65 Fairlane pro-touring build

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by boonedogs72

Nice work!!!

Thanks! Slowly filling in the gaps.
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[Ol Blue K20]

Looking great!

[IIGW]

does this have a build over on pro-touring dot com?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by IIGW

does this have a build over on pro-touring dot com?

Dude, you've got a sharp eye! My buddy Andrew Borodin is big on that site, and he suggested posting a build thread there. I posted one time and haven't posted since. I'm also on a Ford forum but only one person ever comments, so I've tapered off there as well. I've been posting on the Chevy/GMC forum for a long time, and I get the most feedback here. Not sure if anyone other than Andrew would follow on pro-touring.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Dude, you've got a sharp eye! My buddy Andrew Borodin is big on that site, and he suggested posting a build thread there. I posted one time and haven't posted since. I'm also on a Ford forum but only one person ever comments, so I've tapered off there as well. I've been posting on the Chevy/GMC forum for a long time, and I get the most feedback here. Not sure if anyone other than Andrew would follow on pro-touring.

I was on PT.com initially but switched over to Lat-g. I like the disposition of the members @ Lat-g better vs some of the BS that was happening @ PT. Been a member here before both of those. I've known Andrew (well, via the www) since those early PT.com days & even spoke w/him about possibly buying his Richmond 6spd @ one point when the GTO was morphing to the LS era.

The PT.com vs Lat-g is similar to my g-body forum experience. I used to be on MalibuRacing but stepped away because of the characters & BS. Now on the 'g-body forum' & it's similar to being on here so I like the easier generally more respectful flow of comments/assistance/members.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I was on PT.com initially but switched over to Lat-g. I like the disposition of the members @ Lat-g better vs some of the BS that was happening @ PT. Been a member here before both of those. I've known Andrew (well, via the www) since those early PT.com days & even spoke w/him about possibly buying his Richmond 6spd @ one point when the GTO was morphing to the LS era.

The PT.com vs Lat-g is similar to my g-body forum experience. I used to be on MalibuRacing but stepped away because of the characters & BS. Now on the 'g-body forum' & it's similar to being on here so I like the easier generally more respectful flow of comments/assistance/members.

When I acquired my 87 Buick GN from a friend, I joined the Turbo Buick forum. Pretty good group of guys. I've posted a couple of questions and gotten decent responses. If I live long enough, I may tear into the GN for some much-needed maintenance and if I do, I may start a build thread there.

Andrew and I go back to when I built the 57 wagon. He advised me to get a Holley ECU for it and he tuned it for me. One thing led to another and next thing I knew, I was plumbing a turbo on his GTO and helping him drop a supercharger on his Cougar. We have lunch at least once a week at Chicken & Pickle. He's a wing fanatic.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

When I acquired my 87 Buick GN from a friend, I joined the Turbo Buick forum. Pretty good group of guys. I've posted a couple of questions and gotten decent responses. If I live long enough, I may tear into the GN for some much-needed maintenance and if I do, I may start a build thread there.

Andrew and I go back to when I built the 57 wagon. He advised me to get a Holley ECU for it and he tuned it for me. One thing led to another and next thing I knew, I was plumbing a turbo on his GTO and helping him drop a supercharger on his Cougar. We have lunch at least once a week at Chicken & Pickle. He's a wing fanatic.

I followed his stuff & even recommended him to a couple guys on here for tuning. Sounds like you two are a good working duo.

[IIGW]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Lat-g

is lat-g this https://lateral-g.net/forums/ ?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by IIGW

is lat-g this https://lateral-g.net/forums/ ?

Correct.

[joesscamaro]

Always look forward to and enjoy your updates!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by joesscamaro

Always look forward to and enjoy your updates!

Thanks! Here comes another one...

I've migrated to the rear of the car just for a change of scenery. The subframes are completely rotted out around the rear leaf spring mounting point. I cut away the (equally rotted) floor above the passenger (worst) side to expose the sub. The replacement pieces need to be 1/2" taller at the front to match the frame at that point. So I bent up some material and scabbed it onto the new sub. It was only tacked, so I had to weld it anyway, so the extra piece wasn't much work. I have the driver side piece tacked but not welded out yet. Some new material will be required on the rear panel. I plan to raise the level of the trunk about 2" to allow more room for the 87 Blazer EFI tank.

The inner wheel wells I'd forgotten to order arrived today. They match the outers I already have. They're for a 66-67 Fairlane, so I'm sure they'll require a healthy dose of modification. That's the problem with orphan models, parts are hard to come by. In order to fit them in, I'll need to cut away a lot more sheet metal. However, before that, I need to replace what I've already removed to restore the structural integrity.

[62c30]

That looks about the same as my 64 frame rails before I replaced them.

[SCOTI]

Nicely formed/built rail sections.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by 62c30

That looks about the same as my 64 frame rails before I replaced them.

Dang! However, it is comforting to know we have plenty of company when it comes to the dreaded tinworm.

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Nicely formed/built rail sections.

They were pretty nice. Got them from a company up in Canada. They're close enough to be worth the price. A few modifications here and there and they'll be like new.

The surgery continues. I decided to replace the entire rear panel the subframes attach to rather than piece them together like I started to do. It will be a much cleaner approach.

Here's a shot of the Z06 Corvette fan and radiator I plan to run. It fits in the available space pretty well. I'll have to extend the shroud where the stock air extractor duct sat since it won't fit my application.

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[Vic1947]

Got the passenger side subframe mocked up after a bit of slicing and dicing. It's not a super tight fit - more like a saddle on a sow, but it will weld up okay.

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[Ol Blue K20]

I think you're doing another great build Vic!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I think you're doing another great build Vic!

