Rob's Garage Build in Process

[l78vetteman]

Guys, I have been lurking for some time with an occasional post. Lots of really great work by many of the members here. My project has been on and off for a couple years. Here are a couple pics from the beginning and now the current state.

[l78vetteman]

Sandblasting and painting some of the pieces.

[l78vetteman]

This is the current state of my build. Still tons of work to do. I am struggling with door, fender and hood gaps. What are you guys doing to tighten up the fender to hood gap? What is typical on stock trucks?

[joedoh]

very nice start! love the high float tires haha

[l78vetteman]

Originally Posted by joedoh

very nice start! love the high float tires haha

Yes, should be good for the snow here in MN.lol

[Black_Sheep]

Cool build!

[slammed57]

oh yeah! lookin good... I love the pro street look

[T-P Auto]

l78vetteman;

just looked at your post.
very interesting n some nice work.
I'm working on a 57 chevy panel .
Your post #3 last photo shows 4link with coil overs.
What type of coil overs are you using?
Have never used coil overs on a project before.
How does one go about knowing which coil over to use.

T-P Auto
Tim

[my56chevytruck]

Love the pro street look as well. AS far as your gap issue, find a few friends that can assist you. How you coming with the gap matter? Any pictures yet??

[l78vetteman]

T-P Auto.
Thanks for the kind words. I am running QA1 double adjustable coil overs with 6" stroke. (full disclosure, I am now employed at QA1). They are a good value and made right here in Lakeville, MN. One of the key things you will want to figure out is ride height and suspension travel. I wanted longer shocks to drop the rear tires down enough to remove them when the car is jacked up. Some guys with big tires need to unbolt the shock to get the axle to drop enough to change a tire. The other thing on coil overs is to figure out the right spring rate. This requires that you know the weight on the front or rear axle and the intended use of the vehicle. Drag race, autocross, street cruising...

I also converted the front to coil overs - running a 5" stroke up there.

[l78vetteman]

Gap issues... Large and inconsistent. Here are some pictures. I am thinking I need to add metal to tighten them up to about an 1/8". What are you guys doing? Is this a common problem.

[T-P Auto]

l78vetteman;

Thank You;
That did help me in knowing what I need to know.
I'll keep you in mind as I get closer to the coil over part of the build.
This build is for my sister to have a vacation panel.
I'm using a 78chevy pu ft end assy with a 50 chevy truck rear frame.
Did not want to cut out the floor for the 78 frame.
So going with a 4 link n coil over on the rear.
Will post a build link once I start.
Still need to get a set( R n L) pillar for the cab.

Thanks again.

T-P Auto
Tim

[l78vetteman]

Tim - sounds like a good project. Happy to help with ideas when you get started. Cheers!

[BIGglaSS]

Originally Posted by l78vetteman

Gap issues... Large and inconsistent. Here are some pictures. I am thinking I need to add metal to tighten them up to about an 1/8". What are you guys doing? Is this a common problem.

Yes. This is the exact same areas I had trouble with on my 57. I welded 1/8" rod to the edge of the hood, and sliced the fender to close the gaps.

Nice mod on the front coil over. I wish I would have converted from stud mount to eye mount like you did. Way better design.

[l78vetteman]

[QUOTE=BIGglaSS;8338488]Yes. This is the exact same areas I had trouble with on my 57. I welded 1/8" rod to the edge of the hood, and sliced the fender to close the gaps.

I checked our your build thread - Awesome fab work Bigglass!!

Please post some pics of your 1/8" rod on the hood edge.

[Rods57]

[quote=l78vetteman;8338952]

Originally Posted by BIGglaSS

Yes. This is the exact same areas I had trouble with on my 57. I welded 1/8" rod to the edge of the hood, and sliced the fender to close the gaps.

I checked our your build thread - Awesome fab work Bigglass!!

Please post some pics of your 1/8" rod on the hood edge.

I did the same on mine, 1/8th rod in the door gaps on my fenders i made small filler pieces.

[l78vetteman]

Rods57,
Looks good. Tedious work to weld in these small pieces. Thanks for the pictures.

[BIGglaSS]

[quote=l78vetteman;8338952]

Originally Posted by BIGglaSS

Yes. This is the exact same areas I had trouble with on my 57. I welded 1/8" rod to the edge of the hood, and sliced the fender to close the gaps.

I checked our your build thread - Awesome fab work Bigglass!!

Please post some pics of your 1/8" rod on the hood edge.

This is the only pic I could find at the moment (zoomed in), before grinding. I tacked rod onto the back 12" or so... Then I scribed an even gap and grind to fit. That is a hard area of the hood to work on. As you weld, it shrinks and sinks. Due to the brace on the inside, you can't planish or hammer/stretch it back out. The more I welded, the more it sunk... Will have to add a lot of filler.

[l78vetteman]

Thanks for the pic and comments Bigglass

[l78vetteman]

Fender flares to make room for tires to turn a full compression. 235/60/15 tires on 7" wheels.

[duramax55]

I like your flare idea and looks cool. Nice job

[l78vetteman]

Smoothed the center of the dash. I am thinking about putting gauges in this area. Maybe oil, water temp, volts. Where are you guys mounting gauges? Maybe better to run an updated digital dash in the stock location. Like a Dakota digital.

[Dan in Pasadena]

If you intend to install air conditioning I’d suggest you smooth the dash all the way across deleting the glove box. In hindsight I wish I had. I used Vintage Air and it allows maybe a 1/2” to 3/4” deep glove box that will hold literally nothing other than, well...gloves! Or maybe your registration.

I have seen guys put traditional Stewart Warner guages in place of the three factory knobs across the top of the dash, that looks good. But leaving the entire dash smooth also looks good.

[l78vetteman]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

If you intend to install air conditioning I’d suggest you smooth the dash all the way across deleting the glove box. In hindsight I wish I had. I used Vintage Air and it allows maybe a 1/2” to 3/4” deep glove box that will hold literally nothing other than, well...gloves! Or maybe your registration.

I have seen guys put traditional Stewart Warner guages in place of the three factory knobs across the top of the dash, that looks good. But leaving the entire dash smooth also looks good.

Dan - thanks for the tip - not planning A/C at this point. My truck will be a rat compared to your beautiful red one! That is a work of art.

[l78vetteman]

Removing rust on hood support with hole saw and citric acid