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Where's the 55??
Voodoo Rising - A Build Thread
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ckessel
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A relative to mine.
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What year of GG1 are you going to use? 66,67,68 are all slightly different. We had samples of 67 and 68 mixed to factory. Stayed with the67. Base clear.
Voodoo
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I'll see if I can nab a pic next time I go up that roadWhere's the 55??
Voodoo
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I just asked for '66 to match the year of the car, honestly didn't know there was a difference. The sample paint dot on the lid looks quite dark, which I am totally fine with. I prefer darker vs lighter. I am sure it'll lighten up when I start to spray it on the light grey primer.
I got the primer finished, so we are on track for color coat tomorrow AM! I was tired of fighting the spray gun so I just bought two more and will start fresh with a brand new one. Not risking it on the top coat.
Voodoo
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Voodoo
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Well I am exhausted, but we are DONE! I started with a brand new spray gun just to remove as many variables as possible. Yesterday I primed a speed shape, and today (after testing my pattern on a flat board) I practiced laying down the color on said speed shape. The color is really beautiful and varies a lot in the sun vs. shade. The paint is dry enough to handle in these pics, quite pleased with the level of sheen and gloss considering it is a single stage paint.
After getting a feel for coat thickness and how best to avoid minimize orange peel, I uncovered the car and got to work. Painting in the tight quarters of the engine bay was a real chore. I ended up "cutting in" each of the corners and tight areas, then working from the wet edge along each flat surface. There are some small imperfections (some orange peel here and there, some tiny spots missed in tight corners, couple of leaves fell onto the paint later in the morning) but all in all it went really well for an "outside in the back yard" paint job.
I then moved on to the floor pan. That one was definitely fun. Had to take the approach like mopping a room. I got in the car and handled the rear seat area, then the firewall area. Then I did the wiring channels and some of the harder to reach parts of the tunnel and brackets. Once I got it to the point where I could reach all the remaining areas from outside the car, I hopped back out and finished those out. MAJOR kudos to the guys at the paint store. Literally used every drop of both the epoxy and the paint, barring a really small amount left over that I can use with a brush for any last touchups.
I still question if it was worth doing the body color inside like this. It was a royal pain in the butt. It does look really nice, but it seems odd to then be slapping down some Dynamat and covering it with carpet never to be seen again. I could have worked with a much easier paint process and had it done a long time ago. Oh well, here we are. At least it is the nicest it can be for a "backyard job".
Mid next week I pick up the front end parts from powder coat, as well as the freshly rebuilt driveshaft. I'll be working on putting those in over the weekend. I think after that, I will flip the masking around and get the dash and pedals cleaned up and painted. I will be replacing the turn signal switch and wiring since the column is out. Was not fun last time, but I gotta do it. Still in the tunnel, don't see the light yet, but I know it is coming.
After getting a feel for coat thickness and how best to avoid minimize orange peel, I uncovered the car and got to work. Painting in the tight quarters of the engine bay was a real chore. I ended up "cutting in" each of the corners and tight areas, then working from the wet edge along each flat surface. There are some small imperfections (some orange peel here and there, some tiny spots missed in tight corners, couple of leaves fell onto the paint later in the morning) but all in all it went really well for an "outside in the back yard" paint job.
I then moved on to the floor pan. That one was definitely fun. Had to take the approach like mopping a room. I got in the car and handled the rear seat area, then the firewall area. Then I did the wiring channels and some of the harder to reach parts of the tunnel and brackets. Once I got it to the point where I could reach all the remaining areas from outside the car, I hopped back out and finished those out. MAJOR kudos to the guys at the paint store. Literally used every drop of both the epoxy and the paint, barring a really small amount left over that I can use with a brush for any last touchups.
I still question if it was worth doing the body color inside like this. It was a royal pain in the butt. It does look really nice, but it seems odd to then be slapping down some Dynamat and covering it with carpet never to be seen again. I could have worked with a much easier paint process and had it done a long time ago. Oh well, here we are. At least it is the nicest it can be for a "backyard job".
Mid next week I pick up the front end parts from powder coat, as well as the freshly rebuilt driveshaft. I'll be working on putting those in over the weekend. I think after that, I will flip the masking around and get the dash and pedals cleaned up and painted. I will be replacing the turn signal switch and wiring since the column is out. Was not fun last time, but I gotta do it. Still in the tunnel, don't see the light yet, but I know it is coming.
