Shinoda start

[WhalePirot]

The pics are great

thank you

Yes, that’s the museum. I’ve been wanting to check-out or some time. Heard it’s pretty nice and they have a wide range of aircraft on display.

I saw part of it, decades ago and it is supposed to be the best.


The left front is all secured; finished. Driver's side is much less fun, as it were.

Raising the car has proved to be essential, as is a long-armed retrieval magnetic tool.

 

[B17Crew]

thank youI saw part of it, decades ago and it is supposed to be the best.

Good to hear that! Once we have warmer/drier days, I’ll be spending the day there.

Those long-armed retrieval magnetic tools... one on the handiest tools in the tool box!

B17Crew

 

[WhalePirot]

Those long-armed retrieval magnetic tools... one on the handiest tools in the tool box!

For retrieval of some parts, so true.

That boroscope is the only way I'd have gotten the right parts mated, though, and its use inside the door and other tight places saves time at the least.

This project is almost finished, with the right air deflector to go and new exhaust tips. I may change from Flowmasters to Magnaflow mufflers.

Then I need to make/install the debris screen for the air intake.

 

[C2C3C4]

Here is a pic of one that went through the Mecum auction at Bloomington Gold in 2005. One of the best looking C4s out there.

 

[C2C3C4]

Here is another. Looks like you are going to have a fabulous car when finished. Keep up the great work!

 

[C2C3C4]

i see you have BBS rims can you help me? i need one center cap for mine do you know where i can get one
Thanks

I am sending you a PM with pics of an 87 I used to own. I used 3M trim adhesive to glue a set of 84 center caps to the wheel. Worked great and fit quite well.

 

[WhalePirot]

Here is another. Looks like you are going to have a fabulous car when finished. Keep up the great work!

I hope it looks that good. I was looking for a good look at one in white (like mine), so thanks very much for those. I wonder what the car sold for.

Thanks for the compliment.

 

[CorvetteArchives]

another picture of rim thanks

I've seen the 84 Vette logo on ebay as a decal for adding to the caps as well.

 

[WhalePirot]

I've seen the 84 Vette logo on ebay as a decal for adding to the caps as well.

One poster with Larry, a 'split window' and a flat black Shinoda-Mears bodied car has wheels like mine but the center caps are not visible, but may be logoed, like those.

 

[WhalePirot]

ALL panels ON

The panel install is finished, the BigMouth very securely in place, the air deflectors on; then I made a debris screen from the 'cat proof' black screening from the hardware store. It is held in place by two aluminum brackets and is very strong; should keep leaves, other foreign objects and Rustangs out of my radiator!

I have experimented a little, with paint. I rather like the flat black displayed on a Shinoda poster and on this two-tone car, now.

There are a couple of mechanical items to address before she sits on the ground again, and when I can get more pics.

 

[B17Crew]

The panel install is finished, the BigMouth very securely in place, the air deflectors on; then I made a debris screen from the 'cat proof' black screening from the hardware store. It is held in place by two aluminum brackets and is very strong; should keep leaves, other foreign objects and Rustangs out of my radiator!

I have experimented a little, with paint. I rather like the flat black displayed on a Shinoda poster and on this two-tone car, now.

There are a couple of mechanical items to address before she sits on the ground again, and when I can get more pics.

Congrats WhalePirot, can’t wait to see the pics!

B17Crew

 

[Stuart]

The panel install is finished, the BigMouth very securely in place, the air deflectors on; then I made a debris screen from the 'cat proof' black screening from the hardware store. It is held in place by two aluminum brackets and is very strong; should keep leaves, other foreign objects and Rustangs out of my radiator!

I have experimented a little, with paint. I rather like the flat black displayed on a Shinoda poster and on this two-tone car, now.

There are a couple of mechanical items to address before she sits on the ground again, and when I can get more pics.

Fantastic. I'm looking forward to seeing photos.

 

[WhalePirot]

Fantastic. I'm looking forward to seeing photos.

Cool. While these are not what you are waiting for, they are shots off the finished stiffener brackets I made for the nose assembly. The second one is very poor PQ (picture quality) from my B-Berry camera but it is the black bracket, as shown in the first.

Barely visible is the vapor cannister.

