I have made some progress after returning from my trip. The most recent objective was to get it back on the ground, and off the jack stands. I will probably need it on them again when I do the fuel and brake lines, but for now, its on the ground.

Since last update, I have mostly finished assembling the front end. I still have some fine tuning to do to the headline bucket/fender extensions. The reproductions don’t fit right and need some attention from the die grinder to get everything lined up. Fortunately, Barry at Jo Daddy’s Garage made a video of him doing the same so I have a good reference on how to do the job with perfection. Brooklyn Pony 32 I will have to get back to that shortly.

I also rebuilt the hood latch assembly. I used the original latch after some blasting cabinet attention, but I had to replace the riser plate due to corrosion. I also had to find some square lock nuts. I didn’t find any on the usual places like NPD, so I went to AMK directly and got a few packs of 25 bulk bolts, including the same style lock nuts used on the latch mechanism. Everything went back together looking original, but I don’t like how the top plate came out. I am thinking of blasting it again and taking it to the plating shop for some powder coating since it’s the part that gets seen, and it only appears to be available in reproduction as the whole latch assembly. Added it to the list of things to do.

With the latch in place, I put the grille on. That’s when I figured out I was going to have to take it apart and massage the headlight extensions. I couldn’t get a picture since it was too close to the wall, but once it rolled, I went back and took one.

About this time, the wheels showed up. I ordered the American Racing Torque Thrust II’s in a 17 inch. The suspension isn’t adjusted, so they are too far forward, but I am a long ways from worrying about doing an alignment. Loving the look. From there they went off to get some wheels installed.

While I was waiting for wheels, I put the rear bumper together. I looked at the original and it had some spider webbing, so I decided to get a repro since the last replacement looked so good. I figure the original would be better on Eric’s coupe since its so original.

Along with the bumper, I ordered a new license plate light. The old one was pretty rusted and thin. The new one is not quite exact, but pretty close. Gets the job done.

Barry also has a video on setting up the rear bumper and having to do some tuning to get it just right. I went back and watched it again, getting some good ideas to make the reproduction mounting hardware work better. For now, this is out of the way and not on the shelf or in the pile of parts, so that’s progress.

Tires are mounted, so I had to see how they looked on the front at least. I chose 215/45/17’s in a Michelin sport tire. Not my standard wheel/tire look, but I do like how it looks on this body style.

Next, I took the original 8″ rear and put it back under the car. I got new springs, shocks, and mounting hardware, but that’s all. I think I am going to get a matching rear for the SoT front before I am done, so I got parts I can put under the convertible, but still get it on the ground, and free up some garage floor space in the second bay. It was a bit tricky to get it off the cart with no lift and only one jack, but I managed. Easier to put the rear under it with those tools than to get it on jack stands.

It’s progress. It looks like a car again. Still lots to do, but I am happy with that solid progress. The engine should be back from the machine shop next week, and I will have to start putting the top on that. Between AC, Engine, wiring, and rear end, I have a lot of money to spend in the next couple months.