That's a lot of work.
Nice job
Nice job
Voodoo
Well-Known Member
Thank you. If I am lucky in a few years it'll be half as nice as yours! Definitely sore all over, not excited to go back to work tomorrow haha.
Voodoo
Well-Known Member
I picked up the powder coated parts and the driveshaft earlier in the week. Decided to forge ahead with getting the K frame bolted in and see how much of the front suspension I could get installed. I wire wheeled the bolts and got the K frame up in place with a floor jack and cloth to protect it. The bolts are tight, but i need to bust out the big torque wrench to get them to final spec. On this car, I decided to go satin for the suspension components instead of gloss.
Unfortunately I discovered that the powder coating shop neglected to tape off ANY of the parts we discussed. They did a good job with the coating in general, and I have used them several times before. Just an honest mistake on this one. They offered two choices, I could bring everything back and they would strip and re-do everything, or if I could clean up the openings myself, they would coat more parts for me at no cost. I decided I liked the idea of the latter. I was able to successfully clean out the holes, just a small delay in the end.
I was able to get the poly LCA bushings pressed in, and I got the adjusters cleaned up and installed (had it threaded the wrong way in the pic, but corrected it when installing.) I am almost done removing the old inner sleeves from the pivot pins, then I will be getting those pressed in which will complete the LCA assemblies.
The driveshaft was professionally rebuilt and balanced by Precision Shaft Technologies with a new yoke from Brewers Performance. I had considered having a custom one made, but it simply wasn't in the budget. In general this isn't going to be a "sticky tire, high power" build so I feel like the driveshaft should be totally fine . Plus my father very kindly gifted me a safety hoop which will be in place just in case. Forgive the mess in the picture. I do all my work in a car tent, and a 128 square foot shop (glorified shed) that I built years ago. It's usually great, but when you fill it with half a Charger it is tricky to navigate.
I also finally took a moment to inspect the torsion bars I purchased a while ago. My intent was to get uprated ones, and I found a really good deal on brand new ones that I jumped on. It had been so long that I forgot the exact thickness I ordered. I was pleased to discover the new ones (right shiny thing) are notably thicker than the stock ones (left crusty looking thing).
I organized and pulled out all the relevant front end parts that will be needed to get it back on the ground, including the front disc brake assemblies. I hope to do more cleaning, prep and so on throughout the week so that next weekend I can start assembling. Aiming to have it sitting back on 4 wheels by the end of Labor Day weekend. More updates soon, thanks for tuning in!
Unfortunately I discovered that the powder coating shop neglected to tape off ANY of the parts we discussed. They did a good job with the coating in general, and I have used them several times before. Just an honest mistake on this one. They offered two choices, I could bring everything back and they would strip and re-do everything, or if I could clean up the openings myself, they would coat more parts for me at no cost. I decided I liked the idea of the latter. I was able to successfully clean out the holes, just a small delay in the end.
I was able to get the poly LCA bushings pressed in, and I got the adjusters cleaned up and installed (had it threaded the wrong way in the pic, but corrected it when installing.) I am almost done removing the old inner sleeves from the pivot pins, then I will be getting those pressed in which will complete the LCA assemblies.
The driveshaft was professionally rebuilt and balanced by Precision Shaft Technologies with a new yoke from Brewers Performance. I had considered having a custom one made, but it simply wasn't in the budget. In general this isn't going to be a "sticky tire, high power" build so I feel like the driveshaft should be totally fine . Plus my father very kindly gifted me a safety hoop which will be in place just in case. Forgive the mess in the picture. I do all my work in a car tent, and a 128 square foot shop (glorified shed) that I built years ago. It's usually great, but when you fill it with half a Charger it is tricky to navigate.
I also finally took a moment to inspect the torsion bars I purchased a while ago. My intent was to get uprated ones, and I found a really good deal on brand new ones that I jumped on. It had been so long that I forgot the exact thickness I ordered. I was pleased to discover the new ones (right shiny thing) are notably thicker than the stock ones (left crusty looking thing).
I organized and pulled out all the relevant front end parts that will be needed to get it back on the ground, including the front disc brake assemblies. I hope to do more cleaning, prep and so on throughout the week so that next weekend I can start assembling. Aiming to have it sitting back on 4 wheels by the end of Labor Day weekend. More updates soon, thanks for tuning in!
