Brendon's '67 Firebird thread by Tuske427

6 minute(s) of a 286 minute read

Still alive. Just saving money for expensive parts and have been busy with other events. In the meantime I ran across a thread about rollbars/ cages so now I want to modify mine to connect to the frame rails. Fortunately, I have enough extra metal around to not have to buy anything for this little project. I made some plates and welded them into the floor using many plug welds and around the edges. Not sure if it shows but the area is double layered. Next will be the tubing itself.

I also modified my welding cart with heavier duty wheels, a frame on the bottom for strength, and a handle. The 200 lb tank was too much for the stock cart.

3-9-2015

Well, it didn't help that I was out of the country for a month with work and vacation combo, only to come back and crash my motorcycle on the freeway/ my first day back to work. Minor rash, fortunately. I even got back on my bike to continue on. So a little time was spent healing up, and I have had other events like family parties, other work trips to Vegas, etc. Buying other things around the house. As for parts these need to be in order:

1 - rims. I went with US Mags forged (Bandits). these take 4-6 weeks to make. Should be ready soon.
2 - once I have the rims, then I'll buy tires and have them mounted
3 - then, I can install and measure to see how much my axle needs to be narrowed and take it out/ get it narrowed. I should get some lugs, too, ha ha.

BTW this is the downside to changing my mind mid build as my axle was originally ordered extra wide.... Extra cost and time as a result. Such is life.

This is the larger part of it. The rest can be bought whenever/ in any order:

- driveshaft (will be 4th on my list as this needs to be custom made/ ordered. thinking CF)
- radiator hoses (thinking silicone universal ones for a clean install. I need something custom anyway with my engine set back)
- battery. Optima..
- seat rails
- window glass
- Air filter/ intake tubing

I did score some used Corbeau A4 seats off of LS1tech.

Without my axle narrowed and reinstalled it's a waste to add brake fluid, rear axle fluid, etc. So it's a waiting game for me.

In the meantime I'll work on the cage mod and save $$ for the remainder parts. I just don't want to accrue credit card dept while building this. I've been able to avoid it so far.

The seats I picked up... It wasn't my intention to go with leather (I prefer cloth) however, the price was good and they are clean.

They will need modification for the 5th belt slot.

3-15-2015

I was able to add the additional tubes on my roll bar this weekend. Next will be to sand down the mess/ burnt paint, and repaint it.

Still waiting for my wheels...

3-22-2015

So my rims and tires came in this week. I'm very happy with them. I did a quick mock up to measure for my axle trimming (although I am digging the '70's look with them sticking out. Maybe I should just add some flares and call it a day, ha ha) and to make sure the fronts would fit. I have a tiny bit of rubbing on the backs of the wheel openings against the allen bolt heads. I could just take the bolts out, ha ha. The top of the wheels are a bit close to the fenders but the front end isn't aligned yet. They look to have + camber right now... I also painted the cage modification, started on my air intake assy (need more parts to finish this) and I wrapped my windshield trim in flat black 3M wrap. It was a productive weekend.