Question regarding the reassembly of a 57 CMC 356

Folks,
I am fairly new to this site as well as the kit car process and consider myself a better than average mechanic having rebuilt everything from a lawn mower engine when I was 10 yrs old, to a large diesel truck engine. I also consider myself to be a decent fabricator with a good imagination and can fix just about anything. I am not afraid of tackling any car problems (or house repair problems for that matter) nor have I ever been.

All that said, I recently purchased the above car which was previously on the road before being taken apart, having new floors installed and repainted by the prior owner. I purchased the car in the following condition: engine and trans installed (condition unknown); interior removed as well as the pedal assembly and part of the brake system; all lights and instruments removed for paint with the wires left hanging (some marked, some not); no gas tank or lines, etc.

Anyway today marked my maiden voyage into the re-assembly process. I went into the garage around noon with a full stomach, my sleeves rolled up, and a full supply of tools that any mechanic would envy. After spending about 3 hours on the car, I stepped back and realized that I accomplished essentially nothing towards the reassembly and actually ended up removing more parts then I put on. Needless to say, I was shocked at the number of alterations that had to be made to the body just to fit the new repro parts on the repro car. So far, the only thing that I can find that has fit without a serious fight, has been the key in the ignition! Had I had 2 keys, then perhaps I could have used the plural

Q: Is there anything that will go on without a fight?
A: Probably not.

Seriously, if I were you, I'd get in touch with Alan Merklin and talk this over with him. He's just a guy like the rest of us- but he's built many, many CMCs (along with some Vintage Speedsters, and one Street Beast). Best of all, he lives out east, as opposed to the far side of the continent. He's a great source for information.

I'll send you copy of the CMC advertizing literature. "You too can complete this classic kit car in only 40 hours (give or take)." Joke is its either a team of 10+ experts or measured in biblical hours. Real life assembly time is more like 400 hours (give a little if you are picky). Sounds like my build: Effort to replace CMC gauges with VDO and they fall right through the now discovered oversize holes in the dash! Go to fit carpets only to find mice have taken it over for there nest and chewed holes where they aren't desired!

Building a kit car is 3 hobbies - one the collection of appropriate quality parts (like coin collecting - but in reverse), two the build, and three eventually driving it. (Maybe its four with the then rebuilding it for more power or added weather protection). I'm not sure how DrClock ever managed to build like 15 kit cars - must live in the Amish Shed!

I've got to round up the HELP offer from East Coast SWAT team for some motivation in moving my collection of parts to a more finished car (going on 20 years - bought kit Nov 1989) - Carlisle is fast approaching! I too was never phased by a challenging project - then my son was born and garage seemed very distant - now he is in college so back to work!

I'll have to check your build out next time I visit my brother in Robbinsville, NJ. I hear wine from the local Cream Ridge Winery is inspiring.

I'll second, er, third the endorsement of Alan (aka drclock). The CMC/Streetbeasts cars appear to be the most challenging builds of them all, despite what the shiny brochure says. Even so, Alan has managed to turn out some spectacular cars based on them. I say "based on" because he ends up doing a lot of re-engineering.

Keep the faith. It CAN be done. And Welcome to the Madness!

Thank you all for your kind remarks. With regards to drclock, yes, I have already spoken with the good Dr. via email and he has been more then helpful fielding the questions I have sent his way. I will certainly keep you all posted as the build progresses and hopefully, will get it out to Carlisle (driving it there of course) to meet you all. And yes, the wine at the Cream Ridge winery is quite good....perhaps a bottle before my next venture into the garage might help........
Santopete

I'm one sick puppy, 15 hours of driving today (full state tour of wild wonderful snowy West Virginia) and I still have time to jump in here!

Thanks for the kudo's guys....

Bob, Stay cool our speedster brother, you just need a bigger hammer, duct tape and a few tubes of silicone.... you can do it.
Make a list and call me most any evening, glad to walk you through this. ~ Alan

pm sent w/ #

How to build-restore 15 speedsters and a pile of other replica's
(The full story was in Kit Car Builder Magazine)

.Have a very understanding wife.. Kim, a car girl at heart
and can help with bleeding brakes.

.Cut a deal with the local Amish that can to throw together a
quality work shop/shed.

.Add insulation, heat & lights.

.Have a former SOC member give... (yes give) you a brand new
scissor lift.

.Aquired VW specific VW tools and Mig welder.

.For years be lucky enough to have worked a 3 1/2 day work week.

.Have a complete machine shop three blocks away and likes beer.

.Have good painter 1/2 mile up the road.

.Have a retired neighbor "Doug" that has hung around my shop long
enough to be well versed in speedsters.

'Have a good friend "Rocky" to hash the good and not so good ideas.

.Know when to say "no more builds for me"

.Have a very - very understanding wife......

To that skill list, Alan, you must add the following that you have in spades...