Cheapsunglasses
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I may have missed it or maybe you didn’t mention it , but are you keeping the factory upper control arms or going aftermarket ?
Voodoo
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I originally planned on refinishing the originals and putting in poly bushings and new ball joints. The ball joints are not playing nice, so I purchased new upper control arms to get the car on the road as soon as possible. I still plan on servicing the original ones and swapping them back in when I can.
Cheapsunglasses
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One of the best things you can do to make it drive great is as much caster as possible. Tubular uppers from PST, firm feel, or qa1 get you that . But factory with offset bushings can get you a few degrees
Voodoo
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Thank you for the advice, will see if budget allows for that. Seems like $450-475 for any of those three. Maybe if I can scrape some money together, and sell the original uppers when I am done refinishing them and putting in the new bushings and balljoints, I might just be able to swing it.
Cheapsunglasses
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I ran my stock uca for a couple of years before I was able to get tubulars , the car didn’t drive too bad , but it was definitely an improvement
As David Freiberger says, don’t get it right , get it running
As David Freiberger says, don’t get it right , get it running
Voodoo
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Exactly! I just need to get it mobile enough to get out to the Ocala show in early November. After that, I can get it to full "1.0" by early next year.I ran my stock uca for a couple of years before I was able to get tubulars , the car didn’t drive too bad , but it was definitely an improvement
As David Freiberger says, don’t get it right , get it running
Spent another hour on the car today, touched up some of the tight corners that the spray gun couldn't reach using a detail brush. Also got in one of the two engine well splash shields, and all by 4 of the floor pan body plugs. The 1" ones feel like they need some lubrication to get in properly. I plan on half attaching the drivers side splash shield until I get further along and have the Z bar etc. in place.
Voodoo
Well-Known Member
I started putting the floorpan plugs in, found a SUPER helpful reference guide here on FBBO courtesy of @El.Padrino which I linked below in case anyone needs it!
Body Plug Archive
I had some trouble with the 1" rubber plugs, but I think they just need a little lubrication. I also carefully cut off the old inner bushing sleeves from the LCA pivots and prepared to press those into the new ones, only to discover they just slipped right in... I did some digging on here and the general consensus seems to be that they should be press-fit like the original, but in a pinch you can get away with "snug". Mine were neither of those things, I can wiggle the pivot in the bushing, so that was a definite no-go.
Credit to the supplier I bought the kit from (months ago I might add), they messaged me right back asking for measurements. My LCA pivots read 0.80" on the caliper, and the ID of the bushing read 0.82". They went out to their warehouse and checked for a new pair, confirming an ID of 0.796", then sent them to me at no cost. I am hoping I can just pull the poly isolator and the inner sleeve, but leave the outer sleeve in place. REALLY don't want to have to pull the outer sleeve AGAIN.
In the meantime I am refinishing the UCA mounting bolts, and hope to have the uppers installed this weekend, along with some of the other suspension components. Maybe if I am feeling froggy I can install the new under-dash and taillight harnesses too...
Body Plug Archive
I had some trouble with the 1" rubber plugs, but I think they just need a little lubrication. I also carefully cut off the old inner bushing sleeves from the LCA pivots and prepared to press those into the new ones, only to discover they just slipped right in... I did some digging on here and the general consensus seems to be that they should be press-fit like the original, but in a pinch you can get away with "snug". Mine were neither of those things, I can wiggle the pivot in the bushing, so that was a definite no-go.
Credit to the supplier I bought the kit from (months ago I might add), they messaged me right back asking for measurements. My LCA pivots read 0.80" on the caliper, and the ID of the bushing read 0.82". They went out to their warehouse and checked for a new pair, confirming an ID of 0.796", then sent them to me at no cost. I am hoping I can just pull the poly isolator and the inner sleeve, but leave the outer sleeve in place. REALLY don't want to have to pull the outer sleeve AGAIN.
In the meantime I am refinishing the UCA mounting bolts, and hope to have the uppers installed this weekend, along with some of the other suspension components. Maybe if I am feeling froggy I can install the new under-dash and taillight harnesses too...
