Model A job

[idrivejunk]

Had to bring this corner forward a little to fit the fender. See faint felt tip line.



Better. Should pull tight with screws



A couple screws are holding it at the top.





I'll probably be shimming the cowl up a smidge.





I think no hood sides is perfect!

[idrivejunk]

[chimp koose]

is there any chance the exhaust could go under the car behind the hood sides ?  I think it cleans up the look if it is possible to do on a full fendered car .

[idrivejunk]

is there any chance the exhaust could go under the car behind the hood sides ?  I think it cleans up the look if it is possible to do on a full fendered car .

Mike wasn't very optimistic about routing it there. Motor mounts are badly in the way both sides with no good alternatives, starter blocks the right side, and brake master on the left farther back. All I've really done is to lay out an alternative, and it appears quite do-able. The over the rail choice I have been showing is not for looks but for practicality. The Coyote 5.0 is as wide as a 426 Hemi.

[idrivejunk]

[idrivejunk]

I moved the A to get a look at it from behind and it reminded me of Wimpy, off Popeye.



Determined most of that lopsidedness to be in the length of the patches at the rear tips of the quarters. I had misguesstimated based on the surviving material. So I sliced the flanges off and started evening things up. Still learning my way around lid adjustments.





I tried the hinges outside the lid (shown here) but they are just too wide-



These stop bolts are helping-



Aw, maaan... this skin being off the flange is not-



That was lunch. Have a different angle break-



Is the headlight bar on right?  :?:



End of day-









Removed two upright tubes. Two horizontals to go. Gradually, over some time, I decided all sheetmetal in the trunk is safest. The "temporary" uprights I removed today will be replaced by permanent ones soon. But that belt level hoop below the back window stays and is now in final fine-tuned position although the tabs on top are not final. Theres only one tacked up there now. They center the body at a critical point, however once the body becomes one piece removal of those may be an option.



Truck roof glued and welded-







Hood for that, looking ready for poly primer, or close to it-

[idrivejunk]

[moose]

Matt on the Coupe are there thoughts to bob the rear fenders?

[idrivejunk]

Matt on the Coupe are there thoughts to bob the rear fenders?

There are, but if I recall correctly that decision was to be made either after tires and wheels are in or after a rendering is done to illustrate that along with proposed tail lights. However, one pro rendering depicts a later style gas tank which I am fairly certain is no longer part of the plan. Personaly I have done no research on this question because I know shop and car owners are deliberating the issue. I think we will bob.

[idrivejunk]

No pic today, guys. Its no secret that my mind is troubled. For that reason, I must adjourn. Dismiss myself, that is. May I be excused? If I can recover, you'll hear from me again. Thank you.

Today I established functional latch and striker locations and latched the trunk a couple times but the unreinforced license panel is like a wet paper sack. I began modifying the reinforcement.

[idrivejunk]

I hope you guys can understand this...

You know I tend to run my mouth and so do I, thats why I get scared to continue. Theres not a wife to talk things over with is my best justification for that. Without throwing anyone under a bus, figuratively, here is an explanation that I hope will help us both:

I must become an independent contractor just to keep my job and freedom and preserve my ethics. This is the worst work thing I can imagine and I will never understand why but the reality is that. Or unwillingly start an unrelated career at entry level. That would require a complete wipe of the life I have built. Having no experience at running my own business, and with no potential financial gains involved... I will have to drag myself kicking and screaming into a new arrangement that is strongly against my will. Thats the problematic and infuriating new fact that I'll have to stack on top of the bottles holding the rest of the existing frustrations and undesireable hard facts. I have met with much understanding from you guys, and the weight you feel as you read this is me leaning on you. Please just hold still for me like you've been doing and I will make every effort to backspace out my snotty remarks before hitting submit better in the future. Doing so only adds to the problem though, on my end.

So again, thanks to you patient forum friends whether you understand my hints or not. Auto body has not been good to me but I will always try to be good to you. Its just that there are times when I can't handle normal people life stuff. My personal ethical structure resembles that of previous generations much more closely than that of later ones and I may expect a lot but I also offer a lot. I don't believe in going fetal and hiding in a corner when times are hard, but in recent years I have encountered attacks from so many directions with such frequency and been driven back so far that I don't wonder at all why I sometimes behave like a cornered wild animal. But you probably do. I have always kept that contained, to a point, and hope to avoid future frustration spikes as best I can. I have obviously grown up a little because I haven't destroyed the pictures this time around.

Now to shut up and go on.  

[idrivejunk]

With help from some mighty valuable friends, and some good rest and theraputic car fixing, and sunny day putting the ride away with a lingering aroma of tire smoke... I have recovered. I made a single red tape mistake that had big consequenses money-wise. All I have to do is crap some unexpected money now and change entries on a couple forms. Won't do me any good but will avoid bad. No need for tense money discussion tomorrow, I am at ease.

You know that will wear off by hump day.    Stay tuned for regular programming, gents.  Have a cola, on me :T)

[idrivejunk]

Zippity doo-da, Monday.

Today's first step just reminded me to retreat by about a dozen. Trying to mount a latch and move a trunk hinge pin, I smoked 'em to the 600 foot mark so to speak. Post-mortem flailing of an equine, as it were.  :0-0

So I focused on floating the tail panel / reinf / tire mount panel assembly into a correct position with height being slightly variable for adjustment of trunk gap and bead-matching of tail panel to qtrs. That was a hum-dinger but quite revealing particularly since its been a long time since any length checking was done. Quarter templates at trunk gap match shapes. Gutters, too. Inner well walls, too. And last week's seal bed pieces are twins as are the tubs.

But if you get the tail assembly in the perfect spot, lookin good on the left, the lid's right rear overlaps the quarter. Shove it over a smidge to close it and eureka... tip of right quarter is short nearly a half inch.

Once I build the trunk's basement and have the tail reinf and tire mount bar tacked where they go, I will be able to sort out the rear of the right quarter with surgeries. THEN when I have trunk gaps, I'll worry about latching and hinging with precision.

Its a big 3D square dance and pics don't tell much. Bow to your partner... promenade... whirl, whirl, twist and twirl. Thrash around like a rubberneck squirrel. Y'all can at least clap and stomp while I call it.





These other hinges mount to the shelf and pass through the gutter. I think I'll pass, theres no shelf now.



This is what it looks like on a long train of thought when you realize its five only because the train stopped. Dagnabbit, didn't hear that lonesome whistle blowin'.



So theres that crummy documentation. Heres some quantity to compensate for quality, as a little variety for gits and shiggles. Weekend warrior 455 intake gasket job on my junk. Didn't walk around much today.

[idrivejunk]

I could not look at the rusty tire mount panel any longer-



These show the tail assembly clamped in what I judge to be the correct position relative to the frame and body, and with the lid on hinges. All I gotta do is make everything meet it.  

[idrivejunk]

I have this little box in the trunk floor now, and will make some sort of permanent extensions rearward and upward to hold the tail end and hinge / gutter areas centered. Right now center line is good except back past the trunk hinges. The tail end sheetmetal all easily shoves over the quarter inch needed to perfect that, by hand. However I think the left quarter is touching the tubular structure behind the side window now also, just barely.



Don't pay no never mind to the invalid centerline on the trunk pan.

This shot just happens to be nicely squared for minimal camera distortion. I am pretty sure the trunk lid skin is just too short on the bottom right.



Now that I have a good idea whats going on out back, I have started to re-approach the trunk front gap, beginning with the gutter.position.

Lets check in on the guest stars-