Third time's a charm...right :facepalm:

FreemanGTO said:

Awesome car and great thread.

May I suggest a custom dash mat that fits those pods. Esp if your seeing cracks in the back of the pods etc. It'll help with glare and you can get a material that matches the door felt.

Great thread and keep it up. Encourages me to get the small things done that I need to do to my GTO.

Click to expand...

Thank you.

Quite frankly, I don't feel like spending the $$$ (right now) to have a dash mat made. Once this car is actually running, I still have a ton of visual mods to finish (inside, but mostly out). I honestly don't think the car will be "done" for at least another 2 years.

I mean, there is stuff I have that I haven't even started working on...like a flat bottomed G8 steering wheel w/ the upper portion made from a banksia pod (sorta like how some people have carbon fiber or wood). I also want to make a matching shift lever handle and e-brake handle too. I chose banksia pods, because they are native to Australia. This is what a stabilized banksia pod blank looks like. This one was stabilized and filled with a blue/silver resin:





They have a specific look, which is pretty cool. I'd have to find one which is curved for the steering wheel, but I don't think that would be an issue. If it can be stabilized using a black or dark charcoal and let to set (without the holes being filled), I could come back and dip the pod in orange, silver and dark charcoal resins to accent those round holes...but this is a future project.

It only took me a whopping 35 hours (not saying how many years ago I started it) to complete this project. I did start out with only 2 gauge pods and it has gone through a couple of changes. But it's finally done! I will be making a slight modification to it, but that's neither here not there.

I'll begin with how it started back in 201X when it was still a 'normal' looking part. I happened across this because one of the tabs was cracked. In the pic, you can see the magic marker, PVC tubing and the Stewart Warner gauge (from my '99 GP GTP).




After some cutting, I used a bunch of tape to get the positioning just right. Once it was, I used a few dabs of JB Weld to secure it into place. I didn't want to use too much, as I might have had to move it slightly.




This was after the very first coating of fiberglass. I didn't even trim anything back before I stuck a gauge in it to see what it looked like.






...this is right after cutting off the excess fiberglass and smoothing it down a little, but before the real sanding.

NOTE: . . at this point, I bonded the top center part to the pods, to make this one solid part. Eventually, I'd come back and cut the top part off in order to expose the screw holes.





...after the initial sanding (my car in he background, when it was still stock).




Then I managed to get into an accident (totalling my car), followed a year later by 2 engine problems. The first problem was (temporarily) "solved", and this is when I did some mild head work, cammed the car and installed shorty headers. Within 4K miles, I discovered the initial problem caused internal engine damage. I sold that motor and rebuilt an "ALMOST NEW" crate engine, that was in the donor car I acquired...then I went a wee bit CRaY-crAy with the build.

I needed some extra gauges and was going to go with this as a design for the gauge pod:










Then I stood back and saw the err of my ways. This was not only ridiculous looking, but the one pod stuck WAY out and was really hard to get to line up correctly. I ended up with a single gauge pod on the A-Pillar for the 4th gauge (for the record, I have a 5th gauge...which reads "Fuel Pressure" but is actually a N2O gauge). I was going to add a Nitrous Tank in the back seat, but then Illinois got kind of funny on their laws. I opted to not go with that idea and sold the Nitrous Kit. It might have been kind of cool looking, having an empty N2O tank in the back seat, but it probably wasn't worth the headache.

(I'm only allowed 10 pictures ☝☝☝)

The easy part was getting it to stay together. Once that's done, getting it shaped right and removing all the imperfections is the most time consuming part. I sanded this thing for EVER. No joke, the complete project took 35 hours to complete (and then I still had to install the cup holders and duct work to the part. This has been in and out of the car hundreds of times...













Then, with all the family problems going on before my father finally passed in October, the part sat in this state for over a year. I want to say, there is around 25 hours invested up to the pictures in this post. Again, the vast majority of the time at this point and beyond was sanding it down to reveal any and all the flaws in the finish. At the end, I used filler primer and a contrasting flash coat of paint to reveal the layers...so you don't sand through the primer.

