One of Rick's great strengths is his patience and attention to detail. He takes the time to develop a good plan and executes the plan with care and precision.

At right, we see the completed firewall/cover assembly, with a prop rod holding the cover in place for the camera. We see the heat insulating material on the underside and the carpeting chosen to match the upholstery he would later apply to the bucket seats.

Crown equipped

Embossed into the engine cover is the logo of the now defunct Crown Manufacturing Co., Inc., of Newport Beach, California, paying homage to the originators of the mid-engine conversion kit that forms the basis of Rick's Corv-8. As can be seen in the Corv-8 section of this site, the original Crown style cover was made of fiberglass, molded to double as the front seats. While that design was effective at reducing weight and keeping kit costs low, I believe Rick's approach is superior. It looks better, it's safer, and unlike the Crown approach, allows seat adjustment.

Engine cover retainers

Starting with a pair of bow-tie air cleaner hold-downs, Rick permanently attached a pair of studs with epoxy and created a pair of no-tools-required quick release retainers for the engine cover. Ease of removal will pay dividends not only when servicing the engine, it will make things a lot easier at cruises or car shows when the curious ask for a closer look at the engine. Based on what we've seen in the earlier photos of the small-block, Rick should be happy to oblige, and no one will be disappointed with what they see!