On the '66 1600

Rebuilt master & slave clutch cylinders, swapped out valve train (grabbed a better one), swapped out intake manifold for proper one (it had an intake for a 411 in it), swapped carbs, checked front brakes out, put in proper carb linkage, initial tweeks for timing (set it to 5 BTDC for now).... etc...

Fires up on it's own now, idles decent (still has a dash of a miss), shifts perfectly (trans seems good, clutch good), stops... so took it for a spin around the neighborhood.

on the '70 2000

Pulled tape etc... off the wiring harness and checking all wiring. Found a few that scream "replace me". Made template for the new dash (going flat dash with Zebra Wood).

Forgive my asking the obvious, but have you taken pictures of anything you've done to date? Curious about that Zebra Wood too.

I need to remember to do that (take pics)....

The way I am doing the wood is as follows:

1) I've peeled all the molded foam off of the old dash down to the metal (foam was old, cracked, crapola, dead)
2) Transfer gauge cutouts and control cutouts to card board
3) Then transfer to pine (cheap), cut it out, put hardware, gauges, controls on it
4) Mount it in the interior and leave it be as I work on other stuff and see if I like the layout and the way I set it up
5) If all is good, then redo step 3, but in Zebra wood (expensive), if I don't like it, redo the cheap pine step

I'm also re cutting the top of the dash in new steel

This is what Zebrawood looks like (unfinished)

NICE!

I redid mine with a high-end laminate from 3M a couple years ago... Ultimately, I wound up not liking it, but it really doesn't "flow" with my Roadster's look.

I'll be doing my dash panel smooth, body color, to show off the polished trim rings.

I'm doing black for the car body redoing all chrome (have to as there are pits), red for the interior & the Zebrawood for the dash face. The top and bottom of the dash will be the same red as the interior. I'll be cutting steel, folded that will run under the dash so it is a finished look. Also, the vinyl (dash top & bottom) will have foam to provide a good contour (or so I imagine...). Foam will be carved to match.

For the chrome, I 'll use a home made reverse electrolysis tank to strip chrome & nickel, then I redo the parts by hand & get them dipped (I do this with my Harleys).

Drive train, I am looking at powder coating all appropriate parts (steel). I have a powder coating machine. I have built a powder coating curing oven as well that switches out so I can cast aluminum parts if I need to (runs up to 3000 degrees).

Aluminum engine parts, I am considering anodizing them. I'll need to clean polish & then anodize. But I think that would be nice in the engine compartment for the 70.

Since the 66 will go stock, none of the aftermarket tweeks like anodizing will happen.

The 70 is pretty much close to "on the road", it could have been weeks ago but I am cautious and not rushing things.

I am very interested on how the powder coating comes out. We have a professional PC machine at my school shop that doesn't get used much. What about doing the front calipers?

Calipers would be good to do, as long as you mask off the machined surfaces and threads.