LocostUSA.com

Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
It is currently March 18, 2024, 10:09 pm

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 252 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1 ... 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 ... 17  Next
Author Message
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: January 21, 2017, 4:14 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: August 2, 2009, 3:34 pm
Posts: 896
Location: Alberta
zetec7 wrote:
Sure! Well, I haven't actually designed the hard bits yet, but here's the wiring diagram for it! The flux capacitor has been the hardest part to source....


Well, I've looked over your wiring diagram twice, you're in luck, doesn't look like you need one!

_________________
Trochu Motor League


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: January 21, 2017, 10:55 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: August 2, 2009, 3:34 pm
Posts: 896
Location: Alberta
zetec7 wrote:
For those who are still looking for cycle fenders I can heartily recommend KitSpares. Here's a link to the fenders I bought - http://www.kitspares.co.uk/index.php?ro ... 403&car=43 Be prepared to "think British" - these cycle fenders are called "wings" over there, and hood="bonnet", convertible top="hood", trunk="boot", etc. They carry tons of other Locost-suitable parts, too.


Kinda a crappy website. It says they are "standard" wings and it also says they are "made to order". Guess what I'm asking, do they make them custom to your wheel size?

_________________
Trochu Motor League


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: January 21, 2017, 11:31 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
No, as I understand it, they make them for specific cars, like Westfields, etc., so it's a matter of discovering which of those cars uses the size tires you're using. I told them I was using 205-50/15 tires (tyres?), and they confirmed which fenders would work. And, they were right.

I'd suggest you just email them & ask regarding a specific size. They're easy to deal with by email, I found.

The "made to order" part is that you pick the specific ones you want from the selection of sizes available, choose the colour you want, and they'll make them for you. I assume they have a series of molds in specific sizes - I'm sure they don't make molds to order, unless there's a LOT of demand for that specific size.

Regardless, from my 2-year search, they're the best quality product out there, and the cheapest price.

_________________
Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: June 1, 2017, 4:50 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
Well, it's been months since I made my last confession...uh, contribution...to my build log. So, here's a bit of an update.

Nothing major, really, just a bunch of little detail items that needed doing. Still, they're all stuff I wanted to get done before I get to disassembly & frame paint, as it seems there's always one more tab that needs to be welded on. Until these detail items are done, I can't really know that I've finished all the welding I need to do on the frame before I can paint it.

Let's see...I made up a mount for my ignition module on the rear of the cylinder head, in the original Ford location. Of course, since I'm using a Quad4Rods ignition module, which is based on an '80's GM OBD-1 unit (Ehrlich-built, and modified to operate permanently in "run-home" mode with appropriate 2D mapping), it's different from the Ford module mount. I made up an adapter plate out of 14-gauge aluminum that marries the two together rather nicely. It also adds a substantial air gap between the two, so the module should stay nice & cool.

Attachment:
ignition module mount small.jpg


While I was at it, I had to make up a plug wire set to join the GM module to the Ford Zetec plug wires. This turned out to be fairly simple - chop off the Ford coil ends of the wires & install GM coil ends. Of course, it was a lot more fiddly than it sounds...

Attachment:
ignition module and plug wire set small.jpg


I decided it was time to fabricate the horizontal and vertical panels for the scuttle/firewall. I'd bought a half sheet of 14-gauge aluminum, and decided to use that - the wiper motor, etc. will be mounted on it, so it needed to have some rigidity. I made up patterns for the panels & cut them out with a jigsaw. Unfortunately, what I hadn't noticed was that the steel foot om my jigsaw had a burr on it, so it left a shallow, wobbly groove all around the periphery of both panels. I didn't think it was a problem initially, until I realized just how deep the grooves were. I couldn't use the other sides of the panels, as they had some white patches of corrosion, which don't harm the metal but can't be buffed out. So, I started sanding. And sanding. And more sanding. I worked my way down from 220 grit to 1500 wet, and finally got the gouges out. Of course, the panels ended up more or less mirrored. Wow! Bling!! Unfortunately, you can scratch the surface by laying a clean cotton towel on it. *Sigh* - I expect I'll be doing a LOT of polishing over the years! It does look nice, though...