Voodoo
Well-Known Member
More progress this weekend. Busted out the wire wheels and sand paper and got to cleaning up the old hardware I am reusing. I've tried a bunch of different stuff over the years and honestly just painting the exposed surfaces black seems to be the easiest to live with. Oiling and heating the metal lasts for a little bit but fails, clear coating is great until the moment you go to actually tighten the bolts down, and is a PITA to then touch back up. At least with the black paint a quick once over with a touch up brush after install and they look great forever. Plus they don't draw attention, at least on a dark colored car.
Also got some of the inner firewall parts refinished. Got new gaskets to go behind these too. I will be tearing down the steering column tomorrow and Wednesday in preparation for paint and installation of a new turn signal switch (yay.)
I have slowly been chipping away (almost literally) at cleaning up the steering box. What a nightmare. Whatever is all over this thing is like if clay and glue had a baby. Not fun. Getting there though, we are almost to the point where I can do final clean up on it. I also did the pitman arm, which somewhat miraculously still has a nice and tight balljoint and a boot that is in good shape!
I had a broken/rusted cotter pin in one of the LCA pivots, so I ground the ends flat, then brought it over to my trusty drill press "Wen-dy" who is pictured here wearing a silly hat.
Big credit due to the folks I bought the poly bushing kit from, new bushings already arrived! I pressed out the inner sleeves, did some careful checking, then pressed them on to the pivot pins. Perfect fit, that's more like it!
I was able to keep the outer sleeve and poly isolator from the original bushings in place, so pressing these assemblies in was easy. Who knew having a 20 ton press in the back yard would be so handy!?
I painted the torsion bar adjuster plate so it wouldn't rust, greased the adjuster bolt, and got those installed, completing the LCA assembly process. My brother also kindly assisted with getting the K frame bolts torqued to spec, so we are officially good to start assembling the front suspension!
I have a pretty aggressive timeline set to try and keep things on track. The goal is to have the car back on the ground as a roller (with steering!) before Labor Day weekend. Friday night will be "rent a trailer and move the car to my brothers shop" day, then Saturday the 440 and the 4 speed go in! That also means I need to get out to his shop beforehand so we can put the engine, bellhousing/clutch assembly, and transmission all together ready to install. Wish me luck, it's gonna be tight!
Also got some of the inner firewall parts refinished. Got new gaskets to go behind these too. I will be tearing down the steering column tomorrow and Wednesday in preparation for paint and installation of a new turn signal switch (yay.)
I have slowly been chipping away (almost literally) at cleaning up the steering box. What a nightmare. Whatever is all over this thing is like if clay and glue had a baby. Not fun. Getting there though, we are almost to the point where I can do final clean up on it. I also did the pitman arm, which somewhat miraculously still has a nice and tight balljoint and a boot that is in good shape!
I had a broken/rusted cotter pin in one of the LCA pivots, so I ground the ends flat, then brought it over to my trusty drill press "Wen-dy" who is pictured here wearing a silly hat.
Big credit due to the folks I bought the poly bushing kit from, new bushings already arrived! I pressed out the inner sleeves, did some careful checking, then pressed them on to the pivot pins. Perfect fit, that's more like it!
I was able to keep the outer sleeve and poly isolator from the original bushings in place, so pressing these assemblies in was easy. Who knew having a 20 ton press in the back yard would be so handy!?
I painted the torsion bar adjuster plate so it wouldn't rust, greased the adjuster bolt, and got those installed, completing the LCA assembly process. My brother also kindly assisted with getting the K frame bolts torqued to spec, so we are officially good to start assembling the front suspension!
I have a pretty aggressive timeline set to try and keep things on track. The goal is to have the car back on the ground as a roller (with steering!) before Labor Day weekend. Friday night will be "rent a trailer and move the car to my brothers shop" day, then Saturday the 440 and the 4 speed go in! That also means I need to get out to his shop beforehand so we can put the engine, bellhousing/clutch assembly, and transmission all together ready to install. Wish me luck, it's gonna be tight!
Voodoo
Well-Known Member
Big update, starting to get to the exciting stuff! My original plan was to chip away at all this over the course of a couple of weeks. I got the steering column stripped down, smoothed and repainted in 2K satin black paint. Then I got sick, which slowed things down a ton. Over the course of a week and a half while I should have been resting, I cleaned and serviced every internal part. I also added a new turn signal switch and engine bay side seal. Very pleased with how it came out, the pic really doesn't do it justice.
