# 1972 Chevelle Build



## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

I'll be the first to admit, this forum can be very intimidating for the novice. The level of work presented in some of the builds on here is impressive to say the least! With that said, this won't be one of those show stopper builds, but I don't see many classic/muscle car builds so I'll throw some details out for our build and see if there is any interest.

The install is for our 1972 Chevelle. The car was purchased by my parents new and I’ve had it since high school in the mid 80’s. We are doing an extensive frame off resto-mod with new suspension, engine, transmission, and all the goodies. Further details can be found on our website.
The plan for the audio build is a clean non obtrusive install with good sound quality. The entire interior has been lined with Second Skin Damplifier Pro and topped with Second Skin Luxury Liner Pro and Heat Wave Pro above the headliner. The bottom of the car was sprayed with an undercoating while it was on the rotisserie.

The equipment line-up looks like this _(So Far)_;
Retrosound Model One Head Unit (Couldn’t cut the brand new dash yet. I’m prepared to swap out for a better HU in the glove box if needed.)
JL Audio C2-600 Separates in the kick panels
JL Audio C2-690TX in the rear deck 
JL Audio 10W3v3 (Sealed enclosure) 
JL Audio JX250 Mono for the Sub (Could be more for the W3) 
JL Audio JX360/4 for the front and rear
145Amp Alternator (Radiator fans pull almost 60amps alone)
2-Farard Cap (Overkill)

The first step is to figure out the kick pods. The stock dash had perf in the vinyl for small 4x5 speakers, but when we rebuild/recover the dash, I don’t want to add the perf, so kick pods are the solution. We purchased a set of repop panels and started building the speaker rings for the C2’s. After some research on this site, we grabbed a slab of MDF and started making dust. For a first attempt, I think they turned out well, but we made it harder than it needed to be.


















Park brake lever clearance is always an issue for these kick panels. By recessing the speaker into the ring, we clear the park brake without relocating the mounting brackets.

















































Ultimately, I would like for the drivers and tweeters to have better directional presence towards the cabin of the car, but in this configuration, they are tucked up tight and out of the way. If they don't sound good, we will regroup. Next step is to pick up some fleece, resin, and body filler to get the panels molded and prepare for covering with black vinyl.

Updates to follow...


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## schmiddr2 (Aug 10, 2009)

Might look into electronic parking brake to give you more room to build the kicks. Also, chop that dash...lol. Joking, only the owner knows how that will feel to cut something like that.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

schmiddr2 said:


> Might look into electronic parking brake to give you more room to build the kicks. Also, *chop that dash*...lol. Joking, only the owner knows how that will feel to cut something like that.


I hear you on the dash. I had the template cut and was ready to go after the dash but just couldn't do it. I figured I can always come back and cut it when I don't like the HU, but once it's cut, it's *CUT*!

Not much progress tonight. Second coat of resin applied. I need to get faster at spreading resin and need to buy more disposable brushes...


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

The process hasn't been as smooth as I had planned, but that tends to happen the first time you try anything.

We ended up with a layer of fleece, two layers of resin, a layer of non-directional matt, three more layers of resin on the front, and backfilled some of the areas with more resin. Everything was going along great until we did the final test fit. Sure enough, all the build-up on the drivers side wouldn't let the pod clear the e-brake bracket. Out came the saw, more glass, more resin, more body filler, and it was time to stretch the vinyl.

As if the project wasn't fighting us enough, the first attempt at laying vinyl became a disaster. I cut a relief cut too deep and it tore exposing part of a radius I was trying to cover. After tearing all the vinyl off, we found it left some of the vinyl backing in splotches which would show thru the new vinyl. The details get ugly, but an hour with lacquer thinner, stripper gel, and a bondo scraper brought us back to where we started.

After all was said and done, we have our first pod covered. There is a very minor wrinkle at the bottom radius I can't get out, but it's barely noticeable. Chances are the perfectionist will take over and I'll end up peeling this one again. It depends on how the driver side goes. Anyway, here is the first one.


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## schmiddr2 (Aug 10, 2009)

They look good man. Fiberglass takes practice and most people don't get it right the first time or think they could have done it better. With the floor carpet in and some clean up they should blend in really well.


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## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

Nice work on the kicks.

You got any before/after pictures of the car?


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## trinity_rush2001 (Sep 1, 2009)

I'm curious as to what you used to cut your rings. I've never seen a drill bit like that


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## iroller (Dec 11, 2010)

Don't Don't Don't cut the dash, put one of those plastic pods under the dash they look good and there easy.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

Chaos said:


> Nice work on the kicks.
> 
> You got any before/after pictures of the car?


The car is still being assembled, but since you asked, here are a few snapshots. There are a ton of images on our website if you are interested. This is a one-family car. My parents bought it new and handed it down to me in ~1983 when I turned 15.

First day home after 9.5 years in storage

































































trinity_rush2001 said:


> I'm curious as to what you used to cut your rings. I've never seen a drill bit like that


It's called a circle cutter. I think I got mine at Woodcraft ~$35. It works good, but won't do much beyond an 6.5" ring.










I still used a router and flush trim bit, but in hind-sight, it wasn't really needed.

-Doug


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

iroller said:


> Don't Don't Don't cut the dash, put one of those plastic pods under the dash they look good and there easy.


No worries, I can't see myself cutting the dash. I'm not a big fan of the under dash pods so if I can't make the HU that's in there work the way I want, I'll put a HU in the glove box and route a remote sensor into the cabin area. I can't believe I threw out my old Kenwood when I did the tear-down. It must have made it into the wrong box.


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## Cablguy184 (Oct 7, 2010)

Very nice restoration !!! I had a 67 Chevelle back in the day ... Wish I had it back ... 
I think those pods will sound GREAT !!! Just as good as they look ...


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## iroller (Dec 11, 2010)

Nice looking motor you got alot into that.


