Looks like you have a really solid car to start off with

 

nice car should be exiting keep us posted ill definately look forward to lots of pix

 

Lift is installed. Check Step 1. 934 steps to go.

 

I got back on the build today. My father passed away a couple weeks ago, so things stopped.

After today's work, the next step is to remove the body mount bolts and separate the body from the chassis. Then the engine and transmission will come out and the chassis will be gone.

 

I give you credit for starting a project at the age of 70. I'm 61, and I told myself that my currecnt project, which is pretty much finished, will be the last one! You are starting with a beautifully restored car, so that should make life a lot easier for you, with no rusted body bolts to deal with and so forth. Best of luck to you, and enjoy the process!

 

70 is the new 60. I've got several good years left.

 

Beautiful car - your starting point in nicer than my driver/show work in progress. Keep us posted.

 

Made a little progress today. This is the first of many milestones.

 

Stock chassis is gone. A/C removed. Dash stripped down. Fuse panel and under dash wiring removed. Next step is to weld up holes in firewall and inner fenders. And reroute A/C and heater hoses.

 

May as well toss that stock gas pedal.

 

Yep. That's coming out too. There will be a new DBW pedal.

 

that's a nice car to start with,
key us posted when you can,
thanks for sharing the pics!

 

I've gotten a little work done. I'm working on the firewall and inner fenders. Holes are welded up on the fenders, sprayed with epoxy primer/sealer, body worked and primed with high build. They are ready for block sand and basecoat. The basecoat is called Secret Silver and it will be sprayed over the black primer. The clear will be matte. The outer part of the fenders will be coated with Wurth undercoating, sprayed with basecoat and matte clear. On the passenger side, I welded a debris shield/tray for the A/C and heater hoses. I'm doing my best to hide them.

 

I ordered the Blueprint LS3/4L70 530 Hp package. There's a 10 month build time. But when it arrives, I drop it in, wire it and fire it.

 

My plan was to keep the stock firewall. I'm having second thoughts. I'm not sure I can ever get it to look as good as a recessed firewall. I'm not a fabricator. My welding skills are limited. I'm afraid I'll bite off more than I can handle. I'm especially concerned about the front body mounts. Any advice from those who have taken the step?

 

I pulled the trigger today and ordered a firewall. I will use the Direct Sheetmetal smooth firewall. I've already started cutting the stock one out. This should be fun.

 

Firewall is out. The new one will be here this week.

 

I'm glad you took the plunge and went with a smoothie firewall. It will make a big difference in the appearance department, plus you can set the engine back a bit into the recess, for more clearance up front for high performance electric fans. I used CPP slider engine mounts to mount my LS3. They are great for putting the engine where you want it to be.

 

Just asking, no way to recess the original firewall?
Those other than stock firewalls seem to be easy to spot and they seem to not really be formed quite right.
All that work for a firewall that really is not perfectly fit around what the new LS type motors shape looks like.
they tend to look squared off.
But that may be just me, those smoothed firewalls may be like that because of the way it has to fit the body?
An original style firewall recessed most would not even notice,
but real 5-6-7 enthusiasts would see it but we might not know what was really done.
Either way, seeing what you are doing is a lot more fun on this side of the computer.
Thanks for sharing your pics and your work.

 

This is the firewall I will be installing. The only difference will be the front body mounts. I will be reusing the original mounts, but they will be cut down and rewelded similar to this picture. I'll fabricate mount covers similar to these.

This is the LS3 that I want to use. I'm a little concerned about the height. I should have a better feel about the fit once I have the firewall in.

 

I checked out your build thread. Amazing! Your fabrication skills far exceed mine.

I have a couple questions. I see you went with aa cowl hood. How much did the Holley intake violate the stock hood. I ask because I am installing an LS3 with a fabricated intake. The height is 20.25 inches from the centerline of the crank pulley. I have a felling it is going to be very close. But I don't have the chassis and engine to verify.

Did you have to narrow the rear seat frame for the tubs? I'm hoping to avoid that.

Thanks for checking out my build thread, and thank you for the kind words. It was quite a journey, to say the least!
The Holley Hi-Ram interfered with my hood by about 1/4". However, it all depends on the location of the engine, both vertically and front to rear. I located my engine somewhat high and rearward, and it was done at a time during the build when the Holley Hi-Ram wasn't on my radar yet. I think the Holley Hi-Ram is taller than the intake that is on the engine you're looking to buy, so you "should" be OK with hood clearance and firewall clearance.

 

Trimming and fitting of the new firewall is underway.

 

Cutting and fitting is done. Next, I will fabricate brackets for the Vintage Air and route hoses. Then the welding begins.

 

I fabricated the Vintage Air evaporator brackets. I welded in a 3-1/2" diameter exhaust elbow for the A/C and heater hoses. I'm trying to keep those out of sight. The evaporator ended up fitting really good and lined up perfectly with the elbow.

I decided to replace toe boards and most of the trans tunnel. Fitting all the pieces up is time consuming. There's a lot of welding after that. I will be fabricating new front body mounts. I'm leaving the bottom portion of the mount in place but cutting the top portion down and replacing it. I ordered a bead roller from Eastwood to put some strength in the mounts. Not the prettiest welds but they should be ok. A little body work and no one will know.

Cutting, welding and grinding is great for relieving stress.

 

looks like a craftsman at work looks fantastic

 

Ordered my Roadster Shop SPEC chassis yesterday. The build takes 6-7 months. So now I wait. But there's plenty of other things to work on.

I'm trying to finish up the firewall, front body mounts and transmission tunnel. Then on to the underbody. The plan is to undercoat the underbody and then paint the firewall, underbody and inner fenders. The firewall and toe boards are kicking my butt.

 

The welding is finally done. It didn't seem like a big job when I started. Hats off to you guys who are replacing a lot of sheet metal. Just the firewall and toe boards were 36 feet of welds. I am happy with the front body mounts.

I sprayed primer/sealer on Saturday. Today I will start the body work. I'm sure this will be another job I underestimated. I'm looking forward to getting paint on so I can move on to the underbody. The underside is in good shape. Just a few holes to weld.

 

Even though you're putting a modern chassis underneath it, please keep or retain the old school look of those classic five spoke wheels! Even if you can go wider, stick with that look, (please).