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Horseplay: 1965 Fastback Restomod

Life is such a bitch. If not for work I would have plenty of time to spend on the car. Then again, without work I couldn't afford to build it. The start to this year continues to be VERY busy for me with my work but I did manage a few hours garage time this weekend.

I finalized all the metal structure for the tray, adding a couple more crossmembers and linking the same together for a solid base which will include a full size spare mount. Ended up with a triangular bracket trio to secure the assembly to the car body. I utilized two existing brackets that used to secure the fold down seat. The third point, up front on the "hump" required I add a bracket. When tightened down it is a very solid arrangement. Even though I will likely never fully remove it, I wanted to be sure that the installation and removal was simple. Additionally, access to the rear shock mount and eventual exhaust hangers will necessitate access ability.

I then turned to cutting the boards that make up the face of the tray. By using a steel structure underneath I was able to use much thinner, therefore lighter, material on the surface. I am using 1/4" thick MDF board for the top and 1/8" for the front face. I milled a piece of 1 1/2" x 1" oak to make the bullnose piece. Carpet will cover the top and wrap around the bullnose. The front face with the two access doors will be wrapped in the same leather as I am using on my seats. All fasteners used to secure both boards will be unseen. More on that to come!

My hinges and latches will arrive in a couple days. Should be able to about wrap this project up by this time next week.
clearance.JPG mount2.JPG mount.JPG boards.JPG
 
Ok. So it's been a while. Sorry. Good news is I worked late last night and got the rear seat delete/tray completed. Given my design and the material used necessitated multiple steps in many of the processes which meant lots of time waiting for this or that to dry or set-up before I could move forward. When last I left off, the frame was pretty much done and I had the basic shape of the boards cut out. From there I had to lay out lots...and I mean lots of specifically located holes. Not only did I need this to be easily installable/removable I also wanted to add a bit of style to it. More on that later.

Once all the holes were laid out and the openings cut out I had to transfer all the holes to the upper framework, drill and weld on nuts. This needed to be a one man install so this seems the best way to facilitate that need. I also will be having a full size spare on board (when desired anyway) so I added the necessary mounting for that as well.

I elected to weld the hinges for the storage doors to the frame as opposed to using screws. Given the small size of screw it would have used I felt it would be more sturdy welded. So I welded them on. I also welded in the two latch catches for the doors as well. I can't see a need for adjustment and by welding I don't have to worry about things vibrating loose.

I mentioned earlier I would be covering parts of the tray with leather. I should have written "leatherette". A pseudo leather vinyl product. I looks really good and has decent stretch properties which helped a lot in wrapping the front panel. I glued in a thin layer of upholstery foam between the boards and the covering to help in noise reduction emanating from the void area under the tray. I used landau top adhesive for everything. Hardware store contact cement doesn't hold up over time and I do not want to have to re-do anything. I am seriously thinking of wrapping the entire interior right now and based on how this project went I am confident it would look great. More on that to come later.

I splurged on latches and bought some made for just this purpose, although targeted more toward the marine industry. Really like how they function and look installed. Worth the cost of about $45 delivered.

The top is covered in some good cut-pile black automotive carpet. I didn't want a barren field of black carpet taking up half the interior so I set about designing what I hoped would be a cool but almost stock look. I added the four "rails" for aesthetics but they also serve to make it possible to secure things in the back. The screws fasten down into the nuts welded on the frame. When it comes time to install in the car, I first bolt in the frame. Next, attached the front panel and lastly, fasten down the carpeted top piece. All easily done by one man.

So that's about it. I love the way it turned out. I tend to get side-tracked and spend far too much time on some ancillary stuff like this but when it all comes together like this project did I am glad I take the time and spend the extra cash. tray frame nuts.jpg tray front attached.jpg tray frame with front.jpg tray no doors.jpg tray door opening.jpg
If anyone has any questions I am happy to answer.
 
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I haven't shown how the spare will mount, I guess. In between the center two rails about 14" from the rear there is a hole in the carpet. Through the hole I can thread in a shaft to a nut welded to the frame. This shaft will insert down through the center of the wheel and I will fashion a plate that will rest against the top of the wheel to secure it in place. Hope that makes sense.
 