In this pic, the panels are merely mocked up - later, I added countersunk stainless screws on the horizontal panel as, for some reason I can't fathom now, I decided I really wanted a smooth, flush surface on the horizontal panel. As the EZ-Wiring fuse panel was to be mounted in fabricated steel box underneath this horizontal scuttle panel, it needed to have a flush-mounted, hinged door to allow access to the fuse panel. The fuse panel access door is just visible in this pic, dead center in the horizontal alloy panel (just behind the oil filler cap, in this pic).

Attachment:
firewall panels mockup.jpg


The (hinged) fuse panel door needed to have some method of allowing me to open it. Again, sticking with the "flush" theme, I decided on a finger-push, spring loaded, small tab-you-can-stick-your-finger-in-to-open-the-door arrangement.

Attachment:
fuse panel door lift 7 small.jpg


Attachment:
fuse panel door lift 6 small.jpg


The little tab was tricky to fabricate, not having a mill (*Sigh!*). I ended up using a piece of 3/16" aluminum, cut larger than the hole, and using a hacksaw to cut into the edge all the way around, until the edge had 2 lips. Then, I used the hacksaw to remove one of the lips (so that the remaining thickness of the piece that was the same size as the hole was also the thickness of the main panel), and hand-filed & sanded it all to final shape. It turned out rather well, I thought - not perfect, but then this stuff is all hand made and, since I'm FAR from perfect, I think it's passable.

The hinge/spring is made from garbage - a piece of cast-off banding from a bundle of lumber. It really is great stuff - easy to work, has a nice spring temper, and...it's FREE!!. A few countersunk 1/8" rivets, and it's done.

Since my last post, I've also fabricated the windshield frame. That was fun (NOT!). It's amazing how much force it takes to bend that 3/4" X 3/4" aluminum square channel. It's also amazing how difficult it is to get the absolutely precise bends required to match the scuttle profile, and how much the aluminum gets gouged up in the process. It took many, many hours to get the aluminum looking decent again.

I also pondered how to assemble the frame once I have the glass for it (I'll be using 1/4" laminated, DOT-approved safety glass). Obviously, the frame has to come apart somehow, and as the bottom is the widest section, it makes sense to slide the glass into the frame from the bottom. That, of course, requires a means of joining the bottom section of the frame back to the main section, securing it in place, and capturing the glass in some kind of rubber cushion, all at the same time. Here are a couple of pics of the frame itself (pre-polishing) and the method I came up with to join the frame together. The tabs you see have since been drilled & tapped for a couple of countersunk 10-24 NC screws on each side - the screws go through the bottom ends of the frame legs, and into the tapped holes in the tabs. Seems to work well, and appears nice & solid. The screws are completely hidden by the stanchions when the frame is mounted.

Attachment:
windshield frame small.jpg


Attachment:
windshield frame joint 5 small.jpg


I also made mounts for my glorious, England-sourced front cycle fenders. It was a complex job, and I have to admit having shamelessly copied the ingenious efforts of others on the forum. They're nice and strong, yet just a tiny bit flexible, so hopefully they won't shake themselves apart. The steel forks that go up under the fenders have upturned vertical edges, and the fenders themselves will have 20-gauge steel panels (with downturned vertical edges, so the verticals can be bolted together). The steel panels will be bonded to the underside of the fiberglass fenders with 3M 5200, due to its incredible strength of adhesion, and being completely impervious to oil, water, etc.. The adhesive strength of this stuff will be close to 2 tons per fender. That oughta do it. It's what Cat***ham uses to attach their fenders, after all!

Attachment:
front fender mount small.jpg


As those who have been following my thread about cutting a Lucas wiper cable know, I've also been working on my wiper system. While the concept is deceptively simple, the actual application is rather complex. There's a LOT of precision required to get all those bits & pieces singing in harmony from the same song sheet.

