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PostPosted: May 2, 2015, 11:05 am 
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Lonnie,

Much of the chassis is primed but the unpainted bits remain largely rust-free due to a heated, insulated shop that remains between 50F ( when unoccupied in winter) and 72F (on the hottest day in summer). Consequently I have never had any condensation issues.

JD,

It was a good winter. I had top ten finishes in 40-odd-boat silver fleets (i.e. the guys that didn't make the cut to sail in the 50 boat championship) at the Great Western Challenge (Wisconsin) and the World Championship (Kingston) and 5th out of 24 at the New England Championships on Lake Champlain. Reasonably satisfying for an old f__t: I learned lots of lessons and hope to do better next year. Lots of driving though - I think my next truck will be a Diesel. The promised Diesel Colorado is intriguing, because I'd rather not have a full-size pickup; otherwise I would bite my tongue and buy another Chrysler product, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel.

Bobber,

What are 'travel bars'?

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Isuzu Pickup/SR20DE, +401 COLD frame
Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601


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PostPosted: May 2, 2015, 1:20 pm 
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I had top ten finishes in 40-odd-boat silver fleets at the Great Western Challenge and the World Championship[SNIP] and 5th out of 24 at the New England Championships on Lake Champlain.
Wow! Very cool Warren!!! (No pun intended...) That's quite a successful year! Well Done, Sir!

And yeah, towing to races (car or boat) gets expensive. I debate the extra cost of a diesel and the inconvenience on a day-to-day basis versus the better mileage and easier towing. In my case, I just don't tow enough to justify it. I think... Maybe...

The mid-size and half-ton diesels that are around now are quite interesting. For a light-weight tow, they'd probably be just fine. I could see that as a very viable tow vehicle and general use vehicle. Keep us posted, on the truck thing and your build!

:cheers:
JDK

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Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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PostPosted: May 3, 2015, 8:27 am 
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Warren
Just a heads up on the Diesel Colorado. If you have to replace the alternator, there is not enough space between the engine and frame, to remove it, without pulling the engine. My luck with the last two GM trucks I had, both alternators went out before 80k. The owners that have the dealer make the repair, are going to be pi$$ed when they see that bill for just replacing the alternator. Dave W


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PostPosted: May 3, 2015, 10:32 am 
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DaveW,

Thinking back to my first car, a Renault 5, I made the same discovery when the starter croaked: they had to remove the intake and exhaust manifolds. :(

Back to the Locost 7 ......

I did narrow the nose, but only by cutting out a gore and squeezing it together. Not totally together, except at the rear, because a straight gore doesn't actually work. There is a bit of Roman Nose after the fact, but what else is fairing compound for? But the nose now fits the frame, although there a still filler pieces to be added on the side of the nose. Those can wait 'til later.


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Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601


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PostPosted: May 4, 2015, 11:52 pm 
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Warren Nethercote wrote:
. . . The promised Diesel Colorado is intriguing, because I'd rather not have a full-size pickup . . .


It is frustrating that all other parts of the world have diesel choices in smaller trucks and SUVs that we don't have in North America (well maybe Mexico does, I don't know for sure). I want the offroad, 4x4 torque and pulling power of a diesel, but I need a truck-based, compact SUV, not a pickup. There's so much cool stuff in that category elsewhere, but nada here.

Here's a nice Aussie SUV based on the current, rest-of-the-world, diesel Ranger.

Diesel SUV ==> http://www.caradvice.com.au/246545/ford ... om-ranger/

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

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PostPosted: May 5, 2015, 8:14 am 
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Lonnie,

VW sells its Diesel Amorak pickup in Mexico (a rest-of-world product [not Canada or US], like other baby Diesel pickups, built in Argentina and Germany). Not my choice though as it comes in either short cab/long bed or crew cab/miniscule bed variants. My preference is extended cab/medium bed (more secure in-cab storage but still a useful bed - the really short ones get messy when loading bulk garden supplies with a front-end loader). But if you live in rest-of-world countries the choice is considerable: Ford, Isuzu/Holden/Opel/Vauxhall, Mitsubishi,Nissan, Toyota, VW, to name a few. All have Diesel variants.


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Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601


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PostPosted: May 7, 2015, 8:04 pm 
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Despite my lack of Computer-Aided Design skills, Cardboard-Aided Design, followed by Plywood-Aided Design worked.

I've got the rad mounted on a wooden mock-up while I contemplate how to do it in metal. I've got lots of strap and tubing about, but also some 18 gauge sheet with which I'm tempted to do something reminiscent of the plywood mock-up. Best thing, or things, are that the rad hose runs are clear and the nose fits. I've located the radiator off centre to facilitate hoses, but also to provide a clear air path to the air cleaner through a duct off the yet-to-be constructed radiator ducting. It is unfortunate that the rad is biased to the driver's side from a weight distribution perspective. Oh well, I guess we know on which side the battery will have to live.


