I took some footage of the Caprice prior to purchase using said HD camera. I suppose eventually I will edit that together and put it online. Stay tuned!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Camera Case
For you gear sluts out there, this is a case I picked up to house my new HD video camera. I got the camera to help document my MattMobile build up, and also for future episodes of "On The Laam", the webseries that I am producing.
I took some footage of the Caprice prior to purchase using said HD camera. I suppose eventually I will edit that together and put it online. Stay tuned!
I took some footage of the Caprice prior to purchase using said HD camera. I suppose eventually I will edit that together and put it online. Stay tuned!
Headlight Arrives
One of the headlights I purchased from eBay arrived today. If I was buying it for a Mazda 626, I would be upset, as part of the plastic housing on the mounting gear is snapped off. But since all of that will be thrown away, it doesn't really matter. I consider this perfect!
Haynes Repair Manual Ordered
I did a little digging around on Amazon, and FINALLY remembered the brand name of the book I was looking for. It's a Haynes Repair Manual. I had one of these for my first car, a Chevy Malibu, and it was just invaluable. It includes tear-down diagrams of every single part of the entire car. I believe this will be very helpful when it comes to pulling the car apart, and putting it back together again.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1563922495
One of the things I'm going to try to be consistent on with this project for the next couple of months, at least until I can actually start the tear down, is to do at least ONE THING per day to keep the project moving. Even if it's just researching some details, or finding some tool or component I need for the build. I think this technique will help keep me focused, and on track.
I've done this same thing with varying degrees of success on other projects, so I guess time will tell as to how well it works on this one.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1563922495
One of the things I'm going to try to be consistent on with this project for the next couple of months, at least until I can actually start the tear down, is to do at least ONE THING per day to keep the project moving. Even if it's just researching some details, or finding some tool or component I need for the build. I think this technique will help keep me focused, and on track.
I've done this same thing with varying degrees of success on other projects, so I guess time will tell as to how well it works on this one.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Gas Caps and Headlights Ordered
I went on a bit of a shopping spree today, and picked up left and right front headlights for the car, and also two Shelby gas caps. Though the gas caps are not accurate to the film car, they are very close. The real gas caps have been identified, though they are a lot more expensive, and tend to be a bit beaten up. Well, the ones I have seen.
Since they will be indistinguishable from the real thing to anyone but the most trained observer, I figured I would go the discount route. They'll still be pretty though!
Of course, I will post pictures as soon as I get them.
I also did a bunch of internetting and found a few options for the correct seats. Also found the correct steering wheel, and rear lights. I'm debating on what direction to go as far as those parts go, though I suspect the steering wheel is a slam dunk.
Since they will be indistinguishable from the real thing to anyone but the most trained observer, I figured I would go the discount route. They'll still be pretty though!
Of course, I will post pictures as soon as I get them.
I also did a bunch of internetting and found a few options for the correct seats. Also found the correct steering wheel, and rear lights. I'm debating on what direction to go as far as those parts go, though I suspect the steering wheel is a slam dunk.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
What The Heck Does "5 on 5" Mean?
In doing some research on the rims and tires needed for the MattMobile, I kept hearing the term "5 on 5" when referring to the Caprice Classic. I dug around, and found this website that explains it:
http://www.buywheelstoday.com/FAQ/?id=1009
Long story short, the first 5 is the number of bolts on the wheel. The second number is the diameter in inches of the circle that the bolts make.
Who Knew?
Also, for reference, this project has been officially dubbed "The 89 MattMobile". Huge thanks to RPF user E-Wan for suggesting it.
http://www.buywheelstoday.com/FAQ/?id=1009
Long story short, the first 5 is the number of bolts on the wheel. The second number is the diameter in inches of the circle that the bolts make.
Who Knew?
Also, for reference, this project has been officially dubbed "The 89 MattMobile". Huge thanks to RPF user E-Wan for suggesting it.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Dexter Blood Slide Trophy Box
This is a replica of the blood slide box as seen in the Showtime series "Dexter."
As luck would have it, this is DEAD ON ACCURATE to the late season boxes, as it was made by the same craftsman. I'll have to dig around for the details, but long story short, the guy that made this box is the guy that provided them for the show for the fifth season.
It's a beautifully made piece, and if you are a fan of the show, you really should have one. It's one of the most iconic and consistent props seen throughout the entire series. Second only to Dexter's collection of kill tools.
It also came with a really neat evidence bag, and a COA.
If you want one, please visit the makers website here. Tell them Matt Munson sent you!
http://michaelccollectibles.weebly.com/
As luck would have it, this is DEAD ON ACCURATE to the late season boxes, as it was made by the same craftsman. I'll have to dig around for the details, but long story short, the guy that made this box is the guy that provided them for the show for the fifth season.
