"The Plan"

Hi Guys,
I'm probably about a month and a half or so from taking delivery of my SLC. I've bought about every thing I can think of in the way of supplies, and some parts now with too much time on my hands I'm thinking (possibly over thinking) how to proceed once the “Big Orange Stork” delivers my baby.


Below, I have put together a list of 10 preliminary items that I think need to be done first. I'm hoping that you “Been There-Done It” guys will chime in on not only my first 10 items but how you would proceed with steps 11-15.


My SLC will be a street use car with some occasional track days. My vision for the car when completed is a “Poor Mans Ferrari”; a car that has the head turning appeal and performance (out perform) of supper cars like a Ferrari or Lamborghini but at a third of the cost!


You guys have been extremely generous in sharing your SLC build experience, booth good and bad. Your help in selecting parts and supplies has been invaluable. I'm looking forward to hearing your suggestions on a tried and proven build sequence.


SLC Sequence of Things “TO-DO”
(1-10; NOT Cast in Stone)
AKA - “The Plan”

1. Take delivery from Reliable Transport and inspect for shipping damage
2. Unload boxes of parts
3. Inventory parts, cross reference against RCR packing slip
4. Try to stow parts in a logical “USE” order if possible on east end of south shop wall
5. Place car either on ramp lift OR jack stands??? to remove body panels (TBD)
6. Remove body panels
7. Place body fastener hardware in zip lock bags and label/stow bags in plastic milk crates
8. Stow body panels and cover (protect) with moving pads on west end of south shop wall
9. Remove wheels (sequence order may be changed depending what was decided on item #5)
10. Check torque on all bolts

10-A) With preliminary work completed, build mock-ups can begin!
10-B Survey project for logical order to proceed with next half dozen (or so) items
11-15?????????????????



Jim

11. Quit calling it a poor man's Ferrari.


I admit I can't afford a brand new Ferrari...but we all could've bought a respectable used one for what we've got invested in a pile of aluminum with wheels. Our cars are a different breed.

Just givin you crap Jim...Congrats on the car coming soon! I can't wait to see what you come up with.

I agree with Yos ; 1/ quit quit calling like so !!!!!
You are one of rare person in world to own a future very very nice and "personal " dream car (as yours will be built and customized by you) ; anyone can order a Ferrari ( just matter of money ) but few are able to have the possibility to have an SLC project ( USA location and hability to built ) .
Am in Europe end specially in France this "dream" is impossible to achieve (due to stupid road homologation rules - they say for safety !!-) so building an SLC for me is 1000 times much more valuable than ordering an "red" standard quickcar
Enjoy your project ; I will follow your progress "open mouth " :drunk:

Personally I think the best way to proceed is to get the body onto the chassis, all hardware in place, with the doors finished and all the cut outs done. Then complete the paint prep to final sanding. Now you have all of the dirty "I hate this part" of the build complete and you can move to the fun stuff.

This will do a few things for you. You will not worry about cleaning (lots of fiberglass dust) all of the nice pretty expensive pieces you will need to buy. You will need to take it all apart more times than you think and having the extra space is a good thing. And the body prep and door fit is pretty much all labor and very little $$$$ if you do it youself.

Mount tires onto the car and do a basic chassis setup so that the tires are in the correct alinement for body fit first.

I really like roll around dollies that the car sits on with its tires in place. This keeps the "help me with the car honey to a minum". There are only so many of these in the tank.

slc4yos said:

11.
Quit calling it a poor man's Ferrari.
.
Just givin you crap Jim...

Click to expand...

Mic said:

I agree with Yos ; 1/ quit quit calling like so !!!!!
:drunk:

Click to expand...

OK guys, I get it....NOW! Please forgive me, I'm a rookie, what was I thinking, I promise I will never ever again use SLC and that “F------” car word in the same breath! :lipsrsealed:


Yos, if taking a little crap from experienced craftsmen is the price I have pay to receive tried and true recommendations.....then so be it, shovel all the crap you can brig but bring on the recommendations too, please! :heart:


Another reason I regret making that “F” car reference is: it seems to have distracted from the original objective of my post! That is to determine if I missed anything in my first 10 steps and learn tried and proven build sequence (step 11) from guys that have actually done it! :thumbsup:


Jim

Howard -Thanks for the input, deeply appreciated! That is an interesting approach that I never considered before now.

Anyone else have any thoughts?
Jim

Jim, Howard said it well. Don't put to much thought into it till you get the car.
If you are going to build a street show car I wouldn't start polishing, painting everything up or putting heat shielding on till all your parts are installed, fitted, fixed or changed and there will be a few, then when everything is good and everything is in it place and your happy take the car apart, clean it up, powdercoat, paint, polished your parts and put it back together carefully it will save you $$, time and grief. If your not to picky about the esthetics then build as you go but things will get scraped, and dinged. My two cents.
Cheers,