About Us

BruceWilkie · 03-24-2011, 06:38 PM

My neighbor (when I was a teen) had his Henry J nose that way. Pull the pins and the fenders would spring out enough to not catch anything.

I think I'd add felt on backside to minimize chance of scratching the doors.

Bill Eveland · 03-25-2011, 11:55 AM

Mark, what about the 80's fwd Park Avenues that the hood slid forward and opened frontwards for parts? Those had a latch at the top of the cowl on either side and striker on the hood. Or even Corvettes that the hood opened up frontwards?

marks73ta · 03-27-2011, 02:00 AM

I cut the floor further to install the front ladder bar mount crossmember.

And painted the wheel well tubs with spray on bed liner. Eventually the whole trunk will get the spray.

Black hides a lot of ugly.
Then I got a shot of the rearend and tire/wheels under the car. Will try to get the ladder bars built this week.

Pontiac Heaven is this coming weekend. Would like to trailer it down to put in the show. Have some lose ends to finish up before getting onto the trailer and to the show. Mark L

Tom Vaught · 05:49 PM

All of Marty Palbykin's cars had removable front ends.

The Front end was mounted as one piece: Hood, fenders, Nose.

The structure fit into a upside-down "T" slot arrangement on the inner frame. A bar went across the flip up body. That bar fit into the "T" slot. You dropped the bar into the "T" slots, pulled the body forward, lowered the rear of the fenders, and then pushed the body rearward until it was in the right location. Dzus Fasteners held the rear fender in position and push-pull pins across the "T" slots kept the front end from moving forward.

To remove the front end, you removed the push-pull pins across the "T" slots, removed the Dzus fasteners, pulled the front end forward, tilted the front end up, and then one guy on each side grabbed the body and set it on a beach towel on the ground.

Tom Vaught

ps maybe Marty can send you some pics.

Steve Barcak · 03-27-2011, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marks73ta

Hey Troy, damn good to see you on my posts. Thanks Lee. I'm an old show off so it's easy for me, heh!

!!! YOU READY FOR SOME TILT BALL !!!???
(Don't look to close at the ugly guy in the picture. It followed my wife home one day and she's still trying figure how to get rid of it).

The bottom of the fenders are a problem I have to address. They do not allow me to lift it by myself so I have to figure out how to get them to pop out after releasing whatever I use for a hold down/clasp. Mark L

Mark,
I've had a tilt front end longer than I have owned a car! I bought a '69 GTO glass tilt from my brother on my 15th birthday and later that year, mounted it to my then bought '69 GTO. I went through the same issues with the fenders in high school that you are now thinking about. I never liked the look of slicing the fender in half behind the wheel well like many do.
In the late 80s, I designed a really slick way of opening my tilt by myself without scratching the fenders.
I would be happy to show it to you the next time you are over there.
See you this coming weekend.
Still my have '69 GTO with glass tilt from high school and plan to start putting it together someday. It just is not a priority right now.
In the meantime, my 65 AWB Tempest will have a tilt too. Tilts are the best, esp on the nostalgic car and if you do not want to be dependent on others to access your motor.
Car looks really good! Looking forward to seeing it.

Steve Barcak · 03-27-2011, 10:05 PM

Mark,
Here is my '69 tilt set up in 1987.

twooldgoats · 03-27-2011, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marks73ta

........
Pontiac Heaven is this coming weekend. Would like to trailer it down to put in the show. Have some lose ends to finish up before getting onto the trailer and to the show. Mark L

Mark,

I hope you can make it. I'm looking forward to seeing your car this weekend. I've been following the build.

Jim

marks73ta · 03-27-2011, 11:14 PM

Thanks Steve and Jim. Looking forward to hearing comments, good and bad.
I did a bunch of temporary parts making today. Temporary trailing arms to locate the rearend and 2X3 tubing blocks to hold the back of the car off of the tires. I have it at what I feel will be the final body height. I also made a temporary tie rod so I can steer the car while rolling it around. So it is now sitting on the ground ready to go onto the trailer this weekend. This is a pic of it now.