Nice work Hodgy!

If you ever get tired of your day job, you could always start writing novels. Maybe in the future you can warn us by saying up front to grab a cup of coffee, beer, pizza, toilet break etc...before reading.
 
Really nice work and love the functionality! How many mounting points did you end up with for the framework?
 
swpruett said:
Really nice work and love the functionality! How many mounting points did you end up with for the framework?
Click to expand...
Just three. Two toward the rear using existing locations and one forward on the "hump". It also rests on the side panels which provide a snug fit side to side as well. It's not going anywhere.
 
Couldn't resist installing it and checking final fit/appearance. Obviously, the front seats must be removed to have room to install. The steering wheel and eventual console will not require removal to fit. That was key to the design. From start to finish took less than 15 minutes. All that time taken to align everything so precisely paid off!

Here are a series of pics showing the installation. Also close-ups of the three mounting points (two of which are factory points for the fold-down seat that I was able to use in the design. The front is hidden behind the tray face panel when installed. It is SOLIDLY affixed to the chassis.tray left rear mount.jpg tray rigth rear mount.jpg tray front center mount.jpg tray frame installed.jpg
 
Next up I am going to cover one of the large fiberglass side panels and see how I like the look/result. Pending that project I will likely start covering the full interior in material to match the custom door panels I am building. That means I will likely be removing the door glass so I can properly cover the inside of the doors too. If I go that far, I will go ahead and order up the parts to replace the seals on the wing windows too. I wasn't going to do them originally but if they come back out...might as well. Should have done them in the first place anyway.

My seat upholstery is at least a month out so I have the time to do all this beforehand.
 
looks sharp....I am not so sure about your choice of carpet in front of this piece....it is a little busy and clashes with the black carpet on the seat eliminator.
 
windshield.jpg Hurst shifter.jpg gas cap.jpg OK. Update time. I have been very hard it on the car. Still have the goal of being on the road for the HRPT. Contrary to common logic, despite using only the very best new parts everything seems to be a battle in reassembling this car. Likely more about me and my pickiness but nonetheless it ends up taking forever to do every little thing.

I FINALLY started to cut and buff the paint. Actually just a couple areas to see how it went/looked. One nice thing about waiting so long is that the clear is as hard as it gets. Makes it a little more work but also makes it a little harder to "burn" through. Starting with a relatively flat (little orange peel) finish, initiated with 1000 then stepped down to 1500 and last 2000 before hitting it with the buffer and four levels of compound before calling it a day. More on this and pics later. Suffice to say it looks good. The taillight panel is one area I played around so you can get a preview in the pic below.

Got the front glass in and wrapped up the front side of the headliner install. Have to admit I am very pleased with the final finish. Not a wrinkle in sight. Visors and rear view installed as well. Will be going back shortly to use urethane (as suggested by MTF) to complete the seal between the glass and rubber seal.


Installed the shifter as detailed in another thread. Hurst unit with 10" length and 1.5" offset. Fits perfect for me with my seat positioned as I like it. With it in, I can now get serious about the console design.


Bolted on the new re-pop rear bumper from CJ's. VERY happy with the fit. It was actually a little more than 3/4" narrower than the old Nordan that came off. This put it very tight to the body and lined up excellent with the lines of the quarter extensions. Used the original bumper brackets (which took a long time to clean-up and refinish!) to install it which I am sure aided in the nice alignment. I sprayed the backside of it with Eastwood's chassis black (2 part) so hopefully this one will last along time.

I test fit the new fuel neck I bought from Fuel Neck Supply for retrofitting the 20 gallon tank. Then twisted on the new cap. Not all happy with the fit. The gap between the rear of the cap and the panel is HUGE. Like 3/8". The cap is a Scott Drake billet piece. Anyone else have one and see the same thing. I am wondering if I blame the cap design or the filler neck. Contemplating making a round filler piece to screw to the back of the cap to fill the void.
 
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