Darth Nader makes a Freudian slip

Six weeks ago Pat and I were talking about the Challenge when I meant to prod him into finishing Darth Nader. Instead this happened.

We had talked about it before but it got vetoed. I asked for some time to think as I have way too many projects.

Then a few hours later I get a call from Dusterbd13 "Hey I hear you got offered Darth Nader.  I want to build it but I don't want to own it."  Well hell how do you turn that down.

On Tuesday of last week Darth Nader got loaded up.

Later that day it made it to a sleepy little town in North Carolina.

When we get done unloading from The Challenge and I get a shower and the nap, I will do good start to this from where it dropped off at my house. I'm honored to get to be the guy to build this. But I will say right now in full bluntness, but I am going after the overall with this build.

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

That's an overall winning car if done right, but I warn you I'm bringing a thompson to the knife fight next year, and the year after, and the year after.

Patrick said:

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

That's an overall winning car if done right, but I warn you I'm bringing a thompson to the knife fight next year, and the year after, and the year after.

Im game!

The year i bring it seriously, we'll have to make a wager. And pit next to each other. I didn't spend nearly enough time with you this year .

This is the best. And since I plan to be in attendance for 2020 I’ll get to see it. Better than Christmas. 

Provided you're willing to pit next to the Hongs in the "we do not get up at 7am" area.  Us, Gumby, Bob, the Hongs, and Westside were having plenty of fun with the last spots on the end.

i love this picture

Tuesday of last week, it arrived at about 8pm. Here's the breakdown of what was purchased, and delivered, from Patrick:

C5 corvette automatic/corvair mutant and parts pile: $800

included, upon investigation:

1 complete set of c5 wagon wheels 17/18

truck intake, throttle body, and manifolds

all wiring and computers needed

dash parts (incomplete)

2x 17x9.5 c4 sawblades

2x skinnies for the front

extra stainless corvair trim

wheeltub panels?

A power steering line

a radiator

rollbar hoop

3 seperate mouse nests

tetanus

tow strap

10x 80lb injectors, new: 100

stainless longtubes/x-pipe exhaust, no mufflers, new unknown brand $200

to this we added:

CAT turbo: free

bus intercoolwer and piping $26

seats: free

20191022_213129 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

Wednesday morning, we started unpacking it to see what all was there, not there, undone, and needed. I began to regret many of my life decisions up to this point that day....

20191023_085147 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085159 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085218 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085323 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085344 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085357 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085405 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085418 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085422 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085511 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085631 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_090538 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_092550 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

so, enough with the parts packages. I got it unloaded, and started looking at the carcass I was left with to create a beautiful creature from. Its definitely not a finished body swap. Not by a long shot. Since that's the biggest hurdle, well start there.

Trunk (previously the engine bay) is actually probably going to be this simplest. Except for closing out the wheelwells, its all flat. Much like it would have been in the c5.

20191023_085636 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085641 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085647 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

next up is the interior area. Its bad. Really, really weird shapes and lots of oddities. The goal in my head is to have a finished, complete red interior with black carpets. Corvette dash and console, custom door panels, full cage, full HVAC, all the luxuries. Hell, a stereo too while were being extravagant!

So here's what we have to work with. (by the way, if you have spare dash parts and console parts for cheap/free, let me know!) what we have to fight against here, and what I see as the biggest hurdle, is the firewall to corvair junction. There's a few inch gap everywhere that needs sealed up, blended in, and made nice. I really don't know how I want to do that yet. I also need to figure out where all the wires, clips, etc go. No idea. In theory its a complete 2000 harness, that is good. Hopefully someone has a good diagram.....

20191028_091242 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_090547 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_090740 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191028_114648 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

underhood is where the magic will happen. What was under there was a truck 4.8 that has had open intake ports, exhaust ports uncovered, no oil filter, no dipstick or tube. Unknown how long air has been getting in like this. Most of the bolts underhood are either missing or finger tight, near as I can tell. Abs pump is gone, lines just hanging there. Lots of wiring to nothing. Accessories gone, but corvette crank pulley present. Plenty of room though!

20191023_085232 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191023_085237 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

so, the first step after unpacking was cleaning. To do so, I packed all the ports and holes with paper towels, then sealed with duct tape. I grabbed the truck manifolds to test fit. Looks like they will be perfect for a front mount turbo install. They do, however, slightly hit the brake booster. I intentionally installed the intake backwards so I could get the parts of it that are never cleaned with the pressure washer. Came out pretty good. We need to add coil, wires, and gaskets to the aforementioned accessories. And a starter. And a million other things.

Anyway, we hit everything with purple power and a pressure washer. Every inch that was readily accessible.

20191028_091359 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

while I had the pressure washer out, I did the whole car, and changed the skinnies to the wagon wheels up front. Car has drilled and slotted rotors and fresh pads!

