Good news!! Got my frame back from being welded up this week, and my coilovers arrived yesterday :D :D

The frame. Just going to clean up a couple spots on it and off to the powder coaters it goes.
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/5368/68467731.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7373/50383719.jpg

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2615/95141591.jpg

mmmmm, coilovery goodness.
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/9392/57817765.jpg

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/2108/69108506.jpg

Now hopefully the powder coaters can do a pretty quick turn around for me. And I need to get the coilovers valved, but then it's just reassembly! (it sounds so easy in writing) New goal is Oct 16th.

Loookin good:woot:

It looks good nice progress.

Looking good, keep up the progress.

frame looks awesome
 

So i get the notch but why that cut into the spring pocket? Is the for Break Caliper clearance?

Sway bar arm clearance.


And one more pic during final mock up this weekend.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7554/30096286.jpg

Looks fantastic Tom!

Just wondering why you did not use Speed-Tech lower control arms to match the uppers, instead of the Ride-Tech lowers.

Travis

The standard Speedtech lowers are set up for a regular coil spring, not a coilover. I could've welded brackets to convert, but figured this way was easier. And the Speedtech lowers they use on their subframe have a goofy sway bar end link mount.

Then why is the Speed-Tech uppers,vs. RideTech? I've been looking at both and was thinking of using Speed-Tech uppers(like you have)lowers and the Chicane kit,with the RideTech front sway bar, not sure now. Now I'm watching your progress to determine if I will do this or something differnt.

Travis

Those are the high-clearance Speedtech uppers. They offer more tire clearance than the other UCAs out there.

Well, everything fell into place to start the assembly process this weekend. Just waiting on getting my coil overs back from Bilstein, which should be middle of next week.

This is where we started Saturday morning.
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/3636/90324231.jpg

New subframe going in...
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/9782/50954975.jpg

Shortly before I called it quits for the evening.
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/7788/82192383.jpg

Will be back at it tomorrow. I figure mechanicals this weekend, sheetmetal the next, and I'll be in good shape to make my goal.

Making progress....

Sunday afternoon:
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/8199/23076340.jpg

Before going to work on Monday:
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8057/99855406.jpg

looking good! Making good progress

Another productive weekend...

Assembled most of the suspension Saturday, and this is where we started Sunday morning.
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/1747/88649114.jpg

Shortly before calling it quits Sunday evening. I can't believe it looks like a car again. I am so ready to drive it.
http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/6885/12407526.jpg

Just an interesting perspective. Finally figured out how much air cleaner to hood clearance there actually is. Way more than I thought.
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/4885/33164915.jpg

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/9021/30195453.jpg

The plan is finish putting it together, alignment, emissions, drive it to Jerome on Saturday, and a SCCA event on Sunday.

Looks great! I'm excited for you.

What happened to the splined sway bar? Is that a phase 2 item or did the crank pulley interfere?

Also, did you paint or powdercoat the frame?

Wanna talk about excitement? I started it this morning!! :D :D I sure have missed that sound...

Uhh.. both.

It's powdercoated.

So I fired her up yesterday morning and got to drive her around today!! 5 months and 12 days since I last drove it; it's good to be back.

Drove around today with the front end looking like this. And expired tags. Surprised I didn't get any attention from the police.
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/1571/55820054.jpg

And what's hiding in here....
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/1491/57480234.jpg

Complete with a Hot Rod Magazine-style to-do list.
http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/4828/33157370.jpg

This whole process has shown me what career I want to pursue: restoration parts. You can make parts that aren't even close to accurate, and everyone just accepts it. Not one single reproduction part I had to buy for this project has fit without modification.

Whew, this weekend was certainly an adventure. So Friday night I just had a couple things left to button up/check over before cruising to Jerome (small mining town in Northern AZ) on Saturday. Car is running well, and I foresee no issues for the weekend. So we do a little of this:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...91709547_n.jpg

Have some lunch in Jerome, and on the way back down, I see the car's running a little lean. Didn't think much of it until we got stuck in traffic on I-17, basically a stand-still, and the car barely wants to idle. Wide band is showing 20+ AFR. Oh ****. 3 miles and 45 minutes later, we get cruising again and I make it home. I tinker with the carb some... no help. Thinking it might be an ignition problem, I head to Autozone for new plugs. As soon as I get out of the car, I hear hisssssssssssssss. Something went through my tire and created a large enough hole to hear it without listening for it. Double ****. Immediately head home so I don't get stranded there with a flat. Just about ready to say **** it considering I have to be up at 4:30 Sunday morning. But, I headed back to Autozone to get a tire plug kit and the spark plugs. Get home and pull the offending object out of my tire:
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/6229/53104912.jpg

Can someone please tell me how you get a 5" long drill bit to go through your tire blunt end first? After fighting with the plug kit and down to my second to last plug, I finally get the tire to hold air. Change the spark plugs and see if it makes a difference. Nope, still super lean. Triple ****. I adjust the idle screws on the car waayyy out to get the thing close to a good afr. Still sounds weird, but better. Take it for a test drive around the block, and the stupid thing is now really rich! Put the idle screws back about where they were before and now it idles well and has a good afr. I guess the idle circuit got semi-clogged from sitting for 5 months and just needed to be cleared out. So I finally make it to bed about midnight, and sure enough, can't fall asleep.