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## underdog (Jul 5, 2011)

I see many install head units in the glove box.
I have an old secret audio unit here i used on one build.

Anyway looks good.
Hope your friend gets well soon


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

Cablguy184 said:


> Very nice restoration !!! I had a 67 Chevelle back in the day ... Wish I had it back ...
> I think those pods will sound GREAT !!! Just as good as they look ...


I love the 67 Chevelle's. I have to give credit to my wife. She is the one that wouldn't let me sell our Chevelle for so many years.



iroller said:


> Nice looking motor you got alot into that.


Nothing to extreme in there. Dyno turned in numbers of 393HP and 454lb-ft on pump gas. It's tied to a built-up non-locking 700R4 and posi out back. Should make for a nice cruiser.



underdog said:


> I see many install head units in the glove box.
> I have an old secret audio unit here i used on one build.
> 
> Anyway looks good.
> Hope your friend gets well soon


I looked at the Secret Audio system, but the Retro Sound unit mouted up in the original dash location and has a built-in docking pod for SD cards and an iPod jack. It would be ideal, but I'll have to see.

On a side note, I've already started upgrading the equipment plan. I shipped back the JX250/1 in favor of the JX500/1. I had been second guessing the JX250 since I bought it and after picking up a JL 10W3V3-2, I figured we wouldn't regret having the JX500, but we may regret having only the JX250. The 2-Farad cap and added overhead of the amp with the remote gain will be nice if we need it.

Thanks guys...
Doug


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## blackknight87 (Jul 11, 2011)

I love Chevelle's. I like the 1970 and 1971 years the most. But Still awesome

subscribing.


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## BowDown (Sep 24, 2009)

Very nice build so far. Looking forward to more updates.


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

I just got done a 1972 Chevelle SS stereo install... But I went all old school with everything. If you want to know what's in it PM me.


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## scooter99 (Dec 21, 2008)

I'm in for this. I love the oldies! They just don't make cars like that anymore!


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

Eclipse cd4000
Elipse 3way 6.5's
Eclipse 4way 6X9's
3 - Xtant 10" DVC's
Xtant x1000/1
Xtant 301a
6 Farad SPL Cap
Xtant P505 equalizer


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

jester said:


> Eclipse cd4000
> Elipse 3way 6.5's
> Eclipse 4way 6X9's
> 3 - Xtant 10" DVC's
> ...


Jester - Let's see some pics! You went much bigger than I did! In it's hayday (High school) this car ha 3-amps, active crossovers, and 12 speakers. I'm confident the system we are building today will sound and look 10x better.

-Doug


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## Bluliner (May 16, 2011)

This was a LOOONG time ago, but if I remember correctly, it's not too difficult to 'hang' a mounting cage just under the dash. I forgot what it screwed to, but some backstrap brazened onto the mounting cage of the HU and a few screws later & the radio was installed. Did not cut a thing nor did it get in the way of the console.

I have no idea if I have pics...I'll see if I can dig some up.


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

schmiddr2 said:


> Might look into electronic parking brake to give you more room .


is their really such a thing? :surprised: because I wish to try some kicks. if i can I would love to. hmmm



oh and very nice build, not to leave a generic comment but i will be keeping an eye on this one  the old age of the car really caught my attention, always fun to see a classic worked on.


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## schmiddr2 (Aug 10, 2009)

eviling said:


> is their really such a thing?


http://www.skf.com/files/866613.pdf


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

i have a few pics:


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

schmiddr2 said:


> http://www.skf.com/files/866613.pdf


oh, not thread jacking sorry, it's relevent to the thread still 


but that seems like a rather simple solution. how hard of an install is that? i'm a rather machanicly inclined person, but cars and me are uhm yeah. not the best of friends, car audio is one thing, wiring is second nature to me.  i say simple solution becuase i googled up some stuff and i found this one 

\Electric Park Brake | TRW Automotive :surprised:


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

eviling said:


> is their really such a thing? :surprised: because I wish to try some kicks. if i can I would love to. hmmm
> 
> oh and very nice build, not to leave a generic comment but i will be keeping an eye on this one  the old age of the car really caught my attention, always fun to see a classic worked on.


It's been an adventure to say the least. In hindsight, I could have picked something a little easier for our first frame-off project, but hey... it was already in the garage. 



jester said:


> i have a few pics:


Jester - Nice setup! I see you went without the spare tire option...



eviling said:


> oh, not thread jacking sorry, it's relevent to the thread still
> 
> 
> but that seems like a rather simple solution. how hard of an install is that? i'm a rather machanicly inclined person, but cars and me are uhm yeah. not the best of friends, car audio is one thing, wiring is second nature to me.  i say simple solution becuase i googled up some stuff and i found this one
> ...


 No worries about thread jacking! I appreciate the insight and it's definitely applicable to this application and most old muscle cars. It ends up we won't need to go this route, but if we decide to change something down the road, we may definitely consider something like these actuators.


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

dougchambers said:


> No worries about thread jacking! I appreciate the insight and it's definitely applicable to this application and most old muscle cars. It ends up we won't need to go this route, but if we decide to change something down the road, we may definitely consider something like these actuators.


well my 04' monte has a kick break  that's why it interests me.


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## iroller (Dec 11, 2010)

Love the old cars I have 7 of them,way to many. Both chevelle's look great I have a 67. I'm starting to collect stuff to do a install, just got a Octane LE from Mac. Good luck.


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## dode (Jan 18, 2009)

Great! I love those cars.

John


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

Word of advice when dynamating the back wall: don't cover the holes there. I found out that the fenders tend to flex a lot and your not getting all of the bass.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

id of definitely modded that parking break and brought the speakers more on axis. those kicks are huge, you could put 8's in there... or even 10's. maybe just welded a bracket up to push the parking break over about 5 inches. maybe push it back a bit further under the dash. i dunno. but i dont like the angle of the midrange at all


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

dougchambers said:


> It's been an adventure to say the least. In hindsight, I could have picked something a little easier for our first frame-off project, but hey... it was already in the garage.
> 
> Jester - Nice setup! I see you went without the spare tire option...
> 
> No worries about thread jacking! I appreciate the insight and it's definitely applicable to this application and most old muscle cars. It ends up we won't need to go this route, but if we decide to change something down the road, we may definitely consider something like these actuators.


