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[Mav_27]

Everything I own is a standard, except the wifes caravan. Even my current DD is a 2008 Chevy HHR LS wagon with a 5 speed. It's a bit hail damaged, and will need a hood and 1 fender. I will just source these from the junkyard if I do what I am thinking of doing. Most of the roof would be cut away so no worries about fixing hail dents. Looking at the front roof area, I could cut and put in a sunroof and eliminate most of the rest of the large dents.

Being I am an aircraft sheetmetal mechanic/fabricator by trade, and do automotive sheetmetal on the side, i looked at my LS wagon a bit the other day, and am thinking of turning it into a 2 seat mini pickup as well. I saw one done this way at a local cruise night. I scrutinized it pretty well. Looked factory done.

After gutting out the back behind the front seats, I can shorten, and splice back together and reupholster the headliner. Cut down the rear lift gate Move the rear window forward behind the front seats, weld the rear doors shut. JC whitney sells pickup bed floor sheetmetal with the corrugated bumps in it. Sheetmetalling the sides, cab wall and floor, then seam sealing it would be pretty easy.

Making a working tailgate would be a little rough, or I could just weld that piece shut since it's so low anything could be lifted over the sides. The bed floor would need to have a water sealed removable rear compartment lid. Maybe make a weatherstrip sealed hinged cover because the spare tire and vehicles battery are both in the trunk area.

After I get my maverick and this is a spare vehicle, I may get out the chop saw, and welder, and turn it into this.

Wow that sounds like a homemade Camino Nice! Funny you mentioned hail damage on it. I got my S10 with the manual on a sweet deal because it was hail damaged. Never broke the paint so I never minded.

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[Sivart]

Was it 5 allocations for May? If so I should be #59 now.

 

[Lofton]

If you ordered a Area 51 Hybrid on 10/21, congratulations, your build is scheduled for the week of July 4th. Turns out we have the same order code (and sales code since we both ordered from Granger). After talking with Ford chat, that gave me your VIN. Excited as I could be, I rushed to plug it in only to find out it was ordered 12 days before I did and wasn’t an eco. Again…congrats, and I’m one truck closer to getting scheduled at least.

 

[Maverickman74]

Everything I own is a standard, except the wifes caravan. Even my current DD is a 2008 Chevy HHR LS wagon with a 5 speed. It's a bit hail damaged, and will need a hood and 1 fender. I will just source these from the junkyard if I do what I am thinking of doing. Most of the roof would be cut away so no worries about fixing hail dents. Looking at the front roof area, I could cut and put in a sunroof and eliminate most of the rest of the large dents.

Being I am an aircraft sheetmetal mechanic/fabricator by trade, and do automotive sheetmetal on the side, i looked at my LS wagon a bit the other day, and am thinking of turning it into a 2 seat mini pickup as well. I saw one done this way at a local cruise night. I scrutinized it pretty well. Looked factory done.

After gutting out the back behind the front seats, I can shorten, and splice back together and reupholster the headliner. Cut down the rear lift gate Move the rear window forward behind the front seats, weld the rear doors shut. JC whitney sells pickup bed floor sheetmetal with the corrugated bumps in it. Sheetmetalling the sides, cab wall and floor, then seam sealing it would be pretty easy.

Making a working tailgate would be a little rough, or I could just weld that piece shut since it's so low anything could be lifted over the sides. The bed floor would need to have a water sealed removable rear compartment lid. Maybe make a weatherstrip sealed hinged cover because the spare tire and vehicles battery are both in the trunk area.

After I get my maverick and this is a spare vehicle, I may get out the chop saw, and welder, and turn it into this.

This is kind of a sidenote for you, because of the type of work you do. Though your HHelCamino sounds awesome. But I have a road trip destination for you. Urbana Ohio, a high school buddy of mines wife work as the PR person for Grimes Airfield. Its a small town airport that is home to a B-17 fabrication museam. Its quite a thing to see a bunch of folks in there fabricating a whole B-17 from old dusty blueprints and 80 year old machines that they also have to fabricate parts for. Its quite the place. Someone like you should have it on their bucket list for sure. They are also big on getting volunteers to help them build the planes, Im pretty sure its all volunteers. They also help fix other B-17s when they are on exhibition tours and such.

 

[Barracuda340]

This is kind of a sidenote for you, because of the type of work you do. Though your HHelCamino sounds awesome. But I have a road trip destination for you. Urbana Ohio, a high school buddy of mines wife work as the PR person for Grimes Airfield. Its a small town airport that is home to a B-17 fabrication museam. Its quite a thing to see a bunch of folks in there fabricating a whole B-17 from old dusty blueprints and 80 year old machines that they also have to fabricate parts for. Its quite the place. Someone like you should have it on their bucket list for sure. They are also big on getting volunteers to help them build the planes, Im pretty sure its all volunteers. They also help fix other B-17s when they are on exhibition tours and such.

That sounds interesting to build an entire B17 from scratch. The thing is, I just dont have any love for aircraft actually. It's just a job for me that pays my bills. I have been doing this for 28 years, and I am 9 away from retirement. I am jaded to all of it by now.

 

[Maverickman74]

That sounds interesting to build an entire B17 from scratch. The thing is, I just dont have any love for aircraft actually. It's just a job for me that pays my bills. I have been doing this for 28 years, and I am 9 away from retirement. I am jaded to all of it by now.

