Jonathans RCR 40 Build

[Jonathan S]

I have not updated my site for a while. I have the roof mounted now and am tweaking the doors some more. I added the weather stripping which changed things a bit. It will take some more effort to get things back where I want them. I also installed the shifter and started work on a center consol. I plan on having the consol covered in leather when it is done. It is aluminum and fiberglass. Here are some shots:

[Bill D]

Very nice.

[John]

Jonathan,

Making a center console out of fiberglass is a nice idea - mine is made out of aluminum. Judging from your gearshift box, it looks like you have a Porsche 930 transaxle.

John

[Jonathan S]

It is an Audi box. I think the company that makes the shifter makes the same parts for Porsche stuff as well. The shifter was provided with the kit.

[Jonathan S]

It has been a while since I posted an update. I have not gotten much done over the last few weeks. I was entertaining out of town guests for a while and then I had to travel on business for a week. When I got back my compressor had thrown a rod so the first order of business was getting a new compressor. That was easier said then done. The new one was bigger than my old compressor and it would not fit where I had the old one. It took a day of cleaning my garage and carpentry to fit it where I wanted it. Then there was half a day getting it plumbed and wired. Then it did not work right. The valve that lets pressure off the top of the piston was stuck open all the time. A screw was cut too long and interfering with the switch. It is a nice compressor. It has twice the capacity of my old compressor and is much quieter. Here is a photo of my new compressor:

[Jonathan S]

I also managed to get a little work on the car done today. Here is a teaser shot of my project for the day. See if you can guess what it is:

[Chris_K]

Johnathan,

What did you use/where did you find your weatherstripping? Are you happy with it? Any recommendations?

And also, are those switch backing plates (or something like that)?

[Jonathan S]

I got the weather stripping from JC Whitney. It seems to be pretty good. You are right on the switch backing plates. I hate having switches spin:

[Jonathan S]

I got my dash painted this weekend. I also fabricated a steering column to mount a VW turn signal switch. Here are some photos:

[Bill D]

Great progress. Where did you get your demister grill. I need one

[Jonathan S]

It is a '65 Mustang speaker / defroster grill that I found on ebay for $10. A little sand blasting and a coat of paint and good as new. I had to revise the opening on the dash to fit. It had to be filled to make it narrower and relieved in other areas. Here is a before paint shot so you can see the modifications to the dash.

[Jonathan S]

There is one on ebay now:

eBay Motors: 1965 1966 Ford Mustang Defroster & Speaker Grill Cover (item 290108903812 end time Apr-30-07 16:54:26 PDT)

Less than a day left on the auction.

[Jonathan S]

Here is another one with a buy it now option:

eBay Motors: 65-66 Mustang Speaker Grill (item 230122156077 end time May-02-07 04:18:43 PDT)

and a few more:

eBay Motors: 65 66 Mustang Dash speaker/defrost grille (item 260112677241 end time May-04-07 16:15:57 PDT)
eBay Motors: 1965 1966 Mustang Dashboard Speaker Grille (item 150117325669 end time May-05-07 09:46:56 PDT)
eBay Motors: 64 65 66 Ford Mustang Dash Speaker Cover (item 140112889876 end time May-03-07 15:25:24 PDT)

[Bill D]

Thanks

[Jonathan S]

Here is a shot of the dash with the outline of the old and new grill. The yellow is the original opening. The red is the opening for the Mustang grill,

[Bill D]

Thanks Jonathan.

[Dean Lampe]

Is your dash black or dark grey? I noticed an extra gauge hole. What are you planning to run for gauges?

[Jonathan S]

The dash is satin black. The extra hole is for an AC vent. I plan on using two of the dash holes for AC vents. I plan on the normal complement of gauges; volt, temp, oil pressure, two fuel, tachomete, and speedometer.