LocostUSA.com

Double post. Sorry!

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

Center Console Concept

I need a center console to conceal the stereo head unit, serve as an arm rest, and provide some much needed storage (this car has no glove box)

I source a 'flexible sliding door' from an early Mustang/Cougar, and while it's a little sketchy in the pic, you can see where this is going.. I'm experimenting with different heights of foam layers to see what's the most comfortable for use before I build the real thing..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

A Matter of Time..

Returning home from the Reno car show... The task: trying to cover 400 miles with a bad (and getting worse) AC clutch bearing.. It was to be 105 degrees that day, and I needed to be at work the next morning.. The car was running great, other than the perpetual growl coming from the sloppy bearing..

I looked at it this way.. If (when) the bearing fails, it will throw the serpentine belt, which will simply take out the alternator (the water pump is internally chain driven).. She can live for awhile without an alternator and just run off of the battery, maybe an hour? two? So at very least, I need the bearing to hold up for about 300 miles or so, then I should be ok.. I started out of Reno early on the Sunday morning saying a little prayer to Timken, the bearing God, and down the hill I went..

All was good for awhile.. She was running a little hotter than I would have liked, but it was manageable... I was careful to try and keep the RPMs near 2000 so as to not stress the belt/bearing any more than the car needed to simply move.. In hindsight, I should have gassed up before I left town so I wouldn't have to make any stops (it has a 16 gallon tank, and will do a hypothetical 400 miles).. I kept the stereo off to be sure the battery was as unstressed as possible, as I assumed I'd be running on battery only at some point later in the trip.. I used my headphones and Iphone to listen to my true crime podcasts as the miles ticked off and the car seemed like it would make it...

A few hours in, I was desperately low on gas, and had no choice but to stop.. Found an Arco next to an In-N-Out and gassed up.. Went to restart it and she didn't want to do it.. slowwwww to crank over as there was now so much drag on the belt.. Another prayer to God Timken, and she turned over and fired back up.. Had to goose the revs up to keep from stalling, but it was working!

I knew I was absolutely on borrowed time now, so I decided to park it at In-N-Out and let it cool while I ate lunch there (it was now over 100 degrees outside).. I dawdled for as long as I could stand it, but the day was getting hotter, and I still had 250 miles to go.. Back in the car I go.. This time Timken allowed her to fire right up, but the screeching let everyone within 100 yards know something was terribly amiss ..

The rest of the trip went down almost exactly as I had imagined it would.. in hindsight, I have no idea how that bearing held on for so long.. with 109 miles to go, I heard a big "Thwack!", and the car began to fill with smoke.. I pulled over right away.. Holding the fire extinguisher in one hand and expecting the worst, I popped the hood to find the smoke was from the hose disintegrating/dragging over the seized AC pulley- the bearing made it almost 300 miles, but no more... No fire, no time- she's on battery now... get in and DRIVE!

So how long will a direct-injected motor allow itself to run on battery alone? I guessed that I was about to find out..


--ccrunner

*** Somebody saw it in the In-n-Out parking lot where I'd left the hood up and they took this pic.. a few weeks later a friend of mine tripped over this pic of 'my car' online and told me it was on a 'carspotting' hashtag.. here's the link he sent me, but I didn't see my car anywhere... https://www.websta.one/tag/p1800 ..that is my car and that was the day though, no matter where the pic originated...

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

I Need Better Auto Insurance..

I guess if I had better insurance I could have just avoided all of this stress and had her towed home ..As it stands though, my insurance will only tow it to "the nearest certified repair facility".. I think I'd have a hard time convincing them that I am my own repair facility.. With that in mind- it's time for the final 100 miles home, without an alternator..

Being my own repair facility, you'd think I'd have a better handle on electrical theory.. you know, watts, ohms, amps and the like.. Truth is, what I don't know about automobile electrics could fill a library.. I know jusssst enough to usually get by, and this seemed to be yet again one of those circumstances.. I don't know how much juice an injected motor's ECM pulls, or at how few volts it will no longer work.. See there?, someone with a better handle on 12 volt issues wouldn't have used the term "juice"

Anyway, several issues arose quickly- first of all was the finite amount of available volts were dropping, if ever so slowly.. I had a Scan Gauge II in the OBDII port, so I was able to monitor the battery.. at belt failure, it had 13.2 available volts, but after just a few miles, it started ticking down.. 13.1, 13.0, 12.9... Then the issue of overheating became a problem.. It was now 105 ambient temp, and I learned quickly that I had a very narrow little sweet spot to pace the car: fast enough to get 105 degree air across the radiator, but not fast enough to raise the coolant temp and trigger the volt-sucking electric cooling fan..

