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Old 03-09-2016, 08:00 PM   #81 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by HillbillySailor View Post
Raising the seat a foot and a half, hmm. I imagine there will be a little trimming of the back portion of the seat!
Yes, although not as much as if I used the original full-height seat bottom. I plan to use a pad about 4"-6" thick as the seat bottom upholstered in the original style seat material. It will be sitting on the lid of the traction battery drip-proof chamber using Velcro strips. Keeping things dry in a convertible that was originally designed to channel rainwater inside of the fenders will be challenging enough!

The interior installation is over a year away. My plan calls for 2016 to be all welding and body work. That will keep this engineer happily busy cutting and fitting out in the garage.

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Old 03-09-2016, 08:05 PM   #82 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by Nevyn View Post
Please let it be a vert, or a restored coupe that was damaged! Don't tear up one of the few remaining Z3 coupes, as much as I'd love to see one electric!

I wouldn't hold it against you if you did, but by comparison, the total production of Z3 Coupes is 2858 - making the 15 thousand Firebird verts looks easy to find!
Not to worry. The whole purpose of the future Z3 project is so that my wife can put the top down and drive like she did with her old TR6.

Believe me, I know all about rare cars and how to care for them. Between my late Dad and I, we have owned dozens. I wish I still had some of them sometimes.

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Old 03-10-2016, 06:53 PM   #83 (permalink)
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About 3 weeks until I get the other half of the garage back.



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Old 03-10-2016, 07:45 PM   #84 (permalink)
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And the story continues:

So, last time I had stopped at the point where the upper body was off of the Prius V, and the firewall and floor of the Firebird had been cut-out to fit the Prius floorpan and firewall.

Next on the Sawz-all task list were modifications to the rocker panels of the Firebird body to fit down over the rocker panels of the Prius V. The coke-bottle shape of the Firebird results in a body that hangs well over the original sides of the Prius V, but then tapers inward at the bottom so that it is narrower than the sills it will be sitting on.



Also, the rocker panels on under the Firebird are four thicknesses of metal spaced apart. Two an a half of these need to be cut away to fit.




In addition, Notches need to be cut for clearance over the cross-bracing in the floor of the Prius V. This is part of the jigsaw-puzzle nature of the project.




Toward the rear, calculations from the drawings and additional measurements were made that indicated the need to remove additional metal from the Prius V rear end so that the trunk floor of the Firebird would nestle down onto it without interference.



Next, cardboard templates were created to create the profiles where the two car's rear wheel wells cross-over from one to the other.






Once again, the trusty Sawz-all helped me make the needed cuts. It is important to keep as much of the original Firebird structure as possible, since the rear seat support is a structural member between the rear wheels.




Next time: Preparing for the big lift.

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Old 03-10-2016, 08:42 PM   #85 (permalink)
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The bodywork doesn't seem so easy as it appeared when you started introducing the project to us.
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Old 03-10-2016, 08:57 PM   #86 (permalink)
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The bodywork doesn't seem so easy as it appeared when you started introducing the project to us.
AMEN!!!!
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Fourth: rear skirts and 30.4mpg on trip!
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post247938
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Old 03-11-2016, 07:32 PM   #87 (permalink)
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The bodywork doesn't seem so easy as it appeared when you started introducing the project to us.
The extent of what I was getting into was fully thought out before I ever made the first cut. That being said, I never expected that it would be easy. It is great FUN however!

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Old 03-12-2016, 01:59 PM   #88 (permalink)
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Quote:
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The extent of what I was getting into was fully thought out before I ever made the first cut. That being said, I never expected that it would be easy.
Anyway, do you expect the electronics and interfaces integration to be harder than the bodywork?
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Old 03-12-2016, 04:24 PM   #89 (permalink)
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Anyway, do you expect the electronics and interfaces integration to be harder than the bodywork?
If I stay with the Prius V speedometer and adapt it to the Firebird dash with some fancy cut-and-paste, the electronics and electricals will not be that bad. If I try to adapt the Lexus speedometer, things get more complicated. Either way I will mostly be making extension cables here and there.

For instance, the wiring will be there for the center brake light. Adapting a side marker assembly from a '69 Firebird in place of the gas door emblem makes a great center brake light assembly.



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Old 03-14-2016, 08:32 AM   #90 (permalink)
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Bill, when you get back, be prepared to sign Internet autographs, and/or duck rotten Internet tomatoes (for "sacrificing" the Firebird).

This project thread is getting linked to by an increasing number of auto forums. Lots of non-EcoModder members are stopping by to see what you're up to.

(Hi, everybody!!)

It's just a matter of time before it appears on Jalopnik, etc.
I'm one of those non-Ecomodders that found this thread from another forum....


and I am so glad I did. As a lifelong Pontiac fan, I cringe a little at the thought of it, but it incorporates some of the same strange thoughts that have gone through my head over the years that I'm sure fans of what would have been my project car would lose their minds over. So, a big thumbs up to Bill!

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