Here is the center console after 32 hours of work:








....and then I painted it. Finally, the (seemingly) last step in making the part. I wound up making this video for my girlfriend when I first got it installed at the beginning of the weekend. I don't care what anyone says, I am so proud of this part...and 90% of the people who see this piece wont even know how custom it really is.

HERE's the VIDEO of the piece with an explanation of the cupholders:

It's been a while and I was busy doing other weekend projects for "The Other" car, getting it ready for "Pontiac Adventures". I had a slight brake issue, with one of the rear guide pins (for the caliper bracket) was rusted. The rubber boot was bad and the pin rusted in place. I couldn't get it to budge, so I had to replace it.

Here's the link to my post on here about "Pontiac Adventures":

I had a goal to get the GTO finished for this show, but there was a LOT to complete in the 8 months. I still have to figure out the fuel system, make a couple brackets (pass side coil packs / P/S reservoir), complete the DuSPEED CAI 👈 and paint it. The diff isn't back yet, which is completely ON ME. I had to pay for shipping and I couldn't set up and figure out e-banking. There is also the DSS 1400 hp axles, which aren't here yet. They were supposed to originally be shipped out July 22nd, which got pushed to August 19th, then Sept. 3rd and finally Sept. 30th...(today is October 10th - NO AXLES yet!).

Bottom line, the car wasn't going to get done.

PLUS, it has almost been a year sine my father passed away and going into the garage with his '36 Ford, 1960 and 1973 full size Pontiacs next to my '06 project was a little tough. I almost didn't go to "Pontiac Adventures", because the last time I did, my father was still alive. I could have missed it and had some extra time with my dad. This show is now, kind of bittersweet. Even though I didn't have the greatest relationship with my dad, I still miss him.

He officially passed away at 9:06 am, on October 15th, but I received the call at 8:22 am; stating they were performing life saving measures on him. They informed me, they tried calling my mother, but she didn't answer. She was in the living room watching T.V. (which I guarantee was VERY loud because...), she didn't have her hearing aids in. Her phone was in her bedroom, so there was ZERO chance of her hearing the phone. They tried calling my sister, but they had her number entered in wrong. She was on her way to Kentucky for some sort of a run (that's her thing; she runs...I play with cars). I was third in line and just pulling into work when...DING DING, I received the call my dad was not responsive to life saving measures, and they needed power of attorney to terminate life.

It was a Friday and I don't have a front desk person because Fridays and Saturdays are 'by appointment'. I had to call all the people to let them know I couldn't stay, while ALSO trying to all my mother and getting phone updates on how they were breaking my fathers ribs / sternum, etc. every 8 or 9 minutes from 8:22 am...until 9:06 am.....


So this next few weeks are going to suck! Even if I get the parts, I probably wont be doing much on the car.

For my sanity, I needed to work on the car and free up some space in the garage. Yesterday, after work, I managed to reinstall the headlights (after trying to find the bolts - 🤷‍♂️ ) and I reinstalled the front bumper. I couldn't resist setting the gauges in place, (I snapped a few more pictures of the console for myself and y'all).

After looking at the console closely, I have to finish up some of the finer paint details. My painted edges are NOT good...they suck! I need to work on having more crisp lines. It's good enough for now, but I'm going to make the details look better.

I'm still waiting on the DSS Axles and the diff.. The diff was shipped last week...and once the diff gets here, I'll put that back in. Then I can install the drive shaft, start putting in the Magnaflow 3" exhaust, mock up the cutouts and start finishing up the fuel system. This will get even MORE stuff out of the garage, and give me some much needed room. I'm really hoping I wont have to wait the 6 to 8 months for the 1400 hp axles to come in...but it looks like DSS is taking forrrrrrreeeeever to complete orders. At least, if I can get the underside buttoned up a litte, I can get the car back on the ground and put the rear bumper back on.















