Damn, that looks amazing Graeme! Can't wait to see more pics later.

----Graeme,,, I always wonder weather the factory chrome and black trim fits these aftermarket hoods. At least to me it would be the finishing touch.....Bill S

What chrome/black trim are you referring to Bill. I'm going to add 302 emblems to the side of the cowl but I'm lost on any other trim for a hood?

He's probably referring to the trim that goes on the Stinger Scoop like a factory 67 big block Corvette. People ask me about that all the time. I'm sure it would look nice but I don't want to deal with it

Those are cool Bill. Obviously, I didn't even know those were available as I have never owned a Vette nor have I ever really looked at the 67 stinger hood to notice that trim piece before. This hood was modified and the front was opened up to flow air through it so I don't know if one of those makes sense at this point. Perhaps something I can look at down the road. Thanks for the enlightenment on this part guys.

Hood turned out fantastic! Thanks for the update. As you can tell, we all love this car and what you are doing to it!

Very cool! Well worth the effort!

[QUOTE=NorCam;1547563] Lots of things on the go around here...including a new DZ build that's developing. :scholar:

You can't just do a mic drop and leave it at that!!!!!

Remember in post #80 when you said "Before you know it, there will be a properly dated 302 and M21 sitting beside it all!"...well, you were right Tim (oh mighty Kreskin). Since buying the car, I've been quietly going about my business while chasing down the right parts and pieces to build a 302 for the car. Well, it took about 5 months for the right one to come together, but I bought a block last week with an 1178 crank and all the tin work. A Valentine's day 3956618 block cast February 12th and stamped V0214DZ with only a partial 19N viewable in the roughcasting. Being that the car was built in late February with a BU0224 dated rear, this block lines up being dated within 10 days of the rear end and is very well suited to the car. The transmission was still with the car in the late 80s and I do have a prior owner trying to chase down the friend who may have ended up with that transmission.

As for the block, I now need to get it shipped up from the states and will work on that in the coming weeks. Once it's here I will rebuild the short block at .030 with some high-quality internals. The 1178 crank is freshly turned .010/.010 and my plans include it being fully balanced and blueprinted with some lightweight 2618 pistons and a set of pro-stock rods with good hardware. Heads will be fully ported with the spring pockets opened up to fit some good-sized springs and I'll likely get another solid lifter bump stick from Crower.

Planning to keep it looking bone stock, but be unable to hide the fact it's really well built once it's sparked up. :beers:


https://i.ibb.co/2vbKdjj/IMG-4210.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/HXKR10C/IMG-4214.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/TRp61xn/B18-9-Cylinder-Heads.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/4YjRQV6/DZ-VIN.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/ZWVQ5d8/DZ-Pad-Stamp.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/XspXWQL/DZ-Casting.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/WPCFkMq/DZ-Bore.jpg

I just love project creep!!!

Nice job bud!

Roger that. :headbang:

Sorry I hadn't got back to you on your earlier post as I did see it and every time I got around to start a reply, I got interrupted and spun around. It's been a busy couple of weeks for me with business projects but yes, the car and hood were united to ensure a good fit prior to the hood being painted.

Mike (RSZMJT) had actually told me years ago that many of the glass hoods were really poor for fitment so I made sure it could be measured on the car prior to it being final prepped and painted. It turned out pretty good after all the repairs were made and it actually fit very well when we measured it.

More on all of this later in the week.

OK, now that the car is back home where it belongs, here's a bit of an update that explains the hiatus as of late. With the front end taken apart, I was talking to my painter about the fitment of the driver's door and fender which I really wanted to dial in better. He said to bring it out to him and he would take care of anything it needed to ensure I was 100% happy with the fit. Upon seeing what the driver's side needed to bring it up another level, he then asked me to bring the front end parts out so he could install the clip, align the door and fender gaps, and get it all dialed into where I wanted it.

To first ensure everything was spot on, he set up his frame gauges and began to measure out the car, the suspension, and the entire chassis from front to back to make sure it was all square. With everything spot-on from front to back, he then installed the front end sheet metal and got the driver's door dialed in nicely. There were also a couple of small spots that needed some more work on the car and he corrected those concerns before starting onto the fiberglass hood. The timing of the hood was perfect as he already had the car in his shop so test fitting the hood was easy.