It's a beautifully made piece, and if you are a fan of the show, you really should have one. It's one of the most iconic and consistent props seen throughout the entire series. Second only to Dexter's collection of kill tools.
It also came with a really neat evidence bag, and a COA.
If you want one, please visit the makers website here. Tell them Matt Munson sent you!
http://michaelccollectibles.weebly.com/
Light Reading
Now that I've gone public with the big project, I can start backfilling some blog posts that have been queued up for a while.
A while back, I picked up these three books.
The one on repairing your car is the one I read first. It turned out to be immensely valuable. It explained in easy to understand terms every major mechanical system in a car. In high school, I took auto shop, and we pulled apart a V8 and built it back up until it ran. Very valuable experience, and it's actually finally paying off. I'm familiar with a lot of car related stuff, and this book really fleshed out my knowledge. Granted, I don't know everything, but after reading this book, I realized that I'm feeling pretty confident that I can tackle what this project will throw at me.
I'm in the middle of reading the book on body work right now. For the most part, this is stuff I already know through my other hobby related builds. This one goes into a little more detail around specific types of repairs and injuries, but in general, the principles are the same as what I already know. Just a different scale.
For those of you who are interested, I highly recommend these two books. I suspect the third one is just as good, but since I haven't read it yet, I cannot comment.
A while back, I picked up these three books.
The one on repairing your car is the one I read first. It turned out to be immensely valuable. It explained in easy to understand terms every major mechanical system in a car. In high school, I took auto shop, and we pulled apart a V8 and built it back up until it ran. Very valuable experience, and it's actually finally paying off. I'm familiar with a lot of car related stuff, and this book really fleshed out my knowledge. Granted, I don't know everything, but after reading this book, I realized that I'm feeling pretty confident that I can tackle what this project will throw at me.
I'm in the middle of reading the book on body work right now. For the most part, this is stuff I already know through my other hobby related builds. This one goes into a little more detail around specific types of repairs and injuries, but in general, the principles are the same as what I already know. Just a different scale.
For those of you who are interested, I highly recommend these two books. I suspect the third one is just as good, but since I haven't read it yet, I cannot comment.
More Caprice Pictures
I purchased this car on April 23, 2011. I consider this the official start date of this project, even though I've been doing research and reading for the past couple of years. I'll write the back story on this project later on. Right now I just want to get the pics up onto the blog.
This Caprice is what is known as a "donor" car. It will serve as the frame and mechanical infrastructure for the Keaton Car. Basically, the entire body and interior will be ripped off and discarded. I will rebuild the interior, and a fiberglass shell will be placed over the top of it. I don't even want to speculate on projected finish date, as there are so many factors involved, and so many complications.
This is the first car I have ever built. The next biggest and most complicated thing I've tackled is my full R/C R2-D2. Frankly, at this time, I'm not sure if the car is more complex. The great thing about working on a car is that so much of the engineering is already done for you. Honestly, aside from the frame stretch and mounting points, all of the engineering for this project was done by Chevy. I just need to put everything together. The R2 was the opposite. It was up to the builder to come up with creative ways to make all the parts and mechanics work together to deliver the end result. Though the car is bigger, I'm not convinced that it's more complicated.
This Caprice is what is known as a "donor" car. It will serve as the frame and mechanical infrastructure for the Keaton Car. Basically, the entire body and interior will be ripped off and discarded. I will rebuild the interior, and a fiberglass shell will be placed over the top of it. I don't even want to speculate on projected finish date, as there are so many factors involved, and so many complications.
This is the first car I have ever built. The next biggest and most complicated thing I've tackled is my full R/C R2-D2. Frankly, at this time, I'm not sure if the car is more complex. The great thing about working on a car is that so much of the engineering is already done for you. Honestly, aside from the frame stretch and mounting points, all of the engineering for this project was done by Chevy. I just need to put everything together. The R2 was the opposite. It was up to the builder to come up with creative ways to make all the parts and mechanics work together to deliver the end result. Though the car is bigger, I'm not convinced that it's more complicated.
And So It Begins. The Biggest Project To Date.
Greetings faithful readers. I'll give you the condensed version before I go into the details. I plan on turning this:
Into this:
Into this:
Back In SoCal!
This may not seem project related, but I am back in Southern California! I had been living in Ohio for the past two years, but that is all over now.
What does this mean for you, dear reader? Well, the main impact is that I will now have more opportunities to work on projects, as I will actually have space to do them. I will also not have to deal with the cold of winter, nor the heat of summer.
So overall, it's a total win!
What does this mean for you, dear reader? Well, the main impact is that I will now have more opportunities to work on projects, as I will actually have space to do them. I will also not have to deal with the cold of winter, nor the heat of summer.
So overall, it's a total win!