#61  
Old 12-23-2024, 11:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Poncho Dave View Post
Wow, looks great! Gonna be a very comfortable and tight car to drive.
Thanks Poncho Dave. Should be a great driver for my son, just hope we finish it soon!

Here's a shot of the Dakota Digital RTX gauges mounted on the gauge bezel. Super easy install with the supplied harness. We bought the bim module to connect to the Holley EFI, which cuts down on extra sensors/wiring and adds functionality. I have the same set-up in my '70...works great.



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  #62  
Old 12-23-2024, 12:17 PM
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I didn't know there was a mini tub kit available....awesome!

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Old 12-27-2024, 11:46 AM
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Started working on the exhaust. The 3" Hooker LS swap kit will get us 75% there. My son will build the rest.





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  #64  
Old 01-06-2025, 04:45 PM
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Seat tracks have been sitting in Evaporust...they turned out nice. Not sure if we should hit them with clear before we install.



Chipping away at the exhaust. Building back from the mufflers is going to require some creativity. We have a bunch of sections of 3" pipe from other projects to work with. Going to run 3" exhaust tips/splitters from Pypes. The photo shows approximately where they should end up. They're about as far back as they can go given the +size pipe.





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Old 01-06-2025, 04:58 PM
Poncho Dave Poncho Dave is offline
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For the seat tracks, I just spray a lube on them to keep them from getting rusty or freezing up. Maybe look into a dry lube or silicone to apply.

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  #66  
Old 01-12-2025, 12:18 PM
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Chipping away at the exhaust. Impossible to go over the axle with the Ridetech 4 link and 3" pipe but the under axle configuration should work well enough and leaves plenty of clearance everywhere.



Also pretty much finished figuring out what we need from the dash harness. We discussed de-pinning the wires and connectors we won't be using, but after running the wires, it seems tidy enough. We still need to sort out some minor details with the wiring. For example, the original LH courtesy light switch has two wires, but the AAW kit just has a provision for one wire. So not sure whether we should buy a one wire switch, or use the original switch, and if so, which wire should we use (black or white)? The previous AAW kits I installed came with a comprehensive wiring diagram, but this one only shows wiring connections.

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Old 01-19-2025, 07:46 PM
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Exhaust is done. Also wired up the neutral safety switch, speed sensor, and reverse lights from the TKX, so the bottom of the car is finished (at least for now).



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Old 01-20-2025, 07:18 PM
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Hadn’t seen your build earlier. That looks amazing. Fantastic work. Love those wheels!

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  #69  
Old 01-26-2025, 12:18 PM
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Will be installing windshield and rear glass this week.Wondering if anyone has input on which style of clip (the squarish metal on the left in the photo or the rectangular plastic on the right) works best with the aftermarket molding, and whether the aftermarket clips (on the bottom) work well enough? I don't have a full set of either style OEM clips.

Also, I noticed that the aftermarket plastic rectangular clips have an extra little tab that's not there on the OEM clips. I suspect it's to push the clip up slightly to keep the molding from scratching the paint, which might be OK, but wondering if the tabs will peak through under the trim at the edge slightly. This would really stick out on a black car, so thinking about snipping these off if I use these, but not sure.

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Old 01-31-2025, 01:36 PM
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Windshield is installed. We used the plastic aftermarket clips, which seemed to work fine. We nipped off the little lifting tabs. The aftermarket moldings from OER fit OK but there are a couple areas that need some adjustment. The material used on the other brand of aftermarket moldings is too thin and fit was worse. Thinking about painting some original moldings, which I suspect would fit better, but not sure how well the paint would hold up on the stainless. We used the original eyebrows.

The Pilkington back glass was too large to install...it's nice glass, laminated like a windshield--very uniform soft ray, but just too big. Good thing we measured before laying the bead of urethane. I found out a buddy (whose done a number of 2nd gen f bodies) ran into the exact same thing with Pilkington back glass, so not a one-off problem. Ordered a new piece from a different manufacturer, will try to install this weekend.





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  #71  
Old 02-02-2025, 02:05 PM
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Rear glass is in. Decided to use a different version of the plastic clip...just a little taller than the light green one in the photo, so that the edge of the trim sit more flush with the edge of the body work (i forgot to take a photo, they're white, a buddy had them, he said they came from Firebird Central). We had a lot of trouble with the LH horizontal piece that turns up to connect to the top piece. Just not shaped right in the corner. Overall, the OER aftermarket moldings look OK, but could be much better in a few areas. Once the car is running, I think we'll try our hand sanding and painting an original set of front and rear moldings...anyone have success with this? I'm assuming the go to would be SEM Trim Black, but wondering if a 2 part product would hold up longer? I thought about power or anodizing, but would make touch-ups more difficult.

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Old 02-04-2025, 12:20 AM
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I thought the OER moldings fit horribly, but mine were the chrome ones. I ended up having my originals re-chromed. Sorry I can't speak to the black ones, but I would guess you'd be better off recoating your originals too.

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  #73  
Old 02-04-2025, 09:09 AM
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I used satin black appliance paint off the shelf from ACE to paint the window trim on my car. 7 or 8 years on it is still holding just fine and looks brand new. Unlike originally when the paint came off of these sitting on the dealer lot! I sanded mine with 220 to give the new paint something to bite into. I used a satin rustoleum on my 79 but it has yet to hit the streets so I cannot say how well it will hold up. I have heard from some that had them powdercoated and had trouble getting them into place.

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Old 02-09-2025, 04:27 PM
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Fortunately, I have the original f & r moldings. The black finish is quite worn, but no dings or other damage. I'll refinish them and install.

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  #75  
Old 02-10-2025, 08:08 PM
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It looks like you installed the windshield with butyl tape? If so what thickness did you use? Also did you use butyl for the rear glass? I just installed a rear glass with eurothane. It's ok, but I'm considering butyl for the front. Thanks for input. Rob

  #76  
Old 02-10-2025, 09:18 PM
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Quote:
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It looks like you installed the windshield with butyl tape? If so what thickness did you use? Also did you use butyl for the rear glass? I just installed a rear glass with eurothane. It's ok, but I'm considering butyl for the front. Thanks for input. Rob
Used urethane on both f & r. The guy who laid the bead has a super steady hand.

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