ShelbyDogg's 71 Challenger Pace Car (clone)

[Jacksboys]

So you decided to go with the 4-speed.      Looking good.

[Super Blue 72]

Supr job, Rob!  It's looking really sweet!  Keep up the great work!     

[CHUCKS71]

Thanks guys, still a loooong way to go.

I love the look of a PISTOL GRIP in an E-Body.   People ask me about my pistol grip all of the time. The only way I'll leave it an automatic (with my 518) is if I can disguise the 4 speed shifter to look like a manual but have the slap-stik guts down below. That way I have the "LOOK" of Muscle when parked, but have the Auto-Overdrive on the highway.  Anything is possible with my welder.

Rob

The 4spd or any stick shift is the way to go!Looks like your making great progress Rob!From the pic's it looks like you got the correct rear floors did you get rid of the Goodmarks?

[Jacksboys]

Thanks guys, still a loooong way to go.

I love the look of a PISTOL GRIP in an E-Body.   People ask me about my pistol grip all of the time. The only way I'll leave it an automatic (with my 518) is if I can disguise the 4 speed shifter to look like a manual but have the slap-stik guts down below. That way I have the "LOOK" of Muscle when parked, but have the Auto-Overdrive on the highway.  Anything is possible with my welder.

Rob

I understand.  Either way, I am sure it will be a great car to drive.   

[ShelbyDogg]

Worked 2 days to get the floor in. Drilled about 250 holes and hammered each one before welding it. Spent all day grinding each weld down.  The whole front floor, Firewall, and firewall sides are now completely welded in.
Big difference between this:


And THIS!



Next up;
Inner fenders!

[NoMope Greg]

To someone like me that doesn't know the first thing about welding, that is AMAZING!!   

[NoMope Greg]

So Greg, After seeing all the resto threads and seeing what a welder can do, don't you want to learn how to weld?  I started welding in a 6th grade summer school class, when I made a lamp. 

It is easy to learn and Home Depot and Lowes sell Lincoln Mig welders.   

Rob

Yeah, I want to learn and have considered buying a welder - I almost pulled the trigger on a cheap one at Harbor Freight one day - but for now, I need to spend my money on parts.  As an aside, many years ago I wrote down a list of ten goals I wanted to accomplish in my life and learning to weld well enough to do what you're doing was one of them.  The day will come... 

['cudaCruiser]

Worked 2 days to get the floor in. Drilled about 250 holes and hammered each one before welding it.

Excuse my ignorance, but why hammer the holes?

[ShelbyDogg]

Excuse my ignorance, but why hammer the holes?

No such thing as a dumb question on C-C.com.  When welding the thin floor layer to the thick frame layer, You have to use lots of heat to melt the frame below. If the floor metal isn't completely touching the frame  metal all the way around it's hole, the top metal will burn away due to too much heat. With full contact, I can weld right on the frame and slowly fiil the hole in a circle, hitting the thin metal at the same time with little raised weld to grind down.  Much of the floor had to be hammered to make it touch the frame.  I also had to start in the middle and work toward the sides to not buckle the floor.   The floor and firewall also had to be "metal worked" as they were mended together

Rob.

[ShelbyDogg]

Sitting at work, dreaming about what my car will look like. Had to fill my argon\co2 tank at lunch time, for welding tonight.  $65 was the price for an 80 tank! It used to be $15. 


Found this pic on ebay. This thing will look sweet cruising around St. Louis!

[hemiken]

That does look way cool.........................

Are you going to run the Keystones aswell ?

[hemiken]

  i understand totally, would be nice with a little personal touch from you

[ShelbyDogg]

IT"S OFFICIAL  This convertible will forever be a stick shift car.
I got it all cut out and welded in today.






 I also ordered my XV Motorsports Subframe connectors. I'm going to put them in at the same time I weld in my rear floors. It's logical that if I try to weld the rear floor in first, the angle will be off for the connector siince I can weld it in at a few different angles. If I put them in at the same time, they should go in with less grinding.

[hemiken]

  nice job.................................................

[CHUCKS71]

nice job.................................................

Nice job Rob!