F-2 Stang

[DJ3100]

the interior looks sexy for sure. You going to leave the tubes exposed and only have the "trim" be the panels? A little burp of fire when getting out of the gas and into a corner is cool! Good work!

Thanks guys.

The interior tube and panels are finished. What you see is what they'll be. I still have to make the cup holder, which goes in the bay behind the shifter, and a small storage compartment that goes behind that. The panels are aluminum - DA'd with 220 grit and topped a coat of clear laquer.

I agree - the fire coming out of the exhaust is cool - more fire would be better! I wasn't sure if it was supposed to do that or if I had an engine problem.

I'm getting excited about getting the cab finished and on the chassis. I haven't seen what this thing looks like in almost a year - and I have never had the doors on it while it was on the chassis. There's a lot of work left on it.

 

[truckster]

Dan, you just never fail to amaze and impress me. Wish I had half the commitment and followthrough that you do.

It looks like someone took a race car chassis (early Maserati) and put a pickup grill and bed on it. Glad that it was worth all the work. Looks fantastic, even without the body on.

 

[Gregster]

This build goes beyond nice !

 

[DJ3100]

Thanks guys.

I checked out the bug stinger glass pack. The local store had them for $8. That would have been a good solution, except that they are very similar to the baffles I already had except wrapped in fiberglass.

Here's a photo of my exhaust baffle. I decided that randomly spaced slots might help reduce resonence. I cut the slots with a cut-off wheel and used a round punch to push in one side. They are all stainless steel.

I bought 12 stainless steel scrubbers at the restaurant supply for $1.12 each. I wrapped the baffle using 3 scrubbers per side. The result is that the exhaust if quieter and much better sounding. I went from the rusted out truck muffler sound to a higher pitched more refined glass pack type sound. I happy with the new sound.

 

[DJ3100]

Clutch master update

The new clutch master with a 1" bore (the old one was 3/4") works great. The pedal stroke is about 2" shorter which is a lot more comforatable. It is a little harder to push.

The good thing is that the port is located so that the hydraulic line could be downhill all the way to the slave which makes the lines very easy to bleed 9all the air goes uphill and out the master.

The old one had a port that required a difficult to bleed high spot.

 

[DJ3100]

Having the mechanicals mostly completed, I find myself stuck with working on the cab and needing to make decisions. 8 hours with hammer and dolly and shrinking disc produce very subtle improvements.

Indecision! Do I leave it like it is. Or give it a coat of Zero Rust and be done. Or plastic filler, sand, Zero Rust, seal and top coat. I have a gallon of orange SS urethane, I'm thinking of mixing black into it the get a color similar to the '53. How good I want it to be changes by the hour.

I keep thinking that I should have gotten it media blasted. But $500 for the media blast isn't in the budget.

I did spend about 5 hours mechanically stripping the paint and much of the rust. I haven't gotten the inside other than the dash.

I made the missing piece for the rain gutter, filled the radio hole and switch holes. I got the cowl vent out. I think I'm going to bolt it on with the nuts on the outside so I can access the brake fluid.

 

[brad]

NICE WORK[cl[cl[cl

 

[sneakysnake]

Looking good! Glad to see you got your clutch and exaust worked out, may have to steal your idea if mine dont work out.LOL
If you have a big comperssor Tractor Supply has a blaster that works pretty well.
I feel your pain,LOL mine started as a low buget rusty build but it was like it needs to be fixed any way whats another 30 min to do it right, two years later and a lot of bondo,sanding and paint and its still not finished.LOL
Good luck on your decision.

 

[DJ3100]

Looking good! Glad to see you got your clutch and exaust worked out, may have to steal your idea if mine dont work out.LOL
If you have a big comperssor Tractor Supply has a blaster that works pretty well.
I feel your pain,LOL mine started as a low buget rusty build but it was like it needs to be fixed any way whats another 30 min to do it right, two years later and a lot of bondo,sanding and paint and its still not finished.LOL
Good luck on your decision.

I've got a portable blaster, I hadn't thought of using it. It would be the answer to getting the inside areas I can't get with the stripping wheel. Thanks for the idea.

That's exactly the problem: "Doing it right" will take a month or more and will cost at lot of $$$ for all the supplies, even if I have enough paint, catalyst, and reducer. When I'm done it will still be a marginal paint job. And then I'll have to wash it regularly. So why do I keep considering it?

 

[DJ3100]

I gave the blaster a try. Luckily I only had about 3/4 of a bin of sand. When I get more I'll probably use garnet - safer.

Just like a day at the beach - without the water. Even with the Tyvek suit and full face respirator I've got sand everywhere. Every time I use this blaster I think I should get rid of it so I won't be tempted to use iit again.
I'll be cleaning sand out of the driveway for weeks.

It did a great job on removing the paint and so-so on the rust. Probably another 45 minutes will be good enough.

Thanks for the idea Sneakysnake.

 

[earthman]

But it's so much fun to use! Gets in those impossible to reach nooks too.

