customizing.

Lets talk customizing. And I thought I would show some pics of this old rig with the cab exterior down to bare metal.

I have a set of hidden door hinges that I never used on an old pick up I had, sO I think I am going to use them, do some electric windows, a custom gas filler that get rid of the old one, one that recessed would be nice. I am going to do custom seats, after market air and modern goodies.

Some where on the hood I am cutting out a small area and using the 'CHRYSLER FIREPOWER" from some old hemi valve covers I have that are shot and only the lettering is good, I have seen that once on a car ron posted and really like it.

what other mods have you guys done and which electric windows and other accesories are best, like steering wheel, column, ect for these projects. There are so many places to buy things and so many variations.

I am going with a 5.7 EFI HEMI, I have decided that for sure at this point as I work with a UTI graduate whos now a Deputy. He has the knowledge and said he will help me, which is a huge help. He also just finished his EFI 67 chevelle and its nice, so I know he knows what hes doing.

I know different types of columns, have chevy connectors, and or variations, which ones are best for out application?

what mods have you guys done, what gas tanks have you used, ect?

lets see your mods and some cars, this page has been slow for a while! lets pick it up.


38 plymouth in steel.

Dave I read your PM and I ment to respond but I got tied up with a lot of things this weekand I thought I responded

as far as the engine goes I know you want to go with the 5.7 hemi but the wiring issues come in to play.
we are going through the same thing here, my brother just bought a 34 ply coupe and he has to decied what engine to run, we have talked about 440s,340s,5.7 hemi and 360's.
right now he is leaning towards a 360 with a 6 pack and a 518 trans but that could change as this project is about a year away from starting

The 5.7 Hemi idea is a good one if you can work out the wiring at a reasonable price.

just my opinion but I would not use the chrysler fire power pieces on the car unless you used a early(354-392) hemi in it, I think it would be weird if you didn't have a the engine in it that the callout was for.


I like to use the chrysler cordoba column as it has the PRND2L on it and is a tilt.
but if you are going to run a floor shift there are a lot of different columns you could go with, if you want to go with a new column Ididit makes a very nice piece but a little pricey.

I would start with the chassis and get that finished up, get the frontend, rearend and springs and stuff done so that part is done, then I would finish up the body mods that you would like to do and get it ready for paint, then I would get the engine and trans figured out and get the mounts and steering done.

the body looks great, the small amount of patch work should be an easy fix, you will just have to decied on color at some point, and that could change right up to the last minute of putting it on. Ron....

Ron, I am definately going with an automatic floor shifter. I would only use the firepower call out if I go with a 5.7 hemi, i just figure its a HEMI so it fits in some way.

Do you like a 4 link or something different?

Dave

Dan, there really isint't a set in stone way to build a rod. look at the aftermarket cars like outlaw you buy a willys body and chassis and a lot of the work is done and you check fit the engine and trans and exaust then pull it apart and paint the chassis and then the body and reassemble.

in Daves case he had not totaly decied on an engine, I know he wants the 5.7 HEMI but the wiring and computers still need to be figured out. and Dave is comfortable doing body and paint work so that is why I said chassis and body work first.
I am pretty sure he plans on usung a 8 3/4 rearend so decieding on leaf springs or 4 bar and coilovers would be first on the list for the chassis and he needs to figure out if he is going to do the mustang II frontend.

doing some of the body work right now IS something he can do and see progress

I like to get the chassis done first and get the body fit to the chassis, then get motor and engine mountes done and then get the body work started.
but the order can change if I dont have the engine that needs to fit the chassis, I will go on to something else till I get the part needed to fit the engine..

so like I said above do what you feel comfortable with now and then at some point you "will" have to make some decision on what engine,color and wheels and tire to go with.


Dan on your car you are right about setting up the engine and trans for fit if the firewall needs to fit the engine but what frontend are you useing?
when I did work for other people they would ask me how much to put in a mustang II frontend and I told then that when doing the frontend I would recomend brake peddle, column mount,steering shaft and engine and trans mounts be done all at the same time so the welding and all could be finished befor they took the car home where they didn't have a welder, when doing engine and trans mounts the engine can be moved around a little if needed to fit the steering better that is why I like to do them together.

again no set in stone way to do it but at some point some things need to be done befor others befor you can proceed Ron..

Well, Ron, I kinda got lucky on both my cars. The Nash was sitting on a Chevy frame (we were told of 68 vintage but no idea what model). A friend of mine gave me a 1986 Dodge van with a rebuilt 360/727, so we yanked it, cut the ears off the frame, and set it into the Chevy frame. I modified the ears some to match the Bowtie frame contours, and burned them into place with the welder. The factory firewall has a cutout that mated fairly nicely with the distributor, and the way they have the body mounted on the chassis, with some of the mods already made by previous owners, the trans fit fine as well. It LOOKS like I will be able to use the A-body style PB booster and master on the firewall, and an old farmer locally sold his farm and asked us over to see if we wanted any junk he had in his barn before it got tossed. There was a set of front discs...calipers, knuckles, the works. We grabbed them "in case" and guess what? They're the correct ones for this frame. Go figure.

On my 56 it was pretty easy...used the original engine mounts. Gotta fab a little for the Z-bar, had to add 2" to the driver's side header tubes to clear the drag link for the straight axle, and had to move the perches in a bit to use an E-body rear (which was less than ½" different in overall width). The MC is a bolt in...if it wasn't for wanting to use turbos in it later, I'd use the A-body PB system in that as well.

I see now why you directed Dave the way you did, though. Progress is important...and progress you can SEE is even more important. When things never change it's way easy to get bogged down, and we've seen many projects change hands over the years for that very reason.

Dave- It looks good. Time to break out the welder?

That's great, Dave. For me, although I can do the metal fab/panel rebuilding-reworking, and body/paint, it bogs me down insanely...drives me batty. So, for me, the best plan is always to get it driveable, and slap it in flat or satin black, and pick a panel or two every winter to "improve" it during the part of the year that I can't be driving it. When you do it that way enough times, you start thinking of that as the ONLY way to do it!

I think that car is great. Are you thinking of chopping it? 2 or 3" maybe? I think the Hemi is a good choice, given the mileage we have been able to see Chargers and 300's getting, and you should be able to save a few pounds over those platforms...and I think that being able to program the fuel curves to their optimum levels would allow for a bit more.

any more pics,any more progress,Dave???? Ron...

No last week I worked on moparts "YOUNGUNNER'S" 69 RR fenders hood, ect and my dart. I am working on his stuff tomorrow as well and hope to have it done. Then a little more on my dart. I need to get the dart done and out/off of the lift.

I will then start to do some fenders, ect on the 38. My main problem is in july and august I am gone out of town to a small 3 week academy in NAPA california since I am a Nevada officer now working in California I have to have it. Then a search and rescue school for a week in santa cruz. So summer is somewhat shot for cars. The good news, by next summer I will have some serious funds for projects.

Dave