FWD ground pounder - Last Indian

[Last Indian]

Still need to decide on what I’m using for a backlight & how I might install the Pontiac light JustA gave me. My idea is it will illuminate the trunk floor or side wall. Not sure yet or if I can even get it to work the way I want.

This is the cover installed in the trunk.

 

[Ringo64]

 

Lookin good there!

[JUSTA6]

1 hour ago, Last Indian said:

Still need to decide on what I’m using for a backlight & how I might install the Pontiac light JustA gave me. My idea is it will illuminate the trunk floor or side wall. Not sure yet or if I can even get it to work the way I want.

This is the cover installed in the trunk.

 

That is sooo cool.   Did the Sunbirds in carpet art waaay back in the day.   Doesn't hold a candle to your modern version.  The light will reflect off the inside of the glass to make it look like a hologram.  Or will stay focused to shine it on a hard object, from most any distance.  Example...  Shoot the light from a floor to ceiling and you get an awesome 6-7 ft logo.  Really tried to use them on the clear part of my hood.  Sweet, but took up too much space on my aluminum side panels and didn't look right. Best other alternative is mount behind L plate in front or behind bumper and show it on the ground. On the floor mats.   Lets see what you can come up with.  We have the only ones!

[Last Indian]

Well hasn’t been much play time this year, but ’finally got around to JustA’s gift from way back when! Only got one side in so far and not sure how often I’ll see it! It’s  kind of invisible in the daylight, but pretty neat at night or a dark garage! 

[Ringo64]

Pretty cool!

[JUSTA6]

I was going to install as a lit floormat, like you or behind the front or back L plate.  Prob is.... I'm rarely out after dark to show it off.  Sure like your steering wheel N glad to see you back here. Take a well deserved break!

Edited July 12, 2023 by JUSTA6

[indymanjoe]

mine are still siting in the box they came in LOL need to do something cool with them..good job Last indian!

[64 kiwi boni]

That is soo cool 

justA where did you get them ? I am guessing it’s sone sort of lazer ? 

[JUSTA6]

It's a 12V light with a TINY laser cut Pontiac logo.  A friend online from a different car site made a couple of his own logo. Had to buy 10 for him to make the Pontiac logo, but then he had the template to sell em.  Will work in a number of places if you get creative. Trunk...wire into your trunk light when you open.  Corvette had these as an option in the doorbottom making the logo like a doormat when door was open. Wired into the courtesy lights.  Had to have em, played with em for awhile and never permanently installed one.  You can take a plug in charger, for like a rechargeable dustbuster, (reducer) wire it so you can plug it in to the wall.  Attach the light to the rafters of your garage and it shines the logo on the floor roughly a 5 ft round.  I had it displayed on the outside of my garage door!!!  One of the favorite uses I've come up with.  Now one step further, hooked it to a motion sensor so it turns on when I pull in the driveway.  Pontiac HEAVEN.

[64 kiwi boni]

1 hour ago, JUSTA6 said:

It's a 12V light with a TINY laser cut Pontiac logo.  A friend online from a different car site made a couple of his own logo. Had to buy 10 for him to make the Pontiac logo, but then he had the template to sell em.  Will work in a number of places if you get creative. Trunk...wire into your trunk light when you open.  Corvette had these as an option in the doorbottom making the logo like a doormat when door was open. Wired into the courtesy lights.  Had to have em, played with em for awhile and never permanently installed one.  You can take a plug in charger, for like a rechargeable dustbuster, (reducer) wire it so you can plug it in to the wall.  Attach the light to the rafters of your garage and it shines the logo on the floor roughly a 5 ft round.  I had it displayed on the outside of my garage door!!!  One of the favorite uses I've come up with.  Now one step further, hooked it to a motion sensor so it turns on when I pull in the driveway.  Pontiac HEAVEN.

That’s very cool . And he made them you say ? Would you have any pictures 

Edited July 13, 2023 by 64 kiwi boni

[Last Indian]

23 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

I was going to install as a lit floormat, like you or behind the front or back L plate.  Prob is.... I'm rarely out after dark to show it off.  Sure like your steering wheel N glad to see you back here. Take a well deserved break!

JustA, the Indian has hush panels that have foot well lighting. So I pulled that panel on the drivers side popped a hole in it the size of the body. Machined a couple large plastic washers to use on each side of the hush panel, as they are JustA pressed mat material, pretty flimsy with regard to strength. In those panels are a 194 bulb & socket. So I crimped these type of connectors on the lights wiring, pulled the bulb then on the backside of the socket pushed these into the socket & electrical taped it up for a secure assembly. This way the light works with all the other interior lighting.

The other light has a bad led so I’m going to do some work on this light & see if I can build a brighter image, one that might be seen in the day light. As well as be readily replaced. I’ll keep you posted.

