Rick Lance's Camaro has changed a bit

[Madspeed]

Sorry for the continued struggle on the underlying condition. It's just going to be that much more special when you're done. :thumb:

Yea it would feel better if it didnt cost so much in the first place =) Note to self. Never buy a muscle car again unless its got a build documented by a reputable restoration company with pics of the process.

Here is what got done today
It really needs a complete dash and upper cowl replacement.

 

[RickDLance]

Holy shit that was a lot of rust!! It looked so good too.

 

[Madspeed]

And for todays puneshment

Removed tail panel outter then lower inner to find Mr Cave and pave at it again.I was going to just cut the lower section out and patch in a new section cut from a new panel. Had I done that Id have missed all the fun Mr pro resto did. I was told this car hed been restored about 15 years ago from owner before Rickster. What a PHUKING hack. his rust repair was a couple gallons of bondo and seam sealer. the old trunk floor was cut out along the back perimeter around the frame rails and gas tank mounts. It appears this thing is getting a trunk floor frame rails and gas tank mounts. Sooooo. um yea need more money
To explain the trunk edge pics. There was about a 1/2" gap on both sides thats a known problem with aftermarket metal. I used a piece of copper pipe cut open and flattened out then bent at a 90 to put up under the open gap and just lay in weld bead. Looks like ass before the grinder and on the left you see it nearing finished.

 

[Madspeed]

Todays feast

So far Ive done this today. Replaced both left and right inner and outer cowls. Cut out the firewall to make a new one out of sheet steel and smooth this bitch out. Lets see If I can get this firewall done by end of day tomorrow :joker:
I cant do anything with the tail panel untill I can get more funds to replace the trunk floor and frame rails. Phuck those are spendy. 3hundred something for the floor and 180 a frame rail then truck frieght on top of that.
Im :leghump: Wife said the deadline was before the reg expires. Thats not even possible =) at this point

 

[Madspeed]

BANG! mother Phuckas. Free Handed. LOL couldnt find anything to make a template out of in the shop. Tomorrow Ill start to burn it in and trim a tunnel and fab up a new piece to go from tunnel to firewall.

 

[TheBac]

My god, what a mess.
I would've long ago written this car off as a complete waste of money, parted out what I could and sent the rest to the crusher.
You have far more patience and stick-to-it-iveness than I would ever have in this situation.

 

[Madspeed]

My god, what a mess.
I would've long ago written this car off as a complete waste of money, parted out what I could and sent the rest to the crusher.
You have far more patience and stick-to-it-iveness than I would ever have in this situation.

Yea the unfortunate part is I paid 25500.00 for it and drove 2 full states away to buy it. I didnt have 25k laying around I used 12k in sales tax that we are making payments on and got the rest on loan from the bank. the parts are credit cards and those are all smoked. I fully expected this year to have similar growth in our business as the last 6 years. but instead were a little behind last years gross sales. So Im kind of getting by atm. There is nothing on this car worth parting out. the engine is a first gen SBC and WhoTF wants one nowdays. The transmission is ****ed up 700r4 that need to be gone through as it has a tie up going into third. And WhoTF wants a 700r4 as well. 10 bolt rear end? Nobody wants it. 15x8 and 15x 5 drag lites I cant give away Ive had them for sale for a year.
1969 Street fighter Camaro has always been my dream car. I was building one in my 20s untill I got PHUCKED by The phone company and kicked out in the street with a one month old baby, Before they had to owe me a pension.

 

[Madspeed]

Todays work

Not to shabby for an 8 hour sunday. Fabbed a new firewall and its about 90% done. I bent up some angle to gige it some rigidity. Still warped it a little bit. Ill see if my buddy who owns a body shop can come by and make some shrinky shrinky. Im going to use his booth and Im not sure if Im going to try and spray it or let his painter spray it when ready.

To the Bac: I was thinkin since you could afford to have scrapped this thing why dont ya send me 10k and pretend like you did so I can finish it :roflmao: FFS Il even let ya drive it when im done :spit:

 

[TheBac]

If I had an extra 10K lying around, my little truck would be finished, or I'd have sold all the diesel crap in my garage and bought a nice '71-72 Cutlass convertible.
Have to say Im amazed at your abilities and work ethic. I just know I would've given up long before this, no matter the money involved. In the end, you're going to have one heck of a nice car and you'll know every last inch of it.

