F40 replica aka "operation turd polish" (Page 62/62)
shemdogg JUL 30, 09:37 PM
Not much pic or post worthy, just working on minor details here and there. Got a few more air leaks buttoned up, new compressor solenoids wired in and connected to a pressure switch and a switch on the dash. 2 more gauges to connect, had to reset the remote for the air ride, and working on driver feel. Really needs the seats to sit lower. With me seated all the way back, im looking at myself in the wink mirror lol. That may hafta go. Also seeing out of those little dinky vitaloni mirrors is going to be a joke. I cant even back into the garage w those. I drive a truck I gotta see got dayumit! Also not looking forward to more fiberglass work, so I ordered paint today for a lil motorvation. Nardo grey this time lol. We shall see, runnin outta little details to finish up.

Then I had the bright idea to hire a tow truck to take the car to chp for the vin verification lol duh. Lined a guy up and asked chp for something the week of the 11th, and the guy says their next appt is sept 23rd. Well fock lol. Declined and told the tow gut id shop around for a sooner time. Chp nearest to me wont call back or answer, and the independent verifiers cant do kit and salvage rides. Resigned to my fate I called chp back to take that appt. Another guy answered and gave me an appt for 8/12 lol. All set up to wrap this chit up!

shem
shemdogg AUG 09, 10:18 AM
Paints here, been jammin on tiny details n piddly chits. Making a punch list as I go, air ride holds air for 3+ days now, got a bad fitting on one corner. Mounted the compass, side door trims, mounted all the switchplates, finished up wiring in the extra boost and voltmeter, went thru so many lil details im starting to run outta things to nit pick on. Working on the stereo lol. Made some speaker pods for a component kit I got ages ago, pulled out the old sub for the amp, put the antenna in the ds door pillar. Drilled and tapped the rear upper wing and made a new center support. Went thru the suspension and made sure everythings tight and all cotter pins were in, go a bad balljoint. Got a new one but it has neither a locknut or a hole for a cotter pin, so im getting another on from rockauto. Put loom on a buncha wires and clamped em down. Pcm needs a case learn but a buddy has the tool for it. more to come







shem
Sage AUG 09, 02:36 PM
Wooooo!


Simply "stunning"!

HAGO!
shemdogg SEP 11, 10:02 PM
Thank you Mr Sage, slowly but surely getting there. Very slowly! Took it down to chp for the vin inspection before I got swamped w a ton of work. Hired a guy w a trailer that does it for a living, easy peasy.


Got it signed off then emailed a copy to the special dmv unit. Got a lil attitude n some runaround just to find out I now need a brake and light inspection. So I had to tackle the ebrake, it always gave me crap and I could never figure it out years ago. I put new rear calipers on sometime ago, and left it at that. Read up on some ebrake threads, got nothin lol. All I got was remove the whole lever, and hold the brake pedal and pull and it should self tighten. I put the cables in the calipers and set the springs, then saw I needed the clip that holds the big cable to the right side. Remembered I have a loaded cradle, one was there. Got that all together and pulled the ebrake, someone dripped fiberglass and the buttons glued to the handle lol. Looks like its been there a long time. Remembered I got a newish ebrake from a guy thrown in w some udder parts I was getting. Installed it, adjusted the equalizer thingie until the bolt holes lined up for the ebrake, bolted it in, put one hand on the brake pedal and pulled w my other hand. Click click click click. No way couldnt be that easy. Tried to move the car, chits locked up tight. Then I went thru some hassle but the turn signals and hazards all work now, minus one side marker that needs to be swapped out. Doing the high beams to a switch, cant find the switched high beam wire from the signal harness. Gotta check the wipers too, was fiddlin around and the horn went off n spooked me good while I was working in the footwell. I didnt even think I hooked that up lmao, got me good.

The little door speaker pod turned into a door panel idear, gonna be something like this.

Its too fat in the rear and hits the spring cover for the seat even after I trimmed it. Prolly gonna foam n glass it sometime in the near future, def looking forward to hearing some tunes. Dug out an old amp to power the sub. Super nintendo was in the same box so I started playing mario world w the kid. Hes already over it but loves fishing now. The punch/detail list is long, and constantly getting added/subtracted to. Shakedown cruise in the near future

Some of the work I got was swapping out the front harness and headlight motors on an 86 to the later style. That evolved into some other things, then onto the 58 220 convertible

Installing outside trim(had to drill holes ouch), and reinstalling the interior.

Then the 37 ford


Hood adjustment (PITA), install gauges, redid the bed boards in red oak and lotsa coats of old school lacquer. He loved it


shem
shemdogg NOV 09, 09:35 PM
Too much going on but ive been pickin at it here and there. Even got dirty and dug into the fiberglass big time. Wrapping up all the lighting and warning lights, wired in relays for the headlights and high beam. Was a janky setup and one of the high beams wasnt working, took it apart and it never went together working again. Got new bulbs and bulb housings and modified the housing to fit. Replaced all wire nutted test connections w connectors and heat shrink everywhere, and covered in loom in the hood and rear hatch. Running outta stuff to nit pick on, even wired in the brake master to a light on the dash.