[JUSTA6]

I like the way it reflects off glass and looks like a hologram.  Made a plate that hangs about 5 in past the front edge of my dash to get that size, but you have the gawdy bracket N wiring hanging over the shifter.  Works the same but in the middle of the back seat to shine it on back glass.   I use my battery for my Dewalt driver to run the lights when I'm playin with em.

[JUSTA6]

2 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

That’s very cool . And he made them you say ? Would you have any pictures 

I'll dig them out if I think about it tomorrow.  Making such a mess with the old loose dirt and small spots of undercoating.  Layin on my back with all this crap falling right in my face.  But hope to repaint/recoat tomorrow so I can get the Sunbird back together and maybe on the road for this weekend, IF I get the Holley kit.

[Last Indian]

The last 3 years have been insane! Between the Covid bullshit & family & friends stuff I JustA have not had time to scratch my behind, let alone anything else. But I’ve got a new idea for what I think might be a pretty cool add to the Indian. 
That said I need to first finish a promised project for a mate. So stay tuned because I hope to start it this winter. Fingers crossed!

[Last Indian]

Well, still trying to carve out some time to finish things before winter set in completely. Then I might have a month maybe five weeks before the winter inside house projects start. So I hope to get my mates job done & start my new idea I mentioned, but in the meantime I got a couple new things to install on the Indian before next season. 
A new bigger 1” solid rear sway bar. This should really let me straighten out the corners. Also a set of 3800 aluminum valve covers that I can add my top added pieces to! These should make a nice add as opposed to the current lower fiber valve covers that I have the covers on. 

[31pontiac]

  Nice additions!  You Justa reinforced the statement that these cars are never truly finished.  👍

[64 kiwi boni]

Very nice 👍 

[JUSTA6]

Oh sure, JUSTA leave me sittin here staring with my mouth open, again.......  Fantastic job as always.  A safe N Happy Holiday season to you N yours Ol Buddy.

[Last Indian]

So I’ve been itching to get started on my little project that I mentioned! Not to mention putting in the new sway bar, machining a second aluminum finned top for the back aluminum valve covers I bought. Tear apart half of the motor to do so, downside of an FWD! Buy another chromed alternator to put in, since all of that is apart, last one took a dump 7 years ago, & fingers crossed should finish my mates project shortly after Christmas! JustA in time to start the inside house projects, yeah! 
But I took a little time the past two weeks, in between leaf cleanup & last minute outside S- - t before the white crap comes down. To get started on the basic concept. The idea is to build new sill plates that are illuminated like you can buy, but these will be, I hope a new level of cool & Pontiac old school specific! The first one is already starting to take shape. These are really going to be time consuming because of the detail & the need to get the right angles cut in the polycarbonate to carry the light across multiple cuts & cavities in the polycarbonate. Not to mention the polishing!

[Wrongway]

I personally can't wait to see it, you do such amazing and detailed work.

[64 kiwi boni]

8 hours ago, Last Indian said:

So I’ve been itching to get started on my little project that I mentioned! Not to mention putting in the new sway bar, machining a second aluminum finned top for the back aluminum valve covers I bought. Tear apart half of the motor to do so, downside of an FWD! Buy another chromed alternator to put in, since all of that is apart, last one took a dump 7 years ago, & fingers crossed should finish my mates project shortly after Christmas! JustA in time to start the inside house projects, yeah! 
But I took a little time the past two weeks, in between leaf cleanup & last minute outside S- - t before the white crap comes down. To get started on the basic concept. The idea is to build new sill plates that are illuminated like you can buy, but these will be, I hope a new level of cool & Pontiac old school specific! The first one is already starting to take shape. These are really going to be time consuming because of the detail & the need to get the right angles cut in the polycarbonate to carry the light across multiple cuts & cavities in the polycarbonate. Not to mention the polishing!

Now you know how we love pictures around here last Indian 

[Last Indian]

This will be a center insert within a cavity space.

This will be a clear cover over the Indian head

this is the top plate. The bottom & top series of holes have two different purposes. Starting with the outer first holes. Every other hole is an attachment hole for a stainless steel panhead Allen screw, than a open hole to display light.

this is the polycarbonate plate. There are two grooves cut into the plate with a ball end mill to reflect light up through the corresponding slots. Above & below those grooves are taped holes for the screws, as well partially countersunk holes to reflect light

below is a picture of the original replacment sill plates I built right after I bought the car new.

 

 

D3D81468-10AA-476C-8CA9-41E12619D5A8.webp

Edited December 17, 2023 by Last Indian

[Wrongway]

It's crazy to see the detail you were able to get into such a small piece. As always sir, amazing work!

[Ringo64]

Amazing work!

[Last Indian]

A little more detail added, still going to take multiple assemble & disassemble steps to get the effect I want. Guess that’s the price of playing. 

The real un come in when I have to make the reverse orientation for the other side. Not sure what I’ll do with the back quite yet.

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Last Indian