MONZORA redux: ‘65 Corvair + ‘94 Corvette mashup for 2019 Challenge

Check out some model building channels on YouTube. Some of those guys get some pretty convincing chrome finishes by shooting the right products through an airbrush. 

In reply to RacetruckRon :

I hope you still have the file, because I need one more MonZora emblem. Those are for the front fenders.

DarkMonohue said:

Check out some model building channels on YouTube. Some of those guys get some pretty convincing chrome finishes by shooting the right products through an airbrush. 

I'm hoping someone here volunteers to do them for me. 

Those badges look great. And look into mirror silvering.  It's the same process those spray chrome setups use. Pretty much the same chrmicals too..... I've played with them. You can cheat it with hand held spray bottles vs their $2k guns. Pretty much start with a good *gloss* polished black surface works best. Hit with a sensitizer and wetting agent. Then do your mirror silvering. Then Hit it with a blue or violet tinted clear top coat after rinsing the silvering, in order kill off some of the yellowish cast. 

Is it as good as chrome? Nope. But it blows away chrome in a can for small projects....  would I ever do it on a large panel? Hell no. Tried it. Junk results. Even in a proper prepared area with ALL the right materials and products to apply. But for small stuff, it can work great. 

Get one set painted with cheap paint for Challenge use, get an actual set cast in Al later?

Easy enough for someone with your skills to do.

Look up the Molotow Liquid Chrome marker Patrick.  Easy button for your emblems.

+2 on Wawazat's Molotow markers. I use them for highlight chrome on emblems. It last several years outside before needing a re-do on the X1-9 sail panel vents. Paint all the low areas first and then top off the highlights.

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

Link to the Liquid Chrome pens. If you want to REALLY duplicate the look of chrome, pick some up for sure. We re-did the chrome interior trim on the dash and door panels in the Vega with them. Factory perfect !

https://www.amazon.com/Molotow-Liquid-Chrome-Marker-Set/dp/B074JJ1YMY/ref=asc_df_B074JJ1YMY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198059285915&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4046070513571255764&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9052240&hvtargid=pla-355627019998&psc=1

Figuring out where to put battery, fuse panels, relays, and harness routings. Got it all figured out now, should work out pretty well.

but I threw away several hours over a couple weeks, because most of the wires I extended are getting cut again due to the new layout. Oh well.

this will be the last update until April 3rd, as I'm in DC this weekend to run The MCM 17.75k, then Mon-Fri I'm at the BMW Performance Center West in Thermal CA, instructing Applied Vehicle Dynamics for the Society of Automotive Engineers. This time I'm not just an in-car instructor, I'm doing the lectures for Modules 1-4 in addition to the in-car work all 3 days. Woohoo!

We have a lot to drool over P, don't you worry about us one bit.

Distraction 1 out of the way. Official time 2:08:59, good for 84th of 119 male 55-59.

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

If this Corvair is worth $18k in its current state, just imagine what yours is worth! 

Yeah, the key word being: imagine...

THAT Corvair is awful.......

Distraction #2 complete:

and i've been back on the car most days since i got home.  Oh yea, getting home, LOL. American Airlines made getting home from Palm Springs a minor debacle.  My Friday AM flight was delayed sufficiently to make me miss my connecting flight at DFW.  Fortunately AA informed me in plenty of time to book a one-way Spirit non-stop from LAX to DTW and make the 2.5 hour drive from PSP to LAX.  Spirit did their part to guarantee my making the flight by delaying the departure by 2 hours.  Anyway, got home at 3AM Saturday 4/1 which was still a win vs AA's proposed itinerary that would have had me staying another night in Palm Springs and getting home around 8PM Saturday.

So, back to the car. Electrical is not my thing, but i'm doing my best to (1) make sense of the schematics and (2) execute the wiring logically and neatly. So far i've gone from this:

to this:

i haven't finished OBD wiring yet because i had to make a panel to (a) cover the dash butchery of a PO and (b) provide mounting location for OBD port.  Before:

and after:

i don't love it, but it's good enough for V1.  Fan relays have a permanent home in the frunk:

Final wiring tasks should be done today: trim and splice OBD wires, terminate tach wire, add ring terminals and ground screws for all relays. At that point, I should be able to connect the battery and crank the engine with a twist of the key. Still need fuel lines and a bunch more assembly work before first start though.

Random progress pix:

My favorite part of wiring is removing the tags. The rest of it sucks. I am a fan of butt splice crimp connectors though. Before last week I was 100% solder and shrink tube; now I'm strip and crimp and send.

Nice progress, I like the OBD port up there front and center

Shavarsh said:

Nice progress, I like the OBD port up there front and center

Thanks. I'm not as proud of the panel as I am of the fact that I accepted "good enough" and moved on. She's gotta be on the trailer in less than six weeks. 8-/

I use the non-insulated crimp butt connectors with heat shrink on the outside.  A package of 100 or so plus a matching set of 1.5" or so heat shrink pieces makes it fast, strong and nice

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

I am a fan of butt

I knew it.

I love electrical.

Carry on!

SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) said:

I love electrical.

Carry on!

i wish you lived closer.

With all grounds secured, I connected the battery and listened / sniffed for bad things. No bad things were detected, so I checked tail and backup lights:

when I got this car it had a VA plate and inspection sticker, both expired April 1982. So it's quite possible that this is the first time she's been powered up in 41 years.

emboldened by lack of destruction, I installed a junkyard ECU and turned the key. I was startled by the electric fuel pump, for some reason I was only expecting relays to click. Anyway, fuel pump ran for 2 seconds then clicked off, just like GM intended. Hooray!

so I grabbed the laptop and the USB to OBD cable, plugged in, and used FlashHack (available at ECMhack.com) to read the existing .bin file. Then opened TunerPro and read the CAL ID. It came back with 16230211, which ECMhack says is the latest update for a 94 Fleetwood "hearse / service" option.

I'm super geeked right now that, so far, everything seems to be working electrically. I have to add a temporary CEL tomorrow, then make fuel lines and install headers, and then I'm sure y'all can guess what's next. Yep, making a new list of dang I forgot about ...

Get some Patrick!!! Whooo!!!

\../

I crapped my pants too the first time I connected the battery on my car and the fuel pump cycled.  The throttle body did a little clicky calibrate thing too.

Nice work!