Cutting the inner cable turned out to be a doddle. I was worried initially (hence, the thread I started) that the outer, spiral around the outside of the cable would go "SPROING!!" once I cut it. Several people responded that they had no trouble with this, and I was elated! Then, another wrote in...his cable went "SPROING!!" when cut. So, I decided on a plan - I wrapped (tight!) the area nearest the cut with masking tape, and cut it with a zip disc on my angry grinder. So far, so good. To be absolutely certain it would stay together, I used my MIG welder to do a teensy, tiny weld, joining the outer spiral to the central core. It was nerve-wracking, but it worked. I built the end up a bit with more weld, shaped the end into a bit of a cone (so it would feed through the wheelboxes), and polished it up. It seems to work great, and I doubt it will ever...uh..."SPROING!!" in the future.

Attachment:
wiper cable end crop 1.jpg


On to the wiper system itself...I've mounted the Lucas drive motor onto the horizontal scuttle panel, which seems to be the right place for it. I bought some 5/16" brake line & curved it so that it goes from the motor to the passenger's side wheelbox in a smooth arc. Caution: the Lucas cable should NOT have to take more than a 3" radius bend, or it will drag badly. In this case, the radius was about 8" or more, so it should be good.

Attachment:
Wiper system 2 small.jpg


In this pic, the wheelboxes etc. are mocked up...and working!! It's surprisingly quiet, too, given that I haven't re-greased the wheelboxes or cable since I cleaned them up. The sharper-eyed among you will notice that the angled ferrules (through which the wiper shafts protrude) are not the original, British, chrome-plated pot-metal items.

As it turns out, wiper shafts need to protrude from the scuttle at precisely 90* to the windshield surface, or as close as is possible. As our Locost windshields are generally rather vertical, compared to British offerings (such as the MGB, from whence my wiper system came), these ferrules are utterly wrong for our application. The complementary angle to the windshield turned out to be around 55*-60*, rather than 90. When the wiper arms are in the vertical position, all is fine...but as they sweep down toward the park position, they lean over to the point where the blades are almost on their sides. That would NOT work. The only option was to fabricate new ferrules, on a much finer angle. I used some 1" aluminum stock, boring it lengthwise to 5/8" to fit over the wheelbox spindles, and slant-cutting them as fine as I could. You can easily go too far on this...the problem is that the gearbox etc. on the back of each wheelbox will hit the underside of the scuttle skin, if you try to go too far. In the end, I got the angle up to 82*...as close as possible, given the angle of my windshield.

Anyway, here's the system, mocked up & functional:

Attachment:
wiper system 3 small.jpg


Attachment:
wiper system 5 small.jpg


...on to a follow up post - I've reached the limit on pics in this one, apparently


You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

_________________
Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: June 1, 2017, 5:15 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
Most recently, I've been working on the heat/defrost system (mandatory here - and it has to work...it had better blow LOTS of hot air on the back of the windshield come inspection time!). I bought a really nice little heater on Ebay. Very compact (important in a Locost scuttle, where space is at a premium), three speeds, a veritable gale force of blow, 4 removable/replaceable outlet vents, a high-quality core, and excellent quality wiring. Cheap, too.

Attachment:
heater.jpg


The defrost vents were a thorny problem, indeed, as my rather voluminous glovebox protrudes deeply into the scuttle space, with little room above it. As a result, space for a defrost vent on the passenger's side was almost nil. In desperation, I searched British car part sites, and struck gold at Car Builder Solutions. They had some 10" long, extremely low-profile vents, with the hose connections at the extreme ends. This allows the vents to reach all the way over the top of the glovebox without fouling on it...and, as a bonus, they clear the wiper boxes handily, too.

I needed to get the heater outlets to turn 90* immediately as they exit the heater, so off to the hardware store I went. I found some ABS 90* bends & was able to sand them down to a nice, tight friction fit into the heater's outlets. Perfect!

Here's a view of the defrost vents & hoses mocked up & tested for blow.

Attachment:
defrost vents.jpg


You can see that only the two inboard outlets are used for the defrost, while the outboard ones will be for heat for the footwells. I wanted the ability to shut off floor heat when I wish to, so as to maximize defroster flow. To that end, I made up another pair of right-angle adapters for the outlets, with butterflies inside, which can be opened & closed with little levers. Now, THAT was a fiddly bit of work, I can tell you! It works like a charm, although there was no easy way to join the two floor-heater vent levers together, so they have to be operated independently. Oh well...these cars are supposed to be Spartan, after all!

