Progress Page 2

July - Ok...my buddy at work, Victor Martell, told me about these "Vortec" heads that would be great for my first engine build-up. They are 194's, and 220$ a piece [thats the part i liked most]....so i went forth and ordered the first of many car parts to come....

August - Got some money together and took the car to Bob at Foothill Transmission, ...Bob was gonna charge me 1400$ to rebuild and install a Shift Kit of rmy 700R4 transmission, i had saved up 750$ and he was going to front me the balance so i could hopefully go racing (timeslips) the following weekend at Pomona Street Legal Drags. Anyways, dropped the Camaro off, and a few hours later Bob called me and told me the trannie i have will NOT bolt up to the 350ci i want to drop in later. Nutz! I was totally bummed the rest of the week and through the weekend.

I'd like to thank Bob for offereing to front me the balance so i could go racing even though it didnt work out tht way, ..wont many shops that would do that. I ended up picking up my 750$, Bob wanted to go ahead and build a 700R4 that i can use (adding 100$ to the total for a core) when my motor is done, but i told him it would just be sitting around for up to 6-7 months...he wasnt really happy to return my money, but i want to get going as soon as possible. Sorry Bob.

So, ...now what do i do?....the new plan is to go ahead and get my shortblock and motor complete and ready to drop in, when that time comes, i can get a junk yard 700R4 for 150$ at the most, and then i can go racing a couple months earlier, while im saving more $$ to have the transmission rebuilt by a shop up in Hesperia (?) Bow Tie Overdrives ....all they do is 700R4's, this makes them specialists, and i'll save 2-300$ also, which is a huge plus. (see links page for thier website).

Also during August, i'd takin a razor blade to that fuhked up looking pinstriping all over my car. There was a sun-soaked silver stripe running up the side-top edge of the front fenders, doors, and up the side behind the door windows. Plus the ugly-ass factory gold and black striping all along the bottom of the car all the way around. I could get the silver stripes off ok, and the gold/black stripes off the front fenders and rear quarter panels, but not off the doors and plastic facia's yet. Also tryed a few products to remove the 'sticky- spooge' that the stickers leave, none of which worked worth a damn.

Also tryed to tackle installing my am/fm CD player the right way. The Berlinetta package comes with an external (not 'in-dash') am/fm-cassette player that sticks upright out of the center counsel. So, the center counsel AND the entire dash have to be replaced t install ANY am/fm CD player, but i've never liked the digital dash anyway... I spent about 3 hours taking out my dash and center counsel. Went down to Pick-A-Part in Monrovia, found a 'regular' dash and center counsel in great condition, yanked it all out, paid 35$ for all the parts, ...got back home and found out because i have the digital dash, none of my wiring will work with the non-digi dash components. Nutz!. What a mess i got. Ended up putting all my original crap back in, unitl i can figure something esle out.

September.

Speed-O-Motive has moved from Sante Fe Springs to W.Covina! This puts them about 10 miles from my house here in Azusa, about 15 miles closer to me now. I took 700$ down to them and ordered my 350 shortblock. Getting a new block, they told me will take 4-6 weeks, but it will take me that long to get the balance together anyways. Total is about 1400$. Should have the motor sometime in November, latest. (Woo-Hoo!)

November.

Well. The motor is paid off and i'm scheduled to pick it up on the 17th. I attended a car club meeting and met a guy that has a pretty cool looking Cowl Induction hood, fiberglass. He told me the guy, Don L., he got it off of has 1 more and only paid $150 for it. I emailed Don that night and told him i want the remaining one...picking it up on the 15th. (look for pictures soon after)

The 13th - I'd taken the day off and had absouletly nothing to do, so i tripped down to Anahiem to meet Don L. and give the hood a looksie...

The 14th - Went to work as usual, ... On my way home from work today, i stopped at a nieghbors house down the street. He took autobody/paint classes at Citrus College a while back and has entered his mini-truck that he's painted several times in numerous shows for trophys and such...anyhow, he said he will be shooting another one of his cars Saturday, and would shoot my hood a couple coats of Dark Grey primer to eleviate that 'pink' fiberglass color. ack! Came home, removed the steel hood...and all of the hardware i'll need to put on the 'glass hood...damn that thing is heavy. - Gonna drive to work hoodless tomarrow, leave about a 1/2 hour early...shoot down to Anahiem and instll the hood at his shop.

The 15th - Left work in Pasadena at 330pm, got to Don's shop at 2 minutes to 5pm, ....anyway, i got there. Got the hood on, had to tinker around with the hood pin a bit, but i think i left there aroud 6pm.

The 25th - Saturday morning, shot over to a nieghbors house named Mark. He took auto/body and pain classes at Citrus college way beck when...anyway....for $20 he shot my hood with a gray primer...to hide that gawd-awful orange-ish pink color. I showed up at his house a little before 11am, we removed the hood, scuffed it up a bit with his DA, shot it lightly with the primer...waited about 10 minutes, scuffed it up agian....then gave it a nice final coat. Looks much better.