My many project cars and trucks

[t_raven]

It's been a never ending battle trying to get rid of parts or consolidate them into the cars they are for, pushing cars, getting side tracked on a project to bring another in, etc.

I'm trying to really get rid of as much as I can and quit buying new stuff until I need it. I usually only buy parts when I'm ready for them, or if they are a good deal used, so I can get my money back if I don't use them. But I need to quit buying stuff that takes up space and ties up money, even if it costs me more to get it later. Or buy nicer cars to start with even if it costs more to finish one. Like my 69 Firebird. I bought it after passing up one for $30k in 2009. Paid $2000 for mine and figured I'd build a better car than his for less money. Well 10 years later I've barely worked on it lol. It would've been worth the extra money to have been driving his for the last 10 years.

I was up to 34 cars around a year ago.
This is my current list of 21. I'm still trying to convince myself to sell a few. 2 are parts cars that can go away, but other than those I want to build them all. I might just trade up a couple of them if I can find nicer ones.

67 Firebird
69 Firebird
72 Firebird
79 TA
89 TA
01 TA
54 GMC
55 GMC
67 GMC
83 GMC
91 Suburban
01 Suburban
01 Yukon XL
07 Sierra
56 Chieftain
68 Mustang
68 Camaro
69 Custom S
93 Civic
92 Bravada
94 Bravada

Plus 2 bikes, 98 and 09 R1s

Plans for the near future are to put new interiors in the 72 Firebird and 69 Custom S. Finish the mini tubs and floor of my 69 Firebird and put it on new suspension. Finish the body work on my 67 Firebird and build the frame for it.

We'll see how far I get with that. I'm gonna be in Afghanistan for a few more years again.

[Land_Down_Under]

stay safe in Afghanistan op. Damn you have a few cars, well less than you did lol. like others have said you should make a youtube channel on how to do stuff like wiring and engine swaps n stuff. get someone to edit and upload it for you so u can just concentrate on doing the work lol.

[t_raven]

stay safe in Afghanistan op. Damn you have a few cars, well less than you did lol. like others have said you should make a youtube channel on how to do stuff like wiring and engine swaps n stuff. get someone to edit and upload it for you so u can just concentrate on doing the work lol.

Yeah I'd really like to make a channel, especially if I can ever build the shop I want. I could make some quality vids with that shop set up how I want it. Plus now that I'm single and don't plan to ever have kids, I'm free to play with expensive toys for the rest of my life. I might as well make some videos about all that. My buddy is planning to buy an older Gallardo soon, since they are pretty affordable for what they are. I'm thinking about buying either a Viper or a Z06 Vette when I'm done here. I think we could make some pretty entertaining stuff.

[HairyWBush]

Are those GMCs with the Pontiac?

[EDcellent]

What an awesome thread, love the 1st gen birds.

[qstick99]

Nice set up and projects

[SipNPiz]

dude please start of YouTube channel!

[BrotienShake]

Bump of piss.. OP updates?

[Krackerjacked]

In for downtime reading
Mirin hard dude.

[Land_Down_Under]

bump

[Kev1972]

Damn dude all that know how and big shop why don't you just build race cars. Buddy of mine started off as a shade tree mechanic and now he's making good money with his own speed shop. You aren't into the drag racing scene with all those muscle cars?

[SipNPiz]

wow i guess my post form 2 years ago killed this thread, still subbed tho!

[t_raven]

Damn dude all that know how and big shop why don't you just build race cars. Buddy of mine started off as a shade tree mechanic and now he's making good money with his own speed shop. You aren't into the drag racing scene with all those muscle cars?

There's no racing scene in my area. I've been working in the middle east off and on since 2005. I've been trying to buy land and build a bigger shop for the last 5 years. My divorce 3 years ago set me back about 4 years and then covid made things even worse last year. I spent the whole year stuck at home with no income just racking up credit cards to survive. I tried to buy a house with a bigger shop because my lender said they could do it even with me furloughed, if I provided a letter from my employer stating when I would go back to work. After jerking me around for a month and a half they finally denied the loan 10 days after I was supposed to close on that house. So that was a nice waste of my time and money. The housing market is absolute chit compared to when I actually had cash saved before the divorce. Now there's no commercial land for sale, houses with enough land are hundreds of thousands more than they were and still climbing. All the money I managed to save for a down payment before covid is gone now. I've been back to work for 2 months, but now it's going to be a long process just getting back to where I was before my divorce. My plan is still to build a big ass shop with a living space in it and run an auto repair business out of it. And do at least some custom/restoration work, but I'm expecting this to take another 4-5 years of me working over seas, assuming I have a job that long.

wow i guess my post form 2 years ago killed this thread, still subbed tho!