 

[WhalePirot]

Debris screen

Made from the plastic and very strong cat-resistant door screen, it should keep foreign matter out of the nose area, and protect the radiator, oil cooler A/C condenser from road debris.
While

While not perfect in shape, it is strong and sits in front of the air deflector; not seen in its new black color. I used 1/4" aluminum stock, one flat; on the L- shaped to secure it in place. The flat is rolled and riveted to the flat bar, while the angle side pinches against the bumper.

 

[WhalePirot]

Damn, this is FUN

See, I got to drive the car!!

-Solved the overdrive inop........... electrical contact cleaner used in the console-mounted switch contacts, though the little tabs that hold it in place are damaged; brittleness.

-Solved the alternator whine issue in the rocking stereo.. OMG, it is fantastic and can be LOUD enough to hear over the roaring Flowmasters!

Universally, the comments are positive from viewers, who are eager to see it painted. Yeah, well.. in time. My plate is more full than my wallet.

Now, on to some other age-related car issues. :x

 

[nickyg]

Can't wait to see it. Go - man- go!!

 

[WhalePirot]

The chrome exhaust tips get lost and are too close to the panel for comfort, so I'll have to get them changed.

After shopping around for the correct squares, maybe aftermarket or other, I decided to make them from square steel tubing. While preferring stainless, it was not available from IMS and aluminum will not weld to the steel Flowmasters, nor did I wish to complicate that attachment.

The real Shinoda tips are blackened SS, so I will powdercoat the entire muffler, maybe more of the tubing in a color very close to that. Starting with 3"x3" thin wall:

I cut the tips with minimal waste, as the length of the scrap was near-exact to the need.

Two of the four are cut; two others, today.

The trial fitment gives a hint of the final look. Existing flanges prevent proper abutment, so the tips extend further than they will. Also, muffler alignment will improve the horizontal alignment, while the Flowmaster tips prevent desired lateral placement, centered and separated correctly.

I

I made a slight taper to the cuts for two reasons, 1) appearance, 2) close to the minimal length of the steel tubing. The 1/4", half on top, half below, will extend the tip to just past the bumpercover instead of it being hidden inside the opening.

 

[WhalePirot]

Four tips made

The last two square tips are cut and will be slightly polished today. While researching the finish and design of Mr. S.'s design, I found and called a (former) Shinoda owner, found in an article I have and spoke briefly with the nice guy. Their Shinoda was #2 made, toured the US for a while and was his wife's driver. They sold the car five years ago.

I found a cold process for blackening steel and am investigating its suitability for exhaust tips; a possible alternative to powder coating or black chroming. Have any of you folks used a cold blackening process, willing to comment on the success? Added: Not a good choice, it seems.

I am thinking about starting a registry but the numbers are so small. Hal confirmed that 12 or 13 cars were bodied with an unknown number of kits sold.

 

[WhalePirot]

Direction change

Again!

First, research on the black oxide shows, as does my experience with black oxide bolts on my other C4-under-F100 project, is that they rust easily. A local, good coating shop does it with the 200* process and recommends against it for those reasons. Other threads indicate that the home, 'cold' process is fragile, even to the touch, at times. The shop stated that it is an accelerated surface corrosion process that colors the metal.

Secondly, that other forum has more info on these bodies. So far, we know of 25 other cars. I have spoken to two other owners

Lastly, Jerry Marquis (amazing artist; runs Excess Engineering) took a few moments away from the aluminum-bodied 289 Cobra being prepped for bodywork and paint, to look at this tip thing. So, the new course is to hot-coat the exhaust pipes and the Flowmasters, then mount the tips, black plated with chrome or nickel, with a mechanical fastener (TBD). The genius is his idea to re-cut the tips to 'pick up' the rear bumper cover design angularity. While hard to describe, if you view the aft part of the car from the side, the rear profile will be echoed. That will look superb!

The Flowmasters will be blasted, then coated in black or dark gray, as will the 3" pipes feeding them.

Given that: 1) I was not crazy, initially, about the Shinoda-designed tips, and 2) the other cars have widely varying tips, I think this is best. The black-plating will subdue a detail that the eye will respond positively to. Closer inspection will only add to the visual delight.

I admit being excited about seeing this result! Okay, age does that to us.

TBD = To Be Determined

 

[XLR8]

Can't wait to see it. Go - man- go!!

:L I second the motion! Looks good! Keep the pix coming... and thanks for sharing pix AND commentary to allow us to follow along.

Jane Ann