Lol I need to study the lingo I guess so I know what u guys are sayin!!! I got alittle more work done on the car tonite, I sanded down the wing and got it ready for paint. I kinda shot myself in the foot tonite too out of trying to take a short cut. I rattle caned the sail trim and grrrr how would I know it was gona be over a hundred in my garage today! as a result its still not dry and dosent look all that great in spots it gassed a bit grrr! Well I guess next year when I do the good paint job on the car ill fix it then they look ghetto tastic for now like the rest of the remaining panels lol!
[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 07-08-2011).]
looks awesome Rob, I'm envious of how far along you are. I'll have to do something with my car asap, just bought some property in FL. so I have to get going on it.[not moving.....yet!]
I think I have one but the next time I go over to Robs I'll grab it if i remember, which reminds me Rob you still owe me a $20! I know where you live! lol!!
Lol yes I know I owe ya 20, will you be home tomorrow ill stop by with it!
so today I decided i was going to make the car road ready for the 4th and busted ass gettin it done!
The overall progress is done now I just need to figure out a trim seal for the windshield, the one I got dosent fit well and I think I found a way to fix it using a 2001 grand prix gt rear window trim. Off o the bone yard in the morning to see if its going to work! Yes I know the rockers are the wrong color the paint is just temp till next summer when I paint the whole car. happy 4th everyone!
[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 12-27-2011).]
Is this the closest to an entire car picture as we're going to get?!? I wanna see the whole picture! But I love the lines of that sail window from that shot definitely.
[This message has been edited by 1988holleyformula (edited 07-05-2011).]
An amazing undertaking. Good luck finishing it. I've always loved the look of the chopped top Fieros done by Archie. It is a lot of work and a pretty large investment though. For my Fiero I can't see spending more for the top than the car is worth but the big buck Fiero guys don't blink and get them done. I guess that I am one of the low buck DIY Fiero people.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Hehe.....Me too. I suppose if I just gotta have a choptop ANYTHING, then I am gonna hafta whip out the sawzall and cutoff wheels and have at it!! Oh well sucks to be poor!! Good news is I am a fair welder and have done some glass work before but other than that I am clueless.... peace
Hey man, How did you make those sail panels? Where do you get plastic material like that? I really like the way you did that. Was it pretty cheap to do in lieu of replacement ones? They actually look pretty damn nice. I wonder how hard it would be to try to mold the front edge with a heat gun to be at least CLOSE to factory look. I know I have bent a lot of plexiglass for stuff and it bends pretty easy. Mine look like crap and I still have a lot of body work to do to the car and it would be nice to be able to make at least that part look good until I get the car painted. Would you mind sharing your secrets/sources? Peace
Hey man, How did you make those sail panels? Where do you get plastic material like that? I really like the way you did that. Was it pretty cheap to do in lieu of replacement ones? They actually look pretty damn nice. I wonder how hard it would be to try to mold the front edge with a heat gun to be at least CLOSE to factory look. I know I have bent a lot of plexiglass for stuff and it bends pretty easy. Mine look like crap and I still have a lot of body work to do to the car and it would be nice to be able to make at least that part look good until I get the car painted. Would you mind sharing your secrets/sources? Peace
Pete
Howdy!, the sail panels were way easier to make then even I expected, I got the material from Menards. First I made a cardboard template that fit into the grove I made in the sail area. Second I cut out the shape using my ban saw, a sawzawl will just destroy lexan id stay away from using one. After a bit of sanding the edges I simply 3m taped them into place like the originals would have. When I did all the fiberglass work I changed the angle of the lip the panel sits on so I could use a flatter piece of lexan without the need to have a extream bend in it, I then used a notchy sail panel front and cut off the back side with my ban saw.
The notchy sail panel has this little bracket built into it on the back, kinda a little tab thingy wich acts perfectly like a holder stop on the gt rear clip front edge were it used to be rivited to the body before the chop. I simply slid the bracket on the sail panel front piece under the existing tab on the rear clip of the car and then held it all down w a bit of the 3m tape on the back edge of the notchy sail panel part ill post some close pics of it.
Back to the lexan, I then put the cut out part into its place in the car w the protective plastic on it and traced out the hole in the quarter u see thru making shure I was covering anything I didnt want to see. Then I removed the panel and pulled the protective tape on the other side and transferd the pattren thru the lexan w the tape and then taped out the center were I didnt want black out paint.
After all that I sprayed it w vynal and plastic paint so it would stick really good but, first I sanded it w 240 grit paper to give it good tooth. after it dryed I pulled my tapes and walla a perfect home made panel! 86soon3.4 gave me a aftermarket fiero store cheapo one and looking at it I relized all they do to make theirs is kinda how I did mine only they prob use a vynal sticker to get the dot matrix pattren before they spray it w the paint.
Far as making the front edge round over like the original it can be easily done w a heater bar, I have one at work, we use it to make machine guards with and I suspect the aftermarket makers use one to to form their panels. With my car, my sail panel area is about 1 inch longer than a stock one into the curve I did at the back so I needed to make a custom one and thats how I came to the hybrid notchy gt sail panel I created. Ill go out now and grab a few more close ups. they will be at the end of this set of pics I took today.
