69 Z/28 Day II Project (Air Force Brat)

[NorCam]

Originally Posted by dykstra

Hood turned out fantastic! Thanks for the update. As you can tell, we all love this car and what you are doing to it!

Roger that.

Sorry I hadn't got back to you on your earlier post as I did see it and every time I got around to start a reply, I got interrupted and spun around. It's been a busy couple of weeks for me with business projects but yes, the car and hood were united to ensure a good fit prior to the hood being painted.

Mike (RSZMJT) had actually told me years ago that many of the glass hoods were really poor for fitment so I made sure it could be measured on the car prior to it being final prepped and painted. It turned out pretty good after all the repairs were made and it actually fit very well when we measured it.

More on all of this later in the week.

[NorCam]

OK, now that the car is back home where it belongs, here's a bit of an update that explains the hiatus as of late. With the front end taken apart, I was talking to my painter about the fitment of the driver's door and fender which I really wanted to dial in better. He said to bring it out to him and he would take care of anything it needed to ensure I was 100% happy with the fit. Upon seeing what the driver's side needed to bring it up another level, he then asked me to bring the front end parts out so he could install the clip, align the door and fender gaps, and get it all dialed into where I wanted it.

To first ensure everything was spot on, he set up his frame gauges and began to measure out the car, the suspension, and the entire chassis from front to back to make sure it was all square. With everything spot-on from front to back, he then installed the front end sheet metal and got the driver's door dialed in nicely. There were also a couple of small spots that needed some more work on the car and he corrected those concerns before starting onto the fiberglass hood. The timing of the hood was perfect as he already had the car in his shop so test fitting the hood was easy.

With all of the fiberglass repairs taken care of on the hood, he then sprayed the hood, striped it to match the car, and mounted it all up when it was done. Needless to say, Ron took care of my wish list, got everything dialed in nicely, and did another round of cut and polish to have the car ready for the final push.


Rear suspension being checked for alignment using old school frame gauges


We set up 5 gauges to measure the car front to back and everything was dead-on straight and aligned perfectly.


The car back on the ground and ready for the front clip to be assembled at the end of March.


The front end back together and the car being used to test fit the fiberglass hood as it was repaired in mid April.


After Ron reworked the doors and fenders to get the right fit, the entire front end was sanded and re-cleared at the same time as the hood.


Stinger Hood is looking great with the black stripes and fresh paint. Re-clearing the front clip also allowed us to address some minor concerns with the header panel fitment.


Here's the first look at it coming out of the booth earlier today. It really popped when the sunlight hit it.


Here's the final fit on the right-side door to the rear quarter. The other side is identical to this.


And here's a look at the left side after getting it home and back onto my lift earlier today. I'm very happy with the fit and finish now.


And a rear end shot with the door open with the sunlight shining in. It really plays with the colors when the light hits it like this.

And with all that being said, you now know why there was such a hush over the past several weeks. The car went back to Ron at the end of March and didn't come home until it was finished earlier today. That kind of took away a lot of momentum, but it won't take me long to get this back on track now. Stay tuned....

[cruiserofland]

Absolutely stunning, Graeme! Congrats on all the progress, in particular how that hood has turned out

[Too Many Projects]

I don't see that you lost any momentum, you gained better fitting body panels, that you wanted all along anyway. Looks great with the hood and it's ready for the next stage.

[NorCam]

Originally Posted by Too Many Projects

I don't see that you lost any momentum, you gained better fitting body panels, that you wanted all along anyway. Looks great with the hood and it's ready for the next stage.

You have a good point there.

[HuggerSS]

Looks amazing

[scuncio]

Very nice, you must be pleased.

[NorCam]

Yes Tony, I am quite pleased with how it's come about.

Now starting to think again of what wheels and tires I will actually run on the car. Might be better off with a 9" tire and 7" rims and tuck them into the wheel openings rather than 12" tires sticking out the fender lips.

Maybe save those wide ones for another car?

[big gear head]

Well at least they are easy to change. In about 30 minutes you can give the car a different look just by swapping wheels and tires.

[NorCam]

This week...I reached out to Rob W who I hadn't spoken to in a little while to ask how he's doing and see how his car is coming along. It's kind of funny because he's going back to Day 1 stock after his 69 Z lived a day 2 life for many years, and it was his reply that quickly reminded me of that as he said...

Your yellow brat looks fantastic! I’ve found it entertaining to see my Z going back Day 1 and the brat Day 2. Mine had a super shifter at one point. The chopped-out shifter hole is no more. Now the console will fit again and the 3 SW gauges pulled out. The clock will gain its rightful place where a center fuel gauge was put in. The traction bars are not going back and the holes from the air shock lines gone. The hood pin holes on the cowl induction were a bigger mess than expected but also came out nice. I had them paint the flat hood also and plan to go with it.

So ironic that 2 similar cars are going in opposite directions at this particular moment, yet funny as they could both flip/flop again in 25 years from now. Wouldn't that be something? I love this hobby.