Chelle starting another GTO

[chelle]

So we decided to pull the white GTO apart after finding some pretty bad rust in the front chassis 

 

We're doing this a little better than the red car, but no V12 this time. We're leaning toward RB25DET. 

Here's a few pics of the car before we pulled it apart, and as we get started.. 

We're cutting off the whole nose and using a narrowed 350z front suspension

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PLATA]

I love this transformations , I will be watching this build 

[Chaparral2f]

My Gawd!  Starting a project with a car that most people would sell their souls to own.  You are truly amazing!!! 

[sq_creations]

What dash is that?

[chelle]

Thanks guys.. 

last night we stripped down the crossmember to narrow it about 9"

 

The dash is a Simpson dash that we modified quite a bit.

Basically we wrapped the gauge panel backside in foil, temporarily screwed it in place recessed to the depth we wanted it. flipped it over and layed in fiberglass to make a nice flange. then removed and tossed out the supplied gauge panel. 

With that done we got to work on the mounting brackets. .060 aluminum was cut and attached inside the shell with rivets then 2 part foam was mixed and poured into all areas between the shell and the aluminum. The purpose of the foam was to make the assembly feel and sound more solid so when you tap it it doesn't echo or rattle.

Finally a gauge panel was cut from 1/8" aluminum.- overkill I know but we wanted it to be sturdy and able to be easily removed when we needed to work on things

Here's a few pics:

 

 

Notice how bad the gaps are as delivered

 

 

this is where we put about 4 layers of fiberglass. I only use West Systems Epoxy resin, never the cheap stuff you get at auto parts/hardware stores

 

 

after removing the panel and some rough trimming

 

 

After some "tiger hair" then bondo work to clean up the opening

 

 

primed after cleaning up the seams

 

 

 

 

 

 

The aluminum bits on the back

 

 

Test fit new gauge panel

 

 

 

Bolted in

[sq_creations]

Looks awesome! Thanks for the detailed responce!

[chelle]

thanks and you're welcome

I should have noted that we finished it in black wrinkle finish paint. 

 

And while it took a lot of work for me to be happy with the fit and finish I do want to say the Simpson dash is a great start, but if you buy one, buy it understanding that it's not a simple bolt on.. to be happy with it people really need to expect to spend a weekend or two planning and modifying it to suit their needs

Edited February 20, 2013 by chelle

[chelle]

This morning we finished taking apart the front suspension and narrowed the crossmember. It's going to bolt in like it would in the 350z

 

So far only thing worth taking a pic of is the now narrowed crossmember. We had to take 9.5 inches out, then weld in some plates to make it strong enough for my liking. I know it seems like a lot of narrowing but this is because the 350z used wheels with a lot different offset than the wheels we're using.. On the plus side the design of the suspension will allow us to use a lot wider tire in front as well as potentially a tighter turning radius. 

The piece in front of the crossmember is what we removed before welding it together. It's going to require a custom narrow rack so we also have to decide what ratio we want the steering to be  

 

Before the cut:

 

After:

 

 

Next we've got to start bending and cutting tubes  

Edited February 23, 2013 by chelle