The car is really dirty, but I needed to free up some space. I got the front bumper back on and this headlights haven't been in the car for a very long time (as in YEARS!) Also, the side skirts and bumpers take up a LOT of room in the garage. Hopefully, by the end of this weekend, I can have the car back on the ground. 🤞

This was delivered today:







That started out as a stock diff...


I ordered / paid for the Wavetec 12 bolt diff., the gears were ordered by the assembler (3.08's) and were cryogenically treated. The diff case and yolk were cleaned / coated by the assembler (case = silver / yolk = black). A large magnet installed in the Harrop cover. All new side adjusters, DSS 4340 bolt on inner stubs.

There is a Hendrix Engineering heavy duty Harrop bracket to go on with this.

Some progress was made this weekend. A friend came over and we hung the diff. (...and it was well hung -- HA! 🤪

I neglected to make sure I had al the bolts / nuts and plastic connectors I needed to complete everything, but I did get a lot cleaned out a lot in the garage.

Here's the differential on the transmission jack adapter (on a terry cloth towel - tripled up). I could have done this myself, but it was a TON easier with another best of hands.












After snapping the below picture, I was counting the number of aftermarket parts in it. Though you can't see the Wavetrac and Cryogenically Tx'd (3.07) Motive Gears in the diff., I first thought there was 16, but I had to correct it to 17.…(you'd think I know my own car 🤷‍♂️ ).




1). Brembo brakes, 2). Bohnman brake brackets, 3). Russel braided brake lines, 4). DBA rotors, 5). Strange coilovers, 6). G-Force toe rods, coilovers brackets, 7). Harrop diff cover, 8). Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings, 9). DSS inner stubs and D/S, 10). Summit Racing / 11). Vibrant Perf. PTFE braided lines and fittings, 12). JBA longies / mids, 13). RPM Trans. - in the pic, but are hidden from view are the: 14). Wavetrac & 15). Motive Gears, as well as 16). McLeod RXT Clutch and 17). Ram throw hydraulic release bearing and 18). ARP lug studs. The 19). Fuel Lab fuel filter, 20). Hendrix Engineering H.D. diff bracket and DSS 1400 hp axles and 21). Magnaflow 3" exhaust and 22). (???) aftermarket electric cutouts aren't installed...YET ).

Before the snow started flying, I was tasked with moving the GTO into the back of the garage, to make room for my dad's old truck. I had a TON of parts, old boxes, the bumpers and stuff sitting in boxes and on shelves all around the garage. I really needdd to cleanup the garage and put stuff away to make room.

There was a new (in the box) Magnaflow 3" exhaust in the back of the garage, which has been there for 4 years. I never got a chance to install it until the week before Thanksgiving. I re-discovered the 3" electric cutouts and got them mocked up . marked the Magnaflow exhaust in where the cutouts should be welded in.



Here are the cutouts!!!








After some time cleaning up the garage, this is what I still had to deal with. There are a LOT of parts strewn all over the garage.









It took a few days, but here is theback all cleaned out and one shelving unit moved.



...and then the GTO was pushed back, into the corner for a short rest...NOT a long slumber. There is still a LOT of work to do!!!






Then, I came to work on Monday the 28th and my DSS 1400 hp axles showed up!!! I ordered these on June 22nd through Tick Performance. Unfortinately, all of the DSS parts were on backorder for some time (which I wasunaware). Some guys had to wait up to 8 months for their parts. Luckily, I only had to wait for 5....





Before I do anything else on the GTO, I have to fix a few rust issues on my Dad's old Silverado. I should have that all taken care of before Christmas, or right around the first of the year.

This Friday I will be turning 50 - UGH!!! I can SO WAIT a long time for this to happen...but it's right around the corner. Oh well!

Happy Birthday to me. I wonder what I'll be buying myself for my 50th...???

Any guesses???

I put a post on one of those FB forums in December, somethng like, "All I want for Christmas (for my GOAT) is a roof spoiler...