Thank you. I didn't have the spare tire in mind with it because it's a show car and most people have AAA or some sort of breakdown insurance. 

Your build is looking quite good too.


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

dude!!!!! How is the build going?


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

wait a second! i saw this car over in pottsville.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

req said:


> id of definitely modded that parking break and brought the speakers more on axis. those kicks are huge, you could put 8's in there... or even 10's. maybe just welded a bracket up to push the parking break over about 5 inches. maybe push it back a bit further under the dash. i dunno. but i dont like the angle of the midrange at all


I have to agree... I'm not overly pleased with the angle of the pods, but I'm going to start like this and see where it gets us. It's got to be better than the old dash locations, but the nice thing is that we've proven we can do it with aftermarket kicks, so if we don't like the end result, we will just build new ones.



eviling said:


> wait a second! i saw this car over in pottsville.


 Which car???


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

jester said:


> dude!!!!! How is the build going?


Jester - No significant updates. The pods are done and we just found out our wheels are done and being shipped over to get rubber mounted, balanced, and then shipped up to us. I'm thinking we should have them next week. In order to get ready, we've been wrapping up a few details on the brake system so we have something to mount the tires too.  Wilwood Dynalite drill/slotted rotors all the way around with 6-piston calipers up-front and 4-piston calipers out back.

Tonight I'm going to start laying out the box and amp rack to see how it will fit up.


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

dougchambers said:


> I have to agree... I'm not overly pleased with the angle of the pods, but I'm going to start like this and see where it gets us. It's got to be better than the old dash locations, but the nice thing is that we've proven we can do it with aftermarket kicks, so if we don't like the end result, we will just build new ones.
> 
> Which car???


the c hevelle...your the guy with the hyndai right?


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

eviling said:


> the c hevelle...your the guy with the hyndai right?


Sorry... No Hyundai in our garage. We are out in Idaho


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

oh i mistook the post by another member who posted a chevelle ive seen at a show.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

eviling said:


> oh i mistook the post by another member who posted a chevelle ive seen at a show.


No worries... I'll need to find that other thread! Not a too many Chevelles on this site.


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

Yes i am the one with the Hyundai. And now the fronts speakers are working in the chevelle. the inputs and a resistor went on the 302a. 


Those wheels are going to look righteous on your chevelle!


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

jester said:


> ...Those wheels are going to look righteous on your chevelle!


 For what they cost, they better! I was expecting a tracking number last night, but they must be shipping today. Let's hope!


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

Best of luck with them. are you going to use raised white letter tires?


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

jester said:


> Best of luck with them. are you going to use raised white letter tires?


No raised letters. We are having Nitto NT555's mounted 245/45/18 front and 285/40/18s' out back.


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## iroller (Dec 11, 2010)

I have 18'' nitto's on my car the fronts are 255's on the front with a big back space and the car drives like ****, tires and wheel backspace have the steering geometry way out of wack ,they grab the road ,car wants to dart all over the place can drive in comfort.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

iroller said:


> I have 18'' nitto's on my car the fronts are 255's on the front with a big back space and the car drives like ****, tires and wheel backspace have the steering geometry way out of wack ,they grab the road ,car wants to dart all over the place can drive in comfort.


How much backspace are you running up front? Are you running stock control arms and spindles? We got the brakes bled last night, but the peddle is softer than I think it should be so we will double check for leaks today and bleed some more.

For the audio side, I've started drafting up the amp rack and placement of the sub. I can't decided if we want to go with a centered sub and balance the amps on either side with the power block and 2F cap or stack all the amps on one side and shift the sub to the side. With the 6x9s in the rear deck, it might make more sense to put the sub in the middle and sort the rest out as we go.

-Doug


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

jester said:


> Yes i am the one with the Hyundai. And now the fronts speakers are working in the chevelle. the inputs and a resistor went on the 302a.
> 
> 
> Those wheels are going to look righteous on your chevelle!


haha, i was behind your buddys chevelle over in windgap on 512 the other day :laugh: theirs no mistaking it either, it was that chevelle lol not many golden resotred 72 chevelles rolling around :laugh:


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

eviling said:


> haha, i was behind your buddys chevelle over in windgap on 512 the other day :laugh: theirs no mistaking it either, it was that chevelle lol not many golden resotred 72 chevelles rolling around :laugh:


Or any that sound that loud :laugh:


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## iroller (Dec 11, 2010)

Haven't been back to this tread in a couple of weeks. The back space I used on the front was alot almost as much as the rears was a bad call on my part, but I don't remember what it was.


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

I am a BIG FAN of someone saving a piece of history and having the dedication and means to do so! Kudos to you and best of luck.....:beerchug:

Cheers,
Scott


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## chevyrider96 (Mar 5, 2010)

Real clean and simple, I likes! Mo pics!


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

jester said:


> Best of luck with them. are you going to use raised white letter tires?


:laugh:


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## iroller (Dec 11, 2010)

Doug, What brand are the wheels they look good.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

chevyrider96 said:


> Real clean and simple, I likes! Mo pics!


More pictures coming. The whole care build is over at '72 Malibu Index Page if you want all the details.



iroller said:


> Doug, What brand are the wheels they look good.


The wheels are here and mounted up. They are Rushforth Superspokes. 18x8s up front and 18x10s out back. The suspension has been dropped a few inches so they tuck up nicely in the wheel wells. I'll get a copy of shots on the car tomorrow if I get a chance.

