BUILD THREAD “The Juggernaut”

[Rktpwrd]

Very nice work.
I for one absolutely prefer the 80s design over the 78/79.
Your build is amazing! Cant wait to see the final product.

Thanks very much!
Stay tuned to future updates as I work my way towards completion.
🙂

 

[Rktpwrd]

Another update, not too big this time. Trying to keep it a little more short and sweet...

After I painted the insides of the bezels satin black and mocked them up, I noticed that the background colour could be seen through the gaps around the lights.
The same could be noticed through the grilles at certain angles as well, distracting the eye.

So it was a simple decision: I would black out the background behind the lights, bezels and grilles.
The header panel was removed (yet again) and all the areas to be painted were sanded and scuffed with 400 grit and red scotchbrite.
With that completed, everything was masked off, wiped down, and tacked off.
Ready to shoot:

A glimpse at my "highly sophisticated and technical paint preparation and agitation station".
🙄

After a couple of coats of the satin black:

Unmasked, and ready to go back on the car again:

And finally, back on the car and ready to receive the grilles and bezels upon their return:

The next stage of the build?
Revisiting the front bumper and filler panel...

(Fingers in front of the lens at no extra charge).

Thanks for checking back everyone!
Till next time...

 

[chevymalibu283]

Donovan, I gotta say not sure what I envy more, the progress you're making on the car or the garage where all the " magic ' happens lol. Just curious what is the size of you're work bench and what thickness is the steel plate on top of it? Appreciate all the updates you post as well.

Kevin

 

[V8 Rumble]

As always great work!!! I like your detail. I can't wait to see the final product.

 

[Blake442]

Lookin good!

I painted over dirt in the headlite bucket area on my header panel! lol

 

[liquidh8]

As always, great progress!

 

[Rktpwrd]

Donovan, I gotta say not sure what I envy more, the progress you're making on the car or the garage where all the " magic ' happens lol. Just curious what is the size of you're work bench and what thickness is the steel plate on top of it? Appreciate all the updates you post as well.

Kevin

Hey Kevin, thanks for the interest in my shop as well as the car, my friend!
I built the garage with the help of some neighbours, friends, and family, but I built and finished the interior (including the benches) myself.

The benches are laid out in two areas, one across the front of the garage and the other down the length of one entire wall. The height of the benches measures at about 36" plus the height of the countertop, which is 5/8". The depth is 30", and the long bench is 24' long.
As for the steel top in the corner, I used a 4X8 sheet of heavy 16 gauge sheetmetal, cut it to fit in the corner and glued it in place with some PL400 industrial strength adhesive. This corner area serves as my metal fabrication area most of the time and as such, has the vise and the bench grinder mounted close at hand. It also doubles as my paint mixing area tho, as cleanup on the steel top is a breeze if I happen to spill any paint.

Here's a couple of pictures of it just after I finished the inside and laid down the tile floor:

As you can tell by my more recent photos, I've accumulated quite a bit of "stuff" in the 10 years since I took these pics. The garage is a bit fuller and a bit dirtier, but as I always tell people, it was always intended to be a functional shop, and not a showroom. The dirt is just evidence of progress! 😛
Thanks again for your interest!

As always great work!!! I like your detail. I can't wait to see the final product.

Thank you Joe.
I'm looking forward to the end result just as much as the rest of you guys!
🙂
I've been watching your 200R4 step by step build, and I've got to say, you're a braver man than I. Transmissions are the one thing I won't touch with a 10 foot pole. You're doing some damn fine work there sir. Thanks for posting all that info for the rest of us, keep up the great work!

Lookin good!

I painted over dirt in the headlite bucket area on my header panel! lol

Hi Blake!
Thanks for popping in and checking out the progress. I had considered just painting over the dirt, but figured since I did that last time, maybe this time I should try a little harder...
😉

As always, great progress!

Thanks Jim!
How's the progress going on the wagon? We haven't seen any update reports from you in some time now...


Thanks again everyone!
'Till next time...
Donovan

 

[ssn696]

I appreciate the amount of work you put into this effort. My standards are way way higher than my skill set. Did you just find a new career?

 

[Rktpwrd]

Did you just find a new career?

Why do you ask?
In a manner of speaking, yes, I guess I did have a career change a little over a year and a half ago. The bottom has fallen out of the energy industry here (again), so I have moved out of that scene into being a mobile service tech for rotary screw and recip air compressors.
They're used in everything from hvac systems in high rises to bakeries and everything inbetween.
It was a great career move for me as I love the independence and never knowing where I'll end up from day to day. I've always been mechanically minded and good with my hands and I've done everything from paint and bodywork to functioning as a millwright.
If you're referring to my skill set on the car, that's just years of tinkering, experimenting, and teaching myself how to do stuff.
Unfortunately there's not much demand for someone with my skill set when it comes to cars and fabrication up here, so I had to find another way to pay the bills and keep the lights on.

 

[ssn696]

I just read that oil slid some more today - I'm glad you found a gentle landing. Thanks for sharing the motivational project details. I look forward to seeing the Juggernaut hit the road.