Well it's that time of year again. It's even cooling down here in New Orleans. I found out today that it looks like I will have to rebuild my tach. Out comes the dash. Looks like I have a winter project on my hands. Might as well rewire and get my clock and stock oil pressure guage working at the same time. Maybe get that radio working... Oh, my heater core gave up the ghost too. Lots of coolant ended up on the floor passenger side. Hopefully it's just a hose. Maybe I'll get that new headlight switch in too so I'll have light behind the guages at night. I am not looking forward to dash diving! Maybe once all that's done I might put in a VB&P front mono-spring. Gonna be a good winter! So what's your plans?
-CR

 

 

I'm working in the same area ('72 Stingray). The previous owner has been under the dash and it is a mess. My vent doors don't work, I get hot air in the cabin, I smell fumes when driving, etc, so I'm going to fix it all! The duct work is in disarray too. I'm also going to upgrade the clock to a quartz movement - I'm tired of dealing with the mechanical clock.

 

nada, nothing, not a thing. been a busy beaver the last 3 winter/springs n my vette is pretty much done the way i want it so i'm not doing a thing to it this offseason n next march/april when a few days rear up i'll be out there driving mine for a change. btw u really wanna do the VB&P front mono-spring, i did that last spring, what a diff in the ride, awesome mod

 

71 Vette:
Design/fab new dash, rewire entire car, install batt/alt disconnect & onboard halon, rebuild front spreader bar, hook up oil cooler, thermostat and oil temp gauge

2006 Ram 3500 CTD:
Install dynatrac lockouts on front hubs, hookup boost and TIT gauges

1973 Ford L9000:
Recore radiator (OUCH) install 8 new 11R22.5 drive tires (octal ouch), give the 8v71 a tune up (Adjust the injectors and turn the gov up to 2350)

84 RZV500R bike:
Continue design work on new CNC billet engine cases. We're looking for 180 to 190 HP at the crank (150ish at the rear wheel) from 499 cc's normally aspirated 120 RWHP is the limit of the current cylinder design transfer ports...

Shop:
Install Bridgeport Clone and CNC retrofit. (not for the bike work that will be done on a HAAS VM-2)

Then there's the stuff that pays the bills...

 

1. New booster and master cylinder, new brake hoses
2. New tach cable
3. Fix AC and heater valves
4. New radio
5. Possibly an electric choke conversion
6. Quartz clock

 

Drive it!!!
South Texas summers suck but the winters are fantastic.

Kona

 

I'd love to pull the rear end for rebuilding,but I"m not sure the money is going to be there. I may do little things like replace the weatherstrips, fix the clock, etc. I've done pretty major projects the previous 2 winters that I've owned the car though.

 

1. Install 4.11 gears
2. Upgrade rear suspension (VB&P fiberglass spring, poly struts and QA1 shocks.
3. Install front QA1 coil overs and new A-arms
4. Fix broken passenger door handle (won't open from the outside)
5. Replace intake gasket to stop small oil leak
6. Figure out why transmission is leaking at speedometer cable
7. Drive it - Atlanta winters are tolerable.
8. Continue planning for my LS2 swap

 

Have I got a deal for you!!


My winter project will be the continuation of my frame off. I hope to get the body back on soon and start it up & work the kinks out

 

Hmmm, I almost don't want to think about it...

Lets see.

body work...
Finish stripping paiint.
send body out for media blasting (now sure, soda or acrylic beads)
Remove front clip
remove firewall
fix firewall
tub rear
patch all the holes in floor
re-install front clip
remove front reinforcer bar to fix rivet problem (replace with a new stainless steel piece?)

Doors T-tops and hood....
disassemble and strip paint
send out to get media blasted

chassis..
get pulley set for engine from Billet Specialties
install
get headers and side pipes from Stahl
test fit and mod as necessary, get them ceramic coated
get custom fuel cell and fuel pump and filter
install fuel cell
plumb brakes and fuel lines.
Install hydraulic lines for clutch

send body and chassis out to get painted and get the body dropped onto the chassis
get doors installed and adjusted
get roll cage installed

That should last me a little while.

Once I get the car back then the fun begins.

Install steering column
Wire whole car.
install heater
install new custom dash and instruments
install glass
install glass and regulators in doors
install sound and heat insulator and carpet and seats
install hood

not much to do this winter.

