Stretched-Channeled-Dropped-32 Valve-Lost Cause

[DRIVEN]

7/30/10
Engine and transmission back in. Body setting on frame. You might be able to tell that I haven't clearanced the firewall yet so the body is about 2 inches rearward of where it will be. I think it'll need at least a 4 inch channel on the body. I want the frame rails to be out of sight under the body.

The floor is pretty shot anyway so I might as well kill two birds...

It's back in the holding pen until I find out if I'm worthy of a title. No need to spend any time building a car I can't drive.

 

[DRIVEN]

7/25/10
Just got my denial letter from DMV. All those little details that I thought we had worked out at the counter were denied by the "reviewer" at the main office. Did I mention that the auction were I got it was an estate liquidation? Not only is the previous owner dead - I'm sure it's safe to assume his widow is too by now. I guess it's time to do some detective work. Lucky me.


So in the last 2 years not much has changed. I collected a couple missing pieces like the dash, windshield frame, and a window regulator. I also came up with a couple extra headlights and a steering column. After tripping over all this extra stuff I finally got motivated to gather up all the parts I know that I'll never use. I stacked them logically, snapped a couple pics, placed an ad, and 45 minutes later I was helping the new owner load them. I guess I should have asked more for them:

Since then I have rolled it over to the other shop and this is how it sits as of today...just waiting.

So, thanks for looking. Any questions, comments and suggestions are welcome. Fire away.

 

[Ringers]

Awsome thread! I always like looking at what no good you're up to! Keep it up!
Matt

 

[DRIVEN]

Thanks guys.

 

[bill]

Cool stuff Driven! I would think that you could apply for a lost title or stolen title? If not, you can always move to VA...they love old junkers reborn around here....lol.

Good Luck! Keep us posted!

 

[DRIVEN]

Probably not that big of a hassle, really. I have all the correct paperwork. The guy at the DMV was really going out of his way to be difficult. I have filled in the missing VIN box and if I actually get someone who wants to do their job, it's a done deal. The stupid thing is that if he had tried to help, he could have collected my money. By being a jerk, he got paid nothing. Sound like government logic? I just haven't made it a priority. I should.

 

[81cutlass]

I wish I had enough parts laying around to just build cool stuff like that! :lol: Why that little piece of paper for a title is such a pain who knows. How many people steal rusted out POS's missing virtually everything and re-vin them for profit? Like zero. Kinda wonder sometimes how many thousands of nice cars have been lost because the title disappeared.

 

[Oldsmoletick]

Damn.......Awesome build. That hiden torsion bar set up is trick, very clean, eliminates the "ugly" from the front end, love it!

 

[DRIVEN]

I wish I had enough parts laying around to just build cool stuff like that!

It's not necessarily a good thing. I'm hoping to move out of state next year and have been planning for it for a few years. Rather than try to sell ALL my extra loose parts, I thought maybe I could justify keeping some if I could refer to it as an unfinished project. I'm really only fooling myself. There has been a conscious effort to liquidate the stuff I know I'll never need though. Plus, I recently sold 2 cars. My other pile-o-project is my '35 pickup. It has been disassembled for several years and I just can't seem to get started on it. I have most of the parts now and just need to buy the Corvette suspension mount kits (about $2K). It's in a pile now but my brother is starting the body work for me. So far, just the grill is done.

New front fenders hanging on the wall above the blue DZ302 clone that used to be in the pickup. The LT1 on the stand at the far left is going in it.
The current strategy is C3 rear suspension with 3.73 posi, C4 Z51 front suspension with the big brake option, destroked LT1 (302ci), T5 transmission. There is a really dark blue, almost looks black, that Porsche used a few years ago that I really like. Probably just put it on 17" and 18" steel wheels (maybe champagne color) with '40s caps and rings.

Expect a build thread when I actually start it.