As for the audio, we built a new rigid package tray for the 6x9s out of 1/4" MDF. I'll seal it up and cover a couple layers of floss or batting and black vinyl to match the kick pods.

For the trunk, I built the recommended dimensions from the JL-Audio manual. The box is going to sit on the hump under the rear deck firing into the trunk. There just wasn't as much room on the vertical face where the sub will be so I'm going to build the amp rack on the floor of the trunk with a false bottom/cover if we need to transport anything. The goal is to maintain enough room for a ~27" dia spare tire donut as backup for long trips to shows. I ran out of wood tonight so I'm off to HD first thing in the morning. 

The trunk will be lined with Second Skin Damplifier Pro and MLV just like the interior before covering and putting the wood down. Doesn't look like much yet, but it's coming.

Anyone know if you can mount a stiffening cap horizontally? I don't think they are oil filled so I wouldn't think there would be a problem?


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

For better bass sound quality try opening up the rear deck in between where the 6x9's go. the sound quality is 100 times better and cleaner. just an idea for you to do.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

jester said:


> For better bass sound quality try opening up the rear deck in between where the 6x9's go. the sound quality is 100 times better and cleaner. just an idea for you to do.


Jester - Interesting idea. I was thinking about that as I was looking at the space between the deck and sub box. The sub will be firing into the back of the car and the back will be framed on the 4-sides and bottom. Second Skin and MLV on all surfaces. If I were to open the deck in the middle, I'm not sure I would get much added presence of the sub unless I change the direction the sub is pointing.

Thoughts?


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

You would think that changing the direction would help.... BUT it will actually make it worse. Because the sound waves will be traveling so fast they won't go out of the deck.

Face the sub(S) towards that back as you would normally do... Once the subs hits the sound wave hits the trunk it will bounce back... and go through the port in your deck. It will sound more focused and the sound waves won't interfere your 6x9s as much. 

I have done this in my Berretta and in the Chevelle SS. It will be night and day in sound quality.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

Thanks Jester... I'll take a look. I'm thinking I can get an 8" or 10" grill in the center of the deck pretty easily. There is already a pretty large cut-out in the center for the defroster option (not installed). We could just open the MDF package tray, install some black speaker mesh, and it would look great.

-Doug


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## jonlem (Jun 16, 2011)

Looks great.


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## iroller (Dec 11, 2010)

Doug,how are you going to fasten the floor in the trunk to the metal floor screw och,or double sided tape ?


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

iroller said:


> Doug,how are you going to fasten the floor in the trunk to the metal floor screw och,or double sided tape ?


At this point, the floor really can't move much. The center rib was redone with a dado cut, T-Nuts, and counter sunk screws so it's perfectly flat and tight. Just to be safe, I'm going to use a set of holes already in the trunk pan on the outer edges to run a bolt through. The bolts will be behind the vertical block off panels and out-of-sight. Under the floor plates are a series of ribs to create a solid flat base to work from. 

Attaching the sides and other panels is still a little in question, but I'll get it figured out. I want to make them somewhat removable for a hidden tool kit and access to the bulbs.

-Doug


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

No problem Doug! Another Idea is to sound deaden the deck too. (you probably already did that ). Need any more advice I'd be glad to help.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

jester said:


> No problem Doug! Another Idea is to sound deaden the deck too. (you probably already did that ). Need any more advice I'd be glad to help.


Great idea... I already covered the package tray in Damplifier Pro. I was also thinking about putting a layer of MLV on the bottom side of the package tray. The rest of the trunk is covered in DP and MLV. I'll have to see about the deck lid. If I put DP on the lid, I'll want to find a way to make a false cover so I don't see the foil.

Thanks again,
Doug


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

Most foils are paintable. Grab a scratch piece and try painting it with the color of your interior. If that doesn't work get some small carpeting of ur color and u can def glue it down.


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## iroller (Dec 11, 2010)

Could you sound deaden the bottom of the deck or would you still get sound reflection off the top ?


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

iroller said:


> Could you sound deaden the bottom of the deck or would you still get sound reflection off the top ?


Yes, that will def reflect the sound back into the trunk. And the port created will have no effect.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

A little more time in the shop today with some success. First order of business was to build a circle cutter template for the router. Turned out well and sure beats the jig saw method.










More construction.


















The sub will be behind the false wall in the back.

















Next step is to install some mounts and brackets to be hidden behind the panels for securing everything. Still considering moving the amps to side panels to maximize the remaining trunk space, but even with a false floor to cover the amps, we should have enough room for a 27" dia emergency tire on road trips. Not much else, but at least a tire a cooler and chairs. Still a lot of wasted space under the package tray. Perhaps a door and access to a tool kit...

-Doug


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

That def looks like it's going to be a super clean install.


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## Geordie68 (Apr 8, 2010)

subscribed. Love the Chevelle.


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## 91dime (Dec 17, 2008)

Nice build!!! Your doing some good work. I got nitto 555s for my s10 too.


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## south east customz (Jan 17, 2011)

You can also make a rectangular vent . It'll help let bass in and may blend better aesthetically 
Sorta like this.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

91dime said:


> Nice build!!! Your doing some good work. I got nitto 555s for my s10 too.


 I haven't tried the Nitto's out yet, but they look good on the wheels in the garage... Soon though!


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## Kellyo77 (Dec 5, 2009)

I am a huge fan of Nitto tires. Have had several sets on Mustangs and a set of the all-terrain tires on my last truck. Have nothing but good things to say about the 555's and the 555 Drag radials. 

Pictures of the wheels on the car ASAP!


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

south east customz said:


> You can also make a rectangular vent . It'll help let bass in and may blend better aesthetically
> Sorta like this.


Great idea... I'm going to play with some mock-ups this weekend and see what I can come up with.


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

Hey Doug!

How is the build going?


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

jester said:


> Hey Doug!
> 
> How is the build going?


Jester - The audio system came to a halt as we wait for the carpet to come in this week.