Floor vent closed...

Attachment:
floor heater vent closed 2 small.jpg


...and open...

Attachment:
floor heater vent open.jpg


Anyway, that's enough for now, and pretty much brings the log up to date. Unless I've forgotten something. I may be getting old, but I've only ever forgotten two things...but I can't remember what the other one was...

More soon!


You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

_________________
Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: June 1, 2017, 8:20 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: September 22, 2005, 8:12 am
Posts: 1877
Location: 4AGE in S.E. Michigan
Zetec7
The good news is that you will enjoy the heater on cool mornings. The bad news is that the defroster will only be used to pass inspection. Even with a 4 speed blower the low pressure area behind the windshield is so great at 30+ mph, it will only work about half up the windshield, unless you have a fully enclosed cabin. After spending 25hrs making and bonding fiberglass ducts to my scuttle , plus loosing space under the scuttle :BH:
There is a reason why Caterham uses electric heated windshields.
If I would do it again, I would just make the defroster temporary to pass inspection. Then use the space for a big glove box.
Dave W


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: June 1, 2017, 12:05 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
That is VERY true!! The defroster is only going to be useful at a dead stop or very low speeds - beyond that, even with gale force fan speed, it's going to be like passing gas in a tornado. *Sigh* - too bad legislators make rules without allowing any provision for exceptions.

On the other hand, I have sort of planned to make a roof & Ca***ham-style doors eventually, so the heater might actually be functional then. Oh well, my only option is do the best job I can of it in the interim...it sure is a LOT of extra work, expense, and bother.

_________________
Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: June 1, 2017, 8:35 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: August 27, 2005, 1:04 am
Posts: 1414
Location: Kamloops, BC, Canada
Looks good. I've never played with the wire drive wipers and don't really know how they work. Does the cable just turn in the sheath or does it slide back and forth? Wipers and heater/defroster are a big part of the reason why my car doesn't have a windshield.
Kristian

_________________
V6 in a book frame build. Now registered.
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7587
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=18172


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: June 1, 2017, 11:31 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
The inner cable has a wire coarsely wrapped around the outside, forming a sort of outer threading. It pushes in & out inside a guide tube, with the threading engaging a gear in each of the two wheel boxes, thereby rotating the shafts back & forth. Basically, it's a rack & pinion, where the rack is flexible & can bend while running, and the pinions are rotated by the rack moving back and forth across it.

It's actually a fairly elegant & flexible system.

_________________
Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: September 21, 2017, 7:41 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
Wow, I guess it's been a while since I posted (at least, in my build log...).

I've got a bit done over the summer, but not a lot (work is the curse of the car building class!).

I bought and installed a brand new set of custom-made 5-progression hole Weber 45DCOE carbs, which are touted to be the final cure for the Zetec-on-Webers off-idle stumble/backfire/stall problem.

Attachment:
New 5-progression hole Webers small.jpg


A week ago, I had a local shop prepare some paint for my nose & rear fenders, to match the glorious front cycle fenders I got from the UK. Then, I dropped off the nose & fenders at a local custom paint shop, and just picked them up today. The paint work is excellent, but unfortunately, the color match is not. Apparently, the pigments in gel coat are very different from those in paint, and it shows. My wife says she can't see any difference at all, but it's glaringly obvious to me. Ah well, I have the exact paint codes used for the new paint work and, if I decide to do so, I can have the front fenders painted to match the rest of it.

In this pic, the third panel back is the gel coated one. The picture doesn't really do it justice, but the gel coated fender's color is slightly darker & richer.

Attachment:
Paintwork 3 small.jpg


Nonetheless, with the panels sitting on the car (mock up only, in this photo), it's actually starting to LOOK LIKE A CAR!!

Attachment:
Paintwork 1 small.jpg


Attachment:
Paintwork 2 small.jpg


You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

_________________
Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: January 2, 2018, 3:39 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
Wow! I guess it's been quite a while since I updated my build log! It's amazing how much life, work, family, etc. stuff happens.