SO my first drive in a choptop, I first noticed its a b!itch to back up lol I need a camera but After I got it out of the driveway I started to notice things right away like on the hi-way cabin wind noise is crazy less than a stock fiero. I then started to play around a bit since my arm hangs out so far of the window and yes guys the heat off the back of the car is incredible at the back edge of the top! i can reach my hand back that far now and when I aproach the end of the roof I can feel the heat! I then noticed I was gettin tons of looks and a thumbs up from a guy in a 911 lol. custom sail by me!
I almost forgot to say the cost to make the sail panel. the lexan was 32 dollars the paint was 5 and the notchy sail panels I cut up costed 5 bucks at the bone yard and came out of a 88 the 84 ones will not work.
[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 07-06-2011).]
Howdy!! so As I keep doin mods to the car I will keep showin everyone how I do it, I think I am going to grab a extra sail window out of a notchy and do a step by step on how to modify one like I did as well.
I have a question??? How do I get this thread thrown in the construction zone?? seems like it would be a good place to continue my project?? Right? lol
lLooks GREAT!!! very nice work, must be very satisfying to reach this point. Ray
Thanks! I havent drivin it much yet but sunday I am planning on taking a trip w it! its by no means done tho this is just the first step to many more mods to come!
hey work on that vette in your garage so I can catch up a bit!
Lol yes I will get the vette body on this coming week so I can get the other vette here and start redoing the front end on it. Till then, its time to do more work to the chop! I need to replace the motor mounts I think ill tackle that sat morning.
[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 07-08-2011).]
Did alittle more work to the chop yesterday, after driving it for a few days now on the highway I had a really bad shake in the rear end, I discoverd the right rear tie rod was bad. I had a spare here I got from the bone yard and threw it in and walla the big shake is gone! now I still have alittle shake left yet but I think I have a tire outa balance.
On the photoshop thread my car got the workover and well I love it and I have decided this is going to be the color I paint it when I do the final paint on it! I was wondering tho what rims are these? they look so good I think next summer I am going to buy a set. I also need to know the tire and rim size so I get somthin that fits.
[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 07-12-2011).]
Not sure if you saw 85seNotchie's reply in the photochop thread, but the wheels are off of the red widebody notchback choptop owned by MotorTV (Chuck? I think).
Oh, and I'm a fan of the light blue too! I'm sure you've seen katatak's XTC's paint, but here's a real life shot, instead of the photoshop.
That does look good, kinda like the blue on the 85-86 firebirds. I like the lighter pastel blue thats in the photoshop its smurfin good! I figured out the rims I think I think they are heinkle ones if im right but seldom am I so someone tell me!.
[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 07-13-2011).]
So over in the photoshop thread my car is taking on a wholenew look and I like it I am 99% shure I am set on a two tone blue after seeing this, Ugh this is going to be brutal waiting till next summer to paint the car after I am done doing the rest of the mods! does anybody have any idea who makes these rims? I defidently am set on them they just look too good to pass up.
Today I got back on the choptop and decided to fix a few lingering things it had issues with one being the brakes! The back brakes sounded like loose change clanking down the road and apon taking them apart I discoverd a jacked up mess. First whoever had the car before me put brake lines off somthin big like a truck and had hte hose corled up to make up the diffrence in size then the retaining clips that hold the bak pads on was missing ugh... well is fixed now and what a diffrence the car stops!
I have had a bit of a problem with the door skins, right at the back of the dor were the panel curls over on the top both door skins are splitting a bit, I guess I will be looking for a new set of skins next summer before I do the final paint job.
After gettin the brake mess delt with I started to change the motor mounts but only managed to get the big one done, it looked like rain so I gave up for the day.
Dang it the left rear brake is hanging up bad, I took it for a drive and by time I limped it home my rotor was glowin and it melted my valve stem a bit so now the tire is going flat geez! stuipd thing time for a gran am brake upgrade!
After pulling my hair out all week on a blend on a mercedes I decided to take alittle break and get back on the chop today and finish up the temporary brake conversion w the grand am calipers, I had alot of rubbing of the pad metal back against the rotor so I took a grinder and narrowed up the pad back a bit till it had a nice gap. I took it for a nice long ride tonite chasing my buddy in his lotus elise and I do got to admit the grand am brakes do stop the car alot better than the stock ones byt still I think ill go back to stock or some kind of upgrade later on.
Who sells the 355 rear bumpers? after seeing todays photoshop of my car I want one for shure!
After pulling my hair out all week on a blend on a mercedes I decided to take alittle break and get back on the chop today and finish up the temporary brake conversion w the grand am calipers, I had alot of rubbing of the pad metal back against the rotor so I took a grinder and narrowed up the pad back a bit till it had a nice gap. I took it for a nice long ride tonite chasing my buddy in his lotus elise and I do got to admit the grand am brakes do stop the car alot better than the stock ones byt still I think ill go back to stock or some kind of upgrade later on.
Who sells the 355 rear bumpers? after seeing todays photoshop of my car I want one for shure!
Ol Robochop is hibernating for the winter but come this spring alot is going to be done! This sat I am picking up a nice set of intrax lowering springs and next week ill finally get the wheel adapters for my 18's! then soon as Jimmy is done with the new nose idea ill be pickin up his new nose with intergrated light pods!
I am on the fence about the rear wing I am having ideas float around in my head of getting rid of it what do you guys think? keep it or kill it?
