It's been well over a year since there was any kind of update with this thread. Buckle up because here comes one HUGE update with this project.
The magnitude of this project is a first for all of us so we needed to make sure this was done right the first time. Therefore, a lot of planning had to be done before we could move forward. We put together sort of a build kit that would go to those who would have a hand in the car's creation. The kit included mock ups of the vehicle, blueprints, measurements, reference, part info, modifications, etc. It's sort of frightening but if the planning is done right the work should follow suit.
Before we get into the the bulk of the update, I am going to recap a little from the beginning to catch those unfamiliar up to now. First, we spent several years collecting up accurate parts for the vehicle and wouldn't proceed beyond that point unless every part was accounted for.
As you can tell some of the parts are showing their age and are pretty beat up. We have plans to restore any parts that need a new lease of life. First, some clean up and work need to be done on the light bars.
Both the metal and plastic pieces are going to get a face lift. Currently, the metal parts for the light bars are in the shop being repaired and renewed. The rest of the work is going to be done by us. We also located and received the proper speaker for it. This will accommodate our sound effects and also act as an external loud speaker so we can yell at other drivers who get irresponsibly too close while driving.
Once we had all of the parts, it was time to purchase the car. The whole time we were looking for a used Flex but for some reason we found a brand new one for thousands less? How does that happen? Well, here she is.
The car itself is going to get a make over. We aren't just going to slap logos and a roof rack on it. None of us are into the weird grooves in the doors and the roof itself needs to be cleared. Originally, we had more body work planned for the car including a suicide door on the back but we decided to simplify the work.
As for the original parts that were beat up, it was time to give them new life. We started with the Propello Ray and the Federal Siren. The Propello wasn't so bad but the siren was almost thrashed. We found a wizard who used magic and blew our minds. Here is what the Propello Ray looked like before restoration.
Here is the same part but after restoration. Tested, working and polished to a shine!
As for the Federal Siren, here's what it looked like. This thing has seen some better days. It even had holes in the shell. It was busted!
Now, here is where our minds were blown! After pictures:
Not an imperfection. Pure sex.
Next, since the roof on the Flex is slightly smaller than a '59 Futura, we needed to make some changes to the roof rack and the build. We ended up having to cut 7" from the overall length of the rack so its not that bad. Unfortunately, we decide to loose the deck lights from the car since they take up too much space. We might go with smaller versions later in the build but we haven't reached that point yet. Anyways, here we are building a wooden mock up of the bottom portion of the rack and test fitting it with the light bars and other parts. We have done our measurements but we want to make sure those measurements are going to work. We are crossing our fingers that there's no major surprises in store for us.
Now it's time to take a look at the mock up and paint scheme. This was in our packet given to the body shop and its how the final car will look like after the modifications.
We find ourselves at the body shop. This is the start of the big stuff.
No turning back.
Now, we had such a pain with these decals. A star car buddy of ours recommended a company to us who would actually make them. It's very hard to find a graphics place that will touch a copyrighted logo. There was a lot of going back and forth with the printing shop and even a lost set of decals later (thanks UPS), these FINALLY arrived. Before anyone asks or mentions it, yes this is not the accurate movie logo. It's the re-worked logo that's on Fifthrider's and Venkman71's Ecto's as well as the reboot vehicle. Brian gave us permission to use the file for our car. No particular reason why we used this logo except that we preferred it.
The grooves on the doors have been removed and filled in. This puppy is ready for paint. Decals after that then clear coat.
As I type this out, this is where we are at with the body work. I've got to stop here and start getting into the roof rack before I can reveal the finished body work.
The bubble dome acrylic arrived and is ready for fabrication. We've also got a wizard with aluminum working on our roof rack. For now I will just show you a storage tube ring because that's all i've been given at this point.
There's a snifer in the works as well.
We also found more accurate parts in the wild. We found a swtching and balancing unit that is going to be gutted for parts. Taking it apart gives us a rough idea of what the actual Texas Instruments panel box would look like inside. The actual switches have a massive base on them. Since none of the rounded faces on these aren't stamped an aluminum wizard is hard at work stamping them with numbers.
We are going to do what other Ecto owners have to resort to by making our own Texas Instruments box.
The Flex now has all of the logos in place and now it's time for some clear coat.
Alright, here is where we are at with the body work. Take a look at that!
So, we took her out for the first time where she got to visit with the real deal. The screen used Ecto-1!
The Ecto-1 had some work done to it since we last saw it. They have everything going on it except the strobes and deck lights. Even the sniffer was in motion. I can upload video of it if you guys want. Unfortunately, the front light bars have seized up and weren't spinning. I also don't think the bubble dome works anymore either. A Sony rep did tell us that they were working on it. I told them to turn around the raydome.
Anyways, our car isn't even done yet and already people are hanging out of their windows while driving trying to get pictures. The car has maybe traveled 100 miles since the body work/paint job and already almost caused 5 accidents. It's a little scary. Funny thing is with the reboot sticker on the back, some drivers actually keep a 500 foot distance. Haha!
More to come as we are trying to get this done before the Mass Hysteria party. I have my own doubts this will get done before that. All of our projects are way over their timeline and budget. Both our Ecto and Containment Unit projects look like they might be finished around the same time. Which would be both amazing and a relief. Until then...