Follow AP's '66 Coronet Convertible Build

I have been working on a highly customized 1966 Coronet Convertible for about two years and the car is finally coming out of paint today. Jacob Miles at Milestone Custom Body and Paint layered on the PPG Viper Blue Pearl paint with 8 coats of clear. Tim Strange lent a lot of knowledge and labor on custom body work and shock tower shrouds.

Tossing names for the project back and forth and would like some opinions as we go. The front runners are CoVert66 and 'RagNet but I am open to suggestions.

The aim is to put a "Build this Car" book together so if anyone sees something they like they can follow our lead and do the same to their own car.

Monday we will start thrashing it together for an October finish. The car will feature a bunch of sweet parts and will debut at SEMA if we can get 'er together. Some of the highlights so far:

505ci stroker wedge with F&B 6-pack EFI,
Engine build and dyno testing by Proformance Unlimited,
Holley EFX brain power,
MAHLE and Eagle internals,
Magnum 6-speed,
American Powertrain ProFit installation kit,
American Powertrain Atomic Twin clutch,
RMS suspension with the newest RideTech external chamber adjustable shocks
Wilwood 12.9" discs all around with 6-pot calipers
Weld custom forged S71 wheels
American Powertrain electric power steering on Ididit's new B-body colunm,
489 case 8-3/4 Suregrip full of DTS pieces parts
A PST Carbon Fiber driveshaft
Rick's tank
American Autowire wiring
C&R Aluminum Radiator with twin Spal fans
Legendary custom interior
Autometer Cobalt gauges
ARO2000 Top and well liner


As we work I will post images. We also have a bunch of images already on our FB page, Coronet Photo Album on AP Facebook Page. Milestone has a bunch on their FB page too.

We will be doing a lot of work on a Build This Car book so ask lots of questions. If we can't answer them our suppliers and sponsors can.

What did the car start out as originally? Do you have a picture of the fender tag by chance?

I hope you are reinforcing the hell out of it with the 505. Our '66 convertible is like a wet noodle with a warm 440.

I can give you some tips on the stereo system if you want to hide it. Also, if you guys need any parts we parted a '66 Belvedere II and save everything we could due to scarcity.

This car was a run of the mill 1966 with a 318 poly block, an automatic with an open 3.23 in the back. I think the only option was a power top, but that may have been standard. One of the reasons I wanted to start with this car (other than the fact that I love 1966/67 B's) is that it has no star power on it's own. Nobody would want to see a completely restored 318 poly car with a Torqueflight and a one legged diff.

We used XV Motorsports laser contoured subframe connectors and stitch welded them all the way up one side and down the other, so the car looks like a full frame car. We are also engineering a shock tower brace behind the back seat that is a lot stiffer than the stock sheet metal piece. Of course, with a convertible the rockers are already beefed up, and we are loosing a ton of weight with aluminum heads, the new RMS k-frame and no fluid power steering (rack with our electric column). I joked with Jacob about putting a lot of flex additive in the paint. I don't know jack about paint, but it seemed funny at the time. I cracked the old paint with a warmed 440 which started this whole ball rolling.

Appreciate the offer on the parts. Next week we are going to lay everything out that we have and see if there is anything we are missing. We have parts piled up over two years of anticipation and at this point it is a parts circus that covers three pallet racks in our warehouse.

Very cool, I like you plan. What are going to use for rear door panels? I'll pull our '66 out of the shop this weekend and snap some pics of my stereo install. Keep us posted along the way!

Our '66 383-4 A/C car:

Great looking car you have.

Pics would be great on the stereo set-up. I think I am going to end up with a double-DIN stereo in a custom console with a slide over cover for weather protection. The dash panel will be anodized billet and I want to keep it very clean.

Here's mine, almost done We used a lot of the same components. I have your 5 speed waiting to go in.

Man, I love the black. Pictures don't do them justice, but here is a shot from this morning loading on the trailer at Milestone Custom Paint and Body.

Time to start bolting it all together!

Image must have been too big. Trying again...

Well, we have our first major snags;

1. The awesome forged WELD S71 wheels are too wide in the back by 1/2" and they can't be fixed. So, we have taken the rear axle out of the car, stripped it and will be taking an inch out of each side to accommodate the wheels. The alternative was to try to roll painted fender lips. NO THANKS.

2. Apparently MAHLE sent us over 400 pistons for the 440 stroker set-up. Not gonna work. The good news is that the proper RB pistons are on the way from them and the engine should be on the dyno at Proformance Unlimited next week. Keeping my fingers crossed for 650hp and 700ft-lbs of fat car moving torque.

G

Quote:

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Well, we have our first major snags;
The alternative was to try to roll painted fender lips. NO THANKS.

G

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A little Butta and elbow grease, I'm sure you could have rolled the lips without affecting the paint?


Mike