BUILD-OFF CHALLENGE: Tygaboy's '75 LS3, It seemed a good idea at the time... Options

[tygaboy]

I like the door panels black with no metal panels. Goes with the shades of black idea. Your window cranks give little sparkles of contrast. The metal panels make it a little too busy.

@Krieger - Oh yeah, Andy? Well what do you know?!?! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif)
I agree with you about not liking that particular panel but I'm not done trying. I want to see if I can come up with a design that carries the aluminum band from the dash, "around the corner" onto the door panel - and looks good.
I've worked up a handful of designs and tried out this one today. Still a work in progress.

[Krieger]

I like the door panels black with no metal panels. Goes with the shades of black idea. Your window cranks give little sparkles of contrast. The metal panels make it a little too busy.

@Krieger - Oh yeah, Andy? Well what do you know?!?! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif)
I agree with you about not liking that particular panel but I'm not done trying. I want to see if I can come up with a design that carries the aluminum band from the dash, "around the corner" onto the door panel - and looks good.
I've worked up a handful of designs and tried out this one today. Still a work in progress.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif) Oh, yes, now that's a cool door accent that matches the dash and follows the door bar! Good work my friend! Why do I think you'll come up with a V4? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[tygaboy]

Depressed and with hurt feelings, I headed into the shop for another day's work. Why the mood? @Superhawk996 - First, it's @Krieger Andy's poo-pooing of my door panel then your derogatory comment about my car's lack of carbon fiber. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

"I'll show them!" I thought and went to work! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif)

So I made a set of carbon fiber inner long covers. There. Happy? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif)

[tygaboy]

OK, OK. You may remember, I made these covers years ago when I thought I might have some exposed carbon trim panels in the car. They've been sitting outside the Red Barn, being rained on, etc. Poor things... Time to put them to use!
I don't think my car has an "exposed carbon" vibe - and I don't want any permanently glued-to-the-chassis carpet. I've never liked the loose look of velcroed-in carpet so I figured I could use adhesive spray to carpet these covers and end up with removeable, rigid carpet panels.
Starting with the passenger side, I trimmed the panel so it'd fit just so and it'd clear the footrest and ECU cover.

[tygaboy]

A bit of trusty 3M spray adhesive, a bit of tac time and some careful trimming of the material and the first side is in for a test fit.

[tygaboy]

Next it was trimming for the door bar verticals. Note the carpet just folds into place on the outside and the cut line all but disappears.
I don't care for the look of the carpet simply trimmed to the bar so I found some suitable rubber grommets, cut them in half and used one side as a rudimentary trim piece. Better than nothing, at least for now. Heck, the door bars aren't even painted! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) I'll work up something more permanent in the future.

[tygaboy]

One all but finished, rigid and removable, inner long carpet panel! One down, one to go.

Hey @superhawk996 - if covering up carbon fiber is good enough for Singer, it's good enough for me, too! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

I couldn't be happier with how this interior is shaping up. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif) After all these years of focusing on the mechanicals and getting so used to my car as a rat-rod, seeing things looking "nice" really has an impact. It's like working on a different car!

[tygaboy]

Seat back in, passenger side mostly done.
Sharp eyes will notice a non-standard interior door handle. It's from a 944. A couple years back, I did a little video about how these work:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSK5Zb7EHYI


As you can see, they don't quite fit but I modded this one so it'd bolt on in the correct fore/aft location. Everything works just fine, too! Well, until you put the door card on and realize the whole assembly sits about 1/4" too far outboard and the door card fouls the latch rod juuuuuust enough to keep the latch from being able to lock the door from the inside.
I think I can remedy that.

The attraction to this is:
- it's a Porsche part
- I can get them pretty cheaply as I'm sure to mess one up working out exactly how I need to modify it
- Best of all? The latch almost exactly matches the shape of the door bar! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/w00t.gif)

[Krieger]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[Superhawk996]

Can’t believe you covered carbon fiber with carpet (IMG:style_emoticons/default/hissyfit.gif)

If I had a set of long covers like that there is no way I’d ever be able to cover them. But when it is all said and done, I like it including the grommets ! Well done!

Hope you didn’t take my ribbing seriously. You have an amazing build going on and an eye for design that far surpasses my own creative ability (or lack of).

[tygaboy]

Can’t believe you covered carbon fiber with carpet (IMG:style_emoticons/default/hissyfit.gif)

If I had a set of long covers like that there is no way I’d ever be able to cover them. But when it is all said and done, I like it including the grommets ! Well done!

Hope you didn’t take my ribbing seriously. You have an amazing build going on and an eye for design that far surpasses my own creative ability (or lack of).

@Superhawk996 - No worries at all. I enjoy to ribbing! As to covering the carbon parts? I don't think exposed carbon suits the car but that's just me. It's also because I don't want much reflective surface in the interior. And thanks for the kind words.

[tygaboy]

Playing with maybe running a pedal board to hide all the hydraulics. This is a raw V1 to help me understand fit and develop measurements. Assuming I like it, I'll get it into CAD and plasma cut the panel.

[tygaboy]

Time to focus on some exterior improvements. Today was the initial fit of the air dam. Then it's the fun job of welding the return back onto the bumper. Once that's done, I'll paint the nose black and work out some screen for the opening.

[bkrantz]

Kinda nice, but for max points the carbon fiber piece needs to be structural. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sunglasses.gif)

[tygaboy]

A busy day at the Red Barn. First, I went after getting the return on the bumper. I clamped the original lower edge return in place, then used a cutoff wheel to slice through both the bumper and the return at the same time. This guarantees the same shape on both pieces and a no-gap weld seam. Then I started fuse tacking the pieces together.
I need to fab the side pieces and final weld everything but couldn't resist seeing it on the car.

[tygaboy]

But then I got distracted by the interior and decided to work on the door card.
I started with this but immediately didn't like how big that circle seemed. It's the same diameter and the winder but wasn't doing it for me.

[tygaboy]

Next version: Smaller diameter with some added lightness.
I sent a pic of this to @buddyv Robert. He hates it, saying it's like a girl with a tatoo around her belly button: never a good look. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

[tygaboy]

Squint and it's the same with the bottom chopped off. Seems unfinished to me.

[tygaboy]

What to do? Well, when in doubt, stamp it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif)
I worked up a quick stamping die. It sure makes a difference.

Note that it's just held on by the screws. In the end, those will be rivets, the top edge will be tucked under the upper rail and the tail will be fllush against the panel. Right now, it's being forced out by the padded upholstery and the stamp, which is why it seems a bit out of alignment. It's not.

It does grab your eye - maybe a bit too much? So the next experiment will be to paint them matte black. That'll change them from what I think is too much of a "color" into a "Shade of Black" component. Assuming I like that, I'll make a pair and have them powder coated the same as the rest of the interior sheet metal.

[Mayne]

Amazing work. As I saw the versions of the door card progressing, I kept thinking, powder coating in the color of the other parts would pull it together well. Interior is shaping up into something truly special.