Nah I just don't frequent this forum any more and forgot to keep up on this thread. I've done quite a bit worth posting. I'm back overseas though, so I'll take some of my down time to upload some pics and update this thread.

[t_raven]

Well I spent the summer and fall of '19 in Afghanistan again. Quit that job to take my current job. I went home and was annoyed af with all of my vehicles and wanted something nicer, so I paid cash for a '18 Denali ultimate with a 6.2 and 9800 miles on it





It was everything I wanted and it was in flawless shape. But about a week later my dumb ass was moving some vehicles around and managed to back into it with my white truck



I wanted it fixed properly so I turned it into my insurance and took it to a body shop that I'd heard good things about. My ex took her car to two of the big name shops in town and I wasn't impressed with their work. Well this shop did a chit job on my door. It was wavy and you could see sanding scratches under the paint and dirt in the clear. I should've made them fix it, but it took the joy out of even having the damn thing and I didn't want it any more. I was also planning to buy another house, so I just sold it to use that money for a down payment.


I finally found a cleaner red Bravada with black leather, so I picked that up



I then had 3 red Bravadas lol



I also pretty much immediately got bored with that and sold all 3.

[t_raven]

I finished a few small things last winter like putting exhaust in my 83 GMC



I put drop spindles and new brakes on the 69 Custom S











I wasn't happy with the ground clearance my cheap headers had, so I bought a set of Hooker black hearts. They are spendy but better quality and much better clearance

[t_raven]

I had to do some training in Dec '19 and Jan '20 before my new employer could send me back over seas. I requested to have a couple extra months at home before they sent me back. I wanted to knock out the sheet metal repair on my 67 Firebird. Being home for a couple months turned into a whole year thanks to covid. So I'm broke af now, but at least I got a lot done in the last year.

Cut all the damaged sheet metal off





New stuff in place



Trimmed the trunk to fit mini tubs



I've had an idea for a round tube frame with IRS for a long time, so I started mocking up the suspension so I could build around it

[t_raven]

Started bending tubes









It's not quit the work of art I want it to be, but overall I like the look, I think it will be strong enough, and I think I got my geometry set up pretty well







With the 67 rolling again and body panels replaced I decided I wanted to get the 69 rolling as well, so I moved it back in the shop

[Land_Down_Under]

Cheers for the updates op. Sucks about the money lost. Good to see your making progress

[t_raven]

Before I decided to buy that '18 Denali I had already ordered wheels, tires, and lift kits for my white crew cab and Yukon









before and after









When I decided to try to buy another house I had listed both the '18 and the white '07. I was going to sell which ever sold first and keep the other. Well I had buyers lined up for both at the same time, so I sold both.

[t_raven]

In the interest of getting all of my projects at least rolling, and big parts consolidated I knocked out the suspension on the 55. I used the subframe and axle from a 77 TA I parted out. It's a common swap on this generation of truck.



I cut the perches off the axle and mounted it to the original springs with new perches. I want to install a 4 link later, but it'll at least roll for now.





It was a long bed, but I picked up a short bed for it, so I put the short bed on and removed the cab



This frame being straight, parallel beams I just had to move the cab mounts back and cut the front off so I can weld the TA subframe on

[t_raven]

I've had this 6.0 engine in the shop that I was planning to put in my 69 Firebird. I've decided to build a better engine for that car, so I threw it in the 55



I pulled a 2wd 4L80e out of an Express van at a pick n pull and put that in, and made a cross member



And here it is shortened and rolling. I was able to find the chrome pieces I was missing, but I still need to get new head light buckets

The bed is pretty close to matching. I'm going to swap rear fenders since the ones off the long bed are in better shape and don't have the spare tire cut out







I'm eager to get this on the road. I've wanted a big back window 55/56 GMC forever but they are hard to find. I'll still need to spend a few grand on a fuel system, radiator, wiring, seat, and exhaust before it can be driven at all though.

[t_raven]

After getting the 67 and 55 rolling, I decided I'd bang out my R1 and finally finish it.



I've only seen one of these with a 15+ swing arm on it, so I decided to buy one and make it fit.