I had been in contact with Repliglass (in Australia) and figured out what it would take to import a copy of the HSV roof spoiler to the U.S. Turns out, shipping is more than 2X the cost of the part - and the part is SMALL. Still, I am going for a certain look on the car and started the process to import one here. To buy one was $270 (essentially $180 US), but it would be a grand total of $560 (U.S.) to bring it here to the U.S. I thought that was a LOT of $$$, but I figured, it was worth it.

Then I got a message from a friend....




☝...oh ! I need to reinstall that C-Pillar trim!



I should probably take a pic of the bottom, showing the HSV embossed logo. I didn't. I was too excited to get the part and I wanted to see it on the car. The ONLY problem with this piece is it was sitting on a shelf and started to flatten out. Right now, it doesn't sit properly on the window. I'm going to have to put some small weights ont he ends and see if I can get it to go back to "normal".

I also had to remove the Harrop cover. Like an idiot, I didn't hang the carrrier bracket when I installed the diff. in the car. I could remove the diff, or I could drop the cover. The later was MUCH easier to do. . ..and since it was off, I decided to paint it to make it easier to clean in the future. ...also since I'm 'me', why not just just up the ante on the difficulty a bit and add some detailing to the cover...???





After shooting it with aluminum engine enamel, I used some VHT burnt orange engine enamel to accent the fins. I did try out black and red first. It just didn't look right ad I then went with the Burnt Orange. This looked 100X better. Plus, the burnt orange is REALLY close to the body color. For about 15 seconds I was almost kinda kicking myself I didn't paint the engine this color. Then I realized, the engine painted orange would have made the ar look like a...well, that would have been a LOT of 🍊🍊🍊. Sometimes the contrasting colors are better.

What is that saying? "Once you go orange, you never go . .. blor. ..flor...."

...???...
🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

Anyway, it would have been a LOT of orange!






I still want to do something with the Harrop logo...so stay tuned.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _



I'm going to start a new thread for the memorbilia, oddball parts, dealership and promotional items for the '04 to '06 GTO. Before I even had this car, I got myself a copy of the 2004 'aluminum' brochure (never opened) as well as the press release kit, with the GTO poster, DVD and whatever else was in the little black box (also never opened). Since I got the car, I've managed to locate all kinds of weird stuff. This is one of my recent finds.....

I'm sure many of you know about the movie "the LAST RIDE" with Dennis Hopper. Though I've never seen the movie, I looked up the premise and saw the trailer for it. I'm VERY vaguely familiar with the concept of it basically being a 90 minute long advertisement for the 2004 GTO.

I managed to find an unopened DVD, a brand new ball cap, but I was looking for a brand new T-Shirt and movie poster to go along with the other stuff. My idea is to eventiually start making shadow boxes and put ALL of "the LAST RIDE" stuff in one.

Everytthing was fine and dandy, but then I discovered this. 👇 👇 👇 Apparently, there were 2 versions of the T-Shirt (? who knew ?) !!! I thought I'd share this ith everyone, being I think this is kind of cool. Here are the 2 shirts I have. The one on the bottom is a size large and the on top is an extra large. The XL has the exact same size 'movie poster' picture thing; which is silk screened on the back side of the shirt.....






....BUT...on the front of the shirt, it's a completely different story. The wording on the extra large T-Shirt is significantly larger, AND is on an 45 degree angle. I'm not sure how many of these shirts were made, whether or not one is more rare than the other, BUT I feel these two need to be displayed together, to show the contrast / difference in the shirts.






I suspect, being the XL is so much lrger than the other, the smaller wording in the center looked wrong...?!?...maybe possibly...?!? Perhaps the remedy was to make the red letters larger...I don't know. All I know is there are 2 different versions. For those of you who didn't know this and are like, "<hmph> that's cool", you're welcome. For anyone like me who are borderline obsessive / compulsive with knowing or having ALL the little nuances and variations...I'm SO SORRY! Go grab your security blanket and repeat after me....



It will be O.K.!
It will be O.K.!
It will be O.K.!




Who are we kidding...you need to call your therapist...NOW!