The weekend before last saw the first movement of the car under it's own power. We got everything buttoned up underneath, took the car off the stands, torqued the lugs, primed the fuel and fired her up. It was a momentous day to say the least! The inaugural run was half way up the block, turned around and promptly drove back into the garage. No fenders, bumpers, hood, glass, or door latches make for an easy target. At least I had the registration, plates and insurance card on the floor next too me.  It's SO loud with strait headers and no interior or glass yet that I didn't want to abuse the neighbors too much. Our friends across the street said they heard it fire up from the back of their house over the TV. 

Last weekend we mounted up the bumper and tied up some loose ends to get everything ready for paint. With the rear bumper on, I can see a bunch of body work is going to need reworking as the quarters were replaced without the bumper and things aren't quite a square as I want. No worries... It's good to find out now rather than after we put color on the car.

Drum roll.... The color of the week is "Huntington Blue Pearl" with "Chip Silver" stripes. Both colors are part of the BASF Chip Foose Signature Series. I need to call my body guy tomorrow to see when he can do a spray-out test for us. It's only the third or fourth color combination to date so who really knows what color we will end up with.

Carpet should be here Thursday so if I can get some time in the garage, I may finish the rough-in and setup for the trunk before we send everything off to paint. I have two different carpets coming so I can see what will work best for the base and upright pieces. I found an original GM NOS grill in the box and Malibu grill trim in the original GM wrappers that will be here later this week to so we can mock some of that up as well.

-Doug


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## pocket5s (Jan 6, 2012)

Subscribed. I grew up with my dad's chevelles. Went to a lot of shows with him as a kid including several Chevelle-a-brations. It took 16 years before he let me drive his last one 

In the 2nd iteration of it (a 67ss) he actually put a "real" sound system in it, kick panels and all. I'd post a link to it but I don't yet have enough posts :/

You're right, not many people do installs on older vehicles, let alone muscle cars. Keep up the good work.

Oh, I had to smile when I saw that circle cutter. Used one for cutting metal when I was in the USAF doing airframe repair. It scared the hell out of everyone that used it. More than once that set screw would come loose and that cutter would fly off!


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

pocket5s said:


> Subscribed. I grew up with my dad's chevelles. Went to a lot of shows with him as a kid including several Chevelle-a-brations. It took 16 years before he let me drive his last one
> 
> In the 2nd iteration of it (a 67ss) he actually put a "real" sound system in it, kick panels and all. I'd post a link to it but I don't yet have enough posts :/
> 
> ...


Once you get your numbers up, post some pictures of the 67SS if you get a chance. I'd love to see it!

With the holidays and crazy work schedule lately, there hasn't been much progress. I extended our New Year vacation and had almost a full day in the garage to play with the car this week. I put the time to good use and installed a new Viper 350Plus alarm with tilt sensor and keyless entry. The alarm really wasn't the focus, but I really wanted keyless entry to reduce the risk of scratching the paint on the door.

The goal is to get back into the garage to work on the trunk more this weekend. I think I've figured out how I want to mount the panels and need to test the theory. I'll upload some pictures if it works.

Final paint color has been selected. We hope to drop the car at the body shop later this month so they can do the final prep and shoot the colors.

-Doug


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## pocket5s (Jan 6, 2012)

OK, got them up enough 

Here is the link to the interior part of his build. The 4th pic down you can see the kickpanels. The 9th and 10th pics down you can see the back seats with the amp and sub. The flame in the rear part of the console had a headlight in it, so you could turn it on and the red plexi illuminated. It was pretty slick.

It was driven all the time. The only two times it was on a trailer was when it went to paint, cause it was just the shell and when the new owner picked it up.

Engine wise it was a 404 big block with old school Accel tunnelram style fuel injection. It wasn't a high horse build as it was mostly a street car, but it would surely move when you dropped the hammer on it. And the M21 was sure fun to shift


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

Too funny... I've seen that car over on Chevelles.com before. Great build!

-Doug


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## pocket5s (Jan 6, 2012)

yea he is pretty active on that forum. He runs Chevellestuff.com as well. The "GR8PMKN" was fairly well known from the internet. The younger crowd really loved it, but the older crowd for the most part didn't, as it wasn't stock looking; i.e. boring 

He still has a 67 camino that he drives every once in a while.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

Finally a little time in the garage this weekend. Between the holidays and work, it's tough to get much time on the car.

Thinking we may move the car back to the body shop in the next couple of weeks so I wanted to get the rest of the dry fit done to minimize the scratch factors. Once at the shop, they can do the final fit and finish for the rear bumper gaps, shoot the final primer, block, seal, and shoot the colors. The body is still slated for Huntington Blue Pearl but with Arctic Silver strips instead of the Chip Silver. The keyless entry/alarm is installed and working great. The interior is on order from Legendary, and after tonight, 90% of the trunk dry fit is done. Struggling to find a set of scrub/junk wheels and tires to put on the car when we drop it for paint. I don't want anything to happen to our Rushforth's, but our old wheels and the spares I've found won't clear the new Wilwood calipers. They are HUGE!

Still a little to work out with the cap and wire routes, but minor overall. I'm much happier with the false panels on the sides for easy access to the side marker lights and it opens up some space for a tool bag, flares, cables, etc. The rear panel is cut and aligned for the sub box that we sealed up this weekend. The more I look at the panels on the sides, the more I'm thinking about doing something similar on the back panel on either side of the sub. Lot's of lost space under the 6x9's back there.


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## pocket5s (Jan 6, 2012)

Good to see you are making progress and nice trunk work. 

