lotta work there hey lol :)

i have a estate model and i think i will keep it where volvo intended the up side of this is it helps prevent fuel stolen at times for some although it would be a trade off

spare tyre ? verse a fuel tank ? in boot

puncture lol i would stick with the spare me thinks love the work you do bud but time could be spent on better things me thinks hows the arches coming along ? soon be ready for bodyshop hey

hehe

wow!

this is going to look amazing when done!

really like those flared arches youve done,gives it a hard as nails,mean looking stance.

bollocks to the standard look,seen one youve seen them all!!

any news on those computer generated drawings of an estate yet?
in dark green please!!

keep up the good work

Here are some pics of the guages that I ordered for the bezel I was working with, I think they very decent for the money, and come with everything to operate them.. I put a piece of vinyl film behind them to show some contrast, but I am not still sure what I am going to do for coloring back there. The bezel will not be polished, and will more than likely be powdercoated black or some contrasting color to the body interior color..

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/008-10.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/001-19.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/002-17.jpg

Well I got out steering column in today, and it looks pretty good, and fits pretty nicely.. I have always been partial to the sport wood steering wheels, so I thought I would give the old Cobra style a chance. It looks like the new cluster style, column, and steering wheel will come together nicely as a package, but I am still unsure on the actual background color for the back wall of the guages..

I am really want to stick with the classic styling, and I think this works.. In the pictures, you will see a construction paper dash top over the guages, and that represents to shape of the new dash top.. At this point, I am not sure if I am going to make that out of steel, or just make a full fiberglass backer for the upholstery shop to cover.

Here is the factory style cluster and steering column.


http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...Amazon/034.jpg


Here is my new layout..


http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/003-18.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/004-16.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/005-16.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/002-18.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/001-20.jpg

hi ya how about a walnut effect look would go real nice with steering wheel , also it will be in keeping with the vintage feel yet be stylish and a sense of quality ;)

That is something to consider for sure.. I would have to incoporate it in other parts of the interior though, and could work as an accent for the tops of the doors and as some sort of break up or moulding on the passenger face of the dash..

The air conditioning setup I am planning on running, will actually have the side vents placed in the upper front of the metal door tops, sort of like aot of the newer cars. There will be a gasketed air passage between the door and side of the dash, that the door will open and close on.. While I am doing that, I suppose I could try to blend some wood accent into it also.

I am trying to come up with some nice sort of console, and I am hoping that I can put the center vents in it tastefully, along with add to the class of the car.. I dont want to just put a console in the car, and start adding things for no rhyme or reason, because I want it to look like it could have come in the car in that build era.. I suppose I can figure out how to bring the Walnut in to it also.. Veneer is pretty easy to work with, and when it is done right, it looks much better than the clunky install of wool planking..

yes i tottaly agree with you keeping true to the era helps pull of some looks its when u mix the old looks with new sometimes they look out of place .

sounds like you are keeping things balanced nicely and i do like the dash layout very stylish and fantastic with the wood steering wheel in place ;) keep up the good work and those nice photos it makes my night seeing some good photos of everyones builds coming along

I am working out the final routing for the air intake, so I can order all the aluminum joints. As I said before, I cannot remove the old cal vent/heater duct, because the body vin number is actually stamped on it.. I removed the firewall attachment ring from the old heater box, becauses it is attached with a rubber/foam gasket between it and the firewall, so it should allow for motor torque/flex. I build the filter box on top of the factory attachement ring, because it has a water resevoir and drain made into it, The shape of the filter box provides a function with the water draining, while looking somewhat recognizable as a Volvo feature.

There will be identical aluminum runners on each side, so that should make everyting look even.. I have found a company that extrudes aluminum sheets with a fin pattern in it, and I was think about making a curved intake cover that will be welded into the insides of both runners, so it would have an appearance of a engine cover.

I am sure it isnt too easy to see what is going on here, but I really think will come together as a nice package, once all the components are put in place and finished out..

Pictured also, is the Swedish Ops direct bolt LS Conversion radiator manufactured for us by DeWitts....

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/005-17.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/007-13.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/009-10.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...azon/010-9.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/008-11.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...zon/006-15.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...azon/012-7.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...azon/011-9.jpg

I scored some pretty cool old exhaust tips, and will be running them through the rocker panel at the front of the rear wheel. I like the fact they are cast aluminum, because I think they will go with the color and trim them of the build. I have the MagnaFlow mufflers coming, and it appears they will work out great for this type of application, because the inlet and outlet are coming out the same end.

This will make the overall exhaust system way more compact, because I have a nice floor board pocket in front of the rear axle for the mufflers, and then it is a quick bend out to the correct outlet position at the rocker panel.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...l1/exhaust.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...1/exhaust2.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...1/exhaust3.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...1/exhaust4.jpg

Those are some pretty cool looking exhaust tips. Never seen them like that before. Good idea on the space saving muffler geometry too.