One thing that I’ve planned to customize on Project Pile House from day one was the hood. The hood on the truck is a “butterfly” (as I call it) style hood and was a design that Dodge rolled over from 30’s and 40’s trucks. I have taken a 50’s custom type approach to this truck and that style hood wasn’t going to flow. I decided to disassemble the hood and convert it to a one-piece hood.
Project Cars & Trucks
Wiring and Fabricating a Fuse Box Mount
One of the biggest hurdles of converting Project Pile House from “garage art” to an actual running, driving vehicle is putting some wiring into the vehicle. I’m running a carbureted small block Cheverolet V8 (SBC) so there is little to make the truck run and move under its own power, but some wiring is needed to make it street legal.
Building Custom Mini Wheel Tubs for Pile House
One thing a lot of longterm builds have in common is that the builder or owner tend to change their minds throughout the build. This has definitely been the case with Project Pile House. Over the past two years I’ve changed Pile House from being a “thrown-together” type build to something a bit more thought out and nicer. Even small items like wheel and tire combo have changed and caused me to go back and adjust things as needed.
Custom Bomber Seat Fabrication
To be honest, I picked just about the worst possible project vehicle I could when starting Project Pile House. It didn’t have much going for it, the body was dented and rusty, the drivetrain was seized and trashed, and the interior was equally as dilapidated. My goal is to show what can be done on a budget with some key tools and a little bit of creative thinking.
Building a Fuel Cell Cradle and Feeding Pile House with Fuel
Lately I’ve changed gears on Pile House and I’ve decided to start working on getting Pile House moving under its own power. I decided to order up a plastic fuel cell from Jegs first. Once I began test fitting it at a few different spots on the chassis it was obvious that the only place I could fit it under the bed was behind the rear axle.
How to Install an Aftermarket Shifter on a Chevy V8 and TH350.
When building Project Pile House I’ve pretty much discarded all of the original mechanics and I’ve been building from the ground up. I’ve already installed a SBC (small block Chevy V8) engine and a TH350 automatic transmission in the truck. Next I needed to install a universal shifter that would work with the changes I’ve made and look “right”.
Project Resolution – The Final Chapter?
Eight months ago, we set out to transform this tired 1989 Fox Body Mustang into a cool cruise night ride, while working with a $7,000 budget. The ultimate goal was to show what a typical “car guy” (or “car girl”) can accomplish at home. As you can see, the transformation is incredible.
Project Pile House Late Summer Update
Last time I checked in on Project Pile House I had just gotten done welding floor pans in and rebuilding the rotten door jambs. Since then I’ve been really busy and I have been slacking on my updates here. I have been posting regular updates on Instagram if you want to follow along feel free to check the #pilehouse tag or view the pics on your desktop HERE.
Mustang Project Resolution Phase 7- It’s looking like a car again!
On the day of the 2013 Summer Classic our team was still cleaning and detailing the car up until the beginning of the show! We rolled it out mostly complete and the reaction from the spectators was great. The Eastwood Blue Pearl paint REALLY pops in the sun!