Creative Vision

Patience

Great skill set

understanding wife.

Oh wait, you remembered the really important one!

angela

I now have 9 "kits" under my belt (2- manx style dune buggies, a Bradley GT & GTII, a Sterling, a Manta Mirage, a Kelmark, and real Meyers manx, and a CMC Speedster basket case....an I mean REAL basketcase). #10 kit (3 piece Avenger GT)is in the shop while #11 (A Deserter GT dune buggy) sits close by.

From those experiences I offer some advice.

1. Start a new....repairing things like wiring or brakes is not worh the time. Gut them and replace verything. The cost is minimal and much less then one tow.
2. Consider splitting the chassis and body. Things like re-wiring are SO much easier with the body on some supports and you sitting on a chair working under the dash. Also, working on a VW pan is VERy easy when there is no body on it. You can replace brake lines, shifter bushing, brake cables, etc so much easier with no body on the pan.
3. Make a list. A punch list that you hang on your wall makes it look like you are making progress. Things like "Replace brakes" can be a heading, with things like "replace brake lines, install new wheel cylinders, replace master cylinder" as sub-headings. Cross them off as you make headway.

No go dig in!

Was I the only one to mapquest Belchertown just to see if it actually existed??
Thought you were pulling a Bart Simpson on us.
Apologies JP;

Angela, Ahh the important one ........"machine shop three blocks away and likes beer" :)

Dave,
Of course we exist! You gotta love the name huh? We are the proud supplier of water to the metro Boston area.

Quick story (and not meaning to hijack the thread but.....)

When I was traveling for work down in Tampa I was staying downtown (can't remember the hotel) where there was a Shula's restaurant. They advertise a 48 oz porterhouse steak. If you eat it you get a picture of Don Shula and your name engraved on a plaque in the entrance way of the restaurant. Well the doctor I was with called me and said I had to do it. I asked if he was buying and if so, he would treat me if I keeled over. He said he would, so of course I ate it.

About 3 weeks later I get a call from a reporter from the local Tampa newspaper. He said he was doing an article on Shula's and the those people who ate the steak. He then said..."you dont really live in BELCHERtown (emphasis on Belcher)?" I said I did to which he responded "Fantastic!".

It made a funny little story line.

Here in Pennsylvania we have:

Gum Stump, Scalp Level, Two Lick, Virginville (yes Vince the town's sign is adjusted weekly due to uncooperative females and NO we are not doing a Carlisle cruise to that destination on your behalf ) Also.....Intercourse, Blue Ball, Bird in Hand, AND.....Climax.
Yup go ahead and google - Mapquest them. ~Alan

We have a Climax in Michigan too!

SOmewhere between Memphis (where I lived the majority of my life (so far)) and Heber Springs, Arkansas (gorgeous lake) are the towns of Pleasant Plains, AR and Velvet Ridge, AR in close proximity. I always got a kick out of that - but that's just me.

Don't forget Hot Coffee and Soso Mississippi along with the beautiful community of "Crackers Neck".

Richard

Michael. Hell is also in Michigan!

I forgot to mention Hell. It is about 30 miles from where I live. We visited Hell in October when we were driving through the countryside looking at the changing leaves.

It is not bad spending a little while in Hell.

It is interesting that someone in California would know about it.

"It is interesting that someone in California would know about it."

Oh I don't know... A little time in a California traffic jam is pretty close to Hell.

I thought this was some serious thread drift - from reassembly of a CMC to Hell.

Maybe not.

Websters: SB; noun, place of fire and brimstome, cash cow, i.e. hell

Many of the reto projects I did started out with all good intention ..."Oh this will be a piece of cake"... I can't leave well enough alone and next thing I know, all I have left to stare at is a chassis with the body still bolted to it, a pile of parts to sort through and ordering replacement parts and placing orders with Cathy at Vintage Speedsters. Every speedster has been a joy to do. There is nothing like making childhood dreams into reality and have it run and drive too.

Greg, I have a hard time remembering what I did this morning :)

Bob:

Getting back to the interchangeability/fitment of CMC parts: I was several years into my kit (I used it as a part-time distraction from what was going on daily at my real work back then) and I was trying to install a street-rod style windshield wiper assembly from Specialty Auto Window when I came to the realization that nothing, NOTHING on my kit had EVER gone together easily. I had ended up customizing pretty much everything, and everything took ten times longer in the end than I ever expected when I started. At that, I consider myself a pretty good mechanic and fabricator, too. Go figure.

Hang in there, be patient, be resourceful with ideas to "Git R Dun" and you'll succeed. Sometimes ya just gotta walk away for a few days, but that break will often let you think of a better, easier way to do something when you get back to it. If you get frustrated, post about it and we might be able to help. All us builders have been there.