I'm going to spend the rest of the week planning and cutting the firewall now. I threw the front bucket seat in and it looks like it will be sitting in the rear footwell. I'm thinking of building a complete one off custom dash for the car. WE SHALL SEE!!! Mark L

Steve Barcak · 03-28-2011, 01:04 AM

That thing looks like an animal! It would even better with a roots IMO. Still, it will be a scary ride for sure! Looking forward to match racing you with my AWB Tempest one day.
I can see side by side wheels up launches just like from the mid 60s.

marks73ta · 03-28-2011, 02:01 AM

I honestly would love to run a big old huffer but it isn't in my budget. The thought of a match race is fantastic. I'd love it for the fun and excitment. I just hope that some day I can even get a full roll cage in it. Guess I have to get a JOB---Oh the Humanity!!! Mark L

twooldgoats · 03-28-2011, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marks73ta

....... Guess I have to get a JOB---Oh the Humanity!!! Mark L

Nahhh.....then you wouldn't have time to work on the car.

Jim

marks73ta · 03-28-2011, 12:11 PM

Heh! My new Montra---JOB!!!??? WHO'S GOT TIME FOR A JOB???? ;^) Markus O'Lazious.

marks73ta · 03-28-2011, 09:52 PM

I had a thread on photoshopping requests cut the lower front fender off at the bottom of the headlight. Which do you think it looks better?

Mark L

twooldgoats · 03-28-2011, 10:11 PM

Top one looks better, IMO.

Jim

aronhk_md · 03-28-2011, 11:18 PM

I know it seems crazy since you've already cut in other areas.....but I wouldnt cut the fenders. What about making a pice to fit right in that spot on each side to give it a finished look? Could use your imagination and make almost any shape, from simple to.....different. You could sorta make a narrow "bumper/valence" that wraps around into there.

marks73ta · 03-29-2011, 11:55 AM

Yeah. I'm really torn on what to do or nothing at all. I really do not like the fender ends hanging out in thin air though. I may spring for a fiberglass bumper and cut the lower part off so it is only a half thickness (from top to bottom right along the upper line of the open slot) bumper so it kind of finishes off the front but it follows all the front end lines. Mark L

BruceWilkie · 03-29-2011, 04:38 PM

Mark
With them uncut it reminds me more of the way most left things back then. I kind of like it from a nostalgia point of view!

Some that did finish things off, often made a front "roll" pan and incorporated some of the bumper shape with it. (No pics I can find but my 59 was customized that way)

marks73ta · 07:42 PM

Might try making my own abbreviated bumper out of fiberglass. I'm always willing to find the next thing I suck at. I was thinking of using one layer of carbon fiber then reinforcing it from behind with fiberglass. Carbon fiber is expensive so I have to make sur I know what I'm doing, HA! Maybe I'll use this pic to see if they can photoshop the bottom of the bumper off. Should give a good representation of my car.

Well I went and cut up the firewall today.

Cut it out and moved the cutout back. I will cut it into the floor further back and that way I can retain the original form. I'll use the 1X1 tubing that you see holding up the cut out to form a structure, then cut and weld in sheet metal to the sides and top. It'll take some cutting and forming but should end up with a nice firewall set back. Mark L

BruceWilkie · 03-30-2011, 09:34 AM

Mark we make the floors of our rat rods using 1x1 for added structure. Approx every foot, front to back, side to side.(Weld solid to frame) Even part of our tunnel structure (even if using a solid tunnel piece or entire floor from a donor we will weld it to the structure). Adds weight but our floors/bodies dont flex! Often use 1x1 for dash support as well. We dont want our "rats" falling apart.

marks73ta · 03-30-2011, 10:26 AM

Yeah, I'm going to build the structure out of the 1X1. In the pics you can see how I cut up the rear footwell floor. This is where I'm now going to be sitting. So I'm going to build a 1X1 structure tied into the original floor edges where they are curved (for strength) and mount the seat bases there.

Mark L

Menu

About Us