Ran a new fill line from the air tank to the filter. When slammed, the driverside rear hatch strut mount sat on the tire a tiny bit. So I cut it off and rewelded it a tad higher. In doing so, one of the weld spatter bits found its way into one of the frame holes and poked a hole in the air line. The whole car started going down, freaking me out thinkin I blew a hole in the air bag lol. After an underwear change, and the strut mount situation figured out, I ran new lines from tank to filter and gauge in 1/4". Even got a check valve in just incase that line blows the car can retain its height. Been doing all kindsa piddly chit like that, even went to town cleaning up the underside of the hatch and hood. They have layers upon layers of built up glass and look like chit. Hence never posting pics of the undersides lol. Where the rear hatch meets the quarters, there was a ton of buildup from trying to get the hatch swing right so many lifetimes ago. There was about 1.5" lol of fb and I tried every tool n the book to get it out but its such a weird area, and im one for efficiency(lmao 8 years later)- I just grabbed a pair of channel locks and ripped that chit off. Was maybe a 1/8 holding it on, but the whole schebangbang ripped out. Fuk. Was about 3 inches missing from the sides of the hatch. No joke. Whoopsie! lmao

Then I was outta glass and zero time to make a run, my cuz nextdoor had some beefmeister mat, so... abracadabra- snot n boogers!


Thats all good now, but at a standstill w the door panels. But it is ready for the brake and light inspection, mostly. Ran power to the reverse switch, and a line out to the non existent reverse lights, and stuffed an led in there. It worked but as soon as u let out the clutch, it didnt actuate the switch. So I ziptied a small block of 1/2 tubing to the arm, and..
Forgot the pic lol. Worked great but was dim, so I got led 1156 and a housing and screwed that the main bulb housing. Everything and more is connected and working, crazy. Got a buncha new side mirrors to try out, think I found some pwc mirrors thatll work. Current ones cant bend enough for me to see where I need to see. Tons of other piddly lil things, sanded and started finishing the rear wing. I dunno, too much going on, works been nutso, kid just got done w soccer, dunno whats starting next. Always a bday party or something. Made the wife take him to the bday party yesterday, had almost a full day to myself to mess w the car. Then the mailman, whos a car guy and were kinda buddies now- Tells me his truck got robbed for mail and packages. I take him over to the neighbors to check the cams, but he was a house over. Then the guy w the cameras 2 doors down is having a no start on his 5.0, and a buyers on his way. Car starts but shuts off when u let off the key I said key switch, and told him how to pull it. Needed help, opened up the column and the ignition switch as disintegrated. Then he started poking at it and blew a fusible link lol. So really only had a few hours yesterday and today to mess w the car. No time for chit meng, and it gets dark early so Im not gettin chit done. Did get some dusk pics yesterday tho



Had a KN filter for my old toyo w the 22re, modified it to fit

todays


Lights dont show up good in the pics, but look sick af in person


Yeah buddy
shem
shemdogg DEC 12, 09:05 PM
Ive been busy on this, and have many more idears in me noggin. Finished up the glasswork on the roof scoop and hood scoop scoop. Ground down the welds and got the rear wing ready for primer. Wrapped the exhaust in that fiberglass tape I bought years ago, lol priorities. Pulled the rear bumper and made the lower wings and diffuser tips outta glass, lower wing tips touch the ground when slammed. Got side skirts on the way, rear louvers are glassed on the underside now too. Bottom section broke off, so that got beefed up on both sides. Still got finishin to do on that.






Also got my side mirror situation figured out, found some universal pwc mirrors. Looks good and provides much more vision than the vitalonis. Moved them as far back as possible on the window, only a teeny bit is covered from the passenger side. Ordered them about 5 times, I kept getting right hand mirrors sent regardless of part number. Finally got a drivers side one the udder day, ones white and ones black.


Finished up the quarter panel to hatch areas, and the gap is nice and toight! So now the roof to hatch gap is unbearable at about 5/sixteenfs- so Ima glass it back together and cut the line, again lol. Hopefully for the last time. Finished up the rear camera mounting and wired it to a switch. Put insurance on it and found a shop to do the brake and light inspection. Gonna take it for a shakedown cruise sometime next week before taking it to the inspection.

Got a crazy idea to find a stock windshield and frame that i can graft in. The windshield I had cut down has cracked already, and I dunno if that shop would cut down another one for me. Dont really want it since this ones cracked from not driving the car lol. Im sure itd be much more pricey now. Rear struts hold air for weeks without leaking, but the 90 degree swivel fitting I have on the front bags just keep fighting me. They only hold for a few hours, so I need straight fittings then elbows to the mani. Drivers side wheels valve stem always randomly leaked, so I got new stems n tires for the front. Nitpickin on details now, buncha more minor things I dont remember. Just getting over the flu.

Need to install the front shocks but have to make some custom bracketry. I have to cut the shock pocket off the lower control arm, and I have a chunka hunka 3/16 square tube the new shock bottoms fit into that ill weld to the side of the lca and box in the bottom.

Redid the fuel filler lines and routing w new rubbers so its well off the tire when slammed.

Close is the day where I can post pics of my car thats not my driveway lmao

shem

[This message has been edited by shemdogg (edited 12-12-2025).]