motor and clean/grease the tracks anyway. It turned out that the initial problem was caused by a wire that had come loose on the passenger switch. The power for the passenger motor comes from the fuse box, through the driver's switch, across the firewall (inside the cabin) to the passenger switch, and then to the motor. So with that one wire loose, the passenger window couldn't be raised by either switch. I was able to find the terminals to repair the harness here:

http://www.repairconnector.com/products/...ors-5-Pack.html

And I bought two new switches from advance auto just to replace the peeling stockers. It turns out the passenger side switch was a dud right out of the box, which threw me off for a little bit. I took a multimeter to the stocker and figured out how it worked, and the new one didn't contact on the lowering circuit.

So I got it all cleaned, greased, repaired and reinstalled, and now the passenger window beats the driver's side up. I have the parts to do the driver's side, so I just need to find the time. I also want to tighten up the tilt column next.

I've got the fuel tank and lines out of the truck. I'm going to clean up the tank and replace the sender and lines, and that is the last of the rusty tubing under the truck.

Can't let this one just drift to the bottom!

So what's the status Bernie, it's been a while??? No excuses either we want to see progress pics of that dash board.

He's gonna get tired of walking to the gas station's eventually and finish up the dash! He just needs some motivation! -CONSIDER THIS AN INTERVENTION!! WE WANT DASH! WE WANT DASH!

lol! I should post that picture of where she drifted to a stop...

The latest progress was that I got some fleece because where I cut the dash to extend it and then filled in with the pour foam, I wasn't able to follow the contour of the dash. There is a very slight concave shape, and by moving the cowl piece away from the main part of the dash, I was unable to follow the compound curve. So I got some fleece and hot glued it across the top of the dash, stretching across the gap. I don't have any pictures yet, but the next step is to cover it in resin so that it holds its shape for he mold. I might have to reinforce it with some glass too though, I'm not really sure.

Other than that, I'm just saving money so I can skim off enough to get my megasquirt and injection parts . Booking the honeymoon and the holidays set me back quite a bit, but I'm getting there.

I need some suggestions.

Where I extended the dash out, I messed up the compound curve.



So I got some fleece and stretched it over. Now it is nice and smooth, but I am afraid that when I put resin on the fleece, it is going to touch the dash just below it (probably ~1/2" gap) and stick... making the fleece pointless. I thought 3M super trim adhesive might stiffen it up, but it didn't help at all. Now I'm thinking maybe just build primer or something. Any ideas? Spray varnish maybe? If I can get it stiff enough and put the top surface of the dash on a vertical plane, I can paint resin on it and that will hold it's shape so I can then lay glass on it for structure.

I've been spending a good bit of time in the garage trying to get a few things off my plate so that I can work on the SS. I bought my dad a utility trailer back at Christmas, but it was rough so I offered to clean it up for him. I disassembled the whole thing, stripped the paint and rust, primed, painted, and started assembling it. I have new plywood for the deck that I need to seal and then just finish assembling it. Once that's out of the garage, I'll have a lot more room to move around.

I also have been trying to outfit the garage to make fabrication possible. I got a bench grinder from Lowes, and also got a buffing wheel to restore some stock tail lights that I picked up for my truck at the yard.





And the one thing that I have been wanting to get for a long time...



Hobart Handler 190 MIG welder, 220V. I put the circuit in last night and bought the bottle this past weekend. I cut an old mower blade in half and welded it back together twice, and I think I did a pretty good job for someone who'd never MIG'd before, and only TIG'd for about 10 minutes. I got a pretty, stacked bead on top, and on the second try I penetrated the whole way through and had a tiny bead on the back side. I got it at Tractor Supply, along with the rest of the welding equipment (mask, etc) with a 10% off coupon. Even before the coupon, it was cheaper than any online site (even before you added shipping).

Looking good Bernie, those are the two main things that I am wanting to get still. I want the buffer so I can try and buff all my old chrome on the car back from the dead. I looked at the same one at tractor supply a while back. I need one so I can do my spare tire delete plate and notch the rear frame. That buffer sure did bring that light back to life.