There's not a lot of progress to report. Mainly, I've been doing a bunch of little detail stuff, in preparation for blowing the car apart for frame paint, followed by body panel beating.

My focus has been to get the car to the point that when I reassemble it, it will be a 100% bolt-together operation, with no fabrication or modifications required.

Okay, you can all stop laughing now! :roll: :lol: I know, it's an impossible goal, but the closer I get to that point the better, so I'm trying to finish as many bits & pieces as I can.

What doesn't help is that my shop is unheated & uninsulated. Even though I live in the Pacific Northwest, it's still below zero (Celsius), and having a wrench stick and freeze to your hand is no fun at all. Worse, manual dexterity decreases as you get cold, so the fine details I'm doing at the moment become more difficult. Plus, painting, gluing, etc. aren't feasible in temperatures that low, so I'm very limited in what I can do.

Before it really started to get cold, I fabricated & installed all the brake hard lines, plus installed the front & rear flex lines, Tee's, brake bias valve, etc. I used the new Cupro-nickel hard line for this - nice stuff to work with, as it's easy to form, and will never corrode.

I also made & installed the hard fuel line - I used 5/8" copper for this, as it had to snake around all over the place and it's easy to form. In order to make sure it's both electrically insulated from the car, and held rigidly in place to eliminate all flex, I used rubber-lined P-clips along its length, and rubber-lined stainless braided flex lines at both ends. That copper line doesn't flex, at all!

Here's some fuel line [NWS PORN] for you!

Attachment:
fuel line carbs small.jpg


I decided that I could work on my dashboard, as applying the vinyl, cutting gauge & switch holes, etc. could be done in the house where it's warm. I'm pretty happy with the results - here are a few pics of how it's turned out -

The dash, overall - all the gauges, switches, etc. are clearly visible & accessible. That's what I'd planned, and it turned out better than I'd thought it would.

Attachment:
Dash covered small 1.jpg


Driver's side view from inside the car -

Attachment:
Dash covered driver view small 1.jpg


Driver's view of passenger's side -

Attachment:
Dash covered driver view passenger side small 1.jpg


Here's one with the glovebox open!

Attachment:
Dash covered glovebox open small 1.jpg


The reason the small panel at the bottom (with the clock) curves downward is because if it followed the angle of the face of the dash, it fouled on the (large) base of my Ford Racing shifter mechanism. My latest mantra is "If you find there's an issue, turn it into a feature!", and this was a perfect opportunity. I put a curve into the top few inches of the panel, and now it curves downward so it's vertical where it meets the top of the tunnel. I actually think it looks way better this way - like it was planned that way or something!

One issue I had was that I was absolutely determined there would be no visible fasteners on the face of my dash. To that end, I used countersunk rivets from the front to attach brackets on the back for attaching stuff, bolting the dash to the scuttle, etc. That has worked out nicely, as it gave a smooth, flat surface for gluing on my vinyl - I think it looks pretty professional, and since the first thing a person sees when they get in the car is the dashboard, I wanted it to look "finished".

Attaching the "clock panel" at the bottom appeared to be a problem, until I hit on the idea of using a "tab and slot" method. There's a long (about 8") bracket riveted on the bottom of the dash, forming a horizontal slot, and the clock panel has a matching tab riveted onto the top at the back. When the clock panel is offered up, its tab fits into the slot at the bottom of the dash nice & snug. There's the added bonus that these two edges, being tight against each other, ensure the vinyl can't come away.

I plan to use 1/4" i.d. black rubber tubing, slit lengthwise & pushed onto the outer edges of the dash, as a combing, to cover its perimeter. Again, it will help ensure the vinyl stays in place, and will offer a little protection to passengers' knees.

I also made an aluminum top panel for my trans tunnel, and it will have 1/2" foam padding under black vinyl to match the dash. At the rear end, where it meets the rear bulkhead, I used the "tab & slot" method again. It's really nice for accessibility - undo a couple of screws that hold the cupholder (more on that in a moment), slide the entire panel forward a half inch, and the panel lifts right off. Nice, if (when) I have to access the brake lines, fuel line, parking brake assembly, electrics, drive shaft, etc.

