Dream Come True

[Hawkeye]

Well it's finally completed my 429 Roadster! Something that's been worked on for close to 10 years. Bought the motor from a wrecker back in Nov. 99, rebuilt it, collected some parts over the years and the main Kit was delivered in Sept. 06. and now it is finally registered. Check out my Gallery for more pictures.

[RON N BKFLD]

HAWKEYE,, looks very nice, have fun,,,,,,,Ron

[133bus]

Hawkeye,congratulations...it looks great.I have your gallery in my favorites and refer to it on a regular bases.I received my kit from Don last July and have it about half done so I understand all the hours of hard work you have put into this beautiful car...so from the East coast(NB) to the West coast GET OUT THERE AND DRIVE

[trularin]

Congrats!

I'll wager it feels great to drive her down the road.

[lovehamr]

Hawkeye, I don't normally like green but that car is gorgeous!

[RedBarchetta]

Originally Posted by lovehamr

Hawkeye, I don't normally like green but that car is gorgeous!

I would have to agree, too. Especially the way you layed out the ghost stripes. I had a '71 Camaro that I painted that color and it was sharp (only limited to the fact that I had a green interior).

Nice job!

-Dean

[Hawkeye]

Thanks Guys for the comments. I was looking for something different but I didn't want to get to far off track from tradition. The color is close to British Racing Green but not and the stripes are there but in your face, it's just a personal thing.

133bus, if you run into a snag I have alot more pictures than what's in the gallery. I know how much a picture helps, like they say a picture is worth a 1000 words. Good luck in your build.

[jdean]

Oh yeah it does have stripes...didn't see them at first. Nice job. Be careful with that 429 in there!

[michel schryer]

Congratulation hawkeye,after all those years ! What took you so long ?
I might have some request since i've got a D'D too. I'm at the go-kart stage,drove it around the block a few times and now it's starting to look like a car. I tried to post pictures of my build but failed,lack of computer skills.
With few adjustments it drove pretty good,quite happy with the chassis.
How's your car driving ?
Any major issues ?
My only concern is the hand brake,hard to pull and doesn't quite lock the wheels like i would like to. The lokar system with my supercoupe calipers,not so good.
I will certainly contact you later if you don't mind.
Have fun,you deserve it,cheers

Michel

[Hawkeye]

Michel, you ask what took so long. Simple answer is life. Money was a key factor, it was to be built not using household funds. So overtime money, birthday monetary gifts etc. My mother falling ill and ultimatly passing away and all that is invovled with that process. When I worked it was out of town a fair amount. Tough to build a car when your not around.

The hand brake is a bit of an issue. The Lokar handle is short so you loose the mechanical advantage. I got mine to work but it is a chore everytime you use it.

In so far as driving, it takes a little getting use to it. The steering is a little sensative in that you feel every bump, rut and manhole lid. I have been told that is a characteristic of rack and pinion and manual steering. Where there is no hydraulics to absorb any shock.

Feel free in contacting me and good luck in your build.

[rustyBob]

Hawkeye that is one fine looking ride and you should enjoy it for many years to come.Your story about life/money/work sounds a lot like my story(took me 6 years).

[ddcobra]

Superrrr!!!! :-)))


Now it's the time to hit the road and enjoy the hard work
Don,

[TINNMANN]

Once you are on the road we realize that it was worth all the effort it took!
Cheers Greg

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

Beautiful job. It's nice to see a home project completed. You gotta feel good after all this time when you actually drive the thing. I actually appreciate my own car much more because it took me a few years to complete rather than just writing a check and driving off. Good luck.

[DavidNJ]

I like green so as you can guess I like it.

There is nothing intrinsic in manual rack and pinion steering that would create unwanted feedback. There are a few factors though.

Did you bump steer it, front and back? By definition, bump steer alters the wheel steering angle with vertical movement.

Have you tried different tires? Tires are part of the spring/damping equation and those may be a little too stiff. I know they are common here because of their availability in suitable sizes.

Which shocks are you using? Some shocks are just too stiff at higher frequencies (the frequencies of bumps) and cause all sorts of stuff to be feed back. We just changed shocks on my wife's E320CDI, and it is night and day. It goes over potholes and steel plates that caused the whole car the shudder as if they aren't there. On the Armada forum, a change to Bilsteins in front removes a severe steering wheel shake for many (my DD is a QX56). Bilstein racing will put together a custom length valving shock (that takes a coil over kit) for under $200. They are on my super late model which runs under a $150 shock rule.

After so much effort, just a little more tuning.

[achi]

Hawkeye,

Your car is beautiful, and for those of you that only saw the pics they do not do it justice. The colour and the ghost stripes look awesome. Thank you very much for taking the time to meet with me, and discuss the build. It is always a pleasure to speak with someone who has completed one of these projects so you can really get an idea of what is involved. Again, Great work, Congratulations!

Achille

[brobehr]

very nice indeed. great color !!


brobehr