Progress Thread LILCBRA's 87 GT vert project (now prepping to replace the left floor pan)

[LILCBRA]

So is each layer loose, as in you have to build the stack each time?

Yes. The short 2x4 sections on top and bottom of the 4x4s/2x4s are nailed and glued, but they're all separate assemblies. That way I can adjust how tall I want the car. The next project is to make a riser for my jack to be able to lift the car high enough to put it down on the 3rd level.

The idea behind it was 1: to be able to adjust the height, 2: to make them lighter when you move them around, store them, etc, and 3: so I could build more layers if/when needed. That way I could use a lift in the future and be able to use them as safety blocks as well - kind of like jack stands.

 

[Blackhawkxx]

Yes. The short 2x4 sections on top and bottom of the 4x4s/2x4s are nailed and glued, but they're all separate assemblies. That way I can adjust how tall I want the car. The next project is to make a riser for my jack to be able to lift the car high enough to put it down on the 3rd level.

The idea behind it was 1: to be able to adjust the height, 2: to make them lighter when you move them around, store them, etc, and 3: so I could build more layers if/when needed. That way I could use a lift in the future and be able to use them as safety blocks as well - kind of like jack stands.

I have seen them on the car shows and think they would be great for a long term project that don't move but maybe not so much for a pull in, fix and pull out.

 

[LILCBRA]

I think it probably depends on what you're planning on doing overall. This car will be up on them for a while - possibly all winter. But I'm planning on a transmission swap, dropping the fuel tank, and maybe a gear swap, so I'll be under it quite a bit. Having it up in the air higher than my jack stands will go will be pretty advantageous. I'm also most likely going to weld in the subframe connectors I have, and it's supposed to have the suspension loaded. This will accomplish that whereas jackstands can be tricky, especially when it comes to being at a relatively comfortable height when welding.

But I also think these could be handy for short term projects, like oil changes, where you don't necessarily need the car so high. I can just drop the car on a pair of these and have the front end raised an extra 5 or so inches and be firmly on the ground. Or, you could leave it on the jack and use these as safety blocks for the unlikely and unfortunate event the jack fails or the car slips off. So I guess it all depends on what you're doing.

But any that I've seen have all been one piece, and I wanted something that could be used in different scenarios and be somewhat adjustable. That and I had a few extra 4x4s as well as 2x4s, figured the 4x4s would help get it higher in the air with less work involved in making them.

 

[General karthief]

Changing gears again.... pulled the stereo since there's a purple RCA cable ran through to the back of the car that I'm trying to get rid of now. Here's the mess I found there.....

Gotta love those wire nuts

 

[LILCBRA]

Documentation of where the car is right now. It needs floors. Eventually. It needs the left rear quarter repaired, I have a patch panel that looks like it needs a little work before I can try cutting and welding it in. And it looks like it'll need the left front frame rail too. Don't remember seeing that the last time I looked it over, but it's been a few years. Gotta remind myself that the original purpose of this car was to donate it's drivetrain, so I didn't look the body over much at all. Kinda wish I did now....

Oh well, I guess I'm too deep into it money-wise, so onward we go!


View: https://youtu.be/fJfaYR68Bbg?si=39szAHa3O9nOw6Lt


Frame rail

right rear

Left rear

Edit: the patch panel won't work, it's too jacked up.

 

[LILCBRA]

Decided to upgrade the subframe connectors instead of using the ones I bought years ago. Just pulled the trigger on a pair of Stifflers connectors through LMR. Black Friday pricing saves me a little! And my old connectors won't be going to waste - I asked my brother if he wanted them for his T-top 83 GT, so that's where they'll be going.

I'm also planning on installing their web brace at some point, but figure the subframe connectors will be most helpful when I go to replace the floors. I think the web bracing might get in the way though, so no use in getting them yet.....

 

[LILCBRA]

Well, the weatherman hasn't lied so far - I'd say we've gotten a couple inches since my last post 4 hours ago. But I've spent some time dropping the tank for the fuel pump replacement in that time. The wheel cribs that aren't under the wheels came in handy for this.

Once it was down and the pump removed, I used my battery powered siphon and drew about 4-1/2 gallons from the tank through the vent hole. Once the pump was removed it showed how neglected it's been - the tank and pump have definitely seen better days....