Now, it might seem a silly detail, but I really wanted a cup holder for my perpetually-handy coffee cup, and I also wanted a means to lock the tunnel top piece in position after the "tab & slot" is engaged. So, I figured I'd install a cup holder & secure it with a couple of machine screws, which would do double duty to hold the panel down as well.

You can see the dash, clock panel, etc. prior to covering.

The cup holder turned out to be a bigger task than I'd planned. I managed to find one the shape & size I wanted at a wrecker, but it was plain black rubber, and seriously ugly. So, I felt I had to turn this "issue" into a "feature" (sensing a theme, here?).

I used a piece of 14 gauge 6061 aluminum to make a top for it, polished it up, and used two of the three securing screws to also hold the tunnel top down. Worked out far better than I'd hoped...

Attachment:
cup holder 2 small.jpg


Here it is, drilled & mounted in the tunnel top. As it's stepped inside, it holds water bottles, coffee cups and cans securely, and I think it looks good. It will, of course, be better once it's inset into the padded & black vinyl-covered tunnel top which will match the dash. The charcoal-colored foam on the passenger's seat is what I'll be using to pad the tunnel top with (foam was salvaged from a trash can at work! - I'm all about recycling...)

Attachment:
cup holder and tunnel top small.jpg


I'm sure there's more, but I'll post again once I think of what else has been done.

Cheers! :cheers:


You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

_________________
Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: January 2, 2018, 7:17 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: April 22, 2010, 4:43 pm
Posts: 432
Location: Livermore, Calif.
Really nice looking dash. You should be proud!
Cheers,
Roy

_________________
Build log http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16510


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: January 2, 2018, 9:43 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
Thanks, Roy - I appreciate that!

Today, I went back out to have another look at my front cycle fender stays. I haven't been happy with them, as I feel they're too flexible. While there has to be some give, a solid bump would have allowed them to move up & down as much as 1/2" at the outer edges (and vibrate up and down for a moment afterward, too).

I took one of the 4 stays off, and decided there was room to weld on another outside edge rib. They were previously L-shaped in cross section (made of 1/8" steel), but there was a narrow spot that allowed a lot of flex. I made up a 1/8" steel rib & welded it on to one of the 4 stays, so now that one is U-shaped in cross section, without any narrow areas. Just doing that made an amazing difference - that fender, with only one of its stays beefed up, is at least 4X more rigid. I'm going to do the same stay on the other side, and see how it is. If necessary, I can do the other stay on each side, too, which should pretty much eliminate movement altogether.

Funny, the rib I welded on didn't add more than an ounce, and probably less, but the engineered difference was instant, and amazing. I'm pretty happy about it, as I'd feared I'd have to start from scratch & re-engineer the entire fender support system. It had taken several weeks to do initially, and I hate wasting precious (and rare) build time.

I hate re-doing things I thought I'd finished (the stays were sanded smooth, polished, and painted already), but this issue has been bugging me for months, and I finally decided to just do it. Once you've sanded off some of the paint, you might as well go all the way.

_________________
Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: January 3, 2018, 10:37 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
You're really doing a lot of terrific work with your build. I've been catching up on build logs as I've been pretty inactive for the last 6 weeks or so. I enjoyed reading about your heater/defroster solution in particular. These seemingly "small" subtasks can take up so much time. You can spend hours on the Internet trying to find something that "works" to a certain degree, but you're always designing and making some kind of adapter to get that final 10%-20% of functionality that really does make it work. And, you're lucky if you don't go down several dead end paths before you find one that solves the problem within budget.

The wiper ferrules are another such example. The good thing is that your work provide some excellent examples for those of us who are not that far along yet.

Keep up the good work!

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

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Long-term +2 build
PostPosted: January 3, 2018, 3:04 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
Thanks so much Lonnie - it means a lot to me, especially coming from someone with your experience and skills!! I am simultaneously pleased, and humbled, good Sir! :cheers:

_________________
Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit.

http://zetec7.webs.com/


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 252 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1 ... 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 ... 17  Next

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 32 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
POWERED_BY