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I needed a break from the "heavy lifting", so I decided to let the other scoop sit on the back burner for awhile.

There have been basically two interior schemes that I've been considering,....One plan involves a 100% custom interior built out of 16ga./1.250" diameter tubing running through the interior like some sort of hamster playground, while the other involves using a 1989 Mustang dash as a "substrate" and redesigning it, and the console to suit the car. Either way, they are both actually custom, it's just one is hundreds of hours of work, the other about 100 hours total.

That said, I decided to cave on the "totally tubular" interior scheme, not knowing if I could make the idea work. Given that I'm having to "settle" on how the side scoops turned out, I'm taking the more conservative of the two approaches, and working with the 89 dash instead.

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You'll notice the dash is hacked up. I'm not gonna use the stock gauge housing, the stock AC vents, or the stock shape for that matter. I'm really only using it for the basic shape, and structure to build upon.
It's no obscure mod, but converting a pre 87 dash'd car over to a later model unit isn't exactly a bolt-in affair. No single factory screw hole lines up, and the dash itself is actually shifted about 1/4-3/8" too far to one side. I let the column act as a locator, since there was a little half-circle dealy-bobber that sat on top of the column shaft that was part of the dash plastic. That being the case, there was only one way the stupid piece of junk wanted to go in, and I decided that who was I to try and tell it differently. It fits the windshield alright, it's just........off.

The console mounts were a complete fabrication, as Fairmont never had a console, or a center mounted E brake handle. I had the factory junk from the donor car, so It was a simple matter of welding them into the correct spot. As for the center mounted Ebrake,...not gonna happen. ( No E brake is gonna happen actually) The console will also be completely different to accommodate the shifter that sits too far back now.

Since I was getting the dash from the storage facility, I grabbed a front fender to see if I was gonna have clearance on the wheels, now that they are 1" narrower than the 9's I used to have up there.
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Right now, there is tons of room, but the fender is stretched out of shape where I was tugging the hell out of it trying to make room for the 9's. I hope that I can restore it back to it's original shape. But before I go and do that, it may be prudent to put the other side on there (that I didn't tug the hell out of ) and see just how much room I truly have.
 

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You would be the type to be upset by the dash being off center by 1/4 in an old, completely custom car like that... No one else will ever notice. Now were this a brand new car off the assembly line, then I may be like.... wtf.

Im diggin the scoop(s), I think they (it) look just fine as is. Once they are painted, I think the angles will look cool and not so "plain jane."
 
View attachment 110443

I think you have the right shape. It just needs to be cut off, rotated 180*, flipped over so that the portion of the scoop facing us, faces the center of the car instead, then sunk flush with the body.

The skin of the car cut like


_________
|
| x x x
|
_________

So that the portion where the Xs are are molded to form the bottom of the scoop.


Like this one:


red.jpg



The bottom/floor of the scoop is pressed into the car. Not really sticking out of it except for the lip in the back. Anything higher than the surface of the body should be little more than a piece of molding or trim.
 
You would be the type to be upset by the dash being off center by 1/4 in an old, completely custom car like that... No one else will ever notice. Now were this a brand new car off the assembly line, then I may be like.... wtf.

Im diggin the scoop(s), I think they (it) look just fine as is. Once they are painted, I think the angles will look cool and not so "plain jane."

You're right. I am the type to let a 1/4" offset bug me.

So I corrected it.

I said that I let the steering shaft be the guide when I mounted that thing, and it made sense (at the time) that it would only allow the dash to go where that plastic semi circle that sat on top of the shaft wanted to sit.

But then I got to thinking, (like I always do AFTER I just made something permanent)

I wonder if I can adjust the steering shaft over to the right 1/4"
:think:

After looking at it,........... of course I could adjust that. It was simply a matter of loosening the bolts that hold the column mount, and the steering shaft itself,...and Lo and Behold, the whole thing slides over the requisite 1/4".
:doh:

I spent the morning yesterday doing that. It involved cutting loose the welds that held the front console mount that I welded to the top of the trans tunnel. Once that was done, I moved The whole mess over to the passenger side and it all became a perfect world again.

After that, I started on the mock up that will inevitably become the new face for my dash.

Yesterday, I cut and glued two pieces of 1/2" MDF together. Today, I cut, drilled, filed, and sanded those two pieces until they looked like this:
temporary_zps1807fafc.jpg


Still miles away from being done, I am only in the beginning stages of making it fit well enough to even contemplate making it part of the dash. I still am undecided on how many, where and what type of switches I'm gonna use, but I'll keep the multifunction switch on the column and let it control what it controls. I'm gonna use a vintage air HVAC control panel, so in my mind, the only thing left that actually needs a switch are the headlights. The three holes that you see will allow for instrumentation to display RPM,MPH, temp, volts,oil press, fuel level, AFR, and boost.
The oblong panel will also provide led lighting for TS, and highbeam.