Well I understand that. I've got 10 years as a coconut chopper up to over 400,000 probably, I only like the water, cant stand the meat. I will say though that that hangar those guys were working in did have a very inspirational feel to it. Maybe if your ever in Ohio it would be the type of thing to rekindle your spirit for it towards the end of your career. I may only be 38 but when I walked in there I felt 8 years old at the most lol!

This is from the museums website. They had one of the wings finished and in next to the plane. The were still working on the putting the other one together in the next room.

 

[Barracuda340]

Well I understand that. I've got 10 years as a coconut chopper up to over 400,000 probably, I only like the water, cant stand the meat. I will say though that that hangar those guys were working in did have a very inspirational feel to it. Maybe if your ever in Ohio it would be the type of thing to rekindle your spirit for it towards the end of your career. I may only be 38 but when I walked in there I felt 8 years old at the most lol!

This is from the museums website. They had one of the wings finished and in next to the plane. The were still working on the putting the other one together in the next room.

That looks pretty cool. As far as I am concerned, aircraft are nothing more than a flying liability problem. My kids used to get me aircraft models, and aircraft mechanic related memorabilia for birthdays, Christmas etc. I used to thank them, then into a box and into the attic it would go. I finally told my wife and them, no more. I dont like to be reminded of what I do for a living. She seemed upset. My wife is a nurse for a living. I asked her if she wanted medical stuff and medical memorabilia for her birthday and for christmas. She replied ummm no. I said honey, this ain't any different

My nephew came to visit. He loves airplanes, like really really loves airplanes. I told him " if you really really love airplanes, go be an effing pilot" then you will always love em. That being said, I give 110% to what I do for a living every day I am there. I believe in making everything I do as perfect as I can get it. But at the end of the day I go home, crack open a cold one, and forget about work. I suppose for the ones that live and breathe airplanes, it's a dream job.

 

[LolaD]

If you ordered a Area 51 Hybrid on 10/21, congratulations, your build is scheduled for the week of July 4th. Turns out we have the same order code (and sales code since we both ordered from Granger). After talking with Ford chat, that gave me your VIN. Excited as I could be, I rushed to plug it in only to find out it was ordered 12 days before I did and wasn’t an eco. Again…congrats, and I’m one truck closer to getting scheduled at least.

This might be me, but I haven't heard from anyone yet! Now, I may be excited for no reason....

 

[AnnieWaits]

We're veering off topic here, but the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton is by far the best aviation museum I've ever seen. The Strategic Air Command museum outside Omaha is pretty good as well. There's also a museum that's almost a boneyard in Mesa, AZ. The Boeing factory tour in Everett, WA is another good one.

 

[Barracuda340]

I just know that I will be hopping a flight to DesMoines to get my maverick and drive it back to Texas when its finally shipped to Granger. I cant wait to do a nice road trip in it.

 

[Maverickman74]

We're veering off topic here, but the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton is by far the best aviation museum I've ever seen. The Strategic Air Command museum outside Omaha is pretty good as well. There's also a museum that's almost a boneyard in Mesa, AZ. The Boeing factory tour in Everett, WA is another good one.

I built all the fence around WPAFB in Dayton and installed a ornamental looking security crossing trap right infront of the Museum. I grew up going there all the time but never knew about that hobby nostalgic military aircraft workshop up there in Urbana. Sure you can lean over the velvet rope at Wright-Patt but in Urbana you can set rivets! And get a ride on a simulated bomb run when its finished! One thing often overlooked at WPAFB is the Presidential and experimental display hangar that is slighty further into the base but allowed by non-personel. They have the little saucer plane in that the try to pass off as what they hid under the hill in Area B in the 50s!

 

[Maverickman74]

I just know that I will be hopping a flight to DesMoines to get my maverick and drive it back to Texas when its finally shipped to Granger. I cant wait to do a nice road trip in it.

If you get yours before I do let me know about your drive. When I get mine we are gonna fly from Maui to pick it up and drive to my dads place in Macallen TX before we head for the coast. Im gonna try and get it done in 2 days or less. I used to cannonball alot. Good way to break in a new car is to run long it right off the bat.

 

[Barracuda340]

If you get yours before I do let me know about your drive. When I get mine we are gonna fly from Maui to pick it up and drive to my dads place in Macallen TX before we head for the coast. Im gonna try and get it done in 2 days or less. I used to cannonball alot. Good way to break in a new car is to run long it right off the bat.

Will do. Its 760 miles to where I live from there. I will likely split that up into 2 days. Leave dealership, and stay somewhere overnight then get home day 2. I did a drive to N.J. With my son to visit my folks. I broke it up into 3 days.

 

[AnnieWaits]

One thing often overlooked at WPAFB is the Presidential and experimental display hangar that is slighty further into the base but allowed by non-personel.

When I was there a few years back, you had to get in line and register in order to be able to board a bus at a designated time and go on base to visit that hangar (fortunately, I made that excursion). However, I think they have added on to the museum since then, and moved the Presidential aircraft to the main museum.

 

[Maverickman74]

When I was there a few years back, you had to get in line and register in order to be able to board a bus at a designated time and go on base to visit that hangar (fortunately, I made that excursion). However, I think they have added on to the museum since then, and moved the Presidential aircraft to the main museum.

Yeah it was 7 years ago for me since I moved to Maui. We didnt have to go through the bus system the last time I was there since my sister works in Area B and I built the fence around it and could use my work pass to get on base. So they just let us drive over. It would make sense that they eventually move it all over there. Super cool museum.

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