What did you do to your non-G body project today? [2023]

[Bonnewagon]

I bought some inner fenders for the 1968 Firebird project from Jeg's. I was dumbfounded at the price for the correct 1967-68 Pontiac inners compared to the same identical thing for the Camaro. I get it, the Camaro probably sells more than the Firebird, but it was the shipping that blew me away. I got the left and right Camaro inners for a total of $260. FREE shipping, small oversize charge, and tax included. The 99.9% identical Firebird parts would have cost $680 with shipping, oversize, and tax. W-T-F ???!!!??? I don't get it. So I grabbed the Camaro parts, and I will use my buddy's OEM inners to trace the small sections that need to be cut off to fit the Firebird. I was willing to pay a little more for the right parts, but not 3 times the price. And look how nice they were packed. Some smallish dings, probably at the plant, I can't fault the packing job because it was perfect.

 

[Ugly1]

As do I. I think I spend as much time instigating with the best of them 😉

Maybe I should buy up stacks of LS blocks to use like cinder blocks and build the smokehouse I want for kielbasa....

More fun though if it’s other people’s money. And let me know when the kielbasa is done!😋

 

[CopperNick]

Got off work early enough that I could get back into the shop and do the finish welding on the adaptor that I had fabbed up to support a dial indicator when attached to the studs or bolts on an alloy or steel m/c wheel. At this point it is still sitting on the welding deck and is clamped in its jig so that it can cool down naturally and stay flat. I need to dress down the passes on the one side; the other has already been done. May shoot a couple of pics of it, or not....................and put the welding machine back out of the way again. if I can gin up enough energy I may crack the main door open and set up the portable vise on the door access ramp. That would let me go to town with the 4.5 and a flap wheel. About time to remind the neighbours of what grinder song should sound like.



Nick

 

[Cauterize]

I've been tinkering on the Xtreme this week. Polished up the yellowed headlights a bit today.




Earlier this week I removed the aftermarket airbox/cone filter combo for cleaning and found quite the janky install. There was an ob-longed hole with a rubber hose stuffed in with a 1/4 bolt threaded in. When I put it back together today I re-positioned the airbox and threw a nutsert in. It still manages to hide the shame of well, whatever the hell that was.


Goes in for an alignment Tuesday. Ive got some more cleaning I'd to do under the hood this weekend.
I am excited to start putting some miles on this thing.

 

[Ugly1]

I've been tinkering on the Xtreme this week. Polished up the yellowed headlights a bit today.

View attachment 221069
View attachment 221071
View attachment 221072
Earlier this week I removed the aftermarket airbox/cone filter combo for cleaning and found quite the janky install. There was an ob-longed hole with a rubber hose stuffed in with a 1/4 bolt threaded in. When I put it back together today I re-positioned the airbox and threw a nutsert in. It still manages to hide the shame of well, whatever the hell that was.
View attachment 221073

Goes in for an alignment Tuesday. Ive got some more cleaning I'd to do under the hood this weekend.
I am excited to start putting some miles on this thing.

Those were a cool looking little truck.

 

[Cauterize]

Those were a cool looking little truck.

If only they had the turbo setup from the Syclone. It just needs about 80-100 more horsepower.

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

If only they had the turbo setup from the Syclone. It just needs about 80-100 more horsepower.

That would be called an LS1... this is one I built back in 2011.

Cammed LS1, Built 60E with a 2250 Stall, 3.42 Gears with a Posi and some Suspension work. Little truck ATE stuff up.

 

[Cauterize]

That would be called an LS1... this is one I built back in 2011.

Cammed LS1, Built 60E with a 2250 Stall, 3.42 Gears with a Posi and some Suspension work. Little truck ATE stuff up.

View attachment 221101

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It was ordered as a 3.42/G80 rear truck.
The spare LQ4 shortblock I have is screaming to go in here. Its so far off I'm just going to enjoy Gramp's truck the way it is. I need to find some different wheels though. I really want the Xtreme 16's back on my Regal.

 

[CopperNick]

A couple of shots of the adapter, still clamped to the copper heat sink plates and waiting for its turn for some grinder love. The flip side at this point has already been finish welded and the passes dressed. For that I used my Dremel tool and a grinding wheel but it was a slow process.

For this side, because today was warm and dry, i was able to raise the main door and deploy my portable vise out onto the approach ramp. That gave me the room to bark up the 4.5 and use a flap wheel to do the remaining side plus remove the balance of the mill scale from the plate surfaces. I still have some finish sanding left to do using some machine cloth and tapping oil. It should fairly respectable when done.

A detail shot and an overall view of the adapter that I made from a 3/4 bolt and nut. The detail shows how they were welded together and how it is then screwed down the spindle of my Bearing End Play checking Fixture that I made last fall; pictures of that by itself are around here somewhere.

Anyway, this adapter allows me to rotate the slider 90 degrees to expose the end curves and secure the part in place to make sanding and shaping a lot easier and safer. This slider and its partner will be sanded down to 2000 and then get a turn at the buffing wheel. After that, maybe a coat of clear; or not............................



Nick

 

[ck80]

Bought another one through a guy that's been buying parts off me for one of his gbodies.

Haven't decided if it's a fix-and-flip, or, as previously threatened, getting one as a procharger candidate. Right now it's pretty basic as far as options. Has the appearance pkg, spoiler, power windows/locks, generic stuff. Currently a manual cloth seats car.

2013, 3.7L, $3800. Nothing really wrong with it other than a glitchy radio, carpet dirty, console scratched up, and it needs the actuator door for the heat addressed - stuck with the a/c side open so you just have a/c. Of the two, being in the deep south, the important one works.

Likely will swap in heated leather for the cloth seats, and grab a heated seat climate module and radio faceplate when the radio is swapped.

Then, with the clean title it ought to be a $12k or so car.