Once I separated the pump from the hanger, I used some left over carb cleaner and cleaned the hanger up and installed the new pump. Even though I trimmed about 1/2 inch from both sides of the fuel hose, it still wanted to push to one side of the hanger, so I used another hose clamp to try to keep it relatively centered. The filter sock disintegrated inside the tank, the plastic skeleton was all I was able to retrieve.

The seal at the tank split in 2, which isn't a big shock, and the seals at the top of the filler are all bad too. So I don't know if I'm even going to bother trying to lift this tank back into place. I'm thinking I may bite the bullet and order all new stuff next week after payday. I figure that'll be one less thing to deal with when I totally dive in on the car.

 

[Blackhawkxx]

I'm thinking I may bite the bullet and order all new stuff next week after payday. I figure that'll be one less thing to deal with when I totally dive in on the car.

For sure. That thing was nasty.

 

[LILCBRA]

For sure. That thing was nasty.

Yes it is. Money spent now is money saved in the future.

 

[LILCBRA]

Tonight's progress: tried dropping the H pipe to make dropping the transmission a bit easier. Got the back half off without an issue, which isn't too surprising since I put it all together when I brought the car home ~10 years ago. But the front half's giving me trouble, as I imagined it might. But it's also leaving me with some questions....

First, the left O2 sensor came out super easy, like it wasn't hardly tight. The right side, however, required a cheater on the wrench. Ok, so they didn't use anti-seize or it's been in there forever, no big deal.... then I started noticing different sized nuts.... and there was no cover over the clutch fork.... and the dipstick tube doesn't look like it's seated.... and one of the retaining bolts on the factory headers is double-nutted and has extra nuts beneath the head.... and one has a nylon lock nut.... this stuff just has me scratching my head. Like what did they do to this car in the past? And it kind of makes me want to just pull the engine now instead of waiting....

View attachment 736977

 

[gkomo]

Sounds like it’s time to fix the previous owners hodge-podge stuff!

 

[General karthief]

Yeah, I bet that core plug (freeze plug) is leaking or about to,
you pull that engine and 'scope creep' will get ya

 

[Noobz347]

Pull it

Pull it


Pull it

 

[LILCBRA]

Yeah, I bet that core plug (freeze plug) is leaking or about to,
you pull that engine and 'scope creep' will get ya

Being underneath this car is making it worse.

All I'd really like to accomplish this year is to get it running and driving so I can sort out any wiring issues it may have. I mean I could forego all of that and just dive in, but think it'd be nice to be able to drive it a little before all of that.

Then I think 'WTF?!' and would really like to fix all of it before I take it out....

 

[LILCBRA]

So, I took advantage of CJ Pony Parts' Black Friday pricing and pulled the trigger on new floorpans. Looks like I'll be busy for a while....

And I think I've made my mind up, I think I'm going to pull the engine and the dash as well. Because f-it, why not?!


But, I'm thinking that it won't be on the road for at least a couple years. I mean if I'm going to do it, I may as well do it all. And, I've slightly changed my plans. It's going 5 lug, big brakes, etc.

First order of business: solidify the body. The 2 most recent purchases should make a sizeable dent toward that goal.

 

[Blackhawkxx]

First order of business: solidify the body.

Yes, take care of the worse part first, the rust. The rest will be fun.

 

[LILCBRA]

Christmas came early.

 

[LILCBRA]

Spent a couple hours removing the passenger seat, console, and carpet. Found some "interesting" stuff - a few screws that didn't match, some missing, and bubble wrap insulation under the carpet.

Pulled those out, then pulled on the loose parts of the original sound deadener to find even more opportunities for improvement.

Pulling the dash and wiring will be next on the list so I can have fairly open access to everything. I'm not sure what I'm going to do under the car yet though. In some respects, I'd like to leave the fuel and brake lines alone if at all possible. Then again, I feel that I'll end up stripping this car down to a shell, so should I just go ahead and do it? Time will tell....

 

[General karthief]

Yeah, 'scope creep' is real eh?

 

[AeroCoupe]

I would definitely pull the dash so I could remove the firewall insulation and see if there is rot hiding elsewhere. Will be done right when you are finished that is for sure!