GAH!

 

My vette goes in for paint next week. After that, I plan on pulling the motor and cleaning the engine bay and dressing the engine up. Then I'm going to replace the carpeting and restore the interior.

 

Body Mounts
Front end rebuild
Maybe the rear end bushings too
Alignment
New front tires
Smog system
Stock manifolds to header collector flange so I can swap out with headers at will (inspection)
Cat. Converters
Windshield washer tank
Headliners
Align door glass
and the list goes on and on until I run out of cash

 

already started my winter project. Right when I pulled it apart it started raining.

 

My plans:

1. Put in new rear trailing arms, already have them.
2. Put in a composite spring, need to pick one.
3. Have the rear bearings rebuilt.
3. Anything else "while I'm at it" (please STOP me now).
4. Actively use the forum search, so I don't start a new thread for a question answered 400+ times.

 

Mine is kinda small:

1973 Stingray:

Recover seats
fix tachometer
fix fuel gauge
fix temp gauge
fix clock
fix fresh air
fill all holes in firewall
insulate floorpan
replace carpet
replace seatbelts
clean up engine bay
replace bushings, bearings, ball joints, strut rods, shocks, springs, sway bars
drain fuel tank and clean
fix exhaust leak
touch up paint
add front spoiler
clean up brakes and a-frames
flush fluids
charge A/C
install new emblems

1982 Crossfire Injection
:
fix radiator support
clean up engine bay
fix cruise control
replace A/C
plumb headlingts
bond nose on car
paint car
install marker lights
install emblems
insulate floorpans
install carpet
install new seats
install new dash
install new A/C Vents
install new console cover
install new weatherstripping
tune up fuel injectors
add mild street cam
port match heads and intake
replace rally wheels with 17" Torq Thrust II's
finishing touches on restoration
install new stereo and speaker system

2000 Convertible:

buff out paint
wax car
wax car
wax car
wax car
wax car
wax car
wax car

Whew! Maybe I do have a lot to do this winter!

 

Replace the trailing arm bushings (poly)
Install VB&P 360 lb. Monospring
Install VB&P Smart Struts
Replace headlight switch
Replace all Speedo and Tach dash bulbs while I'm at it
Replace ignition lock cylinder (wings were broken off mine when I got it)
Replace headlight relays
Replace leaking front seal on the Diff
Send my seatbelts to Snakeoyl for rebuild

I think that's enough for now.

 

Not in any logical order :

- Repaint interior (possibly two-tone doeskin/black),
- Fix crack in T-bar cover,
- Fab custom center armrest,
- Finish upholstry kickpanel speaker "vulcano's",
- Fab custom speaker boxes for the rear (I want them to follow the curve of the wheelwell),
- Repaint sparetirecarrier,
- Figure out antenne wiring i.r.t. new Pioneer headunit,
- Recoat sidepipes and/or headers (budget dependable),
- Powdercoat valvecovers,
- Save up for shop to install the new heads, cam, lifters, intake, rockers and timingchain I bought.

Not to mention I still have a house to finish...

 

-Pull body again and put on rotessirie
-finish smoothing firewall and paint
-get car in primer
-put in 4 pt. roll cage
-reassemble everything on car (engine, wiring, doors, hood, AC, etc.)
-get car running
-have car dyo'd and tuned
-put in custom interior
-take out custom interior
-final paint
-put interior back in

and make the parade laps for 12 Hours of Sebring in March

 

1) Rip out the cheap sound deadener and replace with dynamat.
2) Re-wire most, if not all the car with my own homemade wiring harness
3) Fix windshield cowl area to keep water from coming in when it rains
4) Make custom fiberglass dash with autometer phantom gauges
5) Install my C5 seats, mount directly to floor not C3 tracks
6) Save up some money for new air conditioning system.
7) Make a few visits to the junk yard and put together a serpentine system
8) 12v Linear actuated headlight popups
9) Noval-ize my vacumm tank, will require many drill bits
10) Remove vacumm advance distributor and put a computer controlled one in and tie it into my fuel injection system
11) New plug wires and wiring loom
12) Removeable rear window
***13) Hope that I get atleast 50% of these done and still get the car back on the road for the 2008 driving season