The first step on a project of this scale was to get the motor/tranny, chassis and cab on the fixture table. Once everything was roughly in place, we started to dial in on the customer's vision of the end result.  We got the motor and trans positioned in relation to the cab and hood, which located the grill.  Grill location in relation to the front wheels was integral in order to follow the vision.  Our 18' chassis table was built in house and is infinitely adjustable with T-channel extruded aluminum framework.  It's not uncommon for us to build 90% of the fixtures for a project, which allows it to be moved around easily to dial in mounting.

Once the cab and drive train were in place relative to each other, we could fabricate motor mounts, the transmission crossmember and body mounts.  The rusty old floor and rocker panels were completely cut out and replaced with a 1x1 structure that would be a solid building ground for the body mounts, cage mounts and sheet metal.

Tackling the last of the rusty stuff was the next step.  While most of the rot had been cut out with the floor, firewall and rockers, the bottoms of the pillars were another issue.  Being these pieces are not available from the aftermarket, and it is crucial they are in the right spots for the door gaps to be correct, they had to be painstakingly hand formed.  From the pocket for the hinge, to the captured nut plate on the back and the step in the face for the quarter panel/cab corner to sit in.  These are the details that if done right, will never be noticed or appreciated after it's all said and done.

The rear section of the Roadster Shop Chassis needed to be highly modified.  Roadster Shop offers great options for rear suspension, but we wanted to run the Cortex Racing Watts Link that we have come to be very familiar with by doing a number of Mustang track builds.  We also knew that the wheel base was not going to match what we were doing, which would require further modification.  The chassis was cut and extended by 11", plated and the C-notch was cut/lowered by 4". These were necessary modifications since the chassis was intended for a laid out air ride application.  The axle housing was stripped and brackets were fabricated for the link bars and coilovers.  The Fuel Safe Fuel Cell was then mounted.  Bladder cells are not cheap, but it's not worth risking a fire due to a ruptured tank; we don't take safety lightly!

This is where is all started to really come together!  The 1x1 floor structure was cut and bridged for driveshaft/trans tunnel clearance, then the sheet metal work began.  The 1-piece firewall was fit up, then removed for bead rolling, along with the floor boards.  After they were in, the 1.75 x .134" wall DOM cage was bent up and wrestled into place.  With that in, pedal assemblies could be mounted.  The plastic/aluminum cover on the Ford drive-by-wire accelerator pedal didn't match the pad we made for the brake pedal so we removed it and fixed that; its all in the details!

Being Gramps is fenderless and the frame rails are not the most eye-catching, a set of spaghetti-inspired, true equal length headers were fabricated to fill the space.  Also keeping with the theme, the cage gave the interior a tubular structure and was built to house all the electronics, plus double as a center console. Custom seat brackets mount the Corbeau Bucket Seats.  The bed frame was also finished, powder coated and had Brazilian Cherry Planks installed.  This lifts on gas struts like a tonneau cover, giving access to everything underneath.

The front of the Roadster Shop Chassis was meant to have a bumper mounted and stuck out past our grill.  We cut the tips of the rails off and made a drop piece to mount the radiator and grill to.  The grill itself was one of the biggest challenges of the build.   The top piece integrates into the fenders and is much wider than the lower slat portion, but also blends the shape of the hood into the shape of the slats so we HAD to use it.  After multiple revisions and a new top piece from LMC, the crew came up with a solution. We think the end result is a great looking front statement piece!

This was the point in any build that you feel like every time you cross something off the list, you remember two more things that need to be added.  The fabricated cab corners now got some holes in them for exhaust exits.  It was tight, but we got a full size muffler between the rocker and the frame rail.  A v-band and flex pipe were also included in the system to allow for ease of removal and avoid cracks due to vibration.

One known hurdle was how we were going to access the fuel cell for filling, without having to open the tailgate or lift the bed wood floor each time.  Similar to what we do on the race cars we build, a filler was incorporated into the structure behind the tailgate, followed by some sheet metal work to flush the filler up to the gate itself, making it appear as if it's actually mounted in the tailgate.  Once that was done, we were able to final-fit the bed wood floor, step back and enjoy that beautiful Brazilian Cherry!

Snap your fingers and just like that, you forget how many 1000's of hours are into the build, and 100's left before it's actually burning gas.  Back from paint, body and powdercoat, the cab got put back on the chassis.  The powder coater wanted to show off his skills and the Wilwood Aero 6 Calipers were done to match the cage with the "Gramps" insignia in it.  They look pretty good behind those big, custom 3-piece Rotiform Wheels, don't they!

With the bed on, it was time for plumbing.  The ac, heater core, fuel and brake systems all required custom-bent stainless steel hard lines.  The lines for the heat and ac needed a small, intricate tig weld vs a silver solder joint to secure the end fittings.  Ultimately, these got ceramic-coated for heat control and to continue on with the "nothing shiny" concept the customer was after.

Wiring time!  Although the FRPP Coyote Control Pack Kit came with the harness, it did not work very well for the locations of our components, so we cut it apart and reconfigured it.  The body harness consisted of a combination of American Autowire and custom wiring. The Powertrain Control Solutions Transmission Controller was equipped with a harness as well.  While it would have worked to just lay them all in, we removed redundant circuits and configured the harnesses to work together and run cleanly throughout the truck.  The fuse boxes and control panels were all mounted in an easily accessible area to make any trouble shooting effortless!

The headers run very close to the A pillars on the cab, so a set of heat shields were fabricated to protect the paint, as well as ceramic coating on the collector area of the header.  The AC/coolant lines also got protection from a heat shield that was hand formed on the bag and wheel.

Now the fun part!  Gramp's first stop was the Indoor Modest Show put on by Drive Cartel, where it took home "Best in Show".  After that, it was drive time. With only 500 miles on it, and hardly broken in, the owner took it on Crown Rally South.  He drove it from Minneapolis to Chicago, where it spent the day being chased by Porsches and other exotics on Autobahn Country Club's Road Course.  After that, the rally headed down to Devil's Triangle, then Tail of the Dragon.  Now THAT'S how you properly break in a build!  Returning safe and sound to Minneapolis with over 4000 miles on the odometer, a thorough inspection was done, before it was returned to the owner to be put away for the winter and eventually enjoyed for years to come.

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