SRT-8 Daytona Clone

[moparstuart]

Steve, it's looking better each time I see it! 

Noticed you are off the Facebook. You goin' underground or what?

he needs too  LOL

[Indygenerallee]

Steve, yeah deleted my FB account found myself wasting too much time on it. 

[Stevearino]

So as winter gives way to spring I have been a little distracted by trying to get my property in order and then dodging in and tinkering on the car when I can. I have been working on finishing the front end fabrication. Currently I am trying to finish out the left front fender ,all of the attachment points and alignments. I fabricated a panel out of .040 aluminum to close out from the nose to the plastic inner wheel tub. I also fabricated and welded up an inner lip on the wheel opening to marry to the plastic wheel tub.

[Stevearino]

I also found some time to fabricate the fender top outlets. Here is a couple of views of how they worked out so far.

[Baldwinvette77]

Awesome 

[moparstuart]

yup

[oldcarnut]

This is like a great movie that keeps ya interested all the way through    Now take me to school on those spike thingys.  What are they and how do they work?

[Stevearino]

This is like a great movie that keeps ya interested all the way through    Now take me to school on those spike thingys.  What are they and how do they work?

They are called Clecos and they have been used in the aircraft industry forever. They are great for temporarily locating and holding panels in place. I will try to upload a picture for you tonight but you drill an 1/8th inch hole in the two panels and with a special pair of pliers you compress a spring in the cleco that narrows the tip so that is slips through the hole. When you release the pliers it retracts and holds the two panels together. They are like peanuts. You can never have enough.

[oldcarnut]

Got it.  I hadn't seen those in person before. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgEIVUVLrnQ

[Daytona Guy]

I posted this on my thread - but I noticed you had guys posting their flip up headlights. These are my custom made cast aluminum headlight doors - they only have to open 4 inches. Hope the link works...

http://youtu.be/AbIVRGSOcQU

Dane

[Stevearino]

I posted this on my thread - but I noticed you had guys posting their flip up headlights. These are my custom made cast aluminum headlight doors - they only have to open 4 inches. Hope the link works...

http://youtu.be/AbIVRGSOcQU

Dane

Pretty sweet set up Dane. They look a lot cooler than the bug eyes.

[Stevearino]

The last couple of weekends have been spent working on the modifications to the right side fender and finalizing the attachment points for the fenders and the nose. While I still have a lot of knick knacks to take care of I am pretty happy with the way it is starting to shape up. I also lopped off 2 1/2 " from the length of the front air dam. It was WAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!! too big.

For anyone who is curious about how I went about shaping the fender scoops there are a couple of tools that I used that are kind of specialty to the metal working trade.  More than a few here will have heard about them but for those of you who have not. The blue tool on the floor stand is an Eckold shrinker /stretcher. Brand new this is a pretty pricey tool. About $3500.00 but I got lucky and a guy at work wanted rid of his and I paid about half of that. It has two sets of heads. With one set when you place a piece of metal in the jaws and push the arm down it grips the metal and spreads it apart. That would be the stretching operation. The other as the name would imply grips the metal and forces it to bunch together. There are cheaper models of which I have a set and they are great for shaping metal flanges of no more than 1" but to get in deeper to a piece  you need this set up.  The other tool is the English wheel. This is an inexpensive model ( $2500.00) that works for most applications.  In the hands of someone who has used it for years you can form some really elaborate panels. This device stretches the metal by placing the metal between two rolling steel wheels and cranking up the pressure on the metal between the dies. As you roll the metal back and forth between the dies it spreads the metal out.  I am using it here mostly just to smooth the part out.

[cdr]

I like the longer air dam FER RACIN!!! but the shorter version looks much better, it's not the focal point now, it blends in very well with the rest of the car.

[tan top]

  nice 

[Baldwinvette77]

If this isnt in several magazines after completion im starting a riot, just saying 

[Stevearino]

I like the longer air dam FER RACIN!!! but the shorter version looks much better, it's not the focal point now, it blends in very well with the rest of the car.

You know Charlie I had pictured this car looking as close to the Nascar version of this car as possible but as big as that air dam was it just wasn't gonna work.

nice 

Thanks Tan Top.

If this isnt in several magazines after completion im starting a riot, just saying 

Well you might as well start loading up the molotov cocktails because if it is anything like any of my other ventures thus far I will be lucky to hear crickets when it's done. Also you gotta know that I am not gonna be pulling the motor and jazzing up the engine compartment or putting mirrors under this thing. That's the kind of thing that people want to see in magazines. That and open checkbook builds where everything is CNC'd out of a single block of billet aluminum but thanks for the enthusiasm anyway Baldwinvette77 . It is always appreciated.

