When I picked the car up from the painter's, it looked amazing. It still does but as time goes on you find little things that (hopefully) nobody else will notice. It really does look amazing. I am no body man, but the lines are straight as an arrow with just a couple of very small waves in the doors. The key is board sanding and more board sanding.
Dave Bellm at Christian County Collision (Ozark, MO) painted the car.
The color is Ford's Redfire Metallic. Paint is Nason Base/Clear coat.
Three color coats, three coats of clear.
Dave did a great job.
We made it home without losing the car (just before dark - no trailer lights).
Glass is in, wiring done, stereo in, interior going in. Headlights are Hella with HB2/9003 halogen bulbs (will work with H4 bulbs). The paint looks amazing!!!
Okay, so I did add some bling. The blue paint on the valve covers kept scratching off so I painted them with base/clear in the body color. I gives it that 'custom street rod' look. I know, bling, bling, bling - but at least it's under the hood. They would look good with the Ford Racing polished COP covers (if only I could scratch up - and justify - the price).
The air intake is a cheap solution. I don't want to spend $300 on a cold air kit until I decide whether to get the supercharger (going to see if it has enough power as it is before spending the big $$$). I cut the end off of a 98 Mark VIII intake tube, inserted a 4" 45 deg tube, then the 90mm Lightning MAF, a 4" air filter adapter, and 4" replacement air filter from C&L (bargain - $40! for a great filter). Total cost: a little over $100 (plus $75 for the MAF). Looks pretty good for a cobbed up solution, and it will probably flow as well as the $300 cold air kits! I plan to build an aluminum box around the filter (to keep out the engine heat) and vent in cold air from the fender well.
The Canton oil pan is pretty low, but only hangs about 3/4" below the front crossmember. I'll have to watch the bumps. You can see the torque boxes I added for more rigidity. They are welded to the subframe connectors in the back and the Heidts subframe boxes in the front. This car is stiff. There are no 'crush zones' so if I get in an accident I will be the 'energy absorbing component', which is how cars were made in 1965 anyway! (New technology is good - I wouldn't want to drive one of these every day.)