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PostPosted: May 8, 2015, 12:48 am 
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Diesel options in the rest of the world may get slim very quickly. I was reading an article that said England is considering banning diesel cars.

If England does it then you can bet a bunch of the others will too.

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PostPosted: May 8, 2015, 8:56 am 
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Car 123,

Yes, the English experience is being driven by urban pollution. European emissions standards for Diesels control ozone-depleting oxides but ignore particulate matter. Soot is not a big deal with modern Diesels, but when you provide tax incentives for Diesels (road tax is lower on Diesel fuel than on gasoline) you encourage Diesel purchases and the 'not a big deal' particulate emissions begin to become accumulate. The urea injection systems we see in north America are, I believe, largely to control particulate emissions which are regulated here.

I suspect that Europe will see introduction of emissions standards on particulates, but without elimination of tax incentives Diesels will continue to be attractive. Diesel will also continue to be a relatively economic fuel in Europe where home heating is almost universally gas or electric. The downside of the Diesel-fuel fraction of the refining process in Canada is that it is still an important home heating fuel, which makes Diesel more expensive than gasoline in the winter, before tax. Once the heating season is over you can get Diesel for less than gasoline, at least in Nova Scotia. There is no life-cycle cost saving in choosing a Diesel in Canada unless you are a high mileage driver. But I want one... :D

Another good example of the effect of tax incentives is offered by the Netherlands, where LPG is readily available because of the North Sea gas fields. As a result, LPG road fuel is favourably taxed and a very large number of cars (I forget, but something like 10 per cent) are fuelled by LPG.

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Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601


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PostPosted: May 9, 2015, 9:16 pm 
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JD,

Bubba would be proud: how's that for a radiator support br........? One down, one to go. Made of 16ga. sheet with edges broken with a (small) metal folding insert in my vice.


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Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601


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PostPosted: May 26, 2015, 4:34 pm 
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I knew it as the design spiral when working as a naval architect, but my iterations were computer print-outs then, not thrown-away bits of steel. My plan for an off-centre rad has been sunk by the needs of the bumper. Like the back end, I'm using .065 exhaust tube for my front bumper: I want the bumper to bend in parking by Braille incidents, not the frame.

Lacking a tubing roller I bent the bumper tube with incremental bites with the tubing bender. It's a 50-50 job, looking good from 50 ft and 50 mph. Can't remember who said that recently on the site.

How to mount the bumper is a challenge. I'm thinking of two pieces of 1 1/2 by 1/4 flat bar going straight back (inside the nose) to Champion's LA and LB tubes. To stiffen the thing I will bend up some tube (3/4 or 1 inch?) and run one from the bumper on each side of the nose, underneath the nose to the centre of Champion's LD tube. Hopefully that will keep the inspector happy and won't look too hokey. It will not help maintenance - the order of installation will be nose then bumper which strikes me as a bit of a PITA. The tubes under the nose will serve a double purpose - the air dam (splitter?) on my COLD nose is the lowest bit of the car and may suffer from road rash otherwise.


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Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601


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PostPosted: June 1, 2015, 3:27 pm 
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Da bumper, she fits!

I fitted some slotted br____ts to LA and LB, with slots long enough to absorb any out-of-plane problems.

I jigged the bumper mounts on my workbench, tacked them and then transferred to my welding table where I could position the work for down-hand welding - I need all the help I can get, although there are indications of hope. :)

Then I test fit the bumper through the nose, and it worked. Next step is to revise the driver's side radiator bracket (edit: oops and apologies to JD :oops: ) to address the nearer-the-centreline positioning required by the bumper. After that I can work out the auxiliary bumper mounts that will run below the nose.


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Isuzu Pickup/SR20DE, +401 COLD frame
Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601


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PostPosted: June 4, 2015, 10:57 pm 
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Next step is to revise the driver's side radiator bracket (edit: oops and apologies to JD :oops: )

Since it's you, Warren, all is forgiven. But try not to let it happen again, OK? You know what can happen...
Attachment:
Nuclear-explosion.jpg


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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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PostPosted: August 3, 2015, 4:10 pm 
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Remember those nasty math 100 texts? You know, the ones that said "It follows ...." or even worse, "It is left as a proof for the reader?" They might as well have said "And now magic happens ...."

So here is the finished (well, roughly finished) front bumper and modified COLD nose (which still needs more sanding and filling, but a single colour looks better than patches of fairing compound). The bumper height is the same as the rear bumper I built earlier - the legal minimum (plus a half inch or so) in the construction regs.

I was going to lay the COLD front fenders in place for the photos but their radius is so far adrift from the rolling radius of the tires that I think some aluminum fenders are in my future.


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Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601


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PostPosted: April 24, 2018, 5:10 am 
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Hi Warren...
OK, just to help you back to p.1 - a silly query...
Is the tyre on the photo-left in the 'full-frontal' photo, the wrong way round on the wheel...?
Or am I missing something...?

And thanks for your help on my own queries.
MangPong.


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