[ACUDANUT]

 

[dyslexic teddybear]

I like the longer air dam FER RACIN!!! but the shorter version looks much better, it's not the focal point now, it blends in very well with the rest of the car.

You know Charlie I had pictured this car looking as close to the Nascar version of this car as possible but as big as that air dam was it just wasn't gonna work.

nice 

Thanks Tan Top.

If this isnt in several magazines after completion im starting a riot, just saying 

Well you might as well start loading up the molotov cocktails because if it is anything like any of my other ventures thus far I will be lucky to hear crickets when it's done. Also you gotta know that I am not gonna be pulling the motor and jazzing up the engine compartment or putting mirrors under this thing. That's the kind of thing that people want to see in magazines. That and open checkbook builds where everything is CNC'd out of a single block of billet aluminum but thanks for the enthusiasm anyway Baldwinvette77 . It is always appreciated.

Perhaps the reason mags seem to dying off is their choice of cars to feature. Personally I wouldn't know, haven't bought any car mags for years.

I've yet to see anything displayed over mirrors that interested me......and I possibly am allergic to CNCed billet aluminum.


Your car on the other hand......likely I'd be checking it out longer then you'd want and you'd be thinking "how do I get away from this pest?"

[Stevearino]

Thanks for the thumbs up ACUDANUT.

/quote]

Well you might as well start loading up the molotov cocktails because if it is anything like any of my other ventures thus far I will be lucky to hear crickets when it's done. Also you gotta know that I am not gonna be pulling the motor and jazzing up the engine compartment or putting mirrors under this thing. That's the kind of thing that people want to see in magazines. That and open checkbook builds where everything is CNC'd out of a single block of billet aluminum but thanks for the enthusiasm anyway Baldwinvette77 . It is always appreciated.

Perhaps the reason mags seem to dying off is their choice of cars to feature. Personally I wouldn't know, haven't bought any car mags for years.

I've yet to see anything displayed over mirrors that interested me......and I possibly am allergic to CNCed billet aluminum.


Your car on the other hand......likely I'd be checking it out longer then you'd want and you'd be thinking "how do I get away from this pest?"

[/quote]

Pestering is what is all about.  I don't get these guys who bring their cars to car shows and then run you off when you ask them questions. What the heck is up with that.  I have seen it more than once. Usually a small group of guys in a huddle and you being a stranger they act like you just asked them if it would be alright to egg their car.

[myk]

Those are the guys who are into the hobby for the only reason of stroking their own vanity and ego.  If they truly cared about the hobby they would share their thoughts, experiences and knowledge to broaden the culture; clearly they're just there for the plastic trophy and their own personal glory.  F 'em...

[68pplcharger]

Looking good 

[thedodgeboys]

Your building a great car 

Your could easily be magazine material, you will just have to take it to them to be photographed.. Meaning show up at the events they are attending and get lucky enough to get noticed.

Those mirror guys don't drive there cars no way to keep them that clean.

I may have missed it but what color will it be when painted?

[Stevearino]

Those are the guys who are into the hobby for the only reason of stroking their own vanity and ego.  If they truly cared about the hobby they would share their thoughts, experiences and knowledge to broaden the culture; clearly they're just there for the plastic trophy and their own personal glory.  F 'em...

Looking good 

Hows that ride of yours coming along?

Your building a great car 

Your could easily be magazine material, you will just have to take it to them to be photographed.. Meaning show up at the events they are attending and get lucky enough to get noticed.

Those mirror guys don't drive there cars no way to keep them that clean.

I may have missed it but what color will it be when painted?

Thanks for the compliment.  I intend to make it a subtle two tone of Charcoal on top and  Gun Metal grey on the sides.

[68pplcharger]

   

Hows that ride of yours coming along?

Coming along very well Stevearino thanks for asking. I will be painting it starting the 24th of this month. Can't wait...  

[Highbanked Hauler]

  Steve, that front spoiler is killer, cleaner than clean, your not going to change it are you ?

    The wheel lip of your fenders are excellent, how did you put them in or did I miss it ?  When I did the flares on my fenders I hammer and dollied  them but the metal got tight at about 45 degrees and I didn't have heat to move it further so I had to let it go at that.