If you do get the bench grinder, get the buffer wheel and compound from eastwood. Get a "loose" buffer wheel. I found info by searching "polishing tail lights" and there was a website where the guy did the entire rear light assembly on a 3rd gen trans am. I just did what he did, but I also had to wetsand with 2000 grit to get some of the more stubborn spots. Then I did my headlights and marker lights and the front looks much better. It's nice being able to wetsand in the utility sink under running water

Thanks for the info. Have you tried to do any old chrome or aluminum pieces with it? I have all my SC trim that I want to polish?

No but I could try the bumper of my truck or the grill and take a few pictures.

Could you Bernie, that would be great. I just want to get an good idea of how they would turn out from being so so shiney to mirror shiney I hope.

It did a LOT better than i thought it would. Its not perfect like the day it comes out of the chrome tank, but i guess it depends on how bad your trim is. Do you have a picture of what you want to buff out?

Well, basically all the lower door and fender trim on my SC also the window trim both front and rear.

[The previous content of this post may soon be proprietary...]

[The previous content of this post may soon be proprietary...]

Nice work Bernie, you should be pretty proud of those welds. Looks like you got nice penetration and they look nice. That thing should hold up for ever.

That really should help you out a lot with all that added leverage! I kinda thinking you lost your man pedal though...

It's nice having a welder for those small fab jobs.

Good job Bernie!

Ron.

lol! Better than loosing my left knee! It hurts whenever I drive that car for more than 45 minutes or so, and I test drove a C5 a couple weeks ago and felt the way it is supposed to feel. The C5 felt like the pedal was very easy to hold in once you got it down, and it was easier to get started too. Hopefully I got mine worked out the same way. I'm going to try to figure out a way to test it in the car before I finalize anything.

Thanks for the compliments guys

[The contents of this post may soon be proprietary...]

cool man , your car has always been one of my favs. is the new dash going to be fiber glass or carbon fiber ?

It will be fiberglass. And thanks!

[The previous contents of this post may soon be proprietary...]

[The previous contents of this post may soon be proprietary...]

Not sure why the video wont embed...

Its because that pedal is too light!! Thats why!! Nice work though! I might have to copy your set up to see if I can ease my pedal. Glad we got her working again. I need to bring the real racecar next time I head up there

Yea you do. Its coming back out to paint, ill trace out the last pedal bracket and i already have the template for the firewall bracket

Took the SS out to a paper chase yesterday and my pup got her forst ride in it. She had never ridden in anything that loud, but she seemed to be fine.



Today my buddy Don came over to help with the dash project. He used to work for a custom jet ski shop so he knows his 'glass. I couldnt take pictures throughout the process, but here is where we stopped for the day.

Well done Bernie !!! I’ve never had a car you could push the clutch in that easily . One of the reasons I don’t have one , old and bad knees . I only drove sticks for years . You and Adam are both a trip , don’t change , I enjoy it ……. Hey , I love that dash . If something comes up and you don’t like the out come , which I doubt !! If you need a new one and Ron doesn’t want it , I have one , we’ll talk .

Thanks Ulli! I was kinda worried about needing a backup plan in case this doesnt work out well in the end. After today, my hopes are up, but that could just be from breathing the fumes!

Seems like one step forward, two steps back. I went to pull the car back in the garage and heard a loud metal on metal bang when the engine fired, and another when it shut down. I fired it back up to see if I could track it down, and noticed the crank pully wobbling. So I removed the pully and rigged up a dial indicator to see what the runout was.







A good 20 thousandths of runout, so I guess it's time for a new pully.

Removing the pully allowed me to remove the cover for the timing marks that was on the damper, and then I noticed that the outter ring of the damper was loose from the inner hub, and could be spun as it screwed on or off the hub... so I pulled that.





So I need a new damper. This one was like 2-3 years old, Summit brand. I guess I'll be going with ATI this time around. That's gonna hurt the car fund IDK if the cover might have prevented air flow on the damper and it got hot or what, but the next damper will have timing marks engraved on it so I don't have to use the cover.

In the process of removing the damper, I managed to gack up the threads in the crank like a total idiot, so that's going to have to be drilled out to 1/2" more than likely. If you pay close attention to the pictures, you can probably figure out my bonehead move.

Ouch man....Don't even say you didn't put the spacer into the harmonic balancer hole first????

