71' Gran Coup Gen III

[CudaA39]

I call "shotgun".......... 'cause I wouldn't want to sit in the back seat 

Me and you both, prior to the cage I put the OE seats in just to see how bad it was.  I'm 6'0, but it was tighter than my 04 Mustang which was a joke unless you sat in the middle.  I had originally planned to skip the two angled bars to the tunnel, but after that I said screw it, it's tight back here regardless.  However he did position the belt attachments specifically in case someone wanted to sit back there.  #StreetStrip I guess haha.

[CudaA39]

Also, I finally started tearing into my 46RH.  While the pan did have a ton of powder on the mag, everything looked very clean.  5 pinion front planets, 3 pinion rear.  My good friend is an A&A dealer in Pittsburgh, so we're going to go all out on this to see how it performs.  Rollerized low gear, lightened sun shell, billet servos, but haven't decided on the valve body.  I don't want a manual VB, but I want a TB so I can enter any race and be (somewhat) competitive. 

[CudaA39]

Got the subframe connectors tacked in.  Actually less work than I had imagined.  Got the car up on my trusty cribbing blocks then marked the high spots, grinder, test fit, repeat.  Probably an HR each side which I didn't think was bad.  Doing the torque boxes now which seems to be a bit more involved.  I'm new to welding but I bought a new welder and have been taking my time. 

I completed the tip over jig, I'll wait to share pics until I know it worked lol.  Plan is to tip the car to finish welding, then DA the heck out of the underside, and prep for paint.

[CudaA39]

Finished torque boxes.  Got the car down off the blocks, removed k frame and rear end, and cross my fingers.  Jig seems very solid and it went over easy with the help of a buddy and the engine hoist.  I'm going to finish weld everything in this week and start the process of prepping the underside for paint.  Finally feels like I'm going forward but I'll feel a lot better once it's at least one color.

Hopefully next week I'll be able to send out the k frame for powder coating.

[CudaA39]

Finished torque boxes.  Got the car down off the blocks, removed k frame and rear end, and cross my fingers.  Jig seems very solid and it went over easy with the help of a buddy and the engine hoist.  I'm going to finish weld everything in this week and start the process of prepping the underside for paint.  Finally feels like I'm going forward but I'll feel a lot better once it's at least one color.  About 20lbs of sand fell out of the frame and 1/4s from when my dad and I sandblasted it two decades ago.

Hopefully next week I'll be able to send out the k frame for powder coating.

[ebodyproducts]

Looks great!!  Very cool way to turn it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CudaA39]

K frame came back from powder coating exactly as I had hoped.  Not sure if it's the exact OE shade of semi gloss, but it was exactly what I wanted. 

Got the cage painted in semi gloss and it turned out decent.  Hopefully the Rust-Oleum high performance will hold up as expected.  I've had great results with this stuff in the past.  I wrapped everything with paper and cardboard to protect from sandblasting.

On Saturday I'll have a mobile sandblaster remove the purple from trunk/underside/engine compartment.  Immediately after blowing everything out and getting it clean I'll paint the trunk and underneath with epoxy DTM sealer and topcoat with single stage FJ6, which is the original color.  Once that's done, I can put the rear end on and remove the tip over jig so I can fully access the front and follow the same process (after going through all the extra taping and plastic to protect the other work.  I'll probably end up painting the interior of the firewall as well, as I'm not sure how high up the carpet goes.  Exterior will be base coat + clear.

This will be a significant step forward for me and this project, because it'll feel like I'm actually going forward.

[daaboots]

That roll cage looks really nice! Was it custom designed or built from a plan?

[anlauto]

  I guess you plan on doing a lot of racing 

[CudaA39]

That roll cage looks really nice! Was it custom designed or built from a plan?

AJ at Bob George Racing in Eightyfour, Pa did the roll bar.  My only input was to use removable door bars and for it to be as tight against the outter shell with the door panels as possible.  He did a fantastic job and turn around was quick.  He tucked the down bars in really nice and they landed right on top of the frame rails.

I guess you plan on doing a lot of racing 

Until it's begging for mercy.  It'll get double entered every event I go to and I plan on catching up for lost time from the last four years since I sold my coronet. 

[CudaA39]

Well, I had the car ready to get sandblasted with recycled glass Saturday.  Plan was to immediately blow off clean and get epoxy primer and single stage applied the same day.  Guy was supposed to show up at 10...11:30 still not here.  Started to rain so I called him off until 1.  Never showed up until 1:45, and tried to pull a fast one by using play sand.  Kindly told him I was no longer interested in his services and sent him on his way.

So now my paint booth has been turned into a sandblasting booth.  Got a setup this morning and getting media tomorrow.  What a disaster.  Haven't been this unmotivated in awhile, three steps forward, thought I was really gonna make progress, and I'm probably 2 months back now.

[YellowThumper]

Tough to have the delay. But seeing how he was not honest from the start, better to not have warped and ruined panels.

[Marty]

 

[CudaA39]

Absolutely...his tactics told me all I needed to know to predict the work unfortunately. 

Been working periodically.  Got the engine compartment and inner fenders all but buttoned up.  Going to move into the trunk this evening, and hopefully have the car back on it's side by the weekend.  The sandblaster I bought is working surprisingly well, and I'm getting more familiar with how to make the most of it.  No worries now if painting over old questionable layers.

[CudaA39]

Finally done....knew it was gonna be a ton of work, and it was 10x more than that.  Took probably 8 trips into the booth, typically 90 minutes a hit either before work or after the kiddos went to bed.  Going to try and clean everything tomorrow and hit the bare metal with Eastwood After blast.  Hopefully get some paint on there in short order.