 

[earthman]

That's exactly the problem: "Doing it right" will take a month or more and will cost at lot of $$$ for all the supplies, even if I have enough paint, catalyst, and reducer. When I'm done it will still be a marginal paint job. And then I'll have to wash it regularly. So why do I keep considering it?

Remember what T1 said? "Paint is just the Devil's way of hiding the truth"

 

[sneakysnake]

LMAO!I never said it would be fun,LOL and in the confines of a pu cab makes it all the better.Nothing like grit in every orifice.

 

[Motorhead]

Very nice! The car looks awesome!

I really love your clamping plate/welding table. How would one come across an old beast like that and how much should one expect to pay?

Best of luck!

 

[DJ3100]

Very nice! The car looks awesome!

I really love your clamping plate/welding table. How would one come across an old beast like that and how much should one expect to pay?

Best of luck!

There are 2 major brands of platens Acorn and Weldsale. Acorn is in Philly and I think Weldsale is also in PA. You can buy new ones, but the freight to AZ costs as much as the platen.

The usual sizes we see are 4' x4' , 5'x5' (weight 2100#), 5'x8'. These are welding/ fabricating tables and are 4" - 5" thick on the perimeter and 1 1/2" - 2" thick in the center. There are also floor plates which are the same thickness all the way through (one of mine is 5 x 4'6" x 6 " thick; weighs 4000# +.) Both companies make accerrories. Here's a link to wledsale:
http://http://www.weldsale.com/

We see used plates go used for as low as $300 for a 4 x 4 to over $2500 for a nice 5 x 8 (sometimes they are Blanchard ground to achieve .0005" flatness across the whole surface).

The good thing about them is that they are very stable - stay flat and don't warp, heavy enough to stay put, have lots of places to clamp, and don't rust as much as steel plate. The bad thing is every tool, marker and small part ends up on the floor.

That's probably more info than you wanted.

 

[Gregster]

There is always the cost verses the outcome factor looming over my head as well . I generaly look at it as " if I have the time and no money might as well try it myself " Most of the time I have more time than money anyway ! I'm sure after looking at your work there is no need to worry about lack off skill !

 

[Motorhead]

There are 2 major brands of platens Acorn and Weldsale. Acorn is in Philly and I think Weldsale is also in PA. You can buy new ones, but the freight to AZ costs as much as the platen.

The usual sizes we see are 4' x4' , 5'x5' (weight 2100#), 5'x8'. These are welding/ fabricating tables and are 4" - 5" thick on the perimeter and 1 1/2" - 2" thick in the center. There are also floor plates which are the same thickness all the way through (one of mine is 5 x 4'6" x 6 " thick; weighs 4000# +.) Both companies make accerrories. Here's a link to wledsale:
http://http://www.weldsale.com/

We see used plates go used for as low as $300 for a 4 x 4 to over $2500 for a nice 5 x 8 (sometimes they are Blanchard ground to achieve .0005" flatness across the whole surface).

The good thing about them is that they are very stable - stay flat and don't warp, heavy enough to stay put, have lots of places to clamp, and don't rust as much as steel plate. The bad thing is every tool, marker and small part ends up on the floor.

That's probably more info than you wanted.

Thank you so much for the great info! I'll be on the look out for one of the $300 ones.

 

[truckster]

Getting one for $300 that is in very good condition is a long shot. It happens, but not very often. I picked up a 4x4 in good condition for $400, but that's the only one I have run across at that price, and it was 7 years ago. $700 to $1,000 is probably more in the ball park. I was able to buy a 5x5 for $1,000 a couple of years ago that was in really good shape, but it's the only one like that in that price range I have run across.

I'm sure others have had different experience, that just happens to be mine.

Dan,
Thank you for the ride today. Wished I had thought to bring a video camera so I could post it.

The car (truck?? can't tell without the body on) is unbelievably quick. Partial throttle slammed me into the seat back. The Mercstang wasn't anywhere near that brutal; must be the huge weight loss program. Don't think you will be able to fully enjoy it without getting it on a road course.

Loved the exhaust sound. Sounds like a competition engine instead of the stocker that it is. It's perfect, wouldn't change a thing. I am still smiling, 6 hours later. You ever decide you don't like it, I'm first in line.

 

[DJ3100]

Truckster, mentioned that I might have been on it a little much for that residential street. What is it about a vehicle like this that turns a fairly responsible adult into a stupid 16 year old? The more I thought about it the dumber I felt-feel. Anyhow, won't be doing that any more - I'll have to go to someone else's street.

Got the cab on this afternoon. Let's see, pick the cab up, drive under it, bolt it up - now there seems to be a forklift growing out tof the right window. Took a while to get it extricated.

I haven't seen this thing with the cab on in about 10 months.

 

[DJ3100]

Earthman came by on Saturday and gave me greif about the idea of painting it. Truckster had the same opinion, Doug was also here on Saturday, more of the same.

I have stripped the paint and as much rust as I could get off and treated it all with Pickelx 20. That's the patina that is showing now. I'm not sure why some of it went very brown and some stayed bright, but i'm sort of liking what I have, now that the cab is on the chassis.

Here's the access to the master cylinder for those who have been worrying about that.