Thanks, Dale. Sometimes, all this metal work makes me lose sight of the big picture. Once I get the basics out of the way, I'll be able to focus on more of the fun stuff.

[Vic1947]

The saga continues...

Since I last posted, I've cut out much of the trunk floor and started work on the triangulated four link. Back in January when I received the kit, I had a couple of conversations with R&C Motorsports about the contents. They essentially sent me a mashup of V1.0, V2.0 and maybe V2.5. The online video and the instructions cover about 75% of the installation but the rest is up to the end user to figure out. I've had to modify the coilover shock mount bar and I'm not entirely sure I have the upper link bars where they need to be. The sway bar setup has the older style bar with the newest mounts, and they don't work together. I'll have to make the brackets to fit the bar I have and probably replace the links with longer pieces. Other than that, it's going along just swell. I know I sound like a whiner, but dang it, when you spend $$$ on a setup that's supposed to be a "bolt-in" solution, it irks me to have to re-engineer the kit.

OK tantrum is over. Progress photos below.

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[Vic1947]

Happy New Year to everyone! We were in bed by 10:30 last night but woke up to the sound of celebratory fireworks all around us. Lasted about 15 minutes or so, at which point 2024 was officially underway. Between the holidays and doctor's appointments, I haven't gotten a whole lot done lately. My right leg swelled up like a football and after a week of stalling, I had it checked out. A sonogram revealed a blood clot in my limbic vein from my groin area down to my calf. I'm on blood thinners and wearing compression socks but the swelling has been slow to recede. Doc says sometimes it can take months to clear up. When it does, he wants to run tests to try to determine the cause. Meanwhile I can work on the car, but when I sit down, I'm supposed to keep the leg elevated. Old age is sneaking up on me fellas.

I was surfing the net for holiday specials and stumbled across a smokin' deal on a pair of Currie axles. Basically, it ended up being buy one get one free. I told Kathy it sounded too good to be true but what the heck - Columbus took a chance. They showed up Saturday and are perfect for my needs. Awhile back I picked up a pair of housing ends to replace the pitted ones on my housing. The bearings that came with the axle kit were too tight a fit to suit me, so I bored the housing end diameter .002" which gave me a nice snug fit. This way, I won't have to beat the axles in with 2 lb sledge.

The rear suspension is mocked up where I need it. The sway bar only has a couple of inches of travel before it hits the underside of the frame rail. Pretty sure this is why they changed the design. Unfortunately, I got the old style, so I hope it works out. Had to make the mounting brackets for the sway bar but they turned out pretty well. Metal by the Foot didn't have angle in the size I needed so I sawed up some 3/16 wall rectangular tubing and Bob's yer uncle.

The new axles are cut to fit, so I have some leeway to narrow the housing but I'm on the fence about doing so. Since I have to weld on the new ends, it's no biggie to remove a bit more of the tubes. I have plenty of time to think about it. Between now and then, I have to mini tub the wheel wells and replace a big swath of the quarter panel skin. So, a month or two from now - maybe.

[sduckworth13]

Nice score on the axles. Hope you get to feeling better Vic! You’ve got a gang of people that I know will be willing to help you complete this project if needed, me being one of you ever need anything.

[Russell Ashley]

Take care of that leg, we want to be following your builds for a long time. Speaking of your builds, I was watching the Mecom auction last night when your 57 Chevy wagon came through. I thought they didn't spend enough time describing it but even so it did bring pretty good money.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Nice score on the axles. Hope you get to feeling better Vic! You’ve got a gang of people that I know will be willing to help you complete this project if needed, me being one of you ever need anything.

Thanks, Scott - I always appreciate your help!

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

Take care of that leg, we want to be following your builds for a long time. Speaking of your builds, I was watching the Mecom auction last night when your 57 Chevy wagon came through. I thought they didn't spend enough time describing it but even so it did bring pretty good money.

What a coincidence. We happened to tune into MotorTrend Fast TV last night just as the Mecom Full Throttle episode was airing. I asked Kathy if she thought they might show the wagon and lo and behold, they aired a clip of it. Unfortunately, during the auction they cut to commercial as the car rolled across the block so there was just the small bit you mentioned. The live stream of the auction had quite a bit more of the action, but without any commentary. Jon Kramen mistakenly said the car had Lambo front doors. Actually, I suicided the rear doors using a kit from Scissor Doors in Nova Scotia. Guess he saw the name and made the assumption. We were happy with the outcome. First time I've ever broke even on a build.

[Vic1947]

Back working on sheet metal. The tunnel is pretty much ready to weld in. I plan to make the very front section that covers the transmission removable, but the rest gets done up permanently. Out back, I raised the trunk floor about 3+ inches to gain some fuel tank clearance. I'm using the 25 gal. '87 Blazer EFI tank with the fill neck moved to the trunk floor. I'll put a sheet metal patch over the original filler door and make some custom trim or maybe an LED strip for the panel between the taillights.

[62c30]

Looks good. Where did you get the rear floor pans from? My 64 came with some unmarked but the fit doesn't seem like it's going to be very good. How good of a fit were they?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by 62c30

Looks good. Where did you get the rear floor pans from? My 64 came with some unmarked but the fit doesn't seem like it's going to be very good. How good of a fit were they?

I bought the LR pan from AutoKrafters ($119.95) and it was a very good fit. Wish I had bought the others from them. Decided later on to get quarters from C2C and popped for the remaining pans at the same time. Unfortunately, I found them to be unusable. I hope to salvage some of the quarter panels when I get to that point, but they made the stuff from 22 gauge it looks like. Super flimsy and the floor pan shapes weren't anything like the originals.