Body and Electrical

I've gotten everything installed on the frame that I wanted, so now it's time to the lower the body back down and get ready for the bodywork and paintjob. When I raised the body, I used a combination of a floor jack and a lot of muscle. I figured while lowering the body, I need to be a little more accurate to be able to line up the body mounts. So what I did was buy two 1-ton chain hoist. Attached one at the front, the other at the back. For the front, I used two sturdy holes on the firewall and the back I slid the chain through the brake wiring holes and secured it with a bolt through one link. I was kind of skeptical lifting the body at these points, so I was watching close for any flexing or bending. I didn't notice any. I was able to lower the body within a 1/4" from the frame. This is where the wheels dollies helped. Instead of moving the body around to line up the mounts (which is kind of difficult when suspended from chains) I just had to push the frame in any direction I needed it to go. It turned out to be a lot easier than I had anticipated.

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October 1998

Now that I had easier access to the interior, I decided to scrape, clean and paint all the interior metal with semi-gloss POR-15. Here are some pics with the fenders and radiator support installed.

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January 2000

Rather than trying to get the Original A/C into working condition, I chose to install an aftermarket unit from Air-Tique. I will be creating a special page for the A/C install later. The Air-Tique unit installs completely under the dash, with nothing sticking into the engine bay. So the first thing I need to do was fill in the existing holes in the firewall. We welded an filler plate into the existing A/C hole and we also filled in some other smaller drill holes in the firewall. After the welding, I spent some time with the grinder make all the welds smooth. Following that, I used Bondo to fill in imperfection and make the firewall as smooth as possible before apply primer and paint. After it was smoothed out, I sprayed it with Eastwood's Self-Etching Prime and Eastwood's Under Hood Black. The end results looked great. Here are some pics from showing the steps listed above and pics after the engine was installed.

I'm trying to obtain a clean looking engine bay my minimizing the amount of visible wiring. As you can see in these pictures, I mounted the MSD box and the Fuel Injection control box on the firewall and routed the wires behind the dash.

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May 2000

I decided on relocating the battery to the trunk for cleaner appearance up front, and also to put more weight on the back axle. I chose to use a aluminum battery box (instead of plastic) because I wanted to mount my remote starter solenoid to the side. In these pics you can also see I've repainted the trunk using a kit from the Eastwood Company.

For the brakes, I decided on an 8" dual-diaphragm booster and master cylinder from Master Power Brakes. As you can see in these pics, the smaller booster allows excellent clearance for the valve cover. I've also relocated the combination valve for easier access.

My plans were to have the car painted at this stage, but I've decided to do more assembly first. In these pictures, I've installed the radiator support, fenders and hood. I picked up the domed hood from a salvage yard, so this assembly was more of a test fit. I will be removing the fenders again to finish installing more parts on the engine.

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September 2000

Here are some pics of the stainless gas tank from Rock Valley Antiques. I decided on a stainless tank for a couple reasons. With the fuel injection, I preferred an in-tank pump for noise reduction and longer operating life because of being submerged in cool fuel. After reviewing prices for a new reproduction steel tank, filler neck, straps, and modification needed for the in-tank pump, the price of a completely new stainless tank was not that many more dollars compared to the overall investment.

I contacted Chuck Hanson about a stainless tank install that was done on an older episode of Hot-Rod TV. Chuck gave me the name of Rock Valley and I contacted them to discuss my needs. Rock Valley mostly builds tanks to your dimensions, or to match your old tank, but they had a design on file for 68-72 Chevelles already. The fabrication time took about 6-8 weeks.

I'm installing the tank now, and will be posting more pics at the next update.

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January 2001

In preparation for the gas tank, I decided to install braided stainless fuel supply and return lines. Also as you can see in the photos, I decided to cut an access hole to remove the fuel pump and sender in case of maintenance. I plan to cover the hole with a piece of thick clear Plexiglas. The gas tank was a direct fit to the original. Rock Valley also supplies stainless tank straps with the purchase of a tank.

I also measured up and had Denny's Driveshaft create a Nitrous Ready driveshaft with 1350 joints to link the Richmond 6-speed to the 12-bolt.

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