20191028_114648 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

while at the challenge this year, I scored a pair of free seats. Unknown brand, unknown provenance, but the price was right. Even had sliders! After pressure washing, I decided to see how close the dash pad was to fitting (will need trimmed about ¼ on either side to fit the a-pillars properly) and then tossed the seats in to see if they fit (they do!). I had to sit in it and make vroom-vroom and boost noises afterwards. Its one of the commandments, I think.

Screenshot_20191028-120853 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191028_113500 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191028_113504 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

20191028_113525 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr

so that's where we are at for now. The next few steps are mostly parts procurement (water pump, alternator bracket, dash parts, etc), and focusing on the first three areas of work: steer, stop, start. In that order. I should learn FAR more about the car in the process of those first three areas, and the third area will be by far the most complex, as it touches essentially every inch of the car near as I can tell.

I do not envy what you have taken on. 

I think I still have the door panels if that helps.  I will see if I have any other interior parts in my shed.

Dusterbd13-michael said:

• 3 seperate mouse nests
• tetanus

I will be looking for these in the final budget. Prepare to be protested!

gumby said:

Dusterbd13-michael said:

• 3 seperate mouse nests
• tetanus

I will be looking for these in the final budget. Prepare to be protested!

find me FMV, and i will self trade for receding hairline and arthritis. 

oh, and 15 minutes from posting and ive already pissed off corvair AND corvette purists on other forums. i feel special. 

wonder if i can get banned like i did for the AMC.....

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

Link?

That looks like alot of work, goodluck! 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

I do not envy what you have taken on. 

Me either, and now he has herpes from sitting in those seats!

Dusterbd13-michael said:

oh, and 15 minutes from posting and ive already pissed off corvair AND corvette purists on other forums. i feel special. 

 

wonder if i can get banned like i did for the AMC.....

berkeley them the corvette was a certificate of destruction parted out almost roller and the corvair had no framerails or floor left.  TWO vehicles destined to be recycled got new life from this thing that I dreamed up.  

More thoughts.  I started this build when a challenge podium was a goal.  This was my "i got close with the datsun but need more" build.  Then I realized in 2017 that I wasn't getting it done, got lucky on wide wheels and cheapish tires for the datsun, made it look cooler, and leveled up to the tune of 3rd overall and got my trophy.  From there I jammed it in the popup garage to think about its future while i toiled away on the Wartburg.  The closer I get done to finishing the Wartburg, a car I want to own long term, the more I realized Darth Nader was something that was no longer fulfilling a need or want.  Basically once I toy with selling something, I need to realize that's the end of the road and to just off it.  I'm right now thinking about my 95 impala SS and how i toyed with selling it, and I need to just off it.  
 

anyway over a year ago i had offered the car to stampie because i was over it.  Carli put her foot down and said no.  I married a class A enabler.  A few weeks ago I got that screenshotted text above and as soon as I saw "I want Darth Nader" i was done.  I didn't tell Carli until after I had the money.  She was kinda upset with me, but understood my reasons.

pricing wise i have around that much cash tied up in the car.  I would have sold it to any challenge person who I believed would finish it right.  Disclaimer - stampie is a really good friend and I do not believe he has the time or tools to finish it right.  I'm not knocking him, but when he told me Michael would be doing the finishing and he just wanted to own it i was down.  If you've ever seen the amc or miata up close, michael has the eye for detail to take the car where it needs to be.  
 

my budget was:

1971 international travelall $900

2000 c5 roller traded for travelall and $550

control arm 70

steering rack 240

broken oil pan - free and tigged it back

engine 200

balancer 58

steering line 9

radiator 43

harness/pcm free

exhaust 200

wheels 100

roll bar hoop 100

bellhousing 39

motor mounts 120

so that's about 1400 minus i recouped some c5 smalls for around 400 so cash outlay was right around a grand.  Time was a different thing.  There's a lot of it there.  I'm not getting that back, but I'm also not giving any more of it away.  
 

This was one of those things where i had to do it to prove to myself that it would work, but then realized that my family is worth more to me than finishing some off the wall car.  I did not want to own it.  I wanted to build it and drive it, but not keep it.  The burden of knowing it was a shelf for 57 chevy parts has been lifted. 

Man, you are going to get so berkeleying good at welding sheet metal.

I don't think im all that good at this stuff, Patrick. But thanks for the vote of confidence! Hopefully i do your vision proud, and make it something stampie loves.

As far as the other forums: corvette forum moved me to "other cars" with a nice little note about how we bastardized the besg gm ever. Corvair forum was also a pm about ruining the car.

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

Other forums still exist? Crazy

I hope you have a lot of free time. 

Patrick said:

mazdeuce - Seth said:

I do not envy what you have taken on. 

Me either, and now he has herpes from sitting in those seats!

Let's be honest, we've hung out with Michael, he and those seats traded diseases. 

“I’m glad he had pants on.”

  - those seats

I needed that laugh this morning y'all. Thanks!!!

In reply to Patrick :

Hey now!