12.7, 12.6... 83 miles to go, 79 miles to go... How can I get this thing to cool down and not trigger that damn fan?! Ah! open the heater valve! So I turned the heater to max and turned the interior blower motor on low.. 12.3, 12.2.. Damn! That 1200 cfm fan keeps tripping on and stealing my volts

What else to do?? 50 miles to go is where I started drafting with a trucker than had an ideal pace for me.. He helped to pull me along and mostly keep my fan off.. if only I could shave a few more degrees out of the coolant and keep the fan off entirely.... The Hood!! Why didn't I think of this sooner?!? This car has a reverse hood! I reached down and pushed the lever than cracks open the rear edge of the hood by an inch or so.. a place for all that under hood heat to escape

12.0, 11.9, 11.8.... 33 miles to go, 29 miles to go.. I was out of tricks.. no longer in my control if it makes it; I've done all I know to do.. The reality is I'm no longer far from home, and I can get the pickup and dolly it home if I need to.. It sure would be nice not to need to though- it's been a very long, very hot day.. I need to get home to my wife, and not have this be one of those 'the car needs work' days..

11.7... 12 miles to go, and my drafting trucker friend pulls off.. I'm on my own now.. 11.6, 11.5.. now off the highway and on surface streets.. just a few miles from home.. 11.4.. was that a miss? I can't tell for sure but it feels like it's missing?

11.4 and I pull in the garage.. Made it! I tell her she's a good girl and I thank her for holding together..

The gauge flicks to 11.3.. I turn her off, and just for grins I try to refire her..

She won't restart, but I couldn't be more proud of her for getting me home


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Yay! Made it home!

I don't know much about ee-leck-trickal stuff neither. But I can tell you that a Ford 302 with electronic ignition and injection in a race car with no alternator will crap out on you at about 10 volts. (Plus or minus... My voltmeter is from Harbor Freight!)


Peace, Love and Alternators-
JDK

_________________
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

I know VAC (Volts Alternating Current), and I know VDC (Volts Direct Current), does that meter read in HFV ( Harbor Freight Volts)?

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

It reads in VDC but in this case it's "Voltage Direct from China"...

_________________
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

Time to dig the shrapnel out...

So she got me home, but she needs some TLC for sure..

So what happened to cause the AC to fail several days ago in Sacramento? I assumed the AC compressor imploded as they sometimes do, so I thought I'd have a look.. I've always wanted to look inside an AC compressor anyway (what the hell is a "wobble plate"?!), so I took this opportunity to dig in..

It was a bit of work to get the failed bearing/pulley off of the nose, but once removed, the case came apart easily, and what do you know? no internal damage??!! It's clean in there! It never was the compressor's fault at all- it was the bearing.. you know, the bearing that I only recently replaced as preventative maintenance

So why did a brand new bearing fail? I have no idea.. I don't know enough about how AC systems work, but the end result is I DON't have metal shards throughout the AC system, which is an unexpected blessing. So whatever the cause, she gets a new AC compressor, and this time, since I'm in there already, I'm going to make a minor change that should improve the overall performance of the AC system..

..here are some fun pics of the compressor's innards, wobble plate and all..


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

It was cool, but not COLD!

I'm running a Vintage Air system in the car, while still using the stock GM variable displacement compressor that came on this 2009 engine, which is something that Vintage Air advises against.. trouble it seems is the Vintage Air stuff is designed to be controlled by cycling the compressor clutch as needed, and the OEM GM comressor is designed to 'self adjust' it's displacement depending on the systems needs (maybe a part of the reason for my bearing failure? I don't know..).. The analogy is it's a system with 2 bosses trying to control things, and in the end, it doesn't work well...

The solution is: (1) switch over to a fixed displacement compressor (Sanden is preferred) , OR, (2) convert your variable displacement compressor to become a fixed displacement type.. I chose the latter, as retrofitting a Sanden into my available space would be problematic..

So I looked online (because the internet knows everything), and I learned that I needed to pull the "Displacement Control Valve) out of my compressor and seal off the end to restrict flow (pic with red circle)..

