Well, I took the advice of my fellow builders and constructed the R Tubes from node-to-node, almost. I still have a bit of finishing work to do, but the main structural elements are in place and it seems to have turned out well enough. I say well enough because I compromised on the tube left of the engine for steering column reasons, it's not quite node-to-node at the rear, more of a node-to-1/2node.
Also received, and did an initial fit of, the front brake lines. Apparently 19" is to short as I didn't take into account the caliper mounting design. I'll have to modify it a little bit so the line runs straight from the caliper to the chassis. This was actually a bit of a pain, a lot more than in should have been considering the part. Too short obviously doesn't work but if it's to long, the brake line ends up hitting the spring/a-arm, something I didn't want with the braided line. It's tight, but with the wheel fully turned, I have play in both full droop and bump.
I also got my rad mounted. Took me three tries, but I'm happy with the outcome. Originally, I was just going to build two little U-Brackets (for lack of a better description), let the rad sit in them, then just have a simple little mount at the top to prevent it from bouncing out. I built the brackets; trial fit looked good, trial fit with the nose, not so much. I didn't take into account the curve of the nose cone and had measured from the area with the most clearance. The front half fit great, the back half, not so much. Second attempt, if I can call it that, was to well four tabs on the rad tanks and just attach it to the chassis that way, very similar to what Kurt did on Midlana. My welder basically refused to weld the aluminum tabs on the rad though because he was convinced they would eventually crack. Another thing to consider is the heat transfer melting the epoxy. Moving onto the third and final attempt..... Basically I just used a steel band to clamp the rad, attached to the chassis via isolation mount, to two tabs welded to the chassis behind the rad. Again, it's not complete, I'll have to throw in some cushioning between the band and the rad, but it's definitely solid. Not a huge fan of the looks with the nose off, but with the nose on and the electric fan in place, you won't be able to see it.
Also got my ugly factory steering wheel mounted. About 2.5 turns lock to lock with just about 0.5" of play. It is kind of bulky, but it takes care of the horn, signal lights, wipers, high beam, and it has tilt, a option that is awesome in a car like this, makes it way easier to get in/out. I'd like to upgrade the wheel once I get the car running, but for now the budget is only for required parts, not the replacement of parts I already have. Just have to get it running.....
I'm currently working on completing the brake system (running the lines, finalizing pedal placement, and hand brake options) and trying to figure out the best way to set up the hydraulic clutch.
Cheers,