And getting that column in, dash set, pedals and seat all lined up was a chore in itself. I will be 49 this year and don't think for a second I didn't sit in that seat and make car sounds and spin the wheel like a 5 year old when I finished. Whether I even had my pants on at that point is questionable
Shifter thru floor while I worked that out and the reverser down low by the driver door to keep it as hidden as possible.=
Can sorta see the exhaust. Bought some 4" DOM to create a pass thru in the frame for each exhaust to have the turn downs just in front of the transaxle. I gave up and cut the rear seat area out to get access to weld tne frame and so forth. Will weld it back in later.
This is what happens when you watch too much MAV TV... Ian Roussel convinces me that no matter the fact I have zero experience with sheet metal fab, I just need to cut things up and figure it out as I go.
The dash shot is in rocket orientation so just rotate your screen as required...
Will get pics under the hood tomorrow when I am measuring the rack. I also came across a Rodeck block a few months ago so am collecting parts to do a new engine. Will be a flat tappet engine just like this one, actually same cheap cam will be used because I love it, so the aluminum block is more about wanting it than needing it.
Old engine is pretty tired but will be used to run this car in. Built it in 05 and tracked pretty hard for a good 7 years. Last shot gives the idea of the set back... I wanted to just touch the cowl so pretty much nailed that. Typical 10 lbs in a 5 lb bag with the rack, cooling and dry sump plumbing on the front.
Same 10lb problem with the rack and dry sump. The rack has the angled shape upper center of the pic. The mount bracket is just above the spring there. I have about 3/4" between it and the alternator pulley/upper A arm bolt and the 1" height of the mount to squeeze a cross bar support into there over the dry sump pulley. I can then offset all the pickup points for the tie rods from there. The good news is a pretty straight shot from the rack shaft to the column.
Upskirt of the exhaust. Hard to tell from the 2nd pic but the edge seams of the mufflers are the only thing hanging below the frame at this point. Just missed having enough room
Another weekend cranking away... have some tie rod items being machined at a local shop so got around to reinforcing the lower control arms and relocating the pickup points better suited to the rocker arms. Round tubes are generally fine since they have the pickup points way out to not bend them but my dealio needed a set back so I added 1.5" square tube to the outside and plug welded it together. In the future if I need a new one I will have Coleman just ship me the tab so I don't have to cut them off and notch around the leftover base. Coleman makes nice stuff to jigs so better to sleeve it than go from scratch in my garage. Will be rigid as heck doubled up.
More work on the camouflage... tucking the sequential mechanism into the console. Hurst handle looks old school trick. Will have to bring the cable thru the interior but can tuck it by the seat and hide it with a cover and carpet.
Picked up the cross bar and tie rod mounts from the machine shop today. Will need to put it in the car as a separate piece so just fitted together here for the pix. The 3 holes allow me to adjust the tie rod rotation point if I change the upper A length for different camber gain. I can space the tie rod off of the bracket to alter Ackermann.
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
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