I WILL say that I would strongly suggest buying a quality drill press, a moosey bench grinder, a sawzall (NOT cordless), an 8" bench vise, an angle grinder, a rugged 3/8" corded power drill, and a MIG welder wouldn't be bad, either. Jerome Smith built his SoB without access to an air compressor, but I got a 40 gallon one and it was just right for me.

email me and I'll send along a cell# for "emergency calls" when you can't get Alan ;>)

Gordon
The Speedstah Guy from Beaufort

That's problem with having a forum with a bunch of old farts - they can't keep on or even remember the original topic! Either that or somehow they manage to bring sex into the discussion. Now probably building the new StreetBeast Speedster (CMC's successor) with their chassis is close to Hell. As Allan sid - "restoration" ease depends on skill of initial builder. My guess is less than 20% were build by CMC --- mainly the ones you saw in all the major airports back in the '80s.

Hey, and my house is just off "Backlick" Rd near Hooes Rd.

All you left out was the required Smirnoff Ice as it tends to numb the frustration:)

Thanks Gordon, Dr., etc.
I appreciate the words of encouragement and will definitely reach out to you folks with questions as they come up. With regards to the equipment, I pretty much have it all (although I am always looking to buy more). The only thing I could use is a lot more room. I have been restoring cars for years (though never a kit car) and with each car and parts car, everything extra that I was able to sell, went towards buying everything needed to do it myself rather then have to farm out the work. I few years back I even built a sandblast cabinet to run from an 80 gallon compressor, purchased some powder coating equip, etc. Having just retired effective this Friday, I hope to have a lot more time to dedicate to the cause. However, not before heading south to do some work on my mothers house in preperation for a hopefull sale. So I will be away from the car for about 10 days, starting Saturday. As soon as I get back, I will be reaching out to you folks with questions. Thanks all.
Santopete

When in Hell, Mi be sure and visit the "Dam Site Inn".
http://www.hellmichigan.net/Home1.htm

Hey Michael.
I was born in Detroit and raised in Berkeley. Anyone else who was raised in Michigan will appreciate this:

You're An Old Detroiter If.......

You took a "moonlight cruise" to Bob-lo with Captain Bob-lo or went to Edgewater amusement Park.

You remember the big stove that was on Jefferson Ave. at the entrance to Belle Isle.

You shopped at Hughes and Hatcher, B. Siegel, Peck and Peck, Himelhoch's,Robert Halls, Crowley's, Shoppers Fair, EJ Korvettes or Federals.

You rode the elevator at J. L. Hudson, which was "run" by an elevator operator with her white gloves on.

You remember a Winkleman's and Sanders store in your neighborhood.

You remember the "Big Snow", Buffalo Bob, Howdy Doody, Clarabell, PhineasT. Bluster, and Princess Summer-Fall-Winter-Spring.

You remember Twin Pines Dairy delivered milk and juice to the chute on the side of your house and Milky the Clown performed magic with the magic Words, "Twin Pines".

You remember the Good Humor man in a white uniform, ringing the bells and driving down your street.

You remember the Olympia Stadium.

You remember when Vernor's was made on Woodward Ave. and a bearded troll was on the bottle.

Your mom got groceries at Great Scott, Food Fair, Wrigley's or Chatham.

Your mom saved Holden Red Stamps, S&H Green Stamps, or Gold Bell Gift Stamps and you licked the stamps and put them in those little books.

Kresge's and Woolworth's were "DIME STORES".

You had an Uncle in the furniture business (Joshua Doore).

You know who Bill Kennedy is.

You remember this telephone number: Tyler 8-7100 (Belvedere Construction) and the slogan "We do good work".

Your phone number may have started with Tyler, Vermont, Broadway,Kenwood,Diamond, Webster, Dunkirk, Warwick, Vinwood, Townsend, University orTrinity.

You saw the Detroit Lions play football in Tiger Stadium.

You remember Black Bart and the Faygo pop song. Or how about "Which way did they go? Which way did he go? He went for Faygo, old fashion root beer".

You watched Rita Bell's Prize Movie in the mornings.

You know who Sonny Elliot is. Do you remember Sonny using chalk on a map of Michigan?

You remember Jack LeGoff and Van Patrick.

You remember Milky the Clown, Soupy Sales, Johnny Ginger, Poopdeck Paul and Captain Jolly, Fred Wolf from the whacky wiggloo.

You visited the Wonder Bread Bakery and got to take home a mini loaf of bread.

Your address had a two-digit "zone" before there were zip codes. Detroit19, Michigan.

You remember "Get on the right track at 9 Mile and Mack, to get the best deal in town. Roy O'Brian...it's the best deal in town".

Your house had a laundry chute and a milk chute and a coal chute.

You remember going to Detroit Edison with your mom to exchange burned out light bulbs for new ones.
Troy

Troy,

Well now I know how you knew.

I never lived in Detroit. Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti are as close as I have gotten.

But, I remember most of these things.