With all of the fiberglass repairs taken care of on the hood, he then sprayed the hood, striped it to match the car, and mounted it all up when it was done. Needless to say, Ron took care of my wish list, got everything dialed in nicely, and did another round of cut and polish to have the car ready for the final push.

https://i.ibb.co/2PLsMr8/IMG-6401.jpg
Rear suspension being checked for alignment using old school frame gauges

https://i.ibb.co/QDvRsfm/IMG-6396.jpg
We set up 5 gauges to measure the car front to back and everything was dead-on straight and aligned perfectly.

https://i.ibb.co/5G0y7mn/IMG-6405.jpg
The car back on the ground and ready for the front clip to be assembled at the end of March.

https://i.ibb.co/59yzdLW/IMG-6591.jpg
The front end back together and the car being used to test fit the fiberglass hood as it was repaired in mid April.

https://i.ibb.co/cyvRWYT/IMG-6796.jpg
After Ron reworked the doors and fenders to get the right fit, the entire front end was sanded and re-cleared at the same time as the hood.

https://i.ibb.co/Lh05xLr/IMG-6798.jpg
Stinger Hood is looking great with the black stripes and fresh paint. Re-clearing the front clip also allowed us to address some minor concerns with the header panel fitment.

https://i.ibb.co/QJ9cY9z/IMG-6794.jpg
Here's the first look at it coming out of the booth earlier today. It really popped when the sunlight hit it.

https://i.ibb.co/ZdN30s2/IMG-6806.jpg
Here's the final fit on the right-side door to the rear quarter. The other side is identical to this.

https://i.ibb.co/y60tnqb/IMG-6821.jpg
And here's a look at the left side after getting it home and back onto my lift earlier today. I'm very happy with the fit and finish now.

https://i.ibb.co/qDyPbJb/IMG-6822.jpg
And a rear end shot with the door open with the sunlight shining in. It really plays with the colors when the light hits it like this.

And with all that being said, you now know why there was such a hush over the past several weeks. The car went back to Ron at the end of March and didn't come home until it was finished earlier today. That kind of took away a lot of momentum, but it won't take me long to get this back on track now. Stay tuned....

Absolutely stunning, Graeme! Congrats on all the progress, in particular how that hood has turned out :beers:

I don't see that you lost any momentum, you gained better fitting body panels, that you wanted all along anyway. Looks great with the hood and it's ready for the next stage.

You have a good point there. :scholar:

Looks amazing

Very nice, you must be pleased.

Yes Tony, I am quite pleased with how it's come about.

Now starting to think again of what wheels and tires I will actually run on the car. Might be better off with a 9" tire and 7" rims and tuck them into the wheel openings rather than 12" tires sticking out the fender lips.

Maybe save those wide ones for another car?:hmmm:

Well at least they are easy to change. In about 30 minutes you can give the car a different look just by swapping wheels and tires.

This week...I reached out to Rob W who I hadn't spoken to in a little while to ask how he's doing and see how his car is coming along. It's kind of funny because he's going back to Day 1 stock after his 69 Z lived a day 2 life for many years, and it was his reply that quickly reminded me of that as he said...

So ironic that 2 similar cars are going in opposite directions at this particular moment, yet funny as they could both flip/flop again in 25 years from now. Wouldn't that be something? I love this hobby.

With the current green movement of "no gas engines" by 2030, our cars may well end up with 4 electric motors and the engine compartment full of batteries...:mad2:
And I thought it was sad to see so many classics with LS swaps being done in the last 15 years.

I love the hood, but then again I'm a little biased:blush: I also love the meats you have on this thing, I bet your scared of messing up that purty paint ain'tcha? I have 8" Cragars out back right with 4.5" backspacing and Pro-Trac 275/60-15s, probably L60s?? Would be a lot cooler if they said L60 on the side instead of 275/60-15. Tight fit in a stock wheel tub but they fit.