I had a trailer booked for 9:00a Sunday before Labor day, and Friday evening I finally felt 90% better. Saturday, the massive push began and I started getting the front suspension assembled. I had to get the car to roller status before the end of the day, and 10 hours later I did. The pic below is most of the way through the process.
As planned, Sunday morning we had the trailer ready to roll. The car rolls nice and smooth thankfully, and my "eyeball alignment" on the front end actually worked remarkably well. This was probably the fastest we've ever loaded a car onto a trailer, and a good thing too as we had storms rolling in fast. This was my first opportunity to stand back and actually appreciate the car in full. Still love it!
As we arrived at my brothers shop it was just starting to rain properly. We managed to get the car pushed in before the heavy stuff started to come down. Super lucky timing! The car will be living here for the next 1-2 weeks, so I am making the most of having one hell of a work space. Talk about a huge improvement over the tent!
We got the flywheel and Ram clutch assembly installed onto the motor. Ran into several small roadblocks but it felt like some voodoo working in our favor as we were able to overcome every single one of them efficiently and keep moving forward. Definitely an interesting color choice for the pressure plate from Ram, I have lovingly dubbed it "speed pink"
Got the 4 speed mated to the motor and everything ready to roll. The next hour was all farting around with the load leveler, cursing, and telling each other that it was super close on one thing or another haha. For such a big car, it still felt like we had to shoehorn this giant motor in. never realized just how easy I had it dropping a 305 into my old Bel Air.
By the end of Labor Day, we got it all in and settled exactly when I had originally planned, it was just on a much more condensed timetable than expected. Today I ran back out to the shop and got the carbs on, fuel pump block off plate in place, and a few other odds and ends taken care of.
I also got the sway bar installed. Thanks to the guidance of several folks I adapted the car to the later style bar and tabs. I feel much more confident in this setup compared to the clamp on style.
And for now, this is how she sits. I am waiting on a few parts from Classic Industries, but in the mean time I will be putting in the new fuel lines, brake lines and possibly starting on the new wiring harness.
I had a trailer booked for 9:00a Sunday before Labor day, and Friday evening I finally felt 90% better. Saturday, the massive push began and I started getting the front suspension assembled. I had to get the car to roller status before the end of the day, and 10 hours later I did. The pic below is most of the way through the process.
As planned, Sunday morning we had the trailer ready to roll. The car rolls nice and smooth thankfully, and my "eyeball alignment" on the front end actually worked remarkably well. This was probably the fastest we've ever loaded a car onto a trailer, and a good thing too as we had storms rolling in fast. This was my first opportunity to stand back and actually appreciate the car in full. Still love it!
As we arrived at my brothers shop it was just starting to rain properly. We managed to get the car pushed in before the heavy stuff started to come down. Super lucky timing! The car will be living here for the next 1-2 weeks, so I am making the most of having one hell of a work space. Talk about a huge improvement over the tent!
We got the flywheel and Ram clutch assembly installed onto the motor. Ran into several small roadblocks but it felt like some voodoo working in our favor as we were able to overcome every single one of them efficiently and keep moving forward. Definitely an interesting color choice for the pressure plate from Ram, I have lovingly dubbed it "speed pink"
Got the 4 speed mated to the motor and everything ready to roll. The next hour was all farting around with the load leveler, cursing, and telling each other that it was super close on one thing or another haha. For such a big car, it still felt like we had to shoehorn this giant motor in. never realized just how easy I had it dropping a 305 into my old Bel Air.
By the end of Labor Day, we got it all in and settled exactly when I had originally planned, it was just on a much more condensed timetable than expected. Today I ran back out to the shop and got the carbs on, fuel pump block off plate in place, and a few other odds and ends taken care of.
I also got the sway bar installed. Thanks to the guidance of several folks I adapted the car to the later style bar and tabs. I feel much more confident in this setup compared to the clamp on style.
And for now, this is how she sits. I am waiting on a few parts from Classic Industries, but in the mean time I will be putting in the new fuel lines, brake lines and possibly starting on the new wiring harness.
Cheapsunglasses
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That is huge progress, and everything looks great !
Hopefully you’re feeling better, if not hopefully you get better
Hopefully you’re feeling better, if not hopefully you get better
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