4:30am comes way to quickly. Check the air in the plugged tire, see that it's still good, and hit the road for Tucson. The car runs great all the way there, and I get to do this all day:
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/705/dsc0172sk.jpg

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/7392/dsc0171ix.jpg

Drive it back home Sunday afternoon with no issues at all. Roughly 500 miles on it in a weekend, 2 weeks after starting to put it back together. Success.

So I guess it's time to post the driving impressions. First, I'm definitely happy with the changes I made to the shock valving. By lessening the damping under high-speed shock travel, bumps and jolts no longer upset the car, and as a pleasant addition, it's smoother for street-driving as well. I used the same rate springs and low-speed shock valving as before so the car feels the same in those regards. However, as has been discussed, the splined sway bar does not clear the balancer. I have a couple ideas to get that to work but that'll be a project for another day. Running the Hotchkis bar for now. Also, due to the larger sump on the Autokraft oil pan, the inner tie rod ends have limited clearance. So between the sway bar and oil pan, I have basically the same turning radius as I had before :doh: . Oh well, things to be sorted out. Too many upcoming events to worry about those now.

Oh yeah, picked up a straggler from the Super Chevy Show AutoX...

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6963/75542870.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/6931/76336395.jpg

Didn't find it til days after the event...

Just an update with what has been going on with the car lately.

Recently did a sound test out at Arizona Motorsports Park. They have a 94.0 dB limit due to ****ty neighbors so they put on these tests where you can make 2-3 laps for free to see if your car is under. Mine is not. 97.0....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvCqA19nqfk

Then a SCCA autoX at Firebird International Raceway last weekend.
Fastest lap during competition runs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM4HfwcC5pg

Fastest lap in Time Only's:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZW5yWmpWEc

This past week, I was messing around with the car and decided to add a fill port through my shifter so I can change/add tranny fluid without having to pop the shifter off. Not real exciting, but I thought it was a good mod for a car that gets raced a lot.
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/9412/1shifter.jpg

Hmmmm, wonder what these could be for.... Those of you at RTTC will find out ;)
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/2649/2rodends.jpg

Also have another project going on. These aren't for the car, but something related. Will be posting updates on this one as well.
http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/8540/steeli.jpg

February is going to be a busy month. :D

97 db?! Wow. What exhaust system are you running?

And this is why I don't wanna ruin my day trying to pass Laguna Seca sound.

First time I've seen this thread. Nice job!!

Hope to see you at Buttonwillow this year. :thumbsup:

Very Cool thread.I am liking this build.:thumbsup:

1 7/8" primaries, 3" collectors reduced to 2.5" pipes that merge into a single 3" through a Magnaflow muffler (fairly small case, like only 14" long), and then a single 3" over the axle.

It sucks, but I'm not going to re-do the whole system to try to get under the limit.

OK...

I am 52, and a Track Virgin...But seriously......DB Limits ???

Oh, and I am a California Native, so I know the State of the State... The Rules they impose on us..

But I put on coil overs, and Giant 4 wheel discs, and all this performance stuff, and i want to be responsible and go to the track...for DB limits ?

Again, I am the Newbie, but Man...Next Silencers at the gun Range ???

Making progress...

The start of some brackets:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3079/90488718.jpg

Certain pieces are starting to come together:
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1203/64173777.jpg

Picking up a whole bunch of goodies tomorrow :D

ooo what could this be...
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2172/74167285.jpg

No fancy welding table needed.
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/8501/59681202.jpg

Not the prettiest welds ever...
http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/4917/58166978.jpg

... but I got good penetration.
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/3551/63914894.jpg

And most importantly, I did it myself :)

Thank god this is a long weekend. Have a ton to do before RTTC, but I'll make it or die trying.

I'm guessing a rotisserie for the car?:_paranoid
Keep up the good work.

Lookin' good! I can appreciate the "I did it myself" approach....

LOL the stuck cone is cracking me up..

Nice work on the build.

Some other goodies that will be making it on to the car during this upgrade:
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/2813/70299993.jpg

Spent most of Sunday making this front crossmember:
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/2656/24676371.jpg

Springs pockets modified to accept LCAs:
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/2998/41610014.jpg

Mocking up the watts frame. The mounting points for the coilovers will be built off of this:
http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/4895/80822698.jpg

Front crossmember finished!
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/8677/11904916.jpg

All and all, about where I wanted to be at the end of this weekend.

:lol: Oh...I thought that was some new fangled brake ducting kit that you had there..:lol:

Mid-week update. Not much has happened in the past 8 days as I spent the weekend skiing in Utah.

This is a great sight. Still a bunch more to do, but I can see the end now. Hopefully most everything will be wrapped up after this weekend.
http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/6470/61313447.jpg

Spent a lot of time creating this before I cut the first piece of metal. I can't take credit for the housing/carrier though; found those online.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5304/sw4l.jpg

what are the lengths of your LCA's? and what did you use for spacers in the Spring pocket? I think we're both building the same rear suspension setup but I'm a few months behind you. lol Great work BTW :thumbsup:

Front pivot to axle center line is 25". Spacers are just steel tube welded in.

Picked up the last of the real hardware today.

These should be a good starting point.
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/1332/78536629.jpg

I thought this was heavy. Would not want to pick up an iron one.
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4352/55230663.jpg

what are the rear brakes?

Tonny

base C6 from Kore3 with the parking brake

Go Tom... Go Tom.... you can do it! Tick Tock, Tick Tock... get it done I want to see ya at the RTTC event.


Good luck, looks good