I think the only way you'd fit an L60 on a 69 is by perhaps trying to fit them in there using 7" wheels. Even then you'd probably still need rolled lips to make them work other wise they likely rub on a 69. On my green car, I had at one point set it up with Pro Trac L60's on 8" Cragar's and it still needed air shocks or they'd rub. Eventually went stock with that car but learned a little from the mockup.

I want to try dropping the back down on this one and utilize the air bags, and that means a smaller tire being in there. Not that I won't switch it around every once in a while. Air bags only take 30 minutes to remove and install so no big deal to remove them if I want to air up the shocks and mount the N50s.

True, didn't think of the "flat" wheel arches on the 69 1/4s... One thing is for sure, it'll look great no matter what!

Was out to clean up the underside this weekend and get all the body shop dust cleaned up. Still have a little more cleaning to do but have to say that Ron did an awesome job dialing in the rest of the car. The gaps are awesome, and the final finish is just great. The driver's door and the glass are perfectly fit after being taken back apart, body worked, repainted, and installed after all the adjustments. The downside was that the NOS outer window felts got damaged when they were taken off at his shop so I will need to find some new GM window felts.

More later...

Looks GREAT! I’ll take it!:laugh:

WOW! its amazing the job you have done on this car, I've never seen so much detail on a day 2 car with NOS speed parts

Only when that Black Chevelle is headed my way Sam. :naughty:

Like the hood? (everyone had cowl induction and Cragar rims) :)

Attachment 194602

You bet...not too late to turn it back around you know. :grin:

Still trying to find some NOS outer window felts before I start putting the interior back together, but good to be back working on the car today. I just installed the 302 callouts on the new hood, and have started to button up the motor. I'm working to find a good spot for the vacuum can and the CVR pump before I start plumbing the Hurst line loc solenoid onto the inner fender. Time-consuming work but the long weekend is coming up for us here and the weather looks like crap. That's good as I'll be out in the shop for the next 4 days and should get lots done. Still need to figure out what breather I am going to run on this setup. I'm thinking I need to find a stock 302 chrome breather.

https://i.ibb.co/THvXVRB/IMG-6950.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/1L8fS6J/IMG-6957.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/gtxJvR2/IMG-6956.jpg

7729998 outer window felts in case you don't have the number. Some on e-bay...Joe

I dig those plug wire clamps :beers:

Joe,

I think the (3) part numbers for window fuzzies are 7725935 7725934 7729998 for the complete set. I have bought two sets from members here before and prefer to try that route first as I am not a fan of eBay these days and really try to avoid it. The rear quarter fuzzies are the 2 that are really needed ahead of installing the rear side panels and seats.

Can the outer fuzzies be replaced with the windows in?

BTW, whad up with that alternator bracket :rolleyes2:

Didn't read it right. Thought you were just looking for the ones for the doors....Joe

Mr.Gasket bracket and use of another Day 2 part. It's embossed too but you can't read it in that shot.

As for the fuzzies...I'm not in any rush here so I'll put the felts in and make any final adjustments to the quarter glass before any of the rear upholstery goes back together. All good...and I have my hands full with the brakes and the engine bay right now.

I definitely liked it better when I could work around the front end with no fenders in the way. One day putting things back together and my back is already telling me I'm getting old. I have a restored UH Coded radiator for this car but opted to install the HBC 4-core unit to help keep this solid roller motor running cool. I was pleasantly surprised this NOS shroud fit the radiator with the fan blades also being centered. As seen below, the headlamps are pre-assembled and I'm also using the T3 lamps that Fred sent me along with the car. I'll install these tomorrow and then I'm onto the front grill. I'm sorta curious to see how it all fits after making some more adjustments out at Ron's shop.

https://i.ibb.co/yhBwM9g/IMG-6962.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/CnhYrbM/IMG-6964.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/3CB3FXT/IMG-6966.jpg

Definitely not knocking, just curious about the worm clamps; nothing with a “vintage vibe” you like? I’ve always had good luck and dig the two-wire style. BTW, the car/build is off the charts, Bro.!

Yes, the down stop bracket will need to be removed to allow the glass to go below the slots for the screws to be installed. Hence the need to wait with the interior panels.