In a couple weeks I'm picking up a 72 Skylark from my brother-in-law. I've been eying it for some time now and found out he was selling it. I intend to make it a full blown audio vehicle. I like the challenge that these older classics present, seeing as audio back in those days was maybe a speaker in the dash and couple in the rear package. Besides, gotta love the huge trunks on these things


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

pocket5s said:


> Good to see you are making progress and nice trunk work.
> 
> In a couple weeks I'm picking up a 72 Skylark from my brother-in-law. I've been eying it for some time now and found out he was selling it. I intend to make it a full blown audio vehicle. I like the challenge that these older classics present, seeing as audio back in those days was maybe a speaker in the dash and couple in the rear package. Besides, gotta love the huge trunks on these things


 Big trunks are great! I could easily have put more subs back there without any problems. The rear panel is removable if we decided a single 10" JL W3 isn't enough. In it's high school prime, there were two 12's firing through the back seat, 2-6x9's in the rear deck, 2-4" on top the rear deck, 2-4x5's in the dash and 2-tweeters on top the dash. Kenwood and Coustic all the way baby... Obviously priorities have changed a bit with this build.

A couple of people asked about the MDF and concerns with moisture. Moisture is always a concern so we've taken a few steps. The underside of the body was lined during the frame-off. The interior of the the trunk was sprayed with an epoxy sealer and the floor is fully lined with Second Skin Damplifier Pro and Luxury Liner Pro. The 3/4" MDF floor has a 3/4" air gap between it and the Luxury Liner. The MDF will receive 3-4 coats of acrylic poly urethane prior to covering with black carpet. My only concern for now is the potential heat from the amplifiers so I will punch a series of vent holes under the amplifiers with the option for a couple of small fans if needed. I hate fans so hopefully we will run cool enough. Before we load the trunk, I'll install the seals and flood the window channel and around the deck lid to make sure we don't have any obvious leaks. Fortunately, the car is parked in the garage and I don't see it getting too wet too often...


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

A couple of people asked for more detail on how we assembled the panels and what the sub structure looked like. Here are a couple of shots. I have the whole assembly sequence starting on page 2 of our website gallery. Looks like a little bit of overkill at this point...


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## 67 Chevelle (Mar 2, 2012)

Chevelle build... awesome all the way around. Doing research now for an audio system for my '67 Chevelle. I'll have to check out your build pics and look forward to seeing final pics of the audio so I can steal ideas.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

67 Chevelle said:


> Chevelle build... awesome all the way around. Doing research now for an audio system for my '67 Chevelle. I'll have to check out your build pics and look forward to seeing final pics of the audio so I can steal ideas.


Great looking Chevelle in your signature! Today's project, figure out some cooling for the amps that isn't too loud. I think it's time to pull the trigger on a Bit One and get the body in for final paint.

Share pictures of your '67! I'd love to see them.

-Doug


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## texasman1973 (Feb 19, 2012)

awesome build totally enjoying your posts. my dad had a 71 chevelle when i was in high school. no audio though. it was all motor. completely stock interior, except for the autolight tach that would light up the whole interior when the shift point was reached. i had more fun with him and that car.


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## pocket5s (Jan 6, 2012)

texasman1973 said:


> awesome build totally enjoying your posts. my dad had a 71 chevelle when i was in high school. no audio though. it was all motor. completely stock interior, except for the autolight tach that would light up the whole interior when the shift point was reached. i had more fun with him and that car.


This made me smile. When I was in high school my dad had a 67 chevelle. We went to all kinds of shows together in that thing. 396, 4 speed, etc. When he built it the second time he finally put in a "real" stereo. Actually had some speakers in the kicks, a sub and an amp in the trunk. He didn't listen to it much though. 

It wasn't until I was 30 when he finally let me drive the damn thing! He sold it a few years later when he was getting ready to retire. I sure miss that thing.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

texasman1973 said:


> awesome build totally enjoying your posts. my dad had a 71 chevelle when i was in high school. no audio though. it was all motor. completely stock interior, except for the autolight tach that would light up the whole interior when the shift point was reached. i had more fun with him and that car.


Too funny about the tach light. When I was in high school, I put a micro switch on the cam for the secondaries. When I would drop the throttle, a red light in the cab would glow brightly and flood the interior. The cars around me thought I was on fire more than one occasion.


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## texasman1973 (Feb 19, 2012)

yes pocket for sure there is something about fathers and sons and muscle cars. we spent weekends goin to swap meets and shows. and the occasional street race. pure fun with dad!


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

Well guys... She's off to the shop for final fit, paint, and finish.

Now it's time to reorganize the garage. It was one thing to stack things around the car when it was in primer. It's a WHOLE different thing when she comes home with paint!

Wish us luck!


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## pocket5s (Jan 6, 2012)

Can't imagine how anxious I'd be waiting for it to come back


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## hilander999 (Jul 6, 2011)

I'm curious to see what color it is when finished.
I hope you sent the hood and trunk to get painted at the same time.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

pocket5s said:


> Can't imagine how anxious I'd be waiting for it to come back


I'll be honest, it's a mixed bag. On one hand, I'm totally anxious to get it back. On the other hand, I'm stressed to the *MAX* that the colors will match what's in my head and the pearls and flake will be balanced between the base color and stripes. Honestly, it was easier when we were in primer in the garage. 



hilander999 said:


> I'm curious to see what color it is when finished.
> I hope you sent the hood and trunk to get painted at the same time.


The body color is a Chip Foose Signature color from BASF called Huntington Blue Pearl. The first stripe spray-out was with the Chip Silver from the same series, but it's rather flat and more platinum than silver. The second spray-out was with an Audi 2012 Iced Silver Metallic. The Audi color looked good, but when sprayed over the blue, the flake is too pronounced for me. The blue is very subtle and clean so I don't want the stripes to overpower the body color.

Way too much pressure! Thanks guys...


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## hilander999 (Jul 6, 2011)

Thats why we always put the peal in the clearcoat, which makes it easier to balance colors, and you can redistribute the peal flake with a buffer to even it out. They never seem to just go where you want them and like to fall a bit while curing.

