My very last restoration!!!

[newsatten]

Scrub that , I’ve spent the last 20 hours and managed to get my new fenders to sort , well sort of !
Much much better than last weekends effort
Still will need some cutting and dressing on the left side but not to horrible.

My Pypes exhaust system looks rather nice
Maybe a tad too large but meh !

[Matt74]

Looking good. Exhaust looks nice!

[newsatten]

Been busy again and trying to get my moody Asian metal work to something like aligning !
There’s very little in panels for early F’ body’s so later bits have to be chopped and modified,

[Stu]

Looking very good. Enjoying following this one.

[Stu Twin]

Do you have enough room to open the doors in the garage or do you have to wheel it out on the dolly?
Stirling work sir.

[newsatten]

It’s got much bigger since all the panels and subframe have been fitted!
So yes I have to work mainly outside now ,
Given the winter is almost here progress will undoubtedly slow, and eventually stop through the worst parts,
I’m hoping to get the front end alignment done, square up the panel gaps , doors to front fenders, fenders to hood,
Then I’ll dismantle it all and take everything that comes off back to work,

In theory this should give me enough space to get the shell fully refinished inside, all the apertures, and rockers in colour, this way when I may be able to start putting the inside back together etc,

And over the winter months I’ll refinish the removed panels at work in my oven,
It’s fairly easy for me to incorporate my bits with the bus bits as my booth is a big one !
I reckon I’ve got 5 weeks till December so need it fully gapped by then, even if it’s just in the rough

It’s completely done underneath so at least I don’t need to lift it again till next spring etc.
I’ll be honest I’m finding it very hard going now,
I’m nowhere as mobile as I was when I don’t the Chally!

[mygasser]

i'd be tempted to put up a lean to in front of the garage, maybe not with doors but at least a carport type of thing. then if it rains you're still under cover.
neil.

[newsatten]

Yeah I’ve considered this option, however the front of my house faces sheppy and the north wind !
I think a temporary type garage would get shredded quite quickly!
It will be ok, and as the thread title suggests it’s the very last one, I’m never ever doing another project!

[newsatten]

Well after another weekend Ive almost got the front short of aligned !
Absolutely crap way for building a car,
Shims and spacers, bending panels and a hundred different permutations to end up with something that’s just about acceptable,
Bit of an eye opener really,
The actual body tub is far more accurately built than my Challenger but this rubbish front subframe assembly and all it supports is totally crap,
Front chassis rails and inner wings all fully welded are far superior,
Its hardly surprising that they wasn’t successful in Trans Am racing, and ironic that they have the name !



The white car is the actual car that started my obsession way back around 1977’ ish
One ride in this thing and my Escort RS days were over ,
It’s taken me 48 years to actually own the very same model and specification, but not the actual car,

I did find and looked into buying the original TA
But once I’d seen it in the Bananarama! was obvious that years sitting in a garden in Essex for years and the amount of rubbish welding it was far to gone for me to entertain,
It has be owned by the yank dealing in Fearing for donkeys!

[newsatten]

So block huggers apparently won’t work with a 4 speed
Bugger, so going for Doug’s Long tube stainless,
And a hi torque mini starter to combat heat soak
This bloody car is ruining me!

[newsatten]

My Doug’s stainless headers and new mini starter were delivered today!
Excellent service from Summit as always,
And managed to get the front end pretty square over the weekend, so all good !
Had to fabricate a second pair of hands to assist with hood holding!
Going to take a break from the turd now,

[Matt74]

Looks great. Enjoy your time away from the car.

[newsatten]

Haha
Cheers, however done a couple of small jobs this week so far
My front quarters require a modification to the front edge,
Early cars like mine have a steel lower front panel,
Fiddly little bracket to remove from original fenders and retro fit in the new ones ,
My brackets had some corrosion so required some neat repairs,
Just test fitted them , all good,