Not much was done today but got the buttons working to open and close the side doors, and installed extra handles to be able to pull the doors in when closing.

Now it was time I thought and tried to start the engine.
Had to adjust the ignition distributor a bit, and then it was running.
Seems like it runs well at idle. Will fill up the radiator water and do some more tests.

Finished and installed the panels to the right of the passenger seat and the panel above the side doors and rear doors.

The panels above the front doors and the lower panels on the front doors are not manufactured yet. Have to solve some other problems first.

Couldn’t keep myself from the garage and had to do something.
Installed the fuel tank and filled it to half a tank.
So far it seems tight so test start of the engine soon.
Sanded the door handles and primed and painted them black and installed them.

The inner panels for the rear doors are finished.
Had to change the shaft for the right door handle so
that the right handle could be installed.
Insulated and paneled and this is how it turned out.

I’m going to do a quick clean of my small 40 square meter
garage and then I’ll take it easy for the rest of the day.

Finished the following, side door panels.
Installed some front turn signals.
Installed some speakers.

Completed the electric opening of the side door.
Got a linear actuator that has a pulling force of 90kg and 5cm stroke. It is connected to a remote control but there will also be physical buttons on the inside. Also inserted electrical contacts between the door frame that supplies the lock with power.

Here are two links from where I bought the parts.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009594834204.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.2f6a55fevehlC8&algo_pvid=547b70ac-ad0e-4a96-8dc3-6ea13fb1788e&algo_exp_id=547b70ac-ad0e-4a96-8dc3-6ea13fb1788e-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B&fbclid=IwY2xjawPJ5rxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEegAzYxB3ay4gqzvP0JQtL8J1mut6r647sHOcgOvTC57jD1UdSmrvbiVUrP34_aem_XTvKJwF7BstIcJogazkRIA

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChsSEwjK58W-_vaRAxWRaJEFHaUNHyIYACICCAEQARoCbHI&co=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyufFvv72kQMVkWiRBR2lDR8iEAQYASABEgKVevD_BwE&cce=2&sig=AOD64_0TCZmK3jVpy6v-40sNJB62oPHY1w&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiE7Ly-_vaRAxUbOBAIHUbRINQQ9aACKAB6BAgIEBE&adurl=

More seats installed. Had to make a special solution for one of the belts. Quick release so it should make it easier to go to the back row without getting caught in the belt.

Thanks to my father who helped me sew the quick release belt

Back row seats and belts installed.

I have cut out and installed foam between the ribs on the floor to sound insulate and make the floor more comfortable to walk on. Install the carpet to see how it turned out.

Tomorrow I will install some seats, it w ill be fun.

Finished the right rear side panel today.
Prepared wiring and connector for the door speaker.

The LEFT side of the interior panel is now complete.
Used my templates and then cut out the aluminum sheets.
Then covered the sheets with the same leather that I installed on the ceiling.
Before installation, there was also 95mm of rock wool insulation inside.
I can’t have such high demands when I’ve never worked with interiors before.

Now the artificial leather is installed and is ready for the inner roof.
I was pleased with the result.

Been working all day today measuring, aligning, and installing the sheets for the inner roof.
We’ll see if the plan holds, then I’ll get to installing the artificial leather tomorrow.

I have insulated the entire ceiling now and will soon cut out the aluminum sheet that will be installed and covered with leather.

Pretty much finished with the templates for the panels.

Will make some fine adjustments when I remove them.

I have to wait until the material I’m going to use arrives so
I can cut out and assemble the leather.

The roof panels are just rectangular pieces in different sizes
so I won’t be making any templates for them.

Bought more thick large sheets of paper and have now started making the templates for the interior panels in the car.
Have a bit left, will also make templates for the interior roof.

When everything is ready, it will be cut out everything from aluminum sheet and then covered with artificial leather.

Also managed to get a pair of turn signals / parking lights for the front of the car, not the easiest thing to find these days.

Always trying to make sure I do at least one thing a day to get the project moving.

