BUILD THREAD “The Juggernaut”

Mocking up the housing for the tail pipe to go through, and the raised floor:

Exhaust fabrication (26).JPG


Exhaust fabrication (27).JPG


Exhaust in car (1).JPG


Exhaust in car (3).JPG


The plate welded to the floor infront of the housing is drilled and tapped for the exhaust hangers to support the mufflers underneath. They will thread in from the bottom, and the carpet and padding will hide the plate...

Exhaust in car (4).JPG


Exhaust in car (6).JPG


Matching the completed tail pipe for the other side in a home made jig:

Exhaust fabrication (6).JPG


Exhaust fabrication (8).JPG


Exhaust fabrication (9).JPG


And starting to mockup the housing on the driver's side.

Driver side exhaust housing fab (1).JPG
 
Thank you!
My nature is to be meticulous in almost every thing I do, but for the ride height sensors especially, I had to make sure that everything was just right. Any discrepancy or differences in my measurements from side to side or corner to corner would've resulted in the sensors not reading correctly and that would've presented me with a whole host of new problems, so it was especially important to "get it right" on this one.

Thanks for the high praise and feedback!



You're welcome Jared, and thank YOU for the kind words.
It's my pleasure, especially when I get nothing but positive comments afterwards. You guys and your reactions are my gauge to whether or not I hit the mark. I have a feeling that if I ever did something sub-par, you guys would let me know in a hurry!
😉



Wow, don't let Andrew (FEXClone) hear you say that!
Lol
Actually, Andrew's car was a source of inspiration and a reference for me quite a few times, especially when it came to figuring out how to adapt the T56 to the 455. Much respect and inspiration on The Juggernaut is due to his build.

Stay with it on your '70, it'll get there!

Thanks for the feedback and for checking in on the progress!

D.
Andrew's car is awesome, don't get me wrong. Even getting the bow headliner and the front upholstery done is huge on my 70S, I did an OK job. Mine will only be a nice driver when I am done, it will be getting all the panels welded in. My G body would be a massive undertaking, it will go bye bye at some point.
 
I come in here to remind myself that I suck at fabrication. 😉
 
I come in here to remind myself that I suck at fabrication. 😉
If you suck at fabrication then I can't describe how bad I am at it. I've seen you do some pretty nice work.
 
I come in here to remind myself that I suck at fabrication. 😉

If you suck at fabrication then I can't describe how bad I am at it. I've seen you do some pretty nice work.

I'd have to agree with Jared on this one. You do some really nice stuff from what I've seen.
🙂
I was thinking about that exact comment today Mike, do you mean "in here" as in the forum, or as in this thread?
Just curious...
 
Hey sorry for my absence, between sledding in high up in the mountains to deep wreck diving in Honduras during the winter months, it has used up my time as well as the bank account, haha but now that spring is here I hope to put some air back in the tires, get rid of the cat dish off the roof and blow the dust off my hunk of junk....

Just like the rest of the guys taking the time to wait for your updates, I am always amazed at your perseverance and patience, and attention to detail. Its one thing to read and look at the pictures online, but to see it in person as well as to talk to you about this build, IMO is just as good if not better than meeting someone such as Chip Foose or any other "famous" auto builders, and I feel pretty lucky to be able to stop by from time to time to see the progress...

I tell ya fellow juggernaut subscribers, Donovan truly is one talented individual...

now enough of the butt blowin wind up your skirt.... lets do some cruisin!!!!

p.s instead of an overpriced GoPro, buy the SJ-4000 on Amazon, i paid 80 bucks and it shipped to my door and it has all the attachments and also fits the GoPro attachments... pretty much the same camera
 
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I'd have to agree with Jared on this one. You do some really nice stuff from what I've seen.
🙂
I was thinking about that exact comment today Mike, do you mean "in here" as in the forum, or as in this thread?
Just curious...

Firstly, thanks guys! I am more of a functional fabricator (make it fit, work, and move on) - I lack the skillful finesse I desire (this may come with time).

Secondly, I mean this thread. There is some really impressive work done to this car. Must be a Canadian thing, what with our extended Winters.
 
Hey sorry for my absence, between sledding in high up in the mountains to deep wreck diving in Honduras during the winter months, it has used up my time as well as the bank account, haha but now that spring is here I hope to put some air back in the tires, get rid of the cat dish off the roof and blow the dust off my hunk of junk....

Just like the rest of the guys taking the time to wait for your updates, I am always amazed at your perseverance and patience, and attention to detail. Its one thing to read and look at the pictures online, but to see it in person as well as to talk to you about this build, IMO is just as good if not better than meeting someone such as Chip Foose or any other "famous" auto builders, and I feel pretty lucky to be able to stop by from time to time to see the progress...

I tell ya fellow juggernaut subscribers, Donovan truly is one talented individual...

now enough of the butt blowin wind up your skirt.... lets do some cruisin!!!!

p.s instead of an overpriced GoPro, buy the SJ-4000 on Amazon, i paid 80 bucks and it shipped to my door and it has all the attachments and also fits the GoPro attachments... pretty much the same camera
I enjoy Donovan's work more than someone like Chip Foose because Donovan is doing all of it himself, in a two car garage. That makes it much easier for me to relate to.
 
Since the last update, I haven't really done a whole lot on the car as I'm getting ready to shift gears and concentrate on Project Olds Cool for a bit, but I did manage to knock out a couple little things.

Now that the air management system is up and functioning, I was able to more closely scrutinize the front wheel alignment. Particularly toe in/out and camber at ride height. While I had it as close as I could get it initially based on nothing more than my best guess and the 'ol calibrated eyeball, I needed to be able to have the car at its "for sure" ride height to get things a closer.

You might recall in the video a few posts back the front tires rubbed pretty badly on the insides of the front fenders on the way down. This is mostly due to the increased track width from the F body spindles and the Wilwood disc brakes, but also because I apparently didn't have quite enough shims in the upper control arms.

I just needed something quick and dirty alignment wise for right now, so with the car aired up and at ride height, I laid a large carpenters square flat on the floor, and up against the sides of the wheels. This told me roughly where the camber was at.
The passenger's side took two additional 1/8" shims to get it perpendicular, while the driver's side took additional 1/8" and 1/16" shims for 3/16" overall, front and back.

The toe adjustment was even less precise, I just used the calibrated eyeball to get them "close" to straight. A couple of turns in and out on the Hotchkis tie rod adjustors both sides got me where I needed to be. This helped the fender rubbing issue greatly, but then I also found that the body mounts for the radiator support had come loose. The whole front end had shifted over to the driver's side substantially. This made the rubbing issue on the passenger's side seem even worse.

With the front end shifted back over to where it was supposed to be, the majority of the tire rub is gone. I will still need (and want) to add the Malibu fender flares, but now at least I need to buy a lot less clearance.

My dad gave me a hand reinstalling the hood during one of his visits, and now it almost looks like a car again. My lovely female companion DEMANDED I take video after I showed her the height presets and self levelling features!
Lol
So after I explained that I didn't have enough memory left on my phone to take any more video, she offered to take some for me with her phone.

So here you go, video again finally. The compressors seem really loud, but they're honestly not that bad in person. I think the acoustics were just more pronounced because she was recording from near the back of the car where the compressors are. Once sound deadened and upholstered, the sound level should be negligible.

This is for everyone of course, but especially Opie. 😉 :rofl:

Enjoy.

 
That car looks bad *ss Donovan.
 

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