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Mike's Car Building Thread


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Today was super exciting. I went to the sandblaster/powdercoater to crack the whip and get my car done. Here are some pics. 

 

Here's what she looks like after being fully blasted. My cousin Jose is seen here blowing all the excess sand off.

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Here the fellas are putting the first base of powdercoat primer on the undercarriage.

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I also asked that they cover the inside, trunk, and engine compartment. No sense leaving all the hard to reach parts for later. The great thing about powder coating is that it saves time and money. If I was to paint this the conventional way I would have to lay down some primer, then sand every hard to reach spot so that the surface is ready for the final paint. Who has time for all that? Sheesh!

 

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Once the primer is applied the car gets put into a huge oven to bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  :lol:

The car was taken out of the oven and allowed to cool for a bit. Then the final color is added. For this one I decided to go with semi-gloss black.

 

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  • 2 months later...

I'm back at it. This time I'm on a mission to complete all three of my "projects" before the end of the year. Although it's quite an undertaking it's been helping me relieve some stress (I relax by building things). 

Here are some updates on the 54 Truck. These pics were taken about two weeks ago when I was working on the front disc brake/coil over suspension conversion. 

Here I'm grinding down the frame to prep it for the new components. 

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Setting up the Boxing Plates

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Tack Welding the Upper A-arm/Coil Over mount.

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Making sure Cross Member/Lower A-Arm support is dead center and level. Old school levels are great, however lasers make a world of difference. 

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Edited by Michael Miramontes
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While I was working on this truck I hired a mobile mechanic, who specializes in classics , to come over and work on the 54 Hard Top's valves and timing. 

 

Today I tackled the rear end by getting it ready for new trailing arms, cover over shocks, and panhard bar. I wish there were more hours in the day and I was 18 years old again. I would have had this done already. 

Bed out for easier access to the rear axle and frame.

Trailing arms are mocked up. It took several tries to get everything lined up and square. 

Goodbye lief springs. You served your time well but now it's time to step aside for newer engineering. 

Rear axle was dropped and removed. Tomorrow I'll prep the axle and tack it up to the trailing arms.  =)

 

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