Am I missing something?

I also have no clue what I'm gonna do to cover the dash, and how I'm gonna dress it out as of yet, I figure I'll get the basic structure in there, and let it stew in my head for awhile.

I'll come up with something.
 

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View attachment 110439

I think you have the right shape. It just needs to be cut off, rotated 180*, flipped over so that the portion of the scoop facing us, faces the center of the car instead, then sunk flush with the body.

The skin of the car cut like


_________
|
| x x x
|
_________

So that the portion where the Xs are are molded to form the bottom of the scoop.


Like this one:


red.jpg



The bottom/floor of the scoop is pressed into the car. Not really sticking out of it except for the lip in the back. Anything higher than the surface of the body should be little more than a piece of molding or trim.

So did you just jump the part where the redesigned scoop was pictured?

Believe it or not, that car was the inspiration for the revision. (and if you look at the pic of mine it's almost zackly like that one, but with a decidedly "pronounced" standoff.)

I figured if I was gonna try and force air in there, I needed a little more than a lip standing proud of the body.

Again, I figure paint will be the icing on the cake with these things, right now, they're just too undefined in the rough, and they clash more than they will when they're the same color as the rest of the car.
 
Gauges: (even though I do not have one) Pyrometer

Finish: Router then Fiberglass Resin. At that point you can add further shape with putty, paint or "cover" it with an appealing vinyl wrap (then clear).

Mike, you will not be happy with the flat MDF dash. It will remind you of the screwed in Oak dashes of the 90's conversion vans, or worse...a drag car without the gain of weight loss. Glass it, add some shape in the process and finish it in something semi-modern to match your interior. You could even use the old-school audio enclosure method and utilize sweater fabric/mounts to glass and build further shape.
 
So did you just jump the part where the redesigned scoop was pictured?

Believe it or not, that car was the inspiration for the revision. (and if you look at the pic of mine it's almost zackly like that one, but with a decidedly "pronounced" standoff.)

I figured if I was gonna try and force air in there, I needed a little more than a lip standing proud of the body.

Again, I figure paint will be the icing on the cake with these things, right now, they're just too undefined in the rough, and they clash more than they will when they're the same color as the rest of the car.


I saw it and didn't like it. Thought I would suggest an alternate approach to see if there was anything in it that you did like. Sometimes I get lucky. :p
 
Gauges: (even though I do not have one) Pyrometer

Finish: Router then Fiberglass Resin. At that point you can add further shape with putty, paint or "cover" it with an appealing vinyl wrap (then clear).

Mike, you will not be happy with the flat MDF dash. It will remind you of the screwed in Oak dashes of the 90's conversion vans, or worse...a drag car without the gain of weight loss. Glass it, add some shape in the process and finish it in something semi-modern to match your interior. You could even use the old-school audio enclosure method and utilize sweater fabric/mounts to glass and build further shape.

All part of the plan RD. (except the pyrometer)I know that I'd hate a conversion van looking dash myself as well. I do intend to add something to give the face dimension, and there is definitely gonna be fiberglass added to do that.

I saw it and didn't like it. Thought I would suggest an alternate approach to see if there was anything in it that you did like. Sometimes I get lucky. :p

Now how am I supposed to know that you saw the last one when you quote using one that was from an earlier shot? The only option I have now to change anything is to start over w/ a cut off wheel.

Now, before you get sympathetic, and decide that maybe I'm somehow hurt, or offended that you don't like it, understand that I'm only 50% in love w/ the new version myself. The only reason that there is not a 3rd version is because it's welded to Hell and back.

The last thing that I saw that "inspired" me was this:(and not just the vents either)
Porsche%20Cayman%20T%20style%20side%20skirts%20700.jpg

Completely flat, W/ no protrusion at all. w/ maybe (3) 1-1.5" deep slightly forward angled fins inside the recessed box w/a screen at the bottom.
 

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Mike... I have never had a doubt that what you end up with will be the look you're after.

Though I did arrive late tot he party, I'd have felt bad if I didn't toss the idea out there and missed an "Oh :poo:, that's it" moment.

My post is position perfectly for where you perceived it to be. You gotta trust though, that I read the rest of your thread.

The new idea is a HUGE improvement over the external scoop. I like portions of the new scoop but I liken what's there to something like this: It's like you're going for first generation Star Trek but have stumbled into Klingon territory and run into the outskirts of Mad Max.

Beyond that, I have no real solutions. :chin

I looked at some close-ups of a few other cars to see how they were constructed. That's what made me think of turning the first one you made 180* and flipping upside down into a boat that's sunk into the body.


Oh look.... Shiney

:leaving:
 
Mike... I have never had a doubt that what you end up with will be the look you're after.

