Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

Tweet

looking good don.

Don, that's coming along really nice. Great job!!!!!

Thanks Mike and Duane. I know I could have built some more stylish lower mounts, but I kind of overengineer things, and didn't want them to shift or break on me. I think when they are painted frame and body color they will blend in better.

I saw the ones pictured below on Ebay, and actually thought of building mine like these, but they just look so flimsy that I decided to err or the side of safety. The other factor is how high they need to be to get me some ground clearance for the oil pan.


Don

Looking very good Don, how are you doing on your budget so far? I am Junkyard Junkie and I beleive you can do it, I'm rootin' for ya!

Well, a few things are going to put me slightly over, like the $ 750.00 worth of slicks and wheels I pirated off of my unfinished '39 to use on the bucket, but I still think I can come in near the $ 3000.00 figure. I have to sit down with my receipts for purchases I have been making and see exactly where I am ( I just haven't taken the time to do that).

It's like every other build out there, it is evolving as I am going along. At one point I was going to use the old radiator I had sitting around, but think I will invest in a good new one rather than do it half way and then have to deal with problems later on. I still think it could be done really cheap if you waited for deals to come along and compromised on some items, like using cheaper tires, but I am also trying to hit a deadline for having the car running in time for Daytona, so I can't waste too much time looking for the parts I need. I also want the final car to be a little nicer that the primered, unupholstered version I first planned on building.

Another change is that we were going to give this car to my one Son when it is done, but we have come to realize he has no interest in this kind of car, he is more of a Mustang 5.0 guy, and just sold his 2003 Mach I so he could free up some money to finish his Capri. The few times he was over at the shop he was very disinterested in the bucket, and my Son Dan commented exactly what I had been thinking, that this is not his cup of tea. So, I will keep it for me, and help him get his Capri done.

Thanks for the encouragement, and I figure even if the cost goes a little over the $ 3000.00 it will still be ok, as I will still not have in it anywhere near the normal amount of money a rod takes to build. Plus, maybe there will be some encouragement and ideas in here for others who may be thinking of building a rod. I know some of the posts are very basic, but for someone who has never done it there may be some insight into how these things go together.


Thanks again guys,


Don

Well, to get out of the rut of taking a nap every night after work, I have decided to drive straight to the shop, instead of going home, and try to get one project on the car done every night. (Once I get home it's all over )

So tonight I finished up the drivers side lower engine mount, and am going to have Dan weld it them both to the frame tomorrow night. I'm actually starting to feel more comfortable with the mig, and this motor mount went a lot better than the other side. I guess the practice is helping, but I am not up to welding things that actually show yet, like the mounts to the frame and the front perch. I'll leave that to someone who knows what he is doing.

I also wanted to get the body back on the frame now that the engine and trans are in the exact final position. I want to see what clearance issues I might have to deal with, and also how it is going to look with the engine mounted as high as it is. To get a pretty close cut on the firewall to clear the bellhousing, I had an old empty turbo 350 case that we use for mockups, and it is the same shape as the stick shift bellhousing, so I used it to scribe a line around the perimeter. This is the area I cut out with a jigsaw with a very fine blade to minimize chipping of the fiberglass.

After I cut out the hole the body went on the frame and engine perfectly, and I finally got to see if I was going to have enough room for a clutch and brake pedal in addition to a throttle. I really want to run this stick set up, so I am going to do everything possible to make it fit. From the initial fitting, I think it will work. There won't be a ton of room, but if I wear the right shoes (tennis shoes) I think my feet will fit with 3 pedals down there.

Here are some pictures of tonights progress. Thanks for looking.


Don

And of course I had to slip my new valve covers on just to see how the engine was going to look sort of in it's final dress. I think I am going to like it.


Don