lasater

Lots going on right now. The sheetmetal is finished and the heat/sound deadening is almost complete. The black headliner has been re -installed prior to final fitting of the roll cage. It looks charcoal colored in the photos but that is because of the flash. In reality, it looks like a black cat eating licorice in a coal mine black. The grey plastic interior panels are for a cutting patterns only and will be replaced with black ones. Once the door on the tool box is completed and the e-brake cables are run out the back of the e-brake handle it will be off to Lupe's Tuck & Roll for new custom black carpet. I think the red/black SS seats and front door pannels will really pop with that much black interior.

Bloo

I think I just wet myself.... Yup!

black Tara

looking good I can't wait until your done props my brother

Oldblue

Great job!

blizzard

this just keeps getting better and better

lasater

I was expecting a fair amount of work/money for the custom "HHR on one end, Camaro on the other end" e-brake cables. As luck would have it, the Camaro cables fit perfectly in the HHR e-brake handle mechanism. All that has to be done now is a sheet metal hoop welded over the exposed cables so the carpet will hide the cables.

On the other hand, due to the firewall set back and the general huge size of the engine block and heads it is looking more an more like the a/c
evaporator/heater is not going to work. This creates a huge obstacle not so much as getting an aftermarket unit that will fit but in the controls. Vintage Air makes some nice units that I think will fit but they use their own control switches. Controlling it from the stock temp controll knobs may prove to be a challenge . I'll keep you posted. Unique and YearOne didn't have a/c or even a heater.

papa_jo

yep, we are getting closer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lasater

Stainless brake lines are complete. Anodized A&N fittings and stainless clamps. Should last a lifetime. Master cylinder is plumed and all that is needed is taking a rose bud to the brake pedal and moving it over about 1 1/2". Stainless flex lines to the calipers are in.
The photo with all the water spots on the paint shows the B&M Line Lock solenoid.

lasater

As we suspected, the evaporator on the A/C and heater aren't going to fit. The stock unit is made with the lines in the center of the car and in my case that just won't work. I went on Vintage Air's site and found the dimensions for a unit I think will fit. Then I made a full scale mock-up of it out of layers of 1" insulation foam glued together. It seems to fit fine so I ordered the new unit.

The next problem is controlling it. Of course the HHR controls won't work. The Vintage Air controls use a slider switch for the heater that I don't like. Dakota Digital makes an all-in-one electronic unit that will do the job and will fit in the allotted space (barely)

Next step was gutting the stock climate control switches and modifying the faceplate to work with the Dakota Digital controls. I was very surprised to see how complex the HHR climate control switches are. They are a marvel of engineering. I almost felt bad taking a die grinder to it. I currently have the bare faceplate ready to have the outboard holes partially filled and the oval area under the new controls raised to match the flat aluminum face. The stock plastic faceplate has a small curve in it that will look badly if not modified. This plastic work will take all week to complete.

There is a very real chance I will have to make the glove box shallower to acomidate the evaporator. I will cross that bridge when I get there.

Oldblue

Change is good!