Though I did arrive late tot he party, I'd have felt bad if I didn't toss the idea out there and missed an "Oh ****, that's it" moment.

My post is position perfectly for where you perceived it to be. You gotta trust though, that I read the rest of your thread.

The new idea is a HUGE improvement over the external scoop. I like portions of the new scoop but I liken what's there to something like this: It's like you're going for first generation Star Trek but have stumbled into Klingon territory and run into the outskirts of Mad Max.

Beyond that, I have no real solutions. :chin

I looked at some close-ups of a few other cars to see how they were constructed. That's what made me think of turning the first one you made 180* and flipping upside down into a boat that's sunk into the body.


Oh look.... Shiney



:leaving:

And the funny part of the story is this:

I had a filling done on Tuesday. That filling wasn't adjusted properly, and interfered with my "bite".
The tooth directly beneath the filled one was traumatized all to hell to the point of I couldn't eat, I couldn't drink, I couldn't even stand for the toothbrush to touch it. It was so bad, that I had to go to a dentist on Saturday to fix it.

So here I was, driving the 20+ miles to go downtown to one of the only dentists open on a Saturday in mortal pain, and it didn't stop me from stopping at the import place where I saw a Porsche Cayman to look at that side scoop first.

Time to go get a cut off wheel I guess.
 
And the funny part of the story is this:

I had a filling done on Tuesday. That filling wasn't adjusted properly, and interfered with my "bite".
The tooth directly beneath the filled one was traumatized all to hell to the point of I couldn't eat, I couldn't drink, I couldn't even stand for the toothbrush to touch it. It was so bad, that I had to go to a dentist on Saturday to fix it.

So here I was, driving the 20+ miles to go downtown to one of the only dentists open on a Saturday in mortal pain, and it didn't stop me from stopping at the import place where I saw a Porsche Cayman to look at that side scoop first.

Time to go get a cut off wheel I guess.


...and man believes that his destiny is his own hands. :rlaugh:
 
Reptiles breathe air, so they do not have gills.
A Gila Monster is a reptile.
Again, just to be sure that all of you reading know that I know the difference between my reptiles/ amphibians/ and fish. And now that I've got the biology lesson out of the way, I wanted everybody to know that I know that.

All this to say that today, I have created a new species.

A reptile with gills.


This solution is the first of the three where I can honestly say that I don't care what others' think. I am finally satisfied with what the final result will end like.

I'll call these Gila Gills,..(or G gills for short.)
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Still missing a piece in front, the back, the grille, and the tube to allow me to duct the hose to the radiators, welding it in and blending it in to finish. (aka another 8 hours).

The gills are actually made up of 12 pieces of 18 ga. steel, all individually cut and welded one at a time, piece by piece.
temporary_zps88119fe4.jpg

The two center pieces are siamesed, and tig welded at the apex of the "V". You might think that it would've been easier to just insert them into a frame, and that might be the case, but for some reason, I have a problem tig welding at an angle.
I need the corners to look like this:
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Mild bubbles in the corners are easily filed out to leave a clean, sharp edge.

So, I finally came up w/ a solution that I can say I like, and that I am happy enough with to actually leave alone.
 

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No, Noobz......there'll be no trim ring. After cutting the old one off the "trim ring treatment" is off the table for this body mod.

Here, I've got another pic for you to prove that it can work.
february-1969-corvette.jpg

I know you don't really care but I like those a lot fwiw. Very cool:nice:
No, you're wrong. I care what everybody thinks. (That's the problem). If everybody would've loved the first scoop, it might've impacted my decision whether or not to get rid of it (I doubt it, but it could happen ;)).
Ultimately, I see the same junk everybody else sees, and kinda know that it's gonna have to change when I submit something for public scrutiny.
I just like the feel of the stones when they hit me.:rolleyes:

I should be able to complete the one side today (if I can find the right mesh to act as a backer), and it'll be easier to see how the thing's gonna look, instead of it just being a big assed hole looking into the body.
 

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No, Noobz......there'll be no trim ring. After cutting the old one off the "trim ring treatment" is off the table for this body mod.

Here, I've got another pic for you to prove that it can work.
february-1969-corvette.jpg


No, you're wrong. I care what everybody thinks. (That's the problem). If everybody would've loved the first scoop, it might've impacted my decision whether or not to get rid of it (I doubt it, but it could happen ;)).
Ultimately, I see the same junk everybody else sees, and kinda know that it's gonna have to change when I submit something for public scrutiny.
I just like the feel of the stones when they hit me.:rolleyes:

I should be able to complete the one side today (if I can find the right mesh to act as a backer), and it'll be easier to see how the thing's gonna look, instead of it just being a big assed hole looking into the body.


So you want pieces of body panel between the vanes? Yeah... I like that idea better too.
 

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