Also That's not an accurate way to measure TIR Bernie. Mount the pulley then set up on it and spin the thing.

AHA I KNEW the noise was in the accessory area!... unfortunately it a little bit of a pricey fix. Theres alot of nice small block balancers floating around- I'd look used before buying new

Ron, wouldnt that still be able to tell me if the pully is bent on the mounting face? It was very consistent while i spun it a few times.

And yes on the spacer.

You can't be getting accurate numbers like that. I would want a measurement closer to the belt also. When it's bolted down things could change a little as it's tight to the water pump face. It might be even worse then depending on the water pump TIR? But I never have indicated a pulley. I have used laser alignment on some long corvette belts in the past though. Along with a belt tension tool to measure the frequency of the belt in hertz to manufacture specs.

This is the crank pully, but I get what you are saying now. I could bolt it back up to the hub of the old damper, but I can't think of a very good way to rotate it other than just assuming the backside of the hub is normal to the axis of rotation and spinning it on a steel plate... which probably isn't all that great either.

Yes I knew it was the crank pulley but for some reason I wrote water pump.....LOL

I really don't think those parts are that tight in the beginning. I would get a new harmonic balance wheel and then check it out on the crank. Just pull the plugs and rotate the crank with a socket. If you have .020 TIR I would think that's damn good.

lol, sounds good. I suspect it could be higher than that, as that was indicated very close to the center of the pully. It might end up being quite a bit more out at the grooves if it doesn't straighted up when it's clamped down by the bolts.

Hell Bernie, you can feel mine wobble a little with your finger when the engines running. Just turns some old v-belts, I wouldn't worry about it. I also have one of those covers on a stock balancer and haven't had any issues for the couple years it's been on there.

Man. See that puller in....bad bad boy. I used sevral summit balancers all did the abot same length of time. Ati

Adam and Doug (Sixtoes and sicmonte) came over yesterday because Doug was in the area. We had a little shop day and got a stock balancer installed. Thanks to Mark (benchseatracin) for the screamin deal on the balancer!! The new bolts that I got weren't threaded far enough and the shoulder would have hit the threads before the balancer was seated. The stock bolt went back in after cleaning up the thread, and torqued to 60 ft-lbs. I might still get a 3" bolt and see if the shoulder isn't too long to install that.

The pulley still wobbles a bit, but the balancer doesn't wobble at all so that's good news.

Can't wait for the next shop day with my bros! We are planning a get together/car show/shop day at doug's shop at a date TBD, but probably after mother's day (and the OC cruise). Anyone is invited

Yes anyone on these boards is invited...but they have to show up in a hot rod!! And yes I consider a modified monte a hot rod...lol. If all goes well there should be some wicked pro-touring and race cars coming.

Made some mounts for the dash since its 4" further from the firewall. I think i might triangulate some. I test drove it, and even without the screws in the defroster vents, its pretty sturdy. The console will help too.











I also chopped up the original gauge cluster housing so it fits in the modded dash. The dash will need to come out for more glass, but at least i can put a speedo in it and finally drive the car again.

Pssh, you don't NEED a speedo to drive the car (Or a working gas gauge if it comes down to it )


The new dash is coming along! When are you going to start cutting into the firewall?

Well it's got a good look through the windshield. Kinda reminds me of the mid 90'S F body's.

I would like to add my constructive .....

I would remove the pointed edges that meet into the door panels. That whole outward sloped end on each side of the dash should be inverted. Then it would conform into the door panel reveal better IMO. And free up those window switches a bit.

I thought the same thing when I saw that pic.




Nice idea! Since you're glassing it anyway, it's probably easy enough to cut it back 1-2" and make a gentle curve instead of the triangle point that it has now.

Well i get checked by MP's every day to work, so id need one for that lol.

I agree about the ends, i might just get rid of the flare, ill have to stare at it for a while and see what i come up with.

I was driving the SS the other day and realized how uncomfortable the seat was and that there was a metal rod digging into my hip. I have another set of buckets that are faded, but I figured I'd put that back in as it turns out it had a lot better support. While the seat was out, I figured I should fix the inner mounts, since my car was originally a 1-piece bench and now I have a welder. So out comes the other seat and the carpet. And then I see this...



And a bit later I have this...