I did this and reinstalled the valve- done! I now have a fixed displacement compressor.. The downside is it now runs at full capacity when engaged (as does the Sanden), so it's not as efficient as it was designed to be, and now there's a noticeable 'clicking' when the clutch engages/disengages (again, like the Sanden).. so in short, I'm sacrificing a few mpg to get this thing to blow colder- a trade off I'm more than willing to make

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

RE: new parts failing when old parts keep going.... Years ago I read an article in Rod & Truck (Rut & Buck?) magazine where the editors thought it might be a hoot to drive a Model A along Route 66 (I think, anyway) and they went about locating a stock A and having it gone through. Almost without fail, any NEW part they had installed FAILED miserably within ridiculously short time periods, however, it being a Ford A, and being along the original Route 66, folks were able to provide, in many cases, original Ford parts, sometimes NOS, sometimes used, that prevailed despite being nearly fifty years old (at the time)..... They didn't upgrade the electrical system at all, however, and bemoaned having to get out and check the lights to see if they were actually working.... IIRC, the A finished the drive without too much trouble. Meanwhile, some Chilean chap named Hector got it in his head to drive from Chile to Detroit some time back in his own Model A.... which now sits in a museum in Detroit.

_________________
Who knew so much time involved in building a car is spent simply staring at the pile of parts you've accumulated?

I think that was one of Peter Egan's "Side Glances" columns or an article he wrote. I was amazed at how they could find Model A parts at roadside stops in small towns out west. And also amazed at how few they actually needed, given the age of the car. Great story!

_________________
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

Years ago, a member of our MGA club was on his way to a national meet. His car started to stutter and finally died at an off ramp. He knew from the symptoms what the problem was. It was the ignition coil. He walked up the off-ramp to a farm equipment store and asked the fellow if he had an ignition coil. He rustled around his desk drawer and pulled out grungy used coil and handed it to him. No charge. 10 minutes later he was on his way. As far as I know, that coil is still in the car.

Tried and proven used parts are often better than new ones.

I did have a new coil start to fail then finally just up and died on my MGA a couple of weeks after it was on the road. Following my buddy's experience, I simply went to a Farm and Fleet and got one for Ford / Allis / Oliver / etc. tractor. No more issues.

Congrats on diagnosing the compressor. I'll have to remember that thing about the GM compressors when it comes time for A/C on my GT.




'

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

CC what a great story! I love these kind stories.
Brings back memories of when I was working on natural gas engine/compressor units. My area was over an hour and a half away from parts sources and when something went sideways, which it always did, I would have to "MacGyver" something together. I would phone my foreman up at the time and say "hey are you a bettin' man ?" You could hear him sigh and say "what now?" I says "well this haywire repair should get us through til the real parts get here". And by golly it usually did.
I firmly believe there must be Mechanical MacGyver Gods that look over us.
BTW you young folk look up MacGyver 1985 TV series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGyver and scroll down 2/3rd's and read MacGyver's Gear. That gear would get you through a nuclear holocaust, a car jacking, a hold up, a broke down car, a snow storm, beating the bad guys, castrate a tom cat, a stomach ache, unwanted donkey's in your yard, getting out of a tough spot, getting dog poo off your shoes, and on and on.
Now where'd I put those dam paper clips and duct tape???????

_________________
Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle

I don't understand that phrase. I think it implies that somebody might not want a donkey in the yard??? Must be a Ukrainian thing...

In a former life, I once took the itty bitty electric fuel pump from a 2-cylinder Onan gen-set in the back of a well logging truck, plumbed it into the fuel system on my Chevy 350 V8 in a one-ton truck and hot wired it to the battery. Got me home. Tended to splutter a bit over 50mph and on hills, but it got me there. McGyver? Never heard of her...


JDK

_________________
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

COLD AC is achieved

September 2018

Now that the compressor is the 'fixed displacement' type, how does it work? This time around I decided to get my own AC manifold/gauges (pic) and charge the system myself.. Not that tough to do after a bit of a learning curve is overcome.. It came together really nicely, and I'm now getting 40 degrees at the vents, and from what I've read, that's about as good as it gets without components freezing up..

As mentioned before, the compressor now runs at 100% capacity when on, and you can tell the difference between it being on and off from inside the car (in it's OEM configuration it wasn't as noticeable).. No complaints from me though.. I've got cold air in my classic car when it's hot outside, and it's often hot outside here

So now that she's cool on the inside, it's time to improve the engine cooling... The problems on the recent Reno trip notwithstanding, over the summer I've noticed that once the engine gets hot, it's current fan/radiator setup is noticably slow to cool it back down.. sometimes she gets hot and the temp hovers above where I'm comfortable with it, and while it doesn't go any higher (usually), even with the fan staying on, she can't seem to get herself cooled back down.. This just happens on the worst, hottest day (105 degrees-plus ambient), but I'd like it to never be the case, so a bit of a redo is in order with the fan and shroud.

*engine bay is the 'before' shot of the upcoming mods

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com