The new one was slightly wider with a bigger shaft





I narrowed both sides



I used the original pivot shaft and sleeve, so to make them work in the new swing arm I made delrin bushings to replace the bearings

[t_raven]

The shock and wishbone/knuckle mount differently between the two swing arms, so I made some plates to act as a new knuckle. The hole locations on this can really affect the spring rate, but even just winging it to make the swing arm work and clear the shop, it seems to ride fine



With the swing arm in I had to replace the bent seat frame



They are welded on, so I bought one on ebay that had been cut off another frame and trimmed it so I could weld it onto my frame



Then it was time to finish prepping my fairings for paint



I set up a make shift paint booth

[t_raven]

Primer and white sprayed. Ventilation was not good enough lol. I was just using a box fan with a furnace filter taped to it.



The white on these was originally pearl. I wasn't able to get the original code but I just picked a pearl white I liked off of a Lexus paint chip



The front fairing is the only piece that needed both colors so I taped it off



They did give me what was supposedly the original red code, but it seemed way off once I opened it. So I picked out a GM red that seemed close.



Red sprayed and all of these cleared



All the paint done. Not bad for my first real paint job. Hell considering what the shops I've dealt with have put out, I'd say it turned out better doing it myself.



Time for decals. Some guy in Europe makes these. They are pretty close to originals

[t_raven]

I still need to do something for front turn signals and want to change the muffler, but it's ridable again, has modern suspension, and looks good af

[MajorTendonitis]

OP your one cool guy with great taste .
I think we have a lot in common , but unfortunately for me I sold my last babies .
I live in cranbrook BC Canada , pretty much above you .
Started out back in the day with a black 77 TransAm , then later on I bought an 81 Z28 that had the factory 4 speed standard. I wish all my TA’s had standards .
Terrible photo, but this is a pic from Polaroid back in 83 of my 81 z28 .




Also had a 77 Z28 and a 1980 Turbo TransAm but no pics .

But here is the one I sold about 6 years ago . I bought it with 24,000 miles on it . It’s one of the very few Martinique Blue TAs that had a black interior . Unmolested ,and still had the original spare and the 8 track player . Plus zero rust .





My 84 GMC . I owned a 77 and an 81 4x4 stepside prior to this fleet side .
I like detailing the underside and leaving the rest stock . She had a 6” lift, 35 mud TAs , 4 speed standard . Was a lot of fun playing with this truck, and got thumbs up and remarks every single time I drove it . You couldn’t stand beside it for long without someone making a kind remark. Interestingly , no one ever made any remarks about the TA, but always stopped to talk about the truck .





I used to be a car audio fanatic and loved building systems . Here’s a pic of the custom pods I built for the 84 . I like leds for some reason,and try to implement them into my designs

[t_raven]

OP your one cool guy with great taste .

Thanks man. Those were some nice cars. After I finish my 67 and 69 Firebirds I'm going to paint my 79 TA. I'd like to get a 78 or 79 Z28 some day too.

[MajorTendonitis]

Thanks man. Those were some nice cars. After I finish my 67 and 69 Firebirds I'm going to paint my 79 TA. I'd like to get a 78 or 79 Z28 some day too.

Back in high school we had one guy that painted his 68 Firebird . Always been in love with that era since then .
I was 16 when Smokey & the Bandit came, and that movie is what made me fall in love with TransAms.
I have too many wood tools on my garage , so the toys had to go unfortunately .

Your into hard core,and I am certainly jealous . Keep up the great work

[HairyWBush]

jealous of your endless amount of cash. I might have asked you this a long time ago, but what are you doing with your 72 firebird or is it a real Trans Am?
Ironic I'm seeing this thread, I just got back from talking to a guy about his piece of junk ex race car '65 Barracuda sitting out in the elements. I want to save it for later, so I'm going to sit on the thought for a short while and probably go through with it. I can't see this fuker letting it rot away and he's already said he doesn't care. 4 speed but no engine and I don't want his 318 he'll sell.

[t_raven]

jealous of your endless amount of cash. I might have asked you this a long time ago, but what are you doing with your 72 firebird or is it a real Trans Am?
Ironic I'm seeing this thread, I just got back from talking to a guy about his piece of junk ex race car '65 Barracuda sitting out in the elements. I want to save it for later, so I'm going to sit on the thought for a short while and probably go through with it. I can't see this fuker letting it rot away and he's already said he doesn't care. 4 speed but no engine and I don't want his 318 he'll sell.

I drive the 72 around town now that it's reliable. I'll probably hang onto it for the foreseeable future. I want to replace some of the interior and do a few suspension upgrades soon.

A 65 Cuda sounds fun. You don't see many of those.