After trying to make a patch panel, I realized that witout a bead roller, it's going to be too flimsy. I think I'll order a floor pan or find a used one and just replace the whole section.

I think Anthony had to do the same thing to his car.

How is that pinch seam at the firewall attached? Are there spot welds behind the AC box or what?

Yes indeed that looks inviting ..... I would just lift the body up while you're into it Bernie. Then the body mounts and frame mounts could be hit in one shot then you're done with the under body repairs. I'm certain the floor pans need attention else where too.

im afraid to look at mine.....

At least you cought it before it got into your rockers.

Youre right Ron there is more rot in the trunk pans. I was hoping to get better at welding and wait till winter to pull the body off so i can drive it this season. The frame needs modification when it comes out too. Plus that way i can save some more money so the project doesnt stall out.

I tried to practice MIG welding on 20 gauge last night so that I can dial in the machine (Hobart Handler 190) and figure out what I'm doing. I was able to get it down to where I could weld a 1" bead without blowing it out on a solid piece (not welding 2 together), and get great penetration on the other side. It kept popping and spitting though, especially starting on cold metal. If I started/stopped, it sounded pretty good by starting on the red metal. I'm using .035 wire with the heat on 1 or 2 out of 7 (both seem to work about the same... wishing it was a rheostat now instead of a dial) and the wire feed on ~17 out of 100 and 75/25 Argon/CO2 gas set on 21 cfm(?) when the trigger is pulled. The ground is good, I wire brushed the clamp and took a flap-disc to the base metal (which is a section out of an old tailgate). My buddy said that .035 is a thick wire to heat up without burning through the 20 gauge, so I'm going to pick up a small spool of .022 and see how that does, hopefully tonight.

Hello Berine,


That popping can be frustrating as it usually burns through in that moment on thin metal. I run the smaller wire myself but with about 30-35 feed on the same welder.

Gas quality can be the deal breaker also. I had the same issue not to long ago that came out of nowhere, it was the gas quality.

teach me your ways master....teach me your ways....

You're the man with the BG yellow funnel....

I stopped by NAPA with a buddy and figured I'd ask about MIG wire, and they had it. Only .030 and .035, but he's getting the .022 in later today for me. He's also getting in spot weld drills, so that saves me a trip down to Keen. I ordered the floor pan from a local place this morning and that should be in this week sometime, and it was $50 cheaper than Summit after the truck freight

Ron - I know what you mean. The back side of my sheet looked like a porcupine from all the wire blowing through and then arcing on the side of the hole. I hope it's not the gas... I have 90% of the bottle left and it was working great on the 3/16" plate I was welding. I checked the flow and cleaned the tip. I did find a big piece of slag in the tip but after cleaning it out it didn't seem to have made much difference. I was watching OCC on TV the other day and when they MIG sheet, they have a smaller nozzle, and they stick it right on the base metal... no stick-out at all. It also looked like the thinner wire. That gives me a few ideas to try out. It definately seemed to work a lot better for them than it does for me.

Doug - once I learn my ways, I'll teach you my ways

30-35 with the smaller wire, and what do you use on the heat?

Mine I run #1 for sheet metal. But if you run a continuous bead you will warp it on body panels. And or burn through if butt welding two pieces. I stagger spot welds every inch then come back and hit them in the center and repeat the process on body panels. Floor pans you can throw a bit more at it lets say one inch stitch welds with no bad outcome due to the thicker gauge and multiple plies of material.

Once you get the feel on the machine you're assessment abilities will be quickly learned.

And for sure if your too fare off the substrate the shielding gas can't do it's job too well.

When ytou do the floors please call me so I can come up to help. I want to "practice" on your car...lol

Something tells me that's a bad idea flux core boy

funny thing is this...I can't mig for anything...but I can tig just fine.

Thanks for the advice Ron! That was 100 times easier! I set it on about 32 and it looks good to my untrained eye at least

Looking good Bernie! I have a parts monte that has solid floors and trunk ect if you end up needing any pieces.

That .35 wire is killing you... I run a .30 and im able to do sheet metal with it on the lowest setting on my lincoln 140 and crank it up and it does 5/16 with no problem.

Looks like your spot welds are still a bit to hot. That dark color change tells me its about to blow through when you cut the trigger off.