Sebring (original) 1st Gen Wasteland / Mad Max Build

[ratrog64]

Got to put a few hours in on the Sebring today. Since I am going to be making my own side windows I have decided to also make them my own shape.
Like I did on the Gulf-Sterling, I am going to mount my side view mirrors in the area where I deleted the front point of the glass.
The piece I added s kinda ugly on its own but looks good with a mirror there. I also trimmed the fiberglass around the opening to make it thinner and uniform.
I won't be using the F1 style mirrors on this car but I will install them in the same place.
I also got to cut my roof for the new sun roof! Overall a pretty productive day.
FYI for those who don't have side glass. I stopped in a glass shop the other day to get a price on getting some windows made.
About $325 per side. I provide the template of the shape I want, They cut the glass and send it out to be tempered.
I am just going to make polycarbonate windows for the Sebring since they will be out most of the time but we will be making some new glass for car 068.

 

[farfegnubbin]

I like the idea of altering that front corner of the side windows. That is an obvious, great place for the side mirrors. I know there are a hundred different ways to actually execute and detail that but it’s a good direction to go.

 

[ratrog64]

Only thing I have gotten done is sanding, sanding and more sanding. I am making progress.
I do have a few different tail lights ordered. We will see what works out. Also made some side window templates.

 

[ratrog64]

Got the front corner of the drivers side window done today and both window templates made. I'm making the templates out of some old polycarbonate I got for free because the
paper backing is stuck to the plastic, perfect for the task at hand since there is not much more it would be good foe. Hinge and latch placement is next for the side windows and cut my holes
in the templates to secure both. I will be cutting out my side windows from 1/4" polycarbonate. I have also printed a few things on my 3d printer for the car, tail light bezels, a few switch
plates and some badges. Progress is slower then I'd like but it is still progress.

 

[farfegnubbin]

Looks and sounds like decent progress!

 

[ratrog64]

Building a 1915 that may end up in the Sebring unless I sell it before I get a chance to install it.

 

[ratrog64]

Got to spend some time on the Sebring today. Decided to put a motor in that I already had sitting in the garage. If I remember correctly its a 1641 with
dual Kadrons. It ran pretty good last car it was in so I decided to throw it in to both get some floor space back in the garage and so I can mock up the engine
compartment and fuel tank. The air cleaners are just a little too tall for the rear deck cover so I will order some shorter filters and trim the screws. Depending
on how it goes down the road it may or may not be permanent. I'm more of a cruiser then a speed demon so I'm thinking it will be fine.

I also fitted the rear lights in place. You can see the old holes in the rear valance are too big for the lights so I printed some bezels to make up the difference.
Have I already said how much I love my 3d printer???? : )

I made some mud flaps out of some tinted polycarbonate I had laying around. I might just leave them just how they are meaning not paint them or anything. I may
3d print a logo or something to mount on the flaps to finish them off.

I started playing with the dash today as well. I mounted a couple of the cover plates I printed and the new Sebring badge. I think I am going to leave them in all
black and not paint or print a second color on the writing. Thinking it may be more subtle that way. I also installed a set of junk gauges I had that came from
an old trike I bought a while back. None of these gauges will likely work. They are China / Smiths knockoffs that I don't have any senders for. I can probably make
a couple of them work in I wanted to. For now they are just hole fillers and may stay forever depending on my mood.

I also dug out 2 pair of old Kenwood 6x9 speakers I had in stock. The main reason for installing speakers is really just to fill some holes already cut in the cabin. I'm sure
I have an old radio laying around somewhere to fill in the hole in the dash too.

That was the better part of my Sunday Sept 28th 2025. More to come!

 

[ratrog64]

I got to spend a few hours today up until it got dark. I started with getting some brackets installed for the 8gal poly tank I am going to use for fuel. The brackets install on some wood wedges that go through the rear cabin wall. I used a 1/2" plywood backer board in the engine compartment behind the wedges to help spread out the load of a full tank of gas. I'm not a big fan of using wood building a car but I'm sure it will out live me if the car is a little bit taken care of. It will be sealed and painted and shouldn't really get wet where it is anyway. Only down side of using this tank is that I will have to open the engine cover to add fuel. If it were steel or aluminum I could connect it to the original pop top on the fender but can't do much with the poly. Oh well, I am trying to use things I already have in stock and not buy a bunch of new stuff for this build.

Next I spent some time with few different old steering columns I had laying around. The one I choose has a pretty cool old wheel on it. A smaller diameter wheel that will work very well in this car. I had to lower the column position from where it appears to have been originally placed. I'm not sure how anyone even drove the car before where is was installed. my knuckles would have been hitting the windshield even with this little steering wheel. In order to lower the column position and make a strong mounting point I installed a cross bar like I did in my gulf race car. This gave me the option to lower the wheel about 4 or 5 inches. Worked out perfect.

Lastly I spend some time with seats. I have an original pair of Sterling seats but really want to save them for the 310 car that they came from. I also had a pair of fiberglass buckets that I think came out of an old Bradley GT I had. They had a strange head rest that would hit the inside of the canopy when the roof closed so I cut it off. I like the looks of the seat much better now. I mounted the seats temporarily on some 2x4 wedges to try and find a good seating position. These floors are really deep! I am going to be able to make some seat brackets and actually have sliders for adjustability. That's a first for me, I'm, excited!

 

[ratrog64]

This past weekend I got the windshield and sunroof glued in and this inspired more work yesterday. I spent about 6 or 7 hours sanding off more old paint.
I also got an old pair of side pipes (thanks chris) installed, perfect for hiding the drop floors. I think they really fit the car perfect. I might even hook them up.
The 1915cc engine has been built for some time but not yet installed. Keep in mind, it was not supposed to be pretty, just like the rest of the car.

 

[nbb350]

I also got an old pair of side pipes (thanks chris) installed, perfect for hiding the drop floors. I think they really fit the car perfect. I might even hook them up.

Great idea! I like it! Form AND Function!

 

[farfegnubbin]

I’ve always thought side pipes look good on a Sebring in particular. I think it’s because the Sebring DOSEN’T have lower side scoops so 1) it’s less “busy” and 2) I actually really like the side scoops of the Sterling and always wished the Sebring had something there. Yeah, 99% of the time they are nonfunctional but… I won’t tell if you don’t.

 

[doug-doug the mighy]

I love that you are keeping the scoop on the rear. That shape and the rough finish just scream fast in a way that "cleaner" designs just cannot.

If you could get the side pipes hooked up it would be sick. I did not get to see the bottom of your chassis but knowing that my design was based off of yours, you definitely have room along the tunnel to feed stuff forward and out to the sides.

 

[ratrog64]

Got the Sebring engine running today.