Made all the seatbelt mounts today.
Will try to get the right color code for the car to paint all the mounts.
The color doesn’t really matter as everything will be covered with panels later.

Didn’t get much done today but I managed to get the battery box finished at least.
Reused the cut-off floor plate. Welded a frame around the plate.
Painted everything and installed a sealing strip under the plate.

I’ve been thinking a bit about how I should proceed with the electrical system that will control the opening of the doors and the connection of the speakers.

Found these, have placed an order for them and will install them in both front doors and the side door.

Hope it works as I have planned 🙂

Took the liberty of washing the tires and rims while they were still removed from the car. Made a slight difference.

I got hold of longer screws so now I have mounted 3 more leaf springs on each side.

If I lower the car, there is about 6cm between front axle and shock absorber.
The shock absorber can be compressed about 4cm so a total stroke of about 10cm in front.

The height at the front and rear of the car was as good as it could be and I also got some suspension too.

Also need to cut the screws that are too long for the front leaf suspension.

I’ve removed all the tires so the next step is to fill and bleed the brake system and see if I can get any life out of the brakes.

Both the front and rear axles were lowered so much that when I got the car home the axles were against the impact rubber.

Two things had been done to the rear axle.

1. The axle has been moved to the top of the spring package.
2. The rear mounting was pointing upwards instead of downwards.

So I removed the front mounting of the rear springs, pulled the axle forward slightly and angled the mounting downwards instead.

Now the axle is about 10cm from the impact rubber and the height at the back of the car was good.

The following has been done to the front axle.

1. The axle is mounted on the top of the spring package.
2. 3 leaf springs were removed on each side.

I received the removed springs but have to buy longer screws tomorrow. I will come back with before and after pictures of the front axle tomorrow after it is finished.

Not much visible has happened in the last few days.

I have installed the headlights and they are working.

Then I had a little problem with the windshield wipers.
They stopped working so I have done some troubleshooting and it turned out to be a ground fault which has now been fixed. I have also connected all the control wires for the ventilation.

I have new glasses for the parking lights/turn signals in the front but am missing the reflector that is behind the glasses on both sides. That will be a later problem.

I have cleaned up inside and outside the car after all the wiring.
I have not yet decided what I will start with next.

I have not fixed the fuel tank yet, I told the company that was going to help me fix the leak that there was no rush to get it fixed so it will come when it comes. So starting the engine will be a later project.

I am thinking of starting to fix the front and rear axle. Right now it is so lowered that it is at the bottom. Will re-install 4 leaves for the front suspension that were removed. The rear is incorrectly installed so I will start installing everything correctly and we will see what height the car gets.

Will also try to get the brakes working as well.

Will post some new pictures anyway, always something.

Now the + pole is attached to the battery.

No smoke so far so everything seems to be in order.

Have finished the electrical for the taillights.
The instrumentation is complete.
Fan, wiper, washer pump, horn are complete.
Now I just have to connect the headlights and parking lights in the front and the main electrical system is complete.

Had to rebuild the windshield wipers, new modern wiper blades.

The electricity took longer than I had expected.
The car came with a standard electrical system, the only thing I
have used from it is the fuse terminal.

I have built the rest myself as the functions I wanted were missing.

Made 2 connection terminals, the left one is for the rear of the car.
The right one is for the front of the car.

All cables are routed and connected. I have also connected everything to the engine. I have some electricity left for the instruments but should be finished soon.

So hopefully I can connect the positive cable to the battery after the weekend and we’ll see if anything works.

I also had to replace the fan motor for the ventilation because it sounded very bad.

Now I have installed and sealed the splited windshield.
Really cool with a splited windshield.

Have tried to put some effort into getting the instrument panel ready
so that the electrical system can be completed.

Have cut new holes for the new gauges.
Have cut away the old attachment for the gear lever.

Welded a new attachment for the gear lever and filled the hole
on the top and the frame side.

It took me about 10 rounds of filler before I was reasonably satisfied.

I got hold of some self-adhesive artificial leather that I was going to try.
The results were beyond expectations.

