Project PT-57 By Hot Rod Jim's

Quick update, frame quarters are almost done, the main section of the frame is knocked out on the computer, cut up waiting the quarters and the transmission is a little hung up due to some national back orders with T56 parts. Take a look at the photos, I’m going back to the work.



   

   

And onto the frame it self, Remember its whats on the inside that counts. This will keep our frame from deflecting. Use structure not mass, keep it light.

   

   

   

-Russell  
Hot Rod Jim's
Building cars that handle
www.hotrodjim.com

Hot off the Press

   
Hot Rod Jim's
Building cars that handle
www.hotrodjim.com

Your moving along nicely Russ.  

thanks, we're getting serious into the building part now. Thanks to all the computer cad models there's no real guess work and it really cuts out a lot of the mock up, tare down and try again stages of custom builds.

      Busy few days, some rack mockups, measurements and then back to the jig. Billy’s been getting a bunch of the little parts all knocked out and I’ve been doing paper work along with the last programming for parts off to the laser.

      Fenders, wheels and fire wall, and seat checks and mockups

   

   



      Billy Painted the Semi Gloss Metallic Charcoal Gray on the wheels race wheels and the street wheel.

 

      Decided we didn't like the fire wall, really we hadn't changed it sine the move from auto the manual transmission so we needed to re adjust the position for the driver.

 

      Back onto the jig table for driveline angling, exhaust and sheet metal work.


   

   

 

      On the Jig with the body

   

      Put the wheels on it for further clearances checking and just to see what she looks like

 

 

-Russell  
Hot Rod Jim's
Building cars that handle
www.hotrodjim.com

Whats next for the truck?  

To the work at hand

Turbos are here. I’ve only started into the kit but after I read the instruction book I had only one question. Not bad considering this is our first turbo car. We’ll be rigging the waste gate to the side pipes and the fact that these are quality turbos with remote gates. Braded lines and a plethora of fittings to make sure you have what you need for your build. Two large Oil pumps and their wiring system with integrated pressure sensors and alarms so if you have any issues with the pumps failing you’ll be alerted before you destroy something.

   

Front end went back on the truck and we started fabing the inner fenders and new firewall. We did have one minor miss hap with the steering column location but we’ve fixed it getting the column into the proper location to the driver. Even though it’s not adjustable the seat is on a slide and the pedals will be adjustable so as to get them all dialed into the driver. Headers are tight but thanks to the guys at American Racing Headers we got a set of the corvette headers and modified them to fit. I, like an idiot, had them coated first due to our time restriction, bad idea. I had to draw up my own master cylinder for the brake pedal model but not too much trouble. We’ve got the miss alignment of the pushrod down to less than 1 degree in both directions and after a quick mockup with a foam board model. Check out the exhaust going it and the rear diff adapter plate going together, this is the prototype, I know it ugly but we’ll dress is up on the mill later.

   

   

   

   

   

 

-Russell  
Hot Rod Jim's
Building cars that handle
www.hotrodjim.com

What engine are you throwing in that bad boy?  

LQ4 6.0L from a 2003 2500 Truck backed by a T56  
Hot Rod Jim's
Building cars that handle
www.hotrodjim.com

How much HP does it have?  

Should be 550-600 RWHP

I forgot a few photos from the last update and I have a few more for this one.

Brake pedal rendering and the gas tank I forgot to post last time. You might also notice I got the LQ4 model for the truck instead of the LS7 better info for the firewall bits.

   

I’m working on the gas tank and brake pedal and found out the new bottle of gas was bad. That’s the main reason the welds on the brake pedal look so chunky. I might re-cut it but only time will tell.

   

Jim’s working on the front grill inserts to make the cross hair mouth.

   

And the inter coolers are here.



-Russell  
Hot Rod Jim's
Building cars that handle
www.hotrodjim.com

Do you know where the filler neck it going to be?  

This Russ guys gottit goin' on. Clearly in a league with Chip Foose.
I wanna go to work for him, cheaply too, jes so's he kin teach me the cad thing.
Gotta be useing a Mac!
Budget, what budget?..LOL..  

Using a Mac not likely. Unless it's changed in the past year but cad programs are usually PC applications. Now you can always run Windows on a Mac but thats a topic for another thread.  

MAC F@#$, MAC. I was a computer technician trying to put myself through school before I started working for Dad here. I HATE MAC!!!!! Seriously I spent 800.00 buck on building my computer and I've got hardware my software can't utilize and a processor that went from a 2.89 GHZ quad core to 3.6 GHZ in a few quick clicks. But Like Mpayne said, that's another topic.

MAC is good for media editing but I'm pretty good at that on my PC
This is the compilation Video from several cameras from the last autocross in my Black Widow 1957 Chevy Sedan 150
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Black-Widow-1957-Chevy_709382.htm

But thanks for the complement. If time and equipment weren't under consideration it wouldn't be bad since we're building just about everything. But 4k for a copy of Solidworks CAD software, 5k for the TIG, I do have some expensive toys but that's why we're going to start producing this frame for the 55-59 Chevy and GMC Guys Looking to use the 1997-current suspension for their project. When we get back I'm putting the air bags back into the mix and using this as my daily driver.


The filler will still be on the cab. We're trying to keep the stylized period parts on the truck so the old filler with a typical army style logo of FUEL over the top.

Update

People with big feet - (Darren, Brianne, and I, well everyone but Billy really) our feet wouldn't fit with the last pedal system so we rear arranged a few things and moved them under the floor.

Clutch
 

Brake
 

Intercooler caps are done and out to the cutter with the brake parts



TURBOS!!!!
Looking evil. and the tubing for the compressed air is in too. All mandrel bends in aluminum. It'll start 2.00" at the turbo after a few gentle 45 degree turns it goes up to 2.25" up over the front tire turns into 2.5" and then goes into the intercoolers.

   

 

Stack gauges are in. I've always used Autometer and with stack being bought out by them I think Autometer will learn something from tack. WOW the are some of the best built gauges I've ever seen. Aluminum housings, electric steeper motors full 270 degree sweeps and the tack. Oh the tack, this is all built in 2 programmable gauges, speedometer, odometer, and sequential shift light. Just wow, Huge thanks to Stack for these bad boys and the simple black and white fits the plane theme perfectly.



Later
-Russell  
Hot Rod Jim's
Building cars that handle
www.hotrodjim.com

This is absolutely beautiful. Hope I can come close to this one day.