 

[Madspeed]

Saturday I left after a 10 hour day of this shit. Seems the need has arisen to get a home equity line of credit to continue. NO joke

 

[Madspeed]

I go fall over now need rest for the week to come. I fitted the new trunk and frame rails. Was a Mother Trucker to get the pan trimmed for the deep DSE wheel tubs and the frame rails as well. More pushing shoving then screwing together and massaging. then back apart to sand blast the rusty torque box area epoxy coat then burn shit in. The fitting of this junk sheet metal is going to take me a while.

 

[Madspeed]

These parts fit like 5HIT! This weekend I pulled it all back out to sand blast the areas where the parts wil be replaced. I found the trunk pan did not meet up correctly with the tail panel and had to evaluate and find a fix. Thes pics I know are boring but its what I got done after 18 hours this weekend. I slit off the flange and cut it into 3 pieces so I can refits the flange to tail pan and move the bumper braces into the correct locations. Also removed the gas tank braces to relocate in to correct position.

 

[lutzjk913]

Your determination is amazing man.

Keep at it

 

[SmokeShow]

Absolutely in awe of your drive and determination to see this thru to the end.

I'd hate to see you take a HELOC though. It can't sit in the corner while you amass more funds to complete it without having a HELOC looming over you? You've said work isn't what it once was, hence fewer dollars to afford finishing it with cash? Just think it'd be a real tragedy if things turned from bad to worse in that department and you had a HELOC hanging over you for a muscle car - albeit a dream car.

 

[TheBac]

Im just impressed with your skills.

I do have a question, though. What do you use for reference points to determine if the panels are out of square and where they need to be joined?? I've always wondered that about restoration.

 

[Burn Down]

Keep up the pics, I always enjoy a craftsman’s work:thumb:

 

[WVRigrat05]

I’d been out of a car and garage by now, I would have said **** it and set fire to em. I love your determination and detail, that’ll be a hell of a nice car when you’re done.

 

[Madspeed]

Im just impressed with your skills. Bleh its all on youtube

I do have a question, though. What do you use for reference points to determine if the panels are out of square and where they need to be joined?? I've always wondered that about restoration.

Absolutely in awe of your drive and determination to see this thru to the end.

I'd hate to see you take a HELOC though. It can't sit in the corner while you amass more funds to complete it without having a HELOC looming over you? You've said work isn't what it once was, hence fewer dollars to afford finishing it with cash? Just think it'd be a real tragedy if things turned from bad to worse in that department and you had a HELOC hanging over you for a muscle car - albeit a dream car.

5H1t If you seen the projects I have sitting in the corner you kick me in the nuts already. 84 jeep wagoneer/1st cherokee for my son w ls swap started 3 years ago. The 71 project stalled out in my sig. The suburban twin turbo motor and custom long travel I want to build for it and prer-unner fenders for it. And My guy that helps me round the shops 2wd long bed cc to 4x4 dually duramax build. Im gonna need a large coffin w 220volts and a lift.

Umm Bac Im wingin it. First of all I built a frame jig that locates the tub by the factory datum locations. Then its just trial and error with screws before welding hammering, cutting, fitting, welding. As to where to join them is in the same places you cut out the spot welds to remove them. Team Camaro is a place where you will find all kinds of noobs like me doing the same thing and better. And some serious professionals lend words of wisdom.
As far as getting a loan with bus slowed. Im that frog choking out the duck. The turd that wont flush. I can reinvent ways to pay the bills just not ways to get rich. Case in point. I picked up the cdl handbook read it for a week and went and got a CDL with dbls trippls tankers hazmat and all in a week. I then headded off to N Dakota for oil fields hauling water then crude oil in 2009-2010 when I couldnt find a job as a tech w 30 plus years exp. 2010 I filed for BR scratched and clawed out of the the hole and now I look like a ground hog pokin its head out of that hole once in a while =)

But really Its nothing any of you couldnt do if you can cut and weld.

Thank you all for the support its helps motivate me even more. Its getting really Fng old being at the shop 7 days a week and longer hours sat and sunday.

 

[Madspeed]

Nothing new yet

I bet your wondering where the progress is. Well let me tell you. Im burnt out on it atm. As you can see its a total clusterphuck. I took some time to do summer things with my wife and daughter and dogs =). As you see my luck is shite, WTF Im Irish too. We bought a 2018 RZR XP4 turbo and well it shite the bed this Thursday on the long weekend. First one for my daughter at the disco dunes (as I like to call it) Its 3 weeks old and already back at the dealer getting a new engine. Tried like hell to fix it at the dunes. but by Saturday afternoon I had to give in. It had blown the air to water intercooler in the intake and it gets worse. :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao: Whatayagunnadooo :baby:

A pic of the piston

 

[PureHybrid]

Dang, haven't heard of many issues on the new turbo models. Is that after cooler a common issue?