BUILD THREAD “The Juggernaut”

Injectedcutty said:

You dirty dog.....nice little teaser pics lol! Those custom bumper supports look awesome, so do the suttle flares which is usual of your craftsmanship! I understand when you say work never stops....I've always got something in my sick cutlass infested brain on what the next step might be. Progress is slow going on my end with bodywork being done but I'm starting to see a purchase of base and clear in the near future woohoo! Keep it up,
scott.

Click to expand...

mr evil said:

+1 on flares!

Click to expand...

theoldsone said:

The quality is just amazing! superb.

Click to expand...

Scott, Rick, The Olds One, and Jack (Longroof 79):
Thanks gents!
Appreciate the kind words and sentiments. Already looking forward to getting back into it in the fall.

Gozer442 said:

Amazing skills! Every mod is so well thought out, and executed.

Click to expand...

Thanks very much!
I'll be starting up on it again in the next month or two, updates will follow...

Hello, and welcome once again everyone!
I've noticed we have quite a few new members here since last year, to them, I can only suggest reading this thread from the beginning for it to make sense...

https://gbodyforum.com/threads/the-juggernaut-build-thread.55095/

For the regulars that are already familiar with the 'Naut, it's time to get back into gear on this thing as the season is already starting to wind down.

It's been a busy summer for me, with a lot of time spent on the other G that I picked up last year, some of you may remember.
Project Olds Cool got a new heart transplant in the form of a Vortec headed 350 Chevy, new legs in the form of a fully rebuilt 200r4 with stage II shift kit, matching factory shifter, console, top plate, etc as well as an 8.5" 10 bolt and 3:73 gears.
The transmission, rearend, driveshaft, and crossmember all came from an '85 442 I was lucky enough to come across in the wrecking yard of all places!
To say it woke the car up from the stock 305 with a dead cylinder and 2:56 highway gears would be an understatement in the least! So needless to say, I've been enjoying annihilating the tires and getting lots of seat time in that, and it feels great!
But anyways, I digress. This thread is about my pride and joy,
THE JUGGERNAUT!
So let's get to it...

At the end of last season, I had pretty much completed all the header panel, grille, and headlight bezel modifications, and the grilles and bezels were sent off to have the spray chrome (or Cosmichrome as some of you may know it as) applied.

I finally got all the parts back, and I'm pleased to report that I'm very happy with them. Are they chrome? No. Are they extremely close? DEFINITELY.

If you really really know what you're looking for/at, you'll be able to tell that they're not real chrome. But for the difference in cost and ease of working with, and for the majority of people that wouldn't know the difference, it was definitely the right choice for me.

Pics of the parts back from spray chrome:








Now, some of you may recall the time and effort I put into masking off and spraying all the desired areas black, but unfortunately I found out when I dropped them off that they were unable to mask off the black, and had to apply the chrome over top. Needless to say, I was kinda pissed. I HATE doing things twice!

Anyways, after I had calmed down and accepted the inevitable, I procrastinated for the next several months as I really didn't relish the thought of having to find a way to properly and adequately scuff the sides of the fins on the grilles and respray the black.


Why you ask? I did the math:
Each grille has 22 fins.
Two sides per fin equals 44 sides. Add in the two outer edges, and we're up to 46 edges to sand. Times 2 grilles equals 96 edges!
NINETY SIX EDGES!!!
Good grief...

Well, this past week, I decided to bite the bullet and just get after it. Keep in mind, these areas do in fact need to be sanded or scuffed for the paint to stick sufficiently. There's no way all that black paint is going to come off the first time I take the pressure washer to it at the car wash.

So after a bit of trial and error, I hit upon the best solution. 3M soft back sanding sponges in 400 grit cut down and spray glued to a cutoff wooden paint mixing stick. This provided just the right size and width to get in between the fins and apply sufficient pressure to rough up the surfaces without damaging the chrome finish on the front of the fins.





So that's pretty much where I stand as of right now. One grille is totally done and ready to have the black reapplied, as is one bezel. With any luck, I will be able to knock out the other grille and bezel tomorrow night.
REALLY looking forward to completing this last step and seeing the finished product on the car!!!





Overkill? Probably.
Obsessive compulsive? Most likely. Anal retentive? Almost certainly. Willing to compromise on quality? Not on your life...


Thanks for tuning in again guys.
Till next time,
Drive angry my friends...