[Vic1947]

The underside of the frame rail on the passenger side is taking shape. I plan to add one more plate to it that will cover all the patches. I had to remove the box that the strut rod attached to because it was rotted out. The downside is that I lost one of the mounting points for the new sway bar, so I'll have to scab on a threaded plate later on. I'll also gusset the rail and core support to add back some of the structural strength.

The last couple of days have been really nice, so I opened the garage door and used the plasma cutter to remove the shock tower and a-arm mount from the driver side. When I did the passenger side, I set off the smoke alarms but all the smoke and stink went out the door this time. It's starting to look like the Coyote may fit in there after all.

 

[Vic1947]

Sorry for the downtime on this thread. Seems like I either have other stuff to do or setbacks that bring progress to a halt. Most recently, while mocking up the shock towers, I discovered a mismatch between the locating holes in the boxing plates and the towers. After a week or two of back and forth with TCI they determined they'd shipped me the wrong towers and sway bar mounts. So now I'm waiting for the replacement parts. Most of the prep work on the frame rails is done so the next big hurdle is welding in the x-member components.

For the time being (when I'm not working on Andrew's GTO) I've been patching the core support. Overall, it's in decent shape but has a few areas that need some TLC. I'm considering grafting a Shelby GT500 scoop on the hood. (It arrived with a big hole in the box right next to the Fragile sticker but with no damage.) The flat hood is uninspiring and needs a little something to dress it up. My other choice would be a scoop from an R code Fairlane or Galaxie. The problem with that is that you can only get them as a full hood (expensive) and not for my model. That's a long way off so I have some time to mull things over.

 

[massacre]

Great thread, killer build! Thanks for posting

 

[Vic1947]

Great thread, killer build! Thanks for posting

Thanks!

The buddy project in the shop is nearing the finish line for me which means I can spend a little more time on MY stuff. I've moved on to patching the firewall extensions that function as a gravel guard at the rear of the wheel well. There was a lot of tin worm, but I was able to salvage pieces of the original to use as a pattern. Right now, I have the pieces held in place with clecos but they will eventually be welded together. I still need to mockup the fender to see how the outboard edge lines up.

A PO welded in some heavy gauge patch panels (possibly from Crites) that are meant to stiffen he area down by the toe boards. It would be too much effort to remove them, plus they do add a lot of strength. So, I'll just use panel adhesive to glue the remaining original sheet metal to the aftermarket patches that have been added. I don't care much for welding patch panels over existing rotted metal, but you see a lot of that where speed is more important than cosmetics.

 

[massacre]

You do very nice work! Do you have a bead roller?

 

[Vic1947]

Thanks. I do have an older Low Buck Tools bead roller that I've beefed up. Before long, I intend to add a winch motor to it so my wife doesn't have to crank the handle. I couldn't get by without it and a few other s/m tools like the shrinker and stretcher and a finger brake.

 

[massacre]

I'm jealous. I don't have the room right now for bead roller or shrinker/stretcher or finger brake. Maybe someday.
Looks like you are putting your tools to good work, very nice to see. Good for you!

 

[TROTTLEJO]

yea im working on my rear splash guards also i think im going to repair them the fire wall part i had to make to the inner fender it was repaired with flashing and roofing tar the upper pieces are really nice

 

[Vic1947]

yea im working on my rear splash guards also i think im going to repair them the fire wall part i had to make to the inner fender it was repaired with flashing and roofing tar the upper pieces are really nice

Mine wasn't quite that bad, but the repairs that were there were still pretty crude. Right now, I'm still waiting on front end parts from TCI. I hate to weld out all the boxing plates without mocking up the shock towers, etc. So, at the moment, I'm doing sheet metal work. I cut out the original battery box and fab'd up a replacement panel that more or less matches the driver side. As you can see, I used a CAD (cardboard assisted design) drawing to lay out the pattern on some 16 ga sheet. The TCI kit came with shock tower filler panels that were meant to be bolted in, but I plan to weld everything after the front suspension is all in. I've trimmed them to mate up to the piece I made and will weld them together. It was a tossup between doing it this way and making the inner apron out of a single sheet of material. I plan to dress up the flat panels later on so they don't look so plain.

 

[TROTTLEJO]

nice i bolted mine in in case i need the space to work on something on engine plus im still having battery in engine compartment so i used a restamp piece on the battery gonna look very clean