[craigs73]

whats that at back side of tub toward rear of car

 

[ProStreetRob]

The workmanship looks amazing, should be a VERY IMPRESSIVE when done,
CONGRATS :thumbsup:

 

[Bad69Nova511]

That looks awesome. Real nice work.

 

[BBC71Nova]

whats that at back side of tub toward rear of car

Are you referring to this piece? Dan fabbed up this closeout piece for the tub to wheelhouse to dropoff area. There is a similar piece there from the factory if I remember correctly. It might be part of the trunk dropoff panel now that I think about it but I am not positive. New dropoffs were installed along with outer wheelhouses and quarters so I'm not exactly sure why this was necessary if the dropoffs do, in fact, include that area but I'm sure there was a good reason. Could be due to the DSE tubs and this just better fitting.

 

[craigs73]

yeah that piece i don't think i have seen anyone make one of those lol i guess i will find out when i get to install mine just have them cut out

 

[Tarantula]

Wow, the metal work being done is so amazing!

 

[1quik69]

That is really nice work that has been done so far.

 

[novadk13]

Looks good so far, Im going to second the t-56 notion the best thing I have done to my firebird the crappy 305 is fun with a 6 speed

 

[BBC71Nova]

Time for a little update. Few weeks back a lot of the big stuff wrapped up. Then we had to wait on hood so some odd-n-end stuff was wrapped up. I needed the break for budget reasons anyway so it's been good.

Dan did a great job on the DSE subframe connectors. I asked that they be installed so that the front sub bolts to the connectors so I can remove as necessary. He took that and ran with it. He ended up boring holes through the tube and installed threaded bungs that go all the way through. Then there are 4 bolts on use on each connector. He then added some metal to closeout the sub extensions and blend the transition so it looks nice. Makes the rest of that OEM sub look bad .

 

[BBC71Nova]

Once the new AMD front fenders arrived they were fit up and gaps checked. The passenger's side which still has OEM door skin but new fender(AMD) and quarter, looked pretty good. The drivers side which has new fender(AMD), door skin and quarter looked really bad with gaps you could drive a truck through . Dan worked his magic and the driver's side now looks really good. Below are some before and after pics.

I wished I knew what brand the rear sheetmetal was so I could help others out but since I didn't order them I'm not sure. I suspect the quarters are Goodmark or whoever makes theirs but have no idea about the door skin. If it wasn't for the otherwise large sheetmetal order from the same place that was relatively local and had it all in stock, I'd have went with AMD door skins I think. No guarantee that would've been better though.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

 

[BBC71Nova]

Here is a teaser of the AMD aluminum cowl hood just sitting in there with no hinges, bumpers, etc. And finally a couple outside shots of the current state of everything.

Up next will be the decklid gaps, T56 tunnel mods and DSE clutch master bracket for the manual conversion :devil:

 

[Bad69Nova511]

Wow finally someone has bought and posted about AMD 3rd Gen fenders . They look like they were worth the money from the way they fit out of the box. From your pic's they look like they line up nicely. Alot better than my Golden Earring "OOOPS" I mean GoodWhatever fenders.

Keep up the good work.

 

[Tarantula]

That cowl hood looks A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!! I have to get one of those!!!
You say its aluminum and not steel?

 

[BBC71Nova]

Yes, the entire hood is aluminum. Shop around and you can get it for a good bit less than retail. Check with Nightshade on here. He is an AMD dealer.

Here is the AMD page with details(minimal).

 

[HockleySS]

Wow... what a great job being done on your car.
Keep the updates coming! :yes:

 

[OldBlue72]

any details on what he did too massage those panels enough to correct the gaps? They look fantastic.

 

[BBC71Nova]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

To close the gaps he added metal to the door edge. I've read in the past that this is commonly done with a solid metal rod welded directly to the edge. Just depends on the gap size I guess. I'll ask more about it when I go check it out.

 

[taz3]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

To close the gaps he added metal to the door edge. I've read in the past that this is commonly done with a solid metal rod welded directly to the edge. Just depends on the gap size I guess. I'll ask more about it when I go check it out.

Thanks, I'm also interested.:yes:

 

[BBC71Nova]

Not much of an update but it's something . I went up Friday to check on the car and take some parts up. Last few weeks I've been trying to get some parts ordered and delivered before we can move forward much more. The "list" is shrinking. Excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel for this stage of the build.

The car looks fantastic. Dan and Dan^2(new help ) are doing a great job. It's been moved to what I like to call the Nova wing of Holohan's Hot Rod Shop :rotfl: . He's in the process of expanding and all that is in this wing is my car and a pretty solid '65 Chevy II that I'm sure has one of you guy's name all over it. Just give Dan a call hehe.

I'm so glad I opted to go this far with the sheetmetal to make it a solid foundation to build on. It put a hit in the build budget but every time I read threads about someone buying a car that "looks solid" just to later find out it was hacked up gives me confirmation that this was the right move. I also know there's no way in heck I'd have ever got it looking this clean with my limited patience and welding skill.

For this update there is a shot of the rear seat divider that was fab'd to fill in by the new tubs. Shots of the hood now setup with hinges and latch installed. I was sweating the hood since I haven't read much about the aluminum one being used but it turned out real nice and is plenty solid. Glad I went that route. Decklid has been installed and the gaps look really good even with all new rear sheetmetal. Should only require a little work to be better than OEM like the others will be.

I couldn't resist a pic of the 325/50 MT stuffed up in those fat new tubs . I had those for the street/strip build plan but they are too bad azz to not keep around. Gonna get them squared up and take measurements for the new housing.

Oh, and the last picture is of my newest arrival I got to help unload while I was there .

 

[ssmike]

John:

Looks great, and the panel gaps are fantastic! What color are you thinking?

And whats the plan for the interior?

Mike