#261
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Thanks for the praise.
Hopefully, it will be on the road in the next couple of months. I'm finding it hard to locate the specialized services like custom auto upholstery for doing the headliner. I've talked with a few local shops and they have no interest in doing the job. I'm guessing the California economy and cost of living has driven most of the people with these skills somewhere else.
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Joel Heinke Be original; don't be afraid of being bold! |
#262
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Quote:
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Chris (trying to be the best me I can be) |
#263
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Headliner panels
In preparation for getting the headliner fabric installed, I had to fabricate a few panels to hide the side window pockets and thus smooth the surface for the headliner. On the GTO, the side window frames are located within an inset pocket so the outside of the frame is flush with the surrounding body surface. The pocket is about an inch deep.
In addition, I wanted the headliner to cover the area above the rear wheels from the rear window sides down to the interior panels covering the wheel houses. I didn’t think I could get a single panel installed around the roll cage so I did it in two panels shaped in 3003 .040 aluminum. The panel above the side window meets the roof above the roll cage which should hide any seam. The panel in the rear hides the rivets for the panel below it and provides a nice finish line between the headliner and interior. Just installing these panels really cleans up the interior. Now the GTO is going off to the upholstery shop to get the headliner itself installed.
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Joel Heinke Be original; don't be afraid of being bold! |
#264
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Nice improvement on the interior for sure.
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Marcus aka. Gojeep Victoria, Australia http://willyshotrod.com Invention is a combination of brains and materials. The more brains you use, the less materials you need. |
#265
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X2..........looks good. |
#266
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Thanks guys. The GTO is now at upholstery shop and those panels are getting covered in Alcantara cloth (looks like suede leather). But they should make for a good foundation for the headliner.
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Joel Heinke Be original; don't be afraid of being bold! |
#267
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Kick panel speaker mount
The last unfinished GTO interior panel was on the outside of the foot boxes and I believe is called a kick panel. I had held off in making this panel because it’s where I wanted to mount front stereo speakers and I was waiting until I had the speakers in hand. There’s only 1 ½” depth to work with so this limited the speaker selection.
I decided to make the kick panel from 3003 .050 aluminum sheet like the panels next to it. To minimize the chance the speaker magnet would rattle on the panel behind it, I decided to raise the speaker mount area by 3/16”. The bead roller with step rolls made quick work for this. To further stabilize the speaker, I made a secondary bracket, mounting it to a chassis tube. Riv-nuts were used for speaker mounting screws to fasten into so the two panels would sandwich together behind the speaker. Completed kick panel. Test fit for kick panel with speaker mounted in place. Once I pull the poly coating, polish it up, and hook up the speakers, it will be time to rock ’n roll!
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Joel Heinke Be original; don't be afraid of being bold! |
#268
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More Interior Stuff
I’ve made some progress in finishing up some odds and ends on the GTO interior. On a prior post, I showed fabrication of panels in preparation for the headliner install. The Pearl Grey headliner cloth is now in place and turned out great. The headliner was done Alcantara cloth that looks very much like suede leather.
The parking brake mechanism was exposed and while totally functional didn’t look finished enough. So I made a cover for both the lever mechanism and the cables. Once polished, it blends right in with the rest of the interior. And lastly, the dash is now powder coated, all assembled and in place. The coating is wrinkle black powder coat. The wrinkle is uniform, noticeable, but not so heavy as to make it hard to clean. The speedometer is the only gauge not yet working. It’s electronic and I’m hoping the signal from the C5 transaxle can drive it. I won’t be able to figure that out until I can drive the car on the street and attempt to calibrate it. The last item needed prior to having the GTO drivable is the windshield. I wasn’t having any luck in cutting the glass myself so I turned to a “professional”. Well, it turns out it wasn’t just me as his first two tries ended up with cracked glass. I’m hoping the third time's a charm.
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Joel Heinke Be original; don't be afraid of being bold! |
#269
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GTO Is On The Road!
Mission accomplished! I’ve now built a car from scratch and it’s street registered and drivable. It only took 20 years to get this far but it’s been a great learning experience and journey. It’s not completely finished (no car ever is) as there are still several small things to sort out, but it’s now drivable, so I can figure out what bugs I have to fix.
I finally gave up on having a glass windshield after having several crack during the cutting process. I had a “professional windshield cutter” try one cutting process and I tried another but with no success. I came to the conclusion that the Chinese and Mexican made windshields in this shape (1960 Chevy Impala and other GM full sized cars) just aren’t cutable without cracking. Maybe the formerly made in USA ones were but those aren’t available these days. We could cut the sides off without a problem but the horizontal cut across the top would always crack somewhere near the middle of the glass. I think it’s due to residual stress in the glass that was held in check until the 6” strip at the top was removed and then it resulted in a crack. I had a polycarbonate windshield made by Aircraft Windshields in Southern California. I had a fiberglass form that was made from the inside of a new windshield and they were able to use this form to shape the ¼” thick polycarbonate sheet. I also had it hard coated to help resist scratching. It’s still less scratch resistant than glass but better than raw polycarbonate. Now for pictures… I haven’t driven it much yet but my initial experience is that it handles/corners quite well, acceleration plants occupants solidly into the seat backs, and the car draws a lot of attention when in public. I did get the speedometer to work (VDO programmable connected to GM PCM with feed from C5 transaxle) so I at least know how much over the speed limit I’m driving. Air conditioning is a must as the polished aluminum interior is like a reflector oven in the sunshine. I need to install a side mirror on passenger side as there is a huge blind spot caused by the fastback body style. Some sound deadening is needed as fuel pump and exhaust noise are transmitted right through the aluminum. I won’t use 6th gear much as the engine is only turning 1,500 RPM at 70 mph. 5th gear is 2,000 RPM at 70 mph so it should be fine for highway use. Now to fix some of those bugs and start enjoying the GTO driving experience!!
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Joel Heinke Be original; don't be afraid of being bold! |
#270
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That's terrific to finish it.
It looks real good. Congrats. Ya, the working speedo is important for when you're arguing with the cop...can't give him a too far fetched speed...."hey, I was only going...." |
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