Lately I’ve been working on the fuel tank.
Fixed the filling, fixed hoses, filters, connections, venting, etc.

Measured the electricity on the fuel sensor and it was dead.
Took it off and realized it was rusty.

Tried a new thing I’ve never tried.
Dip the entire fuel sensor in a bath of water and citric acid.
It’s crazy how well it worked to remove rust and oxidation.
Check out the pictures below of the before and after results.
After that, the sensor also started working again.

I was excited and I thought I was done with the fuel tank.
I filled up 40 liters of gasoline, everything looked tight but after about 1 hour after the paint on the tank had been dissolved by the gasoline, gasoline started to flow onto the floor.

Just empty the tank, take everything off again and try to weld, solder again where the leak is. I had high expectations of starting the engine tomorrow, but that will have to wait.

I have also finished the cooling hoses for the oil cooler to the gearbox. I have filled up the automatic transmission so it is now ready to start.

The project has been a bit slow lately.
Been pretty miserable at work but now it’s a closed chapter.

Now I can focus on more fun things 🙂

The latest update is the battery box and wiring to the starter motor and generator.

Built a new battery box that is lowered into the floor instead of the original battery box that sits on the floor behind the driver’s seat.

Built for 2 batteries to ensure power for upcoming sound installation.
There is also a 200amp generator that will deliver a little more power than the original generator.

The result was quite okay.

Now it’s starting to look like something.
Got the generator mount and tensioner done today.
Installed the hoses for the heating package, some vacuum hoses.
Got some heat insulation that I installed before I installed the radiator with electric fan.
Bought a 200 Amp generator so there is some power for future audio builds.
I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Didn’t get much done tonight but a little progress.
Installed the valve covers, new fuel pump, new fuel lines, new fuel filter. Arranged the ignition cables.

Need to fix the heat insulation protection for the engine covers. Need to install it before I can install the radiator. Will see if I can find something suitable tomorrow. Would be nice if I could install the radiator and radiator hoses so I can fill the engine with coolant.

This weekend I will build the bracket for the generator and a new battery box that will be folded down into the floor.

Have started trying to get some life into the engine.
The engine is a Dodge SB 273 V8.

Previous owner claims that the engine was rebuilt many years ago but never started. I wanted to make sure everything was in order so I started by making sure the oil pressure was as it should be.

Took the shaft off under the distributor. Put in another shaft that I borrowed from my father so you can run the oil pump with a screwdriver.

After I filled the oil and tried to run the oil pump, there was a heavy oil leak. The gasket behind the oil filter was not tight. So I had to replace it with a new gasket.

The oil pressure was good, about 5.5bar or 79.77psi. I was a little worried when no oil was getting to the rocker arms on the cylinder head.

Called around a bit and also checked a few different forums. Got the answer that the camshaft must be in the correct position for the oil channels to be open up to the cylinder heads.

Took help from my wife to run the oil pump while I spun the crankshaft. Finally I found the right position and then it pushed oil out of both rocker arm bridges.

I have also got hold of pulleys for the water pump, crankshaft and a new generator that I am in the process of building in place.

I have adjusted all the valves and installed new spark plugs.

I have installed a new ignition distributor with built-in ignition coil.

Installed new oil pressure sensor and water sensor.

All that is left is to replace the fuel pump and install the generator.
Install the radiator with radiator hoses, connect the oil cooler to the gearbox. Make a battery box that is lowered into the floor and draw some electricity so maybe I can get the engine to life in a short time.

Bought a new 4x2m rug from a local rug shop.
Took me half a day to create a paper template and then cut out the rug. After the rug was cut out I sent it to a seamstress to finish the edges of the rug. I was really happy with the result.

I had to search and search for quite a while before I found suitable chairs that I wanted in the car. I got hold of 2 rear seats 3 + 3 and also 2 front seats from the same car. I was really happy with the result. Now there is room for both family and friends. I had to rebuild the front seats a lot to make them fit. For the rear seats I had to build new frames between the seats and the floor. The seats come from an electric SUV called the Hongqi E-HS9, model year 2023.