We bult a 73 Chevy Nova hatchback when I was a kid, dark grey primer, gloss black basecoat, red pearl in the clearcoat. The car changed colors in different light. It's really quite remarkable when done corectly.

Can't wait to see the finished product.

BTW: RELAX, it's going to look awesome no matter what color it comes out.


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## Khymera-B (Oct 6, 2009)

Looking good. My cousin is building the same car. We're about to lay HOK Oriental Blue.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

hilander999 said:


> ...Can't wait to see the finished product.
> 
> BTW: RELAX, it's going to look awesome no matter what color it comes out.


Thanks! Could be a bit of a control freak issue too. I don't have all the control and it's driving me crazy.

And yes... The hood, deck lid, and headlight buckets were already at the shop. They've been holding them for me while I put the car back together. It was nice to drive the car in and out of the trailer. Should make it easier to move around while they work on it.



Khymera-B said:


> Looking good. My cousin is building the same car. We're about to lay HOK Oriental Blue.


 We looked at the HOK True Blue for a while. The shop we are using just sprayed a truck with it but it has a lot of purple in the base. Too much for what we are going for. Good luck on your cousin's project! Pictures are always welcome...

Thanks again guys,
Doug


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## Khymera-B (Oct 6, 2009)

dougchambers said:


> We looked at the HOK True Blue for a while. The shop we are using just sprayed a truck with it but it has a lot of purple in the base. Too much for what we are going for. Good luck on your cousin's project! Pictures are always welcome...
> 
> Thanks again guys,
> Doug


I figure you have no interest in seeing primer lol


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

nice! good luck on the paint ^_^


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## metalball (Sep 8, 2010)

Man, that's a lot of MDF in the trunk! All that weight would kill my little RSX... Great craftsmanship!


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

req said:


> nice! good luck on the paint ^_^


First round of paint is finally done. Car is coming out of the booth this week for a full wet-sand to block the inner-clear and then back in the booth for a pin stripe detail and more clear.

It's progress!!! Hopefully we have it home in another 4-5 weeks after final clear, headliner, and installing the glass, and final cut-and-buff. The pictures are a little dark, I can't wait to see it in the sunlight! The valance in the sun looked great...





































Problem now is that I'm rethinking the whole equipment selection...


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## hilander999 (Jul 6, 2011)

SHINEY!

It's soooo hard to get good pictures of a pain job that pretty...

Can't wait to see some finished pictures outside without the lights reflecting off the high gloss topcoat. 

Out of curiosity, hold a yard stick up to one side of the car, and read into the paint as far up the yard stick as you can see clearly. This is how we used to judge how much to charge for a paint job.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

hilander999 said:


> ... Out of curiosity, hold a yard stick up to one side of the car, and read into the paint as far up the yard stick as you can see clearly. This is how we used to judge how much to charge for a paint job.


I'll have to try that when we finish up. This was just the inner-clear at about 3-4 coats. The car is coming back out of the booth for a full wet sand, pin-stripe accent, and then 4+ finish coats of clear. After the cut-and-buff, I'll grab the yard stick 

Thinking of pulling a very fine silver accent pin-stripe something like this. My wife and kids are lobbying for a chartreuse pin-stripe. Not sure I can go that way...


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## hilander999 (Jul 6, 2011)

Well, I don't see where it needs any pinstripe myself, but it's not my car either. 

I like the way the lines are subdued at this stage and would not want to take away from that look.

Absolutely beautiful so far, but check the yard stick at different stages in the paint work, it will give you more insight as to how well the job is going. It may surprise you. Back when I was doing custom artwork on cars we charged $1,000 an inch on the yard stick for the job, mind you, that was 20 years ago.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

hilander999 said:


> ... Absolutely beautiful so far, but check the yard stick at different stages in the paint work, it will give you more insight as to how well the job is going. It may surprise you. Back when I was doing custom artwork on cars we charged $1,000 an inch on the yard stick for the job, mind you, that was 20 years ago.


I'll definitely pull out the yard stick. Thanks for the tip...


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## Mindcrime (Jul 18, 2012)

With todays materials the pearl is not in the clearcoat, you spray your base coat (color) then a mid coat (pearl) and last but not least your clear coat. 

So far it looks pretty damn good, hard to tell from the pics, but generally they always look better in person. Just make sure to take your time with wet sanding the clear, use a block for as much of it as you can, and it will turn out great! Looking awesome so far


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## chevyrider96 (Mar 5, 2010)

This car is sweet! Can't wait to see it finished


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

chevyrider96 said:


> This car is sweet! Can't wait to see it finished


Thanks... It's getting close. Goal is to have the car in our garage by the end of the month. October that is...



hilander999 said:


> Well, I don't see where it needs any pinstripe myself, but it's not my car either.
> 
> I like the way the lines are subdued at this stage and would not want to take away from that look...


Turns out you were exactly right. The stripes are *very* subtle. From a distance, you barely know they are there. When we mocked up a pin-stripe, the contrast was too high. From 20-30 yards away, all you could see is the pinstripe floating on the blue body. You couldn't even tell there was a stripe there until you get close. I prefer the subtle look. It's more understated. If we had not put the narrow outline stripe down, we could have gotten away with it, but the pinstripe messes with the whole balance. Easy enough... No pinstripe accent.

Color sanding wrapped up last week. We need a couple of areas touched up and then back into the booth for final clear, sanding, cut and buff. Even with the first clear and orange peal, it looks pretty deep. When we wet down the hood after block sanding the clear, it looks even better!


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## crazy88 (May 2, 2012)

any more work on this awesome car??


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

crazy88 said:


> any more work on this awesome car??


Thanks for asking... We are making progress slowly but surely. The reassembly process has been fighting us at every turn. We recovered the seats ourselves which was a rewarding project. Here is a shot from this weekend for registration to our local Roadster Show the first week of March. It's going to be tight, but a couple of solid weekends and we should be getting close.










The trunk isn't going back together as well as the mock-up. We roughed everything out too tight so as we add the carpet material, everything is too large to fit. Broke out the table saw to start trimming before covering.

We pulled the trigger on new amplifiers. The JL Audio JX series probably would have been fine, but we upgraded to the XD series. Lots of overhead if we decided to add a second 10W3v2 sub. Now I just need to sell the JX...


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## SciPunk (Jan 12, 2013)

That color is beautiful! Car looks amazing. I hear ya on the seats, we will be doing that this year.

Looking forward to more updates


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## stylngle2003 (Nov 2, 2012)

very nice resto, and cool build-out in the trunk. i think you will be happy with the XD series amps. Overhead is a good thing indeed.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

SciPunk said:


> That color is beautiful! Car looks amazing. I hear ya on the seats, we will be doing that this year.
> 
> Looking forward to more updates





stylngle2003 said:


> very nice resto, and cool build-out in the trunk. i think you will be happy with the XD series amps. Overhead is a good thing indeed.


Thanks guys... I have the next two days off and a massive punch list to try and get out of the way. Hopefully I can make some progress. More pictures to follow.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

Finally a little progress...

The punch list did NOT go well over the weekend. We lost an entire day removing the Vintage Air unit tucked under the dash. When we built the custom brackets, it made perfect sense. The glass was out, the hood was off, and we didn't have a dash. Fast forward to trying to remove the unit with the mentioned items installed. Didn't help that I was by myself...

Time to rebuild the false floor for the new amps and load the side panels. Sides are in black vinyl. Floor will be thick black automotive carpet. Haven't decided if we are going to load the 2F cap or not.


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## schmiddr2 (Aug 10, 2009)

That color really shows off the contours of what looks to be perfectly smooth sheet metal. And with the pillarless windows, it's stunning. Good work!

I would not use a cap. With an engine like that you can get plenty of output from an alternator. I'm sure they make HO chrome alts, or have one chromed. But with the XD amps I doubt you will need it.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

schmiddr2 said:


> That color really shows off the contours of what looks to be perfectly smooth sheet metal. And with the pillarless windows, it's stunning. Good work!
> 
> I would not use a cap. With an engine like that you can get plenty of output from an alternator. I'm sure they make HO chrome alts, or have one chromed. But with the XD amps I doubt you will need it.


Good point on the cap. We sent the PowerMaster alternator in for the 140amp upgrade so there should be plenty of overhead. The Spal cooling fans on the radiator can pull up to 30A each. And yes, the HO alternators come in chrome 










Once we get the rest of the polished moldings on they set off the smoked glass really well. Our submission for the first local indoor car show was approved last week so now we are scrambling to get everything done...

Thanks for the complements on the color. It was a long drawn out color selection process!


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

Well guys... After the mad thrash the last two weeks, we made it to the show yesterday. Crappy lighting, but this is what we ended up with. More detailed pictures of the final trunk and interior install when the car comes home. We've already received an invitation to attend a show in Oregon that is by invite only. The audio sounds decent. I have some work do to in order to get it where we want and ultimately may need to swap out head units, but it's close for what we wanted to accomplish.


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## PPI_GUY (Dec 20, 2007)

As a fellow Chevelle owner...I'd like to congratulate you on a fantastic looking ride! Looking forward to more pics!


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## hilander999 (Jul 6, 2011)

Beautiful job on the restoration!

Love your color choices.

Is it just the camera angle, or does she need a lift kit in the rear?
Just seems to be sitting pretty low in the back from the picture you posted.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

hilander999 said:


> Beautiful job on the restoration!
> 
> Love your color choices.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments! 

I think it's the angle. The car is actually perfectly flat right now at 24.5" to the peak of each wheel opening. I'm still really tempted to convert to coil-overs in the back so I have a little more adjustment. The real test will be to load two adults in the back seat and see where we end up. The front actually needs to come up a little bit to get better travel before touching the bumpers which would mean the back has to come up also.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

Well, I just couldn't take it anymore. The RS head unit just isn't going to make the grade. I knew it was a risk when we installed it, but last weekend I mocked up an old Alpine HU I had and the SQ was an order of magnitude better. The imaging from the kicks was no longer muddy and I could turn the amp gains above 1/4 power without the background noise. After some searching, I found an original NOS AM radio that I will drop into the dash location with power and ground so the indicator lights up. This weekend I'm going to start building an insert for the glove box to install a Kenwood Excelon X597 and IR Extender I picked up locally. Should be a better solution all the way around...

Updates to follow...


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## south east customz (Jan 17, 2011)

Looking good man !


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## Miniboom (Jul 15, 2010)

This is an awesome project, and a very, very nice looking car!

I have a 1972 Olds Cutlass Supreme, and from what I understand, it's the same chassis as yours, the GM A-body?

I was wondering if you have drop spindels in front?

And what size wheels/tires are you using? It looks great! I've been planning to use 15 inch wheels for the classic look, but yours look very clean also... 

Though I might still just have to be true to the 275/60-15 in the rears. Love that classic look on old champs like these.


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## dougchambers (Mar 16, 2010)

Miniboom said:


> This is an awesome project, and a very, very nice looking car!
> 
> I have a 1972 Olds Cutlass Supreme, and from what I understand, it's the same chassis as yours, the GM A-body?
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments! We knew up front we were going with bigger wheels due to the bigger brakes we put on. The Wilwood Dynalite with 6-piston calipers takes a bit of clearance. I could put our 15" wheels on with 3/8" clearance without the calipers so 17's or 18's were more in-line. They fit with the theme of the car better too.

We are running stock height spindles with Rushforth SuperSpoke wheels and Nitto tires.
18x8x4.75 - 255/45 Nitto NT555
18x10x5.75 - 295/45 Nitto NT555

I'm convinced